Play Something Else

[jdrakeh]

I've started buying my friends RPGs that aren't D&D (but that are still relevant to their interests re: setting or system bits) as birthday presents, with the hope that they'll get excited and run one at some point. Also, one of my other friends and I are making plans to organize a "anything but D&D" group with rotating GMs, so we ideally get several new and different games to the table.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I did NOT like Champions Fuzion when it came out. How dare they get rid of all those lovely numbers!

Fast forward about 25 years and my house rules for Champions are looking very Fuzion-esque. I should really re-visit it to see how I feel about it now.

Back in the 90s I was in a "blue book" champions game (3e?) and having to apply FOIL math rules to generate a character felt way too much like my engineering classes to be fun.

The slimmed down fuzion champions had the multi-powers and secret identities and all those champions-ish superhero things but the math was all add/subtract. It seemed perfect.

But my champions-buddies hissed and made the evil eye sign. The d20 players said "Champions? I save vs math". And the WW/Shadowrun types were like "as if I would roll just 3 dice!"

Sigh.

 

[Reynard]

Back in the 90s I was in a "blue book" champions game (3e?) and having to apply FOIL math rules to generate a character felt way too much like my engineering classes to be fun.

The slimmed down fuzion champions had the multi-powers and secret identities and all those champions-ish superhero things but the math was all add/subtract. It seemed perfect.

But my champions-buddies hissed and made the evil eye sign. The d20 players said "Champions? I save vs math". And the WW/Shadowrun types were like "as if I would roll just 3 dice!"

Sigh.

Champions New Millennium was an abomination, both as a system and as a setting. It was definitely of its time, though.

We found that from a "ease up on the math but maintain the customizability" perspective, Mutants and Masterminds 2E with the Powers book(s?) was perfect. Lots of detailed power and character creation, no slide rule.

 

[jdrakeh]

Back in the 90s I was in a "blue book" champions game (3e?) and having to apply FOIL math rules to generate a character felt way too much like my engineering classes to be fun.

True Story: One of the guys I played Champions (Blue Book, which was 4e) with was an actual, factual, rocket scientist. He was on character build duty. Everybody told him what they wanted to play and he'd build 'em.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I especially would like to encourage people who complain about D&D to try something else. I bet there's an rpg out there that solves the issue you're complaining about.

 

[MNblockhead]

I especially would like to encourage people who complain about D&D to try something else. I bet there's an rpg out there that solves the issue you're complaining about.

Yes. If more people would do this it would have two positive benefit. (1) Other games getting more support and (2) fewer people trying to change D&D to the point that it isn't D&D anymore.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes. If more people would do this it would have two positive benefit. (1) Other games getting more support and (2) fewer people trying to change D&D to the point that it isn't D&D anymore.

Sounds good, but I'm sure a lot of folks would tell you it's just not that simple, mostly because TTRPGs are not a solo activity.

 

[GrimCo]

I especially would like to encourage people who complain about D&D to try something else. I bet there's an rpg out there that solves the issue you're complaining about.

And then that other system has some other problem and they complain about that. So they stay with the one they know and try to smooth the edges with house rules. Devil you know and all that. Also, people love to complain. Trust me, being from the country that made complaining national sport, decent amount of people complain about things that bother them in principal, but not enough in practical sense to change something.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Sounds good, but I'm sure a lot of folks would tell you it's just not that simple, mostly because TTRPGs are not a solo activity.

If you only play with friends irl I guess that's an issue. But there are plenty of chances to try new TTRPGs if you're willing to look.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Back in the 90s I was in a "blue book" champions game (3e?) and having to apply FOIL math rules to generate a character felt way too much like my engineering classes to be fun.

The slimmed down fuzion champions had the multi-powers and secret identities and all those champions-ish superhero things but the math was all add/subtract. It seemed perfect.

But my champions-buddies hissed and made the evil eye sign. The d20 players said "Champions? I save vs math". And the WW/Shadowrun types were like "as if I would roll just 3 dice!"

Sigh.

Fuzion had a lot of virtues, but the big problem with the power building system was that the linear add/subtract meant that the values for Limitations and Advantages were too high or low depending at what end of the power scale you were at. There are ways to compromise on that in such a fashion it works better (the add/subtract system in M&M for example), but that was trying to keep it too simple for that to be possible.