Recommendations Please: Rules-Lite Modern Game?

[Committed Hero]

So would I It works best if you run a fx-low campaign, though. It can be used for a more fx-based campaign, but then I would recommend buying all the new gamelines as well (at least the new Mage: the Awakening). I have personally been running WoD since last fall.

All the stores near me didn't get Mage on the 17th, has anyone seen it?

 

[Von Ether]

I'd hedge my bets and say that Savage is more "rules medium," but may look rules light in comparison to DnD or d20 Modern. It's among my top suggestions for a game that could emulate modern eras. Some other suggestions ... especialy if you find SW to be lite, in approximate "weights," Lighter stuff floating to the top.

Over the Edge
Feng Shui
Unknown Armies
New World of Darkness
Mage: Acension
Adventure! (pulp 30s)
d20 Adventure!

The list is longer than I expected. I was apt to say that most modern games steer towards rules/simulation heavy, mostly because gun bunnies love their detail.

 

[The Shaman]

I was apt to say that most modern games steer towards rules/simulation heavy, mostly because gun bunnies love their detail.

Ugh, isn't that the truth...

I would categorize d20 Modern as rules-medium-well-done - in other words, there's a decent level of detail but for no-FX (no magic or psionics, that is) games, it runs very cleanly IMX.

However, it sounds like even d20 Modern might be a bit much for wedgeski's players - of course the GM can always just strip out whatever s/he doesn't like from the rules to make the game move faster...

 

[Von Ether]

Ugh, isn't that the truth...

I would categorize d20 Modern as rules-medium-well-done - in other words, there's a decent level of detail but for no-FX (no magic or psionics, that is) games, it runs very cleanly IMX.

However, it sounds like even d20 Modern might be a bit much for wedgeski's players - of course the GM can always just strip out whatever s/he doesn't like from the rules to make the game move faster...

Hence my nod to d20 Adventure! It may lean towards pulp, but it's got chase rules and a smaller set of loose gun feats compared to d20 Modern.

 

[Turanil]

Because of reading this thread, I got the curiosity of looking after Savage Worlds, then started a thread to know more about it, and finally bought it yesterday. It's really a nice game, that is designed for any genre, so would fit for modern time. I nonetheless think Savage Worlds is best for action-oriented games, preferably with a pulpy feel.

 

[TheLostSoul]

All the stores near me didn't get Mage on the 17th, has anyone seen it?

It has been delayed to the 29th due to have been expanded with about 80 pages. Some were sold at GenCon. You can find the article here.

 

[Ethernaut]

I switched over to FATE (http://www.faterpg.com/), and I was extremely happy with it. Those few times that we actually wanted to use rules to figure out what happens next, it was there for us, and the rest of the time it stayed out of the way.

One thing I like about the system a lot is Aspects, which are iconic things about a character. They work well as a way to incorporate the system into roleplaying.

I'm also a big fan of FATE, though I never played. The Aspect system is brilliant, though I find the character generation rules a bit cumbersome.

My own personal choice for Rules Lite gaming is Risus. Yes, it is a comedy game, but it can be played with less of the funny. I run a Pulp/Western game that's more cinematic than funny (see Silverlode 1908). In fact, I hope to run a Risus game at my next GameDay/Con.

Risus is brilliant because an entire character can be distilled into a handful of cliches. I'd also highly recommend the Risus Companion for tons of solid GMing advice. I didn't really "get" Risus until I read it.

Other favorites:
- Buffy RPG/Unisystem: (been running Slaying Solomon for years)
- Over the Edge
- Gurps Lite
- Castle Falkenstein

(Oh, btw, True 20 looks very promising)