What are some other good non-d20 fantasy systems

[redkobold]

What are some other systems (non d20) out there free or out of print of even in print that are innovative yet simple and elegant in their mechanics with a good but not overly complicated combat and magic system.

I am not overly fond of % skill based systems but I am interested in opinions of others who have played a lots of different systems. I like d6 a lot (the original WEG Star Wars was great) but the new books were a little too generic and did not have all of the meat they needed. I like playing lower magic fantasy with d20 modern and with a good bit of modification, it makes me happy. I like the career paths of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. I have probably been the most excited about d20 microlite though I have not played it yet.

I really like systems that have interesting ability score generation or ability mechanics, armor as damage reduction, and combat options that truly allow you to parry, or feint and actually use a little strategy.

To those of you in the know, tell me a little about other games and what you liked about the game and the mechanics.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I like RuneQuest/HeroQuest. The system's changed quite a bit over the years though every iteration is good imo. However its real major selling point is Glorantha - the best fantasy gaming world evar.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

FUDGE can be a simple system if you leave off some of the optional aspects, but it's a bare ruleset for building RPGs rather than the game itself. Tri-Stat has it's attractions but I was never able to get into it. Runequest is another classic for all it's changed.

I've generally cleaved to various editions of D&D and the old White Wolf systems so that's where most of my experience is. Based on what you're saying the Game of Thrones RPG has what you're looking for, unfortunately GoO is gone now, so I'd recommend picking it up while you still can. One of the two printings was an edition with both Tri-Stat and OGL d20 system rules.

 

[smootrk]

Here are a number of options:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=200037

 

[jdrakeh]

Exalted (Second Edition)

I'm not a huge fan of the Storyteller system, though the Second Edition of Exalted has made me a believer by cleaning up many of the loopholes (i.e., exploitable mechanics) in the earlier edition and introducing a real system for social combat (i.e., debates, etc). You also get much more setting info in the new core book than I felt you did in the 1e core book, allowing you to run a full-fledged game (albeit one centered on Solar protagonists) with access to only the core book and the Storyteller's Companion.

[Note: I also picked up the The Book of Sorcery, Volume 1 ('cause I really like the idea of giant, magically-powered, mecha in fantasy). That looks like all of the Exalted I will ever need.]

Bones

Right now, I really dig Bones -- the whole idea of characters being defined by customized dice rather than character sheets really appeals to me. The downside is that, logistically, the game is a nightmare -- it uses customized dice to define everything, which requires a lot of things that aren't easy to come by (e.g., blank dice, white 1/2"X 1/2" printable stickers, etc) in numbers that aren't cost-effective (I bought 50 blank dice and, as it turns out, that's not enough to get half of the things 'statted out' in the rule book into play). That said, there's good news. . .

The publishers offer a 'do-it-yourself' kit for printing cardstock dice (the downside, of course, is that they're cardstock) and an inexpensive HTML-based dice rolling program (which, of course, means you'll need a computer at the gaming table). I don't like either of these options, but I've decided that rather than try to layout my label sets for printing, cut my own labels by hand, and buy two more sets of blank dice. . . I'll give them a try. So the PCs get custom dice and all other dice get rolled by me, via the die rolling program.

I'm also pursuing another option as, despite the above issues of logistics, I think that the basic concept is sound -- it's the decision to use a crapload of special symbols to represent nearly every facet of the game that breaks the concept. In this vein, I'm hacking the old One Braincell RPG rules to work a bit like Bones (i.e., you still use custom dice, simply fewer of them and with fewer unique symbols to keep track of).

Oh. And if you download the free 'do-it-yourself' dice kit from RPGnow, you'll get a coupon that lets you download the whole game, plus the dice rolling program and another copy of the do-it-yourself dice kit for $3.50 (which I wish I'd known before I bought the Bones bundle at full price).

 

[jdrakeh]

Oh, oh. . . and I found this, last night. Very cool (click and see).

 

[Zulgyan]

Try C&C. Or any older edition of D&D.

 

[Ceresco]

I've been reading up on Burning Wheel . I like what I've read so far. Your character gets better with practice and succesfully accomplishing difficult tasks, instead of just accumulating XP and "pop" you're better at everything.

You can check out a review here.

 

[jdrakeh]

Based on what you're saying the Game of Thrones RPG has what you're looking for, unfortunately GoO is gone now, so I'd recommend picking it up while you still can. One of the two printings was an edition with both Tri-Stat and OGL d20 system rules.

You can still buy the regular edition from White Wolf and the limited edition (autographed) straight from George R. R. Martin.

 

[WayneLigon]

What are some other systems (non d20) out there free or out of print of even in print that are innovative yet simple and elegant in their mechanics with a good but not overly complicated combat and magic system.

You might want to give GURPS a try; GURPS Lite is a free download that gives a basic set of the game. You could run a perfectly good basic campaign off of this.

FATE 2.0 is a free download. Simple, elegant.

I've heard good things about Wushu.

Witchcraft is a free download of the entire core book.