What are the big non-d20/non-D&D Game Systems?

[Pinotage]

Questions says it all, really. What are the big Game Systems and Publishers out there that are non-d20/OGL, and not D&D? I'm trying to broaden my horizons in gaming and I'm looking at the big companies and system. Note, I'm not talking about single product RPGs, here, but rather those companies like White Wolf that release loads of support for their products.

Off the top of my head there are:

Vampire the Requiem
Werewolf the Forsaken
Rolemaster
Palladium Fantasy RPG

Thanks!

Pinotage

 

[Crothian]

This is guess work based partially on what I just saw at Origins.

Whitewolf's having success with Exalted and Scion. Vampire still seems to be big and I've seen more games of Changeling then I was expecting so I think it is doing good for them. Werewolf, Mage, and Promethian don't seem to be big game lines for them these days.

Witch Hunter seems to be big, I saw lots of games of it at Origins and many filled tables. They are just starting their product line so not much there yet.

Margret Wies Productions and their Serenity game are still fan favorites. I know there are plenty of people who dislike the system but I heard that all their Serenity tables (and they had plenty) filled up fast. It was also the game I heard the most people say they were trying to get into using generics. I think they do have a seocnd Serenity book coming soon. Not a big product line but it could develope into one.

Shadowrun had a very full room and plenty of action there.

Savage Worlds I didn't se ea lot of there but I know it is pretty popular. They have lots of choices for genres and books.

 

[jdrakeh]

Rolemaster
Palladium Fantasy RPG

I don't think either of these qualify, despite being in print. Palladium dedicates almost all of its resources to Rifts now, while ICE seems to be stalled insofar as releasing any supplements (Rolemaster Classic consists of only three core books and one supplement).

As far as big-ish non-d20 game systems still receiving frequent and ongoing publisher support in the form of printed or PDF supplements, I think you're pretty much limited to Runequest, Savage Worlds, GURPS, and Hero*.

You may be able to lump some newer games like Traveller (Mongoose) and Witch Hunter in there soon, though it's too soon to tell yet, IMO.

*In addition to Exalted, World of Darkness, and D&D, of course, as they're the Big Three.

 

[Pinotage]

Whitewolf's having success with Exalted and Scion. Vampire still seems to be big and I've seen more games of Changeling then I was expecting so I think it is doing good for them. Werewolf, Mage, and Promethian don't seem to be big game lines for them these days.

So White Wolf have Exalted, Scion, Mage, Werewolf, Vampire, Changeling and Promethian? Are these all based on the same underlyings system or are they different?

Witch Hunter seems to be big, I saw lots of games of it at Origins and many filled tables. They are just starting their product line so not much there yet.

Is this Paradigm Concept's Witch Hunter?

Pinotage

You may be able to lump some newer games like Traveller (Mongoose) and Witch Hunter in there soon, though it's too soon to tell yet, IMO.

Thanks! HackMaster still gets support, doesn't it? Mongoose seems to be quite active in supporting other Game Systems. I think they have Babylon 5 as well. Wasn't there a Star Trek RPG as well at some point? I know there was a d6 Star Wars as well at some point.

I guess another question here is what are the big Game Systems as well as big companies that support RPG product lines. d20, d6, etc.

Pinotage

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Is this Paradigm Concept's Witch Hunter?

Hunter is a new line by White Wolf for the new World of Darkness and it will be released this year. It is all over their webpage.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

"Big" is a relative term in RPGs. If you factor in installed base & long-term popularity alongside actual sales, you'll find some interesting games.

I'd count HERO and GURPS as the major players in the generic toolbox RPG world. (Side note- Mutants & Masterminds, while a D20 based supers game, is almost as flexible a toolbox game as they are, FWIW. Ignore it to your detriment.)

Runequest is a classic that has had several incarnations, and variations of it were used as the systems for games like Stormbringer, Hawkmoon and Corum.

Traveller is probably the #1 all time sci-fi game...counting all of its editions from the 1970's on.

RIFTS is one of the most creative settings I've ever seen. Many people ditch the mechanics and use the setting.

MechWarrior is probably one of the bigger RPGs devoted to roleplay in a mecha dominated setting, Mekton being up there as well.

The original Boot Hill was a classic, but is long out of print. As I understand things right now, the 2 best pure Western themed RPGs on the market are Sidewinder and Aces & Eights.

Cyberpunk was a classic, reborn as Cyberpunk 2020.

Paranoia is a blast.

There are also certain games that are devoted to a particular niche. Deadlands, Call of Cthulhu and Space 1889 are all major forces in their sections of the RPG world. Few games do what they do as well as they do.

As always, note that some of these games are recommended because of their fluff more than crunch.

Star Trek RPG

There have been a few.

Right now, the only one I know of in print is Prime Directive, which has been published in a variety of systems.

 

[jdrakeh]

"Big" is a relative term in RPGs. If you factor in installed base & long-term popularity alongside actual sales, you'll find some interesting games.

He provided specific criteria for "big" in the first post -- ongoing supplement support from publishers. Incidentally, this exempts all of the OOP games that you mention (and some of the in print games no longer having supplements printed for them).

HackMaster still gets support, doesn't it?

Not really. Kenzer still carries the old supplements for the current edition but aren't printing any new ones to my knowledge (or ordering reprints of existing supplements). They are on record as developing a new edition of Hackmaster that uses its own system, and I think that is where their current interest is focused.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

Is this Paradigm Concept's Witch Hunter?

Hunter is a new line by White Wolf for the new World of Darkness and it will be released this year. It is all over their webpage.

I'm sure Hunter: The Vigil will get plenty of support from White Wolf...or at least 3 books. I've no idea if it's a "limited" deal like Promethian is/was or not.

Witch Hunter is a different product, and currently has 4 products:

Core Rule book
Monster Book
Adventure
Character Journal

http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/

I've got a thread currently going on Witch Hunter. It's nice to see that the game is getting some traction. The core book has been out for a bit (a year now) and I snagged a copy of it as soon as it came out. It's been kinda quiet until recently. With Paradigm going for the Organized Play side of things, I imagine they plan on trying to support it vigorously.

As to the OP's question in general:

I wouldn't call 'em "big" but there's always Earthdawn. http://www.earthdawn.com/

In general though? Outside of D&D and White Wolf, there's not much happening. Savage Worlds has ongoing support, but even Gurps is only putting out 2 or 3 books for this year. If you're looking to run the supplement treadmill, you've got limited options these days. Especially if you're looking for something that's "popular".

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

He provided specific criteria for "big" in the first post -- ongoing supplement support from publishers. Incidentally, this exempts all of the OOP games that you mention (and some of the in print games no longer having supplements printed for them).

AFAIK, the only ones I mentioned that are OoP are: original Cyberpunk, certain editions of Traveller, Mekton, and Boot Hill.

The rest are both in print and have had products released for them as recently as 2005- most had products released in 2007.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Questions says it all, really. What are the big Game Systems and Publishers out there that are non-d20/OGL, and not D&D? I'm trying to broaden my horizons in gaming and I'm looking at the big companies and system. Note, I'm not talking about single product RPGs, here, but rather those companies like White Wolf that release loads of support for their products.

Exalted by White Wolf is a very significant one.

It's often overlooked by this kind of list, which is insane, because according to WW, it's one of their best sellers, and it's got huge support. It's a extremely high-magic epic fantasy game, where, by default, the players are Solar Exalted, beings of incredible power come to reclaim their "birthright". Obviously many other beings in the setting are not keen on them doing so, and it's a curious combination of Wuxia, Indo-European Myths and JRPGs (with a little too much "anime" mixed in for my personal taste, but at least it's explicit).

As for Vampire, Mage, Werewolf, Promethean, Changeling and the upcoming Hunter, yes, they ARE all based on the same system, indeed they share a central "system book" called The World of Darkness, and are in fact designed on the basis that you can use content from one of them with the others without having to try to "adapt" it or the like.

They also have Scion, a game of being the children (scions) of ancient gods in the modern day, which somewhat rocking. I don't think it'll see much further support, as it was designed specifically as an "arc" product, releasing three core books then stopping, but it's recent and decent (I don't love the system, personally, but the ideas are good).

I don't know if you want on include RPGs that have a lot of support already but aren't like to see more. Cyberpunk 2020 is one such. It was huge fun in the 1990s, I can tell you, but it can seem a little dated today. It's still in print and it's supplements are usually available, however.

Shadowrun is a system that's still going, still seeing new editions and new supplements. It's future-set game where magic has returned to the world (in full force), and so have various mythical races (with some of a Tolkien-esque bent).

More later perhaps, as even everything mentioned is far from all there is.