What Game Rules should be my alternate for WotC products?

[Philotomy Jurament]

RuneQuest is fun (I haven't played the Mongoose version -- just Chaosium). I also like Chaosium's Stormbringer -- very swords & sorcery.

(Call of Cthulhu is fun, too (especially with Delta Green). But I was thinking more "D&D replacement.")

 

[Nightfall]

I expected a Scarred Lands comment here.

That will be some other time.

 

[RFisher]

Thanks to the OGL, 3e D&D no longer depends upon Wizards/Hasbro. I often wonder if this wasn't the true goal of the OGL all along. They d20 license & rhetoric were just a way to sell the suits on it.

Get Mongoose's Pocket PHB. It has served me well as a player in 3.5 games because I wasn't going to buy a new PHB from Wizards so soon. Perhaps I'll pick up their pocket DM book as well now.

I already have C&C. I've been eyeing True20 & Elric!/Stormbringer.

It's odd thing how yesterday's news is making me want to actually buy some of the things I've been eyeing, which I haven't yet because I've been pretty content with what I already have.

 

[howandwhy99]

You could buy older materials. Here's a good set of rules and adventures:

 

[mhensley]

...seriously?

I'm in love with the d6 system... in fact, next month, we're using it for a wild west game. It's great for sci-fi or modern adventure - anything with a cinematic feel. But for a fantasy game, I find the system lacking - especially in it's newer incarnations.

The Character Abilities are not at all balanced (which is fine, since this isn't really a game about balance - the GM is expected to use more than a bit of fiat to run the game). Much of the rules are splotchy at best. And it has a crappy progression system - it's fine for mini-games, but it has no real "progression" to it.

I just don't feel it does fantasy well, or campaigns.

D6 Fantasy is not the greatest rulebook in the world and it does take a bit of work to shape it to what you want to play, but I'm finding that core of D6 makes it more than worthwhile. If you pare down the rules to its D6 Star Wars 1st edition roots, its a really sweet game system. I'm converting my D&D campaign to it right now.

 

[Falstaff]

HârnMaster

 

[Timeboxer]

I may post a lot here, but my D&D friends are barely aware that EN World (much less other online entities) even exists.

Now that is certainly not true.

Oh, right. I've been getting into Spirit of the Century lately; it's certainly worth looking into.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Echoing the True20 sentiment, as well as throwing D20 Modern out there. The material is available free online (http://www.dominion-x.net/d20-msrd/index.html) and the third party support is fan-f***in'-tastic.

Seriously, if you're in to high action, low magic games, D20 Modern is a great rules set.

That, or Savage Worlds.

-TRRW

 

[smootrk]

Although I have fondness for D20 stuff, I feel that purchasing more of that does prop up WotC products (in an indirect way), and will forever tempt me with picking up something from said company. Additionally, since I DM at times, others may be influenced by my choice of game; If I support D20, chances are strong that others will pick up D20 and/or actual WotC products.

Anyway, I can't say that I won't play any D&D or D20 games, as I have mounds of stuff that I can use, but for games that I will actively GM/endorse will not include D20. For a change of pace, it seems that Savage Worlds has a fair number of votes. What is the big draw of this system? Easy to use, adaptable to any genre, built in flavor, or something else?

WotC will need to setup something outstanding to get my dollar working towards their fattening their wallet... really, something that really knocks my socks off.

 

[RFisher]

You could buy older materials. Here's a good set of rules [...snip...]:

For sooth!

There are also some gems to be found among the free games.