What Licensed RPG Do You Wish Used A Different System?

[Thomas Shey]

Being able to approximate a superhero in 5E is not really the point of the original argument though. The claim was that one couldn't build a class and level based superhero game on the 5E chassis that wasn't a "design failure" as a superhero game. Even more, the claim was that any superhero game was a design failure unless it could do any kind or scale of supers. Unless of course it gets an arbitrary pass for being narrative or focused.

Given I made the latter qualification in part of that statement in virtually the first part of my criticism there (where I mentioned AMP:Y)), if you're going to get snarky about it, take it up with whoever you're arguing with in your head, not me.

Spoiler: a class and level.supers game is totally viable if, as with any other game, it does what you want it to do in play. And even if it doesn't, it isn't a "design failure" it is just not the game you were looking for.

Do you somehow think I'm going to agree with this more the second time you go around with me on it? Is something supposed to have changed?

Edit: To make this abundantly clear, I'm talking about general-purpose superhero games here; I'll accept theoretically that a class and level (though the latter part is a harder sell) system might be appropriate for some special purpose (i.e. setting specific) superhero or superhero adjacent games. That said, it'd have to be very specific; just being low powered or narrow is not going to help, per se; it requires that the setting has reasons for types to be strongly bucketed that is not normal or superhero settings in general.

 

[Faolyn]

Nothing wrong with that at all, but it notably makes your job easier than in a game that is primarily representing things in sort of a physical reality sense (it also doesn't hurt that the ones I'm familiar with like Masks and the like have somewhat narrow scope).

True. But we're also like this with D&D and, back when we played it, GURPS. Not games with narrow scopes at all or that emphasize a Narrative-heavy style of play all that much. It's harder to ignore the rules and say our powers do something that isn't RAW, but it's definitely possible.

 

[Aldarc]

I would honestly be curious seeing any IP setting currently under D&D’s lock and key with another system, if only to see what some other game company could do with it using their in-house system.

 

[Faolyn]

I really just miss Damage Reduction.

I would miss it more if it weren't so fiddly. DR 2, DR 6, DR 10, DR 4 against non-silvered weapons, whatever (no, those aren't actual examples). It becomes Yet Another Thing for the GM to calculate. There should be a "takes 3/4 damage," but that would be rather difficult for some people to calculate on the fly, and would cause combat to drag if calculators are involved.

Maybe a "take damage from dice but don't add modifiers" deal. Your longsword does 1d8 damage, don't add your strength. Not great, maybe but far easier to calculate.

 

[overgeeked]

I would honestly be curious seeing any IP setting currently under D&D’s lock and key with another system, if only to see what some other game company could do with it using their in-house system.

Spelljammer with Pirate Borg or 7th Sea. Eberron with Savage Worlds or Fate. Dark Sun with Mork Borg. Mystara with Old-School Essentials.

 

[Faolyn]

I would honestly be curious seeing any IP setting currently under D&D’s lock and key with another system, if only to see what some other game company could do with it using their in-house system.

I would really like to see Planescape using the Cypher system. And Eberron would probably work well in SWADE, since SWADE is designed for pulp-action-type games and that's what Eberron is geared to.

 

[Thomas Shey]

True. But we're also like this with D&D and, back when we played it, GURPS. Not games with narrow scopes at all or that emphasize a Narrative-heavy style of play all that much. It's harder to ignore the rules and say our powers do something that isn't RAW, but it's definitely possible.

There are a lot of modern, primarily representative SHRPGs that have some sort of tool to do that; I was actually a little surprised when Mighty Protectors came out without any sort of power-stunting ability, but the author can be aggressively old-school in his design sensibilities in some ways.

What you usually have to get into a narrative focused game for is to have wide ranges of power without the system being pretty overt about it; even though they're both modern games, contrast the superhero versions of Cortex and Prowlers and Paragons here. I find the compression in the former bothers me, but there's no question it doesn't make certain issues easier. That's one of the recognizable advantages with working with the narrative function of powers rather than the in-world function, and I'm not going to deny it just because it isn't my cuppa.

 

[MichaelSomething]

That's very likely. When it comes to different game systems out there, a lot of gamers develop loyalties early, and strongly. My gaming group has been longing to play something other than 5E Dungeons & Dragons, but they have made it crystal clear that they will not switch to a different system ever again...not even to a different edition of D&D that they're already familiar with.

So to play Star Wars, for example, our DM had to find a 5E/SRD based version. And fortunately for us, it exists (and it's awesome.) But when I posted about it in another thread, I was surprised at all of the "ugh why 5E, play something else" comments. I'd love to, buddy, but my gaming group will. not. switch.

Your group would be the perfect fit for Doctors and Daleks. It transforms Dr. Who into a 5E game!

 

[CleverNickName]

Your group would be the perfect fit for Doctors and Daleks. It transforms Dr. Who into a 5E game!

I need this link right now.

 

[overgeeked]

I need this link right now.

I was a vocal naysayer of the Doctors & Daleks game and I'll be the first to admit I was dead wrong. Doctors & Daleks does a fantastic job of porting Doctor Who to the 5E engine. I still prefer the 2d6 Vortex version, but Doctors & Daleks is great.