What Non-D&D Would You Use For A Dungeon Focused Campaign

[Reynard]

Worlds Without Number (very different system than D&D IMO)

Yeah, the Without Numbers games are superficially "OSR" ish, but I do think they count as very different from D&D-likes.

 

[Parmandur]

I've heard very good things about Torchbearer, from @pemerton especially.

 

[thullgrim]

I like GURPS for dungeon crawling, especially requiring resource management. You can make it as mechanically heavy or light as you want.

 

[schneeland]

I'm not sure if DCC would still be consider too D&Dish (I would understand if it was), but if it's not, that would be my first choice.
Second choice would be Forbidden Lands - although I find it to excel for overland travel and exploration, I think the dungeon part should still be fine.
Third choice would be Trophy Gold, which I want to try for something like this for quite a while, but never really get to it.

 

[John Dallman]

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. It works well, and our GM was able to translate Pathfinder 1e scenarios on the fly without difficulty.

 

[pawsplay]

Dungeon Fantasy, or its older cousin, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, is designed for this. I have some criticisms about the writing style and some of the aesthetics, but the engine definitely runs. Lots of weird creatures. Cool PC templates. Tons of weapons.

Dragonbane.

Honestly, a lot of the games I play otherwise have elements that are extraneous to this play style.

 

[zottel]

The Black Sword Hack should work nicely, I think, if Shadowdark is rules out

 

[pemerton]

Whether it is a game about going from dungeon to dungeon in search of the 13 Shards of Whatsit, or a sandbox megadungeon exploration: what non-D&D RPG (this includes official, retroclones, OSR and clear derivatives like Shadowdark) would you use for this purpose? Why? What tools does it bring to the dungeon focused game?

I've heard very good things about Torchbearer, from @pemerton especially.

I'm a huge fan of TB2e. My actual play thread is here: Torchbearer 2e - actual play of this AWESOME system! (+)

Key system elements are: inventory; clear phases (adventure, camp, town) with distinct "currencies" that drive each; journey rules, that incorporate weather; light sources; a reasonably brutal condition track that interacts with the adventure and journey currencies, and that also relates to the rules for food and drink (which in turn interact with the inventory rules).

Here's a thread, which includes posts form the system author (Thor Olavsrud) about converting the Moathouse dungeon (from module T1) to TB2e: T1 Moathouse adapted to Torchbearer

And here's a thread about converting UK1 Beyond the Crystal Cave: Beyond the Crystal Cave - adapting to Torchbearer 2e

Here's one good comment from Thor in the T1 thread:

I think Torchbearer tends to play better with smaller dungeons. In D&D, the Moathouse is a pretty modestly sized dungeon, whereas I think it's on the verge of being too big for Torchbearer. The Caves of Chaos from B2 could support an entire Torchbearer campaign.

Related to this, I think that TB2e is better suited to "local" dungeons rather than "epic quest" dungeons. The anchoring elements in TB2e are the PCs' enemies and friends, the towns they have connections to, and their constant need for loot.

 

[jdrakeh]

Maze Rats or Delver 2e. Both games laser-focused on dungeon crawling.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Also suggest Torchbearer 2e.
Cairn (2e), His Majesty the Worm, or deep cut - Swords of Cepheus.