What rpg system would you use for a 60+ session fantasy campaign?

[dbm]

I still feel RM has one of the best class and level system implementations for that reason.

By the time you got all the 2e Companions there was something crazy like 50 classes, too. Pretty much every imaginable niche had a class or three (one per type of magic) covering it.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, the last time I did that, I used D&D 4E, I would do so again (especially with Virtual Table Top support).
Alternatively, I might make my homebrew Arcana Evolved, which is where I apply 4E concepts to the Arcana Evolved/Unearthed classses and mod from there.

 

[GreyLord]

AD&D or BECMI. First choice. Easiest choice.

 

[Stormonu]

This seems like a strange thing to ask on EnWorld.

5E D&D or, if I could get away with it, 2E.

 

[TKurtBond]

MERP was far easier to get players playing; I think it was very wrong for ME, but it's a great game in its own right.

Maybe, but there is something quite appealing about the world described by MERP and the I.C.E. Middle-earrth supplements that could be a better place to adventure, depending on what you want out of a game.

 

[WillPhillips]

This seems like a strange thing to ask on EnWorld.

5E D&D or, if I could get away with it, 2E.

Well, yeah, it's a pretty D&D-centric place, but even within that, you've got lots of edition options - scores more so if you dip into modern d20 derivatives and/or the OSR space.

I came into the hobby via AD&D 2E, and so that nostalgia is always there for me. Not sure if I'd want to go back and play, though, as my grown adult brain can only handle the rules-light stuff these days.

 

[Thomas Shey]

And notably this is in the TTRPGs General Forum, which suggests the original poster was not assuming D&D would be the answer as a default.

 

[aramis erak]

Maybe, but there is something quite appealing about the world described by MERP and the I.C.E. Middle-earrth supplements that could be a better place to adventure, depending on what you want out of a game.

The game and the setting have very different resulting tones. I am in no way denigrating the MERP Setting.
It's just not a good fit for the ruleset.

 

[TreChriron]

I have recently become enamored with Rolemaster Universal (RMU). I would choose that with a homebrew setting and campaign.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's a hypothetical question, with the following stipulations:

1. The campaign you'll be running will be at least 60 sessions long, more if you wish.
2. It's a fantasy campaign but the subgenre is whatever you want it to be. Heroic, grim-dark, military, whatever.
3. Can be any rpg system since the beginning of the hobby, out of print or currently published and you and your players have access to the materials.
4. Putting aside character death and character retirement in the course of playing, the intention is to run with the same characters for the entire campaign.
5. You have adequate time to read rules and prepare. Miraculous, i know... but for this hypothetical, you don't need to worry about that. You have the time.
6. Also don't worry about getting players - let's say you have them and they want to play and will learn the game if they don't already know it.
7. Let's say there's good online VTT support for whatever system you choose. I know, not realistic, but it's not a factor you need to consider if you would run this online.

So that's it. What system would you choose for a fantasy campaign of considerable duration given the stipulations above?

If you feel like you hate campaign durations of that length and wouldn't ever do this, good for you and there's no need for you to post in this thread. I'm looking for answer from people who might actually want to do something like this.

Either 5E D&D, Shadowdark or Pirate Borg, depending on what vibe I was going for. In fact, I'm currently running one live 5E game, two play by post 5E campaigns (one is the most recent incarnation of a game that started in 2006) and a Shadowdark campaign.

And when we did a Talk Like a Pirate Day one shot of Pirate Borg in September, my players were enthusiastic about running a campaign of that once either our 5E or Shadowdark campaign wrapped up.

So all of those would work for me, although 5E has the best chance of having starting characters make it all the way to the end, so if that was super-important, that's probably what I'd pick of my three choices.