Parmandur
Book-Friend, he/him
DCC is usually considered under the rubric of "OSR," but it has a very different approach to character creation and abilities that may be worth a look.
What to run when you are done with D&D?
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
delericho
Legend
Right now, my answer is tending towards "nothing". Alas.
But in times past, when I've been burned out on D&D I've run something completely different - Vampire, or Star Wars, or Firefly. That complete change of scene has done more to get me back on the horse than any attempt to find a close substitute.
GMMichael
Guide of Modos
Wow. "D&D like" means something completely different to me...
I was thinking O.L.D., but that works too.
Try Wildcat. It makes combat a little more visceral, less bag-of-hit-points.
I think I agree with this. Trying to find something that's like D&D but isn't D&D will just invite comparisons between the games, when players expect a thing to work one way and it doesn't and then get upset at that. Try a game that's different instead. I can strongly recommend FFG's Star Wars (and the beginner set + web enhancement for Age of Rebellion makes for an amazing mini-campaign) if you aren't allergic to weird dice, and The Troubleshooters looks like an amazing bit of light-hearted fun (and you can download one of the demo or quickplay scenarios here, complete with pregens and shortened rules).
That's why I defined it, so people didn't think I just meant "fantasy rpg."
innerdude
Legend
I've documented on these boards before that other than a handful of 1-3 session mini campaigns (1 in 4e, 1 in 3.5, 2 in 5e) I have played zero actual "D&D" or derivatives since 2011.
Since then I've played a ton of Savage Worlds (300+ sessions), but have also played GURPS, Dungeon World, Ironsworn, FFG Star Wars, Tiny Dungeons/Tiny Frontiers, Fate Accelerated.
I've also read but not played Fantasy Craft, Burning Wheel, Night's Black Agents, Court of Blades, Novus, The One Ring, Radiance RPG, Masks, and Level Up.
And the thing of it is, I've discovered that you either want "D&D", or you don't.
Me? I don't really want what "D&D" offers anymore. I don't want class and level, gamist focused, DM driven adventures. Like at all.
Whatever it is I want, it isn't "D&D". I only say that because in 2009 I got tired of looking around to find the ultimate "D&D but not D&D" system, only to become disillusioned as you seem to be, when I realized that to break the "D&D" malaise, I had to make a break with its core assumptions.
Take my advice --- try getting as far away from D&D as possible and see where it takes you. I am 10-12x happier with my gaming now than I ever was in 2011 or before.
Since then I've played a ton of Savage Worlds (300+ sessions), but have also played GURPS, Dungeon World, Ironsworn, FFG Star Wars, Tiny Dungeons/Tiny Frontiers, Fate Accelerated.
I've also read but not played Fantasy Craft, Burning Wheel, Night's Black Agents, Court of Blades, Novus, The One Ring, Radiance RPG, Masks, and Level Up.
And the thing of it is, I've discovered that you either want "D&D", or you don't.
Me? I don't really want what "D&D" offers anymore. I don't want class and level, gamist focused, DM driven adventures. Like at all.
Whatever it is I want, it isn't "D&D". I only say that because in 2009 I got tired of looking around to find the ultimate "D&D but not D&D" system, only to become disillusioned as you seem to be, when I realized that to break the "D&D" malaise, I had to make a break with its core assumptions.
Take my advice --- try getting as far away from D&D as possible and see where it takes you. I am 10-12x happier with my gaming now than I ever was in 2011 or before.
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CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing (He/They)
Woah, that looks awesome.
You should check out my Scrimshaw Expanded mod, btw. I haven't updated it in years, but I'm still proud of it.
Except I explicitly want those things I mentioned.
To expound since that was a bit terse: I want to run a dungeon fantasy game specifically. Not just a general fantasy campaign. But I am frustrated with 5e specifically and D&D broadly. That why my ask in the OP was for "D&D like" which may have thrown people.
To
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I keep meaning to try this solo. But it's PbtA so I'm ambivalent.
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