My friend wants to run a campaign but wants to set it in coliseum/gladiatorial arena...

WHFRPG
No need to use the setting (as with any of the other Warhammer RPGs...), but the ruleset is just dandy.

>Being rules-heavy isn't inherently bad.

Wrong.

It isn't. It's bad if you want to play a narrative-heavy game without having to fuck about with a lot of rules. That's generally my preference, in fact. But if you want a Colosseum game, that means you want relatively intricate combat mechanics, so that each fight can be meaningfully different. And that means kind of heavy.

>Stop liking what I don't like!
>No.
>Your wrong! Your game a shit!

Mythras, but go with the free Mythras Imperative. If you HAVE to have a magic system, then get Mongoose Legend and use one of the options there, since it's OGL.

Clearly Monopoly is OP's only option.

Song of Swords/Riddle of Steel

Back to the Forge

>It's a rules-heavy mess of a game that is perfect for nothing.
And now I know you've never played it. It's one of the fastest systems for duels and 1 vs crowd engagements.

Not him, but although it's fast when you know what you're doing, it's definitely fairly rules heavy (OP's baseline is D&D which is also really heavy, but still) and the various PDFs of rules in different states are a huge mess, even though most of the stuff not in the base PDF is for magic or weird races or dog fighting or something.

I'd also recommend Riddle of Steel. I found it very intuitive and it does offer a nice degree of depth to combat, particularly melee combat.

Nice non-arguments. Have fun as Pathfinder sales continue to plummet, GURPS becomes a non-item, and the other rules-heavy games out there fade into obscurity as the industry OVERWHELMINGLY tips its hand to the preference of rules-light, fast-paced games that focus on the roleplaying not the rollplaying. If there's one thing Dungeon World proved, it's that gamers are sick of the 400 page rulebooks, overcomplicated mechanics, and nonsensical attempts to create simulationist rulesets. That mindset is outdated, and if you are going to create compelling mechanics in this day and age, you need to learn to play by the new rulebook, or your game is going to get thrown in the garbage with all the other forgettable kickstarter trash.

I wonder why Song of Swords isn't a common item at friendly local game stores, yet games like Edge of the Empire and Dungeon World are? That's because those games are fast paced and provide numerous diverse options in their task resolution. No one wants to play Runequest or Warhammer crap anymore. It's outdated crap. The mechanics are clunky and useless. They barely function comapred to the fast and smooth game engines of today such as the PbtA engine. In fact there's probably a PbtA hack for exactly what OP wants, without 300 pages of rules for whether or not you gain advantage on your attack rolls with a scythe versus a halberd or whatever the fuck. That's not roleplaying. That's autistic accounting.

Alright, moving on...

Mate, look. What you're saying is GENERALLY true. But you're phrasing it as an absolute, which is overreach. And in this SPECIFIC situation, you're wrong.

>I wonder why Song of Swords isn't a common item at friendly local game stores, yet
Because it isn't officially released, you mongoloid.

>In fact there's probably a PbtA hack for exactly what OP want
If there is, that would also be a reasonable suggestion. But I actually don't think there is. At the very least, I've never seen it and I generally keep up on that kind of thing.

...

>you can't houserule magic out of D&D
what the fuck am I reading dot jay peg

there was an OSR blog setting up a cool goblin gladiator thing, I believe with Rules Cyclopedia or B/X.

As you said most of these rules are for unrelated stuff that Jimmy came up with in caffeine induced delirium. Basic rules are rather simple but they feel unfamiliar and different from common D&D and vidya basics. Once you overcome the inertia it's fast and straightforward.

> What you're saying is GENERALLY true
No it isn't. It's bait.

>you're phrasing it as an absolute, which is overreach
Stop playing stupid, it's not any work to separate the exaggeration for effect from the point. Just pretend he prefaced every single sentence with "IMO" and stfu.

You can't houserule magic out of D&D without a result that's both unbalanced and boring to play.

He's correct that there's a strong trend in the industry right now to rules-lite games and that Song of Swords doesn't match that trend, and therefore may have difficulty finding general acceptance.

He's probably thinking about all the core D&D systems where magic/magic-like-effects plays a big role in the balance. But yeah, it's definitely possible but doing it yourself from scratch and expecting a balanced game is an exercise in pure tedium.

You're retarded. magic was just an alt rule for chainmail. you can easily just omit all instances of magic in B/X. there are many home-brews and OSR-compatible games like SWN that have no magic whatsoever. D&D is an incredibly versatile system. the only serious modification you'll have to make is in campaign design and monsters.

>ancient grognard editions
The fact that it doesn't differ from the base game doesn't change the fact that it's unbalanced and boring to play.

>ancient grognard editions
it's D&D nigger. I want reddit to leave.

>it's unbalanced and boring to play.
You've got no idea what you're talking about

>But I actually don't think there is.

Then make one.

Nigga, magic IS the fucking rule that is unbalanced to play. Fuckin moron.

I know it's brought up like a joke every single one of these threads, but I'm seriously going to recommend GURPS here.

If you use all the martial arts rules and other additions to melee combat, GURPS makes for very good, highly lethal low-tech combat.

It's not that complicated, either, once you get the hang of it.

Plus there's GURPS: Gladiator.

Try GURPS

>Then make one.
no u

>magic IS the fucking rule that is unbalanced to play
Magic is overpowered. Raw martial is underpowered. Both are unbalanced compared to the challenges they're expected to face. Fuckin moron.

have played a Gladitorial game using GURPS, works well can be as complex or simple as you need it to be using published rules for techniques or just homebrew techniques with negatives.

> implying the challenge rating system even works in the first place

lmao

Also try playing 4e or 5e. Though you can easily do an all-martial campaign in 3.5 if you actually have played D&D before and understand what is fightable and what isn't. I ran an all martial party and all I had to do was avoid certain monsters and I was golden.

Also it's fucking gladiators so they will be fighting a shitton of NPCs that don't have these abilities that require casters to counter anyway.

This. GURPS would work very well, but niggas on Veeky Forums would rather recommend some retarded Game of Thrones shit.

>My friend wants to run a campaign but wants to set it in coliseum/gladiatorial arena.

Don't give him what he wants. Actually make the PCs work as bodyguards/hitmen for some noble on the sides, otherwise they're just going to sit in their cells all day ery day and fight once a week.

Also study Wrestling. You want those types of stories for your players while remembering that to the Roman public, all Gladiators were Rudos.

make sure whatever system they end up using supports theatrics goofyness during combat

actual gladiators rarely fought to the death, because dead gladiators don't make money for anyone. They did some fighting, but a lot of showmanship too. The same general idea as WWE really.

Strike! is made for squad sized tactical combat, so it'd be perfect for gladitorial games where the party is on one side. Classes are fluff neutral, so they are as magical as you make them. Although, trying to justify the bullshit the Magician or Summoner does without magic or advanced technology is going to be really hard.

>Only Lindybeige likes Runequest!
Fuck of autismo

It's alright Lindy. Nobody on Veeky Forums likes you, or your videos, or the game that you like, but I think you can still be happy. You just have to focus on the positives, and probably leave Veeky Forums forever.

What's with the Runequest hate?

I may be of some help because I've been exactly where you are now OP.

We played D&D and nothing else when we first started roleplaying, bridging out is good but if everyone is familiar with the ruleset and just wants to play it then consider the following.

I wanted a gladiator based campaign setting, had only D&D as the option because of players, and wanted low magic (obv). So i built my campaign in Dark Sun.

Forgot about the Forgotten Realms and traveled through a shitty wormhole to Athas.
>Desert world
>Low Magic
>Slavery abundant

You should read a lot more if its going to be your thing but with a little leaning and tweaking you can easily make it a good time.

>Magic is rare because it inherently destroys life in this world and is banned
>The only magic users are the kings of the land and their imbued followers
so you can still 'because magic' when you need to because you're a lazy shit GM
>Metal is rare and valuable
so upgrades in weapons can be less +1 because magic and more +1 because your bone sword is replaced by an obsidian one, +2 because tempered iron, +3 steel
>The Gods abandoned this plane because 'what a shithole'

Give it a thought, theres no shortage of martial options, especially in 5th. The books on Athas say no divine powers because no gods but its easy to use Paladin or some other divine class as a Sorcerer King's devoted follower should it be required.

>or your videos
He talks too much, really. If not for his love for going off the rails, his videos would be unremarkably okay.

>FR character goes to Athas

Feels like being the Lvl1 commoner.

Riddle of Steel.

By far the best no-magic fighting system.