What're your best recommendations for non-D&D fantasy games.
Nothing really specific regarding high fantasy or low fantasy or like exploration focus or combat focus. I just want to get some more experience with more systems and I have no idea where to start.
Not seeing a lot of suggestions considering all the "don't play D&D" memes all over
The Genesys fantasy setting is being released
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy has great combat, and old school esque mapping rules.
What's that?
I skimmed the GURPS books and it seems like you build a kinda exquisite corpse out of the rules. Might run if my group gets invested in learning the book
Genesys is a generic system (hence the name) based on FFG's wildly popular Star Wars RPG
Genesys is the Generic Toolkit system released by Fantasy Flight Games, using the same system as their Star Wars system, with the funny dice. Think GURPS, but the pieces are more 5e-sized.
Overall, if you try the narrative dice out and you like it, then it's a good system. But it does need to be fleshed out by a supplement or two, so just wait for Terinoth to release.
Another option I recommend is RuneQuest 6e/Mythras. It's a d100 system, and the best way I can describe it is if someone alreqdt built that exquisite corpse for a fantasy GURPS for you, and let you change out a few big pieces, like an arm or leg for the magic system.
It's crunchy to a degree, but it's easier to manage than GURPS is, because it has less moving parts.
Also, six different casting systems, and the combat is incredibly dynamic, and often deadly. I suggest it whenever someone wants to run Dark Souls.
Oh okay yeah I'm familiar with ffg (DH2E&SW) I dig it. I love the idea of a generic system and my players are definitely 5e sized.
>Runequest 6/Mythras - Traditional D100 game. Classless. Deep. Crunchy combat. But updated with some modern design and aesthetics in respect to page layout etc. Ideally suited to a grittier bronze age mythical game. Magic is based on animism, spirits , theism, folk and mysticism. Setting is Glorantha which is weird and wonderful, xenophobic machine dwarves and literal duckmen.
>Harnmaster - Traditional d100 game but with autistic levels of detail. Want to generate a medieval manor so detailed you'll know the annual yield of every bushel of wheat, rye, barley in your settlement as well as the name and occupation, income, social class and family of every single person harvesting it? Harnmasters for you! Beyond that the combat is super gritty and there's rules for things like infection which means your character has a chance of dying if they get even a minor cut, from an enemy or a thorn bush. System is classless and mostly assumes you'll be human. Technically if randomly generated you have a 1% chance of being the settings equivalent of a dwarf or an elf. There's also wizards and priests and shit but their power level is still fairly low and you need to find their rules in additional supplements. Setting is known as Harn and is a very low fantasy medieval setting. Most people are just trying not to die from dysentery.
>Hillfolk
Totally different from the above. Narrative, scene based resolution game. You and the group effectively build interconnected characters within an iron age tribe loosely in ancient Palestine. The game is designed to emulate a show like dead wood or breaking bad, scenes are split between dramatic ( resolving character conflict) and procedural (attacking villages and doing action stuff ) and the latter really isn't the focus of the game at all but rather a side note. GM genuinely is a neutral arbiter of the game and isn't expected to prep anything but simply to resolve player issues and add elements of randomisation.
Talislanta
all editions free on Talislanta . com
I suggest 4E, also known as the big blue book.
Post apocalyptic sword and sorcery with approaching a hundred charmingly retro races.
Build your own spells magic system. Simple d20 system with degrees of success.
Excellent fit for running Thundarr the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, Pirates of Dark Water or John Carter of Mars.
I would recomend Mytrhas too, BRP d100 systems hit that rule medium feeling.
Players can be a bit scared when they see so many big numbers but after the first season it tend to go away.
>FFG's wildly popular Star Wars RPG
Polite disagreement on edition, otherwise voicing support for Talislanta.
The Big Blue Book (hereafter BBB) that is 4th edition seems shiny at first blush, but after a while, a lot of problems creep in. BEST Talislanta is: 2nd edition with 3rd edition's magic system, the naturalist's guide from first edition, and maybe the first edition spell supplement for extra rewards.
Bumping for interest.
> it seems like you build a kinda exquisite corpse out of the rules
That is kind of accurate. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is a pre-packaged kind of deal though so you don't have to do that.
Earthdawn has a bit of a weird clunky system but it's a really well fleshed out high fantasy setting
Real question here, would it be plausible to mount a lmg onto a centaur? Normal horses aren't exactly that smart but centaurs would be able to react to things instantly and human like.
It's true, it consistently posts some of the best sales numbers of any RPG (though far behind D&D). Granted, that's probably off the Star Wars name.
there's a nice d6 based witcher game but I don't think it's been released outside of poland
Thirding Talislanta...my favorite is 2nd edition too like that other user. It's simpler and less high-powered than 4th.
I wonder how World War 1 would go with that.
Centaurs with thick armor plating, padding, and armed with light machine guns, used as mobile fire support in the 1914-1915 period.
...Fuck. Fantasy WW1 is something I sorely need to campaign.
I heard good things about Burning Wheel. Generic system for fantasy with no setting. I never tried it myself and only had a glance at the PDF though, so check it out for yourself. Apparently it can get rules heavy too.
>Many heavy infantry centaurs suffered severe spinal deformities and burns from their mounted guns after showing superb battlefield efficiency
>While armored minotaurs performed just as well as early motorized artillery, when it came to protecting foot soldiers, behind, the infections from hundreds of small arms wounds was what proved the most fatal in their ranks.
>The deployment of monsterous beasts, such as the revered Hydra, quickly fell out of use once massive stalemates costed more in collateral damage than their worth. After their short lived appearance on the front lines they were herded back to their cattle lots from before the war.
Can I get a tl;dr of the pros and cons with of edition? Sounds cash af
Bumpity
>What're your best recommendations for non-D&D fantasy games.
4e
I prefer more high powered play, so I might check out 4e Talislanta.
There's a left-handed compliment.
If you don't mind narrativist games, various PbtA games can do the trick. Dungeon World is the most popular generic fantasy one, but it has its flaws; for some decent ones I've test myself, there's Fellowship if you're into high fantasy and cooperative worldbuilding, or Broken Worlds if you're into fantasy with eastern influences (it's based on the K6BD webcomic).
Symbaroun is an action-focused dark fantasy RPG with lighter rules than D&D but a structure that will feel familiar. I'm not a big fan of its balance or depth, but that's not always an issue, depending on the group.
Warrior, Rogue & Mage is a light ruleset which, in good hands, has all the elements to make for a fast-paced and fun game. Balance is something of an issue, again.
2e/3e have a simple Vancian magic system while 4e/5e have a modular magic creation system resembling Ars Magica. The game got progressively more complex with each new edition although each they're still medium crunch. The main attraction of the game is the rich exotic world filled with weird races and unusual magic.
Sounds pretty impressive. I think light crunch with an established setting is exactly what I want to run next since I'm putting a lot of effort into my current game.
Tunnels & Trolls
Dungeon World
Mythras, WHFRP 2e