In an effort to be unique and buck the popular trend to only play D&D, let's ask this one. 

While staying in the fantasy genre, which RPG game do you think is nothing like D&D?  While new rules are a natural answer, such as Savage Worlds:Fantasy, I'm more interested in the setting and tropes.

No fighter.  No cleric.  No wizard with a spell book.  No playable elves, dwarves, or hobbits. 

Basically, a game that is fantasy, but weird. Out there.  A game full of stuff that makes you say, "Well, that's a new one."

Earthdawn?

Talislanta?

Dark Sun?

Skyrealms of Jorune maybe?

What pops into my head is the Black Void RPG Modiphius published some years ago. Basically: ancient humans get lifted off of the Earth by a mysterious space phenomenon and flung somewhere out into the cosmos, where they end up as the working undercaste of a cosmopolitan alien jungle city. The tone is a mix of cosmic fantasy, lovecraft, and bronze age and middle eastern aesthetics. If memory serves, it was marketed as an "esoteric roleplaying game". Also uses a very un-D&D like system: Classless, D12+modifier as a basic die system, with a 3-second(one action) round and a spellcrafting magic/psionics system.

I'd also maybe nominate the Dying Earth RPG. For all the influence Gygax and co. took from Jack Vance, standard D&D isn't actually much like the dying earth, and the RPG uses a totally different, almost proto-storygame system.

Talislanta and Jorune are tops of the list for me by that criteria. While I love Jorune, Talislanta is much closer to my heart.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on December 05, 2024, 05:42:39 PMIn an effort to be unique and buck the popular trend to only play D&D, let's ask this one. 

While staying in the fantasy genre, which RPG game do you think is nothing like D&D?  While new rules are a natural answer, such as Savage Worlds:Fantasy, I'm more interested in the setting and tropes.

No fighter.  No cleric.  No wizard with a spell book.  No playable elves, dwarves, or hobbits. 

Basically, a game that is fantasy, but weird. Out there.  A game full of stuff that makes you say, "Well, that's a new one."

Earthdawn?

Talislanta?

Dark Sun?

Dark Sun has a special place in my heart, but my vote goes to Runequest's Glorantha setting.

Ducks. Motherfucking ducks?!?

I'd say the Adventures in Oz RPG.



Fantasy has so much more possible range than medieval swords-and-sorcery.

Quote from: I on December 05, 2024, 07:01:27 PMSkyrealms of Jorune maybe?

Jorune for sure is way off the beaten path.

Ones that stand out to me.

Tekumel.

TSR's Conan RPG.
TSR's Indiana Jones RPG.
Any of the fantasy settings for Amazing Engine. Faerie Queen and Country, Once and Future King, Magitech, and so on.
TSR's Marvel Superheroes fantasy side was very not D&D.

The weird crazy-quilt world of TFT.

Jorune as noted above.

The Wormwood setting for Rifts.

Those are just a few can think of that either in system and/or setting are very not standard fantasy worlds.

Quote from: Omega on December 06, 2024, 05:14:43 PMThe Wormwood setting for Rifts.

Easily one of the most underappreciated fantasy settings ever. It's literal demon lords fighting invulnerable holy warriors that looks more like some weird 70s sci-fi movie than anything. Fucking great on all levels.

I thought about mentioning Wormwood, but it's not exactly a fantasy setting.  There are high tech stuff, but in the form of Techno-wizardry.  Things like motorcycles and pistols. 

Actual, unmodified technology is low on Wormwood.  That sort of stuff is imported from dimensional gates, so it's super rare.  It's does exist, though. 


I suppose Wormwood counts.  It's more medieval than not by quite a wide margin.  You just have to accept the odd giant robot with rail guns can happen once in a great while. 

Stormbringer and Runequest might apply, though they are more standard-fantasy than Jorune or Talislanta.  Stormbringer is humanocentric (except for the Melniboneans and Pan Tangans, who are only slightly different from humans).  You can play elves or dwarves in Runequest, but they're bizarre and far away from the D & D conception of them.  Magic is typically only achieved through summoning and binding spirits, elementals or demons.  There are many other differences, but the settings may not be "weird enough" for you.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on December 06, 2024, 07:21:25 PMI thought about mentioning Wormwood, but it's not exactly a fantasy setting.  There are high tech stuff, but in the form of Techno-wizardry.  Things like motorcycles and pistols.

Sounds like fantasy to me. I mean, isn't the whole point of this thread that fantasy can be more than just medieval elves, dwarves and wizards?

Quote from: I on December 06, 2024, 10:09:23 PMStormbringer and Runequest might apply, though they are more standard-fantasy than Jorune or Talislanta.

Arguably Pendragon even moreso. Everyone plays a human knight and half the game is about courtly decorum. That doesn't sound much like D&D.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on December 06, 2024, 07:21:25 PMI thought about mentioning Wormwood, but it's not exactly a fantasy setting.  There are high tech stuff, but in the form of Techno-wizardry.  Things like motorcycles and pistols. 

About every other fantasy setting has some sci-fi in it. Conan met an alien early on and D&D had bits of Barsoom in it among other things.

Dragon Storm is another with a non-standard setting.

You play effectively fantasy monsters on the run from necromancers who want to drain your life to extend theirs and have gotten the general populace to believe you are the cause of the worlds fall into ruin.

And a very non standard system as it was part CCG. But did not play like CCGs. Its a straight up RPG.

RuinsWorld was another. The descendants of a crashed starship now live a fantasy setting. Never explained where the magic and monsters come from. Could be mutation, could be magic. This was another CCG/RPG.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on December 05, 2024, 05:42:39 PMWhile staying in the fantasy genre, which RPG game do you think is nothing like D&D?  While new rules are a natural answer, such as Savage Worlds:Fantasy, I'm more interested in the setting and tropes.

No fighter.  No cleric.  No wizard with a spell book.  No playable elves, dwarves, or hobbits. 

Basically, a game that is fantasy, but weird.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on December 06, 2024, 07:21:25 PMI suppose Wormwood counts.  It's more medieval than not by quite a wide margin.  You just have to accept the odd giant robot with rail guns can happen once in a great while.

Does fantasy have to be medieval in your view? How would you count settings like ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, or into the Renaissance, Age of Sail, and so forth?

For ancient setting, I think of, say, Pundit's Lords of Olympus. That's far from standard fantasy. Even though the mythology is very familiar rather than weird, it's very different from a party of adventurers going around doing quests and/or killing monsters.

Towards the more modern background, I ran for a while a game set in the world of the Temeraire novels (starting with "His Majesty's Dragon"), which are about the Napoleonic era in a parallel history where there are domesticated dragons. There is no magic - just draconic abilities. Each player had two PCs - one human and one dragon.

Of the more popular RPG settings, I think of Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea, and Castle Falkenstein.