Best Sword & Sorcery RPG?

RPGPundit · July 30, 2009, 01:43:42 PM

Which one is the best?

And is there any that you'd say is truly EXCELLENT?

RPGPundit

Jason D · July 30, 2009, 01:49:54 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;316939Which one is the best?

And is there any that you'd say is truly EXCELLENT?

RPGPundit

Stormbringer (1st edition) is raw, badass awesomeness.

enelson · July 30, 2009, 01:53:01 PM

Quote from: jdurall;316940Stormbringer (1st edition) is raw, badass awesomeness.

Seconded.

Benoist · July 30, 2009, 01:54:34 PM

Quote from: enelson;316943Seconded.

Thirded.

Imperator · July 30, 2009, 02:05:55 PM

RuneQuest is Stormbringer's father, so it's even more badass. Though, Stormbringer has an exceptional degree of badassitude.

Spinal Tarp · July 30, 2009, 02:07:21 PM

Barbarians of Lemuria because it's rules lite, yet has everything you need to play. It captures what S&S is all about in spirit and in play.

Akrasia · July 30, 2009, 02:24:14 PM

Swords & Wizardry or 0e/Basic D&D, plus my 'swords & sorcery' house-rules.

I've been running a great 'swords & sorcery' campaign with those rules over the past couple of months.

In terms of published systems, Stormbringer has already been mentioned. I played the later version, Elric!, many years ago, and quite liked it (despite my personal dislike of Moorcock's writing style).

I also think that TSR's Conan RPG is a lost gem (and is now available as a 'retro-clone' called 'ZeFRS').

Jason D · July 30, 2009, 02:29:15 PM

Quote from: Imperator;316947RuneQuest is Stormbringer's father, so it's even more badass. Though, Stormbringer has an exceptional degree of badassitude.

RQ is indeed badass to an immeasurable degree.

It is not, however, a sword-and-sorcery game.

The treatment of non-humans is too rich and balanced, and the emphasis on culture and religion too strongly felt, for it to fit comfortably in that category.

Nicephorus · July 30, 2009, 02:39:13 PM

Quote from: Spinal Tarp;316948Barbarians of Lemuria because it's rules lite, yet has everything you need to play. It captures what S&S is all about in spirit and in play.

It's a very good choice.

Another great option is Solomon Kane with the Savage Worlds system. It's a very pretty book with lots of adventure material but it's not cheap and it's a bit more complex than BoL (though still not super complex).

All the D&D variants need some adjustments (either to XP or to hp and magic) to be gritty enough to really capture it.

DeadUematsu · July 30, 2009, 02:45:59 PM

Carcosa would probably be the best if only it were actually a full-fledged RPG and not an OD&D supplement.

Melan · July 30, 2009, 03:01:20 PM

Quote from: jdurall;316940Stormbringer (1st edition) is raw, badass awesomeness.

Yesss!

Philotomy Jurament · July 30, 2009, 03:03:41 PM

Another vote for 1st edition Stormbringer.

(The magic system in Stormbringer is much more S&S than the RQ magic system, in my opinion.)

ICFTI · July 30, 2009, 03:43:59 PM

Swordbearer, a very under-appreciated game if ever there was one. Also, FWIW, light years ahead of its time in terms of game design with regard to magic and even more mundane things like encumbrance.

The most fun I've ever had in a Swords & Sorcery campaign, though, was via Risus + houserules. I went with Swordbearer because I suspect that "Risus + houserules" isn't really a game in the sense that you mean.

aramis · July 30, 2009, 04:06:19 PM

Tunnels and Trolls - rules light, and been S&S since 1975.

ICFTI · July 30, 2009, 04:16:31 PM

Quote from: aramis;316969Tunnels and Trolls - rules light, and been S&S since 1975.

A very fun game but I'm not sure it's Swords & Sorcery as written — using the typical genre definition, anyhow. I think, in terms of genre, T&T has always been pushing High Fantasy. Again, though, this assumes that you're using the typical definitions of those terms and not just hanging "Swords & Sorcery" on anything with magic and swords in it.