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Fan RPGs that are better than the officially licensed product?

Started by Socratic-DM, March 13, 2025, 11:56:19 PM

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Aglondir

Quote from: Socratic-DM on March 17, 2025, 07:46:55 PM
Quote from: Brad on March 17, 2025, 02:49:55 PMThat Transformers game is hot garbage, honestly. It uses the same rules as the GI Joe game, right? How do you fuck those up...glad I got my money back for that crap.

Anyway, while I like MERP quite a bit, I looked for a less lethal Middle Earth game. The One Ring sucks, in my opinion, and I sold it and everything I had for it because after a couple sessions of play I just found it to be super boring and lame. Adventures in Middle Earth is just D&D 5th with a thin veneer and again not that cool.

Lo and behold, something useful from RPG.net:
https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/middle-earth-d6-rules-mostly-complete.190283/

That actually...works. Pretty well, I might add. It's a solid, free game.

Back when I was playing 5th edition I really liked adventurers in middle earth due to it having non-magical class alternatives, allowed you to bring the power-level of 5th edition down to something closer to an old school game. Though I don't really play 5th at all anymore so to each their own.

But indeed it seems RPG.net is good for something, just skimming these rules I might just have to run this! they do look quite solid.

More like back in 2005, rpg.net was good for something! (LOL)


BoxCrayonTales

I think we should make original IPs rather than promoting corporate IPs. In fact, I think we need more public domain material so that we aren't held hostage by those evil corpos.

Kiero

Every fan-made alternative is better than the steaming pile of shite that is Exalted's native system.
Currently running: Tyche\'s Favourites, a historical ACKS campaign set around Massalia in 300BC.

Our podcast site, In Sanity We Trust Productions.

Man at Arms

Quote from: weirdguy564 on March 16, 2025, 09:28:04 AMThese games are all rules lite stuff, which is my preferred method.  I don't have time for giant rulebooks that have night fighting, in the rain, while you're blind in one eye.


Ha!!!  I agree.  Life is short.  Game while you can.

FishMeisterSupreme

Quote from: Kiero on March 26, 2025, 10:23:10 AMEvery fan-made alternative is better than the steaming pile of shite that is Exalted's native system.

Absolutely.

D-ko

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on March 25, 2025, 12:09:30 PMwe need more public domain material so that we aren't held hostage by those evil corpos

I mean, a few really big Disney characters have recently been liberated.




Newest version of the Popular Franchises as Tabletop RPGs list can be found here.

Ratman_tf

Quote from: Socratic-DM on March 13, 2025, 11:56:19 PMTL;DR: Any fan games which you have found to be better than the officially licensed version of?

I'm gonna second Transformers. I've got a homebrew system I've been tinkering with since the 80's. But that's niche of a niche. A homebrew for a not-D&D setting.
I figured with an official RPG, I might be able to get people more interested in playing.
But the system is so not-Transformers, it's criminal.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
-Haffrung

Omega

Quote from: D-ko on March 27, 2025, 08:12:33 PM
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on March 25, 2025, 12:09:30 PMwe need more public domain material so that we aren't held hostage by those evil corpos

I mean, a few really big Disney characters have recently been liberated.






All do-able with TOON!

Omega

Palladium's old Robotech/Macross and TMNT RPGs did it right.

Was oddly unimpressed with gurps Lensman. And even less impressed with Usagi Yojimbo.

WEG's Star Wars is indeed pretty good as is Star Trek. Havent seen the TNG RPG.

The original Albedo RPG got across perfectly the "War is Hell" aspect. Lil weak on the socio-political intrigue side.

AD&D Conan was pretty good long as the DM kept the class and race access ruthlessly restricted. The TSR Conan RPG felt oddly off. Never could pin down what.

TSR's Indiana Jones RPG worked, but the format was... not great in places.

Tri-stats Votoms and Dominion RPGs felt oddly lacking.

Never got into the James Bond RPG.

2001 and 2010 for Star Frontiers were ok.

I know theres more I've actually seen or have. But drawing a blank.

And several heard of but never actually seen. Mayfair's DC Heroes. Apparently it won an award or two? Middle Earth. Dragonslayer. Sailor Moon. Werent there a Highlander and a Buffy RPG? Aliens. Prince Valiant? Amber (Have it, never had a chance to read it) Judge Dredd? Thought I had WWs Street Fighter RPG but cant find it. The old Doctor Who RPG. Dallas. Rocky & Bullwinkle. Cadillacs & Dinosaurs/Xenozoic Tales. Wasnt there a gurps Horseclans?

Dragao Brasil magazine did a bunch of adaption articles to convert this or that IP to AD&D or WOD. I recall one being Dino Crisis. Men in Black. Gurps Battletech, Ghost in the Shell, Swat Kats, Thundercats, and Parasite Eve. Highlander using WOD.

Witch Hunter Siegfried

Quote from: Omega on March 28, 2025, 04:47:25 AMPalladium's old Robotech/Macross and TMNT RPGs did it right.

Was oddly unimpressed with gurps Lensman. And even less impressed with Usagi Yojimbo.

WEG's Star Wars is indeed pretty good as is Star Trek. Havent seen the TNG RPG.

The original Albedo RPG got across perfectly the "War is Hell" aspect. Lil weak on the socio-political intrigue side.

AD&D Conan was pretty good long as the DM kept the class and race access ruthlessly restricted. The TSR Conan RPG felt oddly off. Never could pin down what.

TSR's Indiana Jones RPG worked, but the format was... not great in places.

Tri-stats Votoms and Dominion RPGs felt oddly lacking.

Never got into the James Bond RPG.

2001 and 2010 for Star Frontiers were ok.

I know theres more I've actually seen or have. But drawing a blank.

And several heard of but never actually seen. Mayfair's DC Heroes. Apparently it won an award or two? Middle Earth. Dragonslayer. Sailor Moon. Werent there a Highlander and a Buffy RPG? Aliens. Prince Valiant? Amber (Have it, never had a chance to read it) Judge Dredd? Thought I had WWs Street Fighter RPG but cant find it. The old Doctor Who RPG. Dallas. Rocky & Bullwinkle. Cadillacs & Dinosaurs/Xenozoic Tales. Wasnt there a gurps Horseclans?

Dragao Brasil magazine did a bunch of adaption articles to convert this or that IP to AD&D or WOD. I recall one being Dino Crisis. Men in Black. Gurps Battletech, Ghost in the Shell, Swat Kats, Thundercats, and Parasite Eve. Highlander using WOD.

The Buffy one ain't bad, been running an old fan conversion (it's the Cinematic unisystem, mostly uses the buffy incarnation but takes from around and even a bit from World of Darkness)based on the series my pfp is from, Fate, and it's pretty interesting, a fairly simple system at it's root and thankfully quite easy to homebrew as I want to add new stuff to it (have permission)

Ratman_tf

Quote from: Omega on March 28, 2025, 04:02:44 AM
Quote from: D-ko on March 27, 2025, 08:12:33 PM
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on March 25, 2025, 12:09:30 PMwe need more public domain material so that we aren't held hostage by those evil corpos

I mean, a few really big Disney characters have recently been liberated.






All do-able with TOON!

Hey, man! We have to abolish copyright so uncreative doinks can attach their terrible projects to a name-brand.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
-Haffrung