Hi, I am looking for a rules light universal rpg that is usable for a long term campaign. Some games are a little too freeform for me like risus or pdq. And others are advertised as rules light or very quick, but are more rules medium like Savage Worlds. I came across Onedice and I like it. Now I just want to make a list and quickly compare and settle on something.
Alright, this is what I got in mind for now: Onedice, GenreDiversion, basic roleplaying, WaRP, mini six. I also am aware of the Barbarians of Lemuria system (name?) and Covert Ops/Barebones Fantasy, but those aren't universal.
Is there something missing? Should I cross something of my list, because it's too heavy?
TSRs Marvel Superheroes is asctually a pretty darn good universal set thats fairly rules light.
BoL has enough variants to cover most genres.
Mini-6 is not a bad choice.
You can do anything with FATE or FUDGE.
Dungeon World has a ton of variants, but requires playbooks.
I dunno. TSR's AMAZING ENGINE? :-)
FATE seems to be trending still.
I'm a big fan of Onedice. I think that would make a great choice. Its Cheap too.
I also think Basic Roleplaying and Marvel FASERIP are good choices.
I think 2nd ed BESM would be very good as well. Character creation can be a little heavy. (Depending on point totals, and genre) But nothing like GURPS. Although really with all the switches and knobs turned off, GURPS is really simple. But it does (and deservedly so) carry the rep for being super crunchy. Which may kill the deal through intimidation. (so to speak)
FASERIP can be light, but I generally think of it more in the D6 range of lite-medium crunch. That said, its my favourite generic system,with the few tweaks I've made to divorce it from the Bronze Age default setting.
For really rules light, I can offer the following possibilities (all available free online):
The Window, Fable, The Pool, Cineflex, The Elegant Role-Play System, Scriptor, Fudge, Fate 2nd Edition, Outlaws of the Water Margin, and, yes, The Sheryl Crow RPG (:)
Of those systems that you mentioned:
OneDice is great but I don't know how it holds up in a long campaign. The numbers range is quite small. But it's definitely worth a try.
Mini 6 is tried-and-tested, and very well suited for a longer, action-packed, campaign, as proven by many Star Wars games.
For me, the WaRP engine has the same "problems" as RISUS - since characters are made up by three freeform traits it seems to work best in games where players are exactly on the same page, setting-wise. Excellent for Star Wars, Indy Jones, GoT, or long-running Shadowrun/Exalted/Forgotten Realms games wishing to switch to a lighter system.
GenreDiversion has one physical stat and four mental ones - if that "imbalance" doesn't bother you the system works like a breeze.
Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;938371Of those systems that you mentioned:
OneDice is great but I don't know how it holds up in a long campaign. The numbers range is quite small. But it's definitely worth a try.
Mini 6 is tried-and-tested, and very well suited for a longer, action-packed, campaign, as proven by many Star Wars games.
For me, the WaRP engine has the same "problems" as RISUS - since characters are made up by three freeform traits it seems to work best in games where players are exactly on the same page, setting-wise. Excellent for Star Wars, Indy Jones, GoT, or long-running Shadowrun/Exalted/Forgotten Realms games wishing to switch to a lighter system.
GenreDiversion has one physical stat and four mental ones - if that "imbalance" doesn't bother you the system works like a breeze.
Ah, this does help. Well maybe then I should completely ditch the idea of something freeform. That would eliminate WaRP and probably some others.
GenreDiversion does seem focused on investigation, which I love. But my players might want to do something else, like physical and social actions. So that seems a no-go as well.
So let me adjust my intentions.
A rules light to rules medium universal rpg.
Not freeform.
Not too many different skills (I think unisystem has too many skills for example. Cinematic unisystem or Covert Ops is more my taste considering the number of skills).
And the skills have to be a combination between physical, social and mental skills (Savage Worlds has too many physical, GenreDiversion too many mental).
No dicepools (WoD no thanks). Preferably a role over system using one or two d6 or d10 dices. I might consider a percentile system.
No bloat of merits, feats or edges or whatever you might call them.
An oldie but a goodie: CORPS (http://www.btrc.net/corps). roll over d10
Heroquest 2e. It can be done as d10 roll over. Set chargen base to 5. From a pool of 10 points allocate to up to 10 attributes that include high concept, some relevant traits, a flaw; Max allocation of 5 to an attribute. A score that 12 is set as 2-Mastery.
For roll-over use target of 11+ to succeed. Add attribute. If you have mastery, bump a result by one level. Results are: natural 1 = fumble; 2-10 = fail; 11+ = success; natural 10 = criticsl success.
One can make RO10-HQ player-facing or use the redults matrix.
I think I am going for a ruleset with only a few broad skills. I like it that some games don't use regular skills, but professions which function as catch-all skills. So that would narrow it down to Covert Ops, BoL and Cinematic Unisystem.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;938560I think I am going for a ruleset with only a few broad skills. I like it that some games don't use regular skills, but professions which function as catch-all skills. So that would narrow it down to Covert Ops, BoL and Cinematic Unisystem.
You might check out ZEFRS/The 80s Conan RPG
Hi!
I think BASH is definitely worth mentioning.
Microlite (http://www.retroroleplaying.net/content/microlite20-rpg-collection) might be something to consider.
Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;938371GenreDiversion has one physical stat and four mental ones - if that "imbalance" doesn't bother you the system works like a breeze.
I'm not sure of the statistics of GenreDiversion. At least one version uses 2d6 for a 10 item hit location table, using it as each number being equally likely, rather than the median numbers being more likely, heavily skewing the hit location probabilities.
Silhouette is another system worth a look. Rules med-light around the same level as FASERIP or D6. Attributes are zero-average, so you only record bonuses and penalties. Clever universal system using D6s.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;938284
Alright, this is what I got in mind for now: Onedice, GenreDiversion, basic roleplaying, WaRP, mini six. I also am aware of the Barbarians of Lemuria system (name?) and Covert Ops/Barebones Fantasy, but those aren't universal.
I like OneDice, especially with the expansions, but hate the constant renaming of attributes that are basically the same. Arrgh!
I like BoL system, since you can basically just change the careers to handle different settings.
I love DwD Studios. Covert Ops and BBF aren't universal, but have more "setting feel" than your other selections (IMO). It looks like their science fiction game is coming out "soon" too.
I ended up designing my own rules, as many of us do in one way or another.
Quote from: kobayashi;938862Microlite (http://www.retroroleplaying.net/content/microlite20-rpg-collection) might be something to consider.
Good call. Forgot about that one.
In the Kickstarter campaign for Barbarians of Lemuria Mythic Edition there was mention of a generic book for the BoL system called BoL Everywhen. No idea if and when that'll be available, though.
HeroQuest is a good, rules-lite system that can be used in any setting/genre.
Quote from: soltakss;939447HeroQuest is a good, rules-lite system that can be used in any setting/genre.
I own Mythic Russia, which by default runs on HeroQuest, but I found the system too handwavy/narrative to my tastes. The good thing is, conversion of Mythic Russia to BoL is very easy, with the setting-appropriate "careers" already in place.
Quote from: 3rik;939477I own Mythic Russia, which by default runs on HeroQuest, but I found the system too handwavy/narrative to my tastes. The good thing is, conversion of Mythic Russia to BoL is very easy, with the setting-appropriate "careers" already in place.
Mythic Russia is a fantastic book, though I concur about the HeroQuest RPG system. Like a 3rd edition GURPs sourcebook (taken to the umpteenth level), though, the info is very easy to port to one's system of choice. Just as a general resource though, its one of my favourite RPG treatments of all time.
Quote from: Tod13;939035I like OneDice, especially with the expansions, but hate the constant renaming of attributes that are basically the same. Arrgh!
I like BoL system, since you can basically just change the careers to handle different settings.
I love DwD Studios. Covert Ops and BBF aren't universal, but have more "setting feel" than your other selections (IMO). It looks like their science fiction game is coming out "soon" too.
I ended up designing my own rules, as many of us do in one way or another.
Basically I was just planning on swapping out the careers for different settings. I was under the impression you could do that with BBF/CO as well and possibly with Cin. Unisystem too. Ok, got some comparing to do. I will report back later.
... Aaaaand I think it will be BoL. That system is so ridiculously simple, I like it. I like the careers and I also like the split between combat and other skills. That way players won't be tempted to toss all their skill point into combat skill while ignoring the rest.
Quote from: brettmb;938396An oldie but a goodie: CORPS (http://www.btrc.net/corps). roll over d10
I'm going to support that recommendation;).
Quote from: jan paparazzi;939501Basically I was just planning on swapping out the careers for different settings. I was under the impression you could do that with BBF/CO as well and possibly with Cin. Unisystem too. Ok, got some comparing to do. I will report back later.
... Aaaaand I think it will be BoL. That system is so ridiculously simple, I like it. I like the careers and I also like the split between combat and other skills. That way players won't be tempted to toss all their skill point into combat skill while ignoring the rest.
You can play characters from BBF and CO together, but can't really mix creation without some house rules because of some differences in character generation.
I liked BoL's split between combat and skills and kept it to a degree in my game. You don't get combat bonuses but can get except from combat penalties. Such as, you don't get -3 to hit while on a ship in rough seas, because you were a marine.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;939501Basically I was just planning on swapping out the careers for different settings. I was under the impression you could do that with BBF/CO as well and possibly with Cin. Unisystem too. Ok, got some comparing to do. I will report back later.
... Aaaaand I think it will be BoL. That system is so ridiculously simple, I like it. I like the careers and I also like the split between combat and other skills. That way players won't be tempted to toss all their skill point into combat skill while ignoring the rest.
There's a number of published alternate settings available for BoL you might want to take a look at: Dogs of W*A*R, Heroes of Hellas, Dicey Tales, etc. Check out this link: Barbarians of Lemuria Sword & Sorcery Role Playing Game - BoL in other genres (http://barbariansoflemuria.webs.com/bol-in-other-genres)
Quote from: 3rik;939668There's a number of published alternate settings available for BoL you might want to take a look at: Dogs of W*A*R, Heroes of Hellas, Dicey Tales, etc. Check out this link: Barbarians of Lemuria Sword & Sorcery Role Playing Game - BoL in other genres (http://barbariansoflemuria.webs.com/bol-in-other-genres)
Honor+Intrigue is my favourite adaptation, and it's rather easy to apply the combat rules to other genres;).
Cornerstone is another nice option I've recently found. Aware of the Rules Light RPG Google group?
Quote from: 3rik;939477I own Mythic Russia, which by default runs on HeroQuest, but I found the system too handwavy/narrative to my tastes. The good thing is, conversion of Mythic Russia to BoL is very easy, with the setting-appropriate "careers" already in place.
Quote from: Tristram Evans;939483Mythic Russia is a fantastic book, though I concur about the HeroQuest RPG system. Like a 3rd edition GURPs sourcebook (taken to the umpteenth level), though, the info is very easy to port to one's system of choice. Just as a general resource though, its one of my favourite RPG treatments of all time.
You lousy fucking bastards, I may actually buy a HeroQuest book...
Quote from: 3rik;939334In the Kickstarter campaign for Barbarians of Lemuria Mythic Edition there was mention of a generic book for the BoL system called BoL Everywhen. No idea if and when that'll be available, though.
It's my understanding that this has been placed on the back-burner. Thus, no ETA. I was really looking forward to this one.
Quote from: CRKrueger;940019You lousy fucking bastards, I may actually buy a HeroQuest book...
Why does it matter, Green One? Setting material is setting material, and HeroQuest has the advantage that the statblocks don't take much space:)!
Quote from: Narmer;940027It's my understanding that this has been placed on the back-burner. Thus, not ETA. I was really looking forward to this one.
IME, you can just combine BoL Mythic with Mongoose Traveller, both of which almost run on the same engine already;).
Hero Quest --is that the board game you're referring to?
Quote from: cranebump;940292Hero Quest is rules LIGHT? (I'm going to have to check again--maybe I saw the wrong game or something--what am I confusing this with?)
There's a boardgame by the same name, but its pretty rules lite as well.
Quote from: Tristram Evans;940293There's a boardgame by the same name, but its pretty rules lite as well.
I think I was associating Hero Quest with Runequest. I'll have to check out the other.
It doesn't matter much. The people, snacks and setting are far more important.
Quote from: cranebump;940296I think I was associating Hero Quest with Runequest. I'll have to check out the other.
It is associated with the Glorantha setting.
Quote from: 3rik;940397It is associated with the Glorantha setting.
Thank you, I found it, and actually remember it once I got there. I think I even had it on the radar at one point, but determined that, if I was gonna run something like that, I'd rather use RISUS.:-)
How similar to HeroQuest is the Cypher System?
Quote from: Narmer;940027It's my understanding that this has been placed on the back-burner. Thus, no ETA. I was really looking forward to this one.
They didn't make it to the Kickstarter stretch goal.
Quote from: 3rik;940399How similar to HeroQuest is the Cypher System?
They didn't make it to the Kickstarter stretch goal.
From the G+ BoL Everywhen Community posted March 2016:
QuoteDue to ongoing health issues, Everywhen is going to be on hold for the foreseeable future.
Quote from: 3rik;939668There's a number of published alternate settings available for BoL you might want to take a look at: Dogs of W*A*R, Heroes of Hellas, Dicey Tales, etc. Check out this link: Barbarians of Lemuria Sword & Sorcery Role Playing Game - BoL in other genres (http://barbariansoflemuria.webs.com/bol-in-other-genres)
I found them already. It seems fantasy and sf are covered with this. Is there something I can use for modern horror/urban fantasy? My guess was I could use dicey tales for the careers.
In my experience, rules light systems are not great for long term games. My players at least, love character advancement, and they like systems that are fine enough grained, or that contain enough widgets to provide goals for advancement. Their favorite system is WFRP2 because of the many paths, talents, etc they can choose to advance in. Of course it's still WFRP so their characters are still in mortal danger of death, disease, insanity, maiming or corruption all the time - so its not power gaming that they're after, it's options. This might just be my group though.
It's kinda hard to provide a lot mechanical character advancement options in a streamlined rules-light RPG. For example, I love BoL, but there weren't enough toys for advancement to keep my players interested in their characters over the long haul. SW had better advancement, but wonky gameplay. The best RL long term campaign success I have had is with TFT: fast, smooth, easy mechanics with lots of build options.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940461I found them already. It seems fantasy and sf are covered with this. Is there something I can use for modern horror/urban fantasy? My guess was I could use dicey tales for the careers.
Well, picking non-human (N)PCs, creatures/monsters and supernatural stuff from the various fantasy versions and your modern-day monster hunters from Dogs of W*A*R and/or Dicey Tales should do the trick, I think. be aware, though, that BoL will always strongly tend to the "cinematic" side, for lack of a better term. This is not a gritty, "realistic" system!
Quote from: CRKrueger;940019You lousy fucking bastards, I may actually buy a HeroQuest book...
Good!
Quote from: Madprofessor;940473In my experience, rules light systems are not great for long term games. My players at least, love character advancement, and they like systems that are fine enough grained, or that contain enough widgets to provide goals for advancement. Their favorite system is WFRP2 because of the many paths, talents, etc they can choose to advance in. Of course it's still WFRP so their characters are still in mortal danger of death, disease, insanity, maiming or corruption all the time - so its not power gaming that they're after, it's options. This might just be my group though.
It's kinda hard to provide a lot mechanical character advancement options in a streamlined rules-light RPG. For example, I love BoL, but there weren't enough toys for advancement to keep my players interested in their characters over the long haul. SW had better advancement, but wonky gameplay. The best RL long term campaign success I have had is with TFT: fast, smooth, easy mechanics with lots of build options.
The fantasy trip?
My group forgets to level their characters quite often. So I think rules light will be fine. Rules medium was already a bit much for them. They were already complaining about the wod and merits bloat and all the extra rules for vampiric disciplines and magic.
Quote from: 3rik;940476Well, picking non-human (N)PCs, creatures/monsters and supernatural stuff from the various fantasy versions and your modern-day monster hunters from Dogs of W*A*R and/or Dicey Tales should do the trick, I think. be aware, though, that BoL will always strongly tend to the "cinematic" side, for lack of a better term. This is not a gritty, "realistic" system!
OK, I will get dogs of war and dicey tales.
So ... it's cinematic ... I don't really know if that's a good or bad thing. I played a freeform game once and I liked it. Does that count as cinematic? Which game should I have as a solid second choice in case I don't like BoL? Back to DwD Studios again or something else?
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940561OK, I will get dogs of war and dicey tales.
So ... it's cinematic ... I don't really know if that's a good or bad thing. I played a freeform game once and I liked it. Does that count as cinematic? Which game should I have as a solid second choice in case I don't like BoL? Back to DwD Studios again or something else?
Well, cinematic, I assume means, mechanically, that your heroes are powerful, and you can expect them to succeed at most things they do. But more on point, DoW and DT are about emulating movies and pulp tales, so the cinematic aspect is more about the high drama, thrills and chills, and so on.
Quote from: cranebump;940562Well, cinematic, I assume means, mechanically, that your heroes are powerful, and you can expect them to succeed at most things they do. But more on point, DoW and DT are about emulating movies and pulp tales, so the cinematic aspect is more about the high drama, thrills and chills, and so on.
Yeah, it's a system that was designed with over-the-top heroics in mind. My
Dogs of W*A*R experience was reminescent of stuff like the A Team or GI Joe. A lot of fun, but gritty it is not.
Quote from: 3rik;940581Yeah, it's a system that was designed with over-the-top heroics in mind. My Dogs of W*A*R experience was reminescent of stuff like the A Team or GI Joe. A lot of fun, but gritty it is not.
So what are gritty universal systems? BRP?
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940600So what are gritty universal systems? BRP?
Phoenix Command :)
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940600So what are gritty universal systems? BRP?
Much as I like BRP, it's at least medium;).
Pocket Universe by Jeff Dee and, surprisingly, Classic Traveller, would fit the bill. I mean, the example NPCs in a Classic Traveller supplement include John Carter, except the name is not mentioned for copyright reasons:D!
So let me get this straight: I played a lot of nWoD. That system would not only be rules medium, but it would probably be medium on the scale of grittyness as well. I always thought it was pretty gritty, but maybe I was wrong.
Wait a min, I played Warhammer Fantasy. That was pretty gritty. I guess gurps and Hero are pretty gritty as well. That leads me to the conclusion that most gritty systems are pretty heavy as well. With the possible exception of brp/runequest.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940600So what are gritty universal systems? BRP?
GURPS - G is for Grit if you don't give PCs excessive points and don't use the Cinematic optional rules, and more grit if you use the realistic optional rules.
TFT is gritty and pretty simple but it's not really universal - it's medieval fantasy with a few unreliable gunpowder weapons. However there are modern versions (wild west and sci fi) of the recent 3rd party version from Dark City Games (which is so rules light it's rules shorthand, and I'd recommend reading/using the TFT rules and just taking the DCG gun/sci-fi bits as extras, but it's really really light).
Traveller is gritty and technically a universal system as far as tech level goes, though really it's a sci fi game which includes lower tech places but doesn't have a lot for them.
Quote from: Skarg;940706Traveller is gritty and technically a universal system as far as tech level goes, though really it's a sci fi game which includes lower tech places but doesn't have a lot for them.
The version I mentioned doesn't have a lot of setting info for anything, really:). And you can just homebrew your Barbarian careers if you want to start with a native character, there's a file with blank careers for the Cepheus Engine.
If you want less homebrewing, just combine Worlds Apart, Orbital and the Cepheus Engine/MgT1e, and you can have pretty much any tech level;).
The more I think of it the more I like those skill packages. You can easily swap them if you want to use a different setting. BoL might be too cinematic, but I think the d100 light system is a lot grittier. I will probably use it for a modern game first, so the spy game will do.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940734The more I think of it the more I like those skill packages. You can easily swap them if you want to use a different setting. BoL might be too cinematic, but I think the d100 light system is a lot grittier. I will probably use it for a modern game first, so the spy game will do.
I never said it was
too "cinematic", juist that it's not gritty so may not be suitable for everything you want to run. I guess leaving out or limiting the use of Hero Points will lower the undeadliness a bit but I haven't given this a try.
Quote from: 3rik;940866I never said it was too "cinematic", juist that it's not gritty so may not be suitable for everything you want to run. I guess leaving out or limiting the use of Hero Points will lower the undeadliness a bit but I haven't given this a try.
BoL can be pretty deadly, considering the small pool of health you have. If I were to adapt it as a universal system, I'd use a lot of the material in Barbarians of the Aftermath, which has weapons & equipment from different tech levels. The only thing BoL doesn't really have is a standard bestiary. The Mythic rules have the creatures of the S&S setting that comes with it. There are also general rules for creature creation.
Quote from: 3rik;940866I never said it was too "cinematic", juist that it's not gritty so may not be suitable for everything you want to run. I guess leaving out or limiting the use of Hero Points will lower the undeadliness a bit but I haven't given this a try.
I guess I can run fantasy and scifi with it. How about horror?
Quote from: cranebump;940891BoL can be pretty deadly, considering the small pool of health you have. If I were to adapt it as a universal system, I'd use a lot of the material in Barbarians of the Aftermath, which has weapons & equipment from different tech levels. The only thing BoL doesn't really have is a standard bestiary. The Mythic rules have the creatures of the S&S setting that comes with it. There are also general rules for creature creation.
Gr8, I will get those as well. Fun thing about all these rules light games is they are very cheap. Isn't that the issue about the OSR as well? Rules light, setting light, focus on playing (instead of reading) and practical?
Quote from: jan paparazzi;940924Gr8, I will get those as well. Fun thing about all these rules light games is they are very cheap. Isn't that the issue about the OSR as well? Rules light, setting light, focus on playing (instead of reading) and practical?
Well, that's everything I look for, to be sure.:-) I hesitate to say, "Yup, that's the OSR," because ZOWEE do the arguments start after that (and I just said zowee...something no real man should ever say).
Quote from: cranebump;940929Well, that's everything I look for, to be sure.:-) I hesitate to say, "Yup, that's the OSR," because ZOWEE do the arguments start after that (and I just said zowee...something no real man should ever say).
WTF is ZOWEE, since Google only finds some kind of enterprise:)?
Quote from: AsenRG;940936WTF is ZOWEE, since Google only finds some kind of enterprise:)?
You compound my shame, Sensei...:-)
Quote from: cranebump;940938You compound my shame, Sensei...:-)
OK, whatever it is, forget I asked:).
Also, I can't be your sensei. I'm pretty sure you have been born earlier;)!
Quote from: AsenRG;940936WTF is ZOWEE, since Google only finds some kind of enterprise:)?
1 minute 13 seconds:
[video=youtube_share;tRelGsyvbgA]https://youtu.be/tRelGsyvbgA[/youtube]
And the video completes my shame...
Own it :)
On second thought I will drop BoL. It looks really fun, but I am afraid the games will play too much like an action movie (just like Savage Worlds). I think I will love it, but I want something more realistic.
What's causing you to shy away from genrediversion?
Quote from: RunningLaser;941227What's causing you to shy away from genrediversion?
Not much. Maybe a little too much mental attributes. It seems Geared towards investigation, which I love. But my players are more into action or stealth. So I just want a good mix. A fighter/soldier, a thief/smuggler, an academic/scientist or a faceman/fast-talker all should be playable. I know you can do this with GenreDiversion, but I can't shake the feeling this system works best for investigation style games, hence Mean Streets and Ghostories (which does everything the nWod core 1e does and better/more focused).
Quote from: jan paparazzi;941352Not much. Maybe a little too much mental attributes. It seems Geared towards investigation, which I love. But my players are more into action or stealth. So I just want a good mix. A fighter/soldier, a thief/smuggler, an academic/scientist or a faceman/fast-talker all should be playable. I know you can do this with GenreDiversion, but I can't shake the feeling this system works best for investigation style games, hence Mean Streets and Ghostories (which does everything the nWod core 1e does and better/more focused).
Jan, I'm a big GenreDiversion fanboi, and while I don't want to seem like I'm pushing GD down your throat, I can't help but say that I think GenreDiversion 3 is
the best rule-light generic system I've ever used.
I've used it to run investigation-themed games...also pulp, horror, and high-powered fantasy. I've dabbled with sci-fi, but never ran it. The only genre I've had a problem with with this system is demigod power levels (think Amber diceless or Godbound). GB3 tends to break under the strain.
GD3 is my goto system if I'm planning on running a campaign, but (A) I've got inexperienced players (GB3 is a breeze to pick up), and/or (B) I know I'm going to be short on prep-work time (prep work for this system is a breeze).
Highly recommend.
Quote from: noman;941358Jan, I'm a big GenreDiversion fanboi, and while I don't want to seem like I'm pushing GD down your throat, I can't help but say that I think GenreDiversion 3 is the best rule-light generic system I've ever used.
I've used it to run investigation-themed games...also pulp, horror, and high-powered fantasy. I've dabbled with sci-fi, but never ran it. The only genre I've had a problem with with this system is demigod power levels (think Amber diceless or Godbound). GB3 tends to break under the strain.
GD3 is my goto system if I'm planning on running a campaign, but (A) I've got inexperienced players (GB3 is a breeze to pick up), and/or (B) I know I'm going to be short on prep-work time (prep work for this system is a breeze).
Highly recommend.
I've never played GD3, but I've played more than a few generic systems, including light generic ones. How many generic systems have you played, and which ones, in order to reach the conclusion that GD3 is better:)?
I like what I know about it, but it doesn't seem to do many things differently from the systems I already own,apart from having more mental attributes than physical ones;).
Quote from: AsenRG;941499I've never played GD3, but I've played more than a few generic systems, including light generic ones. How many generic systems have you played, and which ones, in order to reach the conclusion that GD3 is better:)?
I've either run, played, or experimented with the following: GURPS, HERO/Champions, EABA, Risus, D20 Modern, Fate. Fudge, Savage Worlds, Masterbook, Unisysem, Open D6, Tri-stat, Basic Roleplaying, and maybe a few more I can't remember off the top of my head. I'm currently looking at Cypher System.
I prefer generic/universal systems over setting specific systems, with a few exceptions (Godbound). Every year or so I make a post asking for help refining my search for a good generic/universal system. I get excellent replies.
I've narrowed my selection down to a few groups. I collect and use these almost exclusively. Which one I pick for any specific campaign I'm planning to run is based on the level of crunch and my players' specific needs and habits.
For light crunch, I use Genrediversion 3E / Genrediverion i (the two are almost interchangeable). This is my goto if I'm short on GM prep time or if my players don't want to fiddle with too much crunch.
For medium crunch, I use Savage Worlds exclusively.
For something heavier, I choose between Masterbook or EABA (cards or no cards).
Genrediverion 3/i (referred to henceforth as GD3) is my goto light system because of its functionally and flexibility. It's what GURPS would be if GURPS reengineered itself into a more streamlined system. Basic task resolution is resolved by ability rating + bonuses/penalties + 2D6 dice roll against a difficulty rating. Simple and easy. The fact that there's only one physical attribute doesn't mean the game is meant for mental and social play; the designer just concluded that having multiple physical stats was silly. I kinda agree with him. A professional fighter, for example, is going to have to have high muscle strength, but also agility, endurance, speed, etc. Easier to just throw it all in one stat and give him a fighting-related skill. If you need to break the Fitness stat down into sub-parts, the rules let you do that. Everything's modular, and everything can be altered very easily. It's one of the reasons I like this system.
GD3 also has a good deal of settings ranging from okay to excellent. Easy to port (from Genrediversion i), add, subtract, or draw ideas from.
The other light systems I've tried are either too narrative for my taste (FATE), too simple (Risus), or, IMO, just generally inferior.
That's all I got; hope it helped :)
Quote from: noman;941560I've either run, played, or experimented with the following: GURPS, HERO/Champions, EABA, Risus, D20 Modern, Fate. Fudge, Savage Worlds, Masterbook, Unisysem, Open D6, Tri-stat, Basic Roleplaying, and maybe a few more I can't remember off the top of my head. I'm currently looking at Cypher System.
Thank you:). But I'd like to note that apart from Risus and Fudge (and maybe, maybe some d100 retroclones like GORE), all of those are rules-medium at least.
So basically, you're comparing GD3 against Risus and Fudge. (That's fine, BTW - I can only list maybe a couple more rules-light generic systems, like Pocket Universe. Just wanted to note it).
QuoteI prefer generic/universal systems over setting specific systems, with a few exceptions (Godbound). Every year or so I make a post asking for help refining my search for a good generic/universal system. I get excellent replies.
I like generic games. I also like non-generic games. They scratch a different itch to me.
And then I engineer non-generic games into generic ones;).
QuoteI've narrowed my selection down to a few groups. I collect and use these almost exclusively. Which one I pick for any specific campaign I'm planning to run is based on the level of crunch and my players' specific needs and habits.
I congratulate you on that! It's how I tend to proceed as well. That's why I usually say "we'll pick the system last".
QuoteFor light crunch, I use Genrediversion 3E / Genrediverion i (the two are almost interchangeable). This is my goto if I'm short on GM prep time or if my players don't want to fiddle with too much crunch.
For medium crunch, I use Savage Worlds exclusively.
For something heavier, I choose between Masterbook or EABA (cards or no cards).
Makes sense to me. I tend to do almost the same in the rules-heavy and rules-medium departments, though I tend to default to Mythras for rules-medium, something like a Traveller/BoL hack for rules-light, and only run rules-heavy for specific genres.
QuoteGenrediverion 3/i (referred to henceforth as GD3) is my goto light system because of its functionally and flexibility. It's what GURPS would be if GURPS reengineered itself into a more streamlined system. Basic task resolution is resolved by ability rating + bonuses/penalties + 2D6 dice roll against a difficulty rating. Simple and easy.
So, basically, re-skinned and streamlined Fate? Makes sense.
(Fate can be run with d6-d6 replacing the Fudge dice, or with a simple 2d6 instead, if you add 7 to the target numbers).
QuoteThe fact that there's only one physical attribute doesn't mean the game is meant for mental and social play; the designer just concluded that having multiple physical stats was silly. I kinda agree with him. A professional fighter, for example, is going to have to have high muscle strength, but also agility, endurance, speed, etc. Easier to just throw it all in one stat and give him a fighting-related skill.
Yes, you need everything, but most fighters would have strength, speed, stamina and reflexes in different proportions (which then leads to the evolution of their fighting style).
Then again, I'd rather have a Ferocity stat and Qualities like Strong 2, Tough 1, Slow (-2) to reflect that.
QuoteIf you need to break the Fitness stat down into sub-parts, the rules let you do that. Everything's modular, and everything can be altered very easily. It's one of the reasons I like this system.
See above. Is that approach supported? (It's the one I use in my homebrew system for now...it's had several iterations).
QuoteGD3 also has a good deal of settings ranging from okay to excellent. Easy to port (from Genrediversion i), add, subtract, or draw ideas from.
Well...when I want a setting, I run it with a dedicated system. Only if I haven't got one do I resort to generic games (which was "most of the time" when I started playing).
QuoteThe other light systems I've tried are either too narrative for my taste (FATE), too simple (Risus), or, IMO, just generally inferior.
That's all I got; hope it helped :)
Yes, and thank you again! Hope you don't mind the additional questions. Last I checked some reviews, they weren't really informative, alas:D!
Quote from: noman;941560(...) If you need to break the Fitness stat down into sub-parts, the rules let you do that. Everything's modular, and everything can be altered very easily. It's one of the reasons I like this system. (...)
I was about to mention the same. It's so easy to tinker with that introducing two instead of one physical stats is a breeze. The problem with the distribution of hit locations, mentioned earlier in the thread, is also easy to fix, should you feel the need.