Quote from: wulfgar;235086You could grab a copy of Heroes Unlimited from Palladium.  I've got the old "revised" edition.  Rules in there for magic spells, items, and people bestowed with magic powers.

How similar is the Heroes system to RIFTS or Palladium Fantasy? I have both of those buried in an unpacked moving box somewhere.

It's the same rules system as Rifts basically.  I've never played Palladium Fantasy, but my understanding is that one is very similar but with a few differences, no SDC being the biggest.  Rifts ups the power level quite a bit and is of course set in a very different setting.  The biggest drawbacks of Heroes Unlimited to me is that it can take awhile to pick all the skills for your character, depending on how many you get.  It is a fun game though and covers pretty much all of your super hero bases- aliens, bionics, robots, supersoldiers, mutants, magic, gun nuts, martial artists, detectives, gadget guys, etc.

FYI Mage: the Awakening has no metaplot. The WoD has no metaplot. Getting rid of metaplot was a (if not THE) major reason for the changeover.

That being said, Mage has an amazing, freeform and creative Magic system. The setting is actually rather neat as well.

A lot of people don't like the Atlantis stuff, but it's only a large part of a HUGE setting. Characters and GM's need not foucus on it, or even include anything about it. Even the core book gives plenty of different theories on how all the Atlantis stuff could be wrong.

I like BESM 3e, but its tough to find since WW bought it, but doesn't appear to be pushing the system.   I am planning to run Nightbane using BESM this year.   Nightbane is a fascinating setting, very much WoD minus the angst.

If you want rules light, Buffy/Angel would do the job.   I have gained enormous respect for the powerful simplicity of UniSystem for immersive games where players are very story focused.  

If you are D20 fan, consider Monte Cook's World of Darkness.   It came out last year and did not get the attention it deserved for being a solid and interesting modern product that reinvents WoD in a much more game friendly way.

I have played the new Mage and it's okay.  If you like the WW system and buy into the setting elements, there is a lot of stuff to play with.   I did not find the magic system to be as freeform as Ars Magica though.

Quote from: stu2000;234968I like to use Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes, with magical characters having access to Tunnels and Trolls spells.

That would be a wild and fun campaign!!

I suppose the first question I'd ask of anyone wanting to pick out a magic system is "What do you want magicians to be like?"

For my money, I think Unknown Armies has a damn good magic system for modern-day gaming (at least partially because it's explicitly designed to be a product of the modern mindset - you wouldn't catch medieval magicians playing around with anything so fast and loose), so long as you are cool with magicians being quirky individuals bristling with strange obsessions and ideas. If you prefer your magicians a little more sane, something like Buffy or Witchcraft might be better.

Quote from: Warthur;235324I suppose the first question I'd ask of anyone wanting to pick out a magic system is "What do you want magicians to be like?"

I agree.

A setting where wizards are able to unload powerful spells without rest is very different from one where even a small spell is exhausting and magic is used sparingly. Do you want magic to be fairly unpredictable or generally pretty reliable? Do you want consequences for spell failure or perhaps even succeeding too well? All of these variables would lead to a different recommendation.

Mutants and Masterminds wouldn't be a bad choice, though it's a little bland and you have to guide it with a firm hand to shape the setting how you want.

I have not nailed down just how I want the system to work, but I have downloaded the free Ars Magica PDF and found a Mage The Awakening Intro free PDF on RPGnow so I have a lot of source material to sift through, and I still my wind up just doing my own thing.

I may have lined up a group for a Mongoose Traveller game in September so this project may have to simmer on the back burner for awhile.

This may be a long shot but perhaps you should consider BESM . It's rules light and very flexible.

Regards,
David R

I'll go ahead and second Unknown Armies. Not quite sure about Shadowrun 4th Ed.

Witchcraft.

It's Unisystem and you can download it for free, legally.

Quote from: shalvayez;235483I'll go ahead and second Unknown Armies. Not quite sure about Shadowrun 4th Ed.

Unknown Armies is a good game, but the detailed magical methods are very setting specific and creating new styles from scratch might defeat the object of the exercise.

Quote from: RockViper;234920I have been thinking about a campaign set in the modern world that contains magic, more serious than the Harry Potter verse, and maybe not as bleak as the Hellblazer universe.

I could probably do something with GURPS, but I have not updated my GURPS magic books since second edition, is the 4e update worth looking into? I was not impressed by Ars Magica so its off the list, and I think Mage the Awakening may be too tied up in its own metaplot to be useful.

Any suggestions?

My first recommendation would be Witchcraft, no doubt. I like the system, Unisystem, a lot, because it feels like GURPS but simpler (Carella, the author, wrote a few GURPS supplements) and it's very intuitive and straightforward. The setting is exactly what you're looking for, it's like a version of World of Darkness in the same way that Rolemaster is a version of D&D. Download it for free (others already posted the link), read it, and draw your own conclusions.

GURPS 4th is very worth updating to, if you like GURPS. That said, I don't think the GURPS standard magic system is very adequate for a modern magic campaign (I would hate it, that for sure). The magic system included in GURPS Thaumatology will surely be a better match, but the book hasn't been published yet.

Ars Magica is a great game, but I wouldn't recommend it for what you want. The setting is an unholy mix of fantasy and medieval Europe, and the system is strongly entwined to the setting, so I think it matches a modern magic campaign like Exalted; if you rewrite half the game, maybe you could use it for that.

GURPS Thaumatology is out now, yes.

Maybe I'm weird, but I liked the cinematic version of Witchcraft (IE: Buffy RPG) better than the core system; I liked defining spell rituals in a very loose sense and setting them up, and the 'each cast is -1 to all further casts that day' thing rather than a detailed system.

I also liked the separation of big rituals vs. generally magic tricks sorcerers could do; it was reminiscent of a lot of fantasy fiction.