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So in a few months after finishing my mythic game, my group wants to branch outside of our typical fantasy genre (and PF in general) for our next game. We've tossed around Shadowrun and maybe a Cypher System game, and even as far as a Call of Cthulhu game. What sort of RPG's do you guys recommend that don't fall in the sword and magic fantasy genre?
Our direction right now is a steam or later (noir, modern, futuristic), non supers sort of game. Beyond that, we're open to suggestions.
Fire away, and thanks!
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Apocalypse World
It works well as a one-shot, but you can do a short campaign as well. I'd say it starts to lose it's steam around 50-60 hours into a game, but a lot of things are going to happen in those 50-60 hours. In addition, there are dozens of full games that are based on this game.
Dungeon World (not what you're looking for though)
Cartel (being drug lords)
Epyllion (you play dragons)
Sixth World (shadowrun using these rules)
Night Witches (WW2 all-female bomber squadron, based on a true story)
Saga of the Icelanders (historically based, settlers of Iceland)
Monster of the Week (Buffy the Vampire-slayer)
World Wide Wrestling
Companions (Doctor Who)
The Warren (Watership Down)
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Humm, GURPS has a lot of nonfantasy application; they ALMOST live up to their system name (Generic Universal Role Playing System). They have several Traveler supplements, as well as a few general sci-fi settings, from intrasolar to interstellar scope. NB: the point-based system is very different from the class-and-level progression of PF/D&D; the bulk of PCs abilities are set during construction, with rather slow (by comparison) advancement. Oh, and also, VERY IMPORTANT! Their 3rd edition rocks greatly; the newest, 4th edition, kind of sucks (imo).
The old ICE game, Spacemaster, is also fun -- though it seems they've removed the starship construction rules (my favorite part) from the game (sadly). This system is also quite different from PF/D&D, but has classes and level progression, so it'd be at least more familiar.
I'm also fond of both Aeon and Aberrant, a pair of offerings from White Wolf.
Hope this helps! Have fun.
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The Fading Suns ruleset is classically clunky and stiff. I played it quite a bit and did not like it. The setting is awesome, I believe FATE would be a great fit, certainly better than d20.
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Life
It's so broken, especially at the higher levels.
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I enjoyed all these non-fantasy games at one time or other
James Bond 007 (Victory Games): Long out of print, sadly but had the wonderfully streamlined d100 task resolution system that kept the fast, cinematic feel of the movies.
The Mutant Epoch (Outland Arts): Set in a gloriously wacky and not-to-serious post apocalyptic world, this is my go to game when I want to scratch the Mad Max / Fallout itch.
Cthulhutech (Wildfire): Admittedly, the rules are a mess, but what a world to play in. A kind of crossbreed of Cthulhu and Japanese manga influence. Pilot a giant robot or turn into a monster yourself to fight the real monsters.
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I forgot my favorite game of all time: Mythender.
You go from character creation to killing a god in about 4-5 hours. The game does a good job of capturing the feel of grand, epic battles with regular consistency. I prefer it best as a one-shot, but you could make a short campaign of it as well.
The only downside is it requires tons of dice and they need to be different colors (minimum 3 distinct colors, I prefer 4 colors though) for specific purposes within the game. I have a little over 200d6 in my kit. Plus 2 types of tokens are required.
On the plus side, you get to roll large handfuls of dice.
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I've heard said the latest "Gamma World" (WOTC) is fun. I've not played it personally, but I would if I could.
http://www.waynesbooks.com/GammaWorld.html
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I've heard said the latest "Gamma World" (WOTC) is fun. I've not played it personally, but I would if I could.
LINK ADDED.
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+1 to Mythender. Tons of fun, roll lots of dice, kill gods, try not to become gods.
I also like Star Wars Saga Edition. It's still d20 and largely based on D&D 3.5, so the mechanics will feel familiar. Not sure if that's a plus or not for you.
Full disclosure: I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and running around in the Expanded Universe is a big deal for me :)
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Dark Heresy
Rogue Trader
Deathwatch
Black Crusade
Only War
Dark Heresy v2
Why all these Fantasy Flight Games? Because they do d10 right. Almost everything can be resolved with percentages and tens-based rolls that is just so much easier to visualize and understand. Also, they all share the same universe and it doesn't much at all to adapt PCs & Opponents to each other. Nothing like a group of Acolytes being faced with threats Space Marines are expected to be the answer against.
A single d10 and you can play almost every thing in the rulebooks. Or enjoy dropping mountains of them as your effects/abilities scale up.
It plays to those who love tech but hate magic (even though they are both make-believe anyways...), the class flavors are rich, and each subsystem have cool traits like being the secret police, conquistadors, walking demi-gods, the Bad Guys, the military, and the same expendable acolytes. vehicle combat on the ground, air, and Space? What...
Plus, their Critical Tables have to be the best I have ever seen. It is an incredibly lethal system where very few builds will EVER be immune even to "mundane" opponents.
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(Checks C:\Users\Snorb\Documents\Pen and Paper\Miscellany)
Buck Rogers: High Adventure Cliffhangers (and its sole supplement, War Against the Han, if you can actually find it. Good luck.)
Human-Occupied Landfill (sci-fi, and very very f!+#ed-up sci-fi. Every page in the book is hand-drawn except page 29. One of the actual in-game rules is your character must be male, because no woman has ever been unlucky enough or stupid enough to wind up on the planet the game takes place on. Has one supplement with the unfortunate name BUTTery wHoLesomeness. The supplement has the character creation rules.)
Star Trek (FASA edition) A much better game than that mess Decipher came out with ten years or so ago! [Captain Janeway has absolutely no character flaws, who are YOU kidding?]
Savage Worlds (can be whatever damn setting you please!)
The Third Age: Ghost Lines (steampunkish Ghostbusters, is free online. Is set in the same universe as Blades in the Dark, if you like that. Requires some Apocalypse World familiarity.)
Totem (Inuit/Ice Age roleplaying game, has a very unique conflict resolution method not involving dice. Might be a bit close to fantasy for you though.)
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Humm, GURPS has a lot of nonfantasy application; they ALMOST live up to their system name (Generic Universal Role Playing System). They have several Traveler supplements, as well as a few general sci-fi settings, from intrasolar to interstellar scope. NB: the point-based system is very different from the class-and-level progression of PF/D&D; the bulk of PCs abilities are set during construction, with rather slow (by comparison) advancement. Oh, and also, VERY IMPORTANT! Their 3rd edition rocks greatly; the newest, 4th edition, kind of sucks (imo).
Even if you don't like the System, GURPS has some of the best setting books I've seen. In addition to Traveller, they also have an excellent near future hard sci-fi setting in Transhuman Space, a great Terminator like enslaved humans fighting against machine overlords setting in Reign of Steel, and a very cool cyberpunk-mythos horror mashup in Cthulhupunk.
As for the editions, I prefer 3rd edition, but for the most part, 4th is pretty similar except they swap ST and HT for HP and Fatigue Points.
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James Bond 007 (Victory Games): Long out of print, sadly but had the wonderfully streamlined d100 task resolution system that kept the fast, cinematic feel of the movies.
In my opinion, this is the best RPG ever designed. Every rule, no matter how seemingly inane on paper, contributed to game play having the almost exact "feel" of a Bond film.
As for the editions, I prefer 3rd edition, but for the most part, 4th is pretty similar except they swap ST and HT for HP and Fatigue Points.
Must disagree; 4th ed really screwed the pooch in several areas, psionics in particular. But YMMV; if you have fun with 4th ed, I won't say you're having badwrongfun. I won't play 4th, but that's me with my own fun.
PS: Thanks for listing those supplements; couldn't remember Transhuman Space, but that was the one I was thinking would be good for a science-fiction setting.