AGoT is an excellent game but out of print since the production company went bust. If you like D20 and prefer a level-based system, I'd definitely track it down. The new social/reputation and shield rules are also excellent and well worth integrating into other D20 games, and give options for playing political factions which I haven't seen in other D20 titles yet.
Easy enough to track down, course it looks like it is pretty much cover price on Amazon: A Game of Thrones, $59.50
In regards to WarHammer FRPG I had thought the 2nd Edition was a reprint of 1st with Errata included (apparently not).
While I love the WarHammer system, Games Workshop completely flubbed the license, and it took something like 15 years for the "coming soon" Realms of Sorcery supplement to see the light of day. Warhammer has gone thru 4 or 5 different hands, the last one I knew was Hogshead Publishing. Green Ronin was mentioned in this thread (& Black Industries, closed up shop in 2008). All the links for Warhammer on Green Ronin are dead links, except for the FAQ and the main warhammer page.
They (Green Ronin) don't even mention that they no longer have the license - I had to go to wikipedia to find that the current publisher of Warhammer FRPG is Fantasy Flight Games. They have a number of books available, except the core WFRPG rulebook - which appears to only be available on Amazon.
I may have to pick up the current edition and find a nice balance between 1st and 2nd+ :-)
Fantasy flight have the licence for WFRP 2nd ed.
Its a really very good game. The setting is different from first edition, but actually, it is in many ways even more distinctive.
If your going to get into it you will probably need
sigmar's heirs, realms of sorcery and the Old world bestuary at the very least.
Fantasy flight have the licence for WFRP 2nd ed.Its a really very good game. The setting is different from first edition, but actually, it is in many ways...
Oh sure, bump my $27 purchase up to a hundred or so!! Thanks a LOT :-)
Oh sure, bump my $27 purchase up to a hundred or so!! Thanks a LOT :-)
Fantasy flight have the licence for WFRP 2nd ed.Its a really very good game. The setting is different from first edition, but actually, it is in many ways...
You can use it stand alone, especially if you know the warhammer world well. But a lot of the richness of the game is found in its supplimentation.
For instance, at first glance, the Imperial schools of wizardry seem really dull compaired to the first edition schools. But what most people miss is that the Eight schools of magic represent only 1st eds battle magic. Each of those schools has a different style of magic and mission within the empire.
You go from the alchemists of the Gold order to the arcane spys of the grey order.
What realms of sorcery does best of all is explain what each of the orders is about, along with more than trippling the available number of spells.
All that said, if i was to choose a single book that was the best investment in the line, it would be the tome of corruption book. Chaos reprecents the major threat of the game, and this book, in combination with the corebook would let you play through the major conflict of the game forever more.
It adds all the details you will need to a huge number of NPCs, from kurgan warriors, to norse raiders. From subtle cultists to maruading beastmen.
It also contains a wide variaty of good old fashioned monsters and a fair number of demons.
It also provides magic for the major chaos gods that allow magic use.
Has details for the tainting effect of chaos and details some sections of the realms of chaos.
Last but not least, it talks a good deal about how to intergrate chaos into the game.
So yeah...if you get one book other book for the game, make it that one. the others are really good and useful, but this one is definately worth it.
Wow. Five posts from Court Fool, and not one mention of Fantasy Hero. :D
Easy enough to track down, course it looks like it is pretty much cover price on Amazon: A Game of Thrones, $59.50AGoT is an excellent game but out of print since the production company went bust. If you like D20 and prefer a level-based system, I'd definitely track it down. The new social/reputation and shield rules are also excellent and well worth integrating into other D20 games, and give options for playing political factions which I haven't seen in other D20 titles yet.
Nice. The Guardians of Order Game of Thrones game may be the single most gorgeous RPG book I've ever seen, and at 500 pages of pretty small type, one of the biggest, although if the Pathfinder rulebook page count is correct (almost 600 pages?) that should outclass it. The Westeros map in the GoO game is also the best commercially available (although lacking a few locations mapped in the books for some reason).
Whilst people seem divided over whether the Green Ronin rules are better, the production values of the rulebook do seem to be somewhat less impressive.
Earthdawn!
The only system I've ever played where houserules are not needed.
You can pick up the orignal Earthdawn book at a reseller.
You can pick up Earthdawn 2nd edition from Living Room Games
or
You can pick up Earthdawn Classic from RedBrick Ltd. (Expensive as you need to get it printed through Lulu, since RedBrick is down under.) (I might finally pick up my own after this week, since I got a sidejob fianlly! woo...extra cashola!)
I'll second any recommendations for Earthdawn. It's a great, great game.
I'll second any recommendations for Earthdawn. It's a great, great game.
Good man! ;)
And keep your eyes peeled for 3E! It should be hitting bookshelves at the end of the month!
I'll second any recommendations for Earthdawn. It's a great, great game.Good man! ;)
And keep your eyes peeled for 3E! It should be hitting bookshelves at the end of the month!
Too many... good games... not enough... money!!!! Ahhhh!
(Honestly, that's fantastic news!)
Earthdawn Redbrick!
Dragon Warriors
Lejendary Adventure
I gotta throw in on the KUDOS for Earthdawn...regarless of edition...infinitely playable and a rich world to grow in...would love to see the line get the support it always deserved
Hmm.
L5R (and the new Legends of the Burning Sands, which I might like better)
7th Seas Specific Time period and setting, but so much fun it doesn't matter. This is one of my favorite games ever.
Fantasy Hero (Hero System) Perhaps too complicated.
Palladium Fantasy
Exalted
The new Fire and Ice looks interesting, but I haven't played it yet.
Mouse Guard! But mainly because who doesn't want to play bad ass mice?
Burning Wheel
Note: someone asked for a description of this system not too long ago, here's the quick sum up. Uses D6 dice pools where 1-3 is a failure and 4-6 is a success. Magic weapons and supernatural creatures might roll 1-2 Failure and 3-6 Success. Great (but complex) fighting rules and one of the greatest character creation systems out there. My complaints on the system is that it might be too complex for my group of players.
The PDQ system games like Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies. Simple but effective.
Talislanta is really neat.
Houses of the Blooded. It's really different and maybe too complex for some people's taste, but it's awesome. Lots of group storytelling where the players get involved with the running of the game. Combat is fairly deadly, and you should never get into a large battle, only one on one duels. But the game is one of a kind. The PDF was only $5 not too long ago, check it out. It's worth just reading even if you never play it.
My only complaint on Earthdawn is that I really like skills and rogues, but in this game everything comes down to magic. My thief doesn't move silently, he use magic to hover off the ground just enough to move silently. This really bothered me whenever we played it. I've been playing Exalted enough that it might not bother me now. I am interested in this 3rd Edition though. hmm.
That's all I can think of for now.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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Mouse Guard! But mainly because who doesn't want to play bad ass mice?
I second Mouse Guard! I've been reading through the book in my spare time for about a week now, and I've completely and utterly fallen in love with the system (a modified, somewhat simplified version of Burning Wheel, as I understand it). That its based on a comic I enjoy with some truly beautiful artwork doesn't hurt either!
Fantasy Hero (Hero System) Perhaps too complicated.
LOL! Compared to 3.5, with all of the supplements?
If anything, HERO is even more straightforward than 3.5 when it comes to the basic mechanics (and it's a lot more scalable). It's when you start applying the near infinite possible elaborations of advantages, disadvantages, and special effects to the basics that things can get complicated (but that's also the primary strength of the rule-set, IMO).
I've played D&D using the old Victory Games James Bond 007 rules. In my opinion, the system itself is a far better one than the d20 system. In actual game play, however, combat is exceptionally deadly, so that games heavy on investigation and stealth run a lot more smoothly than standard dungeon crawls. Some other problems involve wound levels for monsters, and treatment of armor and spells, but those were fairly easy to resolve.
Eventually I created a hybrid 007/1e system that has been, in retrospect, by far the most enjoyable RPG I've ever played. I'd still be playing it if Paizo hadn't gone and written such good adventures for D&D 3.5; I switched over to those rules solely so that I could play the Age of Worms "straight out of the box," as it were.
If anything, HERO is even more straightforward than 3.5 when it comes to the basic mechanics (and it's a lot more scalable).
[SARCASM] Everyone knows gamers want a dumbed down system without all that flexibility. [/SARCASM]
Talislanta is the best fantasy rpg I've ever played. It has a very rich, complex and exotic fantasy world, fairly simple rules, and nifty illustrations that really bring it to life. www.talislanta.com
I concur. If you are a fan of Jack Vance fantasy (eg The Dying Earth, Cugel the Clever ...) it is a must read. Heck, there is even an effectuator class ( more remminescent of Vance's scifi settings). I have been a fan of this game through every incarnation. The rules are simple. The cultures are rich. This and Skyrealms of Jorune were the two games that immeadiately captivated me with thier artwork. ( though I don't recomend Skyrealms)
WasGreg
http://www.MetalMagicandLore.com I have found that this has been my saviour for a game that is not D&D but allows me to have a game in this type of setting, and require intelligence!
I am very happy with MML!! I hope that one day I actually get to play it!
If anything, HERO is even more straightforward than 3.5 when it comes to the basic mechanics (and it's a lot more scalable).[SARCASM] Everyone knows gamers want a dumbed down system without all that flexibility. [/SARCASM]
<shrug>
Level-based systems are usually easier to learn, since it's organized into discrete chunks. Point-based systems are usually denser constructs that require more in-depth knowledge of the entire rule-set.
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Not sure about other White Wolf games, but last time I checked, 1's don't cancel successes in Exalted. They only matter if you don't roll any successes, in which case you botched. Other than that, you shouldn't be canceling successes unless a specific charm creates that effect.
The general temperament in Exalted is less of "Did I succeed?" than "You are going to succeed. How awesomely did you do so?"
Level-based systems are usually easier to learn, since it's organized into discrete chunks.
Have you seen the wailing and gnashing of teeth over 4e's parsing of some aspects into discrete chunks? Just sayin'.
Level-based systems are usually easier to learn, since it's organized into discrete chunks.Have you seen the wailing and gnashing of teeth over 4e's parsing of some aspects into discrete chunks? Just sayin'.
"Discrete" =/= "disjointed" (IMO)
4e, while mechanically well done, seems to use the "exception-based design" philosophy to such an extent that it lacks coherence (again IMO). Maybe I'm just too experienced with taking a character concept and fitting parts of a system around that theme to "get it," knowing how easy it is to lose focus when creating a character archetype (i.e., class) and end up with a bunch of thematically unrelated (although mechanically complimentary) abilities.
P.S.: HERO, especially, taught me a lot about designing characters from a central concept/theme, instead of just a collection of powers.
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[They (Green Ronin) don't even mention that they no longer have the license - I had to go to wikipedia to find that the current publisher
Green Ronin never had the License. They were always only the Developer for Warhammer.
Black Industries, a subsitidary of Games Workshop, held the License.Then they sold it along with the Warhammer 40K RPG License to Fantasy Flight Games.
Fanatsy Flight Games use their own Developers instead of Green Ronin.
HERO, especially, taught me a lot about designing characters from a central concept/theme, instead of just a collection of powers.
That is probably my frustration with class based systems. I do not want to design my character around someone else's concept.
Ars Magica and Conan, although the bindings for the Conan 2E printing were crap. You'll want to look at it close before you pick it up. Black Company is great, but it's unfortunate they were limited to a single sourcebook.
But Ars Magica? Troupe style play, the concept that everyone has many characters to develop (Magi, Companions, Grogs), the fact that you can maintain lethality (grogs) while encouraging investment and roleplaying, the hyper-flexible magic system...how about the fact that the entire medieval history section of any bookstore is your sourcebook? There's a fanzine, Sub Rosa and the Atlas sourcebook authors regularly hang out on their forums to contribute commentary. 12 & 13C Europe is a busy time-- the first through fourth Crusades, the rise of guilds, the Venetians, the Cathars, the Mongols, the last remnants of paganism extinguished, you've got it all. War, politics, exploration, intrigue, mystery.
Ars Magica rocks.
-Ben.
Contributor
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I'm sure some of these have come up already, but I'll chime in anyhoo if no one minds...
Ars Magica = titties!
Shadow of Yesterday is fun.
Savage Worlds
Sorceror -- has a sword and sorcery supplement that's pretty good. Get's a real KE Wagner feel going.
Tried running CoC as a pure fantasy game once. Just took out insanity and made mythos spells plentiful. It was pretty fun.
For 1-2 session play, you can adapt Mt. Witch for much fun.
Burning Wheel is very cool. Luke also wrote Mouse Guard, though I haven't tried it out yet. Luke and Thor are also the brains behind that system based on that fantasy graphic novel from Arcadia Press -- gah! Brain dying as ... we... speak. Blurgh.
Hard to find alternate systems, especially indie games, that work for a long campaign. Will try to noodle up some more.
Metal, Magic, and Lore is the best fantasy rpg I've ever seen. The rules are amazing and allow a very realistic and mature approach to adventure such as the rarity and deadliness of monsters and the way the realistic combat flows. Its just an excellent game. And 5th Epoch Publishing who produced and created the game truly care about their fans and what their fans would like to see in the MML product line. It is really a diamond in the rough with all the superhero video game-esque high fantasy crap on the market today. I dont wanna see a mess of new books and supplements for my rpg every month, and with MML I dont. All you really will need is the core book and maybe some downloads that you can get right here at Paizo.
Which edition of Earthdawn do most folks recommend?
Well, of course I'm going to say 3rd edition, but I guess I'm biased. ;) But be sure to check out our website for more info!