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Whelp
Acolyte
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jun 2005 : 05:34:21
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Forgotten Realms is, without any doubt in my mind, my favorite fantasy gaming setting. At the same time, I'm not a huge fan of the D&D mechanic. I could go into my list of problems with it, but unless someone really wants to hear about it, I'll spare you. What I want to know is this:
Has anyone here run a Forgotten Realms campaign using a different system?
Right now I'm looking at the HERO System, but while that does a good job of fixing the problems that I have with D&D, it has its own set of pitfalls. Does anyone know of a system that might serve my purposes better? I'm interested in hearing about this, and I would like to thank in advance anyone who can give me some information on the matter.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2005 : 05:49:34
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I seem to recall hearing someone say they used a system based on White Wolf's World of Darkness games...
Me, I'm sticking with the D&D rules, so long as they don't get in the way of a story or concept.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Whelp
Acolyte
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2005 : 05:53:17
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I'm pretty familiar with the WoD system, and it's great, for what it does. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how one would express the magical variety that defines the Realms using that particular system. Maybe the person who used it knows?
Thanks for the response! |
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warlockco
Master of Realmslore
USA
1695 Posts |
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Lysander
Learned Scribe
USA
183 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2005 : 14:32:38
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quote:
Originally posted by warlockco
A slightly variant D20 system is the BESM D20, players are given points to buy stats and powers.
They can even use their points to buy extra skill points or feats.
Sounds Interesting. (Kind of like 2e/S&P  ) Where might one find information on this? |
Lysander
Defender of the Second Edition
Moderator, Project Gemengan, Worlds of D&D |
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Fletcher
Learned Scribe
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2005 : 16:26:15
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There is always GURPS  |
Run faster! The Kobolds are catching up! |
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Prince Forge of Avalon
Learned Scribe
USA
117 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 02:45:03
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Just my two cents:
But you also have the option of changing the d20 system of D&D to your rules, as the DM its your world and YOU MAKE THE RULES.
I have done this on numerous occasions, not that it always fits within the D20 mechanics but it makes the story and game play the way I want it to play.
I long ago left the D@D rules for FR, Epic magic, characters, using experience points to buy supernatural abilities etc.
Anyway thats my two cents!
PFoA |
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warlockco
Master of Realmslore
USA
1695 Posts |
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Lucius
Seeker
98 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 15:58:54
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Whelp, you're not alone. The only reason I'm currently running Vampire rather than the Realms is the fact that the D20 is just too much to learn for me at the moment.
If anyone has any information on a WOD conversion, I would kill to read about it.
Thanks |
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Sigonan
Acolyte
Greece
19 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2005 : 17:41:24
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| Perhaps you might want to experiment with giving special abilities that are going to be unique to each character (something like Street Fighter or the PC game "Baldur's Gate II"). This should set fire in your campaign, increasing RP chances and giving interest to the players. BUT, it will actually be a way to cheat on the game mechanics, since only you will know the boundaries to these abilities (you can't use ultra hyper dodge on brambles). |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2005 : 09:07:42
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| I find that the D20 system fits really well to the FR setting. What i find less acceptable is ALL the PrC and feats that make the DM work more and more complicated. |
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Jindael
Senior Scribe
USA
357 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2005 : 13:28:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Whelp
Forgotten Realms is, without any doubt in my mind, my favorite fantasy gaming setting. At the same time, I'm not a huge fan of the D&D mechanic. I could go into my list of problems with it, but unless someone really wants to hear about it, I'll spare you. What I want to know is this:
Has anyone here run a Forgotten Realms campaign using a different system?
Right now I'm looking at the HERO System, but while that does a good job of fixing the problems that I have with D&D, it has its own set of pitfalls. Does anyone know of a system that might serve my purposes better? I'm interested in hearing about this, and I would like to thank in advance anyone who can give me some information on the matter.
I’d personally love to hear your list of problems.
Besides just enjoying a good kvetching session about faulty mechanics, I find it interesting that you would choose a system (HERO) that, in my opinion, is much more annoying than the 3ed mechanics. I’d like to read what you’re fixing.
Total side note here: One of the players in my previous group was big into the whole superhero thing. I’m not, but he loved it, and wanted to run. So, we let him, and of course he wanted to go with HERO (I would have preferred the 2nd edition BESM, not the D20 version).
At the table, a few of us were very unfamiliar with the system, so the GM thoughtfully printed out “cheat sheets” for combat, to make it go smoother. At the top of the cheat sheet, it read “If you can make a bowl of cereal, you can do combat it HERO!” After reading the rules, we spent most of the session making physical jokes, like putting spoons in our ears, or pretending to pour milk on our heads. It was a great deal of fun. (Although we did get the hang of it, the running joke still exists.)
I haven’t looked over White Wolf’s new ruleset extensively. I do hear, however, that they fixed the “The more skilled you are, the more often you will botch” problem that plagued the first set of rules. If you run spellcasting more like Shadowrun, and less like the Vancian system, WW’s ruleset could work okay though. I’ve never tried it, and honestly, I don’t really want too.
More and more, as I play, I find myself wanting to backtrack to 2ed D&D (With, of course, the massive tome of houserules) simply because of the more “rules-lite” feel it had. 3ed has a large number of great ideas though, and, were I to decide to go back to 2ed, a lot of 3ed mechanics would come back with me. Of course, this all depends on the group I’m with.
Personally, I’ve given FUZION a shot as a viable alternative to D&D…and just about everything else. Flexible and linear without the cookie cutter feel of a class based system, but not so technical that it takes hours upon hours to make your character. (Or a computer. All my recent HERO characters were done with software that does all the math.)
Again, what really matters is the group I’m with and the style of play. If it’s game that doesn’t really focus on combat, then I don’t care what the system is. But there are considerations to make. A game that has wound levels that add penalties to your abilities becomes a much more grittier game. Using and abstract system, like HP, is much more cinematic in feel. This does affect play. A fighter who is at -4 to all their rolls because of wounds is going to try and withdraw, a fighter who is simply missing 20 hp is still perfectly capable of sliding down the banister, calling it a charge, and impaling the bugbear with his halberd.
Would level systems are more realistic, and I personally think work very well for games like L5R and Shadowrun, where the world itself is much more grim. It forces the players to carefully plan, and avoid confrontation. Realistic systems, however, tend to lean towards “gray” characters. Using low-personal-risk tactics, like poison and assassination are much more common in “wounds = penalties” systems, simply because the characters don’t want to risk combat. They find ways around it. It doesn’t really lend itself toward heroics except in the most dire circumstances.
HP systems, where damage is just an abstract concept, are much more like action movies. Characters happily take risks that they, as real people, never would. Sure, losing those 7 HP hurts, but when the goblins attack, you are still perfectly capable of flanking them and getting a kidney on the end of your sword.
And I’m rambling. My point is that I prefer a rules-lite, cinematic game. Bogging me down with extra numbers and modifiers is just frustrating to me.
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"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
-- C.S. Lewis |
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Fletcher
Learned Scribe
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2005 : 21:13:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Jindael
[And I’m rambling. My point is that I prefer a rules-lite, cinematic game. Bogging me down with extra numbers and modifiers is just frustrating to me.
I totally agree. Which is why in my current campaign, I don't give XP, I give levels when i believe that the characters have done enough things to deserve a level. I keep an approximate tally, but don't feel pushed to give them a level just because they killed a bunch of orcs.
I personally dislike rules lawyering players who own all of the books and supplements and do nothing but reread them in their spare time so that they can pull out an obscure rule to try to thwart a GM ruling. They hate it when I say.."I don't care what that book says, this is what I say."
Story is the whole point of the game. If all you are interested in is cobat and rules crunching, try another GM. |
Run faster! The Kobolds are catching up! |
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warlockco
Master of Realmslore
USA
1695 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2005 : 01:56:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Fletcher
quote:
Originally posted by Jindael
[And I’m rambling. My point is that I prefer a rules-lite, cinematic game. Bogging me down with extra numbers and modifiers is just frustrating to me.
I totally agree. Which is why in my current campaign, I don't give XP, I give levels when i believe that the characters have done enough things to deserve a level. I keep an approximate tally, but don't feel pushed to give them a level just because they killed a bunch of orcs.
I personally dislike rules lawyering players who own all of the books and supplements and do nothing but reread them in their spare time so that they can pull out an obscure rule to try to thwart a GM ruling. They hate it when I say.."I don't care what that book says, this is what I say."
Story is the whole point of the game. If all you are interested in is cobat and rules crunching, try another GM.
My thoughts on the Rules Lawyers, unless It is in a BOOK I OWN, and AM USING, I don't care what the rules say. And there are parts of books that I don't use.
Like Expanded Psionics Handbook, I'll allow some of the magic items and feats, but the rest of the book isn't allowed in my campaign.
There are only 2 books a Rules Lawyer can fight me with and they are the DMG and the PHB, anything else doesn't count because they are ADDITIONAL rules. And I pick and choose from those as I feel, and I am consistent with the way I "cherry pick" the supplemental rules that I use. |
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D20 System Reference Document
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Piergeiron
Acolyte
Sweden
11 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jun 2005 : 13:28:51
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Thankfully our groups rules lawyer has a laid back attitude to stretching and ignoring rules, and furthermore respects ther 0-rule.
I often turn to him if I'm unsure of certain rule-details. I even let my players bring in splatbooks and supplements I don't own myself to enhance their characters providing I get the chance to review what they want (they will bring the books with them to session for that purpose) and we discuss if it will break the campaigns style and balance.
The rules I feel more concerned about are "social"-skills, and how to use them for checks and couter-checks. They aren't allways that straightforward. Furthermore i would like to see where I could find more social-oriented skills. Seems like Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sence Motive aren't just enough. I'm concidering of bringing back Innuendo from 3.0. |
Edited by - Piergeiron on 25 Jun 2005 14:12:06 |
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warlockco
Master of Realmslore
USA
1695 Posts |
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Other Systems?! Blasphemy!
