Topic: Does anyone play TTRPGs other than D&D/Pathfinder?

[IsabellaRose]

I love tabletop roleplaying games.

I'm sick to death of the exhaustingly long combat of D&D. I've read and played a few other games, and it turns out I'm a fan of systems that support narrative and relationships rather than combat. So clearly, D&D isn't my favorite game.

I've played several old versions of D&D (Basic, Advanced, 3e, 3.5e, and 5e), Star Frontiers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness (and several other Palladium games), Call of Cthulhu, Traveler, Paranoia, Shadowrun, Pathfinder 1e, a couple homemade Fate games, Smallville, Mutants & Masterminds, Chaosium Basic Roleplaying, Fiasco, Dresden Files, Fantasy Flight's Star Wars, Microscope, Dungeon World, and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

I love Cortex, specifically the Cortex Drama flavor from Smallville, and various versions of it in the Cortex Hacker's Guide. I love Cortex Prime, and I'd love to build some custom Primed by Cortex games, but sadly, I'm having a hard time putting together another group locally that wants to play other systems as anything more than a one shot between D&D campaigns.

Does anyone else enjoy TTRPGs other than D&D? What do you play?

[Yori]

It's been a while since I've been able to devote the time to actually sitting around a table playing, but I've played D&D (Basic, Advanced, 2e, 3e, 3.5e), Paranoia (love the setting), Gamma World, Rifts, Shadowrun, World of Darkness (Vamp, Werewolf, Mage), 007, Champions, Traveler, Firefly, BSEM, Ninja Burger, and a few others that I know I have forgotten.

I'm a big fan of the Champions ruleset because of the flexibility it has. Combat isn't super crunchy, and tends to go faster than D&D, but not as fast as many of the White Wolf games where things tend to boil down to damage dice vs defense dice (though I have seen arguments over how many of each there should be) {I think it was White Wolf/World of Darkness, but I could be mistaken}.

[MightyMaiden]

I've actually never played Pathfinder, and haven't played D&D since 2ed.

If you're going to make me play fantasy, I want Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, for Comedy, Paranoia, for Superheroes, I generally play Masks, but I've got nothing against Villains and Vigilantes, Prowlers and Paragons, Icons, Mutants and Masterminds(3ed) and others.. (I have ~75 different supers RPGs, it's not a problem, it's a COLLECTION!) Shout out to 'Fallen Heroine Lewd Game System' which I'm playing in right now on Discord

I've played Hydro Hackers, Iron Edda, and would love to get into a game of World Wide Wrestling, also keen to try out Blades in the Dark

I used to play Cyberpunk, Star Trek(FASA) and probably others I'm forgetting.

[IsabellaRose]

I'm a big fan of the Champions ruleset because of the flexibility it has. Combat isn't super crunchy, and tends to go faster than D&D, but not as fast as many of the White Wolf games where things tend to boil down to damage dice vs defense dice (though I have seen arguments over how many of each there should be) {I think it was White Wolf/World of Darkness, but I could be mistaken}.

I love games with quicker combat. D&D combat is what turned me off the the game. If I'm going to use minis and a map and play combat that last more than half the session, I'll go all in and just play a wargame.

[IsabellaRose]

for Superheroes, I generally play Masks, but I've got nothing against Villains and Vigilantes, Prowlers and Paragons, Icons, Mutants and Masterminds(3ed) and others.. (I have ~75 different supers RPGs, it's not a problem, it's a COLLECTION!) Shout out to 'Fallen Heroine Lewd Game System' which I'm playing in right now on Discord

I LOVE superheroes games, but it's a niche in the gaming communities nearby, so I rarely get to play unless I find an online game, or if I want to play canon MCU characters and listen to guys argue whether comic or MCU version of characters are better, which gets boring real quick.

[MightyMaiden]

listen to guys argue whether comic or MCU version of characters are better, which gets boring real quick.

So true!!

There's a reason I avoid most canon super games, and not just the recent Marvel 616 game (which is a glorified miniature skirmish game not RPG)

[Yori]

I love games with quicker combat. D&D combat is what turned me off the the game. If I'm going to use minis and a map and play combat that last more than half the session, I'll go all in and just play a wargame.

The hardest parts with Champions is creating your character sheet as a player and creating a challenging opponent as the GM.

The framework allows for comparable strength using any special effect you want. Want to have a giant Mecha? You can build that. And it will be comparable to a superhero with similar build points.

I'm a big fan of supers as well, but as you said, even good PBEM games are hard to find.

[IsabellaRose]

The hardest parts with Champions is creating your character sheet as a player and creating a challenging opponent as the GM.

The framework allows for comparable strength using any special effect you want. Want to have a giant Mecha? You can build that. And it will be comparable to a superhero with similar build points.

I'm a big fan of supers as well, but as you said, even good PBEM games are hard to find.

I think I perused Champions. It uses the HERO system, right? Point buy build and pretty crunchy combat. It looks ok, but I've veered away from games like that. I'm into stuff like Masks or the Cortex Drama System like in the Smallville game that focuses on the character interactions instead of the combat portions. But my favorite parts of comic books were always the characters and who helped who and who hated who and which ones were secretly getting it on.

[Yori]

I think I perused Champions. It uses the HERO system, right? Point buy build and pretty crunchy combat. It looks ok, but I've veered away from games like that. I'm into stuff like Masks or the Cortex Drama System like in the Smallville game that focuses on the character interactions instead of the combat portions. But my favorite parts of comic books were always the characters and who helped who and who hated who and which ones were secretly getting it on.

Haven't tried Masks or Cortex, not because I wouldn't be interested, but because I've never encountered them or someone looking to play them before. And I prefer games that are run more for character driven situations than combat, no matter what system they are in.

My biggest problem is that my relaxing, gaming, RPing, and writing generally needs to be done in increments measured in minutes stolen here and there these days.

[MightyMaiden]

I love Masks, though it's not for everyone, in particular playing teenagers isn't everyone's cup of tea and most games I've played have aged it up some.

[IsabellaRose]

Haven't tried Masks or Cortex, not because I wouldn't be interested, but because I've never encountered them or someone looking to play them before. And I prefer games that are run more for character driven situations than combat, no matter what system they are in.

My biggest problem is that my relaxing, gaming, RPing, and writing generally needs to be done in increments measured in minutes stolen here and there these days.

I completely understand timing issues. I don't have any active online games at the moment, but play by post is probably all I can commit to for the time being. My favorite game ever was Play By Post using the Cortex/Smallville rules and that was my favorite way to play for a long time.

Since Covid lockdown my 1 reliable game with dependable players went remote on Roll20. That's back to in person now. I host 2 weekly and 1 biweekly games right now and I'm playing in my friends D&D campaign (first time DM, and she begged me to play so she had an old pro/friend for support).

[IsabellaRose]

I love Masks, though it's not for everyone, in particular playing teenagers isn't everyone's cup of tea and most games I've played have aged it up some.

I love Masks, too. We went all X-Men style the first time, but I love playing youthful characters who are inexperienced and/or kind of naive, trying to find their way in the world. I love how Masks has the We played pretty crazy hijinks with our teens, all 17-19. It got very X rated. Even though we're all pretty good friends I was careful with safety tools to make sure everyone was ok when things went in a darker direction.

[Yori]

I love Masks, too. We went all X-Men style the first time, but I love playing youthful characters who are inexperienced and/or kind of naive, trying to find their way in the world. I love how Masks has the We played pretty crazy hijinks with our teens, all 17-19. It got very X rated. Even though we're all pretty good friends I was careful with safety tools to make sure everyone was ok when things went in a darker direction.

I very much enjoy the process of the character figuring out what they are capable of while also figuring out how to deal with real life.

Had a Jr X-Men style game that I played in for several years. And, yes, teens will be teens. Most of the time we were just RPing in the school, but, occasionally, we would go out on missions.

If there is enough interest, we could start something here on an E forum.

[Silvered Sutures]

Fate TTRPG is my definite favorite, because it's so customizable by design, but I do play a lot of different systems.

[IsabellaRose]

If there is enough interest, we could start something here on an E forum.

I haven't played in a group game on E in years. They never seemed to get too far before fading out or just completely stalling. I'm not sure I have the time to commit to one right now, but it's a lovely idea. Maybe we should give it a try.

[IsabellaRose]

Fate TTRPG is my definite favorite, because it's so customizable by design, but I do play a lot of different systems.

Fate was my go-to until I discovered Cortex. Fate is still quick and easy, and I'll use it for a one shot if we don't have a lot of time, but when I have time and really want to build a cool thing around a concept, I'll always go with Cortex now. It's just as customizable, but I feel like the different builds I can make with Cortex can give the games an entirely different mechanical feel vs the different builds I make with Fate always feeling pretty similar mechanically.

Fate taught me about Aspects and using a metacurrency like Fate points. But I definitely feel like Cortex built more onto those concepts, and the actual roll is more variable than just +/-4. I like a little more crunch than Fate usually feels for me, and Cortex hits that sweet spot.

I have a friend who loves Genesys for the way the dice mechanics can give you such a wide array of results, but I bounce hard off custom dice, especially with custom symbols and another who keeps trying to get me back into the Cypher system, but I didn't like that as a generic system.

[Yori]

I picked up a copy of the Cortex Core rules and the most basic mechanism of rolling two or three d6 and taking the totals is fine. But I got really confused when it started talking about rolling 5 or 6 dice of all different sizes without explaining where they came from and picking some of the unused dice to determine the effectiveness.

Maybe I just need it explained to me in a different way or demonstrated.

[Cute Bunny]

I play pretty much only non-D&D stuff. I play a lot of PbtA, mainly Masks or Urban Shadows. I've also played some Blades in the Dark. I've only played one or two sessions of Fate, but I might have to try it again at some point. I've also played some MouseGuard which was fun. I mostly play narrative focused games that are lighter on the crunch.

[IsabellaRose]

I picked up a copy of the Cortex Core rules and the most basic mechanism of rolling two or three d6 and taking the totals is fine. But I got really confused when it started talking about rolling 5 or 6 dice of all different sizes without explaining where they came from and picking some of the unused dice to determine the effectiveness.

Maybe I just need it explained to me in a different way or demonstrated.

My biggest criticism of the Cortex Prime book is the lack of concrete examples. When I read it, it was hard for me to get everything, and I've played multiple other Cortex games. I found it easier to understand when I used examples of the rules from previous systems and the Cortex Plus Hacker's Guide, which shows a lot of ways to mod the previous version of the system.

If they'd put out publicly available settings books like Evil Hat did with Fate,  a lot more people would use the system, because they'd be able to see how it's implemented. But so far, nada. At least their Discord and Reddit communities are friendly and helpful instead of gatekeepy like some other game communities (I'm looking at you, Burning Wheel.)

[IsabellaRose]

I play pretty much only non-D&D stuff. I play a lot of PbtA, mainly Masks or Urban Shadows. I've also played some Blades in the Dark. I've only played one or two sessions of Fate, but I might have to try it again at some point. I've also played some MouseGuard which was fun. I mostly play narrative focused games that are lighter on the crunch.

PbtA games are a lot of fun! I haven't got to play many, just Dungeon World and Masks, but I went on a buying binge and have a pile on my shelf still unplayed. MouseGuard is supposed to be a lot of fun, but again, still haven't brought it to the table. Narrative games are the best!

[LostInTheMist]

I'm a big fan of the 2nd Edition Star Wars game. It has its issues, the combat rules can be messy, since different attributes govern defensive use of weapons and attacking use of weapons (instead of one skill with the weapon, you have to learn both to attack and evade) plus, repairing an airspeed is treated as a completely separate skill from repairing a ground speeder, which is separate from repairing a speeder bike, which is separate from repairing a swoop bike. It's like if repairing a 50's dodge required a completely separate skill from repairing a 50's chevy.

But the combat is quick, dangerous, and the dice rolls are easy to understand, and work to supplement the story without guiding the story too much. Eventually, your characters do turn into gods, but that's hardly different from any other RPG.

[Vekseid]

I have played quite a few myself, most recently some Forged in the Dark hacks.

I do kindof like the narrative focus but it is hard to do a long campaign in them, and players tend to hypercompetency.

[IsabellaRose]

I'm a big fan of the 2nd Edition Star Wars game.

Was that the d20 one? I have a newer version of the d20 one somewhere. In a few of my groups, people talk about the WEG d6 Star Wars like it's the gold standard for Star Wars games, but I get the impression it's more nostalgia and the fact that it defined a lot of the original extended Star Wars universe.

[IsabellaRose]

I have played quite a few myself, most recently some Forged in the Dark hacks.

I do kindof like the narrative focus but it is hard to do a long campaign in them, and players tend to hypercompetency.

I still haven't got a FitD game to the table. I conceptually LOVE Scum & Villainy and can't wait to play it. It just looks so much fun.

[TheLaughingOne]

i play in a 4ok only war game, which when other players are paying attention can go pretty quick, but isnt one for a lack of options, just (with right tools) a quick and fairly smooth flowing one.
When other players pay attention and plan their shit rather then only looking at the board when their turn comes up.

SLA industries had good and fairly clean combat, though a bit clunky in other places.

Got one for game called "the Well" which is a weird one, but seems like could make a good narrative one, but havent been able to play.

liked the idea of the star wars edge of the empire, age of rebellion, force and destiny books, though because of that weird dice system,w hich was part of the appeal to me, nigh impossible to find a game of.