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Bonus points for any non-D&D or D&D derivative systems.

My first RPG was Palladium Fantasy way back when my grognard uncle invited me to his groups table. I still don't really grok it, but it was pretty formative of my ideas of what an RPG could be. The lack of balance and extreme existential threats as part of ordinary encounters included.

Needless to say, I haven't found a group for this system in a looong while, eheh.

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[-] MrStag@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Call of Cthulhu.

Bonus answer: Star Wars D6, our main game back in the day and a lot of great memories.

[-] Merwyn@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oh I would like to try the star wars D6. I played quite a lot of the ffg star wars because at some point it was the favorite for most of the people in my play group, but I never found it very nice. I love star wars lore, but not this system.

[-] Tim_Eagon@dice.camp 3 points 1 year ago

@Merwyn D6 is the best!

[-] dumples@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

FFG star wars is great. We did a few sessions with my current group and it was pretty fun. Easier online with the automatic counting of successes and failures

[-] Merwyn@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah I had to make an android app for that because one person in the group was taking ages to proceed each rolls ...

I would say that the game as a whole is fine but it's carried by the franchise. The system is not for me, but no doubt a lot of people like it. I cannot even explain why I don't like it specifically, it just didn't work for me.

[-] dumples@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

It's hard to really understand what each roll means outside of combat. Like you can fail but have a great success at the same time. The passing of bonus to weaker members during a group check is pretty cool

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[-] Xariphon@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

Mage: the Ascension. It's the only system I've ever played where I really felt like I knew MAGIC, rather than just a handful of pre-scripted tricks.

[-] Merwyn@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

Lancer ! I did one short scenario (6 sessions IIRC) and the system and combat were a blast ! The story a little bit less, it was a homemade one for the GM. But apparently the published ones are quite good.

[-] Eagle0600@yiffit.net 6 points 1 year ago

Scion (White Wolf). Maybe Eclipse Phase. Mutants and Masterminds.

[-] Droechai@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

Warhammer RPG, Earthdawn 3rd ed or Hero System is my owned top games that see too little game time.

Mutant Undergångens Arvtagare is also sorely missed on the table

[-] JustLuck@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Played a lot of dark heresy 2 during corona online with friends. It's a bit complicated with quite a few skills, but really fun. And because our gm was nice, we barely died :D

[-] NakariLexfortaine@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oh God, Palladium. That was... A way to do things.

I fucking love G.U.R.P.S. Is it ground breaking? No. Is it fun to smash 6 different flavors together, hash out what survives, and run a short adventure or a few one-shots? Hell yeah! It's not often I run into anyone who has a fondness for the system. Hell, I get kinda excited if someones even heard of it, even if they didn't have a great experience.

Also rather enjoyed Ironclaw. I see it written off as "That Furry TT", but I had a good time with it. Would happily play more.

[-] Xariphon@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

I find in practice that I prefer d20hero/mutants and masterminds over GURPS. It has all the same flexibility but WILDLY less math.

[-] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

I was explaining to an acquaintance the reasons why I was transitioning my group to GURPS from DnD, and she said she learned GURPS first and they're the same. And I was just kinda gobsmacked that 1. she'd heard of it at all and 2. she learned it first.

[-] doggish@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Blades in the Dark and Lancer for the haven't played at all yet answer. I think both sound really cool!

One system I'd love to play more of is the D6 system that the old West End Games Star Wars used. I know they made a generic version and I always liked those mechanics. It was super fun.

[-] paddirn@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

For years, all our group played was Palladium (Rifts, FRPG, and Heroes Unlimited), but I don’t think I’d ever go back to the system given other options. Combat took forever (possibly bc the GM’s threw ungodly amounts of enemies at us and refused to have anyone retreat, ever) and it felt like it just generally took forever to do anything. Also, there’s not really many adventure modules in any of the books (apart from Sourcebook 1? Just random ideas for things, but nothing to tie it together). We’ve since gone to a few other systems, but I still like to run one-shots and try out new systems whenever I can. I’ve had Year Zero in my sights for awhile and I’m prepping to run Mutant Year Zero, hoping it goes well.

[-] invertedspear@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Rifts was my first TTRPG and it opened up the whole RPG world to me. Absolutely loved the blend of magic and sci-fi.

Combat system was clunky as hell though.

[-] hazardous_area@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

Traveller seems like it would be fun with the right group

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 2 points 1 year ago

It is, tell ya.

[-] audiomodder@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 year ago

I would love to do more Thirsty Sword Lesbians

[-] smeg@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago

Any of the crazy, mostly-single-page, mostly-free RPGs made by Grant Howitt. They start off sounding almost sensible (Death was the Only Road Out of Town, System Shutdown), then start pushing the boundaries (Honey Heist, TRAMFORCE), before going all in on the madness (Seans Bean star in: A VERY NORTHERN CHRISTMAS, Jason Statham's Big Vacation). Great for a last minute one-shot with zero planning required and maximum laughs produced.

[-] Aielman15@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

~~F.A.T.A.L.~~

World of darkness (Vampire: the masquerade/Werewolf: the apocalypse). I've never played it, but a friend of mine was really enthusiastic about it and from what she told me it's really fun.

[-] Xariphon@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

I love Old WoD games. Vampire less so, but Werewolf, Mage, and Demon: the Fallen are among favorites ever.

[-] Ziggurat@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I am from that player generation who played the WOD games in the early 00's. Like nobody around was playing D&D, it was VtM, Dark-age, Werewolf, Eastern-Vampires, Mage, hunter and so on.

These games are greats, the system has a good balance between light and crunchy, the setting is amazing with a shit ton of secret, and the idea of playing power struggles as the apocalypse comes was pretty cool.

That said, these games also have their own issue. A big one is their tendency to behave like D&D with tons of sourcebook. Moreover each sourcebook/game are written by different people leading to contradiction in the lore, not a big deal except when everyone pretends to be an expert on the lore. Another big one is that you sell a game where you play monsters struggling to keep their humanity and political power game, and you end up having a system about killing and fiighting I believe the 5th edition solved some of these problems. A last one is that it's really hard to get player to cooperate, not necessarily a big deal if everyone is aware of it, but there is the point where No, I don't see why I'd play that quest, especially with these people comes to the table.

But still a very great set of games

[-] Stamau123@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Numenera, far future setting for Cypher System. I'm the forever DM and I haven't been a player since I played the Skein of the Blackbone Bride oneshot at GenghisCon that got me into it at least 5 years ago.

[-] dumples@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

I've always wanted to play Cypher in the Numenera system. I have been using the Cypher items in my dnd game but I wanted to use the whole system

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[-] Maestro@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

My first RPG was called "Het Oog des Meesters", translated from the original German "Die Schwarze Auge". It was probably pretty bad compared to AD&D but I loved it as a kid. In the one hand I'd love to play it again. On the other hand, playing might ruin my memory of the game. Like rewatching a bad cartoon from your childhood.

[-] RQG@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

The Dark Eye is still alive and well. The current edition is still a pretty crunchy and traditional RPG experience compared to say dnd 5e but it's a lot more modern than the older ones.

And the world building is still one of the best out there for any TTRPG imo.

[-] jmer@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 year ago

Dragonbane. Got my box set, have Foundry all set up. Just need a group that wants to play.

[-] paddirn@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I know nothing about Dragonbane (though I’m familiar with Free League’s other stuff), but I’d be interested in playing online if you’re looking for people and the timing works.

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Genius: the Transgression. A world of darkness fan game. I started running it in the hope I'd be able to play in a game some day. No luck. My favourite game, and I've never played in it.

[-] grantimatter@mstdn.social 2 points 1 year ago

@spittingimage @HipsterTenZero
I loved the rulebook to this - the narrative chunks illustrating the “enlightenment” experience were terrifying and beautiful.

[-] ZeroTHM@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Man, I wanna play Lancer so bad!

[-] dumples@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

I would love to play a retro clone like Old-School Essentials, Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry. I wanted to try the old school DnD mega dungeon system.

For non-Dnd system I would like to Apocalypse World system like Monster of the Week. I downloaded a new system called Coyote and Crow that seems very interesting. It is set in a North America that was never colonized with some cool magic elements. The setting looks dope but I have no idea about the mechanics. I didn't get that far in my reading of the rules yet

[-] 108@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I really want to try OG Rifts one day

[-] rescue_toaster@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Unknown armies 3rd edition. Did the kickstarter however long ago that was but haven't had a group in that long to try it out with.

[-] Grey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

Dresden files rpg!! I'd settle for any fate system or dresden based game tbh

[-] AdellcomdoisL@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Right now I'm playing Lancer and I really wish I had another campaign to try a different build/corpo. Not that I am unhappy with my choices or anything, but the more I build into what I want, the more I look at other mechs going "Hmmm...kinda want to try that too"

For something that's not as ridiculous, I really want to play some goddamn Masks. I've been thinking of running it, after the book gets a proper publishing in my country, but I also really want to play.

I almost always want to play some Masks, but still.

[-] Perrin42@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Rifts, although it could use an optimization pass or two on the rule set.

[-] Pietson@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I really want to give masks a shot sometimes

[-] dino@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

Everything on my shelf. Cyborg, Forbidden Lands, Spire etc.

[-] cyberdecker@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Cyborg and all the Mork Borg games are so great. I want to play and run them more too. I did a few months long Pirate Borg campaign and it was such a blast. I really want to give Vast Grimm a go too.

These games are just so fast, fun, random and wild. Such rich tools for great storytelling. Love, love, love them.

[-] KaleDaddy@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Ive only played/ran one shots in borg . Hows it work for longer form campaigns?

[-] cyberdecker@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Same as any other game really.

With Pirate Borg there is a really great "sandbox" style thing included with the book that lets players freely explore and roam a large area with lots of dungeons, caves, encounters etc. We had a bigger offshoot story arc that we were following from some previous games in other systems and tied in to a story arc on the island that interested the players.

With Mork Borg I was trying to do a rapid fire series of lunchtime games over a long campaigns where players were being called upon to do things by this unseen force.

It was actually a thing that came up during character creation where we gave the group a common background element. The element we rolled was that all the players hear the incessant sounds of the insects and worms that tells them to go places and do things. This is enough to pretty much take any one shots and tie them together as part of something bigger. What that bigger thing is? Who knows. We will figure it out and I enjoy letting the players find meaning in stuff like that to make it powerful.

I got to have an intro session but then never play deadlands. I need my weird West fix!

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

Plenty of paid games available. Drop that $10 and have at it, dude.

[-] Tillman@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Dune and Symbaroum

[-] libraryogre@dice.camp 1 points 1 year ago

@HipsterTenZero at this point, anything. Savage Worlds has been my jam, though.

[-] croyle@wandering.shop 1 points 1 year ago

@HipsterTenZero Aftermath! Because I've always been weird. Also, Space Opera.

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this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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