iso: a pen and paper rpg

[mimesere]

My gaming group is in search of a fantasy rpg that is skill based instead of level based.

Any recommendations?

p.s. Call of Cthulhu the movie is TERRIBLE.

Comments

[ladyjestyr.livejournal.com]

Exalted (though that's more wuxia-style fantasy than castles-and-swords-and-sorcery); Earthdawn (fantasy horror, and deliciously creepy besides); um... hmm. I'm having a mental blank - let me put out a cry for help on my flist. :)

Oh, ED is kind of level-based, but you can determine how fast you want to level in your specialty vs how much you want to diversify; it's pretty flexible.

[ladyjestyr.livejournal.com]

More from some of my flist - including RPG industry peeps, since I used to work in the industry myself - in this thread. Hope 'tis useful!

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

We would totally be down with wuxia style fantasy. We've just been playing a major sci fi campaign and a modern/historical which is why we wanted to do a fantasy style game. Plus 3 of our group really like casters :)

And thank you so much for the recs and the call to your flist. I forwarded it to our GMs so they can duke it out over who gets to buy what books.

[endcredits.livejournal.com]

Disclaimer: I've never roleplayed and know nadda (nadda!) about RPGs, apart from enjoying reading all the pretty, shiny rulebooks. The boyfriend is dictating these to me!

Warhammer FRP (career-based)
Runequest (latest version)
Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying (BRP)
Stormbringer/Elric
Savage Worlds (Shaintar/Sundered Skies)
Solomon Kane
GURPS Fantasy

Was that the silent HPLHS Cthulhu adaptation? It was hilarious! I'm still irked that Guillermo del Toro has never made good on his promise to adapt Mountains of Madness.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

I will add to the list!

And we watched 3 Cthulhu movies (we do this when we start playing a game that has an established mythology). Dagon was terribad but hilarious (purple paraplegic zombie princess ftw!), the silent adaptation is really good but it also put me to sleep 'cause it was like 3 in the morning and there was no dialogue and just music, and then we watched Call of Cthulhu, which is some crazy independent gay movie. Sadly, this one was godawful.

[mon-of-the-dead.livejournal.com]

Mage, although I've only played the old White Wolf one, and not the new one. It's mostly urban fantasy, but they did have a Dark Ages setting.

Changeling, from the same company.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

We have people who already do White Wolf games so we didn't want to double up :)

[halfacork.livejournal.com]

I so want to start gaming again when I read these posts.

I think you would enjoy looking into the various White Wolf games. Vampires, werewolves, mages, fairie changelings...

There's Dark Ages and Urban fantasy.

Lots and lots of choices.

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

One member of our group is already GMing a Masquerade game :) Also, two other members of our group are very snobby about whatever number system current White Wolf is on.

And you should game! I am a fan.

[halfacork.livejournal.com]

Heee, I had issues when they replaced V:TM with Requiem but....

[cupiscent.livejournal.com]

Amber, I'm assuming, is not going to be classed as fantasy?

[mimesere.livejournal.com]

We wanted old school sword and sorcery. So far, based on recommendations (and noodling around wikipedia), we're looking at The Burning Wheel. It looks like an interesting system! Though unfairly prejudiced against orcs.

Amber was on our shortlist :) I'd heard good things about the system.