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Easy-to-get-into pnp systems

Snorkack

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For the past decade I didn't play much pnp at all. It was The Dark Eye and Warhammer 2ed.
Now I and a few friends who have no pnp experience want to start a campaign. Neither of the two mentioned seem to be fit. DSA is quite complicated for beginners, and Wh2ed just sucks. So I looked into easier to pick up systems, of which I only know two: Pathfinder and DnD. After skimming through the core rules, both leave me quite disappointed because both feel more like boardgames without boards than rpgs. Characters are 99% defined by their combat capabilities.
So my question is: What are good pnp systems with rather simple rules?

Stuff I'm particularly interested in:
-Native high fantasy setting
-Rulebooks available as pdf and hardcover(at least the core rules)
-character system that reflects social or knowledge skills as well (dancing, history,...)
-Active development, i.e. last publication isn't from '97 or so.
-Edit: German translation is a bonus because my friends are worser in the english even than I

None of those are hard criteria, so feel free to recommend anything that fits the 'noob' requirement.
 
Last edited:

Silva

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Apocalypse World fantasy hacks like:

- Dungeon World (D&D derived fantasy),
- The Fellowship (LotR derived fantasy),
- The Sword the Crown and the Unspeakable Power (Game of Thrones derived fantasy)
- Urban Shadows (World of Darkness derived fantasy).
- Blades in the Dark (Thief/Dishonored derived fantasy)
- The Sprawl with THIS adaptation (Shadowrun derived fantasy)

Rules are simple, pickup-and-play, yet great at emulating the particular genres.
 
Last edited:

nikolokolus

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I'm a big fan of Chaosium's BRP, but there's lots of other D100 variants out there too. If your group likes a medium level of crunch then Mythras is excellent and well supported. If you want something that's a little easier to grok and runs faster at the table then Chaosium's Magic World is also excellent (a reprint of the old Elric!/Stormbringer game, with all of the Michael Moorcock-isms stripped out).

The base mechanic is a roll-under percentile system, and is designed to be played with only a minimum of needing to reference the rules (it started out with Runequest and Call of Cthulhu).
 

Darth Roxor

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I'd second Chaosium (although I only played CoC). It's simple enough without degenerating itself into stupid non-rules and "remember not to let dice get in the way of the fun :^)" / "the purpose of our ruleset is to make things quick and painless :^)" - if any of the two appear in a rulebook, odds are roughly 100:1 to that you can completely disregard the system. Easy-to-get-into does not always translate into "simpler", while "simple and fast" in my experience almost never translates into "fun".
 

nikolokolus

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If your group likes a medium level of crunch then Mythras is excellent..
:hmmm:
The core of the rules is pretty straight-forward (look at Mythras Imperative, the free, stripped down version of Mythras. It comes in at a paltry 32 pages). There are a lot of sub-systems and a variety of magical traditions, but the core of the game is only as "crunchy" as you make it.
 

Dzupakazul

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Barbarians of Lemuria and pretty much any oldschool roleplaying retroclone (Labirynth Lord, etc.) should be right up your alley.
 

clemens

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Pathfinder and DnD. After skimming through the core rules, both leave me quite disappointed because both feel more like boardgames without boards than rpgs. Characters are 99% defined by their combat capabilities.
So my question is: What are good pnp systems with rather simple rules?

Stuff I'm particularly interested in:
-Native high fantasy setting
-Rulebooks available as pdf and hardcover(at least the core rules)
-character system that reflects social or knowledge skills as well (dancing, history,...)
-Active development, i.e. last publication isn't from '97 or so.

I'd recommend The One Ring :
- Much less combat oriented than Pathfinder/dnd (though there is now a rules adaptation for the D20 system)
- High fantasy setting : yes ! (unless you really hate LotR)
- Accessible rules system that puts some emphasis on atmosphere and roleplay
- Nice collection of supplements : quality campaign settings & adventures to help you start a new game.
 

Silva

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I hear you about RPGs where characters are defined by combat capabilities. I've read one 13th Age recently and it was more or less like what you say. Awesome sounding abilities like "The Wind of Death" with effects like "push the opponent 2 hexes back and do 2d6 damage. Bleh.

Are you more interested in physics simulations or simulations of genres/stories? If the former, then another vote for the BRP/Runequest family. If the later, then another vote for One Ring, Barbarians of Lemuria and Apocalypse World hacks. Oh, take a look at Beyond the Wall too.
 

Snorkack

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Phew, thats a lot of suggestions for games I never heard of before. Thanks a lot guys! Got some research to do now!
Are you more interested in physics simulations or simulations of genres/stories?
Hard to say. Probably anything that acknowledges p&p is more than being railroaded from one combat encounter to the next. It doesn't need to be baby's first rpg, but complexity à la Rolemaster, Ars Magica is undesired. When browsing the web, people seem to consider Pathfinder and 3.x complicated, huh! Well, after skimming through the core rules, that's definitely a level of complexity I think my players would be capable of dealing with.

Also, while searching for material on PC-driven businesses (for a different campaign), I stumbled over the One-Roll Engine which sounds quite intricate. Did anyone have experience with any system built on it?
 

hello friend

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Was gonna say SLA Industries but it fulfills almost none of your requirements.

You should check it out anyway so you can feel bad about never going to be able to convince others to play it. Ahhhh, what a game that was, with the right DM.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

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So my question is: What are good pnp systems with rather simple rules?

Stuff I'm particularly interested in:
-Native high fantasy setting
-Rulebooks available as pdf and hardcover(at least the core rules)
-character system that reflects social or knowledge skills as well (dancing, history,...)
-Active development, i.e. last publication isn't from '97 or so.
-Edit: German translation is a bonus because my friends are worser in the english even than I
BasicDnDBoxes.jpg


BECMI Frank Mentzer Dungeons & Dragons has relatively simple yet expansive rules, and the Basic Set contains the best introduction to RPGs ever written.
  1. The Gazetteer series provides a detailed, high-fantasy setting (Known World a.k.a. Mystara) for this version of D&D
  2. Rulebooks (and everything else) are easily available as PDF, though if you want paper versions you'll need to find old copies (and mint condition items from BECMI D&D have mostly increased in real value, unlike almost all of their contemporaries)
  3. Although non-weapon proficiencies aren't included in the rulebooks, they're added by the Gazetteers (or you can incorporate a version from AD&D 1st or 2nd edition)
  4. Mystara has an active fan community, which continues to publish new products for this setting
  5. According to the TSR archive, all the boxed set rules were translated into German except for the last, as were numerous adventure modules (though of the Gazetteers, only the boxed set was translated)
 

nikolokolus

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Phew, thats a lot of suggestions for games I never heard of before. Thanks a lot guys! Got some research to do now!
Are you more interested in physics simulations or simulations of genres/stories?
Hard to say. Probably anything that acknowledges p&p is more than being railroaded from one combat encounter to the next. It doesn't need to be baby's first rpg, but complexity à la Rolemaster, Ars Magica is undesired. When browsing the web, people seem to consider Pathfinder and 3.x complicated, huh! Well, after skimming through the core rules, that's definitely a level of complexity I think my players would be capable of dealing with.

Also, while searching for material on PC-driven businesses (for a different campaign), I stumbled over the One-Roll Engine which sounds quite intricate. Did anyone have experience with any system built on it?
I'm not sure I'd call 3.x/Pathfinder complex, but more of a chore to run than just about any game I've game-mastered over the years. It works fine for the first few levels, but it's always fallen apart in later levels.
 

deuxhero

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The problem with 3.X/Pathfinder is that it has some really bad design choices baked in (the math assumes you have certain +X magic items. If you don't you're not hitting shit.).
 

Snorkack

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So, thanks for the numerous recommendations! There are a ton of systems that I'd love to try some day. Especially Paranoia sounds like an amazing game for a certain group of verteran pnp'ers among my friends.

Anyways, for the particular group I made this thread for, we (read: I) decided to go for Dungeon World. While reading the rules, I found myself frequently yelling at the monitor "Yes! That's exactly how p&p rpgs should work!". Also it doesn't seem to require that much material in terms of rules, books and tables, which is perfect since we want to kick off the campaign during a camping trip through the wilderness.
 

Havoc

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Barbarians of Lemuria is easy to learn and play, from what I remember. Only D6s and just a couple of them.
 

Silva

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So, thanks for the numerous recommendations! There are a ton of systems that I'd love to try some day. Especially Paranoia sounds like an amazing game for a certain group of verteran pnp'ers among my friends.

Anyways, for the particular group I made this thread for, we (read: I) decided to go for Dungeon World. While reading the rules, I found myself frequently yelling at the monitor "Yes! That's exactly how p&p rpgs should work!". Also it doesn't seem to require that much material in terms of rules, books and tables, which is perfect since we want to kick off the campaign during a camping trip through the wilderness.
Snorkack (where is Ihavehugenick?), just remember the game has some concepts that take time to acclimate, like the fact the GM don't prep plots and never rolls dice for NPCs, or the concept of "Moves". It may be weird at first but if you grok it, it produces some great player-driven sessions.

If you like it, take a look at the original game, Apocalypse World. It has some more insights on the workings of the rules (though it's not obligatory).
 

Snorkack

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Snorkack (where is Ihavehugenick?)
Different user, same avatar. I'm the one with the fancy Hillary bars.
Yeah, * World sports some pretty foreign concepts if you only played 'standard' rpg's your entire life. That's why I figured it would be a pretty decent choice for absolute newcomers.
 

Andhaira

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For the past decade I didn't play much pnp at all. It was The Dark Eye and Warhammer 2ed.
Now I and a few friends who have no pnp experience want to start a campaign. Neither of the two mentioned seem to be fit. DSA is quite complicated for beginners, and Wh2ed just sucks. So I looked into easier to pick up systems, of which I only know two: Pathfinder and DnD. After skimming through the core rules, both leave me quite disappointed because both feel more like boardgames without boards than rpgs. Characters are 99% defined by their combat capabilities.
So my question is: What are good pnp systems with rather simple rules?

Stuff I'm particularly interested in:
-Native high fantasy setting
-Rulebooks available as pdf and hardcover(at least the core rules)
-character system that reflects social or knowledge skills as well (dancing, history,...)
-Active development, i.e. last publication isn't from '97 or so.
-Edit: German translation is a bonus because my friends are worser in the english even than I

None of those are hard criteria, so feel free to recommend anything that fits the 'noob' requirement.

Fantastic Heroes & Witchery. The book/pdf is available free at publisher website, though in the free version the art is low rez and no bookmarks

The Dark Eye 5e, while still quite detailed, has more streamlined rules than earlier editions (4e specifically). I really recommend it. Has that great balance between meaty crunch yet also intuitive and relatively easy to get into.

Pathfunder Unchained (rules are free on the PFSRD) has rules for removing magic items and including hard baked bonuses into character levels so your PCs can keep up with the games math without needing magic +1 items.

Honorable Mention: Beyond the Wall rpg; doesn't have a skill system but you can use attribute rolls (roll under) for pretty much anything. Also, Conan 2d20 from Modiphius. Beautiful core book and from all accounts great system (I have yet to play it though)
 
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Degenesis. It's not fantasy (it's postapocalyptic with a sci-fi veneer where some technology is usually confused with magic, but it's all explained). The system is easy enough, and the source material is in German (with an English translation available).
 

Lhynn

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Barbarians of Lemuria and pretty much any oldschool roleplaying retroclone (Labirynth Lord, etc.) should be right up your alley.
My DM keeps telling us to play this shit, thats amazing.
 

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