(no subject)

[nockergeek]

I still want to run a tabletop RPG this fall, and I can't decide quite what to run. Here's my main options:


Mutants and Masterminds: The d20-but-not-d20-but-better-than-d20 superhero game.
Pros: I have all of the non-adventure material that's been released for it (well, other than Nocturnals, which just came out), it's d20-based and thus easy to teach (a number of my possible players have only played d20/D&D in the past), and everybody can understand superheroes.
Cons: While everyone knows superheroes, not everyone's into playing them. Have to find the right balance between 4-color, over-the-top play and a grim-and-gritty noir feel. Also, have to either make own setting or tweak the existing one (Freedom City) to fit the heroes in.

Exalted: White Wolf's anime-inspired mythic high-fantasy game.
Pros: Characters are competent and powerful from the get-go; lots of setting material available; wonderful narrative opportunities while still offering combat for the hack-n-slashers.
Cons: Don't own any of the books at present, although I might be able to borrow some. Slight learning curve for people new to Storyteller. Some people burnt out on fantasy roleplay.

D&D Forgotten Realms: Classic D&D in the world of Toril, home of Drizzt and Elminster
Pros: I have most of the setting material already. Big world offers lots of options for the campaign. D&D, which all my players already know.
Cons: Would likely have to pick up D&D3.5 books; some people feel the Realms are overdone; some people burnt out on fantasy.

D20 Rokugan/Legend of the Five Rings: Samurai and shugenja, oni and bloodspeakers. Fun for the whole family!
Pros: Have most of the setting materials save the 2 or 3 most recent books. Writers of books readily available if I have questions. Again, d20 (although I'm contemplating changing the damage rules for a more lethal game), so easy to teach.
Cons: Not everyone's into Asian fantasy. Revised damage system could cause more problems than it solves.


So...

[Poll #311882]

Comments

[rendertarget.livejournal.com]

D20 L5R? Why?? The system was great, as I recall, as originally intended. Very quick, lethal combat, and a plausible battle system.

Don't forget, also, that Vampire: The Requiem is coming out in August. It might be ass, though.

[nockergeek.livejournal.com]

Why? Because while I have almost all the current books for d20, and a good number of them are dual-statted for the 2nd Ed. d10 system, I don't have the 2nd Ed. d10 core books. I also haven't heard many favorable things about the 2nd Edition d10 system.

[katzchen.livejournal.com]

Exaltedexaltedexaltedexalted!

And I've already told you that you can borrow my books whenever you feel the need to. I have all of the core books but for the Abyssal book and the new players guide, which is crap anyway. The core book and the Lunar book should be well enough to get you going, and then the Dragon-Blooded book possibly.

FUNFUN I miss Exalted YEE FUN. *cough* :)

D20 L5R Damage

[judge.livejournal.com]

Many people bring up the point that D20 l5r isn't lethal enough, which takes something away from the genre. I think it's an understandable point, but something that can be fixed without fiddling with the rules. Oddly enough (and I can't remember exactly where I found this), one of the D20 core books mentions a good way to look at hit points from a flavor standpoint. Having higher hitpoints doesn't mean you have more flesh to whittle away, it just means you're better at taking a hit. A wizard that gets cut across the chest with a broadsword probably just grits his teeth and prays for the bleeding to stop. A barbarian more liklely knows how to roll with the hit and angle his body so it's a less lethal blow. They both take the same damage, numberwise, but it is less of a problem for one of them.

Also, I've noticed that the feeling of the damage not being lethal enough only really applies to samurai and fighters. Outside of those two classes, any other character that gets into some good old fashion choppy choppy tends to drop pretty quickly.