You could use either an XP (+ Gold as XP) system using any OSR experience numbers. To keep it simple, you could allow them the choice of improving a stat by 1, rolling for more HP (I know this isn't supposed to change, but it seems to work when I do it). As a third option, you could allow them to pick up a new back ground or a new spell of their choosing, or a new "feat" (basically anything that lets them roll with advantage). I like Pathfinder's 1000 XP per level, so I use that number. Alternately you could do a milestone approach and then award any of the things I just mentioned. Hey all the best to you and your family this Thanksgiving! 🍻

I'm really confused by you Americans at times. Really bothers me. We should accept history and be able to separate fiction from reality. What about your d&d torture room you just came out with? Should we ban that and every single morally ambiguous thing from A GAME OF MAKE BELIEFS? Just set boundaries. "I don't want you players to become slavers". It is that simple. Dark Sun is one of the best DnD settings and handles slavery in a really interesting way (slavers are BAD people). Just an example

Hi Adam. I share a lot of your frustrations with a lot of the games coming out. Mythras sounds like a poor rehash of 'Runequest' system who's inclusion of concubines and slavery were outdated when it came out many decades ago. There is just no excuse for those concepts to be in modern gaming. Yes, there will always be fringe groups that include them, but why is a game publicly 'pushing' that in a game their trying to sell me? Because I'll never buy it...

Hi Adam. I really like your series. However the sound in this vid is so low that I can barely hear you even with my volume maxed out. You may want to re-release it with the sound corrected. I also recommend checking your videos after posting them by searching KZbin in an "incognito" or "in private" browser so you can see what the public sees. Best wishes for your search and future videos.

Hi Adam. I really like your series. However the sound in this vid is so low that I can barely hear you even with my volume maxed out. You may want to re-release it with the sound corrected. I also recommend checking your videos after posting them by searching KZbin in an "incognito" or "in private" browser so you can see what the public sees. Best wishes for your search and future videos.

Hi Adam. I really like your series. However the sound in this vid is so low that I can barely hear you even with my volume maxed out. You may want to re-release it with the sound corrected. I also recommend checking your videos after posting them by searching KZbin in an "incognito" or "in private" browser so you can see what the public sees. Best wishes for your search and future videos.

yeah cortex is like textbook you refrence almost and not so much a game. it's something you use to make your own custom game. liek gurps but less crunchy and more narrative

The combat seems really interesting.

Check out the Warlock! RPG - simplified Warhammer Fantasy RP... oh, and just went on backer kit and got the pledge (post campaign) for PDFs... worth it!

With the new PHB, will the supplement be updated? If not, for balance reasons, what would you say the new human traits, Resourceful, Skillful, and Versatile would cost for points? Love your supplement! I've been using it ever since buying it originally ❤

So, I know it's science fiction, not fantasy, but do you have Lancer already on your radar? It's more than worthy of a look.

I fell in love with this system in it's "Marvel Heroic RPG" flavor quite a while back and later learned it had a healthy mix of "Fate" DNA intermixed in the framework. I hadn't heard of "Fate" previously. It definitely requires a certain shift in expectations if you're coming from what might be considered a more traditional RPG system. I just wish I could convince my friends to play it, but they lean more towards the grindy end of RPG play. This system can have some grind, but I think it's flexible enough to eschew some of those bits and bring something a bit more narrative over to the experience. Best of luck on your journey and thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

Hindrances always get the "oh boy" but they aren't meant to be viewed as negative qualities, just really anything that could hinder one in certain scenarios. Loyal, Driven, Heroic, Curious, and Cautious are all hindrances and none of those are adjectives I ever saw referred to negatively. That said, I don't think any of the hindrances which have to do with the more physical aspects ever applied to me (except Very Young and Small since obviously I was a baby once upon a time), so I wouldn't resent anyone for cutting those out of their game because they found them distasteful.

I'm a DC20 convert. I've already converted my 5e game to DC20. While it may, at first, not seem easier than 5e, I think a lot of that is from it's "new-ness", and that it is still under development. One thing that I continue to run into as I've been seeking my new RPG, is "the pool of players" that I have available. That is, it's not enough to just find a game that I love, it has to be a game that my players are willing to not just try, but embrace. DC20 provides a game that is easy enough for the newer players, yet provides enough crunch that my hardcore 5e power builders are excited to play. We've tried Shadowdark, Daggerheart, and several others, but with little to no embracing by the players. Just wanted to through this your way as it my hardest challenge to overcome in a new game.

You talk a lot about "bio-essentialism", however, is it "bio-essentialist" that aquatic species are the ones that can breathe underwater, or that only certain species can fly? Yes, I think stereotyping can be discriminating and harmful, but I also think we are dealing with fantasy games and a little grace might be needed.

Though I am creating my own system, I backed this too, just like DC20, Shadowdark, and a few others. I’m not freaked about races because they’re actually different races not ethnicities. I didn’t go this route but not exactly bothered. I agree they should have just called it Nimble but I’m guessing he realized he may lose out on 5E fans but it’s just as bad that WotC kept calling their system 5.5 or that they call it compatible when it’s actually a new edition. I agree, just rip the bandaid off.

You had me at "showing solidarity wirh the strike". Good on ya! Great video too. #unionstrong

The kickstarer is over but you can still Late Pledge.

You always roll against your own skill. Never an arbitrary dc or ac. For leveling up you allocate points from answering qustions at the end of each session, every question answered positively earn you a chance to bring your skill up a point if you roll over the current score on a d20. Also combat lets you dodge, parry and absorb damage with armour. But at the sacrifice of your action, so you have to think about your actions carefully. There is a lot more to the game that the QS rules just scaratched the surface of. It really deserves a second full look.

The backer kit is live right now and it’s going to be its own full independent game system.

I've never liked the term kin. I feel that means I'm related to someone. If I'm a Dwarf, I'm not related to all dwarves. I do share a race with all dwarves though.

Check out barebones fantasy for your next system. D100 roll under. It would be my go to 5e replacement.

I could swear that Nimble was already out and if that is true, shouldn't they have a game on StartPlaying.Games? Currently they don't have anyone running it there so I can't try this system out before we lay down cash.

Burning wheel reminds me of FATE. It’s very hard to learn and play, it’s great for the people it works for. Trash for everyone else.

Savage World is life. So far it's the closest setting that I can recommend to people. About the only thing I don't like is the playing cards.

The fact that you don't level up is a bit of a downer. I wish there was a level up mechanic but overall, the system seems pretty nice.

As a mixed person who spent a lot of time not being proud of who I was, I am very happy to have picked up these books and will definitely enjoy playing with them. Just reading them made me so excited to create and I love that feeling. Thank you so much, I am very excited for all the possibilities. Have a wonderful day!

DC20 is a really good system!

A game that you might want to give a try is Savage Worlds. It has crunch, but is also simple.

Also, most people might not know this, but D&D has also had two types of Armor Class: physical and mental. It was in their psionic rules in 2nd edition AD&D for Dark Sun.

For an Intelligent Barbarian, I just think of a nerdy guy they breaks into a NERD RAGE!

I love DC20. Never going back to D&D

I played a one-shot of Fantasy World, which is a Fantasy PBTA. You may want to look at that.

....nimble 5e is just DC20. Nimble "borrowed" a lot from DC20. the even admit it in the nimble 5e rules. Nimble isnt its own system. Its a 5e mod which inherently comes with issues when modifying systems not build from the ground up for the mod. Meanwhile, DC20 was built from the ground up to do the vast majority of the stuff Nimble attempts. There comes a point when you modify 5e to the point you might as well just play another game. This is that point. Just play DC20. 4 action point system Martials being able to react off-turn to triggers. Dying leaving you with one AP. Modifying attacks using maneuvers by spending AP. Its a very versatile system.

I believe the new version of nimble that will be out in 2 months will be its own game

While I am not keen on the backstory of orcs as a slave-race (more a setting issue than a mechanical one), I do wonder where you got the impression that they're not playable - they are listed among the playable races in the Quickstart rules I've got. I also don't see them being referred to as "it" - the play example on page 51 does have a fight against orcs, but says "...the orc, who has already used up _his_ actions in the round...".

I'm curious on what games are on your "Yes" and "Maybe" lists. I'm looking around myself and a lot of items on your list are on mine as well. 🙂

You hit the nail on the head for several things. I’m sure you’d be able to better understand the toolkit with a little more experience. If you’re read enough to be looking for different systems you’d be able to pick this up Currently I’m running a solo game using Mythic GME v2 and Cortex Prime to play in a custom Fallout 4 style game and it’s working actually better than I expected for me so far I also own the physical copies of the book and Tales of Xadia One thing I want to emphasize with Cortex is that it’s not one game. I highly stress that this is a toolkit to use as rough GUIDELINES to make your own game. Want to play the extremely simple rules you pointed out? Give it a shot and see how that does I recommend not getting bogged down in the rules. If you’re running this for people all you need to do is be consistent with your rules and rulings. That’s the most important thing. Not deciding which mods to use. The mods really are just names for ideas. You can just go and see what feels most natural for the game you’re running and you might even accidentally “rediscover” a mod that already has a name Cortex Prime is used to help make your own game. Don’t get bogged down trying to 100% playing Cortex Prime because really Cortex Prime isn’t a game at all!. It’s a tool set for YOUR GAME. Just be consistent with your rulings and you’re good to go

www.pathfinderinfinite.com/product/442397/Beginner-Box-Expanded-BUNDLE

I have a few videos on my channel that might help, and the Discord for Cortex is pretty active and folks stop by regularly with questions. You hit on some really common snags that I've heard many times before. It's a great toolkit for emulating a lot of different flavors of games but trying to learn it alone can be tricky and seem way more difficult than it really is. Either way, happy gaming! :)

I do appreciate your review/experience with the Savage Worlds system. I can see that the hinderances can be problematic alongside the races. I think they are making a change to races and saying heritage instead. While having hinderances like being blind for example, are saying that it's bad to be blind, it does give benefits when you choose your hinderances. Also, when you role play your hinderance, that gives some extra flavor to the character and possibly getting bennies for roleplaying this way.

Nice soyboy review. Get bent.

I doubt any of these will be your next favorite either, but others for your list to take a look at might be Earthdawn (Shadowrun, but Trad Fantasy rather than Cyberpunk Fantasy) and Warhammer Fantasy RP (WFRP or WHFRP). Both of these have settings that may push you away, but the mechanics aren't so tied to their worlds that you couldn't ignore setting stuff entirely. FWIW Earthdawn has a skill level -> dice I roll conversion table, WFRP is a percentile based system with more than a dozen stats and a point buy / XP currency system of leveling. Earthdawn is extremelyl class based which I expect will also be a turn off to you, but every character is very much not-the-average person. (Magical enhancement, etc.)

Good luck! I'm broke! ❤🎉

Love Shadowdark

I Bought the first book from DM Guild the roll20 version and I would also like to see the other book 2 and book 3 made into roll 20 material on DM guild

I personally think ICRPG stands to provide the option for a long term campaign given how the loot is the primary way you can progress throughout the game. Think Link from the Legend of Zelda games. The milestone abilities are present given the typical standards across most TTRPGs, but the loot literally makes or breaks your character over time, and gives a ton of roleplay options for story beats on sacrifice, becoming a legendary character in the realm, gaining unique powers, redemption arcs, etc. Hands down, my favorite TTRPG for its ease of entry for new players, kickass community of players and awesome author, as well as the versatility the system provides. Godspeed in your search for a favorite TTRPG!

I think the real problem with 5e is they don't have a mechanic for dealing with buyer's remorse. I do like this as a sub for the combat system, and it's supposed to be deeper in the full book, so to me the jury's still out on Nimble.

I've run a three-shot in ICRPG, which incluided someone totally new to TTPRG's. They were able to be a spellcaster from the very start, and the one line spell descriptions made it super accessible. As GM I loved the Room Difficulty mechanic: where every challenge (combat, social, exploring etc.) all had the same difficulty. It really ramped up the tension in the boss room where I said "the new room challenge level is 15" Definitely fun to try, but like you, I'm not sure how well paced it would be for longer campaigns - I suppose I'd just need to be slower with the levelling up.

Check out Dragonbane my guy. A roll-under and level-less system with card-based initiative and fast-paced combat. I think campaigns may end up sliiightly shorter than what's possible in 5e but not by much.