Top 10 Fantasy TTRPGs NOT Based on Dungeons & Dragons! (Ep 340)

[@ToddPutnam]

You know what I am enjoying most about Professor DMs videos lately? It's not a constant stream of crying about how WotC is acting. He gets that they will continue to act this way and the answer is to just go look at countless alternatives that don't have any of this corporate drama. Refreshing. Thank you.

[@IraRomfh]

To be honest the Professor has been an advocate of the indie space for as long as his channel has been on YT.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@jasonlotito]

I agree. It really got old. I stopped watching a lot of RPG channels because it was just one rage video after another, repeating the same stuff. Much prefer promoting good stuff rather than complaining about bad stuff.

[@ToddPutnam]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Another great video. I'm fully into Shadowdark RPG now but I'm going to order a copy of X-DM because of this video. Thanks.

[@TheDungeonDamsel]

Everything? I love his content!

[@JoseAngelC]

1:08 Savage Worlds 10 2:02 Symbaroum 9 2:37 Blades in the Dark 8 3:52 Fate of the Norns Ragnarok 7 4:47 the Witcher RPG 6 5:32 Mazes 5 6:21 Runequest/Pendragon/Stormbringer (Chaosium) 4 7:12 EZD6 3 8:19 Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2 9:35 Shadow of the Demonlord runner-up 9:50 Castle Falkenstein runner-up 10:07 X-treme Dungeon Mastery 1

[@jcraigwilliams70]

Might be worth noting that Savage Worlds is running their 20th anniversary edition Kickstarter right now. It's the 5th printing of the current edition. Given that the print version has been selling out so much and so hard to find, this is a good way to finally get ahold of it. Mazes looks intriguing and I like the look of Symbaroum.

[@SabbothArt]

I've been obsessed with the Stockholm Kartell catalogue. Mörk Borg, Cy_Borg, and Death In Space have been amazing reads and the rules are so flexible and easy to play.

[@Stray_GM]

Mork Borg is so fun and so metal.

[@Ryotbh]

Just been going through Mork Borg and though the feel of it is not always my cup of tea, I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the rules were. I’ve been doing some Solo play using Solitary Defilement (Mork Borgs solo ruleset) as well as some of the other supplements and having a blast.

[@CalebResponds]

Mörk Borg is great!

[@SabbothArt]

@@Ryotbh I love the setting though I play it with a more serious tone and my players enjoy it quite a bit. But I also love it for the simplicity, Mork Borg hacks come out at break neck paces like Pirate Borg, Corp Borg, DukkBorg, and so on, so you can always find a Mork Borg ruleset with a theme you prefer! I'm even considering writing up a hack myself. :P I just picked up solitary defilement myself, haven't gotten a chance to play it yet but I'm excited to give it a go!

[@seancampbell1077]

Not to mention that the third-party content is often some of the best RPG content being released.

[@pervognsen_bitwise]

My favorite non-D&D fantasy game is probably Ars Magica. It's also one of those games that's worth checking out even if you never plan to play it since it has so many neat ideas. Runequest is another favorite; glad to see that on the list.

[@theDMsCraft]

Proud to be listed in this group, and thanks to those supporting independent gaming.

[@misterwire1331]

I'd be interested in seeing your favourite games from other genres, Professor.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Perhaps....

[@Stray_GM]

I'm willing to bet money it's Thirsty Sword Lesbians

[@krocmor]

Next time, sci-fi, generic, etc.

[@hirshel820]

Savage Worlds is great! 5e was my first system in 2018 and i picked up interest in Savage Worlds around 2021, and ran my first session using the Dead Lands setting the following year. Very fun, snappy, and down right brutal combat. 👍 Looking forward to running more, its a great contrast from 5e

[@jasonlotito]

I'm in a Savage Worlds campaign based on Final Fantasy VI, and it's a wonderful system. Just crunchy enough, but not too crunch. Combat is fun, and the system is easy to learn and gets out of your way. I can highly suggest if someone is looking for a non D&D based system, Savage Worlds might be worth a shot. I feel it can fit the themes of many D&D campaigns. i.e. It's not focused about being an OSR or "grim dark" (not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you).

[@Birodalom1]

It was really interesting to see my D&D 5E "murder hobo" party in Savage Worlds start to avoid combat more and more. At first it was out of necessity because it was more dangerous, but later they were purposely looking for other ways to resolve the situation.

[@tasty_wind4294]

I liked it at first glance, but the combat felt a little too granular for my tastes

[@MrEightImmortals]

Savage Worlds is a game I have been wanting to play. I'm a garbage GM and have really wanted to find a game.

[@RichardHopkinsLobosSolos]

I'm surprised that PDM said that it's crunchy. There's two versions of the Monster Hunter International system. The first used Hero system which is extreme crunch. The second uses SWADE. Much less crunch.

[@blainetaggart6736]

EZ D6 is awesome. The free form magic system scares the hell out of me, but in good way. Keeps me on my toes as a game master. An excellent game for creative players. This independence indie games month is awesome. I can't wait so see what else will be featured.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you like it!

[@shaunhall960]

Go indie or go broke!

[@Ben-rb7rf]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Professor, I believe you got the core mechanic of Tiny D6 and EZD6 confused 🤔🧐🤓

[@Radiotomb]

" 'True Love' is the biggest fantasy of all." -Deathbringer ⚔

[@mackenheimer]

I'd also highly recommend Forbidden Lands by Free League Games. Good grim dark fantasy setting. Easy rules, with a decent amount of crunch. Great for an exploration West Marches style game.

[@FabienMariauxdeSerres]

Couldn't agree more

[@vermisgood]

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but when I played Blades in the Dark once, the flashback mechanic broke my immersion so hard that I had my worst moment in a game ever.

[@gutterkrawl153]

My table had a hard time shifting gears from D&D crunch to the simpler mechanic of BitD. It is a cinematic, hiest driven system. Think the Guy RIchie movies.

[@edwardromero3580]

Nice video, Professor. I like the rapid fire reviews. As a collector of fantasy trrpgs, I have several of these and now I need a couple more. Thanks a lot. 😊

[@Zweihander_RPG]

We are long-time fans and viewers of your channel. Imagine our delight when we saw Zweihander in the video! Thank you so much for the honorable mention.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching!

[@pixledriven]

In Savage Worlds it's worth noting that target numbers are normally 4. This is why the larger die size indicates greater ability.

[@travisskane5459]

Thanks for broadening my RPG horizons, these smaller publishers deserve the attention you have been giving them with these style of videos

[@PulpHerb]

I was excited to hear RQ and WHFRP make it. For a moment I thought nothing prior to the mid-90s would show up. I should have expected the latter given how often your reference it. In addition to the RQ versions you named I'd suggest including Mythras, which is just RQ6 rebranded after a license change, and Legend by Mongoose games (same for RQ5). Legend is every inexpensive on DTRPG. They are both more generic and Mythras has a supplement meant to emulate the D&D style of play (as does BRP). In addition, if you can find them, MQ provided RQ setting material for both another Moorcock hero, Hawkmoon, and an earlier part of Glorantha's history. Finally, if I can be so bold, I'd like to add one and a half additional honorable mentions: The Fantasy Trip and GURPS (the half). The Fantasy Trip is the original RPG by Steve Jackson, the creator of Munchkin. It is a straightforward D6 only system that uses a hex grid for tactical combat and has two mini-games, Melee and Wizards, for dueling between fighters and wizards respectively. After not having the rights for 30 years it came back in print in a huge KS and has regular support from both SJG and third parties. GURPS is another universal system (Generic Universal Roleplaying) that Steve Jackson created when he didn't have the rights to TFT. They are clear cousins but different enough to not be the same system. GURPS is massive, but a version with fewer options and character templates for D&D style fantasy, Dungeon Fantasy RPG, is available and you can use it to spring into the entire generic system, adding elements from the larger library (although you'll need the two GURPS core books at some point if you do that. There are a few small inconsistencies from tweeking the generic to the specific, but there is plenty of help in the books and online to help you adapt. The GURPS basic set is massive, as is the library, so the GM has to figure out what is relevant to a campaign. The thing is, most of that material is options. The core system is at least as simple as D20. Roll 3d6 and get at or below a target, usually one of your skills or stats directly. Modifiers affect the target not the roll.

[@lastbaumstanding1802]

Symbaroum has the by far most interesting fantasy setting imho. Fantastic gameplay (though dice stacking is a problem), super fun to build characters and the art is absolutely perfect.

[@MadDogRyan]

I don't know why but the line the Death Bringer said about finding true love being the greatest fantasy of all has me on the floor laughing

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Don't tell my wife. Today is our 25th anniversary!

[@MadDogRyan]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 lol

[@thereisn0m0re]

And The Professor's exasperated, "oh my god". Hahaha

[@whatareyoudoingyouidiot342]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Happy anniversary!

[@CausticCatastrophe]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Grats to you both!

[@leemarohn7496]

First edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is STILL my all-time favorite rpg. The mechanics are amazing. I wish more people were still playing it. It's highly underrated and underplayed.

[@Vulturefist]

Praise Sigmar!

[@NefariousKoel]

I wish they would give 1e and it's extras a print-on-demand option for that reason and more. My olde '80s softback is in surprisingly sturdy shape after all these decades but it won't last forever.

[@tuomasronnberg5244]

Zweihander by Daniel Fox is almost one to one remake of the 1st edition Warhammer, check it out.

[@leemarohn7496]

@@tuomasronnberg5244 It's a ripoff more than a remake. I bought it when it came out, which I highly regret. I'm just sticking with WFRP 1st ed.

[@jstuckey01]

Maybe it’s time for deathbringer to do a review. It seems like he needs to review good society, the Jane Austen rpg.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Hmmm maybe.

[@monkeySkulls]

maybe we could get a 30 minute live stream of deathbringer playing it!

[@WayneBraack]

The comment makes me wonder how many gamers, which are typically fantasy sci-fi nerds, have ever read something like Jane Austen or Victor Hugo?

[@robinblaine5385]

Awesome list. I have a suggestion for a game to check out: Warhammer, Age of Sigmar- Soulbound. It's also published by Cubicle 7 and presents the world of Warhammer between the original and 40k timelines.

[@calebbilling4984]

I wouldn't really say "Between the original and 40k timelines", it's more just a sequel-cum-hard retool of Fantasy, with a slight smattering of 40k-esque elements thrown in. Otherwise, GW's decades-long rule that 40k is entirely seperate from Fantasy is still in effect. B'yeah, for what it is, Soulbound is a solid enough game. Most of the learning curve actually boils down to the way stats work compared to DnD and other such games. My only real gripe is that it came out too soon for its setting.

[@robinblaine5385]

@@calebbilling4984 I was simplifying for the sake of brevity... but, yeah, you explain it much better and more thoroughly. I really like the mechanics. It's rare to find a dice pool/success system that varies the target number for success and the size of the dice pool without making everything wanky.

[@JBASH2011]

Runequest has been doing criticals(impales)/fumbles with tables and specific armor/hit locations since the first edition in 1978. Rolemaster simply expanded upon the idea.

[@ljcostanzo7516]

When I saw this video coming up, the first thing I thought about was "he needs to bring up Savage Worlds! Nice, thanks for another great video!

[@SpencerDoherty]

Too many people overlook the Hero System since it started in the superhero genre with Champions. Definitely a crunchier system, but so flexible and easily adapts to every style of play from gritty to high fantasy. Also one of the few systems where if you can think of a character concept, you can build it in the game.

[@ScottBaker_]

I was going to bring this up. Been playing Hero since it came out in '81 (Original Champions)

[@valorin5762]

This is a great list! I know most of these games already, but didn't play all of these. An addition to Rune Quest: The PDF for the basic rule system it uses, called Legend, is 2€ at its Publisher Mongoose games. It's a complete generic rule system for fantasy RPG for an insanely good price. Just checked and drive thru has it for 1€.

[@Madkingstoe]

I was immediately impressed by Shadows of the Demon Lord and Warlock!, but I wish Forbidden Lands had found itself on this list as well. Great list! I'm going to check out Ragnarok

[@MrSilvUr]

In Blades in the Dark, you can't flashback that guard out of the scenes -- if he's there, he's there. But you can say that you bought him a beer... And cut him in on the score, so now we find out that he's your asset. For instance.

[@dougsundseth6904]

My tastes in fantasy are quite different, though I might have mentioned Savage Worlds, Rune Quest (and Pendragon, which is mechanically related but a _very_ different game), and one of the Band of Blades/Blades in the Dark/Scum & Villainy games. (Of that latter group, I broadly prefer Scum & Villainy, but it's only "fantasy" in the very broadest sense.) Games more in my wheelhouse include: * Fantasy Hero (the fantasy version of the Hero System, which is extraordinarily crunchy, but exactly what I like best) * GURPS Fantasy (grittier than Fantasy Hero and more fiddly in play, but extremely deep and with a huge amount of support. * Seventh Sea (more the original than the current edition, it offers the best rules support I've seen for swashbuckling, heroic fantasy) * Legend of the Five Rings RPG (not precisely fantasy Japan, but definitely Japan-adjacent, very flavorful with high lethality, excellent support for court adventures) * Deadlands (now subsumed into Savage Worlds, the original was a wild ride of mechanics and story) * Lace & Steel (a little-known game in a similar space to Castle Falkenstein with a brilliant card-driven dueling subsystem) * Shadowrun (sure, it's cyberpunk, but it's cyberpunk with wizards, dwarves, dragons, elves, ...) * Earthdawn (post-apocalyptic fantasy with an excellent system of magic items with their own stories that grow with the characters and generate their own adventures) And I think Amber Diceless Roleplaying deserves a mention, if only for it's really remarkable innovation. And of course the world, which is one of my favorites in fiction.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Amber was mind-blowing, for sure. Thanks for the thoughtful response! Here's my latest: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6aaY36Irsynl6c

[@Agell]

Nice to see Savage Worlds get some love, the latest edition really smoothed out the bumps and it's a great generic RPG.

[@jarobr]

Savage Worlds is my absolute favorite system, always happy to hear it mentioned

[@Stonegolem6]

I love when Dearh Bringer and the Professor interact. That exasperated "Oh my god." from Professor DM was comedy gold.

[@phillipbernhardt-house6907]

Palladium Fantasy is one of my favorites--the universal system of all the Palladium games and their compatibility is a huge selling point, though character generation and some of the rules are a bit daunting to beginners. Still, I played many of their games in my youth in the late '80s/early '90s, and they'll always hold a special place in my heart.

[@Wraithing]

TMNT and all their After the Bomb stuff holds some great mid 80s roleplaying memories. Can't work out why so much fuss about the system either - d100 roll low for skills and d20 roll high for combat always seemed quite familiar to me. The turns per round always needed a little houseruling, if I remember correctly, but overall we had some good times with Palladium games.

[@phillipbernhardt-house6907]

@@Wraithing Indeed! I especially liked the eight attributes, and their division made a lot more sense to me than the six ability score system of D&D and similar games. And the armor system is the "best of both worlds," i.e. it makes one harder to damage, and also absorbs a good bit of damage itself!

[@eatit8262]

After the Robotech debacle that saw me out over 500 bucks I'll never support that company again.

[@Wraithing]

@@eatit8262 That I can totally understand. I currently have a KS that's EXTREMELY late, but isn't communicating much either. It makes a person very nervous and I'm trying to prepare myself for writing off the money - and that'll be heartbreaking if it happens, 'cause I'm just ordinary people with bills, taxes and not a lot of entertainment budget. There's not many ways back from the breaking of trust like that - and a game isn't worth the emotional repair like with family or friendships. It's a crap situation. Sad for you.

[@eatit8262]

@@Wraithing There 's always a certain amount of risk in a kickstarter. It is something I have to remind myself of every time I back something. Lack of communication, or in Palladium's case clearly bad faith communication (I.E. lying their asses off) and then canceling the whole thing very quietly with only a tiny window to claim what product existed before selling it at Gen Con immediately afterward was just so inexcusably scummy. Combine that with an oversell at the beginning along with a complete change in creative control of the developing parties just so Kevin Siembieda could try and steal the credit and you had a situation that snatched failure from the jaws of success. Sending you my best in hopes yours is just very late and not vapor.

[@Mantorp86]

Really great list! I’ve been lately obsessed with FURPG (Freeform universal RPG) and the simplicity of this game: just some D6 dices and you are good to go. No HP, no stats, no monster blocks,just descriptions, all player facing rolls and it’s free. I can’t go back to “normal” rpgs.

[@FrostSpike]

On the subject of the BRP d100 systems - RQ, Stormbringer, et al - The Design Mechanism's "Mythras" rules are excellent. It's essentially RQ6 stripped of the Glorantha content due to licensing constraints. They also do a supplement called "Classic Fantasy" that re-introduces a more traditional D&D-like overlay rules of classes and levels (Ranks) back into the game, plus the spells and creatures you'd expect. Well worth checking out, IMO.

[@AmbersKnight]

Thank you for the love shown for Castle Falkenstein. I got it when it first came out in the 90's and it has been my number one system since then.

[@brettsimpson1505]

Beautifully filmed, PDM. I still love the 1981 edition of D&D, and have no reason to change, but it’s wonderful to see so many FRPGs that break the mould and have designers courageous enough to step outside the D&D framework. Back in the day, we played D&D, Call of Cthulhu, Rolemaster, Traveller, and the 007 RPG. All had quite different mechanics to one another, and that’s one of the things that made them interesting.

[@ChrisChapmanIAm]

I keep meaning to get XDM... I recall you mentioning it before, didn't fully appreciate that it was describing a game system along with great DM advice.

[@RPGTherapist]

That "Oh my God!" at the end cracked me up, Professor 🤣

[@AlbertoRodriguez-zb3iu]

I love savage worlds! It's become my groups to go system if we want to play ANY other setting than medieval fantasy (which you can also play) only a minor downside is that you need another companion book for the setting, but I've converted EVERYTHING from Hana-Barbara cartoons to Space 1999 adventures and the system always fits.

[@lordmars2387]

I recently took a crash course in savage worlds for deadlands. Took a while to understand but I got it after a night of study and a session of play. The wrath and glory dice rules sounded so amazing to me. Dice pools just sound like a better concept to me now, especially after trying it with another game. Probably the biggest awakening a system gave me would be Fantasy Flights "Dark Heresy" (which is much like warhammer fantasy first edition in rules). Where classes and levels determine primarily your choice pool as opposed to everything you have. I hear 2nd edition dark heresy has one of the best character creators out there where aptitudes make certain choices cheaper but almost everything is on the table if you have the XP for it. I've mastered 5e but am only sticking with it for my group, when I have time I'll join a new game with a new system. Also if I ever finish my "perfect" system I'd love you to review it.

[@DeadMarsh]

I’d love for you to cover some free league RPGs this month. Forbidden Lands has replaced D&d for me right now. It’s a master piece-dice pool system, gorgeous books, dice, card decks, maps, and of course amazing art. Awesome OSR inspired rpg with a focus on hex crawl survival.

[@doublekrpg]

I agree with Savage Worlds but SWADE's rules update have made the game incredibly fluid. Love the system.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing.

[@Sage2d6]

Completely agree with you, it's by far my most favorite next to EZD6.

[@Elesthor]

Savage Worlds is my personal favourite. "Fast! Furious! Fun!" indeed!

[@badnewsBH]

I had the opportunity to try Ragnarok: Fate of the Norns at our local convention last year, and it was a pretty fun system. Pulling runes out of the bag is an interesting substitute for dice, and the flavour really fits.

[@tomyoung9834]

I’m amazed you mentioned Castle Falkenstein! I thought everyone had forgotten about it!

[@liberalhyena9760]

Pity he mispronounced it. I wonder whether her says ‘Frankensteen’.

[@wanderslostify]

Finding the right rules philosophy for the stories you want to tell feels so good. I personally like very detailed, well organized character sheets with a number (preferably percentile) for everything couple with a simple die mechanic. Characters are unique and logically interact with challenges. There is no in game figuring, just use the target number and employ the simple mechanic. This is what suites me. When I run another type of system, say a game with four stats that uses dice pools, it really drives home how much I use the rules to create the type of game I usually play.

[@francescocasto6672]

Ah! Good old warhammer fantasy RPG! First ttrpg I played back in the 90s, and still one of my favourite settings! Awesome!

[@blackshard641]

Yay! Super happy to see shoutouts to Symbaroum, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Blades in the Dark, and two R. Talsorian games. Lol and the Jane Austen game. Been taking an interest in SWADE and EZ D6 too.

[@opaqued2039]

Visually, Symbaroum is absolutely gorgeous. Free League really does put out great products. Fate of the Norns also looked interesting. I loved the Northman. Although there were some liberties with that movie, it was a fun watch, and Alexander Skarsgard is outstanding in whatever he's in.

[@markskarr2257]

I started playing *_GURPS_* in the '80s and never looked back. But, then again, I usually play settings _other_ than fantasy. But, when I do, I still run *_GURPS._*

[@EverydayMick]

It’s such a flexible system. I thought he might cover Dungeon Fantasy in the other video, but I prefer GURPS Fantasy over DF.

[@bobsdungeon5018]

I have the 1st Edition Warhammer Fantasy Rpg. I ran an ongoing game in it that lasted for over a year, but have not gotten the chance to run it since. It was an amazing game and I wish I could find a new group for it.

[@wesleyrussell8386]

Love Savage Worlds, my group has a long running weird west campaign and it's great. Blades in the Dark and various spinoff games are also very fun, there's a space themed one that my DM hacked to be 40K (mostly just name changes) and we're a bunch of Rogue Traders.

[@scottius238]

Great list PDM, judging by the fact that I have almost all of these on my shelf I can tell we have similar tastes in games. Are you thinking of doing non-fantasy lists like Sci-Fi, espionage, etc?

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Yes! Will consider.

[@ryanrank3070]

I've read through Fantasy AGE and am looking forward to trying it out.

[@EmeraldVideosNL]

That cover art of Stormbringer is nostalgic to me I have a book from the '80s by the first Dutch fantasy writer Wim Geisen "De Koningen van weleer" (The Kings of Old, my translation). The paperback published by Meulenhoff back then has exactly that artwork. Awesome! I only now learned that Moorcock was actually earlier. I bet the publisher used that same cober art to appeal to the fantasy audience.

[@Buzzerker_1775]

Glad to see Savage Worlds getting more recognition! All in all, great choices, will check some of those out

[@jonasang9676]

Three of my faves. Symbaroum, BRP and most of all WFRP (1,2 and 4)

[@kyleharder3654]

I checked out XDM a year or so ago when you mentioned it, it’s such a breath of fresh air!

[@rauwetter]

WFRP is also a D100 system and there are a lot of elements still present. And occupations-character-generations are a trait of most D100 systems, so it also a part of RQG.

[@Deliriumend]

Always great to see more options for good games. Also, love that bit at the end "this requires you to trust your GM!" yeah...what system doesn't require you to trust the GM? Reminds me of some of John Wick's advice. Person pointed out "All your advice only works if you have good players" to which the response was "Why are you playing with bad ones?"

[@PulpHerb]

A lot of times I think the comment should be expressed "this works only/better with experienced players." I think a lot of people confuse "bad" with "inexperienced". Even people who've played for years can be inexperienced if they've done the same over and over. In interviewing, I've referred to it as "the same year of experience five times is the same as five years of experience."

[@samuelbroad11]

Nice shout out to Romancebringer again! I imagine the scene, sun setting, just enough light to finally see Deathbringer's eyes through the helmet visor. He reaches to remove his helm, so does she, their hands touch... roll initiative!

[@seanstephens4359]

Independent games month is a great way to start a movement toward “independent games. Period.” I love the variety out there.

[@LaubZombie]

Fantasy Flight Game's Terrinoth (Genesys System) is fantastic and great for free-flowing, cinematic game play

[@samdoorley6101]

Great list PDM. I like that you've selected a really interesting cross-section of mechanics and settings.

[@JefferySergent]

Hey. Nice list. Ever play Barbarians of Lemuria? It’s a great alternative to D&D style systems, too.

[@NefariousKoel]

Wonderfully light system, but with a good amount of character options and free-form magic. Quite a combo. The universal version is called 'Everywhen'. Great for concocting homebrewed genre settings.

[@krim7]

I like SWADE. It is a good system for 5E only players to dip their toes into the world of non-D&D games! Fantasy AGE is another great game for people to jump into.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

Some great games in here. Basic Role-Playing is a personal favorite. It was my go-to for many years, and I think might be returning to that status soon. Castle Falkenstein is amazing. I had so much fun playing it years and years ago, and have always wanted to bring it back to the table. Maybe one of these days.

[@shaunhall960]

Do it! :) If you are in Colorado and looking for players I'd be interested in playing?

[@matthewconstantine5015]

@@shaunhall960 Suburbs of D.C. for me, alas.

[@NiagaraThistle]

Came here thinking Middle Earth Role Playing (and/or Rolemaster by extension) would be mentioned....and I HEARD Rolemaster mentioned so i guess not disappointed. Nostalgia aside, this was a GREAT rundown of some great looking games. Thank you!

[@NemesisOwl]

Dropped d20 and started playing Pathfinder for Savage Worlds about 6 months ago and never looked back.

[@pakishi1]

I love Savage Worlds, but I also enjoy a good Paladium game. Typically I use Paladium for a more Sci-Fi/Post-Apocalyptic feel. But I did recently pick up a copy of Chaosiums Basic Roleplaying System.

[@baronvonswankenstein]

I backed the Kickstarter for XDM2e based on your glowing recommendations. I have to say: I don’t get the love for it. The subtitle to the book could easily be “How To Railroad Your Players Without Them Noticing.” It definitely puts the DM’s planned narrative first. As an adherent to OSR principles -especially the emergent play concept- this is an anathema to me.

[@thesonofdormammu5475]

That's also how I feel about XDM and XDM2e. I mean, why do you even need dice at all if you're going to play that way? I've played with DMs that hide every roll, don't tell you target numbers you need to roll, etc. Heck, I even played with one DM who rolled for us and also rolled up our characters (I remember at the first session getting handed a filled out character sheet and being told what I was going to play). Not a good experience.

[@emarsk77]

I've got to take a closer look at X-D-M and EZD6. My favourite lineage at the moment is Mark of the Odd - Electric Bastionland in particular is a gem - and I see that Cairn 2e is about to come soon.

[@ivancarabano]

Savage worlds is great. We"ve been playing a Beasts and Barbarians campaign for more than three years and the pulp and Conan -esque feeling it gets is something that D&D can't acomplish. Three medium level pcs scared of 8 human archers, greedy PCS but at the same time not worried about the gold (due the carousing rules), most of PCS with light or medium armour.

[@mrmaster9801]

An interesting video (took some notes), though the games look to be 12, not 10: 01:08 Savage Worlds 01:59 Symbaroum 02:36 Blades in the Dark 03:50 Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok 04:46 The Witcher 05:32 Mazes 06:21 Runequest/ Stormbringer/ Basic Roleplaying/ Pendragon 07:12 EZD6 08:19 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 09:34 Shadow of the Demon Lord 09:50 Castle Falkenstein 10:10 Xtreme Dungeon Mastery

[@Cyryvy]

Savage Worlds is awesome! My friend ran an adventure where we were plush toys in a haunted daycare.

[@doejersey]

Ayyyy Savage Worlds! Great system! Switched from 5e and never looked back. SWADE is really great and the settings books really take the one rules set and make it work across all kinds of genres. Yep we got Fantasy, Sci Fi space opera, and supers just to start. But we also have Basically Buffy, Werid Wars 1 and 2, and many more.

[@doejersey]

O Mazes is cool too. I believe the core system is called Polymorph. And they’re very easy to completely hack into whatever you want. There’s a game for business wizards, she-ra style princesses, or a totally not Star Wars book for fighting space fascist!

[@bretts7072]

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition remains one of my favorite games of all time. The time I ran the scenario There's No Such Thing As Skaven for my friends is still one of my favorite gaming memories

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

My players love the Warhammer worlds.

[@MrTheQuestioner]

The “oh my god” under your breath in response to deathbringer’s ultimate fantasy brought a smile to my face

[@billtempleton2870]

Just wanted to share a couple of games I like a lot, and maybe you will too. Barbarians of Lemuria, Electric Bastionland, and The Nightmares Underneath. All indie, all awesome!

[@jasonGamesMaster]

My top five fantasy RPGs, in no specific order, are The One Ring, OpenQuest (set in Glorantha), Blue Rose (True20 or AGE version), Hero System (Fantasy Hero), and Warlock

[@Meeeeeeeestery]

Well done, Professor! I'd also like to hear yours on Master of the Rogue Spire which imo deserves much more attention

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks! Here's my latest: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6aaY36Irsynl6c

[@jasonmd2020]

Has no clue about Fate of the Norns! I'm so down for Viking shenanigans!

[@codychavez9839]

I’m so glad content creators are finally taking the limelight off Dungeons & Dragons And giving all these other great games, a shot and an audience

[@gcvrsa]

As I often do, I will plug MIMgames' "The Window" RPG. It's a free, universal, dice-light, story-heavy game system that uses dice tiers with a roll-under mechanic. It has optional rules for superhuman statistics, as well.

[@davestory8614]

Wow. 9 of 10 I absolutely agree with you on - EZd6 being the one exception: it was so simplified, my players could not take it seriously and the whole session spiraled out of control and I was subjected to contemptuous metagaming as a show of protest.

[@jasonbaldwin766]

Stormbringer grabbed my attention as a teen, being an avid reader of Michael Moorcock's books. The rules mechanics, magic system and setting just sang in my blood. I first saw the Games workshop hardcover edition, with the cover art by Peter Jones, in a bookshop; It had to be mine.

[@timothyyoung2962]

This is a great list. Looks like I'm buying another RPG... XDM sounds like the game for me (I also have some of the others that made this list like EZD6 and several Chaosium games). I was once told "you can't run an entire campaign around this" when it came to a comedic based D&D campaign that I ran as several one shots. Took it as a challenge and I found that yes, yes you can run a humorous D&D game. For 10 years in fact. After that I focused on other RPGs I was already running for other groups. I've also run long standing games for the Ghostbusters RPG and Risus RPG. It just depends on the GM and the players and what everyone wants to do. I think Deathbringer would like this... "True love is like ghosts. Everyone says they've seen one, but few people really have."

[@r.m.stuebe8102]

Used to play a TON of Runequest (I think it was the 3rd edition: the one without Glorantha). It wasn’t campaign specific but leaned toward a low-fantasy version of semi-historical Europe and Near East setting. There was a Vikings supplement that really took it to another level. Pendragon was really good, too, at least in the original edition. A lot if unique aspects that I haven’t really seen in other games.

[@lkjhoiuy97yjhgghfyrthgvjhguty]

Some Swedish games also available in English: - Trudvang, nordic low fantasy, D20 roll under - Forbidden Lands, low fantasy, Mutant Zero Engine, dice pools, blood mist mystery - Dragonbane, classic fantasy, D20 roll under

[@johnedgar7956]

Interesting!! I'm intrigued by the Chaosium games! GURPS, which I played for something like 30 says, is a lot like that, but Runequest sounds pretty simple, and has similarities with Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu system. (GURPS also has a licensed Castle Falkenstein crossover supplement.) I have to check that out!!! Thank you PDM

[@Wraithing]

The latest Runequest Starter Set is an absolute gem. Includes rules, an expansive solo adventure, some group adventures, maps and dice. Not expensive and comes with the PDF if you get it direct from Chaosium, or an FLGS that's part of the Bits & Mortar program. Highly recommend!

[@NefariousKoel]

I wouldn't consider the latest version of Runequest simple as there is extra setting crunch added beyond the usual d100 BRP system. Fortunately there are various indie titles which use a simplified version of it too. Can't go wrong whichever way you prefer, though.

[@Wraithing]

@@NefariousKoel Strange to hear Greg Stafford's Glorantha described as 'setting crunch,' but you're right there's a deep fantasy bronze age world that's intrinsic to the characters, magic and adversaries - in the same way Lovecraft's Mythos defines the 'setting crunch' suffused into Call of Cthulhu. As you say, there many setting agnostic versions of RQ - including bare bones BRP, which Chaosium just rereleased. My first experience of Runequest was the old Avalon Hill version, which was default Dark Ages Europe (I guess, like Moongoose's Deus Vult for Legend [MRQ2]), although my friend who ran it rather liked to include the ducks. Design Mechanism have also taken MRQ to make Mythras, which has some great setting books. Personally, I'm a fan of Open Quest by Newt Newport of D101 Games - exquisitely indy (lol). His (just released) Simple Quest is probably the most functional stripped down version of a d100 fantasy game I've seen. And Jackals by JM deFoggi always deserves a mention. His d100 mechanics have become a great addition to the field. It took me years to get back to reading and experiencing the Glorantha setting though, and I'm so glad Chaosium has baked it into the bones of the new Runequest line. It's got character for miles and so much to explore. Everything is just there for inspiration and reinvention. And, I've found, having a solo adventure makes it so much easier to get started all over again in the game.

[@NefariousKoel]

@@Wraithing - Absolutely. I'm familiar with most of those, and was introduced by AH's version. Also have a great appreciation of OpenQuest and Jackals, being streamlined versions. Good picks.

[@Wraithing]

@@NefariousKoel 😁👍

[@SilverScribe85]

First off, I LOVE Northman AND the D&D Honor Among Thieves movie equally. Secondly, Fate of the Norns actually looks and sounds pretty awesome...but I wonder what the character creation system is like for that kind of game? Third, I would LOVE IT if someone created an RPG game that takes place within a magic school...but it's set in a fantastical version of our modern world. An example I can give that embodies this is Fantasy High from Dimension20

[@xer0vi]

I am loving Shadow of the Demon Lord. Gonna run some games in it soon. Awesome list

[@Ishpeck]

This list is great. Would also be fun to see what games Professor DM doesn't actually like but still respects from afar. If such a game even exists.

[@Kresegoth]

I've played a couple of fantasy RPGs as a player, I DMed a couple more, but my number one is always Earthdawn. Loved the 1st edition, liked the 2nd edition, and now I'm enjoying the 4th edition even more then the previous ones combined :)

[@kevinkorenke3569]

I still have fond memories of saving the Empire in WFRP to this day, from stopping Tzeetch from eating entire cities to raiding castle Drachenfells.

[@grendelb3298]

I've been playing RPGs since I was 12 years old, starting with 2nd edition AD&D. However, Runequest is the first RPG that made me "understand" that we can do anything in an RPG. Love the setting so much.

[@tednovy7762]

Stellar list, Prof.! No surprise there, but lots of head nods, esp. w/r/t the specific features that make them different. Special call out to Fate of the Norns--truly unique. For me Burning Wheel . . . hands down was the most ground breaking as a GM/Player, I've only played it as conventions, but it opened my eyes to how we can play differently and give players what they *REALLY* are asking for.

[@LeFlamel]

What does Burning Wheel give players that they can't get elsewhere?

[@tednovy7762]

@@LeFlamel a number of features, but definitely Beliefs, Instincts are prominent. Also the mechanic that “XP” in an ability/skill is based on actual in game tests and failure is required.

[@briansmaller7443]

I had hoped you might take a look at Barbarians of Lemuria. It is a fabulous sword and sorcery game.

[@gregbanks5624]

I thought I'd see Tunnels and Trolls and Index Card RPG but glad Symbaroum and WHF made your list.