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What's the most "simulationist" system you ever actually ran?

Started by Trond, May 20, 2020, 07:30:58 PM

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S'mon

#15
May 21, 2020, 02:46:54 AM Last Edit: May 21, 2020, 02:50:11 AM by S'mon
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;1130778The first modern wargames between Prussian officers on game tables had no written rules at all so far as we know, but did have referees who said what could and couldn't be done, and adjudicated results.

On a point of information, Free Kriegsspiel (no rules, all referee judgement aided by a d6) actually post-dated the complex rules-bound Kriegsspiel. Having seen Free Kriegsspiel played on TV between British army senior officers ("4-6 the infantry line holds"), I was impressed by how well it worked; I use it now for mass battles in some of my campaigns. Tends to feel much more gritty & dramatic than more crunchy systems.

Re most simulationist rules, well compared to D&D pretty much anything else. My Mini Six (D6 System) campaign may be 'cinematic fantasy' but the combat system is far more simulationist than D&D's duelling-battleships-derived approach.
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HappyDaze

#16
May 21, 2020, 04:56:01 AM
Quote from: David Johansen;1130783Traveller the New Era and GURPS are fairly simulationist.

Trying to utilize TNE's Fire, Fusion, & Steel helped me simulate being an engineer...and to this day I credit it with dissuading me from ever taking up a career path in engineering.

GameDaddy

#17
May 21, 2020, 08:12:27 AM Last Edit: May 21, 2020, 08:15:02 AM by GameDaddy
Chivalry & Sorcery Redbook for medeicaval melee and economics...amd also the complex magic spell and ritual creation that was built right into the magic system. Followed by the original Morrow Project, where you spent time calculating the ground effects of massive nuclear strikes, combined with uber-detailed projectile tracjectories and impact results depending on projectile design and type.

Rolemaster handwaved many of the intense calculations these early RPGs required, in favor of prepared charts instead.
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David Johansen

#18
May 21, 2020, 09:33:05 AM Last Edit: May 21, 2020, 09:37:50 AM by David Johansen
What people miss about Rolemaster is that it's actually a simple system.  Detailed, yes, but mechanically quite simple.  It doesn't produce particularly realistic results.
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Trond

#19
May 21, 2020, 11:30:06 AM
Quote from: David Johansen;1130813What people miss about Rolemaster is that it's actually a simple system.  Detailed, yes, but mechanically quite simple.  It doesn't produce particularly realistic results.

I kinda agree with this one too. The tables have some potential, but I always houserule a lot. And it's really not that difficult, particularly not if use a calculator. But still, it can be quite fun.

Omega

#20
May 21, 2020, 04:48:17 PM
A good simulationist system does not necessarily need complex rules. Just robust ones. Lots of tables do the job just fine without adding more complexity.

Trond

#21
May 21, 2020, 05:37:49 PM
Quote from: Omega;1130834A good simulationist system does not necessarily need complex rules. Just robust ones. Lots of tables do the job just fine without adding more complexity.

Any examples of such games?

Shasarak

#22
May 21, 2020, 06:08:19 PM
According to the GNS theory the most simulationist system that I have run would probably be DnD 4e.
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There will be poor always,
pathetically struggling,
look at the good things you've got! -  Jesus

Zalman

#23
May 22, 2020, 12:32:53 PM
Champions tops the list for games I've played.
Old School? Back in my day we just called it "School."

Hakdov

#24
May 22, 2020, 01:32:44 PM
Quote from: HappyDaze;1130800Trying to utilize TNE's Fire, Fusion, & Steel helped me simulate being an engineer...and to this day I credit it with dissuading me from ever taking up a career path in engineering.

That book pissed me off so much.  There's no damn way you could design a ship with the rules without having it on a spreadsheet or computer program.  I just wanted to build stuff for a game not make things that would work in real life.

Hakdov

#25
May 22, 2020, 01:34:11 PM
Quote from: Trond;1130839Any examples of such games?

sounds like Rolemaster to me

David Johansen

#26
May 22, 2020, 02:26:42 PM
Rolemaster to be sure.

But Fire Fusion and Steel was okay, a bit nitpicky, I've got the TNE errata booklet with the four decimal place precision ratings for everything.  The thing I always wondered is why they didn't just assign hit location slots and work out the vehicle stats from those.

GURPS Vehicles is messier and I like it too but I get annoyed by having to purchase seatbelts.
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Panzerkraken

#27
May 22, 2020, 05:42:49 PM
Living Steel/Phoenix Command was mine. And yes, I've actually run it; it's not so bad once you know what you're doing with it. I pointed out to my players that it has a total of one more roll than CP2020 to finalize damage, and the exact same number of functions to execute it. It's a little more unforgiving than most games, but that's the point, I thought.
Si vous n'opposez point aux ordres de croire l'impossible l'intelligence que Dieu a mise dans votre esprit, vous ne devez point opposer aux ordres de malfaire la justice que Dieu a mise dans votre coeur. Une faculté de votre âme étant une fois tyrannisée, toutes les autres facultés doivent l'être également.
-Voltaire

Omega

#28
May 22, 2020, 06:33:50 PM
Quote from: Trond;1130839Any examples of such games?

Original Albedo is one. It gets alot done with only a few rolls and tables.

robiswrong

#29
May 22, 2020, 07:36:34 PM
Quote from: Shasarak;1130844According to the GNS theory the most simulationist system that I have run would probably be DnD 4e.

Wha?

By GNS terms (barf, puke) it would seem to be gamist more than anything?
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