Quote from: The Butcher;431928What I do like for my games are realm/domain/stronghold management systems like that of the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, or Greg Stolze's Reign, or more recently, MRQII Empires. I like to make PC rulers feel the crown weigh heavily on their brows -- not to mention that events and outcomes within these systems (the D&D RC's in particular, which is the one I'm the most familiar with) make for excellent adventure hooks.

A few examples are mentioned here. Birthright also gets a lot of love, and there's a couple of old Pendragon supplements. Which game has the best system and why? If I were to pick up only one book to adapt for my table, which should it be?

Depending on your tastes, Reign: Enchiridion might be worth a look. It has company rules that can be placed over the top of any game system for a macro level form of management system.

The plus is that it can handle just about any kind of organizational conflict on the macro scale.

The disadvantages are that it can be fairly broad and nebulous. The GM will have to set clear parameters as to how the characters actions during the regular game sessions affect the company level phase when the time comes for that. A GM has to define a lot of things ahead of time. The scale is also a bit narrow for my tastes. Things are rated from 1 to 6 and that doesn't give a lot of range between one power range and the next. I'd like a larger differentiation of say 1 to 10 or 1 to 12.

I think Reign's company system has potential, but like any other GM tool it will take some practice and logical application to get the most use out of it.

Quote from: two_fishes;431929A few examples are mentioned here. Birthright also gets a lot of love, and there's a couple of old Pendragon supplements. Which game has the best system and why? If I were to pick up only one book to adapt for my table, which should it be?

Harnmanor is the best playable estate management system and includes what is esstentially is a plot generator. You roll for each tenet family and see what happens to them over the year. You may have to adjudicate a dispute, be owned a heriot, or somebody ran away, etc, etc,

I have a set of notes extrapolating the numbers in Harnmanor to regional and kingdom wide territories.  Basically taking the average results and boiling done the numbers so I can extrapolate the amount of coin, kind, and troops you get from each manor based on it acreage.

The rest is just roleplaying.

Birthright is an excellent idea but in practice the mechanics break emulation.

Domain management systems are something I look for in almost every fantasy RPG. The first game I bought after the D&D introductory set was the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, and the BECMI/RC model of the fantasy adventurer's progression, from tomb-robbing scoundrel, to landed gentry, to saint/god and beyond, left a lasting impression on my young mind.

A few years later I'd read the Conan stories (by way of Marvel Comics) and Conan's own trajectory from lowly thief and mercenary to King of Aquilonia would further cement this idea on my mind.

On the subject of systems, I am really fond of D&D RC's detailed, yet relatively simple systems for running strongholds and domains. They give a great deal of attention to the day-to-day operations of a keep and/or fief, which to me plays to the "heavy weighs the head" schtick that is so dear to me when dealing with PCs on positions of power.

Birthright's take is all right, I guess, but feels lackluster next to the glory of the RC, and far too intricately linked to the bloodline rules, of which I'm not a huge fan. They work for Cerilia, but aren't easily transposed to other settings.

Reign's Company system is fairly abstract, and I have no play experience with it, but it does look functional enough. They don't really focus on the day-to-day "grind" of running a Company (which can be anything from a vast empire or a sprawling religion, to a pirate crew or trading caravan), outside of exceptional events and/or conflicts between Companies.

I haven't had the time to read and digest MRQII Empires, but a cursory reading brings Reign to mind. I can't wait to see how they handle PC rulers' role on the manteinance of empires outside of conflict.

I am not familiar with Pendragon's system. But with the availability of 5.1e by way of DTRPG PoD, I intend to fix this shortly.

FATE 3.0 is similar in that it uses virtually the same rules for conflicts at every scale, from bar fights to warring interstellar empires. Again, there's little attention to the day-to-day operations, and a lot of focus on conflict between organizations.

The absence of a domain management/upkeep mini-game like the one found in the RC is hardly a dealbreaker to me. But the presence of good mechanics that enforce the ruler's responsibility towards the ruled realm or domain is a plus in my book.

Pendragon's system is very good, but very feudal; I don't know how easily or smoothly it might port into other settings.

Plus it only gets REALLY good if you get the Book of The Manor.

RPGPundit

It really depends upon what you want to do and why.

Harnmanor is excellent for anything feudal holding from a barony on down. It's incredibly detailed but a lot of that is front-loaded during the creation process, and the actual administration is relatively simple. It's the system with the greatest verisimilitude, which shouldn't be surprising if you know Harn.

MRQ2's Empires is just the opposite. It does best from a large, relatively centralised kingdom on up. It gives a place of prominence to functionaries, ministers and policies and works best at representing domains where those things are in place (i.e. not medieval Europe).

Birthright's is OK for its setting, but I always found it lackluster otherwise.

RC D&D's system is good for a medium-sized holdings. Pretty much anything in between a barony and a kingdom can be run with it. I find that it creaks once you get beyond a few major settlements though, and the emphasis is really on draining enough cash to equip your armies and pay for magical research than more complex matters.

Exalted's is actually pretty interesting, though I never got a chance to actually play it. It seems similar to MRQ2 - strong policies and centralised decision-making are the norm.

There's also apparently the Song of Ice and Fire RPG, which has rules for how your house is maintained or whatnot.

RPGPundit

There's also the Fields of Blood book for d20.