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Author Topic: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures  (Read 2886 times)

tenbones

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #15 on: November 28, 2022, 01:12:10 PM »
   Savage Worlds Beasts and Barbarians by a mile of the systems listed.  I like most of the options, but SW has the best options for a single or duo group and pulling off things we see in S&S fiction especially when getting into fights and beating the odds.

I was going to say this too... but I feel like I'm beating the Savage Worlds horse to death. I think SW really shines with small groups. One or two players for Beasts and Barbarians? HELL YES. It would rock mightily.

Ocule

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2022, 06:24:34 PM »
   Savage Worlds Beasts and Barbarians by a mile of the systems listed.  I like most of the options, but SW has the best options for a single or duo group and pulling off things we see in S&S fiction especially when getting into fights and beating the odds.

I was going to say this too... but I feel like I'm beating the Savage Worlds horse to death. I think SW really shines with small groups. One or two players for Beasts and Barbarians? HELL YES. It would rock mightily.

The only complaint i had about beasts and barbarians is the edges seemed to be overall pretty bad. Alot of them are way too powerful. Like switching spirit or agility for strength for damage. SW characters are already hella strong. The setting seemed good and SW does have good mechanics
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oggsmash

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2022, 05:22:23 AM »
   Savage Worlds Beasts and Barbarians by a mile of the systems listed.  I like most of the options, but SW has the best options for a single or duo group and pulling off things we see in S&S fiction especially when getting into fights and beating the odds.

I was going to say this too... but I feel like I'm beating the Savage Worlds horse to death. I think SW really shines with small groups. One or two players for Beasts and Barbarians? HELL YES. It would rock mightily.

The only complaint i had about beasts and barbarians is the edges seemed to be overall pretty bad. Alot of them are way too powerful. Like switching spirit or agility for strength for damage. SW characters are already hella strong. The setting seemed good and SW does have good mechanics

  Beasts and Barbarians characters start off as default seasoned.  2 warriors against a sorcerer and his 20 cultists who get gang ups and ace a few rolls and those powerful characters are going to seem a whole lot more mortal.   If the attackers are using missile weapons and aiming for the head and vitals....well again the seemingly powerful characters are forced into a situation where they better think before they wade in.   SW melee focused characters ARE VERY GOOD at what they specialize in.  But isn't that as it should be? 

tenbones

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #18 on: November 29, 2022, 10:52:48 AM »
Yeah the B&B setting is supposed to reflect the interior conceits of the Conan-S&S tropes. And it does an excellent job of it, I've run a couple of campaigns with it. Are the Edges powerful? Sure. But they're appropriate to the setting.

The beauty of Savage Worlds is - if you don't like an Edge? Nuke it. The customization possibilities of the system are endless. It's designed for you to tweak whatever the setting conceits *you* want.

Beasts and Barbarians, in particular would be a superb choice for a solo or duo-game. But I also think you can just use the Core Rules with the Fantasy Companion to go wild.

rocksfalleverybodydies

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2022, 01:18:02 PM »
I would hazard Crypts & Things is decent for S&S.
Through Sunken Lands and Other Adventures is another good option.
Both focus on the genre well.

weirdguy564

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2022, 06:06:45 PM »
Any sword combat game can work.  I’m ok with limiting technology like removing full plate harnesses from any game I’m in, but keeping scale armor, or doubling the weight of half plate armor to represent bronze instead of iron/steel. 

If you want a specific game, my choice would be Mini-six Bare Bones edition.  Is just Star Wars D6 rules, albeit a bit simplified.  It’s generic.  The magic system is a bit rigid, but in barbarian Conan, John Carter of Mars, and other settings you may not even see any magic.

Barbarians of Lemuria or 2D20 Conan are the two games that are genre specific. 

John Carter of Mars is another trope you can mine for ideas and game rules.  Anything that is Planet and Sword genre is basically barbarians.  They just live on an alien world instead of Earth in an unknown pre-historic society that got to metallurgy, writing, riding animals, and wheels.

I’m glad for you if you like the top selling game of the genre.  Me, I like the road less travelled, and will be the player asking we try a game you’ve never heard of.

Ocule

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2022, 11:47:54 PM »
Yeah the B&B setting is supposed to reflect the interior conceits of the Conan-S&S tropes. And it does an excellent job of it, I've run a couple of campaigns with it. Are the Edges powerful? Sure. But they're appropriate to the setting.

The beauty of Savage Worlds is - if you don't like an Edge? Nuke it. The customization possibilities of the system are endless. It's designed for you to tweak whatever the setting conceits *you* want.

Beasts and Barbarians, in particular would be a superb choice for a solo or duo-game. But I also think you can just use the Core Rules with the Fantasy Companion to go wild.

Maybe they play better than they look, I don’t mind characters being powerful but the edges didn’t seem to fit. I guess I expected edges closer reflecting lankhmar or Solomon Kane edges.


So far it seems thus

Barbarians of Lemuria
-most rules light
-quick and easy to play
-good magic rules for the genre, actually does soft magic in a ttrpg
-I’ve heard it doesn’t quite hit book Conan but wasn’t able to see what they mean by that. It’ll take some minor conversion to change settings
-never played this one at all, so I don’t know what to expect with character power level and gameplay

Savage worlds
-great system does pulp very well.
-looking to try the road less travelled since I know savage worlds so well.
-heavy emphasis on miniatures and play aids
-best handles large combats

Conan 2d20
-tailor made for Hyborean age
-has a lot of storygame mechanics
-medium crunch
-seems to be a love it or hate it system
-modiphious attracts a lot of cringe people. Hesitant because they tend to bend the knee to the woke mob. How the hell do you get artists like Brom and keep it pg13. Idk I want to like the game

Mythras
-best 1 on 1 combat out of the bunch
-most crunchy system
-extremely deadly
-played RQG and other d100 systems

These are the systems that are most recommended I’m avoiding osr for this one because of emphasis on party play.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2022, 12:15:17 AM by Ocule »
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S'mon

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Re: Best sword and sorcery rpg for solo or duet adventures
« Reply #22 on: November 30, 2022, 04:53:19 AM »
These are the systems that are most recommended I’m avoiding osr for this one because of emphasis on party play.

Yes, I wouldn't particularly recommend Crypts & Things for this reason, it's basically just Swords & Wizardry, ie OD&D. Although I do think OD&D with a Fighter PC is workable for solo play if you start around 3rd/4th level and avoid/tone down save-or-die effects. As I think I said earlier, from my experience running Primeval Thule using Mini Six I'd definitely recommend it as a good system for swords & sorcery. The power level is exactly right.