Fast-playing traditional games

flyingmice · March 13, 2007, 04:47:42 PM

Quote from: blakkieIn your eyes does Risus count to you as being in the painful nebulous "traditional" category? (and it'd be hard to include IHW and not include a metric buttload of other stuff) If so it does that all plus includes the added bonus of fast to read.

I would certainly count Risus as a Traditional RPG - as well as brilliant, inventive, ultra-light, and funny as all get out - but I'm not the person who counts here... that's Calithena, who may have a very different definition of Traditional. Since we don't know Calithena's personal definition, all we can do is use our own definitions and hope we are near the mark.

-clash

PS: Once again I'm agreeing with you by the way - Risus is extremely fast in every way. This is getting to be a habit!

Calithena · March 13, 2007, 05:00:06 PM

I actually don't care much about the 'traditional' label - I don't know why I typed it. Let's say it means 'RPGs where you have players who play characters and a GM who plays the world' - so that means Sorcerer, Trollbabe, Hero's Banner, My Life with Master, and Dogs in the Vineyard are all traditional.

Hmm. That probably doesn't work to well then.

I know - how about either (a) published before 1982 or (b) strongly similar to a system published before 1982. So, mindless traditionalism, then.

Or, fuck. Just games where players have characters and you make them fast and the overall goal of play is pretty much just to tool around in this imaginary world for as long as you feel like it.

*sigh*

I give up. But I did get an idea.

Jaeger · March 13, 2007, 05:31:58 PM

The Riddle of Steel plays really fast. In fact I have yet to find an rpg that handles 1 on 1 and multiple combats faster. Unfortunately it is very much a game in need of a second edition, so I can't reccomend it to someone looking for a complete game as written.

Quote from: flyingmiceFrom Pundit's review of In Harm's Way: A Napoleonic Naval RPG:

I wonder why he didn't review the indie version??

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash: A Napoleonic Naval RPG

.

James McMurray · March 13, 2007, 05:34:03 PM

Quote from: JaegerRum, Sodomy, and the Lash

For the longest time that's what I thought My Life With Master was about. :eek:

Calithena · March 13, 2007, 05:38:43 PM

With the right Master, it easily can be.

David R · March 13, 2007, 06:37:44 PM

Quote from: James McMurrayFor the longest time that's what I thought My Life With Master was about. :eek:

So you visited that "Forge" site as well...thought I was the only one.

Regards,
David R

James McMurray · March 13, 2007, 06:41:38 PM

That was a Forge site? Well, I only stayed long enough to download the preview videos and skim through a couple galleries. Hopefully I wasn't contaminated.

Wait... what's this on my elbow? Does that look like swine to you?

David R · March 13, 2007, 06:44:55 PM

Quote from: James McMurrayWait... what's this on my elbow? Does that look like swine to you?

Funny you should mention Swine - "Squeal like a pig" seems to be their motto :eek:

Regards,
David R

blakkie · March 13, 2007, 08:50:33 PM

Quote from: James McMurrayFor the longest time that's what I thought My Life With Master was about. :eek:

:confused: Huh, I still think it is?

Melan · March 14, 2007, 02:37:46 AM

OD&D, but only if you use Judges Guild's Ready Ref Sheets, or have the damn thing memorised - a game that was written over multiple supplements can be damn hard to manage with the kind of organisation it has.

But with Ready Ref Sheets, all is well!

Gunslinger · March 14, 2007, 03:58:08 AM

Quote from: MelanOD&D, but only if you use Judges Guild's Ready Ref Sheets, or have the damn thing memorised - a game that was written over multiple supplements can be damn hard to manage with the kind of organisation it has.

But with Ready Ref Sheets, all is well!

I guess I'm one of the memorized folk. OD&D and Marvel are probably the two games I'm most familiar with.

Balbinus · March 14, 2007, 06:01:20 PM

Quote from: blakkieIn your eyes does Risus count to you as being in the painful nebulous "traditional" category? (and it'd be hard to include IHW and not include a metric buttload of other stuff) If so it does that all plus includes the added bonus of fast to read.

Traditional has a simple test?

Does Balbinus like it? If so, it is a traditional rpg.

Does Balbinus not like it? If not, it's not.

Thus, My Life with Master is a traditional rpg, AD&D is not. I hope that helps.

Perhaps more helpfully, TRoS does not IMO have notably fast chargen, WFRP however is lightning fast since you choose almost nothing.

Balbinus · March 14, 2007, 06:02:46 PM

Quote from: John MorrowDragons of the Underearth, a condensed version of the TFT rules in 32 little pages, is probably even faster, then, and you can still find copies for sale pretty cheap.

Is it worth it? Part of the charm of TFT is a lightning fast system coupled to tactical depth. What's your view on DotU?

Settembrini · March 15, 2007, 08:44:48 AM

Mechwarrior Second Edition.

jdrakeh · March 15, 2007, 06:46:13 PM

Quote from: CalithenaThe ones that pop into my mind immediately are classic D&D, T&T, and Savage Worlds. Stormbringer 1e is probably the fastest BRP-derived game out there.

What do you think? I want fast character generation, fast combat resolution, fast fast fast. No BS, no extra session spent generating characters before you play, no hour long combats except maybe when there are dozens of figures on the battlemat. FAST, I say!

Honestly, D&D/AD&D can be horribly, horribly, plodding if you implement every last rule exactly as written. I've found this to be true of all editions except OD&D (1974) and BD&D (sanz expert/companion/immortal expansions). I'd say that AD&D (both editions), RCD&D, and D&D 3x are all far from fast-playing in circumstances except those in which rules are ignored or the players are so intimately familiar with the rules that they no longer pose an obstacle.