This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?  (Read 3641 times)

Levi Kornelsen

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • L
  • Posts: 2054
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #30 on: April 17, 2006, 03:45:05 AM »
1. The game writer knows what kind of fun they're trying to deliver.

2. They make it clear to me what kind of fun that is.

3. They deliver it.

Eli the Vile

  • Newbie
  • *
  • E
  • Posts: 37
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #31 on: April 17, 2006, 05:41:06 AM »
1) Large Guns

2) Hot Chicks

3) mandatory Blood Bath

Just Kidding:heh:
I like my women the way I like my coffee, Ground up and in the freezer!

David R

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • D
  • Posts: 6874
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #32 on: April 17, 2006, 12:41:45 PM »
Quote from: Eli the Vile
1) Large Guns

2) Hot Chicks

3) mandatory Blood Bath

Just Kidding:heh:


You have just described the beginning, middle and ending off every Feng Shui game i have ever run....i wish i was joking.

Regards,
David R.

kanegrundar

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • k
  • Posts: 194
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #33 on: April 20, 2006, 10:15:05 AM »
1. Monsters to Kill
2. Treasure to Gain
3. Enough roleplay to keep 1 and 2 from becoming boring.
My blog: The development of a Runebound-style D&D boardgame.
http://www.nutkinland.com/blog/49

Cyberzombie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 723
    • http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #34 on: April 20, 2006, 10:49:41 AM »
Quote from: mearls
1. Awesome character archetypes, whether they're character classes or pre-builds. Shadowrun (while not fantasy) had me at the words "street samurai."


I would class it is fantasy, myself.  More importantly, though, you're dead on.  One thing I DON'T like about True20 is the boring base classes.

Quote from: mearls
3. Cool monsters. I don't want to fight rats and wolves. I want to fight rats with acid blood and fire breathing wolves bred in the pits of Hell itself.


You can do cool things with rats and wolves (especially if you give them stats a little bit more like real life -- 3e is better than previous editions, but still doesn't do animals justice) if you play them intelligently, though!

But I see your point.  Fantasy needs the fantastic in it.
 

Dr_Avalanche

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • D
  • Posts: 283
    • http://calaveth.livejournal.com
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #35 on: April 23, 2006, 01:38:24 PM »
Hm. My list varies, depending on if I feel like describing the setting or the system, but here are three things I'd like to see in one game:

1. Simple in-session mechanics. Once we're in the middle of play, nobody should ever have to open a rulebook to see how something works. I don't particularly mind tactical play, but I hate fiddly. It doesn't have to be quite as simple as Over the Edge, but probably not much more complicated either.

2. In contrast with #1, an interesting, flavorful system for character advancement. The best thing about Exalted isn't really playing the game (though that is fun too, at least with a good GM), but progressing your character. If it looks like the schematics to a nuclear power plant, all the better. Convoluted is fine when it doesn't interfere with roleplaying.

3. A rich, multi-faceted world which can withstand truly epic storylines without having to restart the world every time an adventure is over.

ColonelHardisson

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2584
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #36 on: April 23, 2006, 03:21:58 PM »
Quote from: Cyberzombie
One thing I DON'T like about True20 is the boring base classes.


Yeah, that's something that's nagged at the back of my mind about True20, also. d20 Modern has the same weakness, even though I understand why it has what it has - but at least many of the advanced classes and prestige classes are more flavorful.

What I want in a RPG:

1. As hinted at above, give me lots of evocative archetypes to play with. Yeah, I know, some people call for more generic classes so they can build their own archetypes, but I like seeing actual classes or professions in a game with cool titles like Sector Ranger or Barbarian or Wizard that actually attempt to match game mechanics up with the image evoked by the class name.

2. Options - I like 'em. Give me lots of 'em. Unearthed Arcana, both the original and the successor, are perfect examples of entire books devoted to just plain options. The Psionics Toolkit is another of my favorite examples - a variety of cool goodies that made me actually become interested in psionics. But it's very important that options be included in the core - the 3.5 DMG is a good example. I want options so I can tailor my campaign to my taste.

3. Foresee the unforeseeable - that is, provide game mechanics to cover contingencies not addressed by specific game rules. 3e does this, but there are a lot of other games that have it also. Castles & Crusades, for example, has its SIEGE engine to plug the holes that 1e AD&D had.
"Illegitimis non carborundum." - General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell

4e definitely has an Old School feel. If you disagree, cool. I won't throw any hyperbole out to prove the point.

Caesar Slaad

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3585
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #37 on: April 23, 2006, 09:27:15 PM »
1) I'll second Mearls' "Strong Archetypes".

2) Engaging, flexible, and (most important) OBVIOUS adventuring model. In recent years, all too many games out there seem interesting in concept, but once you make characters and gather 'round the table, it's not to clear what characters in this game DO.

3) A robust, flexible, and self-consistent rules system. I've never considered rules light too functional for gaming.
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

Sigmund

  • a Toxic Sociopath
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4915
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #38 on: April 23, 2006, 11:54:56 PM »
Quote from: Cyberzombie
One thing I DON'T like about True20 is the boring base classes.


For me, this is one of the things I love about True20. To me, the roles (classes, for the uninitiated) are no different than skills or feats...simply another one of the legos I use to build my kick-ass character concept. The attraction, and excitement I get is from the character paths, and specifically how I might tailor them to my own personal style or "vision".
- Chris Sigmund

Old Loser

"I'd rather be a killer than a victim."

Quote from: John Morrow;418271
I role-play for the ride, not the destination.

Joey2k

  • Anarcho-anarchist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1160
  • I punch SJWs
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #39 on: April 24, 2006, 08:58:21 AM »
Quote from: Cyberzombie
 One thing I DON'T like about True20 is the boring base classes.

If you like the rest of the system, you might try Blue Rose.  It has advancement progresions plotted out for different occupations, from what I've heard.  Also, the Caliphate Nights setting in the new True20 book has the same thing, I believe.

Just, you know, if you like the rest of the system.
I'm/a/dude

Bagpuss

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • B
  • Posts: 552
    • http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.maple/
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #40 on: April 24, 2006, 11:20:58 AM »
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?

Whatever it is it should be short lived so we can get to another genre. :deviousgrin:

Okay to be fair if the fantasy fits the following then I can put up with it for longer.

1a) Heroic - It should be about fighting great evils because someone has too, and either no one else will, or no one else is able.

1b) Serious risk of death - You arn't really heroic if for a sum of gold you can be up and walking around after being killed, or if the GM gives you plot immunity. If you aren't risking anything then it isn't heroic in my book. (Hence a dislike for GM's that overprotect players for the sake of the 'story', and Raise Dead like spells).

1c) Not about treasure grabbing and raiding tombs just to finance the next tomb raid. If you kill an enemy you leave his corpse and move on to the next villan, you don't pause to loot him of everything valuable and then go back to town to sell all the stuff you can't use. (My biggest hate in D&D) Again it goes back to the Heroic line of things, you rarely see heros looting the dead in books or films, unless it's to get a key or because they have no weapons at all.

2) Class - I tend to like them to be honest they give focus, enforce genre stereotypes and stops dull jack-of-all-trades like characters. Gives each player an area they excel at, and weaknesses they must work round. Also a reason why then need to work together as a team. I've played none classed fantasy games and most of the time players just ended making characters you could fashion within a classed based system anyway, because those are the stereotypes of the genre.

3) Magic being out of the players hands, or dangerous and unrealiable in it. Magic should be something to be feared.
 

Knightsky

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • K
  • Posts: 296
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #41 on: April 25, 2006, 12:08:11 PM »
In no particular order:

1) A character creation system that lets me create the character in the vein of my favorite fantasy authors (Howard, Leiber, Moorcock, etc) wothout having to jump through a lot of hoops.  Not just roughly the same archetype, but a system that actually lets me do the kind of stuff that a Conan or a Mouser could do.

2) A magic system where magic is rare, mysterious, and evocative.

3) A combat system where speed and skill is at least as important as strength and armor.
Knightsky's Song Of The Moment - 2112 by Rush

Games for trade (RPG.net link)

Yamo

  • Spelling Nazi Dumb Ass
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Y
  • Posts: 431
    • http://www.yamoslair.com
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #42 on: April 25, 2006, 01:42:19 PM »
1. Old-school D&D's fluff. I want a rainbow of dragon colors, a slew of humanoids, architecturally and ecologically-ridiculous dungeons, undead turning, Elemental Planes, the whole deal.

2. Rules very much unlike D&D. Something rules-light and not class/level-based like BESM or Fudge with a good freeform magic system.

3. A good play group packaged with every copy of the rules. :)
In order to qualify as a roleplaying game, a game design must feature:

1. A traditional player/GM relationship.
2. No set story or plot.
3. No live action aspect.
4. No win conditions.

Don't like it? Too bad.

Click here to visit the Intenet's only dedicated forum for Fudge and Fate fans!

JMcL63

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • J
  • Posts: 114
    • http://jmcl63.blogspot.com/
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #43 on: April 27, 2006, 09:14:27 AM »
1. Epic setting.
2. Fancy swordplay.
3. Kick-ass magic rules. ;)
"Roll dice and kick ass!"
Snapshots from JMcL63's lands of adventure


gold

  • Newbie
  • *
  • g
  • Posts: 29
What 3 Things: Do you want in a Fantasy RPG?
« Reply #44 on: May 06, 2006, 08:01:47 AM »
1. Options. I'm not a pure tactician, but engaging conflict resolution is a part of the entertainment for me.I also want a great diversity in abilities. This is where good mechanical design should show itself.

2. Fun and engaging awesome. It shouldn't be dry. Thinks should go boom and bash and stuff. Fantastic imagery. A fun and crazy world where anything could happen.

3. The tools to craft a inherently consistent world, no matter how crazy ass wacked it is from the outside.

I feel well covered by D&D as is, except for some slipups on the "good mechanical design should show itself" part of 1 (PrC's are fucked up).

I think M&M would work for me as well.