Do you have a favorite small press publisher who makes a cool fantasy RPG we should know about?

Maybe something that got Kickstarted in the past that you enjoyed?

Maybe something from long ago?

I'm thinking non-OSR since we do talk lots about those games.


Here's my first suggestion:

WARRIOR, ROGUE & MAGE by Stargazer Games
It's a free PDF with lots of free supplements.
The system is kinda GURPS lite.
I find it meatier than The Fantasy Trip, but much more playable than GURPS Fantasy.
http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/warrior-rogue-mage/

Since I think Tunnels and Trolls doesn't count as "small", Pocket Universe by Jeff Dee ties up for the title with Spellbound Kingdoms by Frank Brunner so close I can't decide.
One of them is the core system behind Bethorm. If anyone knows how much I love Tekumel, that should be enough. If you don't, just imagine a system that can be adapted for any setting, and is all of 30 pages I think.
The other system is made by someone who worked on some of the best 3.5 books. I suspect, purely based on gut feeling, that it has absorbed the ideas that might have been rejected for being too novel or setting-specific...
Suffice it to say that in SK not only does the combat system give me joy on par with TRoS and Mythras, but "meta" points aren't meta. That's how the magic work in the setting! And the setting is shaped around those facts, which lead to the core conflict of the setting;).

Does TRS have a review of Spellbound Kingdoms? I might write one if you want, since a KS for a supplement is upcoming.

Under the Moons of Zoon doesn't get near the love and attention it deserves. It is given away free by the author and also available on Lulu in print. It is a sword and planet RPG, combining Edgar Rice Burroughs, Clarke Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft in a delighful mix. A short, sweet, old school rule booklet. D6 based system, skills, no classes.

Fantasy Craft would be mine. It's d20 at its core, but differs in a few ways.

1) Sheds many core D&D assumptions and replaces them with modular add-ons (magic is not assumed but optional, gods are also optional, you can adopt D&D style alignments or make your own, etc.)
2) Many options, but building to a concept is usually all you need to make a playable character (e.g., if you want to make a "big guy with a big sword" and just take a soldier with the greatsword feats, you are probably going to be fine.)
3) Sheds d20s wealth by level and replaces it with a more organic "old school" economy. Magic items are more purpose built, but a more detailed crafting system makes non magical crafting more worthwhile.

It sort of depends on how small is "small press", but I wanna come forward and say Brendan's Terror Network/Crime Network material is top-notch. I haven't picked up Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, but the sect books look really cool and kind of make me regret I didn't set my Godbound game in the China analogue (Dulimbai). I could use all of these sects as factions in a game.

Barbarians of Lemuria and BareBones Fantasy are both pretty neat, as is OpenQuest.

Is Shadow of the Demon Lord considered small press? OSR? How about Dragon Warriors?

Quote from: The Butcher;928895It sort of depends on how small is "small press", but I wanna come forward and say Brendan's Terror Network/Crime Network material is top-notch. I haven't picked up Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, but the sect books look really cool and kind of make me regret I didn't set my Godbound game in the China analogue (Dulimbai). I could use all of these sects as factions in a game.

You still can use them if you so much as rename the techniques:). At least the first three are easily transferable to almost any setting, though I suspect the second might require the most work.

Quote from: DavetheLost;928841Under the Moons of Moon doesn't get near the love and attention it deserves. It is given away free by the author and also available on Lulu in print. It is a sword and planet RPG, combining Edgar Rice Burroughs, Clarke Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft in a delighful mix. A short, sweet, old school rule booklet. D6 based system, skills, no classes.

You mean this little gem right;)?

Yes, that is precisely the gem I mean.

I would also make a pitch for Pirates & Dragons from Cakebread and Walton. Either the d100 version or the OneDice version. It does exactly what the title says. A semi-historically inspired pseudo-Carribean setting. Native Islander magics. Dragon necromancers. Lost Atlantis. Alot of fun when you want to swashbuckle. Those Johnny Depp movies could be done easily with it.

Shadow of the Demon Lord by Schwalb Entertainment.

Atlantis: The Second Age by Khepera Publishing for awesome Sword & Sorcery goodness.

I like DwD Studios. They do BareBones Fantasy and several other games. Their production quality is high without being overblown and both owners are very approachable and fun guys. DwD Studios games use variants of the D00 Lite system.

After not playing RPGs for many years, a friend wanted to learn and I looked at lots and lots of games and settled on BareBones Fantasy. We really, really enjoyed their Moral Code setup. You pick Somewhat, Very, or Totally for each Aspect and one option for each Aspect: Kind or Cruel, Focused or Unfocused, Selfless or Selfish, Honorable or Deceitful, Brave or Cowardly. Your character also has one or two Descriptors. When the descriptors come out in game play, the character gets an XP bonus. (My players used "likes needlessly complicate plans" and "loves water and swims any chance they can" in their first adventure.)

Skills are based on the character attributes plus specifics for specific skill training. Skills are broad and anything not covered can be done using attributes. It's a pretty fun and fast system.

I rather adore Cineflex

Quote from: The Butcher;928895It sort of depends on how small is "small press", but I wanna come forward and say Brendan's Terror Network/Crime Network material is top-notch. I haven't picked up Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, but the sect books look really cool and kind of make me regret I didn't set my Godbound game in the China analogue (Dulimbai). I could use all of these sects as factions in a game.

Thanks. Appreciate the kind words.

All the stuff I've seen from Better Mousetrap has been unusual and interesting.

Cakebread & Walton are a favorite, as is Design Mechanism.

Also the various guys making 'zines for some of my favorite games... Crawl, Crawling Under A Broken Moon, Crawljammer, The Undercroft, Green Devil Face.

Quote from: Simlasa;929003All the stuff I've seen from Better Mousetrap has been unusual and interesting.

Cakebread & Walton are a favorite, as is Design Mechanism.

Also the various guys making 'zines for some of my favorite games... Crawl, Crawling Under A Broken Moon, Crawljammer, The Undercroft, Green Devil Face.

If Design Mechanism count as "small press", then yeah, Design Mechanism get on my list as well:).

Oh, and Sanguine should be there, too. Apart from their systems assuming furry characters, which to me only makes sense in Usagi Yojimbo and the Ninja Turtles, they're actually pretty good systems:D!

Quote from: AsenRG;929023If Design Mechanism count as "small press", then yeah, Design Mechanism get on my list as well:).

I'm positive they count as small press, I'm just not entirely convinced that they don't count as OSR.

Yeah, I know, not D&D, but the fandom overlap is huge.