Favorite Generic/Universal Systems

[fmitchell]

I know there are rule options for using regular dice, but that involves a conversion of its own, slowing things down some. Moreover, I've always had trouble with that whole + and - thing on the dice. Getting useful information out of WEG's DC Universe Batman/Superman dice was a pain enough, and I don't foresee this being easier somehow.

FUDGE always uses 4 dice, each marked '+', blank, or '-'; subtract the minuses (if any) from the plusses (if any), and you get a number between -4 and +4, with 0 being the most common. Modify a relevant ability with that amount, and that's your roll. I can't do math in my head, but even I can't screw that one up.

As for buying the funny dice, see Baby's First Fudge Dice, which shows you how to (permanently) turn an ordinary d6 into a Fudge die.

[thedragongoddess]

From the games I've played so far, not many yet, I've found that I like GURPS the best. For someone starting out, it's an easier system to learn. I've played some DnD and WoD, liking WoD better, and I found them both to be alot harder to figure out damage and soaking and such. But all in all, DnD character making is a pain in the butt. GURPS was so much easier to make a character with. You're given a total amount of points from your GM and you pick what advantages you want as well as skills and disadvantages.

I'm speaking strictly as a player here, a newer one at that, and I found GURPS to be less confusing. You simply roll 3d6 for pretty much everything except damage and instead of having to count your successes, usually at a difficulty of 7 or 8, or having to add your die roll to your skill roll and such, you just add the dice and make sure your roll is under your skill. I started out roleplaying with WoD online and it kept confusing me, though I'm getting better at it now. I've only played DnD with a group a few times, and though I was getting to like it, I kept going back to GURPS.

Maybe it was my GM's that were making the game better for me. I got very lucky and the 2 GM's I've had for GURPS were absolutely AWESOME!! They knew the books like the backs of their hands and the settings and stories they came up with were just great and very challenging.

When I created my first GURPS character, the only thing I was adamant about was I wanted her to be part dragon and to be able to fly without wings. Voila! I got what I wanted with ease.

Anyway... that's my humble opinion.

[ronpyatt]

I have to say PDQ and Fudge/FATE are my choice systems, but I choose PDQ over FATE for the dice (2d6).

I like the Fudge dice, but it has been difficult for my players to wrap their minds around using + and - for rolls. I would liked to have seen a straight 3d6 version done without a conversion table.

[fmitchell]

I like the Fudge dice, but it has been difficult for my players to wrap their minds around using + and - for rolls. I would liked to have seen a straight 3d6 version done without a conversion table.

Fudge dice are equivalent to 4d3-8, so you could roll 2d3 - 2d3 (2 black d3 and 2 white d3, subtract black total from white total) and get the same distribution.

Fudge v2 has an appendix on a d6 version of FATE. (e.g. Mediocre is 1d6, Average is 2d6, etc. against a difficulty from 1 {negligible} to 30+ {revolutionary}.) You could go back to that if you don't like funny dice at all.

If you like fixed dice, I'm sure there's some way to calibrate a 3d6 scale to produce something like FUDGE results, e.g compare 3d6 + 2*levels above average against 10 + 2*difficulty above average. However, that means a difficulty four above your ability is nearly impossible, and four below your ability automatic.

[fmitchell]

FUDGE itself has rolling methods for 3d6 and 4d6. See this copy, among others.

The 3d6 method is almost like mine, except that 4 and 17 count as -/+ 4. The 4d6 version is conceptually simple, but a bit difficult to explain or justify to players used to a simple d20.

[fmitchell]

So, no love for Savage Worlds or BRP/MRQ?

[Skunkape]

I'm more inclined to change my vote from GURPS to Savage Worlds since I've re-read the rules. Course, I've explained all of that in my post on the Savage Worlds thread.

[teckno72]

I picked D20, but I'd be much more likely to convert it to the World of Darkness games. They're universal enough for me.

[Webhead]

My favorite generic RPG systems in (VERY rough) order of preference:

1) Unisystem (particularly Cinematic Unisystem)
2) FATE 3.0
3) Risus
4) PDQ

I really, really like FATE and would be tempted to vote it as my current favorite generic system. The only thing really stopping me is that it is so different from more traditional RPG rules-systems that not everyone "gets" it right away. I'm running a "Deadlands" campaign using FATE and my players are having fun, but I don't think they've quite grokked to the way Aspects behave within the game. That said, Aspects are probably the single coolest design element in any RPG ever! I seriously dig on the idea of them and am tempted to plug them into other game systems. They're that cool...but they can be tricky for some folks.

Cinematic Unisystem is one of my faves. It takes the already no-nonsense simplified mechanics of Unisystem and then makes it even faster and easier to run. For gosh sakes, the GM doesn't even have to roll any dice! I love it!

I love both Risus and PDQ for much the same reasons as they are built on rather similar design philosophies. I think Risus rests a bit closer to my heart but that may just be because I discovered it many years before I ever heard about PDQ. A friend of mine asked me to run a Risus game out of the blue a while back. I can't wait to do it! If he enjoyed it that much, I really need to make that my goal.

Not much of a fan of d20 Modern, GURPS or HERO. The first felt a bit too constrained by d20 tropes and the latter two always had a bit more crunch than I prefered. Never played more than a game or two of any of them, so this is mostly an objective assessment of my reaction reading through the corebooks.

Oh, and I haven't played Savage Worlds yet, but by every indication, I really ought to.

[trechriron]

So, no love for Savage Worlds or BRP/MRQ?

I love it!! Just awesome fun.

[squidyak]

What, no Alternity love?

[tesral]

I've seen a few fantasy characters built on the Hero system, and they strike me as superheroes with a fantasy theme. System really does matter.

Hero started life as "Champions". A superhero game and the point/skills balance still favors that. Writing up normals is chunky.

GURPS is a Heroic game and the point/skills balance favors that. You can do superheroic with it, but you're better off playing Hero.

System can matter.

[Webhead]

System can matter.

Yep.

[MortonStromgal]

I'm going to say BRP even though all I've played is Cthuhlu because I like it better than GURPS which is my favorite generic system.

[Bearfoot_Adam]

I have to agre wit hone of the first posts in going for unisystem. It's an easy system to pick up and you can still do big heroic things. I'm just starting ot really look into gurps and am likeing it so maybe that will change my choice.