RPG wish: Ill show you mine and you show me yours

[Neon]

My RPG wish would be for Warhammer Fantasy RolePlay to get a complete OSR overhaul. And by that I mean an epic trimming down of the rules and a reformatting / new layout of the fluff and adventures.

It kills me because in theory wfrp ticks all my boxes, but when when I sit down to read the materials I immediately zone out.

Information is hidden in walls of text or spread out. Not to mention the font style and size 4e uses just makes my eyes water.

So that's my wish. For the osr to chew my meat and spit it back in my mouth.

What's your rpg wish?

 

[Picaroon Jack]

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

 

[Dammit Victor]

The Green Lantern Corps RPG. There are a lot of really nice superhero RPGs out there that can model a single Green Lantern very nicely-- but I want a game that can model 4-6 different lanterns (from the same and/or different corps) in a satisfying way over the course of a full-length campaign.

Otherwise, there's just a whole lot of types of game that already exist... that I just want more of.

 

[Psychopomp]

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

Bonus points if it can do small team of space mercs with a ship / troubleshooters / Cowboy Bebop / Edge of the Empire...but y'know...with mechs.

I want the perfected ur-Exalted, which has all the Charms and zaniness and magic pizazz of the first two editions, but with a smoother, more streamlined system. That's not wedded to OSR mechanics, like Godbound.

 

[Skywalker]

I want the perfected ur-Exalted, which has all the Charms and zaniness and magic pizazz of the first two editions, but with a smoother, more streamlined system. That's not wedded to OSR mechanics, like Godbound.

Does Exalted Essence fit this bill? It looks promising but I don't trust anything from Onyx Path.

 

[Skywalker]

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

This is mine too. More specifically, a mecha PbtA game of the likes of Masks: A New Generation or Hearts of Wulin.

 

[Bunch]

Sort of like the Mecha request. I want a sci-fi game that handles ships as well as social and combat.

 

[Agemegos]

My RPG wish is for a game based on the mechanics of James Bond 007, but generalised to be able to handle a wide range or mysteries, thrillers, capers, espionage, clandestine action, cliffhangers, Westerns and so on — genres in which the player character have and rely upon the abilities of realistic humans.

 

[David Johansen]

Sort of like the Mecha request. I want a sci-fi game that handles ships as well as social and combat.

I guess that depends a lot on what you mean by handles ships (or mechs) well. Are you looking for a narrative solution or something tactical.

I quite like the Spacemaster Privateers vehicle rules. There's just something about firing a Mark 50 Ion Cannon or whatever. But also, ships and vehicles are really pretty simple compared to characters. But really you've got your weapon types, your HUD bonus to hit, shields Defensive Bonus, Speed, Armour and Hitpoints to track. You can do crew building, I actually like that setup as well, you can buy really skilled crew but they're very expensive in quantities so you probably get some highly skilled department heads and a lot of adequate goons. The space forces in the setting use naval androids with flat 50 stats and one eye for about 2/3 of their crew just to run the slow shifts.

I'm a fan of GURPS Vehicles and Fire, Fusion, and Steel so, I'm certainly a gear head. GURPS Spaceships is okay but doesn't quite scratch the old itch right.

How do people feel about Dream Pod 9s Silhoeutte system? It certainly supports vehicles and mecha. I played a bit of Gear Krieg once and it ran okay.

My Galaxies In Shadow system does ships and mechs, from a primarily tactical stand point, I find it easier to move from tactical detail to narrative detail than it is to go the other way. http://www.uncouthsavage.com/uploads/1/3/3/2/133279619/gisgrfx.pdf

I mostly write my own games so, I mostly get my wishes but I sure would like GURPS Vehicles for fourth edition and the Spacemaster Privateers setting books.

 

[Toadmaster]

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

View attachment 45977

Yeah it seems like all games with "hero" vehicles suffers from this problem, hard to keep an equal focus on both the machinery and the meat, one part always suffers. Was definitely an issue with Car Wars as well.

 

[Godfather Punk]

My RPG wish is for a game based on the mechanics of James Bond 007, but generalised to be able to handle a wide range or mysteries, thrillers, capers, espionage, clandestine action, cliffhangers, Westerns and so on — genres in which the player character have and rely upon the abilities of realistic humans.

20 years ago I started cooking something up for Indiana Jones, with Archeology replacing Connoiseur, and a different scale for the weapons and vehicles*, and ... then I had to translate it from brain to paper, which is where it all stalled...

(*This was probably also the last time I got physical books out of the library, to check planes and cars' performance in the 1930's)

 

[AsenRG]

I want the perfected ur-Exalted, which has all the Charms and zaniness and magic pizazz of the first two editions, but with a smoother, more streamlined system. That's not wedded to OSR mechanics, like Godbound.

Does Exalted Essence fit this bill? It looks promising but I don't trust anything from Onyx Path.

Well, that's why I'm looking at the Exalted Essence option for late backing, at any rate...
It seems to be fitting the bill, at least.

 

[Nobby-W]

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

View attachment 45977

I feel that would largely defeat the point of a mecha game, though. Really, what mecha fans want is to play angsty teens having epic battles in giant robots.

Change my mind.

 

[Sharrow]

I'm a fan of GURPS Vehicles and Fire, Fusion, and Steel so, I'm certainly a gear head. GURPS Spaceships is okay but doesn't quite scratch the old itch right.

I love Spaceships for quickly putting together ship concepts, but I know what you mean. It just doesn't have quite enough detail, quote enough crunch.

 

[Shipyard Locked]

My RPG wishes are:

- For the aliens from Star Frontiers get another shot at the limelight.

- That the 2nd edition of 7th Sea had been a straightforward update/upgrade, instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

- For the official 5e (6e?) version of D20 Modern, with some cleanup.

- That New World of Darkness 2nd edition (Chronicles of Darkness) had not added so much pointless mechanical complexity.

- That Demon: The Descent had been more thoroughly playtested for actual human use.

- That Legend of the Five Rings hadn't switched to stupid proprietary dice.

- That Te Deum Pour Un Massacre was available on DrivethruRPG.

 

[Nobby-W]

My RPG wishes are:

- For the aliens from Star Frontiers get another shot at the limelight.

What were your favourite aliens from Star Frontiers, and why?
On second thoughts - Dralasites . . . Love of bad puns. Sold!

 

[Mankcam]

Regarding Chaosium, I have a love/hate thing going on here. I love what they do, but IMO they have also made some unfortunate misteps as well.
Call of Cthulhu 7E should of kept core characteristics at their usual scope (3D6) like they are in every other BRP game.
RuneQuest: Adventures In Glorantha should have been continued using Mythras as per original plan!
MagicWorld should have been rebooted (perhaps under the title "Magick Wyrld') and have a dark fairy tale flavour setting

Tunnels & Trolls needs to be much more visible with a wider range of group-play scenarios. This game has been around for 40 years or so, and has only changed marginally since it's inception. Something works well in this wacky old-school fantasy game, it's very straight forward yet highly flexible. It never seems to entirely go away, but it's a long way from the spotlight like it's contemporary D&D always is.
Much more appealing to me than most of the D&D editions out there.

Regarding Fate Core: Evil Hat should of rebooted the Spirit of the Century line for Fate Core, sitting alongside Shadow of the Century. Some supplement books for them both would have been good. Kerebus Club also needed to be updated for Fate Core, and Monster of the Week could have also been done using Fate Core. Maybe a Fate Core version of something like Kids On Bikes as well.
Not sure why Evil Hat switched a focus to PbtA when they already had a system that covers this kind of thing, they just diffuse their market by doing both Fate Core and PbtA. I also think Evil Hat should return to the pulpy vibe they were initially known for, and stop making 'statement' games as they currently do.

More Everywhen!
Great system, it really needs to be promoted better. BoL is getting known to an extent, but this system is straight-forward and flexible enough to be spread across a wide range of settings. Perhaps the trick for Everywhen would be having some genre/setting books like Rollicking Pulp Adventure (aka Indy Jones), High Octane Action Hero, or Covert Espionage

More Tricube Tales!
I love this little set of rules, verylite, loose, and flexible - perfect for pulpy rollicking action games.
However the current core rules book is barely more than a thick pamphlet. I'ld love to see it expanded just a bit more, and with grood production values.
Good quality printing and artwork goes a long way when making an impression, and the current cottage-production means this game is hardly known or accepted as an legitimate rpg. However it's once of the best little systems I have come across, very adaptable for any setting just as long as it's a loose pulpy tone.
I can envision it perhaps as a slim little hardcover digest sized core rules book, with about half the page count of Fate Core or Blades In The Dark.
No bloat, just keep it straight-forward and rules-lite, but just have a little bit more meat-on-the-bone

More Mythras!
Regarding Dark Sun and Planescape; If WotC don't do D&D 5E versions, give them to TDM to do them with Mythras! Especially Dark Sun.
Regarding Conan and The Witcher: Yes, you guessed it - they also should be using Mythras!

 

[Nobby-W]

Mythras Glorantha Runequest II should have been continued!

There. FTFY.

 

[PolarBlues]

A.C.E. (Awfully Cheerful Engine - generic engine based on Ghostbusters ): This is something I'd long wanted to see. I've not taken it out for a spin yet as I busy with other roleplaying projected, but I think they got the execution right, down to the comicbook format for the print copy. I think that's a tick off my rpg wish list.

WEG Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game: Sticking with D6 games, this is one regret not get at the time. I'm fine with the WEG 1st edition Star Wars, so I don't feel the need to chase this aggressively or pay a premium for a battered second hand copy, but an even simple WEG Star Wars with cards and props is something I am sure would get used.

Cartoon Action Hour 4th edition: I think CAH is underated. In a way does much of the work of Fate with less effort and jargon. The Setback Tokens system for damage is brilliant, one of the cleanest abstractions for damage I've ever seen (Fate's Consequence & and (occasionally multiple) Stress Tracks feel laboured by comparison). I do however struggle with both Attributes and Qualities being free-form, it turns into a lot of work for the GM when creating NPCs. Also the presentation could use work.

But the ultimate dream which no one but me would like to see is.
Marvel using the original ICONS rules (no Great Power or Assebemble, though the Team Up is OK), illustarted like the better animated series such as Avengers Earth MIghtiest Heroes.

 

[Shipyard Locked]

What were your favourite aliens from Star Frontiers, and why?

The original four (dralasite, vrusk, yazirian, sathar).

Superior to the typical "rubber-forehead alien", They were just strange enough to be interesting, but not so strange as to be difficult to play. They covered a good range of archetypes, had a Star Wars vibe without being Star Wars, and made for a tight little set. Future expansions added pointless aliens, so I forget about them.

 

[Nobby-W]

The original four (dralasite, vrusk, yazirian, sathar).

Superior to the typical "rubber-forehead alien", They were just strange enough to be interesting, but not so strange as to be difficult to play. They covered a good range of archetypes, had a Star Wars vibe without being Star Wars, and made for a tight little set. Future expansions added pointless aliens, so I forget about them.

I think that's the key to designing aliens to be played as characters. They need a handful of playable and/or relatable gimmicks, but you can't really do 'incomprehensibly alien' in a species that's intended for someone to play.

 

[Ossian]

My RPG wish is to play Dungeon Crawl Classics with the lead singer of a power metal band as the Judge/GM. For glory! Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

 

[The Butcher]

Great thread idea.

Usually I’d say something something Rifts but nowadays I’m not so sure.

My RPG wish would be for Warhammer Fantasy RolePlay to get a complete OSR overhaul. And by that I mean an epic trimming down of the rules and a reformatting / new layout of the fluff and adventures.


It kills me because in theory wfrp ticks all my boxes, but when when I sit down to read the materials I immediately zone out.

Information is hidden in walls of text or spread out. Not to mention the font style and size 4e uses just makes my eyes water.

Zweihänder could have been this but instead it mutated into some kind of horrifying shoggoth rule set with a thousand screaming mouths.

That art, tho.

In the meantime — have you ever looked at WFRP 2nd edition? My favorite rules-wise by a long stretch. I’d love to give it a retro-clone treatment, if only I had the time.

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

View attachment 45977

This guy animes.

The Green Lantern Corps RPG. There are a lot of really nice superhero RPGs out there that can model a single Green Lantern very nicely-- but I want a game that can model 4-6 different lanterns (from the same and/or different corps) in a satisfying way over the course of a full-length campaign.

Otherwise, there's just a whole lot of types of game that already exist... that I just want more of.

Given the very similar capabilities between each GL I dare say we’d be venturing into narrativistic territory here. (Part of me wanted to write “Dogs In The Vineyard hack/reskin” but that is so 2005.)

Regarding Chaosium: Call of Cthulhu 7E should of kept core characteristics at their usual scope (3D6) like they are in every other BRP game.
RuneQuest: Adventures In Glorantha should have been continued using Mythras as per original plan!
MagicWorld should have been rebooted (under the title "Magick World') and have a dark fairy tale flavour setting

Regarding Fate Core: Evil Hat should of rebooted the Spirit of the Century line for Fate Core, sitting alongside Shadow of the Century. Some supplement books for them both would have been good. Kerebus Club also needed to be updated for Fate Core, and Monster of the Week should have been done using Fate Core. Evil Hat should return to the pulpy vibe they were initially known for, and stop making 'statement' games as they currently do.

Regarding Flying Buffalo: Tunnels & Trolls needs to be much more visible with a wider range of group-play scenarios

More Mythras!
Regarding Dark Sun and Planescape; If WotC don't do D&D 5E versions, give them to TDM to do them with Mythras! Especially Dark Sun.
Regarding Conan and The Witcher: Yes, you guessed it - they also should be using Mythras!

Conan is a no-brainer really. And to think Mongoose had a new, triple-statted line pitch (d20, MRQII, Savage Worlds).

And Dark Sun! Again, if I had the time, I’d write the conversion. Or better still, write and publish a Dark-Sun-with-serial-numbers-filed-off Mythras Gateway setting.

My RPG wish is to play Dungeon Crawl Classics with the lead singer of a power metal band as the Judge/GM. For glory! Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

It’s a good one but I’d rather play Against the Dark Master with the power metal band, and DCC (or ACKS, or Mythras) with a stoner metal band. Get me J. D. Cronise (frontman for The Sword) as GM.

 

[AsenRG]

My RPG wishes are:

(...)

- That Demon: The Descent had been more thoroughly playtested for actual human use.

You mean it's not meant to be played by demons?

 

[Shipyard Locked]

I think that's the key to designing aliens to be played as characters. They need a handful of playable and/or relatable gimmicks, but you can't really do 'incomprehensibly alien' in a species that's intended for someone to play.

And as a bonus, they feel completely distinct from the fantasy lineup of elf, dwarf, halfling, orc. It's such a shame they aren't public domain.

Shit, maybe that's my wish: for Star Frontiers's aliens to be public domain.

 

[Nobby-W]

And as a bonus, they feel completely distinct from the fantasy lineup of elf, dwarf, halfling, orc. It's such a shame they aren't public domain.

Shit, maybe that's my wish: for Star Frontiers's aliens to be public domain.

I don't really like using fantasy races either. About the only thing I've done along that line was a deconstruction of the space ork trope, which was a bit of a nod to the Mangalores from the Fifth Element.

 

[Chaotic Wooster]

I wish for...

- An end to editions that are entirely new rulesets.

- A (non-narrative) superhero game that is acknowledged by DC and Marvel (and any other publisher you like) so they all stop trying to make their own all the damn time.

- Call of Cthulhu to stop being oversized and overpriced multi-book supplements for an inferior system.

- Core books to be written well, concisely, edited, playtested, indexed and as small as they can be. NO game needs 300-400+ page rule books. None.

 

[David Johansen]

I've probably shared the anecdote a million times about the time we did mechs with GURPS Vehicles and I screwed up and dropped a zero off the damage for the missiles it was 840 dice not 84.

I did a bit of a Star Frontiers knockoff, last year, just for fun, mostly to show a friend how you could go about rubbing the serial numbers off things. My Star Frontiers wish would be a hard back reprint with some minimal tweaks like skills having one rating based on stat /2 +10 per rank and unconsciousness at 1/2 Stamina. Oh and some military vehicles and heavy weapons in the core.

 

[Psychopomp]

Does Exalted Essence fit this bill? It looks promising but I don't trust anything from Onyx Path.

Maybe. I backed. My first pass through the backer document, I saw a lot of changes I heartily agree with, and some I'm leery of. For example, I'm all for cutting the skill list back to about 15 skills, but I don't know that the attributes needed to be cut back to three approaches. I've long thought there was a lot of extraneous skills in the game to meet the '5 skills per 5 castes' formatting, but I still would like to have a distinction between forcefully trying something with Strength, Charisma, or Intelligence, y'know?

The charms and how Universal Charms have tweaks for some Exalt types looks great, and the 3e withering/decisive system has been divorced from Initiative. Basically, resolution of my complaints that it's a video game combat engine running a CCG-based exception power system, but with dice and a GM - instead of, you know, a computer - to run things at the tabletop. But as you said, it's still Onyx Path. Their stewardship of old White Wolf properties has been...well, disappointing to me, for the most part. This tempers my optimism on any project they undertake, these days.

Also, it's not rules lite - don't let anyone fool you on that front. It's about as rules-heavy as Exalted 2e. But, that's loads better than straight 3e, and most of the changes seem to be geared towards making it easier to run/arbitrate on the fly - a vast improvement over the turkey of an edition OPP has been slowly squeezing out via Kickstarter and now (I surmise due to the new rules against having too many unresolved KS projects going at once) IndieGoGo.

So, a better, playable Exalted, yes, but I'm not sold on Essence being the Ur-Exalted I mentioned. I'll reserve a final judgement on that until I have my finalized, print copy to see how it comes out after playtesting and editing.

 

[Endless Flight]

My RPG wish was getting a good G.I.Joe RPG. That didn’t happen.

 

[Jenx]

I've got a few for the wish list.

One is Crimson Skies: the RPG

Derring do, wiseguys, pulp, Nazis, femme fatales and everything in between. I don't mean a knock off or numbers filed off but an actual RPG with mechanics for dogfighting that make it interesting and fast fun and art along the lines of the board and video games. Whilst I'm at it a new video game would be nice and a decent/high budget HBO series set in an 'America that never was'.

One can wish/dream. *sigh*

 

[Shipyard Locked]

- An end to editions that are entirely new rulesets.

Is there anything more frustrating, more exploitative that this practice in our hobby? What is it with this industry never learning the lesson of New Coke?

 

[Picaroon Jack]

I've got a few for the wish list.

One is Crimson Skies: the RPG

Derring do, wiseguys, pulp, Nazis, femme fatales and everything in between. I don't mean a knock off or numbers filed off but an actual RPG with mechanics for dogfighting that make it interesting and fast fun and art along the lines of the board and video games. Whilst I'm at it a new video game would be nice and a decent/high budget HBO series set in an 'America that never was'.

One can wish/dream. *sigh*

I had a Crimson Skies setting for Warbirds all prepped and ready to go and my players said they didn't want to play pilots. "Oh. Okay then."

Have you given Warbirds a look?

 

[Torque2100]

The elusive Mecha game that has streamlined rules for gameplay both in and out of the mech.

So about that. The Savage Worlds sci-fi companion has some actually pretty decent rules for Mecha. SW has the added bonus of being one of the few RPGs I know that can handle both personal scale and vehicle scale combat without bogging down, as well as allow you to run combats the size of an average 40k game.

There's also Mekton Zeta
*ducks to avoid a hail of rotten fruit and bricks*
Yes, the Mecha construction rules are a horrifying, head-crushing mass of poorly organized systems. HOWEVER, once you get the mecha creation out of the way, the actual mecha combat rules are pretty streamlined and fun.

I had a Crimson Skies setting for Warbirds all prepped and ready to go and my players said they didn't want to play pilots. "Oh. Okay then."

Have you given Warbirds a look?

I have given Warbirds a look, in fact I wrote up rules for creating Crimson Skies pilot stats in the Warbirds ruleset. I'd be eager to see what you have written up for Crimson Skies.


For me, my pie in the sky RPG wish would be for a Highlander TRPG based on the 90's TV show. Maybe something using Storyteller or WEG D6. A game that emphasizes fast-action, dramatic sword fighting and roleplay. Systematizing The Quickening would be a challenge, but I'd be eager to see how the authors could pick through different sources.

 

[Picaroon Jack]

So about that. The Savage Worlds sci-fi companion has some actually pretty decent rules for Mecha. SW has the added bonus of being one of the few RPGs I know that can handle both personal scale and vehicle scale combat without bogging down, as well as allow you to run combats the size of an average 40k game.

There's also Mekton Zeta
*ducks to avoid a hail of rotten fruit and bricks*
Yes, the Mecha construction rules are a horrifying, head-crushing mass of poorly organized systems. HOWEVER, once you get the mecha creation out of the way, the actual mecha combat rules are pretty streamlined and fun.


I have given Warbirds a look, in fact I wrote up rules for creating Crimson Skies pilot stats in the Warbirds ruleset. I'd be eager to see what you have written up for Crimson Skies.


For me, my pie in the sky RPG wish would be for a Highlander TRPG based on the 90's TV show. Maybe something using Storyteller or WEG D6. A game that emphasizes fast-action, dramatic sword fighting and roleplay. Systematizing The Quickening would be a challenge, but I'd be eager to see how the authors could pick through different sources.

I just sent you a direct message with some details.

 

[Klibbix!]

I wish for a:

1) Build-your-own-unique-Vampire rpg that tends more towards, "bloodthirsty horrors" and not angst, with a wide variety of tools to design your own vampire mythos, historical (or ahistorical) sandbox and occult-supernatural factions. Maybe Kevin Crawford will make this for me one day...

2) An RPG based off of the Amnesia: The Dark Descent series of games, with a vast expansion of the lore and a real pretty coffee-table style spread of new art.

 

[Jenx]

I had a Crimson Skies setting for Warbirds all prepped and ready to go and my players said they didn't want to play pilots. "Oh. Okay then."

Have you given Warbirds a look?

I will. I was aware of the game but would have hoped for an official game with all the art, background fluff etc that goes with it. Marketed right it would be a million + kickstarter with RPG, boardgame, add ons etc...

I'd be interested to hear/see of any notes/ideas for a conversion/reskin for Crimson Skies...

 

[Picaroon Jack]

I will. I was aware of the game but would have hoped for an official game with all the art, background fluff etc that goes with it. Marketed right it would be a million + kickstarter with RPG, boardgame, add ons etc...

I'd be interested to hear/see of any notes/ideas for a conversion/reskin for Crimson Skies...

Sure thing, I sent you some materials.

 

[Gabriel]

There's also Mekton Zeta
*ducks to avoid a hail of rotten fruit and bricks*
Yes, the Mecha construction rules are a horrifying, head-crushing mass of poorly organized systems. HOWEVER, once you get the mecha creation out of the way, the actual mecha combat rules are pretty streamlined and fun.

Or, you could back up an edition and just use Mekton II without the Techbook. The construction system there is simple. Personal combat and mech fights use the same rules.

 

[Skarg]

My ideal would be . . . oh wait, I already have that in my house rules for GURPS & TFT . . . ok, well I'd want it to be published and have more resources than I've made for it. Basically a "Powered by GURPS" system that focuses on my play style, which is focused on normal humans doing tactical-combat, omits the GURPS rules about super-heroes and cinematic rules, and develops some of the rougher rules areas that come up fairly frequently in my games, like climbing, bashing people with doors, travel, and quick and relatively easy USEFUL vehicle rules, so not designing them from scratch but examples and ranges of values, and playable but simulationist rules for racing, chasing, ramming, sideswiping, running people over, people fighting on and inside moving vehicles, etc.