System recommendations thread

>>46005716
>What's a good system for playing as Metal Slug-like mech pilots?
Robotech, or the related Palladium systems which deal with mecha stuff
Mekton would also be worth a look

GURPS.

You could pull it off with basic.

I have a friend who wants to run a D&D game but can't choose between 4e or 5e. What are the benefits or drawbacks to each?

I am zero useful because all of my D20 experience is with 3.X

>>46005780
run 4e because its closer to 0d&d

>>46005780

>4e benefits:
Almost as far away from 3.5 as Basic is if you don't like 3.5

Good for basically running dungeons as a wargame if you're into that sort of thing

More material written for it than 5e at the moment

Rules are pretty well categorized

Alignments aren't a thing if you don't like alignments

>4e cons:

If you like 3.5 you probably won't like 4e

Setting material is bland as hell

Alignments are dumbed down if you like alignments

Fights can sometimes go on for way too long

>5e benefits:

It's like 3.5 with a lot less rules

Old settings were brought back

First edition to actually bother with giving you backstory rules and reward you for roleplaying.

Bonuses are simplified

Alignments are back if you like alignments

>5e cons:

There's not much written for it at the moment.

It's a mash up of a bunch of different editions without really innovating that much outside of the bonus simplifications

Alignments are back if you don't like alignments

Best "have you tried not playing D&D" system?

>>46006447
Depends on what you want to play.

>>46006500
Hmm lets say general fantasy adventuring- bit of hex/dungeon crawl, bit of actual character development and rping etc. I know still very general but thats what I looking for really

>>46006582
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e or Burning Wheel.

>>46005744
GURPS Basic doesn't have robots?

>>46005780
>4e
+balance
+straightforward
+compatible with the last Gamma World
+lots of crazy options for PCs (Vryloka Vampire Vampire)
-HP bloat in earlier splats
-mechanically, most of the classes feel samey
-combat can still be a slog as it was in 3.X
-not many useful out-of-combat rules (like 3.X to be honest familia)
-lots of crazy options for PCs (Vryloka Vampire Vampire)


>5e
+polished 3.5
+larger potential playerbase
+apparently easy to convert 2e and older modules
+less intraparty imbalance
-polished 3.5
-less material available than either 3.X or 4e

>>46006582
>general fantasy adventuring
High lethality or low lethality?

>>46006597
Interesting. I've been looking at burning wheel actually but I get conflicting messages about how well it handles dungeoncrawling/sandbox sort of stuff because there is that old skool burning wheel pdf which has advice but then it seems to be focused on creating a world to challenge the players beliefs rather than creating a world that lives and breathes on its own. Ill look into warhammer though cheers.

>>46006713
In that case you'd want Torchbearer which is Burning Wheel crossed with old school roleplaying.

I want to do a dungeon crawling style game without too complicated or too slow combat. I have been looking at shadow of the demon liar but I'm not sure if it really is what I'm looking for

>>46006847
Barbarians of Lemuria.

>>46006447
Narrative system, Dungeon World. It's the closest thing to D&D with all of the content being made for it.

Crunchy system, GURPS

>>46006684
>general fantasy adventuring
>High lethality or low lethality?

The sort of lethality where you are playing as fairly normal people - monsters will kill you if you aren't clever - but if you were to, say, get in a fight with a knight you would be able to judge if he's too hard for you to take on during the fight but before he's just killed you. So like fairly realistic power level but few 1HK's

>>46006942
Then Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e should be perfect for you.

>>46007028
cheers

Are there any good actual play texts, videos or podcasts of GURP?

Interested in the system but I want to see it in play before runing it.

>>46007081
Tons of people play GURPS so you shouldn't have any trouble finding game logs, but nobody plays just straight "GURPS", since the system was made to be generic as hell the name GURPS is more or less an umbrella term for a ton of games all with (mostly) compatible rules. For example, if you wanted to run a dungeon crawler you'd use the Dungeon Fantasy line. If you wanted to run a semi realistic sci-fi game you'd use one of the best lines GURPS has in my opinion, the Transhuman Space line.

That being said if you want to run GURPS your best option would be GURPS Light which has the easiest to learn rules.

That being said I personally think GURPS as a whole is terrible, and you'd be better off using the shitload of books out there as references for the sheer number of things they have statted.

>>46006582
>>46006713
Lamentations of the Flame Princess, with prehaps a dash of modding. Tight, quick pick up OSR with an emphasis on horror/weird fantasy and actually enjoyable rules for encumberance and early firearms.

The guy who makes it is a bit of a nutter, but the modules they make range from interesting ideas to god-tier.

The rules and some excellent sample adventures are free on the website

>>46006582

>Hex

ACKS. Its OSR so it might be too D&D for what you're looking for.

>Dungeon

Torchbearer.

Donjon is really overlooked.

Earthdawn.

>>46006582
The GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy series might be worth a look if you're after relatively high lethality dungeoncrawling.
At minimum you'll need DF1: Adventurers (player's handbook), DF2: Dungeons (DM guide, basically) and the Basic Set - check the general threads for the link to the MEGA pdf archive.

Good books to take a further look at would be DF8: Treasure Tables (an excessive number of random loot tables with enchantments, decorations, sparkly stuff and dangly bits included), Magic (massively expanded list of spells, notoriously imbalanced however) and Martial Arts (gives More Things for the martial types to do).

Dungeon Magic:Magical Styles is a personal favourite but not necessary unless you like the idea of magic being separated into distinct schools; nerfs wizards by making them more like clerics too (ie restricting their access to spells outside of their magical school)

>>46006684
GURPS Basic DOES have robots. I don't have the book in front of me, but look under Meta-Traits.

>>46005716
GURPS. (3e books listed here are mostly compatible with 4e, 3e=>4e was mostly improvements, not a completely different game)
3e Mecha if you're in a wapanese mood.
3e Robots for easier mechanical "characters" than Vehicles, just multiply HP/damage/DR by 10 or 100 and tweak their size.
3e Vehicles because it's so fucking good.
4e Asparagus for down time.
4e Tactical Shooting for squad tactics.
4e High Tech for a lot of modern-day equipment.
3e/4e Ultra Tech for when it's needed, but IIRC, not thaaat much with Metal Slug.

Don't forget:
Decade/century scale to place mechs on a different level from mere mortals.
Don't use the whole books, srsly, pick what looks good to you, ditch the rest.
The optional, better Tactics skill roll. (The leaders of the two formations both roll a quick contest of Tactics, the one who rolls best gets to place his troops at will and gains skill rerolls for his troops and himself, one per point of difference in the QC)
Gun-Fu's simplified range (0-5 yards, 0 penalty except the close combat one, 6-20 yards -3, 21-100 yards -7, 101-500 yards -11, 501+ yards -15)
And that GURPS defaults to future combat where EW, tactics, camouflage and surprise matter more than raw firepower, with smart electronics out the ass and guns that can basically shoot themselves.

>>46010085
It does too. You really don't need more than the Basic Set if you're not willing.

I'm looking for a system that can support a custom sci-fi setting rather well. Right now I've just been using 4e to develop it because it's the only one I know, but I'd rather switch to a system that gives me a little more freedom.

>mecha piloting
Battle Century G, Chromestrike, or go home

>>46010284
GURPS was made for that.

>>46011043
That's what I figured, but I wanted to make sure. Thanks.

>>46010284
What type? What are you looking for?

>>46005716
Mekton Z is your best bet. Simpler than GURPS 3e and Robotech.

>>46010284
Depends on your setting. If your game is about being a freelance crew picking up odd jobs there's Traveller. If your game is big on adventure there's OpenD6 space. If you want to try your hand at a diceless game there's Sufficiently Advanced. If your game is meant to be played like D&D there's Stars Without Number.

>>46010284
On this note, are there any really good setting books to take a look at? I'm also creating my own setting (it's fantasy rather than sci-fi) and I want to make a setting book for it. Don't care about the system, I just need some inspiration for what I need to write up.