The quality of ttRPGs varies wildly depending on what you want out of a game. Here are my two cents on the systems that I've played over the years.
Obligatory D&D Review (3.5/PF/4E, no opinion on 2E and 1E due to their need for player interpretation and houseruling)
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder are horribly unbalanced messes due to poor balance. Wizards, clerics, and druids utterly dominate the later game, leaving most martial classes in the dust once your levels hit double digits. There's also the fact that developers rarely released errata, if ever, especially in Pathfinder's case, where the devs explicitly stated on the forums that they were unwilling to release such, even to fix glaring issues with the system. Paizo, PF's parent company, is also rather dodgy in terms of PR due to jackasses like Sean K Reynolds knowing absolutely nothing about numerical balance or fixing the true issues with the system (See: item crafting, Monks, most martial classes). The ubiquity of 3.5/PF material, however, makes them a decent gateway to the hobby.
D&D 4E is far better balanced in terms of classes. Martials are quite viable and fun, and the class dynamics are very MMORPG-esque. Your mileage may vary regarding the room left over for RPing, but a good GM and party will figure out a way. I personally believe that combat is very cerebral and tactical. Movement and placement are big in this game, as is judicious use of healing surges, dailies, and encounter powers. My biggest gripe with 4E is, again, numbers. Monster stats for the first two Monster Manuals often made enemies walking bags of HP with high defenses, making early game combat a chore. MM3 fixed this, however. Another problem I have is the utter blandness of the settings available to D&D. Eberron and Dark Sun are interesting, although Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and the generic Points of Light are all rather stale. That said, if you enjoy generic Western high fantasy, D&D is a good choice. No opinion on D&D Next, though. I haven't gotten a look at their latest version of that yet.
Shadowrun
Do you enjoy cyberpunk? Then pick Shadowrun. Think fast, shoot straight, conserve ammunition, and never, ever cut a deal with a dragon. SR is fun if you're a tech and gearhead, due to the ridiculous amount of different item types (different ammo, different gun manufacturers, different types of cybernetic implants, etc). Near-future, dark, and quite interesting due to its blend of fantasy and magic with the concrete jungles and advanced technology of the late 2000s. Quite fun, but a bit dice-heavy. You'll roll a LOT of d6s here. In my experience, it's also very numbers- and optimization-heavy what with the wealth of guns, mods, magic, cyberware, and decks you'll find.
Warhammer
Do you want grimdark and simple dice mechanics? Go for Warhammer Fantasy RP (except 3E, which was largely regarded as ass) or the various Warhammer 40,000 games. Roll-under rules mean that you just have to roll under a specific target number (usually the associated stats +/- modifiers). Easy to get into, but with a lot of feats and characteristics and such to keep gameplay interesting. WHFRP is great for dark, lethal low fantasy games. You can actually die from an infected pitchfork wound here. It's that kind of game. Haven't played enough to get a detailed review in, but it's quite fun and the setting is far more enjoyable than D&D's.
40k takes every sci-fi cliche in the book, throws in some fantasy, chainsaws, skulls ,and cocaine, and sets the whole thing on fire. Dark Heresy, the most popular of this line, is hilariously lethal. It's possible to lose the entire party in your first combat encounter because the psychic exploded into a daemon. Players are agents of the Imperium of Man's Inquisition, tasked with finding, studying, and destroying threats deep in the darkest corners of the galaxy. Dark, versatile, and full of espionage and investigation whether you want to fight humans, filthy xenos (PURGE THE TAU), or eldritch horrors. Deathwatch sticks players in the role of Space Marines, the Imperium's greatest super-soldiers as they travel across the galaxy bench-pressing tanks, spitting acid, and punching monsters. If you enjoy being a space cop/warrior monk, go for this. Just be aware that balance is iffy due to the high power levels of the PCs and enemies. Rogue Trader can be summed up in three words: Pimps IN SPACE. Spacefaring trade, ridiculous wallet sizes, and all the high adventure you could need in a future where hyperspace is literal Space Hell. Only War is a more militant version of this system, putting players in the boots of human soldiers rather than agents or supermen or pimps. A novel buddy system grants most PC classes a minor NPC redshirt ally who provides bonuses like lugging ammo or comm gear, or at least extra guns. Still hilariously lethal, but with some rule tweaks to make things more streamlined. Black Crusade is eeeevil Dark Heresy and Deathwatch. If you like praising the Ruinous Powers of Chaos, committing atrocities, and backstabbing your friends, play BC for a good time.
The critical hit tables in each game are also endless fun. Dark Heresy has a crit result in which the victim's femur superheats and explodes with the force and damage of a frag grenade. Your players will die. A lot. But it will be hilarious.
Exalted
I'll say it now. I'm a huge fanboy of the system. I love the fluff and the world and the ridiculous power levels. This is the only system where you can reliably say "I am no mere god" and in which the average late-game PC can seduce mountains and suplex a living black hole. The Fae eat souls. There is a martial art dedicated to handheld flamethrowers. Robot demigods have martial arts dedicated to chainsaws and lightsabers. The literal sun of the setting isn't a sun, but a giant golden mech that knows celestial kung-fu. Influences from numerous cultures are to be seen here, whether it's Classical or Oriental or whatever. It is crazy awesome.
In fact, crazy awesome can be weaponized in the form of bonus dice. For creatively-described actions that don't fit in the standard "move, attack, speak", GMs can award a player with bonus dice to spend on the ensuing skill check, encouraging players to go hog-wild with their powers. Character abilities and creation are quite open-ended, allowing you to play almost any archetype with style. Shapeshifting brawlers, bureaucrat Fate ninjas, element-bending artificers, and dudes who can kill you with a sternly-worded letter are among the many, many kinds of characters you can build.
Of course, it's got problems, too. Exalted's mechanics are an absolute chore for the uninitiated, requiring lots of dice, rulebook consultation, and back-and-forth between PCs and enemies. Rules as written can often be broken, rendering at least one entire caste of Exalts (Dawn Caste Solars) utterly pointless without errata. Certain martial arts and XP purchases are utterly useless. Writing quality varies due to the presence of freelancers in the writing staff, many of whom are absolute rubbish. There are plenty of things that are tasteless, even given the risque nature of actual myths. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll abound, which is great, but if you read parts of the Infernals splatbook (and Sidereals and Lunars and the Return of the Scarlet Empress adventure book), you'll see why there's so much vitriol regarding some of the staff. Gameplay is overwhelmingly focused on Perfect Defenses, which allow players to effortlessly and consistently survive otherwise fatal attacks for a pittance of mote points (the mana equivalent), dragging fights out for a while. Regular attacks are also ridiculously lethal, so basically, it's PD-or-die, which can get boring after a while, even with an engaging party and GM.
However, don't let that stop you. Houserules, enthusiasm, creativity, and a rich world make any campaign fun, and Exalted has a hell of a setting. It's just that the mechanics are ass in both current editions of the game. However, 3rd Edition is on the way! Get HYPE!
Edge of the Empire/Age of Rebellion/Force and Destiny (F&D unreleased)
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, one company dared to make a Star Wars RPG. That company's name is Fantasy Flight Games and sweet Emperor's knickers, this game is great. Dice mechanics are a bit odd, as the game uses dice with icons for "success", "failure", "advantage", etc. rather than standard numerical dice. However, there are conversion tables so this shouldn't be a big issue and once you get playing, it all feels very fluid and streamlined. Players are encouraged to come up with their own combat advantages and placement when they move or roll advantage/triumph marks, allowing the whole group to contribute to the adventure. Gameplay feels very cinematic and heroic, capturing the movies' feel almost perfectly.
Space combat? Yeah, it's there, and by gum, it is fun. The vehicle list is pretty much tech porn for the Star Wars fans out there, featuring various YT-series freighters (including the famous YT-1300), Star Destroyers, starfighters (motherfrakking TIE DEFENDERS), and mods. Weapon are varied, as are the alien species available for play. The only thing EotE lacks is Jedi, and for good reason. You're playing in the Classic Era, and Force talent in this time period requires considerable investments of XP, which can often be better spent on your class perks. The upcoming Force and Destiny supplement, however, should remedy that. But hey, who needs Jedi when you can play almost every other archetype in the 'verse? Ace pilot? That's a class. Squadron leader? Yub yub, Commander. Wookiee brawler? RAAAARGH. Bounty Hunter? Yes. Smuggler? Just remember to shoot first. This is the definitive Star Wars RPG for the modern age. The d20 and Saga versions were full of awkward rules and balance, and West End Games' d6, while great, no longer has any company support due to WEG's bankruptcy. EotE is fresh, fun, and so very, very good. Just be careful about cash. Too much money and your players will be murdering battalions of stormtroopers with pimped out gear very quickly.
FATAL
No.
Bill & Ted's Excellent RPG
4chan homebrew. Quick, simple, and fun for beer and pretzels sessions. It's archived somewhere. Be excellent, and party on, dudes.
Statistics: Posted by Specious — Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:32 pm