Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Simplifying Things

I'm going to avoid any long diatribe on the why, but just put this out for the moment....seven game systems I ought to be playing more of. I've got four givens: Mothership, Cypher System, D&D 5E and Call of Cthulhu, all are logical systems and fun to play that cater well to my style and level of depth, even if I have some caveats with D&D 5th. The ones I put on this list are:

GURPS - it really is easy once you get in to it, but you need a group that is relaxed and devoted to the process of understanding that the initial sense of complexity is an illusion, and controllable.

BRP and/or OpenQuest 3 (okay that's two systems, but they are very close, as is Delta Green).

Cyberpunk Red - a system I should invest time in, and clearly indicative of my lack of time/lack of devotion due to age and other life demands stealing away that desire I once had to absorb large rulebooks and new games.

D&D 3/3.5, the only collection on my shelf that generates enthusiasm and waves of nostalgia all at once.

13th Age, a game I feel suffers only from the Icon System being tough to keep up with sometimes.

Savage Worlds - I don't really give enough credit for how fun this one is to play.

Traveller - always a staple, and the best go-to for basic SF.


Anyway.....things not on this list that I feel like I should question more include Starfinder and Pathfinder. Must think about this. Would the effort it takes for me to continue to run, immerse myself in the books, and try to achieve GM level system mastery of these games really be of benefit to me at age 51, or would I have more genuine fun just running, say, D&D 5E with some space-fantasy supplements, or Traveller, or heck even just "Savage Worlds Pathfinder edition?"

I think I already know the answer. 


(Footnote....I'll be honest, I think maybe I should have just said we should continue using OSE and tried harder to find an OSR supplement that I could crib some scifi stuff from. That sounds like 1,000 times easier and more compelling to me right now than having to re-read and re-learn Starfinder again).

2 comments:

  1. To quote from your own blog “[for OSR] you can choose … Stars Without Number. Strange Stars provides a sourcebook conversion for use with SWN.”

    SJB

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    1. True, that is an option. I think I posted later about my actual playthrough with SWN and why I found it less suitable for what I like in an SF system, but truth is....it could work well in conjunction with OSE as a toolkit, at least.

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