Thought: a slow series (maybe once every few months so it doesn't take over normal content) on this topic (varying between overviews and deep dives) would be good. Playing different RPGs helps you play even your favorite better, but most get stuck in a rut and it slowly narrows their perspective of what RPGs can do.
I absolutely love FFG's Star Wars system(s) - Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, Force & Destiny. Have you guys played one of these? What did you think of them?
How about older versions of D&D (before WotC changed how the game works or feels) that do not resemble the power gaming version that WotC has put out there. You can still buy them of pdf, a POD copy, or find an original copy for sale. The game plays much differently while seeming familiar in that the game has actual consequences for choices with player selections. The only thing the older editions share with the new versions of the game is names and a passing cosmetic familiarity, but when you get into the mechanics of the game they share very little in common, especially with game balance. The older version is more challenging to play than the last few versions with players having to make strategic decisions on how best to survive. The older versions are a more believable, realistic, and massive universe of D&D than what is being offered these days.
Travis: You have done an incredible job on this show over the years. From day one, its production value was light years ahead of everyone else out there. Godspeed and may you find what you want and want what you find!
Good luck on your new endeavors Travis. I wounder how the show will be with out his excellent production and other contributions. I always enjoyed this show, it feels like a couple of long time buds bullshitting about a game they love, as if they are at a comic shop or bookstore. The show helped me as a DM get into 5th edition after not playing for years. Knocked the rust right off and made 5e an even easier transition.
Never reaching level cap is one of the reasons I love levelless systems like Shadowrun and WoD. You never feel like you didnt finish. Also, you can access that cool power earlier without getting the trash powers you dont care about first.
I love this video. So glad you guys are covering some non-D&D content. Don't get me wrong, the D&D stuff is excellent, but this video is something I'd like to see more of.
Because of Hasbro's new direction with wizards of the coast and the OGL, I'm putting off my laziness and finally looking for other systems to try out. If you've tried other systems, can you or any other people looking at this comment point to any that I can show my dnd oriented table without then balking at the difference?
Another great system is Stars without Number; an OSR Sci-Fi game that has in built ways to shift it to any period of time. I played in games of SWN for two years as a GM and player and some of the best gaming I ever had was in that system. Try it out!
SWN was one of the options I gave to my players at the start of our new campaign. Unfortunately they chose the 5e campaign option, but maybe next time!
Shadow of the Demon Lord was the first ttrpg I ever ran. I ran the games first starting adventure 'In need of killing' it was so simple and short to read through it made running seem less intimidating.
Better yet, it's more customizable than 5E by default and is so easy to learn that you can teach someone SOTDL in like, five minutes from noob to proficient.
Thanks for talking about something other than D&D. I know that’s where the views are, but this is refreshing. Also shout out to all the Free League/ Modiphius games. Been loving Tales from the Loop and Mork Borg lately.
Slight correction: In Shadow of the Demon Lord, you gain a level after every adventure, not after ever session. Good review of a good game. The one thing I like about its design is that, unlike 5e, it doesn't overload new players with options, but instead gives you bucketfuls of options at higher levels once you understand the game. The opposite of 5e, really.
The WFRP style class-hopping on level-up is also great. I tend to turn my nose up at strict class-based systems these days, but with SotDL you get much more variety as you grow.
@@ВикторКольт-ц8л Yeah, hence the "slight" in my wording. I'm trying to think of an official SotDL adventure now which couldn't be finished in a session and I'm drawing a blank.
I've been reading the rules for the Cypher system in preparation for my next campaign and I have to say it seems perfect. I still absolutely adore 5e D&D but for a quick and easy setting neutral system, my pick is easily Cypher now. I plan on running a fairy tale campaign next but just from reading it I also have ideas for a James Bond style spy thriller campaign, a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Ghostbusters style game of occultism and weird science at the St. Louis World Faire, and a Gothic Fantasy Vampire game. It also seems perfect for adapting any setting/ip to. It's easily in my top 5 favorite RPG now. And as I've seen mentioned a few other times in the comments, Starfinder and Pathfinder are great too (1e if you like endless options, 2e if you like a more streamlined system). Great video as always.
Starfinder is my fav cause I love the scope of space and time. Character options and loot are abundant. Best part is all the Pathfinder monsters translate perfectly and can be incorporated easily. Pathfinder 2e has also been fun, three actions baby!
The secret to Blades in the Dark is understanding the Position and Effect mechanic. It helps to inform the players and make situations and consequences really clear. After that, everyone can describe whatever the f* they want, because the mechanical effect will be the same as agreed before the roll.
Holy Crap!?!?? Travis, while I am not entirely certain by any means, I think that this is the first time that we have seen you in front of the camera! I know that we have heard you in the background and we all love your out-take clips at the end... it’s definitely fitting to finally put a face to the name & voice we’ve grown so accustomed to at the end of your last sign-off. A bittersweet send off for everyone... While I’m pretty sure the out-takes were a happy accident, it’s been a recurring segment that we all look forward to and it’s a beautiful little signature that has shown us all over the internet what your sense of humor is like. It might be the only thing that we know about you, but if you can see what makes a man laugh then you know what makes him tick... The same way that the truest glimpse of Jim was that reel of him & Pruitt at GenCon or PaxWest lightning up like a Christmas tree looking through module-bins & swords like he was about to run off to go show anybody he could about the thing in his hand... You’ve got a great eye for the details that really matter, and we wish you well! Best of luck in all your future endeavors, you will be missed, my friend!
Really pleased to see you put Shadow of the Demon Lord as your first mention in this video. Awareness of the game is so much lower than it deserves Something that I feel should have been mentioned is the game's large number of modular options. Every few levels you choose from a bunch of "paths", and none of your previous choices preclude your new ones, so there's a lot of flexibility in how you decide to develop your character
Blades in the Dark Resolution System: State your Goal. Roll a pool of d6s, take the highest result. On a result of 1, 2, or 3 - you fail; if it's a 4 or 5 - you succeed at a cost; if it's a 6 - you succeed. Prior to rolling, the GM explicitly establishes your Position and Effect. This is done so that the players know exactly what the stakes are. Your Position is how bad the consequences are going to be (and what some of them might be) if you fail or partially succeed. Your Effect is how effective your action is toward meeting your Goal. For example, Desperate Position, Limited Effect is probably when you are fighting a boss -- mess up and he'll kill you, succeed and you'll do some damage but not kill him. Controlled Position, Great Effect might be when you are detonating some explosives from far away -- you're in a safe place, and that building is gonna be rubble. Risky Position Standard Effect is your default state.
I'm more comfortable primarily as a GM so I feel I must proselytize a little bit: Give Pathfinder 2nd a chance. The usual, and very valid argument is there is just *so many* character options specially now that the advanced players guide is out for 2nd ed. But this isn't my argument at all. My argument is that as a GM this system allows me to custom tailor encounters and adventures with rules support and material that *actually works and you can trust out of the gate* (So, think the complete opposite of CR in 5E). This is because of 1) The action economy and 2) The proficiency system. The proficiency system specially works out so well: If I want a "supposed to lose" encounter I can do that. I can do a really challenging encounter, I can crank it all the way up to "I am absolutely certain you will not be able to touch this creature and he will one hit kill any of you regardless of the rolls" all the way down to "Certified push overs" without making them feel like just filler like 4E minions: the push overs can have abilities, HP, etc. But still be so underpowered than yes, even the mage with a knife can take them down. This is because knowing the party level and monster CR is added to everything: Attack Bonus, Skill checks, Spell DCs, Saves and even AC means that the GM is always in control of encounters in a predictable way, without taking away player agency and luck of the dice. I think everybody should take a look at these and even if you want to go back to 5E you can easily implement some of these concepts into 5E as house rules because they are just good, elegant mechanics, not unlike how we all went "Of course!" when reading about advantage/disadvantage.
I've DMed Pathfinder 1e, and I struggled with encounter balance in that game. This was because one of my players min maxed the fuck out of his character, and everyone else was newer and just picked stuff that looked cool. Either his character would make the encounter trivial, or my encounters would drop everyone else while he was challenged. I've got a bit of that same energy in my 5e game, but the more flat power level of 5e makes it so that even a min-maxed character doesn't completely outshine a "fun" character. I'm wondering if Pathfinder 2e has this same issue? I really love the way that characters are built & really want to play it, but finding that anyone who will DM has proven to be a bit of a struggle.
@@adamhanson5565 The Ivory Tower design from Pathfinder 1e is mostly gone in 2e. The min-maxed characters do not outshine fun characters, and building a fun character that is mechanically bad is not easy. You would need to willingly build a mechanically bad character. There are very few "trap" options, and power level overall is symetric among options. The only thing is that math in this system is really tight. Rolling for stats is optional, the system assumes you do a kind of "point buy" and that your main ability is always an 18 or 16. Combat is really tactical and way more engaging than 5e. There is less room for being "funny" in combat (as it should be in a combat situation), but there is way more room for being tactical with a 3 action system and the fact that Attacks of Oportunity are not something everybody can do. As long as you follow the guidelines for encounter creation and treasure per level, designing encounters is very reliable. As OP said, you objectively know how hard or trivial an encounter will be. Being GM for this is not easy, because the system is complex, but it is definitely a blast and super fun in my opinion.
So so so many great RPG’s our there. I’ve got a friend about to start a Dungeon World game and I am about to start a Call of Cthulhu game. Also lucky enough to play in Shadowrun from time to time to get my Cyberpunk fix!!!
We love you Trav! For years you made already great content into EXCELLENT content! You will be missed. Good luck in everything you do and I'll see you on your channel!
TRAVIS!!! We'll always love you and appreciate the hard work you've put into this absolutely wonderful show (and I for one can't wait to see what you work on next). We've only had brief interactions (one of which was about Umlauts, thanks again
I just want to say I love this channel. You guys have helped me grow as a DM and given me a lot of inspiration not just for my gaming but for my writing.
As a dev currently working on a rule book I'm looking to publish, this look into other systems was super helpful. Thanks a bunch you two! You're stuff continues to inspire my work.
You cannot tease with the MØRK BORG - cover in the thumbnail, and not talk about it! That little book and all its free content is awesome, and has heavily influenced my DnD-game as of late. They even have a mechanic for ending the world :D
Rift looks like a rules-heavy setting, but it has tons of possibilities! I stick mainly to homebrewed settings, but I'm always going through the setting books for inspiration
Been running Savage Worlds for a few years now and it is an absolute blast. There isnt really a "base" savage worlds. It's just a system not a setting. I would recommend Deadlands, Rippers, or 50 Fathoms waaaaay before Rifts.
@@Michael-bn1oi Base in my context is just the core rule book and home brew. Luckily, I played Rifts back in the Palladium days. So the world I know, the Savage Worlds system I don't.
@@Michael-bn1oi Deadlands is a great classic and I've read 50 Fathoms back in the day, it's a cool and somewhat light-hearted setting! Another interesting setting is Sundered Skies, and I love Beasts & Barbarians
Good luck Travis! This show has helped me a lot and your passion really shines through in the show. I wish you well and that you find your next gig just as fun as Web DM.
Thank you for all your great work here, Travis. It won't be the same without you, but I'm happy you're going somewhere all bright and new. Happy trails.
I love the Cypher system, got maybe over 10 Numenera books and a few other I the system. I would love to see more Cypher System videos. Cheers for all the editing Travis!
Some times we don't value the ones that work behind the scenes and we forget that without them this type of content whouldn't have been possible Thank you all for the great videos, please keep up the good work
So would I, my first character took me 2 weeks to make, due to the many, MANY options i had (this was in the previous edition, not the current) That wasn't as bad as our resident Rigger had it, he took twice as long to finish his character, and he had played the game before.
I've been thinking about importing Blades in the Dark's engagement roll and flashbacks into Shadowrun. Been playing it for 30 years and I have yet to see one of those massive hour-long planning sessions actually amount to anything that pushed the story forward. SR could benefit from a stress mechanic, too. The trauma of what's going on is a feature of cyberpunk that SR more or less delegates entirely to free-form RP.
This was great! I'd love to see you talk about more games (including the others you were holding in the thumbnail). There's so much we can learn from non-D&D stuff that, worst case scenario, is easy to port into D&D. And best-case scenario, we find new games to play.
I really liked exploring different systems with you both! I have been building my own system from the ground up taking bits and pieces from other systems so this got my brain really working. I was wondering if Web DM would ever do an episode about creating a system from scratch. Things that one should keep in mind for balancing, rules to define etc. Thanks again for all the work that you all do for us TTRPG fanatics!
While I'm at it, I want to mention Cepheus Engine. It's a 2d6 system, a generic cloning of Traveller Mongoose edition which various people have adapted to different settings: SF of course (Cepheus Engine, Cepheus Light, Cepheus Deluxe), cyberpunk (Zaibatsu), time-travel (Empire of Time), creature SF (Hostile), fantasy (Sword of Cepheus), modern military (Modern War), and more. As you can expect, you get the Career Term generation system of Traveller. Characters are not dumb 18-year-old farm-boys but seasoned older characters with ample career training, and a past.
Some of my personal favorites include: - Star Wars RPG / Genesys from Fantasy Flight Games, love the dice mechanic for that game, there are so many different outcomes any roll could have, it's fantastic. - Traveller from Mongoose, it's a great hard(ish) sci-fi space opera game, it has a great character creation system that you have to try at least once. - 2d20 system from Modiphiüs, whether it's Conan, Star Trek Adventures or Dishonored, the 2d20 system is solid and every iteration has it's own quirks that bring it's chosen setting to life. - Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition, nothing beats playing an all Skaven party and watching the entire group implode due to rampant backstabbing, it's hilarious the setting itself is also just fantastic in general and there is a ton of material out there to help you bring the setting to life.
I’m a little sad they didn’t bring up the Hero System/Champions. It is an great system and the best for building fun superhero encounters in a truly classic comic book way. I particularly am a fan of its 4th edition. Edit:Typo
Hero System is definitely one of the lesser-talked about systems, at least in the D&D sphere. Though it seems to be a dead system in terms of new editions/official publications, so perhaps that's to be expected.
I have one supplement book for Champions, that I got as a free bonus. It looks interesting, and I love the flavor, but I can't figure anything out about the system itself. It looks nearly incomprehensible. I'd love to get the core book sometime, and see if that helps it make any sense. Even if it doesn't, I'm sure I can still find some use for it.
@@SynthApprentice It's a pretty weird system to come into, especially if you're used to traditional D&D. The core rulebooks help a ton, but nowadays they cost a pretty penny
@@SynthApprentice Think of Hero system as a construction kit for making a game. Everything that you could want stats for is build using the same process and rules, literally everything. The core mechanics are relatively simple and straight forward and it is up to the GM how much of it gets thrown in. I also recommend Hero Designer for the character creation part as it takes care of the math for you. Champions is the default setting for the Superheroes genre of the system and has condensed the rules and core of the setting into a single book. I suggest reading the core rule books first as it is very well written and describes everything in full. I know that the books seem like unwiedly tomes but since it has the best index I have ever seen in any text and it covers both books in the same index, mostly you just use the index to find specific detail. The GM screen is also amazing. It contains every useful reference in play table for the whole system in 4 pages which speeds up play a lot. I realise I am gushing a lot but I work in a technical field and I wish every technical reference I had to use was written half as well and was a consistent as the 6th Edition books. I know that for a TRPG it is on the expensive side but the amount of support and quality of the system is amazing. Steve Long the creator is also available for support via the forum. The only 2 systems I run and would likely ever run now are Hero System 6th Ed and Intalock as used in The Witcher TRPG (and Cyberpunk).
@@PorterPickUp If you want more options you're going to have more crunch. The entire reason I don't play 5e is that game is barebones AF. Every class has like 2 iterations and that's it. Boring.
@@avatarofcloud I dont think thats true. Different skills and subclass choices make a significant difference. I would like to see more options within the subclasses like the Hunter/Totem Barbarian/etc get instead of at this level you get this period ones. Also, racial feats from pathfinder are fantastic.
It's really cool to see new RPG's mentioned. I feel like whenever people mention games that aren't D&D, they mention stuff like Call of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk/Shadowrun, and the World of Darkness games. I'm sure those games are good, but I feel like they have this really 80's aesthetic that feels really dated. Then there's the newer stuff like 13th Age, Pathfinder, and whatever other D20 system of your group's choice. They all try new interesting things but are held back by the fact that they're just clones of D&D's mechanics. It'd be really neat to hear about more modern TTRPG systems that draw from more modern aesthetics and original design. In doing research for my own game, I've found some TTRPG games out Japan that try alot of new things and I highly recommend if you have a higher than average tolerance for the animes. Ryutama - You're an ordinary person having small adventures in a fantasy world, the GM plays a dragon god that watches over the party and can offer boons or create problems to amp up the drama. Double Cross - You were an ordinary person in a modern setting until an event set off a virus that gave a portion of humanity super powers. You need to use your powers to fight off other super powered factions, but using your powers too much can transform you into a monster. Shinobigami - Everybody plays a ninja. They're dropped in a scenario with a mission and a secret objective. While their missions may line up, the secret objectives may not, so it's not uncommon for your trusted allies to stab you in the back to accomplish their secret goals. It's like a mix of Clue, Ultimate Werewolf, Shounen Anime, and Death Note.
FINALLY, THE EPISODE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! I swapped from D&D5E to Mutants and Masterminds a few months ago, and even though superheroes is a far cry from the Kitchen Sink Fantasy of D&D, I much prefer the mechanics of M&M
It can be incredibly swingy sometimes, as if you roll 4 degrees of failure on the first few rounds and don't have a hero point to reroll, you're just knocked out. Also, despite being both a player and GM for it for 9 months now, some of the names of the statuses still confuse me. And as a heads up, unless you are in a very enclosed area, such as an underground hideout, battle maps do not work really.
Some extra recommendations: - The Veil. For cyberpunk weirdness (pbta) - Trophy. If you want a tragic adventure and don't mind dying - Pasión de las Pasiones. You know how your dnd game is just a soap opera? Well pasion is a soap opera, literally - Flying Circus. Super crunchy, super good airplane game.
If you want a sci-fi twist on D&D, Starfinder is super easy to get into. It doesn't have the overwhelming crunch of Pathfinder either. I really enjoy it.
Hey Travis, I actually recognize you from an actual play of Alien RPG Chariot of the Gods. It was on the merits of that playthrough that I jumped into buying and running Alien RPG myself and I sure as hell wasn't disappointed. Good luck on whatever comes next.
I've been working on my own cyberpunk rpg for a few years at this point and it's almost ready for serious play testing. I really chose a silly project, but it's been fun so far.
Oh and if any one is curious Geist Drive my rpg is a free and wiki based. It's still a work in progress but you can find it at www.geistdrive.com/GDwiki
The resolution mechanics in Blades really are one of the best things about it. Probably one of the best realisations of 'fail-forward' design out there.
The best SCI FI RPG for me is: FrontierSpace by DWD studios, for Horror: CryptWorld by Goblinoid games and for Fantasy: Art of Wuxia or Barebones Fantasy by DWD studios or maybe Chaosium's Magic World. Edit my favourite D&D format is Troll Lord's Castles and Crusades.
I agree about the DWD Studios games. I got sucked into them because they drew some rules inspiration from Star Frontiers (1982) which has a quick percentile system of a few Skills with several subskills each. They also pack each game with some gamemaster random adventure, villain, or setting generation tools.
I've started playing Monster of Week. It's a Powered by Apocalypse game... like Blades in the Dark. Monster of Week is an excellent system designed to simulate all your favorite creepy TV shows from X-Files and Fringe; to Stranger Things and Buffy; to Supernatural and Lovecraft County. It's a great example of how mechanics can inform narrative.
So glad to hear y'all talking about Blades in the Dark and Band of Blades! I am running two Band of Blades campaigns right now and it has been a blast.
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Thought: a slow series (maybe once every few months so it doesn't take over normal content) on this topic (varying between overviews and deep dives) would be good.
Playing different RPGs helps you play even your favorite better, but most get stuck in a rut and it slowly narrows their perspective of what RPGs can do.
Why don't you guys talk about 2E Pathfinder next?
I absolutely love FFG's Star Wars system(s) - Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, Force & Destiny. Have you guys played one of these? What did you think of them?
Couldn’t find the link to Travis’ channel in the description. So there it is: ua-cam.com/users/fbtravis
How about older versions of D&D (before WotC changed how the game works or feels) that do not resemble the power gaming version that WotC has put out there. You can still buy them of pdf, a POD copy, or find an original copy for sale. The game plays much differently while seeming familiar in that the game has actual consequences for choices with player selections.
The only thing the older editions share with the new versions of the game is names and a passing cosmetic familiarity, but when you get into the mechanics of the game they share very little in common, especially with game balance. The older version is more challenging to play than the last few versions with players having to make strategic decisions on how best to survive. The older versions are a more believable, realistic, and massive universe of D&D than what is being offered these days.
Travis: You have done an incredible job on this show over the years. From day one, its production value was light years ahead of everyone else out there. Godspeed and may you find what you want and want what you find!
👆 100% this. You will be missed here, but definitely subbed to your channel now!
Timestamps:
- 1:30 - Shadow of the Demon Lord
- 6:35 - Symbaroum
- 11:17 - Blades in the Dark
- 16:10 - Cypher System
Nice
Thanks
You, 🙏😍
Many blessings.
Pro
"It makes you have diarrhea until you die"
Cut to Pruit stone faced like that wasnt the weirdest thing hes heard today
I bet he’s heard even weirder phrases just on his way to the filming location.
The description in the book is even better.
Dude, he's in the medical field. "Diarrhea until you die" is just a Tuesday for him.
@@silmarian It's literally just cholera.
Good luck on your new endeavors Travis. I wounder how the show will be with out his excellent production and other contributions. I always enjoyed this show, it feels like a couple of long time buds bullshitting about a game they love, as if they are at a comic shop or bookstore. The show helped me as a DM get into 5th edition after not playing for years. Knocked the rust right off and made 5e an even easier transition.
You're the man Trav! You singlehandedly changed a genre with your production!
Travis was the GOAT editor, I wish him all the best; secondarily, who’s editing now?
Travis that works at the church?
@Pat Mgroin wow, over 200 episodes. I loved his chime ins during the outtakes.
Also Thank You Travis. You are an amazing producer and I can’t wait to see what you have next!
Never reaching level cap is one of the reasons I love levelless systems like Shadowrun and WoD. You never feel like you didnt finish. Also, you can access that cool power earlier without getting the trash powers you dont care about first.
Top work Travis, thanks for the time you've put into this and good luck with the next thing!
Travis did a great job producing this show, and I'm sad to see him go.
Love you Travis, good luck out there and thank you for all you’ve done.
I love this video. So glad you guys are covering some non-D&D content. Don't get me wrong, the D&D stuff is excellent, but this video is something I'd like to see more of.
Because of Hasbro's new direction with wizards of the coast and the OGL, I'm putting off my laziness and finally looking for other systems to try out.
If you've tried other systems, can you or any other people looking at this comment point to any that I can show my dnd oriented table without then balking at the difference?
Guys I've been watching your channel for years. Thank you for constantly keeping me interested in dnd. Left and right nerd have my respect.
Thank you for the kind words, Tanner!
I like that "Left & Right nerd". I want to meet them one day.
Another great system is Stars without Number; an OSR Sci-Fi game that has in built ways to shift it to any period of time. I played in games of SWN for two years as a GM and player and some of the best gaming I ever had was in that system. Try it out!
SWN was one of the options I gave to my players at the start of our new campaign. Unfortunately they chose the 5e campaign option, but maybe next time!
Give SWN some love, because I agree it needs it lmao
Shadow of the Demon Lord was the first ttrpg I ever ran. I ran the games first starting adventure 'In need of killing' it was so simple and short to read through it made running seem less intimidating.
Better yet, it's more customizable than 5E by default and is so easy to learn that you can teach someone SOTDL in like, five minutes from noob to proficient.
Thanks for talking about something other than D&D. I know that’s where the views are, but this is refreshing. Also shout out to all the Free League/ Modiphius games. Been loving Tales from the Loop and Mork Borg lately.
Yeah Free League definitely has a collection of great rpgs!
Slight correction: In Shadow of the Demon Lord, you gain a level after every adventure, not after ever session. Good review of a good game. The one thing I like about its design is that, unlike 5e, it doesn't overload new players with options, but instead gives you bucketfuls of options at higher levels once you understand the game. The opposite of 5e, really.
The WFRP style class-hopping on level-up is also great. I tend to turn my nose up at strict class-based systems these days, but with SotDL you get much more variety as you grow.
I think it's just Jim phrasing it poorly, since most adventures in SotDL designed to be finished in one session.
@@ВикторКольт-ц8л Yeah, hence the "slight" in my wording. I'm trying to think of an official SotDL adventure now which couldn't be finished in a session and I'm drawing a blank.
I've been reading the rules for the Cypher system in preparation for my next campaign and I have to say it seems perfect. I still absolutely adore 5e D&D but for a quick and easy setting neutral system, my pick is easily Cypher now. I plan on running a fairy tale campaign next but just from reading it I also have ideas for a James Bond style spy thriller campaign, a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Ghostbusters style game of occultism and weird science at the St. Louis World Faire, and a Gothic Fantasy Vampire game. It also seems perfect for adapting any setting/ip to.
It's easily in my top 5 favorite RPG now.
And as I've seen mentioned a few other times in the comments, Starfinder and Pathfinder are great too (1e if you like endless options, 2e if you like a more streamlined system).
Great video as always.
Statfinder is a great middle ground between for something new with familiarity of something like DnD 5e and pathfinder 1e.
Starfinder is my fav cause I love the scope of space and time. Character options and loot are abundant. Best part is all the Pathfinder monsters translate perfectly and can be incorporated easily. Pathfinder 2e has also been fun, three actions baby!
I still am just so annoyed with the character scaling. Bounded accuracy is my favorite part of 5e
I don't wanna replace dnd with more dnd but with worse mechanics
The secret to Blades in the Dark is understanding the Position and Effect mechanic. It helps to inform the players and make situations and consequences really clear. After that, everyone can describe whatever the f* they want, because the mechanical effect will be the same as agreed before the roll.
Farewell Travis, thanks for being a part of the channel that taught me to play this game, and find passion in DMing.
Good job on the green screen video editor. It took me a while to realize they weren't in the same room
Good luck in whatever you do Travis. Thank you for all the hard work you've done during the run of this channel.
Holy Crap!?!??
Travis, while I am not entirely certain by any means, I think that this is the first time that we have seen you in front of the camera! I know that we have heard you in the background and we all love your out-take clips at the end... it’s definitely fitting to finally put a face to the name & voice we’ve grown so accustomed to at the end of your last sign-off. A bittersweet send off for everyone... While I’m pretty sure the out-takes were a happy accident, it’s been a recurring segment that we all look forward to and it’s a beautiful little signature that has shown us all over the internet what your sense of humor is like. It might be the only thing that we know about you, but if you can see what makes a man laugh then you know what makes him tick... The same way that the truest glimpse of Jim was that reel of him & Pruitt at GenCon or PaxWest lightning up like a Christmas tree looking through module-bins & swords like he was about to run off to go show anybody he could about the thing in his hand... You’ve got a great eye for the details that really matter, and we wish you well!
Best of luck in all your future endeavors, you will be missed, my friend!
Really pleased to see you put Shadow of the Demon Lord as your first mention in this video. Awareness of the game is so much lower than it deserves
Something that I feel should have been mentioned is the game's large number of modular options. Every few levels you choose from a bunch of "paths", and none of your previous choices preclude your new ones, so there's a lot of flexibility in how you decide to develop your character
Blades in the Dark Resolution System: State your Goal. Roll a pool of d6s, take the highest result. On a result of 1, 2, or 3 - you fail; if it's a 4 or 5 - you succeed at a cost; if it's a 6 - you succeed.
Prior to rolling, the GM explicitly establishes your Position and Effect. This is done so that the players know exactly what the stakes are. Your Position is how bad the consequences are going to be (and what some of them might be) if you fail or partially succeed. Your Effect is how effective your action is toward meeting your Goal. For example, Desperate Position, Limited Effect is probably when you are fighting a boss -- mess up and he'll kill you, succeed and you'll do some damage but not kill him. Controlled Position, Great Effect might be when you are detonating some explosives from far away -- you're in a safe place, and that building is gonna be rubble. Risky Position Standard Effect is your default state.
Determining position and effect in BitD is also a lot easier if you crib from the scale rules from Band of Blades too.
I like me some Dungeon Crawl Classics paired with B/x style exploration rules. Feels really old school and nicely chaotic yet involving.
Didn't expect to get teary-eyed at the end of the video... but, well, there it is...
Thanks for all your work over the years Travis!
I'm more comfortable primarily as a GM so I feel I must proselytize a little bit: Give Pathfinder 2nd a chance.
The usual, and very valid argument is there is just *so many* character options specially now that the advanced players guide is out for 2nd ed.
But this isn't my argument at all. My argument is that as a GM this system allows me to custom tailor encounters and adventures with rules support and material that *actually works and you can trust out of the gate* (So, think the complete opposite of CR in 5E).
This is because of 1) The action economy and 2) The proficiency system. The proficiency system specially works out so well: If I want a "supposed to lose" encounter I can do that. I can do a really challenging encounter, I can crank it all the way up to "I am absolutely certain you will not be able to touch this creature and he will one hit kill any of you regardless of the rolls" all the way down to "Certified push overs" without making them feel like just filler like 4E minions: the push overs can have abilities, HP, etc. But still be so underpowered than yes, even the mage with a knife can take them down.
This is because knowing the party level and monster CR is added to everything: Attack Bonus, Skill checks, Spell DCs, Saves and even AC means that the GM is always in control of encounters in a predictable way, without taking away player agency and luck of the dice. I think everybody should take a look at these and even if you want to go back to 5E you can easily implement some of these concepts into 5E as house rules because they are just good, elegant mechanics, not unlike how we all went "Of course!" when reading about advantage/disadvantage.
I've DMed Pathfinder 1e, and I struggled with encounter balance in that game. This was because one of my players min maxed the fuck out of his character, and everyone else was newer and just picked stuff that looked cool. Either his character would make the encounter trivial, or my encounters would drop everyone else while he was challenged.
I've got a bit of that same energy in my 5e game, but the more flat power level of 5e makes it so that even a min-maxed character doesn't completely outshine a "fun" character.
I'm wondering if Pathfinder 2e has this same issue? I really love the way that characters are built & really want to play it, but finding that anyone who will DM has proven to be a bit of a struggle.
@@adamhanson5565 The Ivory Tower design from Pathfinder 1e is mostly gone in 2e. The min-maxed characters do not outshine fun characters, and building a fun character that is mechanically bad is not easy. You would need to willingly build a mechanically bad character. There are very few "trap" options, and power level overall is symetric among options.
The only thing is that math in this system is really tight. Rolling for stats is optional, the system assumes you do a kind of "point buy" and that your main ability is always an 18 or 16. Combat is really tactical and way more engaging than 5e. There is less room for being "funny" in combat (as it should be in a combat situation), but there is way more room for being tactical with a 3 action system and the fact that Attacks of Oportunity are not something everybody can do.
As long as you follow the guidelines for encounter creation and treasure per level, designing encounters is very reliable. As OP said, you objectively know how hard or trivial an encounter will be. Being GM for this is not easy, because the system is complex, but it is definitely a blast and super fun in my opinion.
@@aventuraenlafogata649 Thanks so much.
So so so many great RPG’s our there. I’ve got a friend about to start a Dungeon World game and I am about to start a Call of Cthulhu game. Also lucky enough to play in Shadowrun from time to time to get my Cyberpunk fix!!!
We love you Trav! For years you made already great content into EXCELLENT content! You will be missed. Good luck in everything you do and I'll see you on your channel!
Mörk Borg in the thumbnail! nice
TRAVIS!!! We'll always love you and appreciate the hard work you've put into this absolutely wonderful show (and I for one can't wait to see what you work on next). We've only had brief interactions (one of which was about Umlauts, thanks again
Travis,
Thank you for all your dedication and craft, WebDM won’t quite be the same. Good luck and good fortunes!
I just want to say I love this channel. You guys have helped me grow as a DM and given me a lot of inspiration not just for my gaming but for my writing.
Be well Travis, I wish you the best as you venture on and beyond!
I see Jim's working on his "Greater Invisibility for Hands only" spell is coming along nicely.
Davis and Pruitt actually have been in the same room the whole time! Oh ya. They're that far ahead of the pace.
Thank you so much for your work on WebDM Travis, you will be greatly missed from the WebDM project. I wish you the best in your future endeavors.
I feel the same way. I love d&d, but there are so many wonderful games that deserve just as much love.
Best of luck to Travis on his future endeavors!
I am a simple woman. I see Blades in the Dark, I click.
Just picked it up. Bravo crew!
And by "click", you mean slip your dagger between your target's ribs before silently disappearing down a hidden alleyway?
such a brilliant game, isn't it?
@@SynthApprentice running like mad as the bells start ringing around you and the corpse-seeker crows start circling...
Goodbye Producer Trav, thank you for your amazing work with this youtube channel.
As a dev currently working on a rule book I'm looking to publish, this look into other systems was super helpful. Thanks a bunch you two! You're stuff continues to inspire my work.
Thank you Travis. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.
Thank you travis for all your time and effort in helping to bring this show to us. Good luck with your future projects man
Thanks Travis! You've done a great job for all these years :)
Thank you so much Travis. You guys made one of my go to UA-cam shows and one (only) channel from which I saw ALL videos (multiple times).
You cannot tease with the MØRK BORG - cover in the thumbnail, and not talk about it! That little book and all its free content is awesome, and has heavily influenced my DnD-game as of late. They even have a mechanic for ending the world :D
Thanks for all your hard work Travis. You make these guys look good! The quality of your work is amazing and best wishes on your future endeavors!
Savage Worlds is very fluid, class-less and a lot of fun!
I just recently got Savage Worlds Rifts. Working on getting my group to try base Savage Worlds to see how we like it before throwing Rifts on top.
Rift looks like a rules-heavy setting, but it has tons of possibilities! I stick mainly to homebrewed settings, but I'm always going through the setting books for inspiration
Been running Savage Worlds for a few years now and it is an absolute blast. There isnt really a "base" savage worlds. It's just a system not a setting. I would recommend Deadlands, Rippers, or 50 Fathoms waaaaay before Rifts.
@@Michael-bn1oi Base in my context is just the core rule book and home brew.
Luckily, I played Rifts back in the Palladium days. So the world I know, the Savage Worlds system I don't.
@@Michael-bn1oi Deadlands is a great classic and I've read 50 Fathoms back in the day, it's a cool and somewhat light-hearted setting! Another interesting setting is Sundered Skies, and I love Beasts & Barbarians
Good luck Travis! This show has helped me a lot and your passion really shines through in the show. I wish you well and that you find your next gig just as fun as Web DM.
Thank you for all your great work here, Travis. It won't be the same without you, but I'm happy you're going somewhere all bright and new. Happy trails.
Best of luck, Trav! Great job, and thanks for everything!
Shadow of the demon lord sounds cool
At Conventions I always liked Rifts, Twilight 2000, and I still want to try CoC
I love the Cypher system, got maybe over 10 Numenera books and a few other I the system. I would love to see more Cypher System videos. Cheers for all the editing Travis!
Some times we don't value the ones that work behind the scenes and we forget that without them this type of content whouldn't have been possible
Thank you all for the great videos, please keep up the good work
I would love them to talk about Shadowrun.
So would I, my first character took me 2 weeks to make, due to the many, MANY options i had (this was in the previous edition, not the current)
That wasn't as bad as our resident Rigger had it, he took twice as long to finish his character, and he had played the game before.
Daredhnu Thats why I use Chummer. Makes it a bit easier.
That would require Shadowrun to actually put out a playable edition.
avatarofcloud SR 5e is entirely playable. People are just dramatic and picky.
I've been thinking about importing Blades in the Dark's engagement roll and flashbacks into Shadowrun. Been playing it for 30 years and I have yet to see one of those massive hour-long planning sessions actually amount to anything that pushed the story forward. SR could benefit from a stress mechanic, too. The trauma of what's going on is a feature of cyberpunk that SR more or less delegates entirely to free-form RP.
Thanks Travis I hope you do well in the future!!
I know I never comment, but Farewell Trav. It was a good time, best of wishes.
You had me at Shadow of the Demonlord
This was great! I'd love to see you talk about more games (including the others you were holding in the thumbnail). There's so much we can learn from non-D&D stuff that, worst case scenario, is easy to port into D&D. And best-case scenario, we find new games to play.
Just as I was thinking of expanding my RPG horizons. Yeah you guys just read minds at this point
I would Recommend looking at Through the Breach. and Blades in the Dark both are great rpgs and will expand your horizons to new places
I really liked exploring different systems with you both! I have been building my own system from the ground up taking bits and pieces from other systems so this got my brain really working. I was wondering if Web DM would ever do an episode about creating a system from scratch. Things that one should keep in mind for balancing, rules to define etc.
Thanks again for all the work that you all do for us TTRPG fanatics!
While I'm at it, I want to mention Cepheus Engine. It's a 2d6 system, a generic cloning of Traveller Mongoose edition which various people have adapted to different settings: SF of course (Cepheus Engine, Cepheus Light, Cepheus Deluxe), cyberpunk (Zaibatsu), time-travel (Empire of Time), creature SF (Hostile), fantasy (Sword of Cepheus), modern military (Modern War), and more.
As you can expect, you get the Career Term generation system of Traveller. Characters are not dumb 18-year-old farm-boys but seasoned older characters with ample career training, and a past.
Some of my personal favorites include:
- Star Wars RPG / Genesys from Fantasy Flight Games, love the dice mechanic for that game, there are so many different outcomes any roll could have, it's fantastic.
- Traveller from Mongoose, it's a great hard(ish) sci-fi space opera game, it has a great character creation system that you have to try at least once.
- 2d20 system from Modiphiüs, whether it's Conan, Star Trek Adventures or Dishonored, the 2d20 system is solid and every iteration has it's own quirks that bring it's chosen setting to life.
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition, nothing beats playing an all Skaven party and watching the entire group implode due to rampant backstabbing, it's hilarious
the setting itself is also just fantastic in general and there is a ton of material out there to help you bring the setting to life.
I've been waiting for this! Thanks for the recommendations.
Best of wishes and good luck, Trav.
I’m a little sad they didn’t bring up the Hero System/Champions. It is an great system and the best for building fun superhero encounters in a truly classic comic book way. I particularly am a fan of its 4th edition.
Edit:Typo
Hero System is definitely one of the lesser-talked about systems, at least in the D&D sphere. Though it seems to be a dead system in terms of new editions/official publications, so perhaps that's to be expected.
I have one supplement book for Champions, that I got as a free bonus. It looks interesting, and I love the flavor, but I can't figure anything out about the system itself. It looks nearly incomprehensible. I'd love to get the core book sometime, and see if that helps it make any sense. Even if it doesn't, I'm sure I can still find some use for it.
@@SynthApprentice It's a pretty weird system to come into, especially if you're used to traditional D&D. The core rulebooks help a ton, but nowadays they cost a pretty penny
@@SynthApprentice Think of Hero system as a construction kit for making a game. Everything that you could want stats for is build using the same process and rules, literally everything. The core mechanics are relatively simple and straight forward and it is up to the GM how much of it gets thrown in. I also recommend Hero Designer for the character creation part as it takes care of the math for you.
Champions is the default setting for the Superheroes genre of the system and has condensed the rules and core of the setting into a single book. I suggest reading the core rule books first as it is very well written and describes everything in full. I know that the books seem like unwiedly tomes but since it has the best index I have ever seen in any text and it covers both books in the same index, mostly you just use the index to find specific detail. The GM screen is also amazing.
It contains every useful reference in play table for the whole system in 4 pages which speeds up play a lot. I realise I am gushing a lot but I work in a technical field and I wish every technical reference I had to use was written half as well and was a consistent as the 6th Edition books. I know that for a TRPG it is on the expensive side but the amount of support and quality of the system is amazing. Steve Long the creator is also available for support via the forum.
The only 2 systems I run and would likely ever run now are Hero System 6th Ed and Intalock as used in The Witcher TRPG (and Cyberpunk).
There is a game called Shotguns and Sorcery that uses the Cypher System. It looks pretty cool.
I'm learning the rules for pathfinder 2e and I'm getting puuuuumped
Dude it’s so fun, I’ve been running it since around launch and I love it so much more than 5e
@@spencergoebelbecker8668 Tried it. The options are great but man its still a bit too crunchy for my tastes.
@@PorterPickUp If you want more options you're going to have more crunch. The entire reason I don't play 5e is that game is barebones AF. Every class has like 2 iterations and that's it. Boring.
@@avatarofcloud I dont think thats true. Different skills and subclass choices make a significant difference. I would like to see more options within the subclasses like the Hunter/Totem Barbarian/etc get instead of at this level you get this period ones. Also, racial feats from pathfinder are fantastic.
I tried DM'ing PF2e, and my players wanted to go back to 5e after 2 months. :(
Much love Travis!!! Thanks for all the kick-ass work 🤘🏾
Thing from the Addam's Family coming in at 6:00 to fix Jim's mic.
Pruitt's mic, not Jim's
It saddens me to see Travis leave, but I'm glad to hear he's moving on to bigger things
Symbaroum has been my favorite since 2016 when I first discovered it.
Thanks for all your hard work travis.
It's really cool to see new RPG's mentioned. I feel like whenever people mention games that aren't D&D, they mention stuff like Call of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk/Shadowrun, and the World of Darkness games. I'm sure those games are good, but I feel like they have this really 80's aesthetic that feels really dated.
Then there's the newer stuff like 13th Age, Pathfinder, and whatever other D20 system of your group's choice. They all try new interesting things but are held back by the fact that they're just clones of D&D's mechanics.
It'd be really neat to hear about more modern TTRPG systems that draw from more modern aesthetics and original design.
In doing research for my own game, I've found some TTRPG games out Japan that try alot of new things and I highly recommend if you have a higher than average tolerance for the animes.
Ryutama - You're an ordinary person having small adventures in a fantasy world, the GM plays a dragon god that watches over the party and can offer boons or create problems to amp up the drama.
Double Cross - You were an ordinary person in a modern setting until an event set off a virus that gave a portion of humanity super powers. You need to use your powers to fight off other super powered factions, but using your powers too much can transform you into a monster.
Shinobigami - Everybody plays a ninja. They're dropped in a scenario with a mission and a secret objective. While their missions may line up, the secret objectives may not, so it's not uncommon for your trusted allies to stab you in the back to accomplish their secret goals. It's like a mix of Clue, Ultimate Werewolf, Shounen Anime, and Death Note.
Thank you Travis!
FINALLY, THE EPISODE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! I swapped from D&D5E to Mutants and Masterminds a few months ago, and even though superheroes is a far cry from the Kitchen Sink Fantasy of D&D, I much prefer the mechanics of M&M
How do you think the combat compared to D&D's?
I agree completely starting my first game and first time gming in a bout a week
It can be incredibly swingy sometimes, as if you roll 4 degrees of failure on the first few rounds and don't have a hero point to reroll, you're just knocked out. Also, despite being both a player and GM for it for 9 months now, some of the names of the statuses still confuse me. And as a heads up, unless you are in a very enclosed area, such as an underground hideout, battle maps do not work really.
Got excited seeing FASERIP Marvel and Mörg Borg covers in the video thumbnail!
Farewell, producer Travis, thank you for over the 200 episodes of the show
Some extra recommendations:
- The Veil. For cyberpunk weirdness (pbta)
- Trophy. If you want a tragic adventure and don't mind dying
- Pasión de las Pasiones. You know how your dnd game is just a soap opera? Well pasion is a soap opera, literally
- Flying Circus. Super crunchy, super good airplane game.
Goodbye & good luck, Travis!
You're the man Travis! You've done a fantastic job!
Blades is a blast and plays fast, I have the core rule book for Symbaroum and want to run it after I wrap my Zweihänder campaign
If you want a sci-fi twist on D&D, Starfinder is super easy to get into. It doesn't have the overwhelming crunch of Pathfinder either. I really enjoy it.
We'll miss ya Trav, I hope that you have fun with your next step, and I hope to hear you on the podcast again at some point too >_>
Hey Travis, I actually recognize you from an actual play of Alien RPG Chariot of the Gods. It was on the merits of that playthrough that I jumped into buying and running Alien RPG myself and I sure as hell wasn't disappointed. Good luck on whatever comes next.
Thank you Trav!
I've been working on my own cyberpunk rpg for a few years at this point and it's almost ready for serious play testing. I really chose a silly project, but it's been fun so far.
Oh and if any one is curious Geist Drive my rpg is a free and wiki based. It's still a work in progress but you can find it at www.geistdrive.com/GDwiki
Savage Worlds is my new favorite and I'm enjoying it.
We wish you the best, Trav. You have done incredible work thus far.
The resolution mechanics in Blades really are one of the best things about it. Probably one of the best realisations of 'fail-forward' design out there.
The best SCI FI RPG for me is: FrontierSpace by DWD studios, for Horror: CryptWorld by Goblinoid games and for Fantasy: Art of Wuxia or Barebones Fantasy by DWD studios or maybe Chaosium's Magic World. Edit my favourite D&D format is Troll Lord's Castles and Crusades.
I agree about the DWD Studios games. I got sucked into them because they drew some rules inspiration from Star Frontiers (1982) which has a quick percentile system of a few Skills with several subskills each. They also pack each game with some gamemaster random adventure, villain, or setting generation tools.
I've started playing Monster of Week. It's a Powered by Apocalypse game... like Blades in the Dark. Monster of Week is an excellent system designed to simulate all your favorite creepy TV shows from X-Files and Fringe; to Stranger Things and Buffy; to Supernatural and Lovecraft County. It's a great example of how mechanics can inform narrative.
Thank you Travis. Just thank you at all.
So glad to hear y'all talking about Blades in the Dark and Band of Blades! I am running two Band of Blades campaigns right now and it has been a blast.
Best of luck, Travis! I look forward to your new projects!
some pretty fun sounding games!
appreciate your hard work Travis! cant wait to see what you do next!
Happy Trails Travis, Best of luck in your future endeavors!