General Discussion, you are my only hope!

[Boze]

What better place to turn then the general discussion forum of green ronin.

Situation: I cant decide which of the following wonderful 3 greenronin rpgs to run.

A song of ice and fire

Dragon age

Mutants and Masterminds.

Here is where i am at with each one and my game group, since it will mostly consist of people new to rpgs but by no means new to games.


A song of ice and fire
Positives:
I love the westeros world, i am a big fan of the world setting and the books. I am a fan of very low fantasy worlds and dont like the ideas of any other races in games other the humans. Tons of source material.

Negatives:

I am intimidated by the pages of erratta and faq, i want something accessible and dont want to be hitting a lot of dead ends with rules, though as an awesome gm i rule in favor of my players.


Dragon age
Positives:
I am a big fan of the video game, like the setting, not quite as much as asoif but definitely close especially with all the overlying religion. Its a very accessible system and people can relate to the world since its very remniscent of lotr in the grand scheme of things, cannon wise.

Negatives:
The fact there is magic, the stunt system is strictly combat oriented, i get the impression from my gameplay in this game it seems more comwbt oriented overall. I dont like elves, even slave elves for that matter.

Mutants and masterminds
Positives:
One of my best friends who i adore loves super hero fluff, hes a big comic fan, knows everything about all marvel and dc characters and when i mentioned this rpg to him he basically crapped himself with excitement. This is a pretty big factor though its mainly the only one besides the fact i know its a good game since green ronin makes it, since my friend will be the "rock" to my new rpg group i feel a bit obligated to cater to him. Also the sheer customization seems really cool.

Negatives:
I am not a big fan of super hero stuff usually, games like city of heroes always seemed to leave a sour taste in my mouth, and again my preference of low fantasy worlds, i feel like this one is going to make me cringe, not due to the quality of it, it looks awesome with lots of love put into it, but just my personal preference of cannon. also i am unsure on how accessible or how immersed i can make my players feel in this super hero world.



now thats basically it! If you made it through this wall of text i salute you! One key factor is also picking a game my girlfriend would enjoy the most, she is a fan of lord of the rings so naturally i lean towards dragon age, but i think she would dig the intrigue and less combat oriented nature of asoif... I think...


In closing, i would appreciate your help general discussion! You are my only hope!

[Illiani]

the stunt system is strictly combat oriented, i get the impression from my gameplay in this game it seems more comwbt oriented overall.

The reason a lot of systems seem more combat oriented than they actually are lies in the fact that the bulk of said systems concerns combat. Why is that? Well you don't need rules for sitting around a table and talking In Character with your mates do you?

In short, there are more rules for combat because that is where the rules need to be.

In my experience DA is probably less combat orientated than a lot of systems I've played and even less combat can be implemented at a GM's whim.

[steveman]

In short, there are more rules for combat because that is where the rules need to be.

In my experience DA is probably less combat orientated than a lot of systems I've played and even less combat can be implemented at a GM's whim.

Agreed. All you need in a game that uses stats for balance outside of combat is a skill system. Really you don't actually need that, but people love dice, because they are fun.

[Boze]

Okie dokie, i appreciate the correction of my misconception, but what about which one to play?

[Illiani]

Okie dokie, i appreciate the correction of my misconception, but what about which one to play?

I've only played DA, so I wouldn't be able to give an impartial vote. If in doubt, you could always just roll a d3.

[steveman]

Again, I too fall in with Illiani on this. While I did play some of M&M when it was brand spanking new, I haven't touched it since then.

So, yeah d3.

[Saisei]

Greetings Boze.

I'm actually in a very similar situation to yourself in many respects: I am an enormous GGRM and Westeros fan. I love Dragon Age, and I also love M&M.

I haven't played ASoIaF RPG from GR so I can't comment on it's complexities and the like. I can however point you in the direction of something that may help you and has solved a problem for me: Warriors & Warlocks.

Yet another GR product, it is a supplement for M&M in the vein of the old Conan and Slaine pulp era comic books. From what you're saying it may be your answer. It has the fantasy setting, it's combat is fast paced and punchy, there are enough skills to lend to the intrigue side of things, and it will hopefully appeal to your Comic Book friend.


I'm preparing to run a Warriors & Warlocks game myself soon in a world of my own devising (I say world.. it's a village at the moment). I've no elves, little magic (But what magic there is is the KABOOM style) and I'm leaning towards dark, fight for survival fantasy.


So there you go. Instead of giving you an answer I gave you another problem.

[timemrick]

SIFRP (the RPG, as opposed to ASOIAF, the novel series): I own the rulebook and campaign guide, and I recently considered running it as my next game (until my group seemed more interested in my other option). I haven't looked at any of the errata or any of the rules discussion in the SIFRP forum, so I don't know just how necessary any of that is. [Cue shocked gasps from long time forum members who know my obsession with errata for other games. ]

Dragon Age and M&M: I don't know these systems (or the DA video game) so can't comment on their pros & cons. But I will say that if elves are one of the sticking points for DA, then just take them out. Replace them with one of the other races, or tweak things some other way to work around their absence. It's your game. But let your players know of the world changes from the start--especially if any of them are familiar with the video game.

Another way to approach this dilemma is to poll your prospective players for feedback. After all, without them, there's no game, right? This can be as simple as asking the group, "Hey, which of these systems should I run for you guys? Is there one that everyone can agree on?" Or you can go an extra step and write up a brief proposal for a campaign you'd like to run in each one (you only need a paragraph or two) and see which gets the most buzz.

[Boze]

Or you can go an extra step and write up a brief proposal for a campaign you'd like to run in each one (you only need a paragraph or two) and see which gets the most buzz.

Now that is a brilliant idea and exactly the kind of advice i was looking for!! Thanks for not just saying roll some bloody dice

[Illiani]

...saying roll some bloody dice

What you talking about? That was golden advice, some of my best!

[timemrick]

I'm glad it helped! I first came across the idea in a Pyramid article by Bill Stoddard.