Good Low-Magic TTRPG Systems?
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 8:18 pm
Hey folks!
I know I’ve been terribly absent on these forums lately, but I wanted to pop in and ask this here, even though it’s pretty off-topic, because I know there are plenty of nerdy gamers on here who also happen to like realism in their fantasy (hence… y’know… everything we do). So I feel like this would be a great place to pick some brains!
Anyway, the situation is: I’ve been dying to try my hand DMing a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign for ages now, but of course I’m not satisfied with using any of the pre-made modules, or even the Forgotten Realms setting in general, and instead I really want to home-brew something. But the more I think about it, the more frustrated I get with the idea that magic and over-the-top heroics are so deeply baked into D&D as a whole. I don’t really want to build a world where everyone just sorta’ sneezes and magic comes out, if that makes sense. One of the things I love about Tolkien’s world is that it FEELS almost like our own world, with some notable mythical elements, and a sort of low-lying undercurrent of magic and mysticism throughout, rather than just like… spells slapping you in the face everywhere you look. To me, when you pack a world that full of magical stuff, it all sort of becomes… mundane? Like… it’s not special anymore, y’know?
SO.
I’ve been starting the world-building process of the universe in which I would ideally like to set a game, but I don’t know how I should go about actually making that universe playable. Should I just start with the 5E system, since that’s what I’m most familiar with, and then basically just gut it to get rid of all the various crazy abilities, races, character classes, etc? Should I try maybe re-skinning the Adventures in Middle-earth system, since it’s already based on 5E but with most of the more outlandish stuff removed? Or should I go further afield and try using a different system altogether? I’ve heard good things about Genesys, for example, and I’ve really enjoyed playing the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which from what I understand is built on Genesys.
Anyway, please let me know what you think!
P.S. The universe I’m envisioning is sort of a cross between Middle-earth, the Witcher, Grimm’s Fairytales, and actual medieval Europe, with a healthy dose of “Wild West” thrown in for fun (like the idea of certain people living on a vast, unknown frontier, and a sort of lawlessness to certain areas, with bounty hunters and bandits roaming about, etc).
I know I’ve been terribly absent on these forums lately, but I wanted to pop in and ask this here, even though it’s pretty off-topic, because I know there are plenty of nerdy gamers on here who also happen to like realism in their fantasy (hence… y’know… everything we do). So I feel like this would be a great place to pick some brains!
Anyway, the situation is: I’ve been dying to try my hand DMing a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign for ages now, but of course I’m not satisfied with using any of the pre-made modules, or even the Forgotten Realms setting in general, and instead I really want to home-brew something. But the more I think about it, the more frustrated I get with the idea that magic and over-the-top heroics are so deeply baked into D&D as a whole. I don’t really want to build a world where everyone just sorta’ sneezes and magic comes out, if that makes sense. One of the things I love about Tolkien’s world is that it FEELS almost like our own world, with some notable mythical elements, and a sort of low-lying undercurrent of magic and mysticism throughout, rather than just like… spells slapping you in the face everywhere you look. To me, when you pack a world that full of magical stuff, it all sort of becomes… mundane? Like… it’s not special anymore, y’know?
SO.
I’ve been starting the world-building process of the universe in which I would ideally like to set a game, but I don’t know how I should go about actually making that universe playable. Should I just start with the 5E system, since that’s what I’m most familiar with, and then basically just gut it to get rid of all the various crazy abilities, races, character classes, etc? Should I try maybe re-skinning the Adventures in Middle-earth system, since it’s already based on 5E but with most of the more outlandish stuff removed? Or should I go further afield and try using a different system altogether? I’ve heard good things about Genesys, for example, and I’ve really enjoyed playing the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which from what I understand is built on Genesys.
Anyway, please let me know what you think!
P.S. The universe I’m envisioning is sort of a cross between Middle-earth, the Witcher, Grimm’s Fairytales, and actual medieval Europe, with a healthy dose of “Wild West” thrown in for fun (like the idea of certain people living on a vast, unknown frontier, and a sort of lawlessness to certain areas, with bounty hunters and bandits roaming about, etc).