I don't have a term for it, but let me see if I can make it clear.

A fantastic setting with lots of danger and high adventure. Technology and magic dictated by what's cool. Campaign backstory is a bit vague. We don't sweat the logistics of anything, but a lot of attention is paid to details. Life is cheap, but death is often legendary and memorable. Subtext of black humor and Gallows humor.

Everything is over-the-top, from characters to scenery to small details. 'Outlandish' is the norm, as is 'extreme.'

Inspirations in this theme are Metalocalypse, Brutal Legend, and Warhammer.

Considering using Fate but am not married to it.

If you are looking for rules lite, another system might be anything Apocalypse World.  Makes for more storytelling than dice rolling.

My current kick is Modern AGE, which on its own doesn't do much fantastical, but could be workable in conjunction with Fantasy AGE. I'm on enough of a Modern AGE kick that I could see myself actually running that game with a combination of Fantasy and Modern AGE. I don't want to hijack your thread though, so I'll just leave it at that.

I think the idea is awesome!

I tried the same thing but it didn't work out the way I was hoping.  Then I tried a standard fantasy game in Fate and it didn't work out either.  Currently playing in a Fate game and concluding that the system doesn't handle magic or crazy technology very well.

There's no solid magic system in the core book, but High Fantasy Magic is a pretty good supplement.  Even so, there's not much game balance for Extras, so if you're group is concerned about that, Fate may not be the best choice.

Just thought I'd mention that since I tried to run almost exactly the same game, lol

Personally I don't really like--for lack of a better word--the hit point economy. Inasmuch as there really isn't one. It's conceptually wrong to think of conceding or getting taken out as hit point depletion. That works for what they're going for but I don't usually play games that align with that.

This system would definitely be more about curses and maiming than abstract loss of hit points.

Also, I wanted to point out that both women and men and whatever else you got are all treated with equal paradoxical status: simultaneously tough heroes who are in control of their lives, and also glamourized sex symbols.
This message was last edited by the user at 19:26, Mon 24 Dec 2018.

I'd love something like this. I've got no experience with Fate, though, but I'm more than happy to learn a new system for something like this.

A Heroic-level Savage Worlds game sounds like what you need - quick pulp action centred on epic PCs who require epic maiming to take 'em out. Spells basically limited by creativity, trapping-wise, easy to mod mechanics-wise for something that better fits your needs.

Sounds a little like Titan's Grave! FantasyAGE is fun.

I'd suggest Apocalypse World (Powered by the Apocalypse) for this- the game seems pretty much made for this genre, and is rules-light, violent, sexy, and deals with the cheapness and swiftness of death.

I don't like powered by the apocalypse because it feels like it's an odd mix of elements. Very hard for me to explain why, but it feels like it wants to be very mechanical will the same time very hands off. It's encourages people to cooperate on creating the world, but at the same time the only elements that seem to matter are player characters and non-player characters. Anyway, I don't want to use powered by the Apocalypse even if it seems perfect.
This message was last edited by the user at 18:09, Tue 25 Dec 2018.

This sounds like fun, very ‘throwback’ to old High Fantasy stuff like Conan the Barbarian and such.

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 18:40, Sat 29 Dec 2018.

I'm definitely leaning towards a modified version of Fate core at this point. I have some ideas that I feel will take away the hitpoint economy that is so tyrannical for Dungeons & Dragons. I will discuss them further later, if there is sufficient interest. I do not have access to Fantasy age RPG, so I don't want to run a game playing at because I would be catching up on the rules.

It sounds like "Heavy Metal" magazine would be an excellent source of inspiration, too.

Suffice to say, I really like the idea. Fate sounds like it would handle it fine. How super human do you want the player characters (and NPCs too) to be? Is this going to be more grim and gritty, or dark fantasy with Demi gods doing battle in the rubble of a ruined world? I'd say that, if you won't string undertones of comedy, that's likely better suited to more powerful characters who will be able to justify finding humor in the darkness, despair, and destruction that abounds. For more powerful characters, I'd suggest looking at mega stunts from the atomic robo game (if you want more rules light) or powers from the various Dresden files versions.

Fate's general system for wounds already gets pretty far from d&d and it's hot point economy. Players can only take so many consequences before being taken out of the fight.

I would absolutely be up for this, and very much on board with Fate Core or Accelerated.

I am willing to be flexible on how powerful the characters are, but as a way of establishing a baseline:

- a master swordsman, with many skills but distrustful of magic.
- a wizard, skilled in combat with both blade and steel. Their power costs more the more they draw on it.
- a fearsome Beast, with the mind of a man and the terrifying strength of a monster
- Warrior Princess, blessed by the Gods
- a woman drawn from out of time, arms with Flintlock pistols and an Iron Will

The truth is that the power of the characters relative to each other is not that important with my custom rules. Once you get a good look at them, you will see. Your abilities in combat are sort of pooled together, and the party is treated as a single entity.

As for the atmosphere, I want it to feel like a heroic fantasy. The party will be heroes of destiny, facing terrible dangers at every turn. You will have to call on all your wits and use the resources of the world, but perhaps you can survive and become legend.

I'm seeing a heroic fantasy level, then, akin to Xena, Conan, and others? I'm certainly not worried about mechanical balance, since FATE always cares more about narrative importance than anything else. FATE points themselves are basically "plot armor" . . .

Yeah, I'm definitely interested.

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 14:50, Sun 30 Dec 2018.

The characters would be good guy is in the sense that Conan the Barbarian is a good guy. They don't actually do evil things, but I wouldn't expect them to do anyting that wasn't in their self-interest. If they have some sort of compulsion to do good, then that is considered a complication that will earn them fate points.

As for sword and sorcery vs. High fantasy, I think that we are going to evolve a sort of culture of Our Own. If the player characters start off as one and gradually drifts towards the other, that would be fine with me. If one Adventure feels one way and the other one feels another way, that's fine with me. The only thing I want to caution everyone about you is not to make a character who is going to absorb too much screen time as it were, because everyone is going to be such a dynamic Powerhouse that it's going to be hard to differentiate between 8 people trying to have their story being told.

At this point in time, I am writing the first Adventure and creating the initial setting.

This sounds super interesting, post a link when this goes live and I think you'll have plenty of applicants :D

Sounds like it might be interesting?

Almost finished.

The custom rules I've developed work best with four players maximum, but we might have more players than that. Would anyone else be interested in GMing?

Unfortunately, while I can only speak for myself, I'd imagine that most of the people who spoke up here had their hearts set on playing.

Likewise - I'm eager to play, but I don't have the mental capacity to be running (or co-running) the game right now.

The game is called Fate of Metal. Have a peruse of my house rules and send me an RtJ if you are interested.

link to another game