I am looking for a fantasy game system that would allow players to spend xp earned for new skills. Any thoughts ?

Thanks

Depending your appetite, GURPS may be able to satisfy you. Hardly a strictly fantasy system, but more than capable of accommodating the genre.

In reply to Grimmond (msg # 1):

How fantasy are we talking here? Because, depending on how fantasy there's...

Legend of the Five Rings (Oriental Fantasy)
Shadowrun (Cyberpunk fantasy)
Scion (Modern Fantasy/Demigods)

I, oddly enough, can't think of a good traditional fantasy game that uses EXP to purchase things rather than leveling (or faux-leveling as in Iron Kingdoms, which is Steampunk anyways). Maybe 7th Sea, but that's not really traditional so much as it is 'closer.'

Lady Blackbird uses this, but it's steampunk fantasy

GURPS is the robust choice, but that's usually the case.

Fantasy HERO isn't actually bad, though it's even more math than GURPS.

Heck, WoD games do this, too.

Rolemaster.  You get development points when you level up, which you then use to buy the skills you want.  And all the skills in the game are accessible to all the professions.   It's my favorite fantasy game because of it's deadliness.

Dragonquest?

Savage Worlds?

An older game, but Reve: the Dragon Oneiros should match the request as well.

You have a plethora of skills, which normally improve only when you manage a critical success with one, under difficult circumstances. So an apprentice swordfighter will be able to improve by trying out a few simple feints, wile an expert mage needs to cast the most difficult spells in order to get any better.

Player characters have a further advantage, in that they are striving to meet an archetype (which you can define yourself - it's a matter of picking skills) and can develop their talent for archetype skills much faster. However, even the archetype has limits, so once you hit the best any of your past incarnations mananged, you're back to looking for danger.


In fact, any of the Chaosium systems (Call of Chthulu, Runequest, Elric, etc.) fall into this category, with skills expressed as percentiles and a chance to improve them if you use the skill during an adventure, and then roll higher than the skill while training. So as you get better, it becomes harder and harder to improve.

A lot of early rule-heavy RPGs had this type of system, if you want to dig through the archives and pull up a few.


On the pure xp for skills front, there's Exalted, I suppose.

I am making just such a system, and would love to have someone else GM it, and give feedback on how well it worked for them.

(Well, technically, it is intended for quickly putting together rule modules to fit the desired game, yet all have unified mechanics. I.E. one module for gritty and deadly, another for "pcs never die," yet both use the same mechanics.)

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 2nd Edition is just this also.

The Omni system is based on skill progression by spending xp or training which grant you 1 exp per week. You can check out Talislanta fifth edition which is free on the web.

A more sword and sorcery version would be Atlantis the second age.

A different game using the one roll engine would be Rein.

Or you could try The One Ring rpg if you do not mind the Tolkin angle.

Thanks for the help guys.

After looking at a few of the suggestions, Rolemaster sounds like just the ticket.

Now going to our favorite site for pdf copies of games ... WHICH version of Rolemaster is the current one ? Do I get Character Law ? Or Rolemaster ? Or Classic ?

I personally would suggest Dungeon World, but that might not have exactly the sort of crunch you seem to want.

In reply to Grimmond (msg # 12):

A warning to the wise: Rolemaster is insanely chart-heavy.

I prefer RM's 2nd edition myself, because of such never-reprinted classics as the Alchemy Companion, but the more recent editions haven't been bad either.

For the earlier editions Character Law (or Character Law & Campaign Law) is indeed the book to go to for character creation. I'm not sure what names the later editions used.

Earthdawn is exactly what you are looking for.

LOL ... Rolemaster IS chart and MATH heavy. And new players balk at it.

That said ...

I don't have copies of either Earth Dawn or Dungeon World nor have I player either. I assume both are available on our favorite online game store ? Though playing one is not necessarily a problem assuming learning the rules is fairly simple.

The game system I need, HAS to have a skill purchase system. AND it HAS to be easy to learn. I do not want potential players to see a great game but be put off by a system they do not know and that the GM advertises that he is just learning as well.  :)

Admittedly I have heard good things about Dungeon World.

Rolemaster is getting a new version which was being released as a playtest beta.  You should be able to check their website.  Seems like all you had to do was create a forum account and access the playtest material.

Otherwise, technically the Rolemaster Classic is the latest version, having been given a slight refresh and repackaging.

I consider Earthdawn to be a very simple system but I cannot say how other people react to it.

GURPS is probably out the running, but it has an exceptionally simple basic mechanic (Roll 3d6. Compare to some target number. The end.), has a skill purchase (and other improvement-purchase) core element, and you can get GURPS Lite as a free PDF to peruse and evaluate at your leisure.

Plus I'm always down with converting more people to GURPS.

RuneQuest.  Of which I recommend the 6th Ed.

A completely skill-based system, so characters are really defined by their skills.  The system has comparatively simple math, with a rather intuitive percentile system.  You accrue advancement rolls/points, that you use to raise your skills/learn new ones, and/or to learn spells/techniques/powers etc.
This message was last edited by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 01:56, Thu 21 May 2015.

I have always loved Runequest, and it was my first choice, AND I have a copy of 6th, but I did not remember that it had a skill purchase system.

Thanks.

In reply to Grimmond (msg # 12):

Current as most recently printed for market would be Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplay or RMFRP.  Although they have a Beta test out there for Rolemaster Unified which can can be downloaded from the Iron Crown Enterprises website simply by register in your name as a playtester.

With RMFRP, to run the game you will need the Core rules, Arms Law, Character Law and the Realm books, of Channeling, of Mentalism and of Essence.  The last three are Spell Law broken down by individual realms of magic.