Systems similar to 5e or that use D20 that work well for 80s/Modern setting?
After pitching an idea to my tabletop group, I'm now scouring around looking for a system that could be used to run a campaign set in a modern day urban fantasy story. Think any 80s movie with your different highschool cliches, meets a slice of life with fantasy creatures, meets a teen drama about growing up and finding your place in the world.
To this end I'm looking for a system that has some basic features.
- Similarity to DnD 5e, as that's the system everyone else has played. Don't want to force my players to re-learn an entirely new system. Roll20 support is also good!
- Non-Lethal options. With the setting, all the PCs will likely be highschool/young adults. I'd like to avoid having death pop up, so combat that is closer to scrapes and bruises than decapitations and gunshots is prefered.
- Magic system. Doesn't have to be too in depth, but letting casters still cast is a priority.
- Economy. Less of an issue, but I'd like if the system in question already has modern day items set up with prices and other things to make purchases and handling money easier.
However, if you think that the standard DnD rules could be reworked, as opposed to going with a different game with the same core system, I'd love to hear suggestions for that as well!
Posted Apr 3, 2020, 11:26 PM UTC
210
That's a tough one.
I'm usually supportive of people who are not trying to look into games that are "similar to the ones we know", because I understand how hard could be to sell a pitch for a campaign attached to a full new ruleset (especially for beginners), so I usually suggest a "non D&D" game that would be the best fit and a different D20 system that would still work anyway. In this exact case, I honestly think that whatever you will try to play that is not exactly Monsterhearts (1E or 2E) will provide a subpar experience. Even if it's not a D20 system, it's easy enough to be grasped by different players pretty easily, so I really really encourage you to try to branch out this time, because it's that much better than any competitor.
I'd like to add to this that 5e (some would argue intentionally) gives players a false sense of how difficult it is to learn a new game. It may be "rules-light" or "beginner-friendly" compared to 3.5e DnD, but it's not simple at all compared to a lot of what's on the market now. The PHB is over 300 pages in the form of a large tome, and that's one of three "core" books. Monsterhearts is one book that's well under 200 pages in 6x9 format, and in general just has far fewer fiddly bits that the players and GM will have to worry about. It's also just easier in general to learn a new rule system after having played any RPG first.
That said, I know it can still be a tough sell to a group that doesn't want to put the time in, and more power to you if you want to stick to d20 systems, but it's worth making the point that the transition isn't as daunting as one might think.