I'm just glad to get this opportunity to get more people I play with looking at different systems. My heart goes out to those who are going to lose jobs from this though. WotC went mask-off, and now everyone can see them like I can.

12:00 To elaborate on your point about green Orcs: Games Workshop indeed invented Green Orcs, Tolkien's Orcs are usually gray, black or even pale skin. Warcraft: Orcs and Humans was originally going to be a Warhammer game but during development some issues came up with the deal, so Blizzard having the Green Orcs available released it as their own IP instead

Kobold's project is called Black Flag. Paizo and others are doing a new OGL called ORC. If you decide to open up your system, you can make an SRD and allow others to use from ORC. Also, there are tons of gamers who have sought to write their own system The problem is getting someone to buy into playing a different system. Best of luck to you.

I like both 2d20 and the Year Zero Engine as systems, which are basically dice pool systems.

Like Morpheus breaking his chains, and with determination runs towards his freedom. Go boldly, and don't look back!

Deadlands is a beautiful system. Even character creation has the feel of the world.

The game that taught me most about design was Barbarians of Lemuria. I'd highly recommend it.

Call of Cthulhu and Vampire the Masquerade are for sure some of my favs! Quite different from your d20 D&Ds

Btw, good luck. You are reacting as all creators should. Hail Lobster, Unbreaded.

Holy crap, is that a legit Russ Nicholson style Githyanki on your shelf? That's rad.

I love the Basic Roleplay System by chaosium (Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, Runequest, Strombringer and others) And also love the d100 Warhammer system (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Dark heresy, black crusade, Only war, rogue trader and deathwatch)

What a chad. I too am writing my own world: I just find it easier to get players into the hobby when you can control the setting of your adventure. Good luck on your endeavors.

The two systems that I am looking at currently are the index card rpg for its accessability and forbiden lands for the survival mechanics and exploration focus. The other rpg system that I dig is shadowrun, haven't played it other than videogames but the game books I've read had fantastic flavor and world building in them that really pulled me into the world just by reading them.

I would strongly suggest you go take a look at Paizo recent announcement of their new system-neutral Open RPG Creative License, the ORC. Their idea is to simply create a new "default TTRPG" totally free, FOREVER. I think this is what TTRPG need, a new strong and wildly supported standard that will not only dethrone D&D as the default, but also help you as a creator, not have to go trough the grueling job of creating from scratch a system.

I saw the unknown armies book and had to smile

I've been getting into Shadow of the Demon Lord but thats because its very similar mechanicaly to 5e, what I can say that it has that seems really good (dont take my word for havent ran it YET) is the Path system (essentialy its classes) that doesnt limit the expert paths and master paths to any one novice path. It basicaly lets you choose a subclass at 2 points during the game but there are no restrictions or requirements on previous choices, so the combinations are wild

4:35 Just an FYI on the official Worlds (Settings) of D&D before 5E... Oerth (Gygax's Greyhawk) Toril (Forgotten Realms) Mystara (Default world of AD&D Adventures) Krynn (Dragonlance) Athas (Dark Sun) Eberron (...Eberron) Galorian (became Pathfinder) Yeah...use to be alot of Settings in the D&D Multiverse before WotC took over... Each one of them was different; Maybe Arcane Magic was weak, Maybe Divine Magic was absent, maybe Blood was Gold, maybe Fey were the source of all evil on the material plane... The point was, every setting was different, different races were common, different magic, different ways... This has been one of my biggest gripes with 5E since I started GM'ing, because WotC didnt seem interested in actually providing SETTING books...rather, they sold you Adventure Books with some changes to the play...maybe, if you wanted, completely optional, though. *eyeroll* ...yeah, because a Dragonborn on Krynn totally wouldn't be killed on the spot for being a Draconian! I swear... Anyway... I hated this, because I use bits an pieces from certain settings for my world, and I had just been kit-bashing 2E or 3.5E stuff into my 5E game to make it work; I really was looking forward to updated stats and stuff for things. Instead, no, Elemental Ships and the Lightning Rail were barely even mentioned in Eberron! And Dragonlance was a joke! And I swear, WotC have treated Greyhawk like its a Nation in the Forgotten Realms!!! Its just been all too much. Im trying to transfer my players to Green Ronin's AGE System, or Monte Cook Games' Cypher System... I like those WAAAY better.

I’m just happy people are trying other things.

I went through a similar internal discussion about whether I would be running D&D going forward from a different perspective: as an educator. I run my game as an after school game for teens, and I decided that I didn’t want to be hooking young people on a product line that was acting in a predatory fashion. I am going to be seriously looking for games that seem to respect their community. Possibly through this ORC thing Paizo is doing.

Cut my teeth on AD&D back in 78-79. This was when a mini was made of actual lead (handy when you cant find a pencil). As I get older, I lean more towards rules lite systems. My favorite for the last few years has been Index Card RPG. Its just fun and easy to pick up. WotC lost my business, but I still have all my older books if my group wants to play.

About systems.... I think it depends the kind of games and feeling that you want. I really like Savage Worlds; the exploding dice and the initiative system are great for pulp games. And they have Savage Pathfinder, could be a good start yo gather some inspiration. I also have heard shadow of the demon lord is great, but I have not played it. And if you want something really really simple you could look at the black hack (I love systems where players roll all the dice) cthulhu dark and dungeon world.

I reached that point many years ago, since D&D 3.5. I've only picked up an occasional WotC product here and there and the same for 3rd party stuff. I've seen the same old Forgotten Realms rehash over and over and over and I just got tired of it. I've enjoyed the Cypher system, Fate, various Powered by the Apocalypse stuff, Index Card rpg, Open d6 systems, Savage Worlds, Shadow of the Demon Lord and many others. And (for better or worse) many 3rd party creators are now working on their own d20-adjacent systems. Too bad it took this crap-storm to get people to give other games/systems a chance to thrive.

Yeah, I like this, slay the dragon!

Been waiting for a new video from you!

Cypher System would be a good framework, is setting agnostic, and is a narrative-forward TTRPG. Been done with D&D for quite awhile due to disliking the crunchy mechanics that overshadowed the story I wanted to help weave with my players, so this was the best fit for me.

I played in a game once where the DM didn't like cantrips being cast at will, so he gave them a failure chance based on how long it has been since you cast another cantrip. Example: Last round = Fail on a 1,2, or 3 on a D6, deceasing failure chance by 1 per round. It felt harsh for people who always had them, but played a bit more like 1e in some ways.

The 3 systems I have been checking out as of the past few days have been the project black flag, kingdoms and warfare, and Runequest. Haven't bought anything yet. Still haven't done enough research to make any statements on these but if anyone reading has feedback is appreciated as a fellow TTRPG player.

My feelings exactly!!!

You can certainly use the system I mention below, Glory Road Roleplay, or mine it for ideas. If you use a _lot_ of it, I'd appreciate a mention.

The One Ring and Symbaroum (currently both published through Free League Press) are two systems I like.

Systems suggest: Mork Borg and Mythras would be my go to system for customized campaign. Although GURPS is still the most versatile system I would consider.

As far as systems i was impressed with, Im not sure what edition, but the Deadlands game that used poker chips for exp, and a deck of playing cards to get initiative settled. It was pretty damn thematic and worked well too. Other than starting off as a foot scraper or dung hauler, i enjoyed Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. And we played a game called 7th Sea and had a good time, but i cant remember if it was a good system or just good company.

Games that I love: Knave, Index Card RPG, EZD6, Shadow of the Demon Lord ---- I'm part way through completing my Game System and these are some systems that I have drawn inspiration from. I'm glad this fall out is happening now because I'm going to Publish with the new Open RPG License that Paizo just announced.

I agree that this has finally freed people from 5e. I'm a huge GURPS and Rifts fan as well (neither are open creation systems). Everyone was so locked into 5e that it was impossible to play anything else. I want to play Tunnels and Trolls again. However, for my main group, moving to Castles and Crusades.

WotC’s hard heel turn might not mechanically have affected the game, but from an emotional perspective it absolutely has. I sat down yesterday to finish up the Imbolc one shot I’ll be running. This is probably the most excited I have ever been over something I’ve planned; it’s been me writing my best idea at my best, and it’s felt awesome to do. Yesterday felt like a chore. I considered stopping to go clean my kitchen instead because the idea of putting work into continuing to play D&D, even a game I’ve been excited to run felt worse than doing house work. That may moderate in time (though I’ll never spend another cent on anything they put out), but that’s the damage they’ve done to their brand. I would rather do housework than play their game. My table’s going to continue playing D&D long enough to get used to a new VTT. After that I’m going to be pushing to play a game that doesn’t make me wish I was filing my taxes instead.

Man. I just found your video. Well met. You have a very interesting take on this situation. I'd be very interested to see what you make. As for systems that are interesting, I'd recommend Worlds Without Number, Dominion, and Ironsworn. WWN I think is fairly close to DnD with how it works mechanically but the classes are different and the spells are godlike. Dominion is a roll under system. Lastly, Ironsworn is a system where you roll 2d10 and a d6 trying to beat both d10s. These systems seem like a lot of fun from what I've seen. I hope these help inspire you. Happy world building.

Also from Free League FORBIDDEN LANDS and THE ONE RING

I love shadowrun and old school world of darkness.

My "system inspiration" suggestion: Burning Wheel. It's a unique game in the sense that it's crunchy, but it's crunchy in service of building good stories, rather than being very "mechanical" like most games. Somehow it works. It's probably nothing like what you're trying to make, but it's so *different* that I think it's good for jumpstarting weird ideas. ...Or Mouse Guard, which is Burning Wheel heavily restricted into a specific setting and campaign concept. Looking through that game helped me understand how the heck Burning Wheel actually works in practice.

Call of Cthulhu, Savage Worlds, Fantasy/Modern AGE have been fun experiences for me, and I enjoy the systems a lot. Been looking at developing my own system as well given all the OGL related stuff going on this week.

The "only using 10% of your brain" thing is one of those popular myths that makes actual neuroscientists cringe. It falls into the category of ideas that are "so bad they're not even wrong".

for a system i would say morkborg is quite wonderful but it is in a low fantasy setting where magic isn't a common thing. but the system is incredibly simple and easy to build upon. there are no races and if you want no classes too so it really is just the skeleton that you can add meat on. in my opinion, for sci-fi, the star wars rpg by ffg is my favorite. completely the opposite of morkborg, the system is a bit more complete and the class system is probably one of my favorite, giving endless power ups while never feeling too strong like dnd is starting at lv.10 or so.

Orcs in EverQuest originally were Blue... in World of Warcraft, they tend to be other colors. Shades of Green/Blue or Gray.

My personal favorite systems that are free to use: Fantasy AGE by Green Ronin, Basic Role Play by Chaosium, Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games, Savage Worlds by Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Mythras by Design Mechanism, Sword Chronicle by Green Ronin, Against the Dark Master by Open Ended Games, Fusion by R. Talisorian. My personal best gaming memories come from playing Rifts by Palladium

Personally I like something like Shadow of the Demon Lords paths systems over normal classes. I haven't seen a game to get this next one just right, but I also I love the idea that you don't have a static Attack is X Defense is Y. I like feeling that taking a defensive approach reduces offensive output and going aggressive means that you could be leaving yourself wide open. Most of the games that have this vibe get overly complex with dice pools. I love the concept of their being a decision point where you could be tanker but that decision impacts your damage output.

I’ve been publishing rpg material for two decades. I would recommend trying to use a licensed rule set, there are thousands of homebrew rules and games out there on DrivethruRPG. You will be a little fish in a sea of little fish. Taking up a licence gives you a ready made audience and a customer base.

Basic Fantasy RPG is my favorite. Plus, Gonnerman is going Creative Commons, not to ORC. The forums have been busy redoing the books.

i could not tell you about the commercial license, however if you are looking for a very narrative driven game system that draws players into the world i would highly suggest you give The Burning Wheel a look. Also there is a spin off from it called Torchbearer if you are looking for a system that supports grimdark low-magic setting specifically.

You can play more than one system, no reason to lock into just one

I’ve been really in love with the Magic Dice pool mechanic in GLOG (Goblin Laws of Gaming. The system has been hacked dozens of times and is under Creative Commons. It does a really good job of handling levelless spells. Knave is great for equipment abstraction. It has some great hacks as well. Mausritter is a hack of a few games and being Mice it really changes dungeon design. OSR has a lot of cool stuff going on in general. Like you mentioned with Mork Borg and the above.

What I really hope, through all this, is that (at least among the nerdy KZfaq crowd) we start to get a culture of people *talking about RPGs* rather than giving people the impression that D&D *is* RPGs.

pathfinder 2e is the safest but my favorite system of all time was Westend D6 system. It felt organic while growing your character, encouraged attendance in how it rewarded xp and "leveling", as well as it was easily adaptable. I just tend to feel that the "level" system feels so much less organic then a Skill based game.

Project Black Flag... Like Pirates... Hardcore!

personally i'm a fan of the D10 systems and lately im working with the Powered by the Apocalypse, Fate, Forged in the Dark the ones that i can think from the top of my head

anything OSR is a good choice I think. Those systems vary in complexity but are overall pretty simple and easy to hack for your own uses. I think Old School Essentials and Dungeon Crawl Classics are the most popular, but my personal preference is Swords & Wizardry. If you are looking for something more complex maybe consider GURPS, although a lot of people dislike that system.

I've experienced something really similar to what happened with your Matrix-ish game. For years I was thinking up a setting that was mostly inspired by these wild kinetic sculptures called Strandbeests (you can find footage of them on KZfaq). I had this vision of nomads using them to migrate across resource-depleted deserts. ...And then this game called Last Oasis came out, and it had taken the same idea to most of the same logical conclusions. At the time it was pretty frustrating, but long-term it taught me to not delude myself into thinking I have original ideas.

Prose and Poetic Eddas.

TSR w as more there than wizards ever was or will be Paizo has stepped up whether I support them or not which is more that I can or ever will say for anything that deals with wotc

I'm old, I was a fan of G.U.R.P.S. back in the day...

I don’t have many suggestions. I’m an old school WoD player but I don’t think it’s good for a game like what you’re planning. I just like seeing how the different creators are reacting whichever way they fall on the issue. I support creators rights to decide how to react. I’m also moving away from 5e and planning a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game currently. I also like Stars without Number and some of the Modiphius games.

You should try out Basic Fantasy. They were OGL and Creative Commons license. Basic Fantasy is in the process of removing the OGL content so that they can remain free. They even give out copies in Libra office so that people don't have to pay for a pdf program. Oops I forgot to add Mystic.

👍🏾👍🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I love your video. If you like Unknown Armies you might also enjoy SLA Industries & Kult. The wargame Malifaux uses poker as it's game system, it even includes rules for cheating hands. Also, the game Imortal: The Invisible War uses fluid stats to define characters with multiple independent sheets

100% sure you should look for Cortex Prime

If you are just making a campaign setting you could just release it as system agnostic. For systems Paizo PF2 is the closest thing to modern D&D and they are coming out with their own open license, Fate if you are looking for a more rules lite system. I heard Mork Borg is open but I don't know much about it. Kobold press announced it will release it's own open system so far named black flag.

The Supreme court ruled years ago, that game mechanics cannot be copyrighted. You can't use their terms, so you'll need to use an Eye Tyrant, instead of a Beholder. You can use the 5e system and they can't stop you as long as you don't use their terminology and copyrighted creatures.

maze rats, knaves, year zero

Chaosium's BRP

This makes me want to recycle my WOTC stuff rather than sell it.

People are whining and crying over the right to use an old, clunky, and outdated gaming system called D&D. D20 is too swingy, there are not enough ability scores, Saving Throws are stupid, inflating Hit Points makes no sense, Armor Class is dumb, etc. The entire D&D game system is an old dinosaur compared to modern RPG game systems. The community is trying to defend the use of a 49-year-old gaming system! Everyone can easily make their own gaming system. No one needs the crappy rule system of D&D anymore!

i was between major chapters of a long on going game in 5e i'm switching over to pathfinder 2e for the next chapter now what happens in the coming months may change my mind but i will likely never return to a wotc ttrpg system i like 3rd party content and my ability to use homebrew without paywalls or restrictions hasbro and wotc will never get a penny from me again even if they completely 180 on this issue the mere attempt has burned the bridge and scorched the earth on thier side i have no way back and nothing to return to

My own setting has evolved over decades as well, with elements dating back to the 80s. Orc, in my setting, is what you call anyone from the region of the world called Orakka, be they humans, goblins, hoggoblins (yes, I spelled that right), boogbears (bwgbears), etc. Consider a system-less world. A person to read is William Morris (famous for his block prints), who was writing fantasy of a sort before Tolkien was born.... and all his stuff is public domain. And please, don't include firearms in a fantasy setting. Or, at least, if you are committed to the idea, contact me about why a recommend against it.

Every video like this, makes me laugh and laugh. I have been waiting for creators to move away from WoTC and Paizo(they aren't much better than wotc) for years. Both have been against most of the old school gamers, like myself, because we don't like the forced trends and/or think differently than them. Example, for some reason, they believe Orcs are analogous of black people. Then attacked fans and Tolkien for it. I abandoned them both years ago. I watched as they moved ever more in to using the player base and then insulting them. Driving away older players and looking to score the "new base". Ramping to maximum during covid. Problem was, they weren't going to keep all those players and covid created a bubble for the big two. Both of which used the same system. Now those also rans are showing they are less than dedicated and not buying any books. WoTC blinked and is going to collapse under their own weight.

Waiting on kobolds release of Black flag. :D

Are you on Twitter sir? I'd love to follow production on this

Lol You started with "I'm not going to go on about the ogl..." To going on about the ogl only 1:30 in bahahaha Butt hurt is butt hurt... Can't hide it well

They can steal it. They can steal your stuff in theory. Which means that the artists would also be having their stuff stolen. Theoretically they won’t now, but they can now change the deal at any time. I’m glad you aren’t publishing anything under the new OGL. It’s awful. Even with the concessions which may or may not appear.