Or magic items to encourage shenanigans, looking at you Alchemy Jug
this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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I'm using Mini6. That system has nothing pre-made, so all I do is invent or steal ;)
Respect! It'd be too much work for me to use a system that bare bones for what I like to run but it's nice to see love for other systems here!
The advantage of a barebones system like Mini6 is that it effectively stops rules lawyering. If there are no rules, you can't lawyer them.
The core rule set of Mini6 is just a few pages, so it's easy to remember all rules.
It also gives you a lot of flexibility to do whatever you want, and if you as the GM make mistakes, they are just canon now.
I honestly couldn't be bothered with reading through stacks of books to build a campaign ;)
A liberal framework like that means that balancing doesn't really matter either, since I do the balancing on the fly.
The only thing that's kinda annoying is that I can't just give the players a pre-made list of skills/spells they can gain when leveling up, so they always kinda have to negotiate with me about what they gain. Items are a similar story as well.
Yeah, I can see the advantages but I enjoy the clean math of PF2 too much for that tbh. There's so much material to work with and it's all so balanced. I don't mind reading that all either, I actually read the core rulebook for PF2 cover to cover over a few days when I first got it because I was enjoying it so much! Everything just works, but it's definitely a bit more crunch than is necessary for people not running long complex campaigns. On that note, Shadowdark is a really fun system if you wanted to check something out that's more robust than Mini6 but still super simple rules that are quick to pick up.
I totally get that preference as well. It's just different philosophies each with their own advantages. Mini6 is rather limited for very long campaigns, but then again, I never had time enough for a really long campaign.
Thanks for the hint about Shadowdark, I'll check it out!
Btw, if you want a really great system for one-off horror games, I can recommend Dread. It is seriously good! Perfect use of game mechanics to set the atmosphere. Never had such an immersive game with any other system.
Completely agree, neither one is right or wrong it's just what's best for each table.
I've heard about Dread but haven't had a chance to run/play it yet! I'll move it up on the list, thanks for the suggestion as well! 😄
Happy gaming!
Dread is really fun, because you have a visual indication of the rising threat level.
Also the rules are super simple, and it makes for really tense, immersive gameplay.
There is no progression at all though, no skills/levels/..., so it's meant just for one-offs. But if your group wants a break from their usual game or you want to show the concept of RPGs to new players, it's really good.
I had this one game where the players won a tour through a dripstone cave. While they where in there, a former cave guide (angry for getting mobbed and fired) blocks the entrance, starts a fire at the entrance and then kills their current guide and then hunts them to get rid of the whitnesses.
It was all dark and cold and they had to find their way through the non-developed part of the cave system with what little they had in their pockets.
All the while being chased by that murderer who would accidentally announce himself with his smoker's cough.
The players still talk about this round even though we did that ~5 years ago.