A new system?

[Kindling]

So, as you may remember, I like Iron Heroes. I like Iron Heroes a lot, because it's d20, which is what I'm used to, but hacks "standard" 3.x in a way that lines up pretty neatly with how I like to run my games (low magic, action-oriented, etc.)

Just recently, though, I came across Savage Worlds. I'm sure all of you have been aware of SW for a long time, but although I'd heard the name I only recently checked it out. I've downloaded the test-drive rules and I love the elegant simplicity of it - especially compared to the sometimes cumbersome mechanics of d20. I'm starting to considering switching to it as my default system. The rules are available very cheaply, there's a lot of other products out there too if I want to buy them, and I like the basic mechanics in the test-drive rules a lot. I could even, if I'm feeling cheap, just use the test-drive rules and houserule anything not covered in them.

Then I downloaded the quick-start rules for The Riddle of Steel. In a way this is the opposite direction from SW, but, without having actually played it at all, I like it just as much as a piece of game design, and reading through the example-of-play combat was actually pretty exciting despite the vast numbers of dice being rolled. So now I'm half-thinking maybe I should try tRoS instead (although I would have to seriously stock up on d10s first)

Then I downloaded Barbarians of Lemuria, which is even more simple and fast-flowing than SW, although somewhat less elegant, but has the distinct advantage of being available in its entirety for free download - possibly because its entirety is actually not that long, due to the stripped-down, abstract nature of the rules.

So now I have three new systems that I'm excited by and want to try out - and more importantly, all of which I can see working for the kind of game I run. I will probably persuade my players (when we finally get round to gaming again after our lengthy hiatus) to let me run a one-shot with each system and then see which they prefer, but I thought I'd also see if there are any CBGers who have used any of those three systems and, if so, which you lot would recommend in particular?

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Admittedly, I saw tRoS without having every played the others. But SW sounds interesting, too.

[LordVreeg]

All of these are good.   And you should play a few games of each to see which fits the game you want to play.   

[Kindling]

Not got everyone together yet, but met up with one of my players over the weekend, had him create a character and have an encounter in both SW and BoL. His response: BoL is too simple, and I kind of agree. The simplicity feels like it would be a good thing, as it would speed the game up, but actually it just ends up boring - there's not enough options. I know, obviously, the options are really only limited by our imaginations, but it helps to have a nudge from the system too :)
He liked SW a lot though, and I enjoyed running my first encounter in it, it was just as fun as it seemed it would be from reading the rules.
We have yet to try TRoS.

[Superfluous Crow]

Tried using a modded tRoS for a campaign but it's tough going. If you are not a rules wizard by nature, there is going to be a lot of book referencing going on at the gaming table and it might be difficult to get your players into the system unless they are already keen on it. Also, tRoS is surprisingly setting-biased. This is not always visible just from reading the rules, but some systems just seem to have an "implied" setting during play. I was doing some alternative fantasy and tRoS has a heavy mythical/medieval vibe and it just didn't mesh too well.
Just looked at the SW quickplay rules. Seems neat enough, but I feel like there isn't that much difference between D20 and SW. They are very similar in concept.

[Kindling]

I suppose you're right, but I'd say SW executes that concept more elegantly than D20. It also seems easier to understand - the player I mentioned had very little experience with D20 when we first played Iron Heroes before, and I kept having to remind him what exactly he needed to roll in various situations, what modifiers applied, etc. When we tried SW the other day, it was all just written on the sheet and he looked down, saw what to roll, and rolled it. After 30 minutes he seemed about as comfortable with SW as he was with D20 after 6 months.