I'll give them my opinion. Go back to 1st edition rules.

Hmmm... There's diceless RPing, systemless RPing, erotic RPing, all kinds of things depending on what your tastes are.

If you are doing the above type of games, I say OVA over D&D, or Herosystem specifically the watered down SideKicks version (contains 80% of the rules). Either system will limit you to d6's which are so common you won't have any trouble finding them.

OVA and Herosystem have powers and disadvantages you need to play on. For OVA if you are good with swords for example, you have to get an equal amount in disadvantages (has arachnophobia and fear of heights). Herosystem is similar but disadvantages are optional (but if you don't take them, you are generally weaker). If you want a simpler system and less power building, more imagination go OVA. If you want balance and mechanics and min/maxing, go HeroSystem.

With OVA you will start with 2 dice, then you add dice based on your bonuses (+2 for your sword) and disadvantages (-1 while on top of a building for heights). Roll them all, take the highest dice. If there's pairs or more (3 3's for example) you'd take them as a whole and add them together (for a total of 9). Defense is the same way, 2 dice + applicable skills/bonuses. Damage is how much got through, multiplied against something (I forget)


Herosystem, you have CV (Combat Value) which covers offense and defense. If there's a difference due to how a power's built, it's OCV (Offensive Combat Value) and DCV (Defensive Combat Value). Basic for to hit (and all skills) are 3d6. Your target is 9+CV, by default 11 or less. If your defense is higher they need to roll lower. 11 or less gives you a 55% chance to hit, and since it's 3d6 there's a bell curve where each number ranges in difference from 9% to less than 1% extra chance to hit. 10 is harder to hit than 12, 3 is impossible to hit, and 18- is pretty much guaranteed except on a fumble. Roll a natural 3 (1 in 216) and it's an auto success with benefits, while 18 is auto fail (also 1 in 216).

Herosystem the points used to build powers is approximately 5 points to a d6 of damage, advantages or disadvantages change the point cost. So unarmed attack of 2d6 costs 10 points, while if you have armor piercing so you can attack tanks adds +1 (or doubles) and costs 20 points instead. Calculating costs is a little confusing at first, but you get the hang of it real fast. I recommend using a spreadsheet.
Watch this then :P Early D&D was rubbish

I'd just want a way to play with friends out of state.

Thanks for everything!

Sorry to ask too many questions :p

Is OVA the anime role-playing game? I googled but I'm not completely sure. Also, I didn't fully understand Herosystem, so maybe I'll check more information about it later.

And, have you tried diceless role-playing or just using one 6 sided dice without calculating anything?

I'm very basic. I'll stick with the original, thank you.

Though I do find it odd that doors open automatically for monsters but not for players, or that doors are not supposed to stay open by themselves.

Yes, OVA is anime roleplaying. I ordered a printed copy here

Diceless you simply have it successful or failure based on if you think it would succeed or fail. Assume a roll of average on everything if you need to do any comparing. At least via PbP (Play by Post) you just post as much as you think the entry entails. Quite often very little of it ever has fighting. I usually do a lot of diceless RPing, but it's usually quite adult oriented...
from Early D&D was rubbish

And it being anime affects anything in a big way?

Yea I have most of the Forgotten realms stuff myself, not even adding in so many of the "handbook' titles. Course, I haven't really had a group since around that time either, but every time I look into the newer additions I'm unimpressed.
Dunno.. The TSR boys just seemed to make a better (if not slicker) product.

Not really. The game can be as serious or as clown-shoes as you'd want. There are a few powers present that are inspired from anime (cuteness, hammer-space) but most of it is just a really flexible system that's really simple overall. There's a lack of an inventory and modifiers based on scenario (like flanking in D20, or taking extra time in Herosystem) but it holds it's own.
Once WotC got Magic the Gathering and D&D, they immediately went to try and make a return on their investment. They are about making money, not making a good system. 4th Edition should be obvious for that, trying to take a popular style of gameplay from WoW and capitalize on it making you buy all new books & miniatures. It didn't bite them in the ass as much as CapCom's actions with their games.

Thanks a lot for everything! You've really helped me through this. Time will see if I start to play a more complex role-playing game or if I stay playing with just imagination. Or stop playing at all.

Find a good DM and the system won't matter as much. Something like a month ago there was FreeRPG day which you can some free stuff to try out the various systems. More likely at a convention or even a local hobby/gaming shop they will accept new players or have one-shot games you can try to get the feel for the game. Give the systems a try, and see if you enjoy one.

But not Call of Cuthulu... CoC is about insanity and there is no way to win, only delay the inevitable...

I will try to do it, thanks for answering all my questions :)

Perhaps this might help:

https://app.roll20.net/sessions/new

To add my own two coppers, I've seen Pathfinder mentioned in this thread and have to chime in with support as it's a really great system. I started out in 2E AD&D and have a lot of great memories and think the lore they created for their flagship setting, the Forgotten Realms, has never been equaled by any TSR or WoTC product line before or since. For years friends and I used 3.X rules with 2e lore for our FR campaign.EDIT: What they did with 4E to FR was execrable and I still want to know how many dump trucks full of money they drove up to Ed Greenwood's place before he acquiesced .

I've played GURPS and liked it, Warhammer Fantasy RPG and loved it, and Green Ronin's A Song of Ice and Fire RPG and still need to spend more time with it before I cast my vote. While the DnD ruleset is a good one, it's so ubiquitous that some tabletop gamers think they don't like RPGs because they don't like it, and that's a shame.

Damn. I mean, didn't 4th edition JUST come along too?

With a system that alienated so much of the D&D crowd they're dropping it hoping to get back the crowd they dropped with the 3.5 (who moved to Pathfinder), unfortunately I want to say it's too late and anyone looking at D&D-Next will just say 'nah, not good/different enough to get new books', as D&D-next looks very similar to it's 3.5 counterpart with some updates/changes that look strikingly similar to Pathfinder...