There are a lot of ways to venture forth in the deepest dungeons to save the princess (right, Mario?). The same goes for handling local terrorizing baddie or war bands. Game masters are also getting more creative to keep you from doing just that and that’s called roleplaying. Free League is the new kid on the roleplaying block!
Aside from the creative dungeon masters lurking at the table, there are also newer roleplaying systems to explore. Hasbro, with its titan Dungeons and Dragons losing ground to Pathfinder and the new kid on the block is pushing hard. The new kid even has some more power up its sleeve with some amazing IP’s lending a hand. Yes, I’m talking about Free League, and their amazing games like Vaesen and Dragonbane. Of course there are a lot more to name, but let’s start with the differences among titles.
In Free League Games, Character Skills Matter!
One of the bit differences between a Free League product and DnD, is that the player actually has some skill. In DnD5E, it’s the weapon or item that has it. You find (in game of course) a sword, but it’s heavy, so you need some skill to wield it. In Hasbro’s game, you can because the sword has some form of skill attached to it. In Free league games, your character needs the correct skill in order to wield it. This is portrayed by extra D6’s you can roll if you have that skill.
No dungeon brawl, a roleplaying session
“You enter a tavern and see locals and one very suspicious man in the corner”. This is basically every start of a good time with the party. You know this guy is up to no good. The only documented suspicious man that has good intentions in the end, was Strider in Lord of the Rings.
Most of the time, when you talk to that man, you and your party are sent into a dungeon. As a result, blood will be spilled, and you return to the tavern for loot. But what if you were actually solving mysteries as a detective as in Vaesen. What if you aren’t a hero, but the wrong person in the wrong place like in Alien. Here, you are no more than a worker for Weyland Corp trying to survive. Sometimes you are the bad guy like in Symbaroum and sometimes you are an unfortunate mutant.
In other words, if you in a depend on your might with a weapon, you will end up dead. You need to role-play your way out of situations. If the DM is talented, you never have to fight your way out. There are of course situations where weapons are your only option, but these are rare and kept exciting. This, in long term does not feel like a dungeon cleanup.
The Mork Borg lineage
So we have been yapping about games that are more roleplaying than other things, but for those that need bloodshed and the needed vile doings, there is the -Borg series. Think about Mörk Borg, Cy-borg, Pirate Borg, Death in Space and their expansions that are worse than what is portrayed in the books.
There is a warning on the back of Mörk Borg, that the game is NOT intended for a younger audience due to the violence in every thinkable way and that is to be taken serious. Think of the game world as a world that knows it’s going to end soon and everyone just doesn’t care anymore, except the ones that think they can survive with necromancy. This is a murder hobo’s dream playground. Death is fast and plenty, and the enemies are even worse. The only exception from the house of Mörk, is Into the Odd, that plays more like an episode of Twilight Zone than anything else.
Looking for something fresh? Try Free League!
If you are looking for something new to play, implement in your active campaign or just a good read, then you are at the right address for some awesomeness. Free League has in its books everything from hard sci-fi in the forms of Tales from the Loop, Alien, Bladerunner, Death in Space and the well known Mutant Year Zero to the war torn lands in the of Twilight 2000 to the fantasy settings of Lord of the Rings, Vaesen, Mork Borg and Dragonbane. The newest addition to this lineup is the awesome AMC’s The Walking Dead, where you can play as your fav. TV characters from the series, but also experience a whole new cast, made up by the party.
Of course all these awesome books and more are available in your favorite online game store, and if you need more, you can always give us a shout to see what we can do for you!
Expand your universe, open your mind and torture your party a bit more in ways they never see coming 😉 Take the Free League route!
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