I'm feeling an urge to run a #ttrpg next semester, while I'm still on sabbatical and have the time to make this plausible.
Genre? Probably space opera or fantasy.
System? That's the question. I recently ran FATE and I think I want something a little crunchier, more on the "players face the challenge placed by the GM" end than "collaborative storytelling". I'm interested in a good pre-written adventure.
Candidates:
Savage Worlds. I like the level of detail, as well as the use of polyhedral dice, but the settings and adventures I've looked at (Seven Worlds, The Last Parsec) seem dry and vague.
GURPS. Maybe too heavy? The focused Dungeon Fantasy box is intriguing and has good reviews.
Traveller (Mongoose). Again, the adventures out there look very dry. It sounds like you might get through the first two Marches adventures without any combat. I'm not saying I want a mercenary campaign, but action/adventure works better than extended wandering.
D&D 5E. The obvious, easy answer, but overdone and a bit too Hasbro-y. All other things being equal, I prefer skills over classes.
Dungeon Crawl Classics. Fun to be had from the 0-level funnel and spell misfires, but the 1970s-era worldview is borderline problematic.
Nudge me, Mastodon!
If you want crunchy space opera or fantasy, then you want either Starfinder or Pathfinder from Paizo! There's a rule or chart for everything and the systems are great. Highly recommend.
@chizeck Paizo's stuff is pretty and well-supported. I have the Starfinder book, but I might like my sci-fi slightly harder. The "D&D in space" vibe, right down to casting magic spells, doesn't feel right.
If I went straight-up fantasy, Pathfinder might be a better option than D&D.
I'm playing 5e now, but played Pathfinder for years. 5e makes me crazy because there are so few rules and stats to be able to look up. I need data!
@chizeck @peterdrake
Something I've noticed over the years is that I very much prefer having a detailed rule even if I'm actual;y going to wing it at the table. Understanding the rule is what gives me a good feel for how things work and where the notable shifts are.
Exactly! You need a baseline to start from. I'm not even sure how much a gold piece is worth relative to dollars in d&d, let alone something more esoteric.
@peterdrake
That is fair enough! I was more thinking of the rule systems than the lore.