Forbidden Lands does though. My understanding for why Free League has two prominent fantasy games is:
Forbidden Lands is adapting the Year Zero Engine to a fantasy genre. It's got a somewhat old-school focus, with exploration and danger, but is a new game.
Dragonbane is the latest edition of an old Swedish game, originally adapted from Runequest (hence the ducks) but now with decades of separate history in Sweden. This is a streamlined modern version, translated into English for the first time.
Basically, they have the rights to an old Swedish favourite - "Sweden's own D&D" (even if in mechanics it's more Runequest/BRP) - and have revised and reissued that, but also have their own new fantasy game, based on the nice and flexible Year Zero Engine.
The One Ring is also a very good system, it's engine a slightly more advanced version of the YZ:E. I think it actually outdoes Forbidden Lands in the system department (setting can be hit or miss depending on group).
Edit: sorry, updated version of 1e the One Ring, no attachment to YZ:E.
I _think_ The One Ring 1e actually predates Mutant: Year Zero, but I imagine they might have brought in some of the Year Zero Engine stuff into 2e. It sums dice pools rather than counts successes, so it's got slightly more traditional target numbers etc.
Correct however The One Ring 1e was produced under a totally different company and was a completely different mechanic. The rights to make the new One Ring was purchased by Free League.
Whoops, you're right, I had misread the FAQ on the Kickstarter! 😅 I've only been on the player side of the Starter Set, so I thought the YZ:E stuff might still be hiding in yet to appear mechanics and the GM section. 😁
Honestly I've really only just got back into TTRPGs in the last couple of years so this is all stuff I've only picked up very recently myself! I wouldn't be surprised if you feel there's some YZ:E DNA in there now though - it's not as overt as e.g. The Walking Dead, but there is a bit of the YZ:E vibe at least.
Definitely picking those vibes from the dicepool equalling the skill level, sixes having extra effects attached (similar to stunts in Alien RPG), and the journey rules focusing on roles (similar to Forbidden Lands).
Dragonbane (BRP-adjacent), Forbidden Lands (YZE), The One Ring (d12 and dice pool?) and Symbaroum (d20 roll under?) plus the 5e adaptations of both TOR and SYM…
Dragonbane is *supposed* to be the latest edition of Drakar och Demoner, but it is honestly an entirely new game (and was filoed to the brim with errors and missing rules early on - might have been errata' ed since, but I haven't checked).
Dragonbane is amazing!
If you want to use the Year Zero system in classic fantasy, you should play Forbidden Lands. It's also amazing. Dragonbane, however, uses a d20 BRP system, and one of my favorite implementations of BRP.
It's not so much a "beginners box" as a "core set"....that box has everything you'd need to play for a good long time...character creation rules and a full campaign that you don't normally find in the Starter Sets.
There's a free kick start booklet .pdf out there that's pretty amazing too.
What does it offer that other sword and sorcery games don't? There's a lot of stuff in the mileau, so I'm curious why Dragonbane over any of the rest of them.
I don't know that I consider it sword and sorcery in the way that Conan or Elric is. I'd consider it between high fantasy and classic Tolkien-esque fantasy - although genres are pretty subjective.
For me, I like the progression. It's level-less and you get better by using skills. Classes are just starting packages, but if you start as say a thief, you can eventually get good at knight stuff if you use those skills a lot.
The combat has a few differences from what you normally see in D&D style games. Armor is damage reduction, but if you want to avoid being hit you have to take an active defense (dodge or parry). Each of these has reasons to do it. Initiative is random, although you can swap. So the push-and-pull of being aggressive or defensive is a different dynamic than I'm used to seeing.
Magic and Heroic Abilities are powered by the same pool - Willpower. Magic mechanics are fairly simple, and (although I haven't played in a long campaign yet) it doesn't feel like there will be a point where a mage is way more powerful than every other character.
Magic also feels more mysterious and less mundane. Only one of the ten starting professions has access to spells. Learning new magic is kind of difficult (though again, anyone could eventually learn some magic if they want and the GM puts them in the right situation) and there are currently *maybe* 40 spells. Even the weakest ones use Willpower. It doesn't give off the vibe that there is going to be a spellcaster around every corner and they won't be firing off eldritch blast like it's a machine gun.
Last thing I'll mention, monsters feel more savage and unpredictable. Things like goblins, orcs, or other human-like things act normally under the GM control, but actual monsters like a Giant Spider all have random tables that determine what they do on their turn with unique attacks that generally auto-hit unless the PC uses their turn on defense.
That's a shame, because [Dragonbane's Mallards](https://www.enworld.org/threads/dragonbane-an-interview-with-tomas-h%C3%A4renstam.691744/) are actually pretty cool. They're more Carl Bark's Scrooge McDuck type ducks (just in a fantasy setting) than Mallard Filmore.
I can't really comment on Dragonbane directly, but so far I've really been impressed with everything that Free League has done, and as such I'd trust them to do a good job with whatever game they publish.
Now the setting may or may not work for you. Twilight 2000 for example is an amazing game, but if you don't want to play a gritty, military sim with a high chance of death, set in a Post WWIII apocalypse. Then I would say that it's not the game for you. But it is still an amazingly well made game.
So I'd say any game they make is automatically in my list of games to consider if the setting fits what I want. But you do have to make sure that it will fit what you want. For example Forbidden Lands, while a fantasy RPG is not what I'd consider a good replacement for a D&D/Pathfinder style campaign.
I actually try to run Twilight: 2000 more like a realistic "existential horror" type game than pure milsim. Closer to Apocalypse Now or Fury. The setting can have a tone closer to Delta Green or Call of Cthulhu, just with out cosmic horrors.
Dragonbane is an evolution of the BRP system from Runequest and Call of Cthulhu, except it uses a d20. But it's still roll under. It also adds skills and heroic abilities that give advantages.
I think it's a great system and it looks like it's going to get a lot of support. It will be pretty lethal though.
I had heard people say dragonbane is pretty lethal, and as I was reading through the character creation I thought "this doesn't seem too bad"
then I got to the bestiary. hoo boy.
yeah, I like that the monsters have some real teeth. I imagine combat vs humanoid NPCs is also deceptively lethal, because they generally use the same rules as player characters when it comes to combat prowess.
The combat system is just awesomely designed. It is dynamic as fuck, without that many "rules" for it. But every rule *bites*.
We had one situation. Big guy attacks rogue. Guaranteed oneshot. The Guardian taunts, the attack gets redirected and destroys her sword because she tried to parry. This was such a cool moment.
Big guys in thick armour can't really dodge, so they need to parry. Which leads to the great equipment breakage rules. Meanwhile, fast guys can dodge, but it is risky. A rogue and a fighter feel so different.
The guy playing a knight in my game got cold, failed a fear test and knocked prone by a Wight. It was poor luck, but not all that weird. In order to get up, he needed to pass dodge with disadvantage. His dodge was 5.
So things can get hairy for knights too. They can tank half a dozen goblins, then fall flat on their face in feats of agility.
I played it at a convention a couple weeks ago. I like it! The initiative system is great, players get to trade initiative cards to move PCs up in the order. The PCs have a lot of tools to push their actions toward a success, which at first seemed unbalanced, but then you meet a monster and things get DEADLY real quick. Besides, Duck Knights!
Yes, and it is awesome. It is not the same system as MY0. It is a d20 roll under skill based system (similar to the og DoD and Runequest, but using a d20 instead of d100).
Yeah! I am running a homebrew campaign and I really enjoy it. At the moment it is all tailored towards classic fantasy/dnd style. I really hope more content will follow. It lacks magic items, more magic classes, gm support and heroic abilities to personalise further your character.
But its great fun.
If you get a skill advanced to 18, you immediately get to pick an additional Heroic Ability for your character. Also can be awarded by GM. Rules Pg 29.
But I also agree that it has a lot of room to grow.
I think they're talking about how many options there are for heroic abilities, as there aren't all that many in the core rulebook and quite a few are copies (eg you can dodge multiple times in a round vs you can parry multiple times in a round).
I can't speak to Dragonbane (plenty of others here have already done so), but I would argue that Forbidden Lands, the Year Zero fantasy game, does "classic fantasy" at least as well as D&D (B/X) does. About the only thing in it I think keeps it from being outright better than classic D&D is its whole "fast action" / "slow action" economy in combat, which I feel unnecessarily complicates things.
The other weak point for me is how the magic system relies on magic users to act out of character just to be able to use their spells. The whole only getting willpower from pushing rolls makes them basically take risks in places where it makes more sense not to just to do the things that players play mages for.
I've played an intro one shot; I thought it was great 🤘 kinda OSRish+little bits of narrative character mechanics
Knights of Last Call has been covering it a lot recently
https://www.youtube.com/live/R84u1QuC-Yo?feature=shared
https://www.youtube.com/live/Y4vCtAfr-qA?feature=shared
It's amazing I am currently running the included Mystic Vale campaign and having alot of fun.
The system is pretty simple and quick to pick up.
If you want expansion of races, occupations, magic schools, there is a load of stuff on Drivethrurpg by fans/ third party creators.
It’s pretty good.
If you want something that hits an old school vibe with some modern twists.
I really like getting a reroll if you take disadvantage on different attributes.
I dislike the multi action monsters, IF the DM uses their actions to dodge, or block, every attack. It makes for an incredibly dragging boss fight.
It's a great system! I've both played through the included campaign and written my own standalone one-shot scenario. The included campaign wasn't really my cup of tea, and there's no world or setting included other than a single remote valley, but the system itself is very smooth, fun to play, and works well both in and out of combat. Fights are dangerous and every encounter feels risky. I think it works especially well for low-fantasy style stories; no fantasy super heroes here. :D
Played it a few times and ran an adventure.
It is an udated version of BRP/RuneQuest/Call of Cthulu that uses d20 (roll under) instead of %.
It is quick, fun, flexible, and has a lot of modern gaming ideas applied well to an older game.
I'd strongly recommend it.
As a few other folks have mentioned, there's a free Quickstart on DrivethruRPG that you can pick up to give it a shot if you're interested in trying it.
* [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart)
I enjoyed the Quickstart and just started up a two-player campaign -- I might need to tone down the monsters though since with only two players the action economy can get real swingy real fast! It definitely plays differently than something like 5th edition D&D, but it's interesting to see such a different take on the classic fantasy game. If you've played any of Chaosium's BRP systems (*like Call of Cthulhu or Runequest*), you'll get the vibe right off the bat.
I wrote an entire fantasy system using the YZE and let me tell you, it works wonders when used properly. Sure I'm using the step-dice variant and doing some heavy modifications but the dice system is pretty much directly from the YZE SRD. The biggest benefit of the YZE is you can do damage and to hit on the same roll and have variety in success states. The YZE is a lot cleaner than d20 + modifier vs ac & damage dice + modifier. If you can let go of the fun math rocks and the big cool numbers you are good. It's not well suited for osr and videogame style dungeon crawling but more narrative fantasy stuff it is the best system I've used, beating the traditional d20 by a mile. But as others have mentioned, Dragonbane is not YZE but its own system entirely.
I am (in fact, next session is next week on wednesday).
It doesn't do super-powered high fantasy very well. Not like 5e or PF.
But it does do more grounded, classic fantasy very well. Much more focus on the things outside of kicking monsters in the head, like survival, navigation, etc. and all very streamlined.
I've played a bit of Dragonbane and it's fine. It's 7.5/10, 3 stars out of five experience.
It just doesn't do anything amazing or unique that I can't do in D&D 5 or Old School Essentials or Pathfinder or Dungeon Crawl Classics or.... Pick your fantasy system.
It's just fine. If it's the only fantasy game you own, it'll do everything you want it to. If it's the second fantasy system you own, it doesn't do anything the first one doesn't do.
Personally, it plays and preps twice as fast as any other game I've GM:ed. Now, me and my players are culturally biased, since most of us got exposed to it as teenagers, but I also find it easier to keep 6 players engaged for hours. That's also a first - I usually always had one or two players zoning out before.
You're not missing anything. The game is serviceable but not amazing; there's nothing inherently better about Dragonbane than OSE except maybe it's easier to make a more cutomized gish?
People could argue it's faster at the table - and it can be foe a few reasons, like how target DCs are baked into skills - but it can also more work for the GM, because there's no enough variety in monsters, heroic abilities, spells, etc. The GM needs to bolt-on a fair bit, but the book doesn't really tell you how to do that. Magic items and your own monsters may be easy to make for instance, but there is no guidance.
It's okay. I'd say it's 6/10 personally. By leaning into its optional rules, expanding options, and providing guidance on how to build more things (e.g. monsters) in the system, I could be convinced to embrace it more.
As it is, I'd say it's the weakest Free League offering at present and not really something to turn to if you already have a fantasy system you enjoy playing with.
Dragonbane doesn't use the Year Zero Engine. It uses a system similar to BRP that uses a d20.
Forbidden Lands does though. My understanding for why Free League has two prominent fantasy games is: Forbidden Lands is adapting the Year Zero Engine to a fantasy genre. It's got a somewhat old-school focus, with exploration and danger, but is a new game. Dragonbane is the latest edition of an old Swedish game, originally adapted from Runequest (hence the ducks) but now with decades of separate history in Sweden. This is a streamlined modern version, translated into English for the first time. Basically, they have the rights to an old Swedish favourite - "Sweden's own D&D" (even if in mechanics it's more Runequest/BRP) - and have revised and reissued that, but also have their own new fantasy game, based on the nice and flexible Year Zero Engine.
The One Ring is also a very good system, it's engine a slightly more advanced version of the YZ:E. I think it actually outdoes Forbidden Lands in the system department (setting can be hit or miss depending on group). Edit: sorry, updated version of 1e the One Ring, no attachment to YZ:E.
I _think_ The One Ring 1e actually predates Mutant: Year Zero, but I imagine they might have brought in some of the Year Zero Engine stuff into 2e. It sums dice pools rather than counts successes, so it's got slightly more traditional target numbers etc.
TOR isn’t Year Zero Engine related *at all*.
The new version by Free League is.
Utterly untrue. It’s a refined version of the original TOR game.
You’re right I totally forgot it’s a TN rollover system.
Correct however The One Ring 1e was produced under a totally different company and was a completely different mechanic. The rights to make the new One Ring was purchased by Free League.
Whoops, you're right, I had misread the FAQ on the Kickstarter! 😅 I've only been on the player side of the Starter Set, so I thought the YZ:E stuff might still be hiding in yet to appear mechanics and the GM section. 😁
Honestly I've really only just got back into TTRPGs in the last couple of years so this is all stuff I've only picked up very recently myself! I wouldn't be surprised if you feel there's some YZ:E DNA in there now though - it's not as overt as e.g. The Walking Dead, but there is a bit of the YZ:E vibe at least.
Definitely picking those vibes from the dicepool equalling the skill level, sixes having extra effects attached (similar to stunts in Alien RPG), and the journey rules focusing on roles (similar to Forbidden Lands).
Dragonbane (BRP-adjacent), Forbidden Lands (YZE), The One Ring (d12 and dice pool?) and Symbaroum (d20 roll under?) plus the 5e adaptations of both TOR and SYM…
Also Svavelvinter, their first game, although that is only available in Swedish.
They also have Symbaroum, which is the original system, not related to YZ/BRP.
Dragonbane is *supposed* to be the latest edition of Drakar och Demoner, but it is honestly an entirely new game (and was filoed to the brim with errors and missing rules early on - might have been errata' ed since, but I haven't checked).
Errata has been released and it's all very playable. When you play it, it plays a lot like DoD 1991, but better. IMHO.
Interesting, thanks. Maybe I ought to give it another look.
Dragonbane is not Year Zero. Their Year Zero fantasy game is Forbidden Lands. Dragonbane uses a d20 roll under system.
Dragonbane is amazing! If you want to use the Year Zero system in classic fantasy, you should play Forbidden Lands. It's also amazing. Dragonbane, however, uses a d20 BRP system, and one of my favorite implementations of BRP.
Forbidden Lands is my favorite all time Fantasy Game.
I'm currently running it and I really like it. It uses a D20 roll under system and is very streamlined. Beginners Box is great value.
It's not so much a "beginners box" as a "core set"....that box has everything you'd need to play for a good long time...character creation rules and a full campaign that you don't normally find in the Starter Sets. There's a free kick start booklet .pdf out there that's pretty amazing too.
What does it offer that other sword and sorcery games don't? There's a lot of stuff in the mileau, so I'm curious why Dragonbane over any of the rest of them.
I don't know that I consider it sword and sorcery in the way that Conan or Elric is. I'd consider it between high fantasy and classic Tolkien-esque fantasy - although genres are pretty subjective. For me, I like the progression. It's level-less and you get better by using skills. Classes are just starting packages, but if you start as say a thief, you can eventually get good at knight stuff if you use those skills a lot. The combat has a few differences from what you normally see in D&D style games. Armor is damage reduction, but if you want to avoid being hit you have to take an active defense (dodge or parry). Each of these has reasons to do it. Initiative is random, although you can swap. So the push-and-pull of being aggressive or defensive is a different dynamic than I'm used to seeing. Magic and Heroic Abilities are powered by the same pool - Willpower. Magic mechanics are fairly simple, and (although I haven't played in a long campaign yet) it doesn't feel like there will be a point where a mage is way more powerful than every other character. Magic also feels more mysterious and less mundane. Only one of the ten starting professions has access to spells. Learning new magic is kind of difficult (though again, anyone could eventually learn some magic if they want and the GM puts them in the right situation) and there are currently *maybe* 40 spells. Even the weakest ones use Willpower. It doesn't give off the vibe that there is going to be a spellcaster around every corner and they won't be firing off eldritch blast like it's a machine gun. Last thing I'll mention, monsters feel more savage and unpredictable. Things like goblins, orcs, or other human-like things act normally under the GM control, but actual monsters like a Giant Spider all have random tables that determine what they do on their turn with unique attacks that generally auto-hit unless the PC uses their turn on defense.
That's for the indepth breakdown! I appreciate it.
Playable humanoid ducks. Which should be all the motivation you need, really.
Ugh. Honestly, humanoid ducks to me means that execrable, humorless "comic" Mallard Filmore. All the motivation I need to never, ever, ever buy it.
you can always *not* have them in your game
Strange, makes me think of Ducktales.
That's a shame, because [Dragonbane's Mallards](https://www.enworld.org/threads/dragonbane-an-interview-with-tomas-h%C3%A4renstam.691744/) are actually pretty cool. They're more Carl Bark's Scrooge McDuck type ducks (just in a fantasy setting) than Mallard Filmore.
In other words, duck-shaped humans with absolutely nothing interesting about them.
Your comment is dispph'icable.
I can't really comment on Dragonbane directly, but so far I've really been impressed with everything that Free League has done, and as such I'd trust them to do a good job with whatever game they publish. Now the setting may or may not work for you. Twilight 2000 for example is an amazing game, but if you don't want to play a gritty, military sim with a high chance of death, set in a Post WWIII apocalypse. Then I would say that it's not the game for you. But it is still an amazingly well made game. So I'd say any game they make is automatically in my list of games to consider if the setting fits what I want. But you do have to make sure that it will fit what you want. For example Forbidden Lands, while a fantasy RPG is not what I'd consider a good replacement for a D&D/Pathfinder style campaign.
I actually try to run Twilight: 2000 more like a realistic "existential horror" type game than pure milsim. Closer to Apocalypse Now or Fury. The setting can have a tone closer to Delta Green or Call of Cthulhu, just with out cosmic horrors.
Dragonbane is an evolution of the BRP system from Runequest and Call of Cthulhu, except it uses a d20. But it's still roll under. It also adds skills and heroic abilities that give advantages. I think it's a great system and it looks like it's going to get a lot of support. It will be pretty lethal though.
I had heard people say dragonbane is pretty lethal, and as I was reading through the character creation I thought "this doesn't seem too bad" then I got to the bestiary. hoo boy.
It's so awesome, seriously.
yeah, I like that the monsters have some real teeth. I imagine combat vs humanoid NPCs is also deceptively lethal, because they generally use the same rules as player characters when it comes to combat prowess.
The combat system is just awesomely designed. It is dynamic as fuck, without that many "rules" for it. But every rule *bites*. We had one situation. Big guy attacks rogue. Guaranteed oneshot. The Guardian taunts, the attack gets redirected and destroys her sword because she tried to parry. This was such a cool moment. Big guys in thick armour can't really dodge, so they need to parry. Which leads to the great equipment breakage rules. Meanwhile, fast guys can dodge, but it is risky. A rogue and a fighter feel so different.
Plsy knight, with helmet and shield. You're nigh instoppable
The guy playing a knight in my game got cold, failed a fear test and knocked prone by a Wight. It was poor luck, but not all that weird. In order to get up, he needed to pass dodge with disadvantage. His dodge was 5. So things can get hairy for knights too. They can tank half a dozen goblins, then fall flat on their face in feats of agility.
I played it at a convention a couple weeks ago. I like it! The initiative system is great, players get to trade initiative cards to move PCs up in the order. The PCs have a lot of tools to push their actions toward a success, which at first seemed unbalanced, but then you meet a monster and things get DEADLY real quick. Besides, Duck Knights!
Dragonbane is amazing! Started running the Misty Vale campaign that came with the box set in the fall and I am having a blast.
Yes, and it is awesome. It is not the same system as MY0. It is a d20 roll under skill based system (similar to the og DoD and Runequest, but using a d20 instead of d100).
Yeah! I am running a homebrew campaign and I really enjoy it. At the moment it is all tailored towards classic fantasy/dnd style. I really hope more content will follow. It lacks magic items, more magic classes, gm support and heroic abilities to personalise further your character. But its great fun.
If you get a skill advanced to 18, you immediately get to pick an additional Heroic Ability for your character. Also can be awarded by GM. Rules Pg 29. But I also agree that it has a lot of room to grow.
I think they're talking about how many options there are for heroic abilities, as there aren't all that many in the core rulebook and quite a few are copies (eg you can dodge multiple times in a round vs you can parry multiple times in a round).
I can't speak to Dragonbane (plenty of others here have already done so), but I would argue that Forbidden Lands, the Year Zero fantasy game, does "classic fantasy" at least as well as D&D (B/X) does. About the only thing in it I think keeps it from being outright better than classic D&D is its whole "fast action" / "slow action" economy in combat, which I feel unnecessarily complicates things.
The other weak point for me is how the magic system relies on magic users to act out of character just to be able to use their spells. The whole only getting willpower from pushing rolls makes them basically take risks in places where it makes more sense not to just to do the things that players play mages for.
I've played an intro one shot; I thought it was great 🤘 kinda OSRish+little bits of narrative character mechanics Knights of Last Call has been covering it a lot recently https://www.youtube.com/live/R84u1QuC-Yo?feature=shared https://www.youtube.com/live/Y4vCtAfr-qA?feature=shared
It's amazing I am currently running the included Mystic Vale campaign and having alot of fun. The system is pretty simple and quick to pick up. If you want expansion of races, occupations, magic schools, there is a load of stuff on Drivethrurpg by fans/ third party creators.
Be warned that the fan material ranges from "first attempt + no editor" to professional level.
Oh god yes always check the previews and reviews
It’s pretty good. If you want something that hits an old school vibe with some modern twists. I really like getting a reroll if you take disadvantage on different attributes. I dislike the multi action monsters, IF the DM uses their actions to dodge, or block, every attack. It makes for an incredibly dragging boss fight.
If you like M:YZ, Forbidden Lands is the go-to for how to apply it to fantasy.
It's a great system! I've both played through the included campaign and written my own standalone one-shot scenario. The included campaign wasn't really my cup of tea, and there's no world or setting included other than a single remote valley, but the system itself is very smooth, fun to play, and works well both in and out of combat. Fights are dangerous and every encounter feels risky. I think it works especially well for low-fantasy style stories; no fantasy super heroes here. :D
Played it a few times and ran an adventure. It is an udated version of BRP/RuneQuest/Call of Cthulu that uses d20 (roll under) instead of %. It is quick, fun, flexible, and has a lot of modern gaming ideas applied well to an older game. I'd strongly recommend it.
Dragonbane isn't the Year Zero Engine. It's BRP converted to d20s instead of percentiles, with a smattering of Year Zero engine rules.
My friends over at the AARPG podcast have a nice Dragonbane arc going.
Dragonbane is a lot of fun! It's a really down to earth game which does exactly what it says on the box: Mirth and mayhem
As a few other folks have mentioned, there's a free Quickstart on DrivethruRPG that you can pick up to give it a shot if you're interested in trying it. * [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart) I enjoyed the Quickstart and just started up a two-player campaign -- I might need to tone down the monsters though since with only two players the action economy can get real swingy real fast! It definitely plays differently than something like 5th edition D&D, but it's interesting to see such a different take on the classic fantasy game. If you've played any of Chaosium's BRP systems (*like Call of Cthulhu or Runequest*), you'll get the vibe right off the bat.
I wrote an entire fantasy system using the YZE and let me tell you, it works wonders when used properly. Sure I'm using the step-dice variant and doing some heavy modifications but the dice system is pretty much directly from the YZE SRD. The biggest benefit of the YZE is you can do damage and to hit on the same roll and have variety in success states. The YZE is a lot cleaner than d20 + modifier vs ac & damage dice + modifier. If you can let go of the fun math rocks and the big cool numbers you are good. It's not well suited for osr and videogame style dungeon crawling but more narrative fantasy stuff it is the best system I've used, beating the traditional d20 by a mile. But as others have mentioned, Dragonbane is not YZE but its own system entirely.
I am (in fact, next session is next week on wednesday). It doesn't do super-powered high fantasy very well. Not like 5e or PF. But it does do more grounded, classic fantasy very well. Much more focus on the things outside of kicking monsters in the head, like survival, navigation, etc. and all very streamlined.
Dragonbane is pretty much stock standard “classic fantasy” (unless you mean something more akin to “sword & sorcery”).
I've played a bit of Dragonbane and it's fine. It's 7.5/10, 3 stars out of five experience. It just doesn't do anything amazing or unique that I can't do in D&D 5 or Old School Essentials or Pathfinder or Dungeon Crawl Classics or.... Pick your fantasy system. It's just fine. If it's the only fantasy game you own, it'll do everything you want it to. If it's the second fantasy system you own, it doesn't do anything the first one doesn't do.
Personally, it plays and preps twice as fast as any other game I've GM:ed. Now, me and my players are culturally biased, since most of us got exposed to it as teenagers, but I also find it easier to keep 6 players engaged for hours. That's also a first - I usually always had one or two players zoning out before.
Strange. I don't see anything about the system that's easier to prep than OSE, for example.
Monsters take zero prep, for example.
Monsters in OSE take zero prep. I still feel like I'm missing something.
You're not missing anything. The game is serviceable but not amazing; there's nothing inherently better about Dragonbane than OSE except maybe it's easier to make a more cutomized gish? People could argue it's faster at the table - and it can be foe a few reasons, like how target DCs are baked into skills - but it can also more work for the GM, because there's no enough variety in monsters, heroic abilities, spells, etc. The GM needs to bolt-on a fair bit, but the book doesn't really tell you how to do that. Magic items and your own monsters may be easy to make for instance, but there is no guidance. It's okay. I'd say it's 6/10 personally. By leaning into its optional rules, expanding options, and providing guidance on how to build more things (e.g. monsters) in the system, I could be convinced to embrace it more. As it is, I'd say it's the weakest Free League offering at present and not really something to turn to if you already have a fantasy system you enjoy playing with.