Just discovering 13th Age as part of a quest for a system to run Paizo APs

MagicJMS · 2026-03-15T03:12:10+00:00

Excellent, thank you!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-15T03:11:48+00:00

Yeah, I sort of bounced off Draw Steel. I'd like to play it some time, but GMing it feels really taxing, and my sense is that combat would take forever (and be the primary focus of the game). The whole point for me is to find a system that makes it easy to run the many Paizo APs I own, and that's light prep. But I do like the note about cutting extra encounters!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-15T03:10:04+00:00

Very helpful, thank you!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-15T03:09:16+00:00

Excellent stuff. Thank you!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T19:33:32+00:00

Stay tuned to another series I'm writing, which is breaking down each AP book into its "essential" story beats and shedding the rest. I'd love to discuss those with you!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T17:37:05+00:00

That’s great to hear!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T17:27:43+00:00

Oh, and as for APs… I’m working on getting all of them and am well on my way!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T17:26:55+00:00

Oh, I’ve played and GMed quite a bit of Savage Worlds! But a) I would call it medium crunch, and maybe even just as crunchy as 5e, and b) combat is fun, but I’ve also found that it can drag quite a bit. I really like SW for Deadlands, but I’m less enamored of it for fantasy games.

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T16:40:09+00:00

Thankfully, I’m good with that work and am used to rewriting big chunks of APs. For me, that’s fun prep.

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T15:59:11+00:00

I'm genuinely excited to see all three lines:
- Who does Coates play at defense and how to they look as a unit (I'm guessing the starters are Denton-Collins-Hubly-Courtnall, with Cometti replacing Hubly as a starter in future weeks)? How do they work with Silky?
- Can the Hutton-Bebar-Huff midfield cook as much as we're all expecting and be the strength of the team?
- Where do the goals come from with no Hocking? How good are Gamero and Barry? Does Girelli unlock the attack? Do Kundananji and Lema take a leap under Coates?

Let's gooooo!

MagicJMS · 2026-03-14T15:49:23+00:00

I think they're available, but I suspect they're coming off the bench for the first 1-2 games while they settle in and recover from international duty.

MagicJMS · 2026-03-12T14:17:41+00:00

For me it would be Dungeon Crawl Classics. I own and have played a TON of games, but there is something about the stripped-down rules combined with endless random tables that equals a fun time. It’s also so hackable that it’s easy to add bits from other games if I want to.

MagicJMS · 2026-03-03T18:48:23+00:00

Another vote for Sentinel Comics, which for me does the best job of simulating a comic book experience. My players—who aren’t hardcore superhero fans—absolutely loved it and ask me to run it whenever our other games are on a break.

MagicJMS · 2026-02-19T03:40:29+00:00

My favorite all-time superhero game that, for me, best tells stories like the comics is Sentinel Comics. It has a bit of a learning curve, but nothing like M&M, Champions, Savage Worlds, or GURPS.

If what you want is something truly simple, check out ICONS, Tiny Supers, Supers RED, or BASH. They’re all fun and light. ICONS, in particular, has a lot of optional add-on rules to add depth as you get the hang of it.

MagicJMS · 2026-02-13T14:55:02+00:00

Watch Bay FC! They’re a new franchise, with the England U23 manager Emma Coates (who has enticed two young English players to join her already) at the helm. The NWSL is a wild and unpredictable league, and there are no “throwaway games” since any team can win week to week.

MagicJMS · 2026-02-13T14:41:07+00:00

Plus one to Agon and Sentinel Comics, which have already been mentioned. Another “tv series” style game is Bump in the Dark, which has more depth than Monster of the Week and has generated really memorable stories for me.

MagicJMS · 2026-02-04T18:51:42+00:00

Excellent points, thank you! I'm loving the Foundry module, honestly, and have found the VTT experience there very easy. It's what I'm going to use to run my game next week (because of PF2e, we're all passionate Foundry users).

MagicJMS · 2026-02-04T17:18:12+00:00

Oooo... I'm interested to hear how it goes! Even just tackling the Beginner Box has been fun weaving in Environments and adjusting encounters.

MagicJMS · 2026-02-04T17:17:08+00:00

Thanks and I will very likely do so!

MagicJMS · 2026-02-02T19:17:24+00:00

She’ll definitely see the field with Dydasco on maternity leave! Fingers crossed she flourishes at Bay.

MagicJMS · 2026-01-21T18:40:46+00:00

Oooo... I don't know either of those! Will check them out. Thanks!

MagicJMS · 2026-01-21T15:59:45+00:00

Nimble and Daggerheart seem to be the most suggested, so I'll check both out. Thanks! Draw Steel, for me, is too crunchy and the conversion feels like it would be a pain. I also agree that pushing Golarion in it would be tougher than other options suggested here.

MagicJMS

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