Help me choose a system (between Dragonbane, Shadowdark, ICRPG, Cairn and Vagabond)
I want something that still has the vibe of D&D, fantasy (not necessarily heroic) but is WAY easier on the DM (and maybe on the players too) regarding prep and system mastery (learning curve).
We're going to play digitally, not face to face, and would be 3 players (max 4). System needs to support longer play (something like level 12 in Baldur's Gate 3, which is something my players would be familiar with) and not just dungeon crawling, although I can work with just that. Sessions should fit in 2-3hours, definitely less than 4, with combat being fast when it happens.
I did some research and ended up with this shortlist:
- Dragonbane
- Shadowdark
- Cairn 2e
- Index Card RPG
- Vagabond
(bonus option, Vaesen Mythic Carpathia simply because the Eastern Europe setting would be a big draw)
Can you sell me on (or off) one of these, considering my criteria? I don't own any of them currently, so I would need to purchase it (except Cairn 2e which is free), so value enters consideration.
Extra things that would be nice to have:
- Theater of mind friendly
- GM doesn't roll
- initiative is not rolled, but also not spotlight based
- preferably no metacurrency