Burning Wheel

Dungeons and Dragons is excellent for labyrinthine treasure-crawls and engaging class-based fantasy battles. But there are serious reasons you should consider Luke Crane's Burning Wheel Gold for your fantasy campaign instead. Both games are fulfilling but approach fantasy radically different. BWG (Burning Wheel Gold) follows a fascinating logic. There are no "classes" or "levels." Characters are woven directly into the world through a "life path" system which solidifies the character's inclusivity in the world as opposed to implying a certain exemplary or disparate status. To improve a skill, the skill must be attempted in-game. Thus players can improve their characters exactly how they see fit by performing the actions they wish to improve. 

Every player character stands somewhere within an integral social structure within an assumed medieval-esque culture. Character's from different walks of life will react to each other and to situations in different and interesting ways that encourage role-play opportunities (think The Canterbury Tales). The game presents a d6 system that can be as simple or as complex as the situation warrants. But fluidity and cinematic logic take precedence over realism. This game is more abstract than many editions of Dungeons and Dragons, which I find refreshing as someone who likes to story tell as though from a novel rather than a board game (I rarely use grids or miniatures and focus the majority of my attention on narrative pace). But there is a significant "crunch-factor" as well for those who prefer detailed combat. Conflict is handled with mechanical intuitiveness whether in ranged combat, brutal melee, or an argument.

The races really shine in this game. Crane indicates in the character creation section ("The Character Burner") that the races are not balanced. Crane suggests that the "races reflect the literature" (or something to that effect. I've paraphrased). I believe he means to imply that more interesting stories might be told the less common ground the player's share. Difference drives development. This is a game about progress and growth, not necessarily power. Emotional magics are race specific and really impressed me the most out of anything in this game. These magics serve to define the races and encourage players to role-play their character's in a way that fully embraces or defies the archetype. The Monster Burner (a separate book) contains my favorite race however, the Great Spiders. 

The Monster Burner is a Burning Wheel supplement which allows gamers to create exactly the kind of fantasy game they want to play. The Monster Burner provides the essential tools to build custom races and monsters in Burning Wheel. This is an excellent idea, because the available PC races in a game often defines the tone of the game more significantly than anything else besides maybe magic. I am currently reading the Monster Burner and the Magic Burner will be next. But even without the supplements, Burning Wheel Gold is a very ambitious and impressive product. 

- J.B. Geany