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RndmNumGen
2012-01-11, 01:16 AM
What I'm looking for is a system where, instead of playing as a hero, the players are say... a miner, a farmer, or a shopkeeper, or a guildmaster, etc. Something where the collection of resources if the focus. Combat is optional, but it shouldn't be the focus of the game like it is with say, D&D. Cooperative is preferred, but I'm interested in anything.

I've never really heard of many games like this, but I would think there must be something like this out there... borderline games work as well, so if it's 'kind of an RPG', as long as the players assume the role of a person, it should work.

Thanks much!

Shinizak
2012-01-11, 01:27 AM
Ummm. there's Kobolds ate my baby, but that's more of a beer and pretzels game.

GoodbyeSoberDay
2012-01-11, 01:37 AM
What I'm looking for is a system where, instead of playing as a hero, the players are say... a miner, a farmer, or a shopkeeper, or a guildmaster, etc. Something where the collection of resources if the focus. Combat is optional, but it shouldn't be the focus of the game like it is with say, D&D. Cooperative is preferred, but I'm interested in anything.

I've never really heard of many games like this, but I would think there must be something like this out there... borderline games work as well, so if it's 'kind of an RPG', as long as the players assume the role of a person, it should work.

Thanks much!Well, er, my friend once roleplayed a game of Power Grid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Grid_(board_game)) as a Daniel Plainview (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0032907/) knockoff. Yes, he mostly went for oil plants.

Although board games don't strictly intend for the players to be playing a role rather than simply strategizing, if balance and fairness are concerns board games could make a good starting point. They're simple enough not to get bogged down in what can be an incredibly complicated discipline, and the economic mechanics are designed to be fun by themselves. Just add wizard to your game of cities and knights? I suppose the one problem is that such games are usually competitive, but the players could be a council that runs one side, and then they have to deal with the rest of the sides, which are run by the GM.

LibraryOgre
2012-01-11, 03:06 AM
You might like to look at the 2nd edition setting Birthright. While you could play traditional D&D in Birthright, they also had a system for running kingdoms and guilds, with wizards wanting unspoiled areas for powerful magical sources.

Knaight
2012-01-11, 06:21 AM
Freemarket fits this to a T.

Totally Guy
2012-01-11, 07:04 AM
FreeMarket is has a very specific science fiction economy that you interact with in play. But it's about the character transhumanism first.

Good call!

Knaight
2012-01-11, 07:29 AM
FreeMarket is has a very specific science fiction economy that you interact with in play. But it's about the character transhumanism first.

Good call!

Very specific and very odd, but nonetheless quite applicable. Though the details of it are a bit controversial for political reasons.

Anxe
2012-01-11, 10:03 AM
Agricola could work, but that is only farming economy.

MickJay
2012-01-11, 10:33 AM
Agricola is a really good game, it is, strictly speaking, a boardgame, though.

Houses of the Blooded has a fairly developed economy system. Each player is a lord and starts with their own domain (at the beginning, only a single, partially explored province). The game is essentially separated into two parts: the 'role-playing phase', and 'economy phase', where players make decisions about how they want to develop their provinces. Players make decisions about provinces every season, and how often that happens depends on the amount of role-playing; there are a number of issues which may cause roleplaying and province management to, directly or indirectly, affect each other. The game has also optional LARP rules, which can speed up roleplaying (and allow to directly utilise gathered resources to gain advantage during the roleplaying phase).

Tyndmyr
2012-01-11, 03:40 PM
7th Sea DOES have economic subsytems...but it's very married to the setting. Things like nobility and magic are pretty important in addition to more traditional factors like trade and investment.

Diskhotep
2012-01-11, 07:14 PM
The Savage Worlds setting 50 Fathoms can be used as a trading game to great effect. While there is an overarching plotline that can be followed, it is enough of a sandbox setting that the PC's can just go off and do whatever they like. One of my groups completely ignored the main plot to the point that I didn't even utilize it any more in favor of running their trading ventures and the adventures and episodes along the way. It was a lot of fun and they really enjoyed being able to influence and interact with the world without having any pressing motivations other than their own schemings.

Anxe
2012-01-11, 08:25 PM
Oh! Also, Dominion! But that's a card game.

OracleofWuffing
2012-01-11, 09:24 PM
There's Monopoly.

...Oh, wait, you wanted a combat-light game... Shoot.

RndmNumGen
2012-01-11, 11:25 PM
Hmm... I'm interested in FeeeMarket. Does anybody know where I can find the rules?

Siegel
2012-01-13, 06:44 AM
www.projectdonut.com

DonDuckie
2012-01-13, 12:24 PM
You might like to look at the 2nd edition setting Birthright. While you could play traditional D&D in Birthright, they also had a system for running kingdoms and guilds, with wizards wanting unspoiled areas for powerful magical sources.

I tried this in a 3e version, and it's quite fun, but we did use heavy houseruling for traderoutes* and especially army combat.

*Mostly to inhibit me. I got up to 1,000,000 gp income per season. And my DM(great DM), would not deny me the right to bribe enemies with obscene amounts of gold.

EDIT: This was before I found out about factotum, but i did play an Exemplar to its fullest.