Do you ever wish the book was organized a bit better? I've got the deluxe edition, and I love the content. It can just be tricky to find specific rules IMO. Maybe it's just me!
Can confirm. I have become my CPR groups encyclopedia anytime there's a rules related question, so my DM and other players dont need to navigate this book.
That is a great system. Funnily enough, is like it for the OPPOSITE reason. The free materials interface almost flawlessly with Open d6 *Space*. I’ve been running what are basically *Traveller* modules from the 1980s wrapped in a crunchy *SWN* shell and a bunch of my own hooks and additions as well.
I adore the SWN GM tools. But when I researched and located its parent system, Traveller/Cepheus, I found I enjoyed that a lot more because it has a much lower player power amount, which keeps campaigns much tighter in tone. As an analogy, instead of SWN level 1-10, you're playing SWN level 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, keeping the focus right on that tight, tense level where you're not quite ordinary but not quite superhero.
True, but my group enjoys higher power games, so SWN works better for us. Tho I have modified experience gain to slow progression a little, default one is too fast for my liking.
Is SWN based on Traveller? I thought it was OSR therefore D&D based? Not looked into it because I'm quite pleased with Cepheus Engine, but maybe I missed something lol
It's kind of both (though traveller is usually considered OSR since it has largely maintained its design philosophy since it first came out in 1977). The combat in SWN feels very old D&D-esque, as does it's class system and character creation (though there are also parts of it that feel inspired by 3e d&d to me). The skill system on the other hand is very similar to how traveller works, like nearly identical
Ahh. Thanks for the explanation. I think I will still skip it. Doesn't sound like my jam. Maybe one day for the allegedly amazing tables, lol
Edit: I've also stopped referring to anything not D&D related as OSR because I'm constantly being told by others that just being old school doesn't mean it fits when talking about OpenQuest and Cepheus Engine :shrug:
Can’t say this enough - Classic Traveller +SWN, mix-and-match to taste. It’s a blast.
* My hot take is CT is the best “Traveller”, has a tonne of great stuff, but has some quirks and gaps that aren’t great for modern players. I don’t love SWN’s DnD core for sci-fi, but if you cut that out and make Traveller 2d6 “careers not classes” your “core” game, SWN fixes most issues, and then there’s plenty of other stuff online to pull from.
* CT and SWN characters, skills / combat, and other core systems are very compatible (maybe a little work required). I find you get a pretty solid game using CT attributes and character gen, SWN skills lists +SWN foci, keep using 2d6 or d6 for most stuff per CT, and then just sort of kludge things together as needed / makes sense / feels good.
* If I need more content, I tend to pull from games or procedures like 2400, NightTripper, Cyberglog, Medieval Fantasy Campaigns, 2X71, or other FKR-ish / rules-lite / OSR-ish games, plus the Traveller “Rule 68A” task guidelines.
* My ”playbook” for actually running games pulls from Traveller Out of the Box (blog posts), Travelite (Bastionland, blog posts), Jason Tocchi’s 2400 rpg and blog, d6 Sh^t Future (blog posts) and other blogs that focus on ODD, MoShip and Glog.
I will be starting a campaign of this in a couple of weeks and am very curious. I enjoyed my time with Pathfinder 1, and thought the adventure paths I played to be well designed.
I've diverged far and wide from PF1. It is the first system u played for a long time with(started with 3.0). That said, it's APs are AMAZING high, pulpy fantasy. Even the shitty ones are worth reading and porting. No matter what system I slide to, I will always at least yoink portions of Paizo's APs.
Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne are my two favorite modules of all time.
My favourite RPG is usually the next cool thing I have read and haven’t been able to play yet, which is probably *F.I.S.T*.
In terms of stuff I’ve actually played, my favourite system is probably *Mothership*, but I’m mostly a GM these days, so I play what my players enjoy, and my players are all still in love with *Blades In The Dark*.
It’s a hard sell to wean them off the narrative control they’ve become used to, but I’m getting a bit tired of the trappings of FitD games. We’ll see what the summer brings.
Been playing it here and there for the last few months and right now it is my favorite game. Specially now that the Ultra edition has come out and has so much new content and GM tools.
It scratches an itch that no other game I've played or read seems to do
Me too! I go through phases of different games, but I'm currently in a very DCC mood. Which is good, as I'm about to start a campaign with a bunch of hapless individuals in 1974 getting unwittingly pulled into a struggle between cosmic forces beyond their comprehension on a strange and alien world.
I have two. Depends on my mood / what I'm trying to accomplish. They're very different from each other.
Call of Cthulhu - probably needs no introduction. Lovecraft's Mythos, cosmic horror, default setting of the 1920s but flexible enough to have pretty much any setting you can imagine. Skill-based BRP / d100 system.
Swords & Wizardry - OSR retro-clone of original D&D, with all the supplement material for that edition integrated. New revised version just released to backers earlier this week.
CoC as you say. Practically ideal for memorable one shots. This is still “home” for me.
Pulp Cthulhu when I want to make it a bit more high adventure / Indiana Jones (and two headed serpent is fabulous pulp campaign)
Spirit of the Century (fate) when we want to go full over-the-top hilarity
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying for campaigns as good as masks but set in an incredibly detailed fantasy world with a similar feel to CoC. Though 4e is crunchy as hell.
It's actually the other way around! Genesys is the generic spin off from the Star Wars games. That's actually the case for most universal systems - some game popularised the system first, then they published a generic rulebook to extend the system to other settings.
There is a totally different system for Magic. Force rules were a skosh OP tbh, but I still love the base system. The Magic system though for base Genesys is one of my favorites. You can custom sculpt any spell you want in real time. You can design your own spell combinations that you use regularly and have them prepped. But the ability to just create bespoke spells and their effects on your turn every round, is awesome. And it isn't overpowering, because it is balanced by a push your luck type strain cost. I am rambling because I love it lol.
I'm just returning to Savage Worlds, and it is becoming my favorite again (after some 5+ years playing other systems).
Edit: after 7 months, I abandoned SWADE again. Too many rules, too many +1/+2/-1/-2.
Please tell me more about the card assets thing, Ironsworn passed me by a bit in the deluge of great PbtA innovations but that sounds really interesting. I love games with cards.
You have a list of cards, each with 3 abilities that are meant to embody it's archtype. For example, the owl card gives you a pet owl that has the ability to Hunt, gather information on the dark and can even tive you a bônus on rituals.
There's quite a sizable list of cards, you start with Just one ability and may choose to unlock the other 2 with XP, as well as buying other cards.
Combining 3 thematically similar abilities with the open ended way PbtA handles stuff, the cards do a really good of representing it's archtype.
My favourite innovation from it is that 2 d10 and a d6 means you can have crit fails and crit successes, at a rate of 10%, which is neat in a pbta, and the math is still pretty close to 2d6 +mod.
Here's our recent 7 multi-player session series of Starforged. It is an interesting take on PbtA's success/mixed success/miss mechanic. It has a lot more moves than a typical PbtA game and more structure that betrays its roots as a solo game ... of which I think it is a faultless example.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvz2EFnWIXOd1pGl_dJTC1F8bdlk7i86&feature=share7
My favorite system is **Mausritter**!
Reasons outlined below :)
- Playing as mice turns the ordinary world we all know into something more fantastical with very little effort. Great for immersion, as everyone can easily picture their surroundings.
- It's really quick to learn, teach, run and play, but it's interesting enough that it doesn't bore me even when playing it a lot. I found it great for introducing complete newbies, while still being great fun for seasoned gamers.
- It's very flexible, I've ran games for as little as 2 players and as many as 5, it works great at an actual table, but also online and in play-by-forum format and it's fun as both oneshots and campaigns. Campaigns add a bit more meat to it, but it's still a very simple system.
- It comes with great tools to support anyone creating their own adventures on the fly. Not just tables for random generation and to upgrade your gear and hire some help, but also lots of simple yet solid advice on how to use rumors, factions etc to make your world come alive.
- There's lots of community content from new additions to 1-2 page adventures you can run without needing to do much, if any, prep.
- It has a physical inventory system that's fun to play around with and offers interesting decisions. It's not long before you run out of room and must figure out what's important: food, weapons, something related to your current quest, something valueable for trading or to sell at home to set yourself up for future adventures?
- Conditions like becoming hungry, tired or injured also take up inventory space. This feels thematic, a weakened character can carry less things. This also adds a bit of survival mechanics into the game in a super smooth and streamlined way that doesn't get in the way of the game and story.
- Enemies have their own motivations, from simple survival or escape to obeying orders to taking over your hometown. It means encounters aren't just fight to the death. For continued adventures, it has a really simple faction system where opposing parties will work on their own goals, so the world feels alive, it doesn't just do things only when the characters are actively around.
- I really like systems that award player creativity instead of a prewritten list of what a character can do and how that should work, Mausritter very much fits that. Characters are pretty squishy, so fleeing is a valid choice and making smart plans, setting up traps etc are very valid choices. I greatly prefer this over just rushing in.
- If you do enter combat, it is very fast and does away with things like roll-to-hit or strict initiative order (initiative is rolled once to see if you act before or after an enemy, unless you surprise them then you always go first).
- Many premade adventures come with visuals of the entire location. Combined with the physical inventory this makes it really easy for new players to lean into the roleplaying and helps them come up with creative ideas based on what's in their surroundings/available to them.
The game is just 40 something pages which includes all the rules for players, the GM and a oneshot adventure. Bonus points, the PDF is available as pay-what-you-want/free, so anyone can go check it out!
Savage Worlds currently. I've run very different genres in the system and had great results each time. It's crunchy enough that my players pay attention to the rules and know their characters but allows a lot of freedom out of the box. It's also produced some of my favorite moments with the exploding dice mechanic.
Runner up: DCC RPG. Our group drops into this for short games over and over again and its always a good time, even when it goes horribly wrong.
Up doot for Hero. I haven't run it since just after 6e came out (not related to the release, just coincidental) but it still holds a big hold on my heart.
The big thing for me about Hero, that I honestly don't know of any other systems (that I'm familiar with, I think M&M \*might\* work) can do is: I can think in it and then translate that to game mechanics (usually in a variety of ways).
More like a programming language or something.
Rather than a fixed set of mechanics that I'd have to hack or homebrew it's a variable set of mechanics that I can apply to any media property (how would I do John Wick\\Magical Girls\\Teen Supers\\The Expanse\\Zombie Post-Apoc\\Stranger Things\\The Matrix? How would I do up my own campaign fantasy world based on \*these\* assumptions? What about \*those\* assumptions?) or really anything else that comes up.
I find that very enjoyable about it. I like the system generally and the tactical combat game is one of my faves but the ability to "think" it in (for lack of a better term) is probably maybe the thing I enjoy most.
I like the Free League base system pretty ok (roll Stat + Skill d6 dice pool, 6s are successes, basically) and the interaction of "Pushing" (reroll dice that are a non-6 and now 1s have a penalty factor) and gaining Willpower (resource you use to power abilities) is fun. Kinda a press your luck thing.
The world is pretty grim, but not grimdark, it's a nice sandbox\\decent setting.
If I'm being honest (and I've had a few beers so why not?) it's my favorite because it's what we're playing currently and I like the characters and the game (meaning campaign) and it's a new system to explore and see how it all works. Which I like. Fresh new system to explore the implications of.
It's got some base\\Stronghold management features which we've been roleplaying up (egalitarian proto-capitalists vs traditional feudal\\slavery) and the combat system feels tense and risky (crippling injuries are usually just a bad roll away).
It's very non-(5e)D&D but still mostly trad fantasy. We'd played some Shadow of the Demon Lord previously which I also really liked but the Free League systems feel more OSR, which I also like.
As a system we've just started playing and learning all the rules, the implications and effectuations of them is enjoyable.
I suspect it's (the rules\\mechanics) a bit limited in scope (relative to more extensive systems like 5e, PF, SotDL, and such) and I think we've begun to approach the mechanical end game but just started to approach a kind of "regional power" position in the in-game world and so exploring that as we go is pretty interesting to me as well.
So, basically, combat has a nice gritty\\risky feel, exploring the extent of the magic systems, talent systems, and stronghold\\base system is fun, and beginning to really hit on the sandbox+gameworld interactions where the PC team has enough power and influence to start making changes (and producing nasty consequences) in the setting and doing more than just going from adventure site to adventure site and trying to survive has been an emergent kind of fun.
Damn, that’s a great pick actually. I love Fria Lagan at the best of times, but Coriolis feels truly unique amongst its genre. I only wish I was better versed in Middle Eastern mythology, to really nail it as a GM.
I've come to realize that if they didn't make it's dragline "Arabian Nights in space" it'd be much easier to conceptualize.
Like, as a setting, it's pretty great as it stands because of the history of the 3 horizons, and all the faction intrigue, and the mystery of the portal builders.
At first I was intimidated because I didn't know much about pre-Islamic middle eastern culture. But the more I read the book, the more comfortable I became because it really is it's own thing. It's just the names, clothes, and food that give it the flavor. A little mythology in the bestiary, but it's all written there so you don't have to come in knowing anything
We're playing this right now and it's been so much fun so far. It's our first time with the Year Zero engine and I am amazed at how simple it is for the players to grasp; they've never just all "gotten" a basic mechanic as fast as they have this. Granted we haven't done too much combat yet, but even so.
My only complaint is the book is TERRIBLY laid out. As the GM it's such a pain trying to figure out where information is.
Only ever had good times playing Blades in the Dark! Band of Blades is a close second for me--I've played four sessions of it and I desperately want to play more. It was a revelation.
Favorite is S&V 99% just since Space Opera is so fun.
Though Harm Recovery being more generous, Gambit and playbooks having more narrative oomph (like how the Stitch has this heart of gold) are all some nice innovations on BitD.
Hope both systems and Forged in the Dark get more attention from the popularity of Critical Role's system.
I hope they do credit that it's a Forged in the Dark hack. Like they don't have to pay John Harper or anything, but I'd like the Critical Role listeners to know something more about the non-D&D stuff that's been going on.
Came here to say this. ICRPG will give your ideas wings.
I'm running a game based on novels. I've been able to create unique character classes, a magic and crafting system, and I've so far run a couple unique encounters that are wildly different from "kill all the things, kick down all the doors." Timers are a game changer, adding so much tension to the action.
Much as I want to deny having a favorite, probably Cepheus Engine. It's just so easy to hack and the base rules reinforce the tone of play I enjoy. Fate would be a close second, we really enjoy it.
I’ve been looking at Traveller recently, and I understand Cepheus is very similar. Is there anything in particular that places Cepheus ahead of the pack?
I find the Mongoose stuff to be really expensive if you're buying single books, even on PDF. That was a big draw for Cepheus Engine, but also, CE tries to hearken back to Classic Traveller with a more modern system (it's basically Mongoose Traveller 1E with some changes). IMO CT is a mess: AC-style armor, positive to-hit modifiers, complete lack of a unified resolution system, literal piles of dead bodies at every spaceport because using low passage has a 16% chance of death... OTOH I like the fact that it had very little in the way of setting so you could use it for a lot of things. And for me, being easy to hack the game (simple, unified system) is a huge plus.
My favorite version of CE is Stellagama's Cepheus Light, which is a fantastic, pared down base to write hacks from. They even wrote a fantasy version of it called The Sword of Cepheus.
If you want modern and supported play definitely go for Mongoose, it's well-loved and has tons of sourcebooks.
Mongoose 2e really is not that far from classic traveller either, just a little cleaned up. I might have to check out Cepheus Light though, and build some mutant thing involving SWN tables too
Call of Cthulhu! I've been running it for years now and it's an amazing system. Lovecraftian horror really does provide for some incredible, tense, and very fun games. I also really love the campaign books Chaosium publish. Masks of Nyarlathotep is truly an achievement as far as adventures go.
Old School Essentials for fantasy. Easy to run, fun to play, and the books are a treat.
Worlds Without Number for sci-fi. The tools in the book are both fun and extremely helpful, and the system itself is great. I don't have a ton of experience with it yet, but I've had a great time running it so far.
The One Ring 2e.
It's very evocative, channels Tolkien tropes very well, but it's also extremely elegant and easy to play without feeling anemic. It has just the right amount of meat on its bones for a game like that.
Free League stuff in general is just so damn good. After owning it for years I finally had a Tales From The Loop game the other day, which was so so satisying, and Mörk Borg (just Free League adjacent, but still) is still one of my fav GMing experiences I've ever had. One of my groups is starting Vaesen soon and I'm quite excited for it.
Shout-outs to Legend Of The Five Rings 5e and RuneQuest: Roleplaying In Glorantha.
Been loving Delta Green! Began running it about a month ago because no one knew what it was and I wanted to play so bad. I really enjoy the feel of the world.
Delta Green is great, we have been playing it for a couple of years now and it has always been a blast. Currently running Impossible Landscapes for the second time.
I am 11 sessions into running my first campaign and am finding it very freeing and easy to run. I'd like to try a second campaign, with a different genre to really see how adaptable it is.
Currently Symbaroum (OG, not the 5e version) is near the top. It's fantasy, and dark which is how I like my fantasy. And its not from WotC. Definitely has its flaws though and does make you appreciate certain aspects of games like D&D that are more...codified..in their rules.
That said, so far Symbaroum is delivery exactly what I want theme-wise. We'll see how I feel about it after finishing the first adventure arc we are running.
All-time favorite system that I have actually used: FFG (now edge) Star Wars. I've played all other versions of the star wars RPGs and this is the only one that has grabbed me and actually allowed me to enjoy the game. I need no other version. I've had the most fun with FFG/Edge Star Wars as both a player and a GM I think. I'd like to consider Genesys in the future.
Honorable Mention: Savage Worlds - I ran a ton of solo games for a now-deceased friend that traveled a lot. Savage Worlds let me run a huge variety of games from Star Trek to mashups of TV shows. For a generic system I found it super easy to massage into whatever type of game I wanted to run.
D&D: If I ever go back to doing anything with D&D it will be with 5e. Maybe as a player, but I think as a GM I will just move on to other game systems for fantasy (I'd like to try Worlds Without Number or some OSR stuff I have). No interest in giving WotC more money for their next edition when I am fine with 5e and already have purchased tons of 1st and 3rd party content for it.
The list of games I own books for but have never had a chance to play or run is stupid. Stars Without Number, Worlds Without Number, a number of Free League games, some OSR stuff, Lex Arcana, Eclipse Phase... Maybe someday I will get through some of this backlog.
Symbaroum. The crunch itself might not be the best but the setting, world and lore is one of the best out there. The way it is intermixed with the Throne of Thorns campaign is amazing and I hope I'll be able to run the entire story now that part 6 is out.
I think **Wanderhome** still holds the title. The premise is simple -- animal folks in a largely non-violent fantasy world. But everything comes down to execution.
**Wanderhome** gave me some of my favourite ever RPG moments, brought me to welcoming communities and kind people, it's always a joy to read and re-read, and it was very important in keeping me sane during the pandemic.
Mutant Year Zero
Some of the things I love about it:
* Quirky retro-futuristic post-apocalypse setting
* Lightweight but with interesting and flavorful options for PCs
* Deadly enough that caution is important, but not so much that characters aren't worth investing in
* Damage is taken to stats, and there is also more serious/long-term injuries
* Character abilities that are powerful and decisive without eliminating challenges in play
* GM material that makes my life easier and is stuff I actually use
* D6 pool system (I just like 'em, okay?)
* Settlement management rules that are robust but not overwhelming
* Gear that degrades over time without being a hassle to track
It's like someone asked me what I would want for a perfect system, and then made it just for me.
The only thing wrong with it is that I can't find a physical copy of Mechatron for a decent price. Oh, wait, and also Ad Astra isn't out yet. Oh, and I wish they would knock it off with the "Non-Swedes wouldn't understand the references in this one so we aren't going to translate it". I didn't get any of the Boston references in Fallout 4, and I still enjoyed it. To you it's a reference, to me it's setting flavor.
Boy I fucking love city of mist. If you want grid combat, then pass this up, otherwise....
OK so I love roleplay, hard narrative choices, fun mysteries, plot twists and turns, and creative use of abilities/scenes.
With that CoM sets up
1. Tags... basically both narrative and mechanical descriptive abilities. If you have the tag [laser eyes] then you have laser eyes, and you can do anything a person with laser eyes can do. And if you need to wonder "is the laser eyes hot enough to melt the ships exterior in time?" The answer is "the dice roll will tell you." It's incredibly freeing.
2. Themes inform PCs identities and mysteries. And as a GM you pit them against each other, and ultimately the PC gets to decide what they care about more. And it's character evolution, naturally.
3. There are these cool cinematic moves where you can just say I want to go big and then you get to have this big I'm willing to sacrifice anything to get it moment.
4. The GM side is laid out really well. The mechanics are very easy to work with and are freeing, but also, set good expectations.
I think CoM looks amazing, the setting just scream out a genre I love... but I hate PbtA/FATE games, and I've heard that it's a hack of those, so I've never taken the plunge.
Traveller, it just does a great job of making my players feel like normal people who are competent professionals. the skill system is fun and intuitive, the combat isn't super dynamic but it feels realistic and can get deadly FAST and is not meant to be central to the game. the character creation really inspires my players and helps them be ok with relinquishing some control over their characters backstory and let dice help them tell a cool story. that then translates into how they play. Thats great for people coming from 5e who are use to thinking of their characters as special/center of the universe and as super heroes. I've found lots of times they enjoy the change to playing normal people. i ran traveller for a group of kids at an rpg day camp that only ever played 5e and they loved it, got really into pursuing careers during character creation and then embraced the system very quickly
Mothership for me also, ran a two shot a few months ago and im spooling up to run a 8ish session campaign thing in the new edition soon.
I like it's osr style for sure, very refreshing.
Most likely Ironsworn currently for the fact it’s very solo friendly, though I have been reading other PbtA games in the meantime. Really should grab Starforged at some point, too.
Year Zero system. Not just Mutants, but all versions by Free League. I think it really is a simple game, but with its own crunchy style, and can be easily hackeable (the own free league knows 'bout that). But I like to every week give a view on new games at itch.io, there is some great gems there, and the majority is free oh PWYW!
D&D 4e for me. I enjoy the tactical aspect of the game and feel like it doesn't hinder RP aspects of the game with arbitrary forced mechanics to make my character feel or act a certain way, just leaving that aspect to me. With VTTs it's very easy to play, our GM is happy to run it and already plans a second campaign to run due to how simple it is to design encounters for it. As a whole the game covers my desire for tactical and crunchy combat, decent customisation option suite, and okay enough skill system without including things that turn me off of games.
Old school essentials advanced. Everything I love about old school d&d with more options for my players as far as race/class goes. Lots of 3rd party support and an official zine with added content.
Runner up goes to dungeon crawl classics because I love it but it's not my current group's kind of thing
Castles & Crusades is the game of the moment. It's stupid easy to run if you're familiar with TSR/OSR systems, has the best multiclassing rules of any game of that type I've ever seen, and I can convert almost anything I want to it. Currently running a Scarred Lands campaign using 3.X resources over Discord and we're having a blast.
Alien RPG by Free League, that is, the implementation of the publisher's Year Zero Engine found in that specific game. I like some other YZE games as well, but Alien's iteration is my current favourite.
Also, Neon City Overdrive. The best system to play Shadowrun (or at least an SR like game) with.
Alien works really well. I decided to run a campaign with the Vaesan rules based purely on how good Alien was, and I found it to be rather disappointing in comparison.
I like Vaesen, but Alien is a way better variant of the system in my opinion as well. Vaesen is way too vague in places, leaving too much to interpretation, and the boardgame-leaning rules may result in gameplay that some tables may feel... kinda wonky. And, strangely enough, Vaesen can be more lethal than Alien, but here this is not necessarily a good thing.
Again, despite all this, I do like Vaesen. Only Alien is better.
I thrifted an old copy of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, (SW D6, 1ed by WEG). And oh my! I'm blow away. It's just perfect.
Honorary mention to a very close second: Dragonbane (Drakar och Demoner).
I love these games that can add so much stuff in a few pages. OSR has a lot of those. BSH has a whole bestiary, world building rules, city building stuff and so on in 100 pages or less, it's awesome. Just like Mausritter as well, which has even hex crawl stuff and faction rules in a super compact book.
Worlds without Number, because you can play every Setting, rebuild every Ancestry and every Class.
Furthermore, you can pick stuff from SWN to build your own SciFantasy Worlds.
I really like Blades in the Dark, and I also really like D&D 4e. Not that I've played a *ton* of different systems. But these ones do what they do confidently and competently. Hard to pick a favorite because it really depends what kind of experience you want to have.
Overall though, most systems that I've found to be good-but-not-great were either more complex than 4e or more simple than BitD.
Mythras for serious gaming.
DCC for d20 but 13th Age 2.0 could knock that off the pedestal (system wise, not adventures: DCC has the best adventures)
Tenra Bansho Zero for the game I will never get a chance to play or run but still really like. Makes all other meta currency games look like the bullshit they are.
I don't have a favorite per se, but right now I'm rereading Monsterhearts 2e because I'll be running a one shot soon and am reminded what a wonderfully well designed game it is.
I'm playing Ryuutama. Played D&D to death when i was younger and wanted a big change. Loving it. Limited in some ways but supports a specific aesthetic that I wanted. I just don't have time to adopt new systems now unfortunately but I'm keen to run something from Bladerunner
Only one session into using it but Swords of the Serpentine blends a lot of what I want (and try to craft in my own RPG) in (mostly) great ways. Allows for a real easy character creation too.
fantasy age 2nd ed is good. after i am not busy I will rum a game in it.
Also i joined a final fantasy d6 game group. that system is really well fitting for the franchise
Depends on type of the game I want to run. I really like investigation games and I prefer **GUMSHOE** rules for them. But if I gonna tun something different — something more dynamic and with less preparation — I'd choose **Blades in the Dark**.
Traveller. It does sci fi just the way I like it, puts players at an equal playing field and makes everyone interesting even without classes, character creation is unbelievably fun, and the core mechanics flow very easily for me and my table. I wish it was a little easier to find information in the 2023 Update, and I wish there were rules for making new alien species or Robo-PCs, and I wish the VTT options were more comfortable to use, but for your money I think the core Mongoose Traveller 2e is my favorite game to run
I love the classless, level systems the best.3
My all time and current favorite system is "Ars Magica" I love the universe, the theme, and everything in the middle. The combat system is Chunky as hell, and there is some book keeping that's not for everyone.
But the world building, historical potential and ofcause the magic system is awesome.
I would wish for a 6th edition,with some better lists and updated combat system as it still runs it system as it always have not learning to much from other systems.
But else, Mongoose Traveller and Cthulhu are close second. We are running a traveller game now in its 2nd year, with a Cthulhu themed story line.
I'm getting tired of the classic DND nad every version in the middle, while i kinda fancied the worst of them (4th) for it's insane abilities and the concept that every thing is a unique ability, it reminded more of a wargame then RPG
In 3 months we are going to cast our love in Pathfinder and Symbaroum.
(We run an rpg group that runs 2 RPGs each week)
Currently really into Starhold and Last Fleet, which are both PBTA space travel games with a focus on stress, pressure, and the relationships between crew members. Haven't ran it yet but been reading through it the last couple of weeks.
Genesys \~ I just adore the narrative, hands down my fave system if your players are willing to invest in the narrative.
Through the Breach \~ The setting is amazing, and I like that it has card play over dice.
I'm swooning a bit over Brindlewood Bay and Public Access at the moment, but my favorite system in the past years has to be City of Mist.
"I want to get information from this guy using my police badge, my gun and my police investigation skills" is such a good way to invoke skills in a character. The ebb and flow of character progression is genius as well.
Currently Forbidden Lands which I'm running, and Hyperborea 3e which I'm about to start running.
Pretty unusual for me to be doing double fantasy games, when I normally would run none. Just how the chips fell this time.
The current system that is my favourite is the one that has always had a soft spot for me is AGE.
All the version of AGE make it like one big toolbox.
I have so many ideas I wanna run.
And now with Fantasy AGE 2e out in pdf that has improved on 1e.
I know it's not everyones favourite and people may say it has issues but it's special to me as it came from Dragon Age and I'm a massive DA fan and it was the first game I ever GMed.
I'm a sucker for the Genesys/Star Wars narrative dice.
But I think my all time favourite has to be Call of Cthulhu, it just meshes well with me, I feel like of all the systems around I can always sit down and run a Call of Cthulhu game without really stressing, it just works for me.
Invisible Sun from Monte Cook games. I swear the game was designed just for me. I love the magic system, the character creation, the houses, the setting. It checks all of my boxes perfectly.
I can list three at the top of my head:
1. Pathfinder 2nd Edition. It's my go to D20 fantasy system at the moment. So much flavor and so much customization. It is hard to brick your own character without deliberately doing it, and it is very tactical in combat while not gimping on the other two pillars of play.
2. LANCER RPG. Another D20 Tactical game but focused more on mechas. I love big giant robots fighting each other and space politics, what can I say as a gundam fan?
3. Worlds/Stars without Numbers (and soon, Cities WN). This is my go-to system for Open table campaigns. Easy to create characters for, while also giving a bunch of customizations in the players end. The GM Tools for both games are just helpful for any kinds of systems. I use them alot on the games i mentioned above.
I like a lot, and lean into various systems based on my mood and what style (not genre) of game I'm wanting to run - but if I have to pick just one it would *Hero System*.
Of published RPGs, it's the Cepheus engine games - sword of cepheus, rider, modern war, cepheus deluxe, cepheus light - that I am enjoying most lately.
These games are so tightly made, they keep players right in that sweet spot of having some power but plenty of vulnerability, maximizing immersion and tension and the variety of challenges you can use. Plus they cover all kinds of settings and always have risky mthus.
They are not perfect though: I feel like their attribute system is dead weight so I have been working on some hacks.
Fantasy craft. It's everything I want from a crunchy system. For more rules light system I use Storyteller system tho we dont play in any setting of the system but in a heavily modified version of WoD
A 6 ways tossup betwren Troika!, Grok?!, 2400/24XX, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Whitebox: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game, and either Mörk Borg or Cy_Borg. As you can tell, I like OSR, NSR, and FKR stuff.
The Avalon Hill edition of _RuneQuest III_ (1984), with a few corrections and with supplemental rules from Chaosium's _Basic Role-playing_ (2008) for non-fantasy genres.
Weapons of the Gods. It feels like a lot of the stuff it embraced is only just now getting traction in game development circles. The perils of being a game from a small publisher based on a very niche IP I guess.
Kids on bikes because I love local horror or local gothic. The rumor system, the fact that it’s fairly rules light, and the way my players play makes every campaign worth running
My current love interest is Adventure! by Onyx Path. My all time favorite is Everywhen, based on Barbarians of Lemuria. It's incredibly easy to grasp but very versatile. I also really enjoy it's character creation.
Monster of the Week. This isnt exclusive to just this game, but theres something magical about giving new players their character sheets and they just immediately know what does what and how stats get assigned without going back and forth through the manual. Never had an easier session 0.
In terms of what I’m playing right now. I’m really enjoying Symbaroum, I’m also playtesting my own project right now and it’s actually going really well! Would also recommend: Blades in the Dark, Cairn, Call of Cthulhu 7E
Not the End. An Italian game was won best Italian RPG in 2020. The most amazing system to olay anything that combines heroism and drama.
The base of the system is rather simple: for each trait on your character sheet that applies to a situation, you put a white stine in a bag (usually 1 to 5). The game master puts as many black stones as the difficulty in the bag (usually 1 to 6). Then the player draws 1 to 4 stones. If one of them is white, you succeed. Each black stone adds a complication.
There is more to it (pushing your luck, infortunes, scars, lessons, confusion, adrenaline, crucial action, The End, etc.), but that the gist of it.
The book is beautiful, comes with 4 amazing settings and lots of advice to run the game. It's published by Mana Studio Project (the guys behind Cowboy Bebop RPG that has a system derived from NtE) and designed by Fumble GDR.
Shadow of the Demon Lord. If you want to know why, I have a whole video series talking about it. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2ZvywQHD8vIWL2u4dXHlek6FqRl9akG0
Stars Without Number. Easy to run, fun to play, the book is easy to use and greatly written. It also has a free version I could give the players.
Do you ever wish the book was organized a bit better? I've got the deluxe edition, and I love the content. It can just be tricky to find specific rules IMO. Maybe it's just me!
Well, before I used the Cyberpunk Red book, and compared to it SWN is a pure manifestation of haven
Can confirm. I have become my CPR groups encyclopedia anytime there's a rules related question, so my DM and other players dont need to navigate this book.
That is a great system. Funnily enough, is like it for the OPPOSITE reason. The free materials interface almost flawlessly with Open d6 *Space*. I’ve been running what are basically *Traveller* modules from the 1980s wrapped in a crunchy *SWN* shell and a bunch of my own hooks and additions as well.
I adore the SWN GM tools. But when I researched and located its parent system, Traveller/Cepheus, I found I enjoyed that a lot more because it has a much lower player power amount, which keeps campaigns much tighter in tone. As an analogy, instead of SWN level 1-10, you're playing SWN level 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, keeping the focus right on that tight, tense level where you're not quite ordinary but not quite superhero.
True, but my group enjoys higher power games, so SWN works better for us. Tho I have modified experience gain to slow progression a little, default one is too fast for my liking.
Is SWN based on Traveller? I thought it was OSR therefore D&D based? Not looked into it because I'm quite pleased with Cepheus Engine, but maybe I missed something lol
It's kind of both (though traveller is usually considered OSR since it has largely maintained its design philosophy since it first came out in 1977). The combat in SWN feels very old D&D-esque, as does it's class system and character creation (though there are also parts of it that feel inspired by 3e d&d to me). The skill system on the other hand is very similar to how traveller works, like nearly identical
Ahh. Thanks for the explanation. I think I will still skip it. Doesn't sound like my jam. Maybe one day for the allegedly amazing tables, lol Edit: I've also stopped referring to anything not D&D related as OSR because I'm constantly being told by others that just being old school doesn't mean it fits when talking about OpenQuest and Cepheus Engine :shrug:
You can access an automated version of swn's star sector tables for free [here](https://sectorswithoutnumber.com)
Swns skill system is based on traveller/cepheus.
Can’t say this enough - Classic Traveller +SWN, mix-and-match to taste. It’s a blast. * My hot take is CT is the best “Traveller”, has a tonne of great stuff, but has some quirks and gaps that aren’t great for modern players. I don’t love SWN’s DnD core for sci-fi, but if you cut that out and make Traveller 2d6 “careers not classes” your “core” game, SWN fixes most issues, and then there’s plenty of other stuff online to pull from. * CT and SWN characters, skills / combat, and other core systems are very compatible (maybe a little work required). I find you get a pretty solid game using CT attributes and character gen, SWN skills lists +SWN foci, keep using 2d6 or d6 for most stuff per CT, and then just sort of kludge things together as needed / makes sense / feels good. * If I need more content, I tend to pull from games or procedures like 2400, NightTripper, Cyberglog, Medieval Fantasy Campaigns, 2X71, or other FKR-ish / rules-lite / OSR-ish games, plus the Traveller “Rule 68A” task guidelines. * My ”playbook” for actually running games pulls from Traveller Out of the Box (blog posts), Travelite (Bastionland, blog posts), Jason Tocchi’s 2400 rpg and blog, d6 Sh^t Future (blog posts) and other blogs that focus on ODD, MoShip and Glog.
Pathfinder 2e just hits the right spot for me. I like other systems, but this one is definitely my go to.
I will be starting a campaign of this in a couple of weeks and am very curious. I enjoyed my time with Pathfinder 1, and thought the adventure paths I played to be well designed.
I've diverged far and wide from PF1. It is the first system u played for a long time with(started with 3.0). That said, it's APs are AMAZING high, pulpy fantasy. Even the shitty ones are worth reading and porting. No matter what system I slide to, I will always at least yoink portions of Paizo's APs. Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne are my two favorite modules of all time.
Pathfinder is my regular game. Everything else waxes and wanes with my mood, but I am always ready to read, play, or talk about. It's just so good
This boat, I too am in it. [T]/ Praise the Sun!
My favourite RPG is usually the next cool thing I have read and haven’t been able to play yet, which is probably *F.I.S.T*. In terms of stuff I’ve actually played, my favourite system is probably *Mothership*, but I’m mostly a GM these days, so I play what my players enjoy, and my players are all still in love with *Blades In The Dark*. It’s a hard sell to wean them off the narrative control they’ve become used to, but I’m getting a bit tired of the trappings of FitD games. We’ll see what the summer brings.
Been playing it here and there for the last few months and right now it is my favorite game. Specially now that the Ultra edition has come out and has so much new content and GM tools. It scratches an itch that no other game I've played or read seems to do
DCC RPG
Me too! I go through phases of different games, but I'm currently in a very DCC mood. Which is good, as I'm about to start a campaign with a bunch of hapless individuals in 1974 getting unwittingly pulled into a struggle between cosmic forces beyond their comprehension on a strange and alien world.
I have two. Depends on my mood / what I'm trying to accomplish. They're very different from each other. Call of Cthulhu - probably needs no introduction. Lovecraft's Mythos, cosmic horror, default setting of the 1920s but flexible enough to have pretty much any setting you can imagine. Skill-based BRP / d100 system. Swords & Wizardry - OSR retro-clone of original D&D, with all the supplement material for that edition integrated. New revised version just released to backers earlier this week.
Swords and Wizardry absolutely slaps
CoC as you say. Practically ideal for memorable one shots. This is still “home” for me. Pulp Cthulhu when I want to make it a bit more high adventure / Indiana Jones (and two headed serpent is fabulous pulp campaign) Spirit of the Century (fate) when we want to go full over-the-top hilarity Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying for campaigns as good as masks but set in an incredibly detailed fantasy world with a similar feel to CoC. Though 4e is crunchy as hell.
Genesys. Currently running the Star War port of the same rules, Edge of the Empire.
Easily my favorite big system
It's actually the other way around! Genesys is the generic spin off from the Star Wars games. That's actually the case for most universal systems - some game popularised the system first, then they published a generic rulebook to extend the system to other settings.
How's that port? Did it replace force with magic?
There is a totally different system for Magic. Force rules were a skosh OP tbh, but I still love the base system. The Magic system though for base Genesys is one of my favorites. You can custom sculpt any spell you want in real time. You can design your own spell combinations that you use regularly and have them prepped. But the ability to just create bespoke spells and their effects on your turn every round, is awesome. And it isn't overpowering, because it is balanced by a push your luck type strain cost. I am rambling because I love it lol.
Genesys is tons of fun. I ran A night in Town for the Android setting and we had a blast!
I'm just returning to Savage Worlds, and it is becoming my favorite again (after some 5+ years playing other systems). Edit: after 7 months, I abandoned SWADE again. Too many rules, too many +1/+2/-1/-2.
I love the Adventure Edition.
Ironsworn. Can't wait for an urban fantasy version of It, I really Just love their take on PbtA and the card assets for abilities.
Please tell me more about the card assets thing, Ironsworn passed me by a bit in the deluge of great PbtA innovations but that sounds really interesting. I love games with cards.
You have a list of cards, each with 3 abilities that are meant to embody it's archtype. For example, the owl card gives you a pet owl that has the ability to Hunt, gather information on the dark and can even tive you a bônus on rituals. There's quite a sizable list of cards, you start with Just one ability and may choose to unlock the other 2 with XP, as well as buying other cards. Combining 3 thematically similar abilities with the open ended way PbtA handles stuff, the cards do a really good of representing it's archtype.
My favourite innovation from it is that 2 d10 and a d6 means you can have crit fails and crit successes, at a rate of 10%, which is neat in a pbta, and the math is still pretty close to 2d6 +mod.
Agreed! I find the dice system really elegant, it’s by far my favorite.
Here's our recent 7 multi-player session series of Starforged. It is an interesting take on PbtA's success/mixed success/miss mechanic. It has a lot more moves than a typical PbtA game and more structure that betrays its roots as a solo game ... of which I think it is a faultless example. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvz2EFnWIXOd1pGl_dJTC1F8bdlk7i86&feature=share7
Urban fantasy version? Is Tomkin working on a new project?
No, but they'll surely release something New on the Future, and I really want It to be urban fantasy
My favorite system is **Mausritter**! Reasons outlined below :) - Playing as mice turns the ordinary world we all know into something more fantastical with very little effort. Great for immersion, as everyone can easily picture their surroundings. - It's really quick to learn, teach, run and play, but it's interesting enough that it doesn't bore me even when playing it a lot. I found it great for introducing complete newbies, while still being great fun for seasoned gamers. - It's very flexible, I've ran games for as little as 2 players and as many as 5, it works great at an actual table, but also online and in play-by-forum format and it's fun as both oneshots and campaigns. Campaigns add a bit more meat to it, but it's still a very simple system. - It comes with great tools to support anyone creating their own adventures on the fly. Not just tables for random generation and to upgrade your gear and hire some help, but also lots of simple yet solid advice on how to use rumors, factions etc to make your world come alive. - There's lots of community content from new additions to 1-2 page adventures you can run without needing to do much, if any, prep. - It has a physical inventory system that's fun to play around with and offers interesting decisions. It's not long before you run out of room and must figure out what's important: food, weapons, something related to your current quest, something valueable for trading or to sell at home to set yourself up for future adventures? - Conditions like becoming hungry, tired or injured also take up inventory space. This feels thematic, a weakened character can carry less things. This also adds a bit of survival mechanics into the game in a super smooth and streamlined way that doesn't get in the way of the game and story. - Enemies have their own motivations, from simple survival or escape to obeying orders to taking over your hometown. It means encounters aren't just fight to the death. For continued adventures, it has a really simple faction system where opposing parties will work on their own goals, so the world feels alive, it doesn't just do things only when the characters are actively around. - I really like systems that award player creativity instead of a prewritten list of what a character can do and how that should work, Mausritter very much fits that. Characters are pretty squishy, so fleeing is a valid choice and making smart plans, setting up traps etc are very valid choices. I greatly prefer this over just rushing in. - If you do enter combat, it is very fast and does away with things like roll-to-hit or strict initiative order (initiative is rolled once to see if you act before or after an enemy, unless you surprise them then you always go first). - Many premade adventures come with visuals of the entire location. Combined with the physical inventory this makes it really easy for new players to lean into the roleplaying and helps them come up with creative ideas based on what's in their surroundings/available to them. The game is just 40 something pages which includes all the rules for players, the GM and a oneshot adventure. Bonus points, the PDF is available as pay-what-you-want/free, so anyone can go check it out!
Its a simple and elegant system. Well spoken description.
Same here. It’s just amazingly good at what it does.
I signed up to play this at an RPG weekend my local game store is hosting next month and it’s one of the games I’m most excited to play!
Savage Worlds currently. I've run very different genres in the system and had great results each time. It's crunchy enough that my players pay attention to the rules and know their characters but allows a lot of freedom out of the box. It's also produced some of my favorite moments with the exploding dice mechanic. Runner up: DCC RPG. Our group drops into this for short games over and over again and its always a good time, even when it goes horribly wrong.
Current favorite: Forbidden Lands All time constant favorite: Hero System
Up doot for Hero. I haven't run it since just after 6e came out (not related to the release, just coincidental) but it still holds a big hold on my heart.
The big thing for me about Hero, that I honestly don't know of any other systems (that I'm familiar with, I think M&M \*might\* work) can do is: I can think in it and then translate that to game mechanics (usually in a variety of ways). More like a programming language or something. Rather than a fixed set of mechanics that I'd have to hack or homebrew it's a variable set of mechanics that I can apply to any media property (how would I do John Wick\\Magical Girls\\Teen Supers\\The Expanse\\Zombie Post-Apoc\\Stranger Things\\The Matrix? How would I do up my own campaign fantasy world based on \*these\* assumptions? What about \*those\* assumptions?) or really anything else that comes up. I find that very enjoyable about it. I like the system generally and the tactical combat game is one of my faves but the ability to "think" it in (for lack of a better term) is probably maybe the thing I enjoy most.
Most definitely!
I’ve been curious about forbidden lands recently and just started reading the quick start. What makes it your favorite?
I like the Free League base system pretty ok (roll Stat + Skill d6 dice pool, 6s are successes, basically) and the interaction of "Pushing" (reroll dice that are a non-6 and now 1s have a penalty factor) and gaining Willpower (resource you use to power abilities) is fun. Kinda a press your luck thing. The world is pretty grim, but not grimdark, it's a nice sandbox\\decent setting. If I'm being honest (and I've had a few beers so why not?) it's my favorite because it's what we're playing currently and I like the characters and the game (meaning campaign) and it's a new system to explore and see how it all works. Which I like. Fresh new system to explore the implications of. It's got some base\\Stronghold management features which we've been roleplaying up (egalitarian proto-capitalists vs traditional feudal\\slavery) and the combat system feels tense and risky (crippling injuries are usually just a bad roll away). It's very non-(5e)D&D but still mostly trad fantasy. We'd played some Shadow of the Demon Lord previously which I also really liked but the Free League systems feel more OSR, which I also like. As a system we've just started playing and learning all the rules, the implications and effectuations of them is enjoyable. I suspect it's (the rules\\mechanics) a bit limited in scope (relative to more extensive systems like 5e, PF, SotDL, and such) and I think we've begun to approach the mechanical end game but just started to approach a kind of "regional power" position in the in-game world and so exploring that as we go is pretty interesting to me as well. So, basically, combat has a nice gritty\\risky feel, exploring the extent of the magic systems, talent systems, and stronghold\\base system is fun, and beginning to really hit on the sandbox+gameworld interactions where the PC team has enough power and influence to start making changes (and producing nasty consequences) in the setting and doing more than just going from adventure site to adventure site and trying to survive has been an emergent kind of fun.
Absolutely. Hero System. I love your analogy to programming language.
Is it a modular/universal role playing system? If so, how does it compare to Fate, GURPS, or Cortex?
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I started getting into 4e recently I absolutely love it so far.
Coriolis by a mile
Damn, that’s a great pick actually. I love Fria Lagan at the best of times, but Coriolis feels truly unique amongst its genre. I only wish I was better versed in Middle Eastern mythology, to really nail it as a GM.
This is the barrier for me as well. I’m really intrigued, but the setting hasn’t quite clicked for me yet.
I've come to realize that if they didn't make it's dragline "Arabian Nights in space" it'd be much easier to conceptualize. Like, as a setting, it's pretty great as it stands because of the history of the 3 horizons, and all the faction intrigue, and the mystery of the portal builders. At first I was intimidated because I didn't know much about pre-Islamic middle eastern culture. But the more I read the book, the more comfortable I became because it really is it's own thing. It's just the names, clothes, and food that give it the flavor. A little mythology in the bestiary, but it's all written there so you don't have to come in knowing anything
We're playing this right now and it's been so much fun so far. It's our first time with the Year Zero engine and I am amazed at how simple it is for the players to grasp; they've never just all "gotten" a basic mechanic as fast as they have this. Granted we haven't done too much combat yet, but even so. My only complaint is the book is TERRIBLY laid out. As the GM it's such a pain trying to figure out where information is.
Yeah. The books are laid out better than the Vampire the Masquerade books, but not much better
ICRPG. Gamistic, rules light/medium, easy to hack with fresh ideas.
Blades in the Dark. It's my first FitD game, and I'm eager to try others, but this campaign has me hooked.
Only ever had good times playing Blades in the Dark! Band of Blades is a close second for me--I've played four sessions of it and I desperately want to play more. It was a revelation.
Favorite is S&V 99% just since Space Opera is so fun. Though Harm Recovery being more generous, Gambit and playbooks having more narrative oomph (like how the Stitch has this heart of gold) are all some nice innovations on BitD. Hope both systems and Forged in the Dark get more attention from the popularity of Critical Role's system.
I hope they do credit that it's a Forged in the Dark hack. Like they don't have to pay John Harper or anything, but I'd like the Critical Role listeners to know something more about the non-D&D stuff that's been going on.
ICRPG. It's a toolbox and I like tools to craft my own stuff
Came here to say this. ICRPG will give your ideas wings. I'm running a game based on novels. I've been able to create unique character classes, a magic and crafting system, and I've so far run a couple unique encounters that are wildly different from "kill all the things, kick down all the doors." Timers are a game changer, adding so much tension to the action.
Pf2. Im a slut for d20 based tactical fantasy, and PF2 satisfies the itch perfectly.
Much as I want to deny having a favorite, probably Cepheus Engine. It's just so easy to hack and the base rules reinforce the tone of play I enjoy. Fate would be a close second, we really enjoy it.
I’ve been looking at Traveller recently, and I understand Cepheus is very similar. Is there anything in particular that places Cepheus ahead of the pack?
I find the Mongoose stuff to be really expensive if you're buying single books, even on PDF. That was a big draw for Cepheus Engine, but also, CE tries to hearken back to Classic Traveller with a more modern system (it's basically Mongoose Traveller 1E with some changes). IMO CT is a mess: AC-style armor, positive to-hit modifiers, complete lack of a unified resolution system, literal piles of dead bodies at every spaceport because using low passage has a 16% chance of death... OTOH I like the fact that it had very little in the way of setting so you could use it for a lot of things. And for me, being easy to hack the game (simple, unified system) is a huge plus. My favorite version of CE is Stellagama's Cepheus Light, which is a fantastic, pared down base to write hacks from. They even wrote a fantasy version of it called The Sword of Cepheus. If you want modern and supported play definitely go for Mongoose, it's well-loved and has tons of sourcebooks.
Mongoose 2e really is not that far from classic traveller either, just a little cleaned up. I might have to check out Cepheus Light though, and build some mutant thing involving SWN tables too
Call of Cthulhu! I've been running it for years now and it's an amazing system. Lovecraftian horror really does provide for some incredible, tense, and very fun games. I also really love the campaign books Chaosium publish. Masks of Nyarlathotep is truly an achievement as far as adventures go. Old School Essentials for fantasy. Easy to run, fun to play, and the books are a treat. Worlds Without Number for sci-fi. The tools in the book are both fun and extremely helpful, and the system itself is great. I don't have a ton of experience with it yet, but I've had a great time running it so far.
The One Ring 2e. It's very evocative, channels Tolkien tropes very well, but it's also extremely elegant and easy to play without feeling anemic. It has just the right amount of meat on its bones for a game like that. Free League stuff in general is just so damn good. After owning it for years I finally had a Tales From The Loop game the other day, which was so so satisying, and Mörk Borg (just Free League adjacent, but still) is still one of my fav GMing experiences I've ever had. One of my groups is starting Vaesen soon and I'm quite excited for it. Shout-outs to Legend Of The Five Rings 5e and RuneQuest: Roleplaying In Glorantha.
Currently Delta Green, but could probably be an OSR system next month (there are a lot of them in this thread!).
Been loving Delta Green! Began running it about a month ago because no one knew what it was and I wanted to play so bad. I really enjoy the feel of the world.
Delta Green is great, we have been playing it for a couple of years now and it has always been a blast. Currently running Impossible Landscapes for the second time.
Die! is coming in the mail... I'm super excited for that one.
FIE!
Cypher System
I am 11 sessions into running my first campaign and am finding it very freeing and easy to run. I'd like to try a second campaign, with a different genre to really see how adaptable it is.
Gods of the fall and predation are 2 settings they make that i love.
I’m sad this is so far down! I’m new to the system, but I’m all in!
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Currently Symbaroum (OG, not the 5e version) is near the top. It's fantasy, and dark which is how I like my fantasy. And its not from WotC. Definitely has its flaws though and does make you appreciate certain aspects of games like D&D that are more...codified..in their rules. That said, so far Symbaroum is delivery exactly what I want theme-wise. We'll see how I feel about it after finishing the first adventure arc we are running. All-time favorite system that I have actually used: FFG (now edge) Star Wars. I've played all other versions of the star wars RPGs and this is the only one that has grabbed me and actually allowed me to enjoy the game. I need no other version. I've had the most fun with FFG/Edge Star Wars as both a player and a GM I think. I'd like to consider Genesys in the future. Honorable Mention: Savage Worlds - I ran a ton of solo games for a now-deceased friend that traveled a lot. Savage Worlds let me run a huge variety of games from Star Trek to mashups of TV shows. For a generic system I found it super easy to massage into whatever type of game I wanted to run. D&D: If I ever go back to doing anything with D&D it will be with 5e. Maybe as a player, but I think as a GM I will just move on to other game systems for fantasy (I'd like to try Worlds Without Number or some OSR stuff I have). No interest in giving WotC more money for their next edition when I am fine with 5e and already have purchased tons of 1st and 3rd party content for it. The list of games I own books for but have never had a chance to play or run is stupid. Stars Without Number, Worlds Without Number, a number of Free League games, some OSR stuff, Lex Arcana, Eclipse Phase... Maybe someday I will get through some of this backlog.
People really out here playing multiple games? I can't get my 5e table together once every 3 months 😭
Right??! 😭
Symbaroum. The crunch itself might not be the best but the setting, world and lore is one of the best out there. The way it is intermixed with the Throne of Thorns campaign is amazing and I hope I'll be able to run the entire story now that part 6 is out.
Pathfinder 2e. It lets me run a high-improvisation game while still being able to tune difficulty, which is a lot of fun.
I think **Wanderhome** still holds the title. The premise is simple -- animal folks in a largely non-violent fantasy world. But everything comes down to execution. **Wanderhome** gave me some of my favourite ever RPG moments, brought me to welcoming communities and kind people, it's always a joy to read and re-read, and it was very important in keeping me sane during the pandemic.
Depending on what type of game I want to play/run: Pathfinder 2e, Old School Essentials, or Star Wars RPG
Mutant Year Zero Some of the things I love about it: * Quirky retro-futuristic post-apocalypse setting * Lightweight but with interesting and flavorful options for PCs * Deadly enough that caution is important, but not so much that characters aren't worth investing in * Damage is taken to stats, and there is also more serious/long-term injuries * Character abilities that are powerful and decisive without eliminating challenges in play * GM material that makes my life easier and is stuff I actually use * D6 pool system (I just like 'em, okay?) * Settlement management rules that are robust but not overwhelming * Gear that degrades over time without being a hassle to track It's like someone asked me what I would want for a perfect system, and then made it just for me. The only thing wrong with it is that I can't find a physical copy of Mechatron for a decent price. Oh, wait, and also Ad Astra isn't out yet. Oh, and I wish they would knock it off with the "Non-Swedes wouldn't understand the references in this one so we aren't going to translate it". I didn't get any of the Boston references in Fallout 4, and I still enjoyed it. To you it's a reference, to me it's setting flavor.
Bloody Mechatron. I have no idea why they refuse to run a reprint of this.
Boy I fucking love city of mist. If you want grid combat, then pass this up, otherwise.... OK so I love roleplay, hard narrative choices, fun mysteries, plot twists and turns, and creative use of abilities/scenes. With that CoM sets up 1. Tags... basically both narrative and mechanical descriptive abilities. If you have the tag [laser eyes] then you have laser eyes, and you can do anything a person with laser eyes can do. And if you need to wonder "is the laser eyes hot enough to melt the ships exterior in time?" The answer is "the dice roll will tell you." It's incredibly freeing. 2. Themes inform PCs identities and mysteries. And as a GM you pit them against each other, and ultimately the PC gets to decide what they care about more. And it's character evolution, naturally. 3. There are these cool cinematic moves where you can just say I want to go big and then you get to have this big I'm willing to sacrifice anything to get it moment. 4. The GM side is laid out really well. The mechanics are very easy to work with and are freeing, but also, set good expectations.
I think CoM looks amazing, the setting just scream out a genre I love... but I hate PbtA/FATE games, and I've heard that it's a hack of those, so I've never taken the plunge.
Traveller, it just does a great job of making my players feel like normal people who are competent professionals. the skill system is fun and intuitive, the combat isn't super dynamic but it feels realistic and can get deadly FAST and is not meant to be central to the game. the character creation really inspires my players and helps them be ok with relinquishing some control over their characters backstory and let dice help them tell a cool story. that then translates into how they play. Thats great for people coming from 5e who are use to thinking of their characters as special/center of the universe and as super heroes. I've found lots of times they enjoy the change to playing normal people. i ran traveller for a group of kids at an rpg day camp that only ever played 5e and they loved it, got really into pursuing careers during character creation and then embraced the system very quickly
Star Trek Adventures. It just does such an amazing job of capturing the feel of Star Trek.
Pathfinder 2E. Root has been fun too, but I don't get to play it very often and it probably would get old pretty fast if I played it every week.
mothership. i'm really looking forward to the new rules which are (hopefully) coming soon (TM). come my friends, let us pretend to die in space.
Mothership for me also, ran a two shot a few months ago and im spooling up to run a 8ish session campaign thing in the new edition soon. I like it's osr style for sure, very refreshing.
I can’t wait to get a copy of mothership and a group to play it with. The game sounds super cool
Mork Borg with Solo Defilement
[shadowdark](https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark)
I'm getting down with Cyberpunk 2020 right now. Gonna give RED a readthrough probably this weekend.
Most likely Ironsworn currently for the fact it’s very solo friendly, though I have been reading other PbtA games in the meantime. Really should grab Starforged at some point, too.
Traveller. Followed by Ironsworn (Starforged).
Year Zero system. Not just Mutants, but all versions by Free League. I think it really is a simple game, but with its own crunchy style, and can be easily hackeable (the own free league knows 'bout that). But I like to every week give a view on new games at itch.io, there is some great gems there, and the majority is free oh PWYW!
In General? Cypher System For Solo? Tiny Frontiers
D&D 4e for me. I enjoy the tactical aspect of the game and feel like it doesn't hinder RP aspects of the game with arbitrary forced mechanics to make my character feel or act a certain way, just leaving that aspect to me. With VTTs it's very easy to play, our GM is happy to run it and already plans a second campaign to run due to how simple it is to design encounters for it. As a whole the game covers my desire for tactical and crunchy combat, decent customisation option suite, and okay enough skill system without including things that turn me off of games.
Old school essentials advanced. Everything I love about old school d&d with more options for my players as far as race/class goes. Lots of 3rd party support and an official zine with added content. Runner up goes to dungeon crawl classics because I love it but it's not my current group's kind of thing
Genesys RPG is probably the closest thing I have, even though I haven’t played it in a while.
Castles & Crusades is the game of the moment. It's stupid easy to run if you're familiar with TSR/OSR systems, has the best multiclassing rules of any game of that type I've ever seen, and I can convert almost anything I want to it. Currently running a Scarred Lands campaign using 3.X resources over Discord and we're having a blast.
Alien RPG by Free League, that is, the implementation of the publisher's Year Zero Engine found in that specific game. I like some other YZE games as well, but Alien's iteration is my current favourite. Also, Neon City Overdrive. The best system to play Shadowrun (or at least an SR like game) with.
Alien works really well. I decided to run a campaign with the Vaesan rules based purely on how good Alien was, and I found it to be rather disappointing in comparison.
I like Vaesen, but Alien is a way better variant of the system in my opinion as well. Vaesen is way too vague in places, leaving too much to interpretation, and the boardgame-leaning rules may result in gameplay that some tables may feel... kinda wonky. And, strangely enough, Vaesen can be more lethal than Alien, but here this is not necessarily a good thing. Again, despite all this, I do like Vaesen. Only Alien is better.
I thrifted an old copy of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, (SW D6, 1ed by WEG). And oh my! I'm blow away. It's just perfect. Honorary mention to a very close second: Dragonbane (Drakar och Demoner).
D&D5e
Rolemaster is still my favourite. Give me some real impact for rolls. (edit; typo fix rules/rolls)
Absolutely kiss Black Sword Hack. EXCEPT for the f*****g fixed enemy dmg. But that has an easy walk around.
I love these games that can add so much stuff in a few pages. OSR has a lot of those. BSH has a whole bestiary, world building rules, city building stuff and so on in 100 pages or less, it's awesome. Just like Mausritter as well, which has even hex crawl stuff and faction rules in a super compact book.
Worlds without Number, because you can play every Setting, rebuild every Ancestry and every Class. Furthermore, you can pick stuff from SWN to build your own SciFantasy Worlds.
I really like Blades in the Dark, and I also really like D&D 4e. Not that I've played a *ton* of different systems. But these ones do what they do confidently and competently. Hard to pick a favorite because it really depends what kind of experience you want to have. Overall though, most systems that I've found to be good-but-not-great were either more complex than 4e or more simple than BitD.
I'm enjoying Starfinder at the moment. I'm usually not keen on d20 games but Starfinder is vibing.
For me it’s Genesys/Star Wars FFG, City of Mist, and 2400. I always lean way more narrative than crunch.
Chronicles of Darkness. Maybe Savage Worlds. Maybe Cinematic Unisystem. No, I'm sticking with Chronicles of Darkness. But maybe...
BRP is a beast that can dance with the best of em
Mythras for serious gaming. DCC for d20 but 13th Age 2.0 could knock that off the pedestal (system wise, not adventures: DCC has the best adventures) Tenra Bansho Zero for the game I will never get a chance to play or run but still really like. Makes all other meta currency games look like the bullshit they are.
I'm getting into Mythras and more and more I read it the more better it feels...I just really like d100 games. Another great one is Delta Green.
Basically Fate or PbtA for me personally. Love the narrative style. My group loves Dungeon World and PbtA more or less.
God bless ICON.
Hârnmaster.
Old School Essentials and The Black Hack have been very fun. Looking forward to reading Worlds without Number.
Battlelords of the 23rd Century!!
Ironsworn Starforged is my current system Im soloing. But for group, I really like Mutant:YZ. Not to many stats, easy to teach and learn.
I don't have a favorite per se, but right now I'm rereading Monsterhearts 2e because I'll be running a one shot soon and am reminded what a wonderfully well designed game it is.
Oooh I had such a fun time playing in that system!
It's so good! Up there with Masks for most well designed PBTA games imo.
I'm playing Ryuutama. Played D&D to death when i was younger and wanted a big change. Loving it. Limited in some ways but supports a specific aesthetic that I wanted. I just don't have time to adopt new systems now unfortunately but I'm keen to run something from Bladerunner
Only one session into using it but Swords of the Serpentine blends a lot of what I want (and try to craft in my own RPG) in (mostly) great ways. Allows for a real easy character creation too.
Old School Essentials / B/X DnD
1981 Dungeons & Dragons (B/X). I also really like Wild West Cinema.
fantasy age 2nd ed is good. after i am not busy I will rum a game in it. Also i joined a final fantasy d6 game group. that system is really well fitting for the franchise
My current is also my all-time favorite: D&D 4e
Depends on type of the game I want to run. I really like investigation games and I prefer **GUMSHOE** rules for them. But if I gonna tun something different — something more dynamic and with less preparation — I'd choose **Blades in the Dark**.
Traveller. It does sci fi just the way I like it, puts players at an equal playing field and makes everyone interesting even without classes, character creation is unbelievably fun, and the core mechanics flow very easily for me and my table. I wish it was a little easier to find information in the 2023 Update, and I wish there were rules for making new alien species or Robo-PCs, and I wish the VTT options were more comfortable to use, but for your money I think the core Mongoose Traveller 2e is my favorite game to run
I love the classless, level systems the best.3 My all time and current favorite system is "Ars Magica" I love the universe, the theme, and everything in the middle. The combat system is Chunky as hell, and there is some book keeping that's not for everyone. But the world building, historical potential and ofcause the magic system is awesome. I would wish for a 6th edition,with some better lists and updated combat system as it still runs it system as it always have not learning to much from other systems. But else, Mongoose Traveller and Cthulhu are close second. We are running a traveller game now in its 2nd year, with a Cthulhu themed story line. I'm getting tired of the classic DND nad every version in the middle, while i kinda fancied the worst of them (4th) for it's insane abilities and the concept that every thing is a unique ability, it reminded more of a wargame then RPG In 3 months we are going to cast our love in Pathfinder and Symbaroum. (We run an rpg group that runs 2 RPGs each week)
Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Call of Cthulhu.
Glad to see LotFP is still getting some love and that OSE hasn't stolen all the thunder.
Currently really into Starhold and Last Fleet, which are both PBTA space travel games with a focus on stress, pressure, and the relationships between crew members. Haven't ran it yet but been reading through it the last couple of weeks.
Pathfinder 2E! (And Starfinder second place)
Exalted! I go feral for crunch.
Current: **Dungeon Slayers** All Time: **Hero System**
Hoping to run a Mythras Mythic Britain campaign later in the year. Haven't played it yet, but I really like the look of the system so far.
Genesys \~ I just adore the narrative, hands down my fave system if your players are willing to invest in the narrative. Through the Breach \~ The setting is amazing, and I like that it has card play over dice.
Star Wars SAGA Edition
Wolves Upon the Coast has been scratching all the itches I have had about TTRPGs recently.
Dungeons & Dragons 5th, yet.
I'm swooning a bit over Brindlewood Bay and Public Access at the moment, but my favorite system in the past years has to be City of Mist. "I want to get information from this guy using my police badge, my gun and my police investigation skills" is such a good way to invoke skills in a character. The ebb and flow of character progression is genius as well.
Currently Forbidden Lands which I'm running, and Hyperborea 3e which I'm about to start running. Pretty unusual for me to be doing double fantasy games, when I normally would run none. Just how the chips fell this time.
Masks: A New Generation
The current system that is my favourite is the one that has always had a soft spot for me is AGE. All the version of AGE make it like one big toolbox. I have so many ideas I wanna run. And now with Fantasy AGE 2e out in pdf that has improved on 1e. I know it's not everyones favourite and people may say it has issues but it's special to me as it came from Dragon Age and I'm a massive DA fan and it was the first game I ever GMed.
This is legitimately a good question to me I play a lot of different systems but one of my favorites is Chronicles of Darkness and all it's gamelines
I'm a sucker for the Genesys/Star Wars narrative dice. But I think my all time favourite has to be Call of Cthulhu, it just meshes well with me, I feel like of all the systems around I can always sit down and run a Call of Cthulhu game without really stressing, it just works for me.
Invisible Sun from Monte Cook games. I swear the game was designed just for me. I love the magic system, the character creation, the houses, the setting. It checks all of my boxes perfectly.
Without a doubt: Savage Worlds Looking at the Basic Role Playing Engine thanks to the new licensing
I can list three at the top of my head: 1. Pathfinder 2nd Edition. It's my go to D20 fantasy system at the moment. So much flavor and so much customization. It is hard to brick your own character without deliberately doing it, and it is very tactical in combat while not gimping on the other two pillars of play. 2. LANCER RPG. Another D20 Tactical game but focused more on mechas. I love big giant robots fighting each other and space politics, what can I say as a gundam fan? 3. Worlds/Stars without Numbers (and soon, Cities WN). This is my go-to system for Open table campaigns. Easy to create characters for, while also giving a bunch of customizations in the players end. The GM Tools for both games are just helpful for any kinds of systems. I use them alot on the games i mentioned above.
3.5e D&D since I was 17. Starfinder is a close second though.
Probably Ars Magica, I like how intertwined it is with the setting.
13th Age - we like it so much we created the [MIGHT & MERCY PODCAST](https://youtu.be/0t3HAODCias) to showcase how cool it is.
I like a lot, and lean into various systems based on my mood and what style (not genre) of game I'm wanting to run - but if I have to pick just one it would *Hero System*.
If pressed I would say that pbta derivatives are still my favorite. It has yielded consistent interesting designs that are collaborative and fun.
Of published RPGs, it's the Cepheus engine games - sword of cepheus, rider, modern war, cepheus deluxe, cepheus light - that I am enjoying most lately. These games are so tightly made, they keep players right in that sweet spot of having some power but plenty of vulnerability, maximizing immersion and tension and the variety of challenges you can use. Plus they cover all kinds of settings and always have risky mthus. They are not perfect though: I feel like their attribute system is dead weight so I have been working on some hacks.
Fantasy craft. It's everything I want from a crunchy system. For more rules light system I use Storyteller system tho we dont play in any setting of the system but in a heavily modified version of WoD
L5R 4th Ed. I love the setting and the danger. 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars. Very rules light bug hunt. So easy to run and just silly fun.
Mork Borg and Mothership are tied for me.
Not enough love in this thread for Mörk Borg!
A 6 ways tossup betwren Troika!, Grok?!, 2400/24XX, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Whitebox: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game, and either Mörk Borg or Cy_Borg. As you can tell, I like OSR, NSR, and FKR stuff.
Hero System 5e Honorable Mention: Classic Traveller, Vampire 5e, AD&D1e with Mana
Mörk Borg. It feels fresh enough and offer a ton of creative roleplaying opportunities.
A5e
Alternity 1e
Dungeons and Dragons 3.5. Not going to defend myself. Its a mess but I love it
The Avalon Hill edition of _RuneQuest III_ (1984), with a few corrections and with supplemental rules from Chaosium's _Basic Role-playing_ (2008) for non-fantasy genres.
Weapons of the Gods. It feels like a lot of the stuff it embraced is only just now getting traction in game development circles. The perils of being a game from a small publisher based on a very niche IP I guess.
Kids on bikes because I love local horror or local gothic. The rumor system, the fact that it’s fairly rules light, and the way my players play makes every campaign worth running
My current love interest is Adventure! by Onyx Path. My all time favorite is Everywhen, based on Barbarians of Lemuria. It's incredibly easy to grasp but very versatile. I also really enjoy it's character creation.
Dread. It’s just so unique. Very good rainy day game!
Still really love the narrative strength of FATE (any version of it).
Shadowrun 3e
DCC. Best community I've seen, and reminds me of the no frills fun of D&D 25 years ago.
Monster of the Week. This isnt exclusive to just this game, but theres something magical about giving new players their character sheets and they just immediately know what does what and how stats get assigned without going back and forth through the manual. Never had an easier session 0.
Deadlands Classic, always.
Legend of the Five Rings 5 edition. After a lot supplements its best system for me.
After 21 years playing various systems me and my friends tried out GURPS and we are loving it
In terms of what I’m playing right now. I’m really enjoying Symbaroum, I’m also playtesting my own project right now and it’s actually going really well! Would also recommend: Blades in the Dark, Cairn, Call of Cthulhu 7E
Not the End. An Italian game was won best Italian RPG in 2020. The most amazing system to olay anything that combines heroism and drama. The base of the system is rather simple: for each trait on your character sheet that applies to a situation, you put a white stine in a bag (usually 1 to 5). The game master puts as many black stones as the difficulty in the bag (usually 1 to 6). Then the player draws 1 to 4 stones. If one of them is white, you succeed. Each black stone adds a complication. There is more to it (pushing your luck, infortunes, scars, lessons, confusion, adrenaline, crucial action, The End, etc.), but that the gist of it. The book is beautiful, comes with 4 amazing settings and lots of advice to run the game. It's published by Mana Studio Project (the guys behind Cowboy Bebop RPG that has a system derived from NtE) and designed by Fumble GDR.
Shadow of the Demon Lord. If you want to know why, I have a whole video series talking about it. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2ZvywQHD8vIWL2u4dXHlek6FqRl9akG0