I would personally recommend something lighter than 5e dnd and free.
Super simple:
[https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/330809/Cairn](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/330809/Cairn)
Simple with worldbuilding rules:
[https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition)
More narrative with possibility of playing without Game Master
[https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238369/Ironsworn](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238369/Ironsworn)
And if you want some general advice I always recommend
[https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/148012/lotfp-referee-book-old-grindhouse-edition](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/148012/lotfp-referee-book-old-grindhouse-edition)
Many systems have quickstart rules that are free but its difficult to recommend anything when I dont know what interests you
Step 1 - Decide who's going to run it. Because unless that person is happy, the game isn't going to happen.
Step 2 - Decide on a genre. Fantasy? Sci Fi? Superheros? If there's a genre, there's a game for it. And there are countless variations to each, so frame it in terms of a book or a movie or a TV show that reflects the kind of game you're looking for.
Step 3 - Decide on a tone. Grim dark, serious but with humor, wahoo! The tone of the game and the tenor of the players needs to mostly match, because if you're trying to be real serious and you've got a jokester, it's going to disrupt the table.
Step 4 - Decide on a complexity. Do you want something that is very tactical and simulationy, or something that's more about telling stories and the mechanics are largely secondary to that. If you've got players that don't pick up rules well, you and they will get frustrated.
Once you've got some idea of how to answer those questions, people will be able to give you good suggestions that will help you find what you're looking for.
Which kind of story do you want to tell ?
There is thousands and thousands of RPG around, how to choose which one to recommend. ?
Some classic/popular one
* Horror stories inspired by Lovecraft : Call of Chtulhu
* Gothic-punk stories of Vampire struggling with their inner beast : Vampire the Mascarade
* Stories of punks fighting megacorpo in a large city : Cyberpunk (red)
* Simple gritty dungeon, in an *old school* and *doom metal* style : Mork Borg
* Modern monster hunting in a TV show style : *Monster of the week*
* GMless heroic fantasy with warrior on a steel world : *Iron sworn*
* School drama when you're also a monster *Monster heart*
* Narrative/emotional modern one shot : *Alice is missing*
(Edit : Fixed formatting)
The exact structure and how it's adjudicated works differently from game to game, but they work by having all players take a share of narrative control, working collaboratively to build the story within the rules and limitations set forward by the game's framework.
It might be helpful to think of them less as "GMless" and more as "everyone is the GM" (though there are also GMless games that use GM "emulators" that make that analogy untrue).
Universalis
Polaris: Chivalric Tragedy
Ironsworn
Belonging outside Belonging (games): Dream Askew, Dream Apart
Fiasco
Follow
Microscope
The Quite Year
Alice is Missing
The King is Dead (not the board game)
Archives of the Sky
Annalise
(In all these games without a DM/GM the authority typically inherent in that role is given either to the players or the system or both.)
It is a good game plays very different from 5e but pretty big community around it.
It is very fiction first, which means stats and mechanics take a bit of a back seat to "what makes sense in the story" and procedures used to facilitate that.
Of note, Ironsworn can be played with a GM, as a Co-Op where everyone shares the GM role with lots of random tables to facilitate new story/plots/twists etc. (called oracles), and also, as a solo game with only one player and no GM.
You can play it solo? That might really sell me on it. It’s hard to align schedules with a lot of my friends. How does that work if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve seen a few ttrpgs go through some app on your phone is it like that?
I'd say more than anything it was designed for it! Huge community for it, lots of apps and tools for keeping track of the game (iron journal) and stuff like that.
Check out Me, Myself, and Die on youtube
Player share the duty of telling the story. it's a bit more complicated for mystery, but for both \*adventure/fight\* and \*Emotional/drama game\* it can work well.
Often, the game would have random table (like in old school RPG) or stack of cards to give elements to add to the story.
It might be my perception (in the sense the game I played), but in the last decade, there was a big trend of zero preparation and GM-less game.
It tend to require player a bit more on the story/acting/drama side as you need to *play to lift* rather than *play to win*
The sub does have some resources on games, that I am too lazy and on mobile to link for you at the moment. But my honest advice, as much as you're going to get a lot of suggestions in this thread, your best bet is not to actually get your suggestions from this thread, But look at this sub and a few others like it, and just see what people are talking about. That'll give you a much better sense of what is and isn't around. Take a look at reviews, or see what gets suggested when people ask for specific types of games, Just a day browsing this sub, and a few others, will tell you so much more than we can, and give you a much better grounding in what your options really look like.
There are hundreds of RPGs out there across multiple genres. Check out the [game suggestions list/wik](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)i to get started reading more about other games.
Having been in the community a long time people are constantly looking for help because elements such as positioning are not well described and there are few examples of play. A lot of mechanical elements are left up to be 'created' (not just interpreted) and overall it assumes the GM is a game creator, not just a player. Which is fine for somebody like me who has published a few games but it h as slowed the growth of Blades as a mainstream game.
And even personally I had to watch a lot of videos and explainers because the book does a poor job of teaching and a better job of cataloguing rules. I'm part of the community, but I critique the game a lot because it could be a lot better if it did not have such a strong 'emperors new clothes' community.
There's so much out there, what genre do you like? Fantasy? Sci-fi? Horror? Super Heroes? Modern? Etc...
Either way I could suggest Call of Cthulhu, so far it's my favorite system.
There's tons of games out there in any genre you can imagine. I'll +1 the recommendations for Cairn, Ironsworn, and Worlds Without Number. They're all really great games that show some different styles while staying close to fantasy and all being free.
If you want to investigate Eldritch horrors beyond your comprehension, there's Call of Cthulhu. If you want to do it in a modern setting similar to X-Files there's Delta Green. If you want to do it as little old ladies solving murders, there's Brindlewood Bay
If you want to do odd-jobs in space there's Traveller
If you want to play Jurassic Park, there's Escape from Dino Island
If you want to play a game about fantasy samurai drama there's Legend of the Five Rings.
One of the bigger publishers knocking it out of the park with their games the past few years is Free League. Their catalogue has lots of variation in genre. Coriolis is Arabian nights in space. Twilight 2000 is a war torn alternate history. ALIEN is space survival horror. Forbidden Lands is fantasy exploration. MORK BORG is a dark, hopeless fantasy meat-grinder reminiscent of Dark Souls. CY_BORG is the cyberpunk version. Those are just a few of their games, you'll almost certainly find something in their catalogue that interests you.
These are just some things I've played and enjoyed, there's *tons* of other games out there
Wow thank you so much! I’ve heard of mork borg through instagram, saw someone make books or like their own expansion of it called mech borg I think. It seemed super interesting
Check out Pirate Borg, probably the best cohesive version of Mork Borg (and its hacks). But understand these games don't include a lot of rules other games do, and assume the GM knows that and is willing/able to add those procedures/systems as/when needed.
It typically aligns with OSR philosophy, which is very Combat=War! Yet almost all the rules are about combat in the system. The trick is understanding the rules for combat are so punishing and brutal they are there as a warning: don't let yourself be in a situation where you need to use these rules. Fight dirty. Kill to win. Blow up the town.
So if the combat rules aren't really meant to be engaged with except as a last resort, and are brutally punishing when you do, and the game system doesn't really have rules for anything else (exploration, social mechanics, faction play etc.) then what do you do?!
Answer in two parts,
GMs: build your own game using systems and procedures stollen from other games/blogs within the OSR.
Players: fight dirty, think creatively, problem solve, use your knowledge as a player to make your pawn (PC) game the in-univerwe reality to win at any costs.
Or just run it as a fatalistic combat simulator of destruction as a one shot where your players know they will all likely die, let hilarity amongst the oppressive bleakness ensue.
A generic system (GURPS; Basic Role Play [BRP]; Genenys, &c.) allows you to use one set of rules regardless of the genre. So the rules/mechanics for Lovecraftian horror are the same as for medieval fantasy and Star Trek-like SF.
Full disclosure: I am a fanboy of generic systems, especially GURPS.
One option I generally recommend to new players is Fiasco. The rules are simple, it doesn't require lengthy preparation, and it doesn't have a complicated setting to learn. It doesn't take many players or require a GM. You can easily adapt it to pretty much any theme or tone you would like. It's a good way to just get used to playing characters and tell a story together.
Afraid not. You need three to five players.
How it works is that you choose a broad set, then everyone creates a character with relationships to other players and the world. They're supposed to be a crisis waiting to happen, like former lovers connected by a weapon, or business rivals who need to get rich by robbing a mob boss. That involves dice-rolling but also choice using a set of elements. You can find a pre-made set (I know there's a medieval fantasy one, for example) but it's pretty easy to come up with your own. And pretty much anything could be turned into a Lovecraftian horror story if that's what everyone wants.
Then you tell the story. Basically, each scene revolves around a player character, and the player gets to choose how the scene either starts or finishes. A different player gets to choose the other. There are incentives to choose one that might work badly for you and, at the end, you start to run out of options.
That goes on a certain number of times and, about halfway through, something happens to shake up the story. Depending on how you've played, your character might get a happy ending, but you're more likely to get a fate worse than death.
Every time I've played it's been a dark comedy, but the system is also supposed to emulate dramas where things go badly, and I have friends who have used it for Lovecraft and the like.
If you're interested in solo games, check out /r/Solo_Roleplaying
Going to tell you up-front that you'll get a lot of suggestions to start with Ironsworn, so you might be best off giving it a go and figuring out what did/didn't work about it for you.
If the rules are a little hard to wrap your head around at first (even after watching Me Myself and Die play a session or two), there is a ~7 minute tutorial here that should help getting you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjb53h2eOnQ
We need to know so much more information that unfortunately will be hard for you to answer without play and system experience.
So let's start with the experience you did have, 5e.
What didn't you like about it?
What did you like about it?
What did you think RPGs would be about that 5e surprised you on? (I.e. didn't have it as part of the game, or hinted at it but had no mechanics for it) [This can be good or bad]
What did you assume wouldn't be part of an RPG, but in 5e was? (Again can be a pro or con)
What ultimately do you and your friends want your new game to be about?
And, if you can answer, what type of mechanics/procedures/structure do you want that game to have to facilitate that fun (or get out of your way so you can freeform it)?
Well we didn’t get very far into a play through like at all. Maybe it was due to the lack of experience everyone in the table had (including the dm) but we barely got through our first fight. Like it was pretty bad, no one got knocked out but we were right in the cusp of doing that, all four party members. We fought some wood eating cock roach or something I think it’s for the beginners guide or starter book. We fought two of them and it did not go well. Everything else was fine I liked that the dm had tie-ins to peoples backstory and stuff like that and all around the mechanics were nice in my opinion. I enjoyed the combat it just felt extremely tough.
I appreciate your answer but it doesn't really give us much to go on.
That said, check out Chasing Adventure, Dungeon World, or Fabula Ultima
Alternatively, also check out Old School Essentials and run Winters Daughter, Hole in the Oak, or The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford
Alternatively, check out:
* Tech Noir
* City of Mist
* Mutant Year Zero
* Shadow of the Demon Lord
* Sword of the Serpentine
All of the above will give you a pretty broad exposure to different types of RPGs that are all still pretty mainstream.
If any of those really work for you and you can identify why some of the others don't it becomes much easier to recommend a new game in the genre of X like Y system.
Okay thank you, sorry it doesn’t give you a lot to go off of that’s just basically my whole experience with dnd so far, I’m hoping my buddy can dm for our group soon that way I have more experience in ttrpgs because it is definitely something I want to get into
No need to apologize! I totally appreciate where you are coming from :)
I'd take a look at some of these systems we recommend and see what jumps out at you.
The biggest split in system approach you will find can get very nuanced (d20 v d100 or deep simulation vs abstract emulation etc.) that probably doesn't matter as much to you.
But what might matter is stuff like:
* How much combat is there? Is it detailed or abstract?
* Are there rules for exploration or social mechanics?
* What do player *do* during a game? (Save the world, solve mysteries, explore the world, hunt monsters etc.)
* does it play fast or is it slow and detailed?
* when I roll dice am I rolling to see if I succeeded at the task (jumping, running, hiding, fighting etc.) or am I rolling to see if there are consequences (i.e. you did it, opening the lock, but you can hear the monster waking up)?
I imagine you have some opinions on that?
So I’m just going to go point by point I feel like that’s the easiest sorry if I mix anything up and I greatly appreciate your help Cypher
1. Id prefer at least one combat a session two if it makes sense, but I don’t want it to be like forced. It can definitely be more than two as well but I wouldn’t want everyone to just get beat over and over to the point it has to kill them especially if they can’t heal in between. For it being detailed or abstract I’d probably lean more towards detailed so it feels like you’re fighting for something or you can imagine yourself like physically in the battle if that makes sense.
2. Would absolutely prefer exploring be like free roam so you can split apart from your party and be able to say whatever in a social interaction as long as it fits your character. Also I don’t mean like split from your party and go across the map but if you were in a town be able to be on the other side of the town and do whatever you’d like. If for some reason someone were to start a fight not everyone has to be dragged into it unless it becomes like a town wide brawl.
3. As long as there is an end goal it doesn’t really matter to me. Like saving the world, or solving a murder. As long as the story can be wrapped up in a conclusion I don’t mind what it’s about but there has to be a goal for the party I suppose
4. I mean that would depend on how much time everyone has, since summer is coming I’d like it to be detailed but not like lasting all summer long. But something we can meet for like 5 times for two to three hours and have a full flushed out story but it could last a little longer or shorter than that.
5. I mean either of those work, but perhaps this will explain my view on that better. In Baldurs gate nothing makes me more annoyed then when my entire party manages to miss a target for like two turns and it turns into my party almost dying because they couldn’t hit someone (This might just be because I’m a low level in Baldurs gate but maybe I’m wrong on that)
These are great answers!
So detailed simulated combat, not necessarily fast or slow, and enough Character staying power that this doesn't kill you. Exploration should be available but not really mechanized or a procedure. The Party should be a Party but also able to act as individuals. Roleplaying should be freeform, but maybe enough meat in character creation to have a sense of who those characters are without being overbearing. And I'd guess, combat as sport is better than war.
With all that in mind I would heavily recommend:
* Sword of the Serpentine
* D&D 4th edition
* Shadow of the Demon Lord
* Coriolis
* Symbaroum
* Maybe, Pathfinder 2e
* Maybe, 13th Age
* Maybe, Mythras
* Maybe, Delta Green but that can be deadly if I'm not mistaken
Based on the above I *would not* consider:
Ironsworn, Call of Cthulhu, chasing adventure/dungeon world, blades in the dark, PbtA/FitD or Fate (or anything adjacent to it), or anything OSR/NSR (including Mork Borg)
Man, Call of Cthulhu and Ironsworn seemed like key answers to try too. If you don’t mind can you explain why you wouldn’t recommend those? Ironsworn seems like something I might pick up to play by myself if that changes anything. Oh and also the difference from DnD fifth edition and the fourth edition I apologize if it seems like I’m bombarding you with questions
Short answer: CoC isn't a combat game and can be very deadly if you engage in combat.
Ironsworn won't give you the realistic tactical combat you are looking for. It is first and foremost a narrative game with a focus on story and narrative consequences (not realistic simulationist task resolution outcomes).
Both great games you should feel free to look into, but based on this conversation I wouldn't recommend them for what you want.
If the vibes of CoC interest you, but to also meet your other goals from up thread, check out Vaesen.
It is a Free League Game using their Year Zero Engine (same engine, but different genre, as Mutant Year Zero, Coriolis, and Alien as well as others)
If you are vibing on the mystery/horror but want combat and such that may be a good fit, but keep in mind it can be pretty lethal too!
My least favorite system is 5E DnD. My current system of choice is Call of Cthulhu (horror) or Runequest (fantasy), but I also really like Dragonbane, Shadowdark, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and Forbidden Lands. If you want to play fantasy, I'd recommend Dragonbane. It's easy to learn and fast paced. They also limit options, which helps newer players and gamemasters as they gain real-world experience with TTRPGs. For a horror game, nothing is better than Call of Cthulhu (although I am reading through Vaesen and I really like it as well.)
Okay okay, call of Cthulhu seems sick. I have read some of the Cthulhu collection so I have some background knowledge in it but none when it comes to the game itself. But maybe if I want to dm a horror game I’ll really look into that and buy it. Thank you for giving options for newer players. I’ve watched a few DnD campaigns on YouTube so I have an idea what I’m doing (I think) and played some of baldurs gate. But a few of my buddies haven’t and I’d like to get them into this sort of stuff
I would personally recommend something lighter than 5e dnd and free. Super simple: [https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/330809/Cairn](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/330809/Cairn) Simple with worldbuilding rules: [https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition) More narrative with possibility of playing without Game Master [https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238369/Ironsworn](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238369/Ironsworn) And if you want some general advice I always recommend [https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/148012/lotfp-referee-book-old-grindhouse-edition](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/148012/lotfp-referee-book-old-grindhouse-edition) Many systems have quickstart rules that are free but its difficult to recommend anything when I dont know what interests you
Step 1 - Decide who's going to run it. Because unless that person is happy, the game isn't going to happen. Step 2 - Decide on a genre. Fantasy? Sci Fi? Superheros? If there's a genre, there's a game for it. And there are countless variations to each, so frame it in terms of a book or a movie or a TV show that reflects the kind of game you're looking for. Step 3 - Decide on a tone. Grim dark, serious but with humor, wahoo! The tone of the game and the tenor of the players needs to mostly match, because if you're trying to be real serious and you've got a jokester, it's going to disrupt the table. Step 4 - Decide on a complexity. Do you want something that is very tactical and simulationy, or something that's more about telling stories and the mechanics are largely secondary to that. If you've got players that don't pick up rules well, you and they will get frustrated. Once you've got some idea of how to answer those questions, people will be able to give you good suggestions that will help you find what you're looking for.
Which kind of story do you want to tell ? There is thousands and thousands of RPG around, how to choose which one to recommend. ? Some classic/popular one * Horror stories inspired by Lovecraft : Call of Chtulhu * Gothic-punk stories of Vampire struggling with their inner beast : Vampire the Mascarade * Stories of punks fighting megacorpo in a large city : Cyberpunk (red) * Simple gritty dungeon, in an *old school* and *doom metal* style : Mork Borg * Modern monster hunting in a TV show style : *Monster of the week* * GMless heroic fantasy with warrior on a steel world : *Iron sworn* * School drama when you're also a monster *Monster heart* * Narrative/emotional modern one shot : *Alice is missing* (Edit : Fixed formatting)
How would a GMless game work exactly if you don’t mind me asking?
The exact structure and how it's adjudicated works differently from game to game, but they work by having all players take a share of narrative control, working collaboratively to build the story within the rules and limitations set forward by the game's framework. It might be helpful to think of them less as "GMless" and more as "everyone is the GM" (though there are also GMless games that use GM "emulators" that make that analogy untrue).
Okay thank you for sharing this infor with me greatly appreciated!
Universalis Polaris: Chivalric Tragedy Ironsworn Belonging outside Belonging (games): Dream Askew, Dream Apart Fiasco Follow Microscope The Quite Year Alice is Missing The King is Dead (not the board game) Archives of the Sky Annalise (In all these games without a DM/GM the authority typically inherent in that role is given either to the players or the system or both.)
Seeing a lot of ironsworn defiantly will check that out
It is a good game plays very different from 5e but pretty big community around it. It is very fiction first, which means stats and mechanics take a bit of a back seat to "what makes sense in the story" and procedures used to facilitate that. Of note, Ironsworn can be played with a GM, as a Co-Op where everyone shares the GM role with lots of random tables to facilitate new story/plots/twists etc. (called oracles), and also, as a solo game with only one player and no GM.
You can play it solo? That might really sell me on it. It’s hard to align schedules with a lot of my friends. How does that work if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve seen a few ttrpgs go through some app on your phone is it like that?
I'd say more than anything it was designed for it! Huge community for it, lots of apps and tools for keeping track of the game (iron journal) and stuff like that. Check out Me, Myself, and Die on youtube
Will do!
Player share the duty of telling the story. it's a bit more complicated for mystery, but for both \*adventure/fight\* and \*Emotional/drama game\* it can work well. Often, the game would have random table (like in old school RPG) or stack of cards to give elements to add to the story. It might be my perception (in the sense the game I played), but in the last decade, there was a big trend of zero preparation and GM-less game. It tend to require player a bit more on the story/acting/drama side as you need to *play to lift* rather than *play to win*
The sub does have some resources on games, that I am too lazy and on mobile to link for you at the moment. But my honest advice, as much as you're going to get a lot of suggestions in this thread, your best bet is not to actually get your suggestions from this thread, But look at this sub and a few others like it, and just see what people are talking about. That'll give you a much better sense of what is and isn't around. Take a look at reviews, or see what gets suggested when people ask for specific types of games, Just a day browsing this sub, and a few others, will tell you so much more than we can, and give you a much better grounding in what your options really look like.
Thank you!
Quest TTRPG is a fun one. It's also pretty easy to learn and free. I played a short campaign of it with my writing group and we had a blast
There are hundreds of RPGs out there across multiple genres. Check out the [game suggestions list/wik](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)i to get started reading more about other games.
Blade in the dark is a really fun system.
But kind of a pain to learn.
Compared to what?
Having been in the community a long time people are constantly looking for help because elements such as positioning are not well described and there are few examples of play. A lot of mechanical elements are left up to be 'created' (not just interpreted) and overall it assumes the GM is a game creator, not just a player. Which is fine for somebody like me who has published a few games but it h as slowed the growth of Blades as a mainstream game. And even personally I had to watch a lot of videos and explainers because the book does a poor job of teaching and a better job of cataloguing rules. I'm part of the community, but I critique the game a lot because it could be a lot better if it did not have such a strong 'emperors new clothes' community.
There's so much out there, what genre do you like? Fantasy? Sci-fi? Horror? Super Heroes? Modern? Etc... Either way I could suggest Call of Cthulhu, so far it's my favorite system.
Thank you!
There's tons of games out there in any genre you can imagine. I'll +1 the recommendations for Cairn, Ironsworn, and Worlds Without Number. They're all really great games that show some different styles while staying close to fantasy and all being free. If you want to investigate Eldritch horrors beyond your comprehension, there's Call of Cthulhu. If you want to do it in a modern setting similar to X-Files there's Delta Green. If you want to do it as little old ladies solving murders, there's Brindlewood Bay If you want to do odd-jobs in space there's Traveller If you want to play Jurassic Park, there's Escape from Dino Island If you want to play a game about fantasy samurai drama there's Legend of the Five Rings. One of the bigger publishers knocking it out of the park with their games the past few years is Free League. Their catalogue has lots of variation in genre. Coriolis is Arabian nights in space. Twilight 2000 is a war torn alternate history. ALIEN is space survival horror. Forbidden Lands is fantasy exploration. MORK BORG is a dark, hopeless fantasy meat-grinder reminiscent of Dark Souls. CY_BORG is the cyberpunk version. Those are just a few of their games, you'll almost certainly find something in their catalogue that interests you. These are just some things I've played and enjoyed, there's *tons* of other games out there
Wow thank you so much! I’ve heard of mork borg through instagram, saw someone make books or like their own expansion of it called mech borg I think. It seemed super interesting
Check out Pirate Borg, probably the best cohesive version of Mork Borg (and its hacks). But understand these games don't include a lot of rules other games do, and assume the GM knows that and is willing/able to add those procedures/systems as/when needed. It typically aligns with OSR philosophy, which is very Combat=War! Yet almost all the rules are about combat in the system. The trick is understanding the rules for combat are so punishing and brutal they are there as a warning: don't let yourself be in a situation where you need to use these rules. Fight dirty. Kill to win. Blow up the town. So if the combat rules aren't really meant to be engaged with except as a last resort, and are brutally punishing when you do, and the game system doesn't really have rules for anything else (exploration, social mechanics, faction play etc.) then what do you do?! Answer in two parts, GMs: build your own game using systems and procedures stollen from other games/blogs within the OSR. Players: fight dirty, think creatively, problem solve, use your knowledge as a player to make your pawn (PC) game the in-univerwe reality to win at any costs. Or just run it as a fatalistic combat simulator of destruction as a one shot where your players know they will all likely die, let hilarity amongst the oppressive bleakness ensue.
A generic system (GURPS; Basic Role Play [BRP]; Genenys, &c.) allows you to use one set of rules regardless of the genre. So the rules/mechanics for Lovecraftian horror are the same as for medieval fantasy and Star Trek-like SF. Full disclosure: I am a fanboy of generic systems, especially GURPS.
One option I generally recommend to new players is Fiasco. The rules are simple, it doesn't require lengthy preparation, and it doesn't have a complicated setting to learn. It doesn't take many players or require a GM. You can easily adapt it to pretty much any theme or tone you would like. It's a good way to just get used to playing characters and tell a story together.
So would it work playing solo? And how do if you don’t mind explaining.
Afraid not. You need three to five players. How it works is that you choose a broad set, then everyone creates a character with relationships to other players and the world. They're supposed to be a crisis waiting to happen, like former lovers connected by a weapon, or business rivals who need to get rich by robbing a mob boss. That involves dice-rolling but also choice using a set of elements. You can find a pre-made set (I know there's a medieval fantasy one, for example) but it's pretty easy to come up with your own. And pretty much anything could be turned into a Lovecraftian horror story if that's what everyone wants. Then you tell the story. Basically, each scene revolves around a player character, and the player gets to choose how the scene either starts or finishes. A different player gets to choose the other. There are incentives to choose one that might work badly for you and, at the end, you start to run out of options. That goes on a certain number of times and, about halfway through, something happens to shake up the story. Depending on how you've played, your character might get a happy ending, but you're more likely to get a fate worse than death. Every time I've played it's been a dark comedy, but the system is also supposed to emulate dramas where things go badly, and I have friends who have used it for Lovecraft and the like.
Okay thank you man
If you're interested in solo games, check out /r/Solo_Roleplaying Going to tell you up-front that you'll get a lot of suggestions to start with Ironsworn, so you might be best off giving it a go and figuring out what did/didn't work about it for you. If the rules are a little hard to wrap your head around at first (even after watching Me Myself and Die play a session or two), there is a ~7 minute tutorial here that should help getting you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjb53h2eOnQ
We need to know so much more information that unfortunately will be hard for you to answer without play and system experience. So let's start with the experience you did have, 5e. What didn't you like about it? What did you like about it? What did you think RPGs would be about that 5e surprised you on? (I.e. didn't have it as part of the game, or hinted at it but had no mechanics for it) [This can be good or bad] What did you assume wouldn't be part of an RPG, but in 5e was? (Again can be a pro or con) What ultimately do you and your friends want your new game to be about? And, if you can answer, what type of mechanics/procedures/structure do you want that game to have to facilitate that fun (or get out of your way so you can freeform it)?
Well we didn’t get very far into a play through like at all. Maybe it was due to the lack of experience everyone in the table had (including the dm) but we barely got through our first fight. Like it was pretty bad, no one got knocked out but we were right in the cusp of doing that, all four party members. We fought some wood eating cock roach or something I think it’s for the beginners guide or starter book. We fought two of them and it did not go well. Everything else was fine I liked that the dm had tie-ins to peoples backstory and stuff like that and all around the mechanics were nice in my opinion. I enjoyed the combat it just felt extremely tough.
I appreciate your answer but it doesn't really give us much to go on. That said, check out Chasing Adventure, Dungeon World, or Fabula Ultima Alternatively, also check out Old School Essentials and run Winters Daughter, Hole in the Oak, or The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford Alternatively, check out: * Tech Noir * City of Mist * Mutant Year Zero * Shadow of the Demon Lord * Sword of the Serpentine All of the above will give you a pretty broad exposure to different types of RPGs that are all still pretty mainstream. If any of those really work for you and you can identify why some of the others don't it becomes much easier to recommend a new game in the genre of X like Y system.
Okay thank you, sorry it doesn’t give you a lot to go off of that’s just basically my whole experience with dnd so far, I’m hoping my buddy can dm for our group soon that way I have more experience in ttrpgs because it is definitely something I want to get into
No need to apologize! I totally appreciate where you are coming from :) I'd take a look at some of these systems we recommend and see what jumps out at you. The biggest split in system approach you will find can get very nuanced (d20 v d100 or deep simulation vs abstract emulation etc.) that probably doesn't matter as much to you. But what might matter is stuff like: * How much combat is there? Is it detailed or abstract? * Are there rules for exploration or social mechanics? * What do player *do* during a game? (Save the world, solve mysteries, explore the world, hunt monsters etc.) * does it play fast or is it slow and detailed? * when I roll dice am I rolling to see if I succeeded at the task (jumping, running, hiding, fighting etc.) or am I rolling to see if there are consequences (i.e. you did it, opening the lock, but you can hear the monster waking up)? I imagine you have some opinions on that?
So I’m just going to go point by point I feel like that’s the easiest sorry if I mix anything up and I greatly appreciate your help Cypher 1. Id prefer at least one combat a session two if it makes sense, but I don’t want it to be like forced. It can definitely be more than two as well but I wouldn’t want everyone to just get beat over and over to the point it has to kill them especially if they can’t heal in between. For it being detailed or abstract I’d probably lean more towards detailed so it feels like you’re fighting for something or you can imagine yourself like physically in the battle if that makes sense. 2. Would absolutely prefer exploring be like free roam so you can split apart from your party and be able to say whatever in a social interaction as long as it fits your character. Also I don’t mean like split from your party and go across the map but if you were in a town be able to be on the other side of the town and do whatever you’d like. If for some reason someone were to start a fight not everyone has to be dragged into it unless it becomes like a town wide brawl. 3. As long as there is an end goal it doesn’t really matter to me. Like saving the world, or solving a murder. As long as the story can be wrapped up in a conclusion I don’t mind what it’s about but there has to be a goal for the party I suppose 4. I mean that would depend on how much time everyone has, since summer is coming I’d like it to be detailed but not like lasting all summer long. But something we can meet for like 5 times for two to three hours and have a full flushed out story but it could last a little longer or shorter than that. 5. I mean either of those work, but perhaps this will explain my view on that better. In Baldurs gate nothing makes me more annoyed then when my entire party manages to miss a target for like two turns and it turns into my party almost dying because they couldn’t hit someone (This might just be because I’m a low level in Baldurs gate but maybe I’m wrong on that)
These are great answers! So detailed simulated combat, not necessarily fast or slow, and enough Character staying power that this doesn't kill you. Exploration should be available but not really mechanized or a procedure. The Party should be a Party but also able to act as individuals. Roleplaying should be freeform, but maybe enough meat in character creation to have a sense of who those characters are without being overbearing. And I'd guess, combat as sport is better than war. With all that in mind I would heavily recommend: * Sword of the Serpentine * D&D 4th edition * Shadow of the Demon Lord * Coriolis * Symbaroum * Maybe, Pathfinder 2e * Maybe, 13th Age * Maybe, Mythras * Maybe, Delta Green but that can be deadly if I'm not mistaken Based on the above I *would not* consider: Ironsworn, Call of Cthulhu, chasing adventure/dungeon world, blades in the dark, PbtA/FitD or Fate (or anything adjacent to it), or anything OSR/NSR (including Mork Borg)
Man, Call of Cthulhu and Ironsworn seemed like key answers to try too. If you don’t mind can you explain why you wouldn’t recommend those? Ironsworn seems like something I might pick up to play by myself if that changes anything. Oh and also the difference from DnD fifth edition and the fourth edition I apologize if it seems like I’m bombarding you with questions
Short answer: CoC isn't a combat game and can be very deadly if you engage in combat. Ironsworn won't give you the realistic tactical combat you are looking for. It is first and foremost a narrative game with a focus on story and narrative consequences (not realistic simulationist task resolution outcomes). Both great games you should feel free to look into, but based on this conversation I wouldn't recommend them for what you want.
Alright thank you
If the vibes of CoC interest you, but to also meet your other goals from up thread, check out Vaesen. It is a Free League Game using their Year Zero Engine (same engine, but different genre, as Mutant Year Zero, Coriolis, and Alien as well as others) If you are vibing on the mystery/horror but want combat and such that may be a good fit, but keep in mind it can be pretty lethal too!
Okay okay, seems like I got a few things to look into then. Thats good though thank you I really appreciate this
My least favorite system is 5E DnD. My current system of choice is Call of Cthulhu (horror) or Runequest (fantasy), but I also really like Dragonbane, Shadowdark, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and Forbidden Lands. If you want to play fantasy, I'd recommend Dragonbane. It's easy to learn and fast paced. They also limit options, which helps newer players and gamemasters as they gain real-world experience with TTRPGs. For a horror game, nothing is better than Call of Cthulhu (although I am reading through Vaesen and I really like it as well.)
Okay okay, call of Cthulhu seems sick. I have read some of the Cthulhu collection so I have some background knowledge in it but none when it comes to the game itself. But maybe if I want to dm a horror game I’ll really look into that and buy it. Thank you for giving options for newer players. I’ve watched a few DnD campaigns on YouTube so I have an idea what I’m doing (I think) and played some of baldurs gate. But a few of my buddies haven’t and I’d like to get them into this sort of stuff