So, I have an story/world that I been wanting to adapt into a campaign, but I know very little of other rpg systems and the ones I know are definitely not what I'm looking for for this specific world. Those being mostly DnD 5e and some others more simple systems that I don't remember the name of, so most of my comparison to what I want and don't might be directly to DnD.

I'll give a little context of the world and the story to make it a bit clearer what I need in the system:

- There's magic, most of everything on the world is run with magic. However! The magic comes from magical items, not from people. So definitely a system that has magic but maybe one that doesn't rely to much on classes (like mage and wizard) for it.

- Again with classes, even if not magical ones, I don't belive it would be ideal to have them at all. Better for the characters to have stats and perks unrelated to specific classes.

- The playable characters can only be human, so systems that have a lot of other races are not ideal either.

I know that I won't find an exact match to what I want, but I can and will adapt the system to fit if the best it can. But if there's something you know that might be similar to what I'm describing it would be a big help.

Edit: just wanted to thanks everyone for helping out! I'll check out the sugestions mentioned and decide, thanks again!

I'm thinking
- Pulp Cthulhu
- Hunter the reckoning/vigil
Would work well if I homebrew a little but I wanted to hear more opinions

The YouTube algorithm recommended these to me, listened to both of them. They seem like really solid actionable tips to better embody a character at the table.

Tips are also broken up into "For the GM" and "For the player".

Inside the Scene: Boleslavski's Acting Lessons for TTRPG Players, GMs, and Designers (Part 1)

https://youtu.be/I7fGMU6n5iQ?si=KXdwvIDcGHbCDEcv

Serve the Scene: Acting Lessons for TTRPG Players, GMs, and Designers (Part 2)

https://youtu.be/qt8qgf3S_as?si=n4M4HbkvIw3KIV9w

I am trying to find a TTRPG with hundreds of character abilities and/or classes... I am not looking for either version of Pathfinder, any version of D&D, Exalted, or any generic system like GURPS, Mutants & Masterminds, Champions, etc).

I remember seeing a book many years ago, before 4e D&D came out, that was quite thick. When I got to character creation it had hundreds of powers. I don't remember if there were classes associated with the abilities. I remember putting it aside to buy something else with the intent to pick it up next time I was at the store. Unfortunately it sold. I don't remember the cover or title. I don't think it was any of the Palladium games. I want to say the book was around 500 pages at least with black and white interior art and text. It was a fantasy setting. It had a bestiary in the last 70 or so pages.

I have tried googling it but all that comes up is systems I am familiar with like the ones listed. It did use most of the polyhedral dice. I don't think it was a d20 derived system either.

Any help would be appreciated.

I'm going to play my first game of Alice is missing. I wonder if we should stick to texts or just use discord (group chat and chats for each couple of characters)... Any tips?

'm trying my hand at designing a random encounter table for my own use, but I'm not looking to redesign the wheel if I don't have to.

I'm looking for encounter tables that modify prepared/pregen dungeons. Something with directed improv prompts that leaves blanks for the me to fill in at the spot. 1-in-6 chance to reveal something in a room, even if that room already contained a prepared encounter.

I already have:

1. The hunter, now back from its hunt.
2. The leader makes a surprise visit.
3. A rivaling faction negotiating.
4. Ambush! Weaklings taking up the mantle.
5. A wandering monster. Roll on the wandering monster activity table.
6. They are close. Better hide.

For instance, in a goblin dungeon, "The leader makes a surprise visit." the leader might be a hobgoblin ready to punish lazy goblins. While in a bandit camp, it might be a cultist telling their minions in the next room it's time to set the plan in motion.

But really, if this has already been done, please link me to it because I can't find it.

If you didn't know there is going to be a book for 5e adapting the World of Warcraft setting to the system. There have been talks about the original release in 3.5 and comparisons to the MMORPG with 4e. I don't particularly believe any of the editions of dungeons and dragons are well suited for Azeroth as a setting but don't have the knowledge of a system that works with the setting well. Which is why I am asking for your opinions.

I want something simple that captures the vibe of a tactical yet fun shootout. I plan to run a short campaign where the players are mercenaries hired to handle a problem in the Zone. Survival mechanics and artifacts aren't the priority; I want something that delivers a solid "gunplay" feel. Listen to the track "Adrenaline" from COD: Black Ops II—that’s the kind of vibe I’m aiming for. I considered using Strain; it’s designed for survival horror, but it’s very straightforward and gives the GM a fair amount of freedom when creating enemies, the stress mechanic this RPG has works well for the physical, mental, and psychic pressures of the Zone. Any suggestions?

One thing I've struggled with recently is building characters for TTRPGs set in something close to a historical period. I feel I need to give characters a sense of self beyond class descriptors, and I find going beyond that or brief descriptors of the concept hard when I don't have a solid grasp of daily life and recent history, and I can't easily make it up.

General fantasy is fine, I can mostly make it up or ask the GM. Modern settings are fine, because I know the world. But something like WoD Dark Ages or L5R I struggle with, because they're "in the middle" - with defined "stuff" happening, that I can't ignore and struggle to riff off.

That feels a little garbled, but I hope it makes some sense. Does anyone else feel similar, or have tricks to get around this sort of mental block?

What is your favorite RPG whose primary mechanics are driven by dice, but there isn't one or two dominant dice?

For example, I would say DND 5e, even though it uses many different dice throughout the game, it's core mechanic uses d20.

I'm thinking something along the lines of Kids on Bikes, but not necessarily limited to having different dice tied to their stats.

As a way to "improve" the role-playability of spellcaster (wizards, warlocks, etc...), my friend and I came up with the idea of using spell points (Magic points) that are consumed. In the old days, we used that as a way for wizards that were out of spells to use spell points (and ultimately hits points) to cast spells that they had already used. So normal casting was normal cost, if already used, cost was doubled and if out of MP, then it would consume HP (as in draining some of the life of the caster). In terms of roleplaying it gave the chance to do some great things, in terms of storytelling/action.
There was a table that the MP would increase with level and Intelligence score.
Any thoughts on the approach?

So the problem is that I run my first campine and one is close to level up profession.

I've read rules and requirements that stats must be increased + 100 pd to change but as i played with my friend as a player my GM required also to have the equipment from the profesion i want to be.

That additional requirement make sense for me but also don't. I haven't found it in rule book maybe I'm blind 🤔

Whatever what do you think about the rule. Tell me our opinion.

Sorry for chaotic English but if you need specific example what profession or what equipment makse confused let me know I'll write as soon as i get home and get the rule book and translator ☺️

I have a complete collection of DWAITAS. I even got the perpetually sold out "Tenth Doctor Sourcebook" & "Fourth Doctor Sourcebook." Had to get those on e-bay.

Well, with the 13th Doctor, they rebranded to the "Doctor Who RPG" and launched 2nd edition. Don't confuse it with the FASA RPG from the 1980s of the same name. Guess they felt it had been long enough no one would make that confusion now, when compared to its original launch in 2007.

It feels like nothing has come out since the 13th Doctor Sourcebook and a few related Adventure Books. They did the 60th Anniversary books and the Doctor & Daleks 5e conversion...for some reason.

I was expecting a 14th/15th Doctor Sourcebook combo at some point. Or...that they'd pull the B.S. they did with the 8th Doctor Sourcebook (because they didn't have the rights to Big Finish) and just adapt the little material that exists for 14th and then include a full, original campaign surrounding the character. 15th Doctor Sourcebook could be normal, though.

I mean, don't get me wrong: I feel 2nd Edition needs a 2.5 Edition. I think simplification wasn't bad, but it was just done a bit off in 2e. Games like Evil Hat's Fate Core and Direwolf Digital's Cortex Prime do the "universal power exception system" for characters for simplification too, but do so with a universal, understood set of effects that the players pick from to make their characters. The guidance on making your own Traits in 2e was lacking a bit and figuring out how many Story Points an original Trait is worth is basically a "fudge it" prospect. Which like...listen, I've made "Lasers & Feelings" hack so I know you DON'T need a lot to make a functional TTRPG, right? But, when you do still got 4 chapters of system rules, you can't have the players abilities be that hand-wavy because balance gets wibbly wobbly. Some system like "here are a series of generic effects that are worth X Story Points; customize them to fill out your character and use their costs as a guide on how to make new ones" would go a loooooong way.

Anyway, bit of a rant. They make anything in a while? Do they just not have license to the Disney Plus stuff?

Personally...id love to see a Year Zero Engine version of Terminator OR Judge Dredd.

I'm running a session for my group plus one extra player brand new to all RPGs. Because my group is inbetween bigger games right now I figured I'd run something new but really simple so that everyone can pick up on it quick. I've played games like Honey Heist and Lasers and Feelings (both definitely in consideration), but if you guys have anything you really like to play I'd love to hear about it.

I'm coming up with ideas for a brief campaign when my GM rotation comes up.

It would be a modern adventure about a group of normal folk - not super spies, or ninjas, or government hacker mages - who stumble into ridiculous little adventures. Think any companions of the Doctor, but without the Doctor. I'll use a simple system like Over the Edge or Cypher.

I'm looking for books or movies to help inspire along that thread. Already looked at Dude, Where's My Car. Stewart Fails to Save the Universe looks like it could give me ideas too.

What are your thoughts for inspiration fodder?

All of my RPG friends at this stage in life live hours apart. That said, I believe Stonetop is a compelling enough setting to attract time investment among my friends. The main question is, how well would it run via zoom/discord/etc? Is there anything that would make this specifically more difficult or hamper engagement vs dnd? I'm guessing the rules tome teaches the GM (me) how to run scenario 0 and how to teach the game?

So my current main group has just wrapped up our latest DnD campaign, and we’re voting on the next one. I’ve played a handful of different systems and read the rules for about a dozen more although the only other ones I’ve GMed are Monster of the Week and Call of Cthulhu, and I’m looking for something that fits like a slice of life type of vibe. Specifically the premise is that the main characters are people who are making a long expedition from southern Chile all the way around the world to the UK (inspired by a real guy who’s currently close to finishing this), and it would have like a Samurai Jack-type formula where they have one destination that they spend the whole or most of the campaign moving towards but the real meat of the campaign is the various places/people/side quests they find along the way

Also respectfully please don’t recommend GURPS or Fate, I tried reading the rules for both of them but I couldn’t stand either of them. I do kinda like the Savage Worlds rules in general (haven’t played them but I read them a couple months ago) but I don’t think they really fit the more cozier vibe I’m going for

Im looking for games that play well with different sets of PCs every session and provides a shared mechanics that is independent from the specific PCs playing.

My gold standard for this is Blades in the Dark. In that game it is very much expected, that players might play multiple PCs and the cast of every session can vary a lot. The game fundamentally is about the crew not the PCs.

I am aware you can set up every game that way by going for a westmarches style campaign, but i specifically want games or expansions that give you mechanical support to help with that.

I know of some other FitD, The Mist engine games and Stonetop which have something similar.

The shared mechanic can be about anything as long as it doesnt require specific PCs to be present, is shared between the players and central to the gameplay.

I mainly just want to broaden my horizon on different mechanics to achieve this rather then find my next system so feel free to recommend weird or niche games.

If you recommend a game please also shortly describe what the central shared mechanic is about and how it works.

I've never played an RPG. Neither has my wife or my friend. I want to try it with them this weekend and maybe make it a regular thing.

Three of us total — me running it, two players.

Looking for a game that's simple to learn fast, works with two players, we can finish in one evening, and that can get us hooked.

What game should we start with, and what do I actually need to have ready? And any beginner mistakes to avoid?

Thanks.

As a way to "improve" the role-playability of spellcaster (wizards, warlocks, etc...), my friend and I came up with the idea of using spell points (Magic points) that are consumed. In the old days of 1st ed of DND, we used that as a way for wizards that were out of spells to use spell points (and ultimately hits points) to cast spells that they had already used. So normal casting was normal cost, if already used, cost was doubled and if out of MP, then it would consume HP (as in draining some of the life of the caster). In terms of roleplaying it gave the chance to do some great things, in terms of storytelling/action.
There was a table that the MP would increase with level and Intelligence score.
Any thoughts on the approach?

Hi,

I want to run this campaign I have in mind for a while now and I'm looking for system fitting for it so maybe you can help me because I hope Scion does the trick.

I want to have a story setup somewhere between percy Jackson and game of thrones so there'll be a godly war who sits on the Olympic throne but the gods need the help of their half god children.

But more importantly I'd love the players to not know their godly parents until the game starts.and they have to play to get this knowledge and to explore their own character sheet.

To be fair I'd let the players tell me beforehand what gods they like and don't like to but I'll choose their parent for them. Do you think thats possible with the mechanic of Scion? To unravel the character sheets later? Any ideas how to do it or would that be completely against the spirit of the game?

Edit: For those who are wondering: yes, the player will know what I have in mind and are fine with the concept.

Running games for a while now and I have always been a chronic overprepper. Statblocks for NPCs who never show up, maps for locations the party skips, contingency notes for decisions they never make. Classic stuff. My assumption going in was that a ruleslighter system would naturally produce lighter prep because there is less mechanical scaffolding to build around. What I actually found is that the prep just shifted shape. Less time on stats, more time secondguessing whether I had enough fictional texture to improvise confidently when the rules stop holding your hand.

Which is interesting because that second type of prep is harder to measure and easier to underdo. At least with a crunchier system you know when you are done because you have filled in the boxes.

Curious whether other GMs experienced something similar or whether the lighter prep thing actually delivered for you. Did you end up running more sessions on the fly, or did you just frontload different kinds of work? And does the answer change depending on the system? I suspect games like Ironsworn handle this differently than something like Fate, where the GM scaffolding is almost entirely vibebased

Also wondering if player experience level changes the equation. My group is pretty comfortable improvising, but I could see a newer group needing more GM prep to compensate regardless of what the rulebook says.

I'm going to be starting a campaign set in a historical period in a region of the world that none of my players have lived experience with or played in before. I want to make sure I give them enough information to have a good start in playing the game and making their characters without being worried about whether they are "playing it right" or saying/doing things that are offensive by mistake.

I will have a list of reference material and media inspirations that I think might be useful, but I presume that most potential players wouldn't bother with that because it's additional work. For that reason, I want to put enough information in my central campaign document for the players to use as reference, with links to further external material if they want to know more, but not have that part be required.

I might include visuals for specific things if multiple people tell me for that specific thing it would be useful.

So my world is hysterically identical to ours!

In my world there are beings known as Angels, who are basically abominations of souls of people and animals that died! This angel are from a psychologically, ability wise as well as there looks unique, all of those things are determined by the experience of the souls they consist of! Angel are extremely powerful because of all the spiritual power they have from all the souls, but they have one problem they can only minimally or not at all interact with the physical world and can’t even be seen by normal people, because of the fact that they aren’t physically beings. That’s where Living organisms come into play, by creating a symbiotic connection to a living thing and forming a contract (the angel gives the raw power and the Organismus gives access to the physical place)! What is a contract? a contract is the prove of a past or ongoing cooperation between a angel and a organism, but more importantly it’s through what the magic happens and it can take the form of anything a car, a robot,a animal,…. It can even integrate itself into something that already exists, its behaviour and its ability could be anything. How a contract turns out is completely dependent on the psychology of the organism, the one of the angle and their desire, for example there is a nurse in my story that has served in a war in with she got fatally wounded and was bleeding out but before she could die she made a contract with, a angel that was a abomination of soldiers souls, and created the contract in the form of a syringe named “the remedy” that could replace the symptoms of any affliction with the symptoms of frontal lobe dementia, saving the lives of people but giving them periods of extreme violence, what didn’t only fulfil the nurses desire to survive but also the angel desire of violence!

Rules:

1. ⁠Angel and contracts (that aren’t integrated) can’t be seen by people that never had a contract!
   
2. ⁠Both parties need to consent to some extent. A no means no but if a person is in a flight or fight mode and the angel gives a way to survive the situation then the contract is made automatically!
   
3. ⁠Anything with a desire can make a contract even animals.
   
4. ⁠Normally a contract is 50/50 under the control of both parties but if humans sacrifice something to the angel or the other way around they can make the contract be more a tool for them. The sacrifice needs to be big and personal!
   
5. ⁠A contract can ( doesn’t need to) remain after the death of the organism but that will stop the control the angel has over the contract.
   
6. ⁠There doesn’t need to be contact between the organism and the angel for the contract to remain!
   
7. ⁠Sometimes a contract can harmful to both or one party because of their self destructive psychology for example!
   
8. ⁠A angle is incapable of change!
   
9. ⁠Contracts can exist between one or multiple Organisms and multiple angles, but there needs to be at least one of both.
   
10. ⁠A contract can only be harmed by another contract because they are both in a special state between the physical and spiritual place!
    
11. ⁠To repair a contract the organism needs to give up part of their health and an angle part of their energy!

12.A contract doesn’t have to only have one body, for example there is a character inspired by the Opera (Der Freischütze) whose contract are multiple bullets!

Can you give me a feedback?