Questions about which game systems have been used for a given purpose. Questions and answers must follow certain guidelines, see the tag wiki for the link.
41
votes
17answers
7k views
Are there any good tabletop RPGs for young beginning players?
I'm looking for a fun, easy to get into RPG for my kids. It could be simple and card-based, or more "normal" tabletop style. I'm looking for something less bloody and dark, and more fun and easy to ...
50
votes
32answers
12k views
Looking for solo (one person) RPGs - do they exist?
I am looking to find out if solo RPGs exist, and which you'd recommend.
I do not mean "one-on-one" 1 player + 1 GM games. I really mean "1 person."
Update: After receiving two (fine, up-voted) ...
26
votes
9answers
2k views
1 GM and 1 Player games and game systems?
I'm eager to hear how other people handle this? I do quite a bit of GM-Less gaming in Mythic and some other fringe systems, but, sometimes it's just better to be playing 'other sides' even if you're ...
10
votes
6answers
911 views
Realm Management Rules That Work
I have been searching for years for a good realm-management rule set for RPGs. By "realm management," I mean a system that tracks the fortunes of large areas and / or groups in the way that most RPGs ...
18
votes
18answers
1k views
What RPG systems work well online?
I have a number of RPG-loving friends, but they're unfortunately scattered around the world. I'd like to run a game with them online, using emails or message boards or something of that ilk. (like ...
19
votes
17answers
11k views
A 2 Player RPG for buddies?
If myself and an old buddy sit down for a night of roleplaying, what game can we use? I've heard of a couple of romantic games, but they're not really for buddies. Are they? Suggestions please.
10
votes
6answers
482 views
What system would you use for an “Inception” inspired game?
Please provide some detail on the merits of the game you suggest and explain some of the things we "know" about the movie world in terms of the specific mechanics.
I have seen the movie, but please ...
34
votes
24answers
2k views
What games are out there that could be played in a single night, with no prep?
What games are out there that could be played in a single night, with no prep?
I have Spirit of the Century, but it really takes too long to make characters. So, in my opinion, it's great if you've ...
23
votes
16answers
1k views
How to design game elements other than combat?
Most RPGs I know about and have played are fighting-centered. That doesn't mean that all gaming is only about fighting, but that most of the rules and character abilities are primarily useful in ...
14
votes
5answers
532 views
Are there any games that include a good rule system for running a business?
In my regular D&D 4e game, we are currently in mid-paragon tier. My character had accrued enough gold that he decided it was silly to continue paying for a room at the local inn whenever we rolled ...
22
votes
10answers
7k views
What RPG best models a “World War Z” zombie apocalypse?
I've been reading a ton of Zombie apocalypse fiction. I find the World War Z stories by Max Brooks to be among the best. What RPG would be best suited to this type of story and why?
Some additional ...
17
votes
6answers
732 views
Realistic modern day combat system to model real life ambush
I came across a video (helmet camera) of an Taliban force ambushing US infantry troops in Afghanistan. This is a link to the video of ambush: Combat in the First Person, Spc.Michael Gannon guides us ...
14
votes
9answers
1k views
What game system is best for playing Fallout on the tabletop?
Give details - why is the game system a good fit? What matches the Fallout setting?
11
votes
10answers
3k views
Which roleplaying games feature realistic combat? [closed]
For many players and referees the characteristics of a Roleplaying Game are important. Does it allow for extensive character creation or it is quickly resolved, is it rules light or does it cover many ...
6
votes
10answers
376 views
Which systems use the Cthulhu Mythos? [closed]
I need to know which systems use the Cthulhu Mythos. Could you give me a list?
Please give only systems that specifically reference the Cthulhu Mythos. For example, don't bother listing Escape From ...
14
votes
8answers
3k views
What GM-less RPGs exist and are the mechanics adaptable to other systems?
I'm constantly looking for new systems to either steal from or at least try out for a one-shot. What systems are currently available that feature GM-less mechanics? Further, do any of these systems ...
10
votes
6answers
876 views
Systems with a dice mechanic that handles very easy and very difficult tasks
I'm looking for a system that has a dice mechanic that supports a particular type of realistic feel. In particular, I'd like to find a system where any task could potentially be rolled for without ...
7
votes
8answers
479 views
Which systems do you find most realistically model progression through skills?
The role-playing systems I've played so far seem to either provide a mostly artificial skill system progression, or ignore skill progression entirely.
I'd like to learn about, and maybe try playing, ...
5
votes
4answers
651 views
What RPGs emphasize immersion in character? [closed]
What roleplaying games (either in-print or out-of-print) explicitly put the focus on the immersion into a character, relegating other activities (such as combat) to lesser status in the system? Of ...
16
votes
6answers
839 views
What role-playing games should I pick for an absolute beginner group?
I've always wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons, but where I live it's more of an underground thing, so it was difficult to find other players. After recently moving to a new school, I made a few ...
14
votes
6answers
426 views
What fantasy systems center on evil characters and specifically the consequences of being evil?
I am looking to run a campaign of evil characters, but I want them to have consequences for being evil. The more evil power you gain the more it changes your physical body, mental state and ability to ...
21
votes
16answers
2k views
“Learn a new RPG a year”: Which systems are a must-know? [closed]
I'm fairly new at this, having just started playing on a Dragonlance 2nd Ed. D&D campaign, and DMing on a 4E adventure. As a programmer, I'm aware of the dictum "Learn a new language every year". ...
27
votes
7answers
8k views
What are the most beginner friendly table top role playing games? [closed]
Many RPGs are extremely complex and hard for first time gamers to get into. Many others assume (even to the point of saying so in their introduction) that they are for people who already know what a ...
17
votes
6answers
457 views
Suggested System/Mechanics/Setting Choices for X-Files/Fringe Inspired Game?
Requesting system, specific mechanic, and published setting recommendations for a recurring game inspired by the X-Files and Fringe.
Here are my goals and details for the game that may provide ...
16
votes
13answers
1k views
Which role-playing systems might be best suited for use over a road-trip?
Four of us will be in the car for roughly 10 hours, for a road trip that will probably take 12 hours or so to complete. It occurred to me that we could try to spend the time doing a role-playing ...
12
votes
6answers
344 views
Are there any systems that are specifically designed for online real-time text play?
Lately I've been doing a lot of gaming online, via chat rooms -- with a regular group and a regular time for a session each week, just through text rather than in person or via Skype or something. ...
17
votes
9answers
452 views
What game systems determine skill levels only through use?
Is there a table top game similar to the video game Dungeon Siege where you don't really pick a class but what you become depends on what you do? You cast magic your magic skill increases, you beat ...
14
votes
5answers
436 views
What systems, if any, could emulate an MMORPG or CRPG?
Similarly to Tasuret in his question about running a game within a game, I am looking for a system to model something that feels like a MMORPG or CRPG. Here are some more specifications, roughly in ...
4
votes
7answers
720 views
What systems exist with rules that fit on a single page (or so)?
I was reading the Overview of OSR Games and as many of the linked-to systems I could fine. Most of them seemed sort of ho-hum, in that they all had about the same kind of complexity as one of the ...
17
votes
9answers
1k views
How to introduce a pen-and-paper RPG to family?
My brother and I have dabbled in D&D when we were younger. Also, at the last place where I worked, we had a weekly Pathfinder game session, which was fun.
Usually at our family get-togethers my ...
11
votes
6answers
527 views
Choosing between Tales From the Floating Vagabond and Paranoia for a “one-shot.”
I'm in a group now, headed by a very (very) capable DM. We've been playing a very solid, very serious D&D campaign in an awesome setting entirely of his creation. However, some of the players have ...
10
votes
4answers
492 views
Statless & diceless systems
Thanks to a couple of The Riddle of Steel sessions I had seneschaled, which didn't really use any dice or stat comparison, I started to ponder the idea of a statless system. I realize that it would be ...
10
votes
10answers
646 views
Games that have only fictional reward cycles
What games have no mechanical reward cycle, leaving character rewards and improvements entirely within the fiction?
By "mechanical reward cycle", I mean a sub-system that:
ties a resource gained ...
8
votes
2answers
304 views
Games with mechanics for introducing new players/characters?
My current D&D group has a pretty high turnover rate (we average around 16 active players). To help manage this, we have a few activities performed whenever a new player joins:
Their interview ...
7
votes
6answers
346 views
Are there any systems featuring skill atrophy?
I was thinking the other day about skill atrophy - the opposite of advancement. What I mean precisely is a system that takes a use-it-or-lose-it approach to even maintaining skill proficiency.
I was ...
17
votes
9answers
2k views
What role-playing games best emulate a non-mystical Old West setting?
I am interested in running an American Old West RPG/campaign that doesn't rely on fantasy/mystical or sci-fi/steampunk elements. What system do you recommend, and why do you think it captures a more ...
16
votes
10answers
568 views
Looking for a Space marine RPG similar to Starship Troopers (the Novel)
I'm trying to nail down an RPG that appropriately reflects the feel of Heinlein's Starship Troopers. (The novel, not the movies. They're very different in the ways relevant to this question.)
...
16
votes
20answers
1k views
Which RPGs primarily reward roleplaying your character?
In what games (either in-print or out-of-print) are the rewards for playing your character's role or depicting your character's behavior the primary means of character advancement, as opposed to ...
9
votes
10answers
701 views
Are there any games that use dice pools of multiple dice?
A friend of mine is an aspiring game designer and is currently looking at the mechanism used in the newest iteration of Warhammer Fantasy where players have multiple dice pools of differing kinds of ...
6
votes
2answers
348 views
Implementing the rational magic and world from Harry Potter: Methods of Rationality in a game?
HP:MoR is a novel-length fanfiction by Eliezer Yudkowsky, exploring the concept of a rational Harry Potter.
The world is a profoundly rationalist world, and has elements of scientific experiment, ...
2
votes
3answers
375 views
Recommend a web-based narrative RPG
I have played forum based RPG before. Posting is something like once per day and nothing is required other than text-writing capacity. I would like to try that again, but in English. It should be a ...
11
votes
9answers
585 views
Superhero cinematic gaming — looking for a system
Our current campaign is going to wind down in a few months, and I'm planning a new campaign. I'm looking for a system that has the following characteristics:
Supports a low-to-medium power superhero ...
11
votes
4answers
411 views
System for Setting: Joe Abercrombie's The First Law
If you're a fan of gritty fantasy, you've probably already read (and re-read?) Joe Abercrombie's The First Law. If you haven't, you ought to.
Now. Click on those links and drag out your wallet. Or ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
Choosing DnD 4th edition or Essentials for a new group and DM?
Recently I've got interested in roleplaying. My background is more or less hardcore boardgamer, I have played quite a large number of board games, even some of the most complicated ones and found it ...
8
votes
3answers
168 views
short campaign with well defined characters
I am about to leave my home country and since I haven't been playing any RPG recently, I would like to play for the last time with my friends. I don't really have much time to prepare a game of my ...
8
votes
10answers
699 views
What RPG worlds/systems work best together in crossover combinations? [closed]
I'm curious: What RPG worlds have you combined most successfully in a crossover setting as a GM? (Or what was the best crossover that you played as a player?)
My best experiences almost always ...
7
votes
5answers
342 views
Game-within-a-Game Cross-Genre Ideas
I've started running the starter adventure on Eclipse Phase. I have an idea for our first full-length campaign, but it's a little complicated. I need a (relatively) simple game to play the part of a ...
6
votes
3answers
155 views
Is there a game that places a similar amount of emphasis on the creation of worlds by player characters as the Myst series?
A major part of the premise of the Myst series is that a number of characters in the setting can 'write' worlds (mostly ones you could walk across in a few minutes). The gameplay of the series is ...
6
votes
2answers
562 views
What is the closest system to Star Wars Saga edition that's still in print?
I'm playing a game of Star Wars Saga Edition with friends, but I was horrified to find that due to ownership of names, and systems etc the book is no longer in print, and getting hold of a copy is ...
5
votes
1answer
254 views
What point-buy systems of magic (like psionics in 3e D&D) are there? [closed]
The RPG I'm currently developing is a d20 model, skill driven rules system. The mechanics of spellcasting center around spell effects and point cost for stamina (a universal energy pool for all ...
