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Thanks for the in depth response, that’s really helpful. I guess really I need to ask the group how interested they are, because it seems like it needs more of a ‘buy in’ to the rules and systems of the setting than a lot of RPGs.

How about Soulbound, how have people found that?

I got to play my Call of Cthulhu- Lite game for a one-shot with my group yesterday. We had 3 hours of play time, and in truth probably needed another session to unravel all the mysteries in the one-shot. That said, it was a fun game that felt suitably CoC.

We spent about 1 hour setting up the atmosphere, introducing NPCs, and revealing the mysteries. Then about 1.5 hours investigating and interacting. This led to a 30 minute climax. In the end, 2 PCs went insane, 1 died from their wounds, and the third barely escaped as everything came burning down around them.

The group did not coalesce at all, and all went off investigating their own leads, so it was like running 4 separate mini-adventures. I had to shift the spotlight around a lot.

That said, the group embraced the timeframe of the 1890s, and leaned into it. They also embraced the fact that the game was a death/insanity spiral. I am 100% sure they did not put all the pieces together about what was going on, but it didn't really matter. They also embraced the Hammer horror of it all, and none of the characters were joke characters.

Overall, a success even though as GM I do not think I set the pacing very well. The atmosphere was on-point, and that was the main goal of the game.

If anyone is interested, I can PM you the 1-page of rules for the game. If you are particularly masochistic, I can send you the 10 pages to run the scenario yourself too.

For fun, I got my actual hard copy of the Keeper's 8th edition rulebook. Beautiful book and nicely laid out. There was also solid advice about how to run the game as a Keeper as well.

 Easy E wrote:
For fun, I got my actual hard copy of the Keeper's 8th edition rulebook. Beautiful book and nicely laid out. There was also solid advice about how to run the game as a Keeper as well.

I ran a Pulp Cthulhu campaign (8th ed) for a while, and I liked the system a lot. It seems to be a system that balances the line between simple and complex very well in my eyes.

So, I have a friend who wants to run a low-level Expanse campaign. Anyone have experience running or playing this system.

I do not. For my space faring games these days I use Coriolis as my base if not flat out playing Coriolis.

So, from what I can see of the AGE system, you roll 3d6. One dice is the "Drama" dice, and you are trying to achieve a target number for success.

You can manipulate the dice roll a few ways.
Players can add some mods based on attributes. You can also spend a pool of Fortune to change dice results, however Fortune is also your hit points so the more you spend the easier you are to kill.

If successful, the Drama dice may also allow you to spend points to "stunt" that opens up other options on the dice test. Perhaps find more clues, do a task faster, shoot more, etc. The higher the drama dice result the more stunting you can do.

That pretty much sums it up. Once I play, I think I will have a better feel for the nuance of the system.

 Easy E wrote:
So, from what I can see of the AGE system, you roll 3d6. One dice is the "Drama" dice, and you are trying to achieve a target number for success.

You can manipulate the dice roll a few ways.
Players can add some mods based on attributes. You can also spend a pool of Fortune to change dice results, however Fortune is also your hit points so the more you spend the easier you are to kill.

If successful, the Drama dice may also allow you to spend points to "stunt" that opens up other options on the dice test. Perhaps find more clues, do a task faster, shoot more, etc. The higher the drama dice result the more stunting you can do.

That pretty much sums it up. Once I play, I think I will have a better feel for the nuance of the system.

I ran some dragon age sessions years ago when that first came out and it was the same/similar system. People enjoyed the drama dice (I do believe it was called the stunt dice back then) as it encouraged them to be more engaged with how their player was doing something and not just dice rolls.

Greetings,

I am pitching a game of Legend of the 5 Rings (3rd edition) to play with my group. They have mostly played 5e D&D and know very little about Rokugan. I am also relatively new, but have played a few times in the past. I have been brushing up with actual plays and reading materials again.

What are some tips you guys have for running a L5R game, especially for players that are new to the setting and ideas of the game?

Thanks for your help.


Edit: Oh yeah, the Expanse game is getting off to a slow start due to some real world issues. Looking like first game will be September.

So, we have played a couple of Expanse games, and it was fun. I am not sure about the mechanics and how they "flavor" the game world yet, but it seems pretty grounded in the Expanse reality that I am aware of.



On an unrelated note, is there a good forum to discuss or read about a wide variety of RPGs like reviews, mechanics discussions, GM tips, etc?

I just got a copy of Opsrey's new game Hard City. I will report back once I have given it a read, and tried the mechanics a bit.

We are also doing character creation for L5R, so I will have more to say on that probably starting next week.

Osprey is the guys that made that Prehistoric game and the very generic Knights of the Blue or some crap right?

 Lance845 wrote:
Osprey is the guys that made that Prehistoric game and the very generic Knights of the Blue or some crap right?

I think you mean, Tales from a Perilous Land? Yeah, they make a bunch of One-Off RPGs like Paleomythic, Righteous Blades, Ruthless Blood, Sigil and Shadow, Those Dark Places, Crescendo of Violence, Jackals, etc.

Unlike many publishers, they are mostly printing one-off, complete games. Each system is mostly unique and they are not tied into a shared set of mechanics. They are contracting with individual creators and authors, similar to what they do with their Osprey Wargaming Series. One big difference is that each game has a unique page count, new art work, and are normally hard covers.

This one, Hard City; is designed "Noir Role-playing" based on the famous Noir media of the 40's, 50's. and 60's. Think of the Maltese Falcon, Dragnet, or even something like Sin City.

Anyone have any experience with the recently funded Dragonbane rpg from Free League? Lance has been helping me with Forbidden Lands and I rabbit holed over to this one as well. I had never heard of the original(s) but this one seems to have a unique d20ish but not feel to it. Classless with relatively static HP so you're never completely safe from even a lowly goblin maurader, a roll under mechanic for attacks and skills instead of the D&D3.x/d20 roll over mechanic, Year Zero style conditions and streamlined equipment, etc. I'll be looking at the quickstart rules a bit more this evening as I only skimmed through them for a minute so far.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/drakar-och-demoner-dragonbane

Plus... I think this is the first RPG where you can play fantasy Darkwing Duck. I was always more of a Rescue Ranges/Duck Tales 80's kid but I can still respect the former.

I'll be honest, up until I started looking at the new Kobold Press game coming out, I would say that Monster of the Week was the best TtRPG I've played recently. A good mix of old school math rock tossing, and new school themes. Plus the majority of the game is based around theater of the mind, which is oddly lacking in most modern TTRPGs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/10dzy7b/new_seemingly_confirmed_leak_for_dnd_beyond_with/

I don't put much stock in Twitter without sources, but the latest rumors are changes to DnDBeyonds structure including subscription model. Tiered monthly fee going up to 30.00 USD a mo.

Lower tiers will not incorporate anything but official material and severally limit other features.

Twice as much as most MMO's and fully stocked streaming services? I'm going to press x to doubt those rumors. WOTC has proven themselves to be greedy and stupid but that's greedy and stupid on a whole other level.

Yeah, going to need to see better sources (or any) before I take that information as fact. Just thought id point out the latest rumors while they are circulating.

Speaking of smaller publishers in the wake of big dumb corporate moves, DriveThru is running their New Year, New Game sale: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/rpg_newyear.php?&filters=0_0_0_0_0_44298

Monster of the Week is on there too (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/143518/Monster-of-the-Week)

I have played Monster of the Week many times, and it was a great experience. It works really well with people new to TTRPGs, and the learning time is super quick.

So I continue further down the rabbit hole of RPGs that didn't start out in the 70s-90s... anyone have any thoughts on Zweihander? A review of the rather full looking yet affordable starter box scrolled across my youtube feed and I clicked. It seems like a WHFB rpg style game in tone and percentile mechanics but I have no idea about the level of complexity relative to OSR or D&D5e. The starter had a kickstarter that specifically said it was streamlining the core rules fwiw.

I'm a big believer in the Cyberpunch 2077 spin off of MoTW. It's basically DnD meets shadowRun,

FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
I'm a big believer in the Cyberpunch 2077 spin off of MoTW. It's basically DnD meets shadowRun,

I can't tell if I'm just boomering the references (even as a genXer technically) or if that's autocorrect typos of cyberpunk and MOTU (Masters of the Universe).

I'm glad GURPS has been mentioned in this thread, even just in passing. GURPS is by far my favorite rpg. It has a reputation for being very math heavy, and very complex, but it's oddly intuitive and easy to learn the basics of. I highly recommend trying GURPS Lite for a short campaign to try it out.

I read through a bunch of GURPs years ago. It's... fine. A completely serviceable system that does exactly what it says on the tin. Modular universal system for running RPGs.

But that universal modularity comes with the price of a poorly focused design. Some systems can feel very tacked on (because they are). I think the Hellboy RPG was GURPs and might be one of the only GURPS books I ever actually owned.

 Lance845 wrote:
I read through a bunch of GURPs years ago. It's... fine. A completely serviceable system that does exactly what it says on the tin. Modular universal system for running RPGs.

But that universal modularity comes with the price of a poorly focused design. Some systems can feel very tacked on (because they are). I think the Hellboy RPG was GURPs and might be one of the only GURPS books I ever actually owned.

GURPS books are, as a rule, very well researched. Its melee mechanics are better than any other system I've seen. I find that most RPGs that have a focused vision often handle them about on par with GURPS, and sometimes worse. It depends on what you're going for. Like, if you want to play D&D, my recommendation is Pathfinder 2.0 or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. The only reason I think people have the notion that GURPS does something poorly, is because everything tends to feel like GURPS, because it handles damage and other combat related stuff roughly the same, no matter the genre. Honestly, GURPS Vikings was probably my favorite read of any RPG book.

Though, I do understand that GURPS isn't for everyone, and even as a huge GURPS fan, I still use other systems sometimes. I hope people try the system. It's really fun.

I never personally got into GURPS as during its heyday I had just started roleplaying and was already in a RIFTS campaign so didn't need another kitchen sink setting/game personally. That said.. I've never actually looked at the ruleset so can't comment on it specifically unlike with the horribad Palladium rulesgolem.

I've been looking online at some reviews and videos of Zweihander and I'm not sure it's for me despite the relative quality of the new starter set. I want more lethality and grit in the next RPG I try but a "random medieval fantasy misery simulator" (an actual description I found among many similar!) might be a step too far, lol.

 warboss wrote:
I never personally got into GURPS as during its heyday I had just started roleplaying and was already in a RIFTS campaign so didn't need another kitchen sink setting/game personally. That said.. I've never actually looked at the ruleset so can't comment on it specifically unlike with the horribad Palladium rulesgolem.

I've been looking online at some reviews and videos of Zweihander and I'm not sure it's for me despite the relative quality of the new starter set. I want more lethality and grit in the next RPG I try but a "random medieval fantasy misery simulator" (an actual description I found among many similar!) might be a step too far, lol.

I own Zweihander, as I bought it on impulse, and I'd recommend just using the Warhammer Fantasy RPG if you were to pick it up. Also, yeah, GURPS is definitely not alone in being universal. It's a common genre for rpg now, so all GURPS has going for it is quality in writing, rules and otherwise. GURPS Lite is free if you want to take a glance, but, honestly, the skill list in both it and GURPS was almost enough to put me off at first. I think a big advantage GURPS has for its universal rules is that everything works off the same building blocks, so you understand what everything means after one good read. A strong enemy in a Psi Wars (totally not Star Wars) campaign could appear in a Dungeon Fantasy (totally not D&D) campaign, and very little would be unknown. Their powers, weapons, and skills work on the same exact rule set that the fantasy characters do. And if there's one thing GURPS does well, it's lethality and grit.

I'll stop shilling, now.

You would think that such a flexible system would have taken off and become a market leader but even back in the late 80's/early 90's heyday it was just popular but never a market leader in any genre. I know it would be easy to read sarcasm or ill intent into that statement but none is meant as I'm genuinely curious/asking. I loved Rifts (and Shadowrun) for a long time but I can definitely go on for multiple posts about why they never took off more than they did in the 90s but I don't know why GURPS isn't more than just a footnote for more genX gamers like myself (and completely obscure to younger ones for the most part).

Was it just the curse of the jack of all trades/master of none game mechanics? Was it the lack of genre focus? Was it the art? Was it the branding? Was it a lack of further development as decades passed? As a self professed fan, I'm curious what your thoughts are on this.

 warboss wrote:
You would think that such a flexible system would have taken off and become a market leader but even back in the late 80's/early 90's heyday it was just popular but never a market leader in any genre. I know it would be easy to read sarcasm or ill intent into that statement but none is meant as I'm genuinely curious/asking. I loved Rifts (and Shadowrun) for a long time but I can definitely go on for multiple posts about why they never took off more than they did in the 90s but I don't know why GURPS isn't more than just a footnote for more genX gamers like myself (and completely obscure to younger ones for the most part).

Was it just the curse of the jack of all trades/master of none game mechanics? Was it the lack of genre focus? Was it the art? Was it the branding? Was it a lack of further development as decades passed? As a self professed fan, I'm curious what your thoughts are on this.

There's a lot of discussion on this, so I'll give my thoughts and a few opinions shared by others. There's not going to be one answer, and the simplest is that tabletop rpgs have always been niche, with D&D being the first and most popular, thus causing and being the center of controversy, causing its popularity to rise.

But, as to why GURPS isn't the most popular? Perhaps due to Steve Jackson's aversion to risk. That's my main theory. Due to his aversion, though, he still owns his RPG, unlike many other companies. In addition, it only ever had one real controversy, and that's the whole Secret Service thing, when they seized GURPS books for a Cyberpunk book. And this was forever ago.

I do think a lack of art, a clinical approach to rules writing, and the odd name gave it a bit of a lackluster start. Despite this, Steve Jackson Games has made GURPS survive, with enough money to pay freelance writers, from what I hear, a good amount of money. But this leads into another reason as to why GURPS never took off. They have a strong opinion regarding content, where even freelance writers have to meet a high bar of writing, and Steve Jackson is very strict about this. This means there's very little fan content, and very few adventures. A lot of popular rpgs have a beginner campaign of sorts, with a small sample of the basic rules needed to run it.

This, again, leads to an issue for mass popularity. The amount of rules. GURPS is the Generic Universal Role Playing System, and never advertises itself as playable out of the box. If you want to get started in GURPS, there's a lot of rules to dig through to even start. Even GURPS Lite has over 100 skills. Most people who are just looking to hang out would be intimidated, due to the front loaded complexity, with a book that is not written for new players, compared to D&D's gradual complexity. This is probably the reason I'd go with outside of risk aversion. It's hard to get into GURPS. I struggled at first, as my group had no one that played it. But we eventually figured it out.

I think I have it about right, but some people think it's due to the community, which is made up mostly of grognards that don't tend to give out a helping hand to new players. I think this has an element of truth, but isn't quite accurate. The issue, in my opinion, is due to presentation. Often, when someone asks what they need to start, the answer is either "The rules," or "These 20 supplements with optional rules." Neither is really helpful. In addition, I think D&D gives a really bad idea for what to expect in other RPGs, as it is very unintuitive. I find it easier to teach people who never played an RPG, as GURPS tends to be very intuitive. As an example, there was a Dungeon Fantasy RPG (GURPS, basically) summer camp where some of the kids said that it was easier to explain and learn than D&D.

Basically, D&D was popular long enough for most people to know about it, so it's their first stop. It then gives a couple bad lessons for what to expect from other games. Because GURPS is only really played by GURPS players, it has poor outreach. If someone learns about it, they see the very clinical and rules heavy approach, and leave to find something less intimidating. In addition, it's not for everybody, due to its clinical, crunchy approach. When someone wants to learn it, but has nobody to teach them, they read a book formatted poorly for beginners (but great for experienced players), and give up. If they start to play, there's just not many groups, so you need to make your own. If you can manage that, and most of them like the system, and aren't intimidated by it, you now have to create your own campaign, or buy one. There's no official beginner campaigns that are free. It's also harder to get someone to invest in a game when the most recent edition is 17 years old, but that's more of current thing.

But, despite all of this, it still turns a profit, Steve Jackson won't sell it easily, it's one of the most supported RPGs ever, even currently, and people who write for it are paid fairly well, with at least one writer (not employed by SJG) living off his licensed products. He's one of the very few rpg writers who managed to keep his game his own, and didn't have to sell it, or be bought out. In addition to all this, they still have insane quality control, and still release books somewhat often.

Also, he really messed up not letting Fallout use GURPS. That could have shot the game to extreme visibility.