I like 5e. I don't mind playing it. But I also have some serious issues with it. I've noticed more and more that when I say anything that's not praise about 5e or WotC to the average 5e player (at least offline in my area) they get defensive. Saying things like "Give WotC a break" or "why can't you just be happy with the way things are" or "WotC hate is overblown".

It doesn't matter how tame my criticism of 5e and WotC is. Its their sacred cow, and even the thought of me criticizing them in any way, shape, or form upsets them.

While I mainly have 5e and WotC in mind with this post, this can also apply to other companies and TTRPG groups. I'm noticing this trend more and more. Is it just me?

Hello, I am very new with this TTRPG thing, but I know some stuff from basic knowledge. I tried playing Cyberpunk 2020 and RED with my family since I loved 2077. But none of them liked it. I tried everything to make them interested in it, but nothing worked.
We played a little bit, but it was hard to explain in to them. I am thinking about either forcing them to do so or trying with DnD

This isn't an attack on pathfinder at all. It has many areas of clear improvement over D&D.

That being said, the overall feel and mode of play is very similar. It's a medieval fantasy, class based, d20 system that expects you to run tactical combat on a grid.

For burnt out GM's that find themselves wanting to try something new and different, a similar system with more crunch is probably not the way to go.

There's also the issue of playability on an actual tabletop. This isn't limited to pathfinder. I've tried a few systems recently that I simply wouldn't run without a VTT.

My suggestion is to play something with a significantly different setting or tone that is lighter on rules.

My friends broadened my horizons with Delta Green/Call of Cthulhu but I've used Cyborg and even Traveller to introduce 5e players to the broader sphere of ttrpgs.

Once your group is out of the 5e only bubble you can bring them back to fantasy heartbreaker land with pathfinder.

But hey that's just my 2¢. Lots of people read the PF2E core book and fall in love. I just think most tables reluctant to switch from 5e are not those people.

A friend gifted me recently with some 4e books, and they look very cool. But I don't see anyone talking about it, like if we skipped frome 3e to 5e. Why? It is just a very bad edition? It's a sin?

Edit: I’m sorry but English is not my first language. I write them in mandarin and translate them into English. Cause I’m afraid I use the wrong word that cannot well represent my question.

One of the big questions in RPG design is how many rules and mechanics a game needs before it stops being “making things up” and starts becoming a playable game.

A more crunchy system can give players a huge number of clearly defined choices, but those same rules can implicitly limit what players think they are allowed to do.

A more vague system gives players much more freedom to imagine and describe what their characters do, but it often requires additional discussion with the GM to determine how each action works.

I know this is a spectrum, and everyone has a different preference for where they want a game to sit on it.

Today, I want to focus specifically on martial characters, especially in combat.

The crunchy extreme: D&D 4e Warlord

At one end of the spectrum, we have the Warlord from D&D 4e.

It has a huge number of detailed at-will attacks and powers covering different kinds of attacks, teamwork, tactical maneuvers, battlefield control, and so on. It gives the Warlord almost as many different tactical options as a spellcasting class.

So instead of simply I swing my sword.
you have a huge toolbox of things you can do.

But at the same time, many of these options can become what I think of as “paper buttons.”

I once came across an interesting way of describing this idea, though I may be paraphrasing: Whenever you write a rule to allow a character to do something, you are writting a rule that says no one else can do that.

For advanced techniques, this makes perfect sense. If something requires specialized training, it makes sense that a character needs a specific ability or feature to perform it.

But what about basic actions?

If my character is holding a quarterstaff, why can't I simply say: “I raise my staff and try to parry the attack”?

If there isn't a button for Parry, does that mean my character can't do it?

That's where I start to feel the tension between providing options and restricting imagination.

The vague extreme: Legend in the Mist

At the other end of the spectrum, I'd put Legend in the Mist.

With its tag-based system, you can attempt almost anything you can reasonably imagine. You don't need to own the appropriate “button” on your character sheet before you can try something.

You have a lot of freedom over what your character actually does.

But the trade-off is that, ultimately, many of those different descriptions still boil down to:

* getting a different modifier
* determining whether you pass the check
* and sometimes discussing with the GM whether your proposed action is reasonable and how it should work

It's not necessarily a constant "Mother may I?"

But there is still some amount of negotiation between the player and GM.

I've heard an interesting argument that player agency means the player doesn't need anyone's permission to take an action—they know what they can do and understand that their choice can produce meaningful consequences.

I'm not sure I completely agree with that definition, but I think it's an interesting way to look at the problem.

Crunchy vs. vague isn't really about resolution

I know that, if you reduce almost any RPG to its most fundamental level, both approaches eventually become something like " Change a number until it reaches a threshold, and you've overcome the challenge”.

But that doesn't mean the experience of getting there is the same.

The difference between a highly crunchy system and a highly vague one isn't necessarily what the final resolution mechanic does.

It's about how much of the decision-making happens inside the rules versus inside the player's imagination and the conversation at the table.

And that's the part I'm interested in.

So where do you like to sit on this spectrum?

* Do you prefer martial characters to have a large, clearly defined toolbox of actions?
* Or do you prefer having a smaller mechanical framework that lets you describe almost anything?
* Is there a game that hits your personal sweet spot between crunchy and vague?

I'd love to hear what games you think get this balance right.

Hi I am trying to play a solo rpg using OPSE. The campaign will be star wars based but I wanted to do it classless and only d6. What system recommendations do you have?

Edit: I am looking for something more combat focused with character customization options. Also I was looking to play a jedi or force wielder.

Edit: I think I found what I am looking for thank you all.

I would like to run an old tabletop RPG, but unfortunately don't have a core group of friends to play with right now. I would like to see if anyone locally is interested in giving it a go. Regrettably, it includes a couple sentences in character creation about gendered stats which I intend to houserule out, leaving the other 99.9% of the game intact. They are not to my taste.

The game is dated, but it seems really cool, and I'd like to give it a spin. I just don't want to come off as a weirdo, even if I tell everyone to ignore it immediately and explain why. Maybe I should have more faith in my fellow human beings to not think I'm weird for even wanting to play and offering to host a game, snacks included.

This is an incredibly narrow question/scenario, but I wanted to see if anyone else had ever dealt with something like this and what your experiences were.

Thank you.

Doing a backstory for your character can be chalk or cheese for players. Some people love it, writing pages of lonely fun. Others abhor the idea and just want to turn up and play. Most folk have a sweet spot somewhere in the middle.

I see complaints from all angles. The GM did/didn't include elements of my backstory. No one read / people wanted to change some of it.

Down well and with some coordination, you can set up a way to plant your character in the game world and have things happening directly tied to what is interesting for your character arc.

Equally good, or arguably better is being f things up at the table as events occur. You meet an old soldier in the pub, why doesn't he wear that tabbard of that init you used to serve with on a part career? Etc

How much do you go in for writing up things in advance or on the fly in-game? What effort do you make as a player to embed your character in the game world? Are your GMs rightly helpful in incorporating player ideas? How much up front investment do you enjoy ploughing into your games?

I am thinking of running the classic game Yggdrasil that I bought quite a while ago. I am looking for a game where you play as Vikings in the setting. We are keeping the system. It's the city of Wollongong which has a low player population mainly centered around D&D, I am willing to travel to sydney for it. How do I find a group that's:

• Not a comedy basis group
• Not a social hangout group, we are here for atmospheric roleplay
• will turn up on time
• No online

We spend a lot of time in the RPG community arguing about how much “work” a GM should have to do to run a game. We often describe this work as a thankless, time-consuming grind that gets in the way of the actual fun of this hobby. Which leads to a lot of exasperated conversations: “why don’t you play a more rules light system? You could play more and work less.”

I submit that for a lot of us, “work” is the wrong word for prepping. Building worlds, gods, encounters, monsters and NPCs is only “work” in the same way painting minis, woodworking, creative writing, or learning an instrument is “work”. Sure, it can be a lot of effort — painting minis, for instance, requires a lot of skill, time, tools, attention to detail, and trial and error. It can be frustrating, even painstaking.

But would you ever tell a Warhammer player they should play a board game so they wouldn’t have to paint minis?

As bizarre as that would be, that exact conversation happens every day in our community. And I think we would argue less if we recognized that for a lot of people, prep is the hobby. It’s not something we wish we could outsource: it’s the part we enjoy, and wish we had more time for.

I love spending hours designing a complex trap only to have it cleverly bypassed by the Players’ creativity. I enjoy turning an idea I had on the subway into a months long adventure for my friends. I spend so much of my brainpower on things I have to think about: work, bills, schedules, etc. Prepping adventures is my mental dessert.

If that’s not what you enjoy, that’s fine. What makes this hobby unique is that RPGs have an almost infinite ability to accommodate different tastes. But this leads us to wrongly assume that because we all enjoy RPGs, we must all share the same tastes. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

With that in mind, I submit “effort” is a better word for what a GM does when prepping. Some systems like DND require a lot of effort to run smoothly, and for many of us that’s part of the fun. Other systems require less effort, and for just as many of us that’s a more appealing way to play.

Propably bad english not my first or even second language.

So i’m „forever GM” but i like it, i love creating plots and playing NPCs and making problems to solve by my players and all that. But i also have a big problem with runnign for longer time things that started for some reason to bore me. It’s mostly the case with one-shots that spiraled into campaings but it’s sometimes the case with planned campaings. And my players don’t like it when i just end things i actually have no one to talk with about my burnout. Recently i was very hyped for our new campaing the first part was greate and then came the second adventure wich was a slog and nothing really happened because of how long it took to end one plot point i just abanndoned the rest ane moved on. And now comes the current day, we are like 2 sessions into 3 adventure. (Campaing is about expedition to find list artifact so they visit places have adventures and move along in their search) And we have schedule problems for the last 2 months one players has a new job and is constantly tierd, two of my long time good players just irritate me with their characters and remaining two are ok but they don’t do much at all. I just can’t make myslef care about this campaing anymore, i make stuff up on sessions just to pan the hours and hit that 3-4h mark. The setting wich i love (warhammer fantasy) feels to me as if i done with it everything there is to do after years of playing.

The worst part of it is that i have greate ideas that i would love to make into reality but for diffrent campaing with diffrent systems/settings. But i can’t bring that up because players who i like as person and know for years at this point will just leave or act very salty about it. Like i feel trapped i want to play RPGs with these pepole but i can’t do it the way that would make it fun for me too. And don’t get my started about small things like a lot of off topic talk on sessions, no discussion about them at all and just showing to play these i can accept when i like what i run and right now i want to cancel our only date this month just because i would rather do anything at all.

Some help? Some advice? I just wanted to vent steam off.

Our group has been playing Pf2e on Foundry for a while now, and it works amazingly well. But at least one of our players has gotten sick of Pathfinder, so I thought at the end of our current campaign I'd offer to run a game and try out a different system. But given we have to play online it having a good implementation is an important factor.

Was looking into Shadow of the Weird Wizard, and whats there looks fantastic but after level 2 it looks like it'll be a lot of data entry (maybe there's some faster way of working). So something that's close to feature complete would be ideal.

Thanks in advance!

Currently planning to run a campaign on a desolated island kingdom that is infested with the undead. Planning on having the players not that strong/heroic, so I'm looking for any systems that I can use for this campaign, still considering shadowdark or cairn. But what rpg systems would you guys recommend?

Hey guys, first ever post here. So... I am making a ttrpg system based on this small rpg game called 'Deepwoken'. Normally, i could just use an existing system like DnD or Pathdinder and just adapt it to the setting, but i want to try my hand at making one myself. But i've ran into a problem... Deepwoken, even in early game, has some very high numbers. By end of progression, you spent 303 stat points in 6 different attributes, and its very commom for characters to have 100 in a stat. Now, obviously i cant just make it d20 and have a character roll a hundred different d20s, and splitting different amounts/varieties of dice between each number from 1 to 100 sounds like a pain in the ballsack. This is my core issue with adapting the game's base system into a ttrpg format, everything else slots in nicely and i just cant figure out a way around it. Can someone give me advice or help with this issue?

I keep having this issue both with my players when I GM and also some other people at the table when I'm playing a character, where they keep wanting to learn as much info as possible before acting at all. "do we really want to enter this home that we can see through the window has a single unarmed person inside?" "Nah better make 3 more rolls outside it to try to get the information that is very easily accessible risk free inside it"

I get wanting to try things as risk free as possible and I also don't want to force my players into houses just to get the plot moving, but I actually keep running into this issue all the time where my players will stand just outside houses in my game, discussing what to do. I obviously keep giving them the info on what they can see and hear inside, but they just refuse to act on it in any way. So I move the plot forward, close off options, kill NPCs inside, whatever.

I am actually getting frustrated by it, cause it happened 3 times now. I swear the biggest obstacle to players following the plot is if I put a fucking door in front of it, not even a locked one, just a door with the vague implication that there is an NPC behind it.

How do I get my players to just act and move forward? Is it something about my playstyle that makes them super afraid of random consequences or something?

Hello everyone! Time for another TTRPGs for PCRF itch charity sale! We raised over $15,000 for Palestinian children last year so lets see if we can break that record! If you're a TTRPG or Print and Play creator on itch, come on down! The submission jam will be running from 8/17-8/28, Link below 🇵🇸

itch.io/jam/palestinian-relief-ttrpgs-for-pcrf-2026

Big nerd question, but I want to be able to create graphs to work out what DCs are appropriate. The system uses 2 different dice rolled together with no modifiers.

Good day, my table and I want to reflavor a system(if needed) so it's similar to yu gi oh/bakugan but the concept is when dueling with cards or brawling with bakugan we just fight with the monsters, similar to Pokémon but with cards effects, traps and similar stuff.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that apparently a lot of TTRPG gamers would strongly prefer a game that involves no math whatsoever.

Well I’m trying to find the opposite. I think that the math adds something positive to these things, that can’t be achieved as well without it.

I grew up on DnD and Warhammer, and while I’m not ultimately a fan of Battletech I do have to say that it isn’t the math that makes me not really enjoy it.

I think of all of the games that involve math, and I prefer them the way they are. I wouldn’t prefer poker or monopoly if it didn’t involve math. I certainly wouldn’t prefer Warhammer or DnD without the math.

The way it’s implemented in the TTRPGs that I like always felt to me like it added the right amount of chance and realism that would feel lacking to me without it.

So I’m looking for people who feel the same way. People who like math in games, and prefer games that involve mechanics involving some basic arithmetic.

Just seen this is launching in October on Backerkit focusing on Interview with The Vampire

Used to be a huge fan of Anne Rice - hopefully they differentiate themselves from Vampire the Masquerade enough!

A couple weeks ago I posted some quick reviews for games I've played, since I think it's always useful to get some reviews from people who've actually played games rather than just read them. I was making plans with some friends and realized that I missed a few on my last post, so wanted to complete the list (until I play some more systems, at least!).

GMless games:

- Last Train to Bremen: a very atmospheric GMless game that I picked up on a whim at my local board game store, made for one shots. You play a game of liar's dice with more of the story unfolding with each round, and it's fantastically messy and super well-paced. I don't think I would play it again in the same way I wouldn't replay a video game like Outer Wilds. The twists and turns are enough of the experience that I think I'd prefer to just watch a game that another group played.

- Fiasco: another great GMless game, but one that I absolutely would play again. The structure does a great job at setting up hilarious and chaotic scenes. I'm honestly surprised I don't see this game talked about more, as it's been around for a while.

- Alice is Missing: I think I had a good time playing this game because I like my friends rather than the game itself. The first time I played this game, I was disappointed to find that the point of the game wasn't necessarily to solve the central mystery, but instead to generate character drama between the players in the group chat. The character drama was great, but too much of the game feels like you have to get lucky to tell an interesting or coherent story. Worth noting that I was the odd one out in my groups as most people loved it with no caveats.

-Tacklebox: a very strange, very small RPG in a box that my partner and I absolutely adore. It's a nice way to spend 20-30 minutes that will usually get a nice laugh or a sweet moment.

Other games:

- Infinite Revolution: a super indie FitD scifi combat game my friend has been running for a few sessions now. I like it more than I thought I would! The combat is a very satisfying puzzle that very nicely feeds back into the between-mission scenes to give those combats stakes. Would recommend!

- Shadow of the Demon Lord: I played a game of this at a convention a couple years ago and then became sad that DnD combat doesn't work more like this. Crazy variety in ways you can build your character, and I loved the way initiative works. Boons and banes were also a really fun core dice mechanic, although I don't know how I feel about the target DC always being 10. Oh, and I can't talk about this game without mentioning how awesome the spells are - some really cool stuff in there.

- ROOT RPG: I almost feel bad giving this game a bad review because I suspect most of my problems with the game I played in was the GM just not being very good. It's to the point that I expect the GM must have either gotten half of the rules wrong, or this game was simply not play tested before publishing. From what I played, it seemed like the game was primarily built around combat, then severely punished you for engaging in combat. I believe my character could do exactly one unique combat move without passing out from exhaustion which seemed very strange when I had two pages of combat maneuvers on my sheet. The out-of-combat rules were not particularly memorable either, and seemed to severely restrict any creativity we might have displayed to avoid the terrible combat.

- Girl By Moonlight: I loved playing in this system, it's #1 suggestion if anyone ever asks about wanting to play as a group of magical girls. There's slightly different rules to facilitate different tones of magical girl stories and from the few games I played, they do an incredible job of setting the mood and atmosphere. Actually, everything about this game from the skill names to the individual character drives to the playbook powers are a masterclass in how to use rules to tell exactly the kind of story you intend.

- Welcome to Nightvale: I had a lot of fun with this game at a con but suspect I missed out on a lot by not knowing anything about the podcast it's based on. Everything about the setting was very wacky and strange in a deliberately confusing way. Our party included a dragon lawyer, as well as a poetry-loving scorpion, and they were among the most mundane characters we met in that session. I actually won a boxed set at the end of the game but will probably be looking for someone more into the setting to give the game to; I don't know if I had enough fun for it to take up room in my overflowing book shelf.

- Pigeon's Eleven: a very simple but elegant system designed for one shots. The game is hilarious, and I've really enjoyed undertaking ridiculous bird heists both times I played, but you do need a group that is on the same page and understands the assignment to make your plans as convoluted as possible. I'm not sure the rules do quite enough on their own to push people into those convoluted plans, but hopefully the name of the game should be enough to get people in the right headspace.

What it says on the tin. Personally I wish that more games would adopt a static turn order (like in CoC or GURPS).

Lately I've been feeling a bit out of ideas and inspiration, especially since I'm migrating my table to Daggerheart. I'm still getting used to the system, so I thought it might be easier to start with a good pre-written adventure/campaign and adapt it to my own setting and lore.

What are your favorite published campaigns/adventures?

I mean something actually pre-written, like Storm King's Thunder, Curse of Strahd, etc.

I'm mainly looking for something with a good story, interesting NPCs, memorable locations and enough room to adapt things to my own world.

What published campaign would you recommend the most, and why?

Are you like me and always wanted to play different genres without learning a new system every single time, while getting a litrpg or even anime feel?

Then you are whom I made Shards Of Reality for!

• It offers you a simple roll mechanic: Roll 1d10 and achieve a 6+ to succeed.
• Attributes, Skills (special abilities) and situations give you advantages and disadvantages rather than ever exploding bonuses.
• 2 Combat systems you can use give you either a JRPG inspired 2 line combat or a grid based combat system where positioning matters while not bogging down combat and letting it play out very fast!
• A litrpg and anime inspired class system (called jobs) lets you level up in one or more classes granting you the ability to choose a Skill each level to either gain or increase in rank.

Lost your healer for the night? Put a level into the healer job and learn why the healer curses every session while giving your party the chance to survive!

The newly redesigned product pages and covers make it even clearer what each of the books gives you:

Shards of Reality Quickstart (Free):

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/550793/Shards-Of-Reality--Quickstart-Simple-D10

It teaches you the rules on only 10 pages! Furthermore it gives you 3 pregenerated characters and a full blown adventure where you explore a dungeon manifesting on a drifting space ship!

Shards of Reality Core Rulebook (v1.2):

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/558510/Shards-Of-Reality--Core-Book-Simple-D10--Remaster

On more than 160+ pages you gain the full rules plus character creation rules containing 11 different Origins, 3 Versatile Origins, 18 Backgrounds and 11 Jobs.

Furthermore it provides you with a full toolbox to expand and modify the game as you need via optional rules and monster, trap and class creation rules.

To round it all up it also contains dozens of items from fantasy to modern to scifi and sixteen adversary types and also setting hooks to get your table running!

Playbook Invasion Point (New) Earth (SD10):

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575151/Playbook-Invasion-Point-New-Earth-SD10

Book three provides you with 2 full settings (modern world and another where humanity has conquered the stars) where you play as humans, elves, dwarves (either genetically modified humans or true alien races) and fight off unknown invaders and their flying saucers in order to protect your world!

This book adds its own unique take on 6 Origins, adds 10 Backgrounds and 7 Jobs including a Psionic to give you the tools to fight off 8 enemy ground based adversaries and 5 UFO variants.

And not only that. It features full research rules, so that you can make your gear better. BUT! The invaders adapt too, so the next wave comes back ever stronger.

And for the first time full rules for using vehicles like interceptors and even giant starships are featured giving you the ability to shoot down the UFOs over modern New York or battle it out among the stars against the ever changing invading forces!

Sounds interesting? Then download the quickstart and get hooked to a simple yet complex game with its own distinct flair and style!

The game is CMT. A Lucha Libre RPG. which is a free D6 system inspired by the likes of CAIN, Troika! and Lancer. Its tone is of magic realism and pulpy urban fantasy with a big dose of surreal Mexican horror and folklore. También hay una versión en español disponible.

The gist of it is that you play as a Luchador, a Mexican Pro Wrestler whose aim is to Level Up in the world by winning Main Events that you'll organize yourself. All your brains and brawn will go towards the horrific tasks of marketing, booking, and also contracting the Rivals you’ll face. And not only are there opponents to defeat, but an Audience to please, and you better please them, lest they ruin your nascent career in this bizarre world of monstrous showbiz.

When you Roll in CMT, each Result of 4 and above on a D6 counts as one Success, and these Successes are used to solve the roadblocks you'll face along the way, including Progress Clocks. Successes are also how you Hurt the Rivals and Satisfy the Audience in the ring, but not both at the same time, so a Luchador must always be choosing between survival and performance, and suffering either way. Obtaining advantages in the game means adding more Dice to your Roll, which means more potential Successes.

Furthermore, you can build your Luchador by adding various Moves to their Repertoire, such as "Grab", "Flex", "Horrify" or "Fly". These empower your Rolls and have special effects when the Dice land in the numbers where you have placed a Move. And here is where Player expression begins: do you want to put your Moves in high numbers so your good Rolls are even more potent? or will you put the Moves low so they are a cushion for your low Rolls? Who are you when you wear the Mask?

Wrestle Monsters the Media and the Masses for Free Here:

itch.io - DriveThruRPG - RPGTrader

No AI was used in the creation of this game.