Best rpg books on Reddit
220 reviews from r/rpg, r/Solo_Roleplaying, r/litrpg and 1 more subreddit
220 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
OSR
5.0
(17)
"I feel OSR modules/supplements are very fun to read, so: Veins of the Earth."
"Silent Titans."
"Dead Planet."
"Deep Carbon Observatory (remastered earlier this year)."
"Dolmenwood zines (keep an eye out for the)."
"Gardens of Ynn."
"Gradient Descent (just released to kickstarter backers)."
"Pound of Flesh."
"The Stygian Library (new PDF version coming soon)."
"Not sure if you want Core books only or if Supplements are good too, but here is my list of favorites: \-Veins of the Earth."
#2
Blades in the Dark
5.0
(10)
"I loved reading Blades in the Dark for the whale-punk post-fantasy setting."
"Great game."
"Currently:
- Call of Cthulhu 7e (love running it)
- Shadowdark (love prepping for it)
- Blades in the Dark (love running it)
- The Monster Overhaul (very inspirational)
- Into the Cess and Citadel (very diverse in use)"
"To name a few favorites: Blades in the Dark, Forbidden Lands, The Electric State, Electric Bastionland"
"Blades in the Dark. Dark Heresy."
"Blades in the Dark."
"I absolutely love the Blades in the Dark hardback."
"Blades in the Dark, World of Darkness (esp. Wraith the Oblivion), and Savage Worlds all altered my DMing style."
"For me, the RPG that's improved my GMing the most is probably Blades in the Dark."
"No one's recommended anything blades in the dark yet?"
#3
GURPS
4.7
(9)
"Definitely GURPS"
"GURPS Space."
"GURPS books are amazing reads."
"GURPS sourcebooks are some of the best researched historical references ever written."
"Wonderful sourcebooks for any RPG."
"Most of the GURPs source books are excellent resources."
"The overwhelming amount of spatbooks for either GURPS (3rd has the bulk of the goods you are looking for) or Hero (5th on this one)."
"GURPS Time Travel has Eternity's Rangers."
"If you want real world historical accuracy (or real world accuracy of any kind) GURPS."
#4
Dungeon Crawl Classics
5.0
(7)
"Great game."
"Great game."
"Great game."
"Both are for Dungeon Crawl Classics."
"Dungeon Crawl Classic is awesome for inspiration."
"Lots of little tidbits, personality, and illustrations."
"Will change the way you GM."
#5
World of Darkness
4.8
(6)
"It was such a great thing to have actual rules supporting social interactions."
"World of Darkness had some great source books."
"The 5e Ars Magica books and the white wolf world of darkness books are my favourite for pure reading."
"Basically any WoD book."
"World of Darkness (esp. Wraith the Oblivion), and Savage Worlds all altered my DMing style."
"Almost every book in old World of Darkness."
#6
Apocalypse World
4.8
(6)
"I've read Apocalypse World 2e like 4 times and I still enjoy reading it."
"Written with passion and style and post-apocalyptic punk cool."
"Apocalypse World had quite a bit of theory on there."
"Apocalypse world, blades in the dark."
"Apocalypse world is well written and has a coherent vision for how to run the game."
"Apocalypse world is well written and has a coherent vision for how to run the game."
#7
Delta Green
4.7
(6)
"Great game."
"Delta Green - X-Files meets Call of Cthulhu. Everything I've ever wanted out of an investigative horror game."
"Delta Green, Wolves of God, Cyberpunk 2020/Red."
"Superb writing, imaginative and well thought out."
"Delta Green."
"Delta green books and modules and stories are fun to read."
#8
Symbaroum
5.0
(5)
"Great game."
"Symbaroum is excellent world building and immersive dark fantasy."
"The setting is amazing and the art brings it all together."
"Gorgeous RPGs."
"Great art, great layout, great setting, great rpg overall."
#9
Forbidden Lands
4.8
(5)
"Forbidden lands and symbaroum are high on my list, amazing art and awesome lore."
"Forbidden lands is pretty great."
"The faux leather books in the Forbidden Lands box set are very nice."
"These are games that I think provide a really satisfying physical experience."
"Forbidden Lands."
#10
Degenesis
4.4
(5)
"The degenesis books are beautifully done."
"Haven't seen anyone mention this yet, but DEGENISIS."
"Degenesis, nearly all of Shadowrun's first few editions (especially 2nd and 3rd)..."
"The most beautiful RPG books ever made."
"Great read."
#11
Ultraviolet Grasslands
5.0
(4)
"Ultraviolet Grasslands for sure, and it's sequel Our Golden Age."
"UVG. Just an insane amount of creativity in that book."
"I really liked Ultraviolet Grasslands and the Black City."
"Beautifully setup as a book."
#12
Burning Wheel
4.8
(4)
"Great game."
"From my own shelf: Burning Wheel, Torchbearer, Fate, Forbidden Lands, and Homeworld Revelations are all smaller book formats."
"It opened my eyes more to the idea that RPGs should be mostly character driven by the PCs."
"I also think that Burning Wheel and especially the Burning Wheel Codex have a ton of great advice."
#13
Rifts
4.5
(4)
"This game is all the wacky s."
"The Rifts stuff is fun."
"Rifts."
"Rifts. Just don't expect to play it with it's own rules..."
#14
Shadowrun
4.5
(4)
"Great game."
"The way they integrate those books as a file that's been posted on the shadowrunner bbs within the world... it really elevates those books."
"Shadowrun (every edition), cyberpunk (every edition), Earthdawn (1st ed), Ars Magica."
"The supplements... oh man, those are just dripping with story potential."
#15
Dungeon World
4.5
(4)
"Dungeon World has an amazing GM section that greatly improved my GMing."
"I suggest every DM to try a few sessions of Dungeon World."
"I like to pilfer ideas from the dungeon world srd."
"Dungeon World usually gets called up in these threads."
#16
Call of Cthulhu
4.5
(4)
"Great game."
"Amazing sourcebooks and some of the best RPG scenarios ever written."
"Portions of John Tynes text in the d20 Call of Cthulhu book."
"To contain a couple of excellent articles on general roleplaying."
#17
Jenna Moran
5.0
(3)
"Pretty much everything written by Jenna Moran is a delightful read."
"I'd highly recommend Jenna Morans works, so 'Nobilis', 'Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine' and 'Glitch'."
"Jenna Moran (formerly Rebecca Borgstrom) writes fantastic RPG books."
#18
Red Markets
5.0
(3)
"[Red Markets] has practically a whole novel in there amongst the rules."
"Is incredible."
"For zombie horror as a bleak satire of the American economy."
#19
The One Ring
5.0
(3)
"Currently? The One Ring, His Majesty the Worm, Tales of Argosa, Across A Thousand Dead Worlds, Ashes Without Number (in beta, but I'm counting it)."
"The One Ring by Free League. Everything written has such quality."
"The One Ring TTRPG book."
#20
Unknown Armies
5.0
(3)
"Seconding the *Unknown Armies* nominations. I can read that rulebook like a novel."
"Unknown Armies, Delta Green, Degenesis, World of Darkness, Warhammer, and SLA are all fun reads"
"A weird/occult horror game."
#21
Return of the lazy dungeon master
4.7
(3)
"This is gold. It has helped me a lot in reducing my prep-time."
"Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master - Mike Shea's book on how to prepare for game sessions."
"Return of the lazy dungeon master is a quick read, and quite useful."
#22
Mage: the Ascension
4.7
(3)
"Superlatively flexible magick system."
"Is so dreamlike, adventurous and packed cover to cover with ideas."
"Mage The Ascension books are great."
#23
White Wolf
4.7
(3)
"All the classic white wolf games are great reads."
"I recommend nearly anything published by White Wolf."
"While D&D has it's origin in miniature war-gaming White-Wolf are come out of free form."
#24
Paranoia
4.3
(3)
"Paranoia, wildly satirical."
"Paranoia manuals. Good reads. Also funny."
"Paranoia is fun."
#25
Cyberpunk 2020
4.3
(3)
"It has so many amazing drawings and stories in it."
"Good lore and world building."
"They have interesting little bits all over the place that really get you into the setting."
#26
Monster of the Week
4.3
(3)
"Has one of the best prep systems I have seen."
"If you want to learn how to run a mystery in any system."
"Has tips and tricks for GMs that can be applied to any game."
#27
7th Sea
4.3
(3)
"Honestly love just reading all the 7th Sea books."
"7th Sea is a fun setting."
"7th Sea will teach you a lot about how to let players shine."
#28
Emerald Empire
4.3
(3)
"Very rich in info."
"Emerald Empire is a good base for understanding the setting in any edition."
"Emerald Empire is a good base for understanding the setting in any edition."
#29
Shadow of the Weird Wizard
5.0
(2)
"Great game."
"Great game."
#30
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4E
5.0
(2)
"Great game."
"Great game."
#31
Fighting Fantasy
5.0
(2)
"Seconding Fighting Fantasy, but also The Storymaster's Tales is worth a look."
"If you can find them, the Fighting Fantasy series is excellent."
#32
Degenesis: Rebirth
5.0
(2)
"Some favorites of mine: Degenesis: Rebirth, Delta Green, Alternity’s Dark*Matter setting."
"They are heavy but they got lots and lots of content and interesting ideas."
#33
Nobilis
5.0
(2)
"Is not only the most beautiful RPG book I ever owned, but the writing is also next level."
"Hands down top pick is Nobilis."
#34
Mork Borg
5.0
(2)
"Start with mork borg then keep going."
"Mork Borg is one of the most stylish books ever written."
#35
Eclipse Phase
5.0
(2)
"One of the coolest setting write-ups with great fiction I've ever seen in an RPG."
"I'd also add Ars Magica and its supplements."
#36
Troika!
5.0
(2)
"It's simple, functional and gets out of the way of the story."
"The print book is fantastic and the game rules are flexible and fantastic."
#37
Hot Springs Island
5.0
(2)
"Hot Springs Island is a fantastic gonzo fantasy hex crawl."
"The Dark of Hot Springs Island is a master class in hex crawls."
#38
Index Card RPG
5.0
(2)
"I also want to recommend index card rpg, its not specificly made for solo but its a must read imo, has so many rpg related ideas."
"[Index Card RPG]"
#39
Dread
5.0
(2)
"Dread - Really good information on pacing, character building, that is also enjoyable to read."
"Has some fantastic soft skills advice."
#40
Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads!
5.0
(2)
"The volume that most shaped my GMing across systems was Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads!!!."
"Best damn GM reference I have ever picked up."
#41
Spirit of the Century
5.0
(2)
"Is great fun to read through."
"Spirit of the Century."
#42
Mutants and Masterminds
5.0
(2)
"Great game."
"Very good for modeling superheroes in a balanced way."
#43
Dungeon Crawler Carl
5.0
(2)
"Dungeon Crawler Carl is the pinnacle of this, I'd say."
"The classic of course is ***Dungeon Crawler Carl*** by Matt Dinniman."
#44
Ironsworn
5.0
(2)
"Scarlet heroes and Ironsworn are both amazing for solo players."
"I suggest you start with ironsworn. the pdf is free."
#45
Completionist Chronicles
5.0
(2)
"Others that come to mind are the Completionist Chronicles and Chaos Seeds: The Land"
"Emerilia has a pretty snarky system, as does Completionist Chronicles"
#46
Spire
5.0
(2)
"My buddy loves Spire."
"A joy to read."
#47
Into the Wyrd and Wild
4.5
(2)
"Great vibes and works with any system, or is just a fun read."
"Into the wyrd and wild is great for wilderness inspiration."
#48
Godbound
4.5
(2)
"Genuinely is a work of art with a ton of tools."
"The Dungeon World Guide (not DW, the DW Guide, a free PDF)..."
#49
Feng Shui 2
4.5
(2)
"Nearly every supplement of Feng Shui 2nd edition is an amazing read."
"Feng Shui 2 – for rules on cinematic combat."
#50
Graham Walmsley
4.5
(2)
"It's about letting go your need to control the table."
"It was a great hit in the indie crowd when it came out."
#51
Fate
4.5
(2)
"They make a big deal that failures should be interesting and move the game forward."
"Personally I like all of the world books for Fate."
#52
Nibiru
4.5
(2)
"Nibiru has been a joy to read."
"An incredible setting with some of the best art I’ve ever seen in an RPG."
#53
Polaris
4.5
(2)
"A beautiful, whimsical, and sometimes heart-breaking piece of literature/game design."
"Polaris and Heart the city beneath and HOL"
#54
Pathfinder 2e
4.5
(2)
"Great game."
"Sometimes I do indeed want."
#55
Play Unsafe
4.5
(2)
"*Play Unsafe* is the most generally useful RPG book I've ever read."
"Not a game itself, but a book about playing RPGs."
#56
Kult: Divinity Lost
4.0
(2)
"While the game itself isn’t for everyone the art is amazing."
"Is a wild ride. Not recommended for the weak of heart."
#57
R. Talsorian Games
4.0
(2)
"Castle Falkenstein from R. Talsorian Games."
"Nice watercolors. Steampunky elements."
#58
Cyberpunk
4.0
(2)
"I LOVE reading the Cyberpunk books."
"As poorly organized as the Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook is, it has a lot of lore and fiction in it, making a great cover-to-cover read."
#59
Privateer Press
4.0
(2)
"Five Fingers: Port of Deceit (again by Privateer Press.)"
"The old d20 Monsternomicons by Privateer Press, before their Warmachine and Hordes games got really big."
#60
Dungeons & Dragons
5.0
(1)
"Ad&D 1e DMG for the historic importance and reading gygax style."
#61
2300AD
5.0
(1)
"2300AD (i think it was a version of Twilight scifi rpg). And also Twilight 2000."
#62
Lancer
5.0
(1)
"Here are some:
- Lancer."
#63
Eberron
5.0
(1)
"The Eberron books are also great."
#64
Be Like a Crow
5.0
(1)
"I've been enjoying Be Like a Crow. Uses a deck of playing cards."
#65
Hârnworld
5.0
(1)
"Not a specific book, but I find just about every Hârnworld article excellently written and enjoyable."
#66
Central Casting
5.0
(1)
"Central Casting, a series of character background generators."
#67
Scarlet Heroes: Sword & Sorcery Adventures
5.0
(1)
"Scarlet Heroes: Sword & Sorcery Adventures for a Lone Hero."
#68
Exalted
5.0
(1)
"I like read Vampire the Masquerade and Exalted to see how strong their dots actually are."
#69
Vampire: The Masquerade
5.0
(1)
"I like read Vampire the Masquerade and Exalted to see how strong their dots actually are."
#70
Savage Worlds
5.0
(1)
"Savage World: *Low Life*"
#71
Skycrawl
5.0
(1)
"Skycrawl, which is an add-on to other games."
#72
Muster
5.0
(1)
"[Muster] is free on DriveThru."
#73
Osprey
5.0
(1)
""Paleomythic" is very nice."
#74
Free League
5.0
(1)
"I fell in love, and ended up buying the whole line in hardcopy."
#75
Lighthouse at the End of the World
4.0
(1)
"Lighthouse at the End of the World is also fun, if somewhat sombre."
#76
Ion Heart
4.0
(1)
"Ion Heart is wrapping up is backer kit soon, and it looks like a lot of fun."
#77
Dresden Files
4.0
(1)
"I'd say the old Dresden Files books. You have lots of snark between the writers of the book."
#78
Notorious/Outsiders
4.0
(1)
"Substratum Protocol and Notorious/Outsiders are the first ones I thought of."
#79
Kaaron Warren
4.0
(1)
"It’s mainly about writing horror fiction, but has plenty of good advice for writing horror campaigns and settings."
#80
Substratum Protocol
4.0
(1)
"Substratum Protocol and Notorious/Outsiders are the first ones I thought of."
#81
2d20
4.0
(1)
"I really like how STA plays and I think it would work well for a setting like Dune."
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