Best rpg books on Reddit
197 reviews from r/rpg, r/Solo_Roleplaying, r/litrpg and 1 more subreddit
197 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Blades in the Dark
5.0
(9)
"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."
"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?"
#2
GURPS
4.9
(8)
"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"GURPS sourcebooks are some of the best researched historical references ever written."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."
"So many of them are well-crafted jewels."
"If you want real world historical accuracy (or real world accuracy of any kind) GURPS."
#3
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."
#4
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."
#5
World of Darkness
5.0
(5)
"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."
#6
Delta Green
4.8
(5)
"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 books and modules and stories are fun to read."
#7
Apocalypse World
4.8
(5)
"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."
#8
Forbidden Lands
5.0
(4)
"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."
#9
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."
#10
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."
#11
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."
#12
Degenesis
4.3
(4)
"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."
#13
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."
#14
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."
#15
Call of Cthulhu
4.7
(3)
"Great game."
"Amazing sourcebooks and some of the best RPG scenarios ever written."
"To contain a couple of excellent articles on general roleplaying."
#16
Shadowrun
4.7
(3)
"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."
"The supplements... oh man, those are just dripping with story potential."
#17
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."
#18
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."
#19
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."
#20
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."
#21
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."
#22
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."
#23
Mutants and Masterminds
5.0
(2)
"Great game."
"Very good for modeling superheroes in a balanced way."
#24
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"
#25
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."
#26
Shadow of the Weird Wizard
5.0
(2)
"Great game."
"Great game."
#27
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4E
5.0
(2)
"Great game."
"Great game."
#28
Red Markets
5.0
(2)
"Is incredible."
"For zombie horror as a bleak satire of the American economy."
#29
Unknown Armies
5.0
(2)
"Unknown Armies, Delta Green, Degenesis, World of Darkness, Warhammer, and SLA are all fun reads"
"A weird/occult horror game."
#30
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."
#31
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."
#32
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."
#33
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."
#34
Rifts
5.0
(2)
"This game is all the wacky s."
"The Rifts stuff is fun."
#35
Spirit of the Century
5.0
(2)
"Is great fun to read through."
"Spirit of the Century."
#36
Jenna Moran
5.0
(2)
"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'."
#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
Mork Borg
5.0
(2)
"Start with mork borg then keep going."
"Mork Borg is one of the most stylish books ever written."
#39
Paranoia
4.5
(2)
"Paranoia, wildly satirical."
"Paranoia is fun."
#40
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."
#41
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."
#42
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."
#43
Polaris
4.5
(2)
"A beautiful, whimsical, and sometimes heart-breaking piece of literature/game design."
"Polaris and Heart the city beneath and HOL"
#44
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."
#45
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."
#46
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)..."
#47
Pathfinder 2e
4.5
(2)
"Great game."
"Sometimes I do indeed want."
#48
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."
#49
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."
#50
R. Talsorian Games
4.0
(2)
"Castle Falkenstein from R. Talsorian Games."
"Nice watercolors. Steampunky elements."
#51
Hacklopedia of Beasts
5.0
(1)
"I'd say monster books are really good for this."
#52
Jumpers RPG
5.0
(1)
"Is still one of the most enjoyable reads I've found."
#53
L5R 5e
5.0
(1)
"My favorite edition, putting feelings to the fore."
#54
Harnmaster
5.0
(1)
"I really enjoyed Hârnmaster from Columbia."
#55
Dark Heresy
5.0
(1)
"The best 40k game out there."
#56
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness
5.0
(1)
"Just a fun, goofy game based on the original black and white Ninja turtle comics."
#57
Good Society
5.0
(1)
"Delicious Regency roleplay, with many high quality fan hacks."
#58
Monsterhearts/MASKS
5.0
(1)
"It’s really easy to roleplay a melodramatic high schooler with a supernatural edge."
#59
Troubleshooters RPG
5.0
(1)
"A fun blend of d100 crunch with player-facing narrative shenanigans."
#60
Genesys
5.0
(1)
"These are just plain my favorite rules to run."
#61
Household
5.0
(1)
"It's easy to understand, quick to learn, and holy cheese."
#62
Thousand Year Old Vampire
5.0
(1)
"Thousand Year Old Vampire is beautifully setup as a book."
#63
Aaron Allston
5.0
(1)
"Entertaining, insightful and wonderful to peruse."
#64
Exalted
5.0
(1)
"I like read Vampire the Masquerade and Exalted to see how strong their dots actually are."
#65
Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG
5.0
(1)
"1. Call of Cthulhu, but also Trail of Cthulhu
2. GURPS, especially the sourcebooks. There is a TON of useful information in the sourcebooks.
3. Cortex Prime, but any Cortex game, really.
4. The old Eden studios Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG. This game, and these books, are wonderful."
#66
Basic Roleplaying
5.0
(1)
"Trinity Continuum - Aeon, Aberrant, Adventure
Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition
Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying"
#67
Knock!
5.0
(1)
"The best system neutral zine out there, IMO."
#68
There is no Epic Loot here, Only Puns
5.0
(1)
"[There is no Epic Loot here, Only Puns.] by stewart92. The system grows in sentience."
#69
Neverstone
5.0
(1)
"Neverstone by Ned Catacarus!! It’s all about grind, friendship, fighting the big bad."
#70
Return of the Lazy Game Master
5.0
(1)
"It's about GMing with less preparation."
#71
Free League
5.0
(1)
"I fell in love, and ended up buying the whole line in hardcopy."
#72
GENE HARVEST
5.0
(1)
"GENE HARVEST by Josh Rettew. Best shit talking AI there is"
#73
The White Hack
5.0
(1)
"In addition to the other things already mentioned, The White Hack and Troika are both digest sized, and make for interesting reading."
#74
Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying
5.0
(1)
"You're welcome."
#75
Fabula Ultima
5.0
(1)
"Books are about the size of a hardcover novel, barring differences in thickness."
#76
Save the Cat!
5.0
(1)
"It has been one of the most useful books for planning out my campaign stories."
#77
Kingdoms of Kalamar
5.0
(1)
"The campaign setting book is an amazing read."
#78
Vampire: The Masquerade
5.0
(1)
"I like read Vampire the Masquerade and Exalted to see how strong their dots actually are."
#79
Hero's Guide Star Wars d20 Revised
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#80
Black Sword Hack Ultimate Chaos Edition
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#81
Numenera
5.0
(1)
"The artwork is God tier and the concept is fascinating."
#82
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#83
Brindlewood Bay
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#84
Inevitable
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#85
Tony DiTerlizzi
5.0
(1)
"Tony DiTerlizzi’s artwork fleshes out first edition Changeling."
#86
Trophy Gold
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#87
Midnight: Legends of Shadow
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#88
Swords of the Serpentine
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#89
Lancer Core Book
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#90
SWRPG
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#91
Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millenium
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#92
Suns of Gold from Stars Without Number
5.0
(1)
"A great sourcebook for me."
#93
Nomad: Faster Than Light
5.0
(1)
"Nomad: Faster Than Light, Sword of Cepheus 2nd edition, Most FATE books, Mork Borg, Cy_Borg, Pirate Borg, Hero's Journey, All the Osprey rpg series."
#94
Evil Hat Productions
5.0
(1)
"I believe that reading Fate Core will be a boon to any GM."
#95
Cultos Innombrables
5.0
(1)
"Great game."
#96
Imagine Roleplaying System
4.0
(1)
"Has a section about the different types of DMs and their personalities."
#97
Cyberpunk
4.0
(1)
"Has a good background history and character creation system."
#98
Ironborn
4.0
(1)
"Ironborn, Red Markets, Hypertelurians, The Black Void, Mouse Guard."
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