Best rpg books on Reddit
198 reviews from r/rpg, r/Solo_Roleplaying, r/l5r
198 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Blades in the Dark
5.0
(7)
"I loved reading Blades in the Dark for the whale-punk post-fantasy setting."
"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
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."
#3
GURPS
4.8
(5)
"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"GURPS sourcebooks are some of the best researched historical references ever written."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."
"If you want real world historical accuracy (or real world accuracy of any kind) GURPS."
#4
Dungeon Crawl Classics
5.0
(3)
"Both are for Dungeon Crawl Classics."
"Lots of little tidbits, personality, and illustrations."
"Will change the way you GM."
#5
World of Darkness
5.0
(3)
"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
Ultraviolet Grasslands
5.0
(3)
"UVG. Just an insane amount of creativity in that book."
"I really liked Ultraviolet Grasslands and the Black City."
"Beautifully setup as a book."
#7
Forbidden Lands
5.0
(3)
"Forbidden lands and symbaroum are high on my list, amazing art and awesome lore."
"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."
#8
Symbaroum
5.0
(3)
"The setting is amazing and the art brings it all together."
"Gorgeous RPGs."
"Great art, great layout, great setting, great rpg overall."
#9
Free League
5.0
(3)
"All in all, Free League and Mythworks make great products to just read."
"It is set between the two films so it’s not just a rehash of stuff I already know."
"Lots of lore and its really well laid out."
#10
Delta Green
4.7
(3)
"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."
#11
Dungeon World
4.7
(3)
"Dungeon World has an amazing GM section that greatly improved my GMing."
"I suggest every DM to try a few sessions of Dungeon World."
"Dungeon World usually gets called up in these threads."
#12
Mothership
4.7
(3)
"Mothership has some grand modules."
"Complete with a job table, rules for ranking up."
"I also really like Mothership’s Warden Manual."
#13
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."
#14
Degenesis
4.0
(3)
"Degenesis, nearly all of Shadowrun's first few editions (especially 2nd and 3rd)..."
"The most beautiful RPG books ever made."
"Great read."
#15
Spirit of the Century
5.0
(2)
"Is great fun to read through."
"Spirit of the Century."
#16
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."
#17
White Wolf
5.0
(2)
"All the classic white wolf games are great reads."
"I recommend nearly anything published by White Wolf."
#18
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."
#19
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."
#20
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."
#21
Red Markets
5.0
(2)
"Is incredible."
"For zombie horror as a bleak satire of the American economy."
#22
L5R
5.0
(2)
"Pretty much the entire."
"The book itself is a piece of artwork."
#23
The One Ring
5.0
(2)
"The One Ring TTRPG book."
"It's the dark and tragic Tolkien fanfiction that you never knew you needed."
#24
Spire
5.0
(2)
"I find the art work and the world of Spire/Heart really immersive and interesting."
"A joy to read."
#25
D&D
5.0
(2)
"I love the dragonborn and tiefling supplements for dnd 4E."
"They are some of the best written, most consumable, most enlightening tomes on how to run a game."
#26
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."
#27
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."
#28
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."
#29
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."
#30
Shadowrun
4.5
(2)
"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."
#31
Mage: the Ascension
4.5
(2)
"Is so dreamlike, adventurous and packed cover to cover with ideas."
"Mage The Ascension books are great."
#32
Call of Cthulhu
4.5
(2)
"Amazing sourcebooks and some of the best RPG scenarios ever written."
"To contain a couple of excellent articles on general roleplaying."
#33
Polaris
4.5
(2)
"A beautiful, whimsical, and sometimes heart-breaking piece of literature/game design."
"Polaris and Heart the city beneath and HOL"
#34
R. Talsorian Games
4.0
(2)
"Castle Falkenstein from R. Talsorian Games."
"Nice watercolors. Steampunky elements."
#35
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."
#36
KULT
5.0
(1)
"It's disturbing as well as the art both both the material and the art are amazing!"
#37
Noisms
5.0
(1)
"Any world without Yoon Suin is empty to me."
#38
Skerples
5.0
(1)
"The best monster manual out there."
#39
KULT: Divinity Lost
5.0
(1)
"The Gamemaster's Guide for KULT Divinity Lost, *Beyond Darkness & Madness*."
#40
Dungeonscape
5.0
(1)
"Changed at least how I did dungeons, and has had long lasting implications on creating encounters since I read it."
#41
Lex Occultum
5.0
(1)
"200 pages of just amazing lore."
#42
Strike Force
5.0
(1)
"Was one of the first, best aides for any GM."
#43
Creative Campaigning
5.0
(1)
"Was literally mind blowing. Although outdated it is still a must read for every new GM."
#44
Legend of the Five Rings
5.0
(1)
"The lore and artwork are so damn good."
#45
The Book of Vile Darkness
5.0
(1)
"Half of the book is dedicated to the art of crafting villains."
#46
Triangle Agency
5.0
(1)
"Triangle agency was one of the most enjoyable read through experience I’ve had in a long while."
#47
Veins of the Earth
5.0
(1)
"Completely redefined the standards I judge RPG books by."
#48
Helluva Town
5.0
(1)
"I've been thoroughly charmed by Helluva Town."
#49
Paranoia
5.0
(1)
"Paranoia, wildly satirical."
#50
The Stygian Library
5.0
(1)
"Creepy and weird, but a cool read and useful for putting together an adventure"
#51
The Game Master's Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying
5.0
(1)
"Genuinely changed the way I approach DMing."
#52
Of Dice and Men
5.0
(1)
"Stories about the history of DND and its creation."
#53
Game Wizards
5.0
(1)
"The history of the creation of DND."
#54
Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History
5.0
(1)
"History of DND art and a beautiful."
#55
Magical Medieval Society
5.0
(1)
"A great book for people like me who go down rabbit holes."
#56
Theatrix
5.0
(1)
"Some of the best theory and practice I’ve ever seen."
#57
Band of Blades
5.0
(1)
"An entire mercenary campaign TTRPG."
#58
Emerald Empire
5.0
(1)
"Very rich in info."
#59
Toika!
5.0
(1)
"Basically the same reason you enjoyed Mörk Borg."
#60
Godbound
5.0
(1)
"Genuinely is a work of art with a ton of tools."
#61
Dread
5.0
(1)
"Has some fantastic soft skills advice."
#62
Rowan, Rook, and Decard
5.0
(1)
"Fantastic art, and extremely well-integrated (and unique) worldbuilding."
#63
Monte Cooke Games
5.0
(1)
"Really interesting whether you listen to the podcast or not."
#64
Luke Gearing
5.0
(1)
"Is shockingly evocative and redefined in my mind what a game’s bestiary could be."
#65
Night's Black Agents
5.0
(1)
"Dracula Dossier/Dracula Unredacted for Night's Black Agents. Those things are denser than a neutron star with good ideas."
#66
Tom Bloom
5.0
(1)
"It's a D6 system inspired by battle shonen."
#67
The Guide to Glorantha
5.0
(1)
"The Guide to Glorantha and Exploring Eberron are nice if you like settings."
#68
Wolves of God
5.0
(1)
"Wolves of God is a WONDERFUL read."
#69
Wanderhome
5.0
(1)
"Wanderhome for sure."
#70
Vaesen
5.0
(1)
"I really enjoy the Vaesen books."
#71
Puffin Advanced Fighting Fantasy
5.0
(1)
"Puffin Advanced Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. They are fun, interesting, and have some genuine ideas."
#72
FFG 40K RPG
5.0
(1)
"All of the FFG 40K RPG books made for some outstanding reading."
#73
Freedom Squadron
5.0
(1)
"I love LOVE love Cy_Borg and all the 3rd party stuff that orbits around it."
#74
Nobilis
5.0
(1)
"Is not only the most beautiful RPG book I ever owned, but the writing is also next level."
#75
Cyberpunk 2020
5.0
(1)
"It has so many amazing drawings and stories in it."
#76
Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition
5.0
(1)
"Even got to play a few times."
#77
TOON RPG
5.0
(1)
"The TOON books are a lot of fun."
#78
Mork Borg
5.0
(1)
"Start with mork borg then keep going."
#79
Monsterhearts 2
5.0
(1)
"Monsterhearts 2 is also a great read."
#80
Fungi of the Far Realms
5.0
(1)
"It's a collection of fantastical fungi."
#81
The Dungeon Dozen
5.0
(1)
"The Dungeon Dozen is always at hand when I’m running a fantasy game."
#82
Yoon-Suin
5.0
(1)
"I looove this book and this setting."
#83
Thousand Thousand Islands
5.0
(1)
"My absolute favorite set of zines... beautiful art that inspires with sparse, evocative text."
#84
Solar Blades and Cosmic Spells
5.0
(1)
"It's the one RPG book you'd need to game infinitely while stuck in a bomb shelter for 20 years."
#85
Degenesis: Rebirth
5.0
(1)
"They are heavy but they got lots and lots of content and interesting ideas."
#86
Atomic Robo RPG
5.0
(1)
"Is a visual treat and is part graphic novel, part rules system."
#87
Mazes and Minotaurs
5.0
(1)
"Is fun to read through, because it's written as if it exists in a fictional world."
#88
Godlike
5.0
(1)
"With its alternate take on WWII + mild superpowers is really fun to read."
#89
Legend of the Five Rings 4E
5.0
(1)
"Is one of the few RPG books I've read just because the lore and artwork are so damn good."
#90
Legend of the Five Rings 5E
5.0
(1)
"The art is fantastic and it’s a very entertaining read."
#91
The Thousand-Year-Old Vampire
5.0
(1)
"Is a great read both as a pdf and the physical copy."
#92
Myranor
5.0
(1)
"It's the best setting book I've seen so far."
#93
City of Mist
5.0
(1)
"Has got a state-of-art book."
#94
Troika!
5.0
(1)
"The print book is fantastic and the game rules are flexible and fantastic."
#95
Dogs in the Vineyard
5.0
(1)
"Changed the way I write scenarios."
#96
GUMSHOE
5.0
(1)
"Any of the GUMSHOE games are stellar for advice on running mystery/investigative games."
#97
Play Dirty
5.0
(1)
"I love John Wick's Play Dirty books."
#98
Kingkiller Chronicles
4.0
(1)
"I learned a lot about how to approach magic to my campaign."
#99
Caleb Stokes
4.0
(1)
"A bunch of horror scenarios set during the great depression."
#100
Kenneth Hite
4.0
(1)
"Full of good advice for running horror games"
#101
MERP
4.0
(1)
"The old MERP (Middle-Earth Roleplaying) source books are fascinating."
#102
Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads
4.0
(1)
"This had some great advice for dealing with the sorts of hassles a GM of Cyberpunk might have."
#103
Matthew J. Finch
4.0
(1)
"It's short and free on Lulu."
#104
Songbirds
4.0
(1)
"Songbirds 3e is full of unique ideas, and has a lot of great lore."
#105
H is for Hellmo
4.0
(1)
"H is for Hellmo on Drive Thru RPG and Itch.io"
#106
Artesia
4.0
(1)
"All of the Artesia books are a pretty good read."
#107
FFG Star Wars
4.0
(1)
"As someone who likes the franchise but never read any of the EU it's fun learning stuff about each planet and race."
#108
OWOD
4.0
(1)
"A lot of the classic OWOD books are great for that."
#109
Shadowrun 5th Edition
4.0
(1)
"Tons of character and even short stories."
#110
Traveler
4.0
(1)
"There is a Hammer’s Slammers supplement for the Traveler RPG."
#111
AD&D
4.0
(1)
"The Commitment to the language and tone of Sigil is refreshing."
#112
Dresden Files RPG
4.0
(1)
"The Dresden Files RPG books are a fun read."
#113
Deadlands
4.0
(1)
"I always find myself going back to classic Deadlands."
#114
Blackbirds
4.0
(1)
"The world is super cool."
#115
iHunt
4.0
(1)
"I've enjoyed reading some iHunt."
#116
Garden of Ynn
4.0
(1)
"I really love Garden of Ynn and Stygian Library."
#117
Without Number
4.0
(1)
"I’m going to recommend the Without Number books by Kevin Crawford."
#118
Sandbox Generator
4.0
(1)
"Solid generators that I used for mostly OSR/Hexcrawls."
#119
HOL
4.0
(1)
"For a great read of hilarity, I highly recommend HOL and the 'players guide' Wholesome Butteriness."
#120
Cthulhu Confidential
4.0
(1)
"I think Cthulhu Confidential would be great for this."
#121
Hackmaster 5E
4.0
(1)
"It's a thick book, but the writing is great."
#122
Fate
4.0
(1)
"Personally I like all of the world books for Fate."
#123
Aces & Eights: Reloaded
4.0
(1)
"Just for the alternate history chapter alone."
#124
Shadowrun 2nd Edition
4.0
(1)
"The 2nd edition shadowrun sourcebooks are great for this."
#125
Malifaux: Through the Breach
4.0
(1)
"Any and all Malifaux books are highly entertaining."
#126
Zweihänder
4.0
(1)
"I thought Zweihänder was great."
#127
The Alexandrian
4.0
(1)
"Its not a book, but the blog The Alexandrian has several serials on gamemastering."
#128
Broodmother Skyfortress
4.0
(1)
"The book has two parts: (1) demonstration on how to DM."
#129
Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering
4.0
(1)
"The two games that helped me the most with my GMing are Mouse Guard and Dungeon World."
#130
Burning Wheel
4.0
(1)
"I also think that Burning Wheel and especially the Burning Wheel Codex have a ton of great advice."
#131
Bluebeard's Bride
4.0
(1)
"For more role play heavy games, I'd suggest Bluebeard's Bride."
#132
Mythras
4.0
(1)
"Mythras has excellent GM advice in its core book."
#133
Monster Island
4.0
(1)
"In the supplement, Monster Island."
#134
Beyond the Wall
4.0
(1)
"I would suggest Beyond the Wall."
#135
GURPS Mysteries
4.0
(1)
"GURPS Mysteries and GUMSHOE are two great books about running mysteries."
#136
Ars Magica
4.0
(1)
"Ars Magica for it's troupe based play."
#137
Lazy Dungeon Master
4.0
(1)
"Mike Shea's 'Lazy Dungeon' master is a great read."
#138
Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe
4.0
(1)
"Is an interesting essay-like sourcebook."
#139
Stealing Cthulhu
4.0
(1)
"Stealing Cthulhu is not a game but a method to create horror/investigative adventures."
#140
Into the Odd
4.0
(1)
"Is a fantastically elegant system."
#141
Truth in Comedy
4.0
(1)
"Sam Riegel, of Critical Role fame, has recommended the book Truth in Comedy."
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