Best rpg system on Reddit
226 reviews from r/rpg, r/superpowereds, r/DMAcademy and 12 more subreddits
226 reviews from
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By Brand
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#1
GURPS
4.1
(19)
"Gurps and the hero system are the best at this imo."
"We use GURPS for stories like that. It's great for historic campaigns."
"My recommendation would be GURPS. Specifically GURPS Cabal."
"If you're heavy into the mechanic site of things, GURPS is probably your best bet."
"I used GURPs for when I was playing in a SP campaign and it worked pretty well for me."
"I'd personally recommend GURPS."
"Most anything from GURPS to blades in the dark."
"They’d prefer GURPS, and I can see it handling all of this quite well."
"If you are looking to develop your own world/genre, then you might consider GURPS."
"I would recommend GURPS."
#2
Savage Worlds
4.3
(12)
"Savage Worlds - Necessary Evil."
"Savage Worlds with the Super Powers companion seems like a good fit."
"I like to use Savage Worlds for that."
"I'd start from those."
"Savage worlds or Swords of the Serpentine."
"Savage Worlds is a nice midpoint and there are some third party books."
"Something Savage Worlds would do fairly well."
"Savage Worlds (I like Adventure Edition) is my go-to for pulp action."
"I found Savage Worlds to have a well blended system to use both magic and guns."
"Everyone's saying Deadlands, sure, but what about Savage Worlds?"
#3
Stars Without Number
4.5
(8)
"Kevin Crawford's games (Stars Without Number et. al.) have great faction systems."
"I'd recommend Stars Without Number."
"Check out Stars Without Number."
"Stars without number would be a good bet."
"Twilight 2000."
"Stars Without Number, which is free and very much related to D&D."
"Stars Without Number actually uses 2d6 (+ stat/rank) for skills."
"Has rules for guns, various tech levels, and vehicle rules."
#4
FATE
4.3
(8)
"Is my go-to when adapting any IP into an rpg."
"FATE is the best option probably."
"I used Fate and MASKS for a group of 5th graders a few times and they tended to latch onto the rules fairly easily."
"FATE would do this well. If its still being published in some form, there was a game called Spirit of the Century."
"I suppose my inclination would be something high-powered like FATE."
"I think Fate fits what you're describing pretty well."
"FATE is really good."
"Check FATE as it is leaning towards RPing."
#5
Call of Cthulhu
4.9
(7)
"Call of Cthulhu, specifically Pulp Cthulhu, is probably the best choice for this kind of game."
"Call of Cthulhu (especially 7th edition) works really well for solo play."
"Call of Cthulhu would fit nicely, it's mostly a horror/investigation game."
"Call of Cthulhu or Kult Divinity Lost would probably be two of the better horror options."
"Call of Cthulhu should work pretty well, really like the system :)."
"Call of Cthulhu, Silent Legions"
"Call of Cthulhu can definitely elicit the same vibes."
#6
Forbidden Lands
4.7
(6)
"Forbidden lands"
"Amazing production value, and the travel and hex crawl system means you can have an almost purely iterative sessions with basically 0 GM prep."
"Forbidden lands would be great since its basically an entire system built for hex crawling."
"You might want to check out Forbidden Lands."
"We use forbidden lands, it works great for us with a few magic changes."
"I figure that would be far less prep requiring than playing a published adventure."
#7
Ironsworn
4.8
(5)
"Cooperative play (GM is optional) and the world building / prep is part of play."
"I second on Ironsworn being so awesome."
"Ironsworn is a great option for this."
"Check out Ironsworn. It is pretty simple to pick up."
"Ironsworn."
#8
Delta Green
4.8
(5)
"I'd recommend Delta Green."
"Delta Green has all the stats and characteristics for espionage, covert ops, guns etc."
"Delta Green should work flawlessly."
"Look at **Delta Green**, it is modern para military/government agents using Basic RPG D100 system."
"My top picks for consideration would be Delta Green, Monster of the Week, KULT: Divinity Lost."
#9
Chronicles of Darkness
4.6
(5)
"Chronicles of Darkness has extensive offerings in this space and is renown for a reason."
"Chronicles of Darkness does excellent modern investigation, with a gritty horror tinge."
"I'd recommend the Chronicles of Darkness."
"Chronicles of Darkness in one of its Dark Eras settings?"
"Chronicles of Darkness make a good basis for any modern occult stuff."
#10
Shadow of the Demon Lord
4.8
(4)
"If You just want something like Dark fantasy with engaging combat then: 1) Shadow of the Demon Lord - for true grimdark and more lethality."
"Have you checked out Shadow of the Demon Lord?"
"Highly recommended."
"Shadow of the Demon Lord is definitely a possibility"
#11
Dungeon World
4.3
(4)
"It requires little to no prep, worldbuilding is done while gaming."
"Both are great for the gamestyle balance you mention, don't have an established setting and encourage/allow much fewer GM prep than 5e."
"Another possibility are more narrative games like Dungeon World that are not so much simulators/game engines as story generators."
"Dungeon World is very easy for players."
#12
Genesys
4.0
(4)
"I really enjoy Genesys for its bridging of narrative and light crunch."
"I'd recommend Genesys but it has a lousy commercial licensing."
"You could also try the Genesys or the Gurps systems."
"Genesys is a fantastic system that’s awesome for role play."
#13
Legend of the Five Rings
4.0
(4)
"Legend of Five Rings is the big one, 4E or 5E depending on which mechanics you like."
"L5R is a good fantasy Japanese themed game."
"Legend of the five rings"
"Legend of five rings is a genre classic for fantasy/medieval Japan."
#14
Mythic Bastionland
5.0
(3)
"I would say the upcoming Mythic Bastionland gets the closest."
"If you are looking for a game for the Exploration and Mood/Ambience, then I'd 100% recommend Mythic Bastionland."
"Mythic Bastionland is a medieval fantasy hexcrawl heavily inspired by Elden Ring."
#15
Dread
5.0
(3)
"The first option is to go with a horror game that encourages death, like Dread."
"Dread. You just need a jenga tower, paper and pencils."
"Dread – Horror that uses a Jenga Tower instead of dice."
#16
Mutant Year Zero
4.7
(3)
"Mutant Year Zero"
"Mutant Year Zero. Has all the needs."
"Mutant Year Zero"
#17
Cthulhu Dark
4.7
(3)
"Cthulhu Dark is the place to start."
"You want light?
Cthulhu Dark 2e"
"If you want to lean into the Horror: Cthulhu Dark."
#18
Kult: Divinity Lost
4.3
(3)
"Call of Cthulhu or Kult Divinity Lost would probably be two of the better horror options."
"Try Kult: Divinity Lost."
"Kult: Divinity Lost has a free "stranded on a tropical island" scenario that might be worth looking at."
#19
RuneQuest
4.3
(3)
"I recommend you check out RuneQuest and the world of Glorantha."
"I think it can check all of your criterias."
"Runequest (If you want the glorantha setting) or Mythras (if you don't)."
#20
Vaesen
4.0
(3)
"If more mystery and detective vibe then maybe Vaesen?"
"Take a look at Vaesen by Free League."
"If you want a lighter system that still provides systems dealing with the horror and wonder of Fae type creatures, check out Vaesen."
#21
Traveller
4.0
(3)
"I'd use Traveller (for low-hp mortals) or SWN (for powerful high-hp swashbucklers)."
"Traveler. Combat is deadly and as long as you stay away from Plasma/laser/gauss weapons."
"Prison Planet."
#22
Paranoia
5.0
(2)
"My favorite one shot system: Paranoia."
"My favorite one shot system: Paranoia. It’s fairly simple, fast, and fun."
#23
Basic Fantasy RPG
5.0
(2)
"Its OSR Dnd so you already know how to run it"
"[Basic Fantasy RPG] is worth looking at."
#24
Old School Essentials
4.5
(2)
"I’d highly recommend *Old School Essentials*."
"Probably some form of old school D&D, maybe try Old School Essentials."
#25
OVA
4.5
(2)
"OVA let's you design your own attack and defense abilities."
"I'll add OVA (Open Versatile Anime) to the list."
#26
Lancer
4.5
(2)
"Lancer. Its literally a mecha system."
"I’ve heard very good things about Lancer."
#27
Feng Shui
4.5
(2)
"Feng Shui 2
It just feels like the movie."
"Feng Shui has a fantasy wuxia subsetting so I recommend that."
#28
Symbaroum
4.5
(2)
"A fast-paced and flexible rule-set for creating player characters and acting in the game world."
"If you want something darker try Symbaroum."
#29
Reign
4.5
(2)
"Reign. It has rules for organizations from gangs to guilds to cults to empires."
"Seconding Reign."
#30
World of Darkness
4.5
(2)
"World of darkness could work."
"World of Darkness (it have subversion to play mortal hunters) to Warhammer."
#31
The Black Hack
4.5
(2)
"[The Black Hack] 2e (TBH) is one of my favorite games especially for one shots."
"There's always The Black Hack."
#32
Monster of the Week
4.5
(2)
"My vote would go to Monster of the Week."
"I would go with Monster of the Week."
#33
Tenra Bansho Zero
4.5
(2)
"If you want 'Hyper Asian Fantasy' with a very high-action, shounen anime feel, Tenra Bansho Zero is by far the best I've seen."
"I would either recommend the delightful, anime-action inspired, 'Tenra Bansho Zero'."
#34
Mork Borg
4.5
(2)
"Mork Borg is the way."
"I would probably go with Mork Borg, but the classes are a little extreme for how the characters start out in Berserk."
#35
Fabula Ultima
4.5
(2)
"Fabula Ultima is a tabletop game that's meant to play like a JRPG."
"Players are encouraged to do shared worldbuilding with the GM."
#36
Pathfinder 2E
4.5
(2)
"They publish Adventure Paths (full on 1-20 campaigns that will take dozens of sessions to play through)."
"Pathfinder2e may be worth checking out."
#37
Kids On Bikes
4.5
(2)
"Sounds like a job for *Kids On Bikes* to me."
"I’d look at Kids On Bikes and Brindlewood Bay."
#38
Pathfinder
4.5
(2)
"[We Be Goblins!] was a Free RPG Day intro to Pathfinder 1e."
"It’s generally an easier game to GM, and there’s so much to it that it would give your group a lot of stuff to dig into."
#39
Mutants and Masterminds
4.0
(2)
"Mutants and Masterminds."
"I would probably lean towards using Mutants and Masterminds."
#40
Deadlands Noir
4.0
(2)
"Has anyone mentioned Deadlands Noir, yet?"
"Did you check out Deadlands Noir?"
#41
Numenera
4.0
(2)
"Numenera."
"Numenera."
#42
Basic RolePlaying
4.0
(2)
"You should look in to BRP (Basic Roleplaying by Chaosium) or any of the Gumshoe games."
"Personally, I like BRP (short for Basic RolePlaying)."
#43
Warhammer Fantasy RPG
4.0
(2)
"Warhammer Fantasy 2ed - immortal classic."
"Off the top of my head, Zweihänder or Warhammer Fantasy RPG."
#44
Cypher
4.0
(2)
"One idea might be Cypher."
"Cypher might be worth a look - not sure how well it incorporates survival but it's definitely lighter and more narrative than 5e."
#45
Godbound
4.0
(2)
"Godbound is good but it’s got changes to make enemies able to survive multiple players."
"Godbound : https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/185959/Godbound-A-Game-of-Divine-Heroes-Free-Edition."
#46
City of Mist
4.0
(2)
"Take a look at more narrative games like city of mist."
"Maybe City of Mist? PBTA should be relatively easy to work with."
#47
Burning Wheel
4.0
(2)
"I've found Burning Wheel to be a good 1v1 system as well."
"Burning Wheel is (supposedly) great for duets."
#48
Gamma World
4.0
(2)
"Gamma World (multiple editions, pick whichever you want because they mostly differ in the mechanics)"
"I would go with Gamma World."
#49
Mythras
4.0
(2)
"Mythras is a good choice."
"Mythras combat is brutal."
#50
Unknown Armies
4.0
(2)
"I would probably use Unknown Armies or GURPS."
"I think this would probably work in *Unknown Armies*."
#51
Cypher System
4.0
(2)
"Cypher system, since so very many of the episodes focus on the relationships between the characters."
"Look at the Cypher System."
#52
Worlds Without Number
4.0
(2)
"Worlds without Number or maybe Godbound by Sine Nomine could work well."
"It's similar enough to DnD that there's going to be less of a learning curve difficulty."
#53
Cortex Prime
4.0
(2)
"The standard answer for requests for Fate with more crunch is Cortex Prime."
"I'm sure you could build something via Cortex Prime."
#54
Fiasco
4.0
(2)
"Fiasco is a good example."
"Fiasco – Coen-brothers-esque game about people with high ambitions and poor impulse control."
#55
Hearts of Wulin
3.5
(2)
"Hearts of Wulin."
"Hearts of Wulin looks like it would work, just on a surface level brush of this."
#56
1,000 Year Old Vampire
5.0
(1)
"1,000 Year Old Vampire is my go favorite solo game."
#57
Changeling: The Lost
5.0
(1)
"We played a long campaign for Changeling the Lost some time back and I was blown away."
#58
Tales from the Loop
5.0
(1)
"Tales from the Loop."
#59
Shadowdark
5.0
(1)
"Use the Shadowdark quickstart."
#60
The Witcher
5.0
(1)
"The Witcher ttrpg, it's made for long term campaigns."
#61
Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades
5.0
(1)
"I love this system. It's amazing."
#62
Iconic Adventuring System
4.0
(1)
"Our system, the Iconic Adventuring System, has a magic system that is both free form and has rituals."
#63
Dresden Files RPG
4.0
(1)
"I also would include the Dresden Files RPG as an option."
#64
Maze Rats
4.0
(1)
"Look into Maze Rats."
#65
Infinity RPG
4.0
(1)
"Infinity RPG is a far future sci-fi version of this."
#66
Mörk Borg
4.0
(1)
"Also possibly Mörk Borg."
#67
Classic Traveller
4.0
(1)
"Classic Traveller or Cepheus Engine or one of the many offshoots may be good."
#68
Call of Cthulhu d20
4.0
(1)
"Call of Cthulhu d20 (despite the theme it's a very good generic modern system)"
#69
Zweihänder
4.0
(1)
"Off the top of my head, Zweihänder or Warhammer Fantasy RPG."
#70
Cepheus Engine
4.0
(1)
"Cepheus engine, savage worlds and FATE would be all to homebrew kinda easily."
#71
Labyrinth Lord
4.0
(1)
"There's also Labyrinth Lord if you want some old school action."
#72
Fate
4.0
(1)
"Fate core"
#73
Mayfair Batman RPG
4.0
(1)
"The Mayfair Batman RPG."
#74
Trinity Core
4.0
(1)
"Trinity Core for a higher powered more action hero vibe."
#75
1000 Arrows
4.0
(1)
"1000 Arrows."
#76
Bushido
4.0
(1)
"*Bushido*?"
#77
Trail of Cthulhu
4.0
(1)
"- Trail of Cthulhu (just file off the Mythos stuff)"
#78
Shadowrun 3E
4.0
(1)
"I would imagine that Shadowrun, at least 3e could work pretty well here."
#79
Capriccio RPG
4.0
(1)
"I would start from Capriccio RPG and add a couple of custom rules."
#80
Changeling: The Dreaming
4.0
(1)
"Changling the dreaming and it's related books."
#81
Zizers Modern War
4.0
(1)
"May I suggest zozers modern war? It's very simple running of just d6s and has some pretty slick combat rules."
#82
Merc 2000
4.0
(1)
"Merc 2000 and Millenium's End were made for this."
#83
Kingdom 2e
4.0
(1)
"I think Kingdom 2e would do marvelously for this."
#84
Agents of the O.D.D.
4.0
(1)
"You might also want to check out - Agents of the O.D.D."
#85
Enter the Survival Horror
4.0
(1)
"There's Enter The Survival Horror by Adam Bucceri, and it gets the experience of playing Resident Evil just *spot* on."
#86
Prowlers and Paragons
4.0
(1)
"I was thinking either a superhero system like prowlers and paragons or mutants and Masterminds."
#87
Justifiers
4.0
(1)
"I'm gonna recommend Justifiers with the animal Betas in this thread."
#88
Wolves of God
4.0
(1)
"I would probably just go with one of the medieval centric games like Wolves of God."
#89
After the Mind, the World Again
4.0
(1)
"This is not really a system recommendation, but there's a one-shot inspired by disco elysium."
#90
Index Card RPG
4.0
(1)
"If you like D&D and just not the work of playing, take a look at 'Index Card RPG'."
#91
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
4.0
(1)
"If they are going to be reguler people, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is a good choice."
#92
Aquellare
4.0
(1)
"Aquellare is a good choice."
#93
Troika
4.0
(1)
"I like Troika's system."
#95
Cogent
4.0
(1)
"I was going to suggest Cogent. Plenty of actual play on the Tabletop Time YouTube channel."
#96
After the Bomb
4.0
(1)
"Maybe check out After the Bomb from Palladium."
#97
Masks
4.0
(1)
"I just finished reading the core book for Masks."
#98
Fragged Empire
4.0
(1)
"Going to advocate for fragged Empire here…"
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