Best rpg system on Reddit
256 reviews from r/rpg, r/DMAcademy, r/FearAndHunger and 9 more subreddits
256 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
GURPS
4.0
(12)
"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'd personally recommend GURPS."
"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."
"I would probably use Unknown Armies or GURPS."
"GURPS has pretty deadly fights."
"Very few games have combat nearly as entertaining if you're into crunchy stuff."
#2
Savage Worlds
4.3
(10)
"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."
"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?"
"SW also has functional IMO vehicle/tank rules and is not very hard to pick up."
#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
Call of Cthulhu
5.0
(6)
"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"
#5
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."
#6
FATE
4.3
(6)
"Is my go-to when adapting any IP into an rpg."
"FATE is the best option probably."
"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."
"FATE is really good."
"Check FATE as it is leaning towards RPing."
#7
Ironsworn
4.8
(4)
"Cooperative play (GM is optional) and the world building / prep is part of play."
"Ironsworn is a great option for this."
"Check out Ironsworn. It is pretty simple to pick up."
"Ironsworn."
#8
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."
#9
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."
#10
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."
#11
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."
#12
Delta Green
4.7
(3)
"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."
#13
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)."
#14
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."
#15
Dungeon World
4.3
(3)
"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."
"Dungeon World is very easy for players."
#16
Legend of the Five Rings
4.0
(3)
"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 five rings is a genre classic for fantasy/medieval Japan."
#17
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."
#18
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."
#19
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."
#20
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."
#21
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'."
#22
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."
#23
Shadow of the Demon Lord
4.5
(2)
"Highly recommended."
"Shadow of the Demon Lord is definitely a possibility"
#24
Lancer
4.5
(2)
"Lancer. Its literally a mecha system."
"I’ve heard very good things about Lancer."
#25
Reign
4.5
(2)
"Reign. It has rules for organizations from gangs to guilds to cults to empires."
"Needs far less preparation than D&D."
#26
Traveller
4.0
(2)
"Traveler. Combat is deadly and as long as you stay away from Plasma/laser/gauss weapons."
"Prison Planet."
#27
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."
#28
Vaesen
4.0
(2)
"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."
#29
Mythras
4.0
(2)
"Mythras is a good choice."
"Mythras combat is brutal."
#30
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."
#31
Numenera
4.0
(2)
"Numenera."
"Numenera."
#32
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."
#33
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."
#34
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."
#35
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)."
#36
Unknown Armies
4.0
(2)
"I would probably use Unknown Armies or GURPS."
"I think this would probably work in *Unknown Armies*."
#37
Monte Cook Games
5.0
(1)
"If you have players willing to take on some agency it absolutely is a breeze to GM."
#38
Weapons of the Gods
5.0
(1)
"Weapons of the gods seems to match all points. Martial arts with awesome God weapons."
#39
Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades
5.0
(1)
"I love this system. It's amazing."
#40
Swords of the Serpentine
5.0
(1)
"Is a GUMSHOE fantasy game, so it has a much greater emphasis on investigation and intrigue."
#41
FORGE
5.0
(1)
"My OSR-ish system of choice to run it in is FORGE."
#42
Mutant Year Zero
5.0
(1)
"Mutant Year Zero. Has all the needs."
#43
Rangers of Shadow Deep
5.0
(1)
"I would recommend Rangers of Shadow Deep."
#44
Fear of the Unknown
5.0
(1)
"I'm gonna recommend my own system, Fear of the Unknown!"
#45
Bubblegumshoe
5.0
(1)
"Bubblegumshoe. Best investigative kids game."
#46
Basic Fantasy RPG
5.0
(1)
"[Basic Fantasy RPG] is worth looking at."
#47
Gaslands
5.0
(1)
"Gaslands would be perfect for the 'on able' race."
#48
Fellowship
5.0
(1)
"It’s structured as a group of elite adventurers fighting an evil overlord."
#49
The Cypher System
5.0
(1)
"GMing is exceptionally easy, and I especially love the way it handles NPCs and monsters."
#50
Runecairn
5.0
(1)
"[Runecairn] is probably the closest"
#51
Dungeon Crawl Classics Lankhmar
5.0
(1)
"I think Dungeon Crawl Classics Lankhmar captures this better than anything else that I know."
#52
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
5.0
(1)
"I find that quite often the best system that fits a setting that isn't out there is Savage Worlds Adventure Edition."
#53
Urban Shadows
5.0
(1)
"Urban Shadows is a political urban fantasy tabletop roleplaying game in which mortals and supernatural creatures alike vie for power in a modern-day city."
#54
Capes & Masks
5.0
(1)
"Capes&Masks. It would be absolutely perfect for a suicide squad game."
#55
Feng Shui
5.0
(1)
"Feng Shui 2
It just feels like the movie."
#56
1980 Legion
5.0
(1)
"[1980 Legion] is a free rules-light (two pages) Suicide Squad game."
#57
Hollowpoint
5.0
(1)
"You could instead pick a game designed for suicide squads of competent characters, like *Hollowpoint*."
#58
GURPS Action
5.0
(1)
"GURPS Action. There's an adventure published specifically for Suicide Squad."
#59
Paranoia
5.0
(1)
"My favorite one shot system: Paranoia."
#60
The Black Hack
5.0
(1)
"[The Black Hack] 2e (TBH) is one of my favorite games especially for one shots."
#61
Scarlet Heroes
5.0
(1)
"Scarlet Heroes by Kevin Crawford was designed for 1 on 1 RPGing."
#62
Gumshoe One-2-One
5.0
(1)
"Check out Gumshoe One-2-One and Cthulhu Confidential."
#63
James Bond RPG
5.0
(1)
"Spy games are ideal for this."
#64
Mage: the Ascension
5.0
(1)
"Honestly, *Mage: the Ascension* sounds like it's exactly what you're looking for."
#65
D&D
4.0
(1)
"D&D 4e is a lot easier to design combat encounters for."
#66
Warhammer Fantasy
4.0
(1)
"Warhammer Fantasy 2e is also an option."
#67
Pathfinder
4.0
(1)
"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."
#68
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'."
#69
Mork Borg
4.0
(1)
"I would probably go with Mork Borg, but the classes are a little extreme for how the characters start out in Berserk."
#70
Wolves of God
4.0
(1)
"I would probably just go with one of the medieval centric games like Wolves of God."
#71
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
4.0
(1)
"If they are going to be reguler people, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is a good choice."
#72
Aquellare
4.0
(1)
"Aquellare is a good choice."
#73
Troika
4.0
(1)
"I like Troika's system."
#75
Cogent
4.0
(1)
"I was going to suggest Cogent. Plenty of actual play on the Tabletop Time YouTube channel."
#76
After the Bomb
4.0
(1)
"Maybe check out After the Bomb from Palladium."
#77
Masks
4.0
(1)
"I just finished reading the core book for Masks."
#78
Fragged Empire
4.0
(1)
"Going to advocate for fragged Empire here…"
#79
Whitehack
4.0
(1)
"My first instinct would be that go with Whitehack...it's D20 system so easy for the players to learn."
#80
Twilight 2000
4.0
(1)
"Twilight 2000."
#81
Lowlife 2090
4.0
(1)
"Lowlife 2090 might suit this?"
#82
Battlelords of the 23rd Century
4.0
(1)
"Check out Battlelords of the 23rd Century."
#83
The Witcher TTRPG
4.0
(1)
"The Witcher ttrpg checks all of your criterias."
#84
Gallant Knight Games
4.0
(1)
"Fallen Justice by Gallant Knight games."
#85
Deadlands Noir
4.0
(1)
"Has anyone mentioned Deadlands Noir, yet?"
#86
Cryptomancer
4.0
(1)
"I'll mention Cryptomancer as a kind of 'weird' game that may scratch your itch."
#87
Shotguns and Sorcery
4.0
(1)
"Shotguns and Sorcery is an urban fantasy setting that originated as a detective novel."
#88
Sword Noir
4.0
(1)
"There's Sword Noir that might suit the bill."
#89
Cortex Prime
4.0
(1)
"The standard answer for requests for Fate with more crunch is Cortex Prime."
#90
BRP
4.0
(1)
"Why not use BRP?"
#91
2400
4.0
(1)
"2400 should do nicely."
#92
Barbarians of the Aftermath
4.0
(1)
"Barbarians of the Aftermath lets you define what type of apocalypse wiped humanity."
#93
Mutants and Masterminds
4.0
(1)
"Mutants and Masterminds."
#94
Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition
4.0
(1)
"Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition with the Doubting Souls historical expansion might work."
#95
Witch Hunter
4.0
(1)
"Have you thought of going to DTRPG and doing a search on something like ... oh, I don't know ... say 'Witch Hunter'?"
#96
Aquelarre
4.0
(1)
"*Aquelarre* might be interesting to look at here."
#97
Zweihander
4.0
(1)
"Zweihander or Warhammer would be good."
#98
Cypher System
4.0
(1)
"Look at the Cypher System."
#99
Blue Rose
4.0
(1)
"Blue Rose is very romance fantasy game using the AGE system."
#100
Mistborn Adventure Game
4.0
(1)
"Have you considered the Mistborn Adventure Game?"
#101
Blades in the Dark
4.0
(1)
"I'd go with Blades in the Dark."
#102
Brindlewood Bay
4.0
(1)
"I’d look at Kids On Bikes and Brindlewood Bay."
#103
Atomic Age Cthulhu
4.0
(1)
"Atomic Age Cthulhu is set exactly in the 1950s."
#104
ICRPG
4.0
(1)
"ICRPG Master Edition. One of its 5 built in settings is called Vigilante City."
#105
Lasers & Feelings
4.0
(1)
"Lasers & Feelings or any of its hacks."
#106
Lady Blackbird
4.0
(1)
"Lasers & Feelings or any of its hacks."
#107
Risus
4.0
(1)
"Lasers & Feelings or any of its hacks."
#108
TinyD6
4.0
(1)
"Lasers & Feelings or any of its hacks."
#109
Everybody is John
4.0
(1)
"Everybody is John – Players are different personalities fighting for control over a single body."
#110
Durance
4.0
(1)
"Durance – Sci-fi prison colony drama."
#111
Fiasco
4.0
(1)
"Fiasco – Coen-brothers-esque game about people with high ambitions and poor impulse control."
#112
PbtA
4.0
(1)
"Most PbtA titles, Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, Monster Hearts, Monster of the Week etc."
#113
Another Fine Mess
4.0
(1)
"Another Fine Mess from Grey Ghost Press is probably the one shot I recommend the most."
#114
Deluxe Revised Recon
4.0
(1)
"Check out Deluxe Revised Recon."
#115
COPRS
4.0
(1)
"COPRS v.1.0 is quite likely best for you."
#116
Trophy Gold
4.0
(1)
"Trophy gold if you want something really simple and effective."
#117
FIST
4.0
(1)
"I'd say FIST by B. Everett Dutton would be a lot of fun."
#118
octaNe
4.0
(1)
"Dig up a copy of octaNe."
#119
Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
4.0
(1)
"Take a look at Astonishing Swords and Swordsman."
#120
Chivalry & Sorcery
4.0
(1)
"The new Chivalry & Sorcery 5th edition."
#121
Ars Magica
4.0
(1)
"[Ars Magica]. Gritty realism: it has a death spiral."
#122
Beyond the Wall
4.0
(1)
"It's an OSR game that has the GM generate the scenario alongside the players."
#123
Fantasy AGE
4.0
(1)
"Older D&D adventures and OSR adventures can be converted pretty easily."
#124
The One Ring
4.0
(1)
"These aren't fully fleshed out adventures so you do need to do a bit of work."
#125
Never Going Home
4.0
(1)
"With incredible art and some engaging rules and setting material."
#126
Fate Accelerated
4.0
(1)
"It's free, pretty simple to learn, and would work okay for the character concepts your group has."
#127
Elden Ring TTRPG
4.0
(1)
"Elden Ring has an official ttrpg you can get off of Amazon.jp."
#128
Aurum Tome
4.0
(1)
"Aurum Tome is good for this because it can be for any genre and is fully customizable."
#129
Fate of Cthulhu
4.0
(1)
"Fate of cthulhu does exactly that."
#130
Vaults of Vaarn
4.0
(1)
"I’d check out Vaults of Vaarn or Troika!."
#131
Yokai Hunters Society
4.0
(1)
"Take a look at Yokai Hunters Society, there also a bestiary for it called the Field Guide to Yokai."
#132
Thousand Arrows
4.0
(1)
"For pbta, Thousand Arrows."
#133
Dragon Lines
4.0
(1)
"Dragon lines by Chaosium/Alphetar."
#134
Cold Steel Wardens
4.0
(1)
"Cold Steel Wardens would likely fit the bill."
#135
Batman RPG
4.0
(1)
"I’d be remiss by not pointing out the soon to be released Batman RPG from Monolith."
#136
DC Heroes
4.0
(1)
"My generic to-go rpg for superheroes is DC Heroes / Blood of Heroes."
#137
Vigilante City
4.0
(1)
"Survive try this vigilante city from bloat games is a good time."
#138
Mekton Zeta
4.0
(1)
"Personally, I'd use Mekton Zeta (no classes though) or a hacked version of CyberpunkRed."
#139
Broken Compass
4.0
(1)
"Broken Compass is a game based around treasure hunters such as Lara Croft and Indiana Jones."
#140
Hollow Earth Expedition
4.0
(1)
"Hollow Earth Expedition would seem a good fit."
#141
Hostile Solo
4.0
(1)
"One approach you could consider for this type of game is the 'fortune in the middle' solo scene resolution in Hostile Solo."
#142
Mythic Game Master Emulator
4.0
(1)
"Go for a relatively light system and get a tool such as Mythic Game Master Emulator 2e."
#143
Blade & Lockpick
4.0
(1)
"Blade & Lockpick is designed for that."
#144
Tricube Tales
4.0
(1)
"You could also look into Tricube Tales. Completely free and has solo rules."
#145
OSR/NSR
4.0
(1)
"I feel like a OSR/NSR system would fit best."
#146
Torchbearer
4.0
(1)
"Go with Torchbearer! It already does everything F&H already does."
#147
Kult
4.0
(1)
"Kult or WFRP 4ta with the Fear and trauma supplement."
#148
Monster of the Week
4.0
(1)
"I would go with Monster of the Week."
#149
The Everlasting
4.0
(1)
"There's an old game called The Everlasting."
#150
WaRP system
4.0
(1)
"Also check out the WaRP system from Atlas Games."
#151
Chronicles of Darkness
4.0
(1)
"Chronicles of Darkness make a good basis for any modern occult stuff."
#152
Chaosium
4.0
(1)
"It is basically a 'choose your own adventure' book that uses the mechanics from Call of Cthulhu."
#153
Spires End
4.0
(1)
"I'm fond of Spires End, for example."
#154
Coriolis
4.0
(1)
"Coriolis by Free League is another great Sci Fi, more mechanically robust than the other games mentioned."
#155
Warhammer Fantasy RPG
4.0
(1)
"Warhammer Fantasy 2ed - immortal classic."
#156
Deadlands
4.0
(1)
"Deadlands, I prefer Deadlands: Classic."
#157
Gumshoe
4.0
(1)
"If you want to focus on the investigation side of it, use Gumshoe."
#158
Godlike
4.0
(1)
"[Godlike] might be worth looking into."
#159
Icons
4.0
(1)
"You could go with Icons - superheroes are rolled randomly."
#160
The Laundry RPG
4.0
(1)
"Maybe The Laundry RPG?"
#161
BEOWULF: Age of Heroes
4.0
(1)
"You might be interested in BEOWULF: Age of Heroes."
#162
Anyone Can Wear The Mask
4.0
(1)
"If you like Superhero stories I'd recommend Anyone Can Wear The Mask."
#163
Mechwarrior
4.0
(1)
"Mechwarrior, 2nd edition."
#164
Shadowrun
4.0
(1)
"For a dice pool system, you might look at Shadowrun."
#165
Cyberpunk 2020
3.0
(1)
"Cyberpunk 2020, if you take away futuristic weapons and Cyberpunk enhancements."
#166
Gravity Rip
3.0
(1)
"Check into Gravity Rip."
#167
TORQ
3.0
(1)
"One of my favorite recent indie Kickstarters *TORQ* explicitly lists *Redline* in its inspirations."
#168
Ironclaw
3.0
(1)
"Ironclaw has everything you mentioned except for the crafting."
#169
nWoD
3.0
(1)
"Had a series of books based around mortals and various settings."
#170
Myfarog
3.0
(1)
"Idk, Myfarog? I'm just trying hard to think of a system that is reactionary enough."
#171
Gila RPGs
3.0
(1)
"It's pretty much a dark souls-like solo TTRPG."
#172
UltraModern
3.0
(1)
"UltraModern have a Mech system if you like DnD 5."
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