Recommend a tabletop RPG

The Game Room
1

A friend wants to start a role-playing group and asked me for advice (“Do you know what Dungeons and Dragons is?”— so evidently he has heard of it somewhere but has zero previous exposure or experience) I more or less explained the history and concept of such games, but I am not an expert gamer.

I know he is not (necessarily) interested in straight fantasy or horror or wargames; he also mentioned “science” and “hacking” [there is a large cyberpunk genre, of course, and more generally science fiction]…

In short, those of you who have played a lot of games, what are your favorite systems and/or adventures?

2

Ad&D and Shadowrun my only thing about Shadowrun is a lot of the magic is native American shaman-based…i prefer just fantasy magic but …

Oh and if they ever want to make their own thing there’s always Steve Jackson’s GURPS (Generic Universal Roleplaying System) and the endless licensed addons I mean I’ve seen a Teenage Mutant Turtles sourcebook…

3

There is such a wealth of available TTRPG games that you could choose from many options but I’ve become very fond of Mothership from Tuesday Night Games of late for the quick character generation, easy play, and suitability for either one shot scenarios (where you play a single, self-contained scenario) or sandbox campaign (open-ended, improvised, discover-as-you-go serial adventures). By default it is survival-horror (think Alien, Event Horizon, The Thing, et cetera) but can easily accommodate a cyberpunk aesthetic. The one thing that might make it more intimidating for new players is the lethality and the stress mechanic which drives the players into desperate action, but the game invites rules hacking and you can tone that down if you want more survivability. It lacks a default setting per se but there is plenty of third party material from trifold one-page adventures to sandboxes and even whole-system hacks, so if you are up for creating your game world out of bits and pieces it’s a ball.

In the old but still great category is Traveller, which is regarded as the first space opera RPG. The current version produced by Mongoose still uses the basic 2D6 dice mechanic of the original game so you don’t have to invest in a bunch of polyhedral dice and it has an inexpensive Starter Set to try out for cheap. The default setting is more classic ‘sci-fi’ in a large imperium but again it would be easy to incorporate cyberpunk elements into it as there are already rules for robotics, cybernetic enhancements, and computer hacking.

Stars Without Number provides a more open ended setting and a mix-and-match set of capabilities and rule options, and has a free version.

I’ve never played it, but Cyberpunk Red (and its predecessor, Cyberpunk 2020) are quite popular. If you want to mix in some fantasy, Shadowrun has a devoted following.

If you are really interested in a highly developed transhumanist/post-human apocalypse setting with plenty of hacking, body mods and enhancements, ‘uplift’ soecies, and even the ability to shift consciosness into a ‘morph or fork it off into a virtual copy, Eclipse Phase is outstanding but the rules can be complex and the setting so dense, especially for players not steeped in transhumanist ‘lore’ that it may be inaccessible to casual players, but the artwork, character options, and science and technology are virtually unlimited.

I’m not big on games based on film and television franchises, but if you are (and it does make it easier for some players to get into the game), there are several including well-regarded Blade Runner and Alien RPGs from Free League, both with starter sets available for a cheap tryout before investing in rulebooks and supplements. Green Ronin has an The Expanse RPG if that’s your bag.

As forhow to run a game in a science fantasy, space horror, or cyberpunk type setting, there are some differences compared to classic heroic fantasy type games but the fundamentals of story structure elements are fundamentally the same, and there are numerous books and Youtube videos on the topic. I recommend starting with Seth Skorkowsky as he provides good general advice for gamemasters (and players), and runs several of the systems mentioned above as well as Call of Cthulhu, which is often regarded as a very difficult cane to run for its often elaborate investigative scenarios and potential to kill or drive insane an entire party for making one wrong move.

Good luck, and have fun!

Stranger

4

oh, How could i forget BattleTech/MechWarrior people fighting in huge tank-like robots in pretty much an endless 2k-year-old war … BattleTech is more board game like and Mechwarrior is the RPG aspect

5

I am really enjoying Imperium Maledictum, a Warhammer 40K TTRPG (normal humans, not Space Marines); it is heavy on RP, puts quite a lot on the GM, but I find it to be great fun!

I only recently got back into TTRPGs after a 20+ year hiatus, so my tastes may be suspect… I am also really enjoying the Pathfinder remaster, which has tons of room for SciFi elements rather than just standard high fantasy.

6

I recently started running a Traveller game in a setting that’s basically the early game from Stellaris.

Humanity has discovered beacons in the outer solar system, that create “lanes” of negative mass particles which allow FTL warp travel, but only along these premade paths.

The PCs are sort of like your first science ship in a Stellaris game, travelling around and mapping up the FTL lanes while looking for interesting planets and, eventually, making first contact with aliens.

I’m also stealing some concepts from Eclipse Phase, that’s a really thematic setting.

7

I mentioned Kerberos Club in another thread: Dungeons & Dragons 2024 PHB - #39 by Hoopy_Frood

It’s Victorian England setting with magic and minor steampunk. The general gist is that the magic (known as “the Strange”) is leaking into the world, and the Kerberos Club are one of the few organizations aware of it (at least in the beginning). Every member of the club is themselves touched by the Strange, which is also the source of all Fey. And like tradition, Fey are dicks. The Kerberos Club are arguably the good guys, but morality can be a bit squishy for them. (Victoria becomes a patron of them.)

https://arcdream.com/home/2011/04/introduction-to-the-kerberos-club/

Other systems that might be worth checking out as well:

Fading Suns (space opera where technology can go from stone-age to advanced computers and electronics depending on what planets are involved).
https://holistic-design.com/fading-suns/

Demon Hunters (tongue-in-cheek good vs. evil setting created by Dead Gentleman Productions; originally used Cortex system back in the day, now uses FATE)
https://demonhuntersrpg.com/

8

Not to be super basic, but D&D 5e is an excellent entry point into tabletop roleplaying games. Besides being heavily supported with tons of adventures to run and books you could buy at your local Target or Walmart these days, it just really hits a spot of being simple enough for everyone to easily learn and yet having enough complexity to feel like you’re tailoring a character. Plus it is, by far, the easiest system to find players for. It’s easy to learn, easy to play, does a lot of fun stuff and basically everyone knows what it is and is generally familiar with the core archetypes and concepts (ie.e “This is a dwarf fighter with an axe” vs “This is a Bjerril, one of the nine extinct eldritch races from the Void Collapse of the Nytrrly realms…”)

I’ve played a number of system, am in a TTRPG group now, I’m not in a 5e game now and have no real desire to be in one again any time soon and have a number of grumbles with it these days BUT it would still be my recommended entry point for 95% of interested players. The main drawbacks for the OP are that it is traditional high fantasy (if the friend wants a cyberpunk/scifi concept instead) and the wailing of people who know that getting sucked into the 5e gravity well diminishes the chance of their favorite niche RPG getting played to around 0.05%

If the friend doesn’t want to play D&D for whatever reason, which is fine, I’d throw my hat in with Shadowrun as previously described. I haven’t played in a long while but I remember it being pretty easy to learn and it’s probably the best supported TTRPG in its genre. It also allows for a good mixing of genres with its urban magic fantasy dystopian world, meaning that someone could play a pretty classic wizard if they wanted alongside a cyber-implant bejeweled hacker dude. There’s also Starfinder which is basically “Pathfinder in Space” (with Pathfinder basically being D&D from years ago). Wizards and fighters alongside androids, hackers and spaceships. I don’t find the Pathfinder system to be super accessible for a new player and that’s coming from someone currently in two Pathfinder campaigns. It does have a lot of online support though, which helps.

9

I’m going to have to agree with you on this. D&D 5E is probably the best choice, especially if none of you (especially whoever is going to take up the role of DM / gamemaster) is an experienced gamer. 5E has at least one “starter set” box, which includes a pretty good introductory adventure (actually long enough to fill quite a few sessions), pre-generated characters, etc. And, it has enough adventure content out there that a DM could run stuff for years for their group, without ever having to actually write their own adventures.

And, as noted, if the OP and their friend are looking for additional players to add to their group, 5E is the TTRPG for which you’ll have the best chance of finding other players.

Pathfinder and Starfinder are really the only other TTRPGs which have that same level of adventure support and broad appeal/knowledge among gamers in general. I’d wager that the vast majority of TTRPG players, at least in North America, came into the hobby via one of those two games, and likely still knows how to play it.

Really, every other system and genre is a niche, compared to D&D and Pathfinder/Starfinder, and few have anywhere close to the level of adventure and source material support, compared to those two.

10

The guy did not actually rule D&D out; so far we only discussed things for a few minutes, though. Next time I see him, I will relay some of the advice and names mentioned, and hopefully get a better idea of what he has in mind. Assuming something actually happens, we will invite additional players, of course.

11

I’m going to recommend D&D 5th edition as well. It’s not my favorite game, but it’s a solid choice due to availability of books and access to other people who play the game. No matter which setting you use, it’ll be easy for your friend to jump right in and start playing. There are other games which are pretty good as well.

Call of Cthulhu has been continuously published since 1981 and they’re on their 7th edition. The two most popular settings are New England in the 1920s or in contemporary times, so it’s really easy to players to jump right into the setting. This might be better for a player who is more interested in role playing and stories than they are in combat (no judgment here).

Delta Green

Cyberpunk Red/2020: These are actually two different games. Cyberpunk 2020 was originally published in 1991, and while it has a special palce in my heart, I do think it’s a bit dated even if its still fun. Cyberpunk Red is an updated version of the game and I absolutely hate it. I hate the setting, I hate the special abilities for some of the roles available to players, and combat is boring.

GURPS stands for generic universal roleplaying game, and, well, I don’t think it’s great for new players. I played a lot of GURPS in the late 80s and early 90s, but this style of play has fallen greatly out of favor these last few decades. GURPS is more of a toolkit than a game in and of itself and I find it can be overwhelming to new players. I like the game and have fond memories of it, but I don’t think I’m interested in playing it. I’d still play it if someone invited me to a game though.

Alien was published just a few short years ago and it’s based on the movies we all love. The rules are fairly simple and I think it’d make for a good introductory game. There are several published adventures designed with pre-made characters that are a lot of fun to play.

Death in Space just came out this year or last. It’s a minimalist RPG meaning it has a barebones setting, rules, and character options but it’s an easy game to wrap your head around rules wise.

12

The Sprawl is a more narrative, story-driven cyberpunk RPG.

Scum and Villainy is good for space campaigns, a la Firefly or Star Wars.

I’ve only played up to 3rd. edition Shadowrun but most people agree that the latest editions (6th and 7th) are a bit of a mess. The 4th edition Anniversary rulebook seems to be well regarded. Great game, but lots of rules.

13

Is it not the very idea of GURPS that it is a toolkit? Then they sell further books like Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Horror, Superheroes, Spaceships, WWII, etc., covering specific settings and/or genres. What do you mean about the style of play?

14

As the joke goes, D&D 5e is everyone’s second favorite TTRPG system.

Back at my old job, I was hanging around the front desk while the admin staff was debating what pizzas to get for a party. I recommended adding a plain cheese saying that no one actually picks it to order but it always disappears when it’s there. Sure enough, they ordered a plain cheese and it was the first box to be emptied. That’s 5e – no one’s actual pick but the basic thing everyone can grab some slices of and be content which has a value of its own.

I had a similar thought about Vampire: the Masquerade. The World of Darkness (and variants) setting is pretty popular and not hard to pick up but the last I played was in the 90s and couldn’t speak for the latest versions. Looking now, I see there’s a 5th edition and a D20 edition with factions supporting each. D20 sounds easier mechanically but some people like the 5th Ed setting better as the players aren’t constantly overshadowed by Uber-Vampires dating back to the Egyptian empire.

15

Yeah, that’s the idea and it was a pretty successful formula for a number of years. When I walked into my local game store in the late 80s and through much of the 90s I would see shelves stacked with GURPS books like Rome, Horror, Wild Cards, Fantasy, Supers, Mysteries, Space, Hi-Tech, Autoduel, Cyberpunk, etc., etc. But those days are long past as the popularity of GURPS has waned quite a bit.%

As a toolkit, GURPS is great at doing what it says it’s going to do by giving you the tools to build your own setting, campaign, and characters in a variety of genres and power levels. Want to run a hard boiled detective noir game set in a 1930s where the Roman Empire never fell? You can do it with GURPS. You can easily convert other games to GURPS and even build that character from your favorite novel.

But for introducing new players to role playing games? No, I don’t think GURPS is a good choice because I think the game can be overwhelming with all its options for character generation. I think you’re better off with a less complicated game like D&D or Call of Cthulhu.

% There are likely a myriad of reasons for the waning popularity of GURPS. Some critics point to the anemic support from Steve Jackson Games, but I think SJG simply read the room and realized their bread & butter was to be found in Munchkin and other games rather than RPGs. The last edition of GURPS was released in 2004, right in the middle of d20 glut, and I don’t think it was picked up by many people. I just don’t think toolbox games like GURPS or Champions are in style these days. Savage Worlds is somewhat popular, but it really doesn’t cover the beadth of genres that GURPS is capable of.

16

Truthfully it’s most people’s favorite game and that’s why it’s so popular. I don’t begrudge D&D for being the most popular though I feel it’s utter dominance is bad for the gaming industry as a whole.

17

Yep, and is very easy to learn.

My favorite. Pulp Cthulhu is #2, and GUPRS.

18

I’ll be honest, I was expecting more pushback with “Plain cheese is my favorite pizza…” :smiley:

19

D&D is more like pepperoni. :stuck_out_tongue:

20

I’m going to make a renewed pitch for Mothership, not just because I think it is a great game and (potentially) a good fit for the o.p.’s friend, but also because it is fast for a new gamemaster (“Warden” in Mothershop parlance) and players to pick up the rules, and particularly the guidance in the Warden’s Guide on running a game, setting the tone, improvising, et cetera. Even if it isn’t the game you end up playiong, it really does provide good object lessons in how to run a game without defaulting to needing a rule for everything, particularly character interactions and dealing with actions that have obvious consequences which really shouldn’t require applying arcane rules or forcing an unlikely outcome just because that is how the dice rolled out.

Dungeons & Dragons is always a frequent recommendation but frankly it is really not the best game for a new gamemaster (“Dungeon Master” in D&D parlance) to learn to run. Setting aside the large investment in books and material (and how odious the publisher, Wizards of the Coast and its parent corporation, Hasbro, have become about trying to “monetize” players for every bit of profit they can extract), it just has a large amount of rules, character classes, basic lore, weapon and equipment options, et cetera, which are intended to add complexity to the game but can be overwhelming for new players and especially for a new DM to absorb and apply. And, of course, it is a heroic fantasy game, with a system (particularly Fifth Edition) that is specifically intended to support that style of gaming. Even if your players were seeking a fantasy-type game along the lines of D&D, I’d recommend one of the other “Old School Renaissance” type games like Old School Essentials, The Black Hack, or Shadowdark with streamlined rules and just a few character classes or options to start with just to keep the management of the game and the amount of rules and other material to be learned to a reasonable minimum. Starting with modern D&D is like learning to ride a motorcycle by an H-D Ultra Limited before you’d figured out how to balance on a bicycle.

Stranger