If you enjoyed this video but felt like i was missing a few go check out @booksbricksandboards video here: ua-cam.com/video/Etgn3TsykRQ/v-deo.htmlsi=L8-k091OPZiLpROj He probably covered the ones i missed 😂 And here's the correct link for Mausritter: losing-games.itch.io/mausritter
I'm so happy that I discovered this channel. I've played D&D almost exclusively, but I know that trying other games and/or infusing other ideas into my current game can only be beneficial. Thank you!
There are so many great game designers out there that are, at the very least, with harvesting ideas from. Running those games will also grant perspective on different kinds of stories to tell. Enjoy the journey!
LOVE A SAVAGE WORLDS SHOUT OUT !! yes dude! I'd love to see more SWADE content, I think there are tons of lessons to learn from the toolkit like Dramatic Tasks, Chases, Social Encounters, all the Vehicle rules, etc! Dramatic Tasks especially are applicable to any TTRPG game regardless of ruleset imo
It seems super cool and definitely a good alternative if your group is stuck playing "the Big Two" RPGs. I really want to try it for a longer campaign.
@@ElderGoblinGames I've been running it with Eberron for over a year now. One of the best systems ever for pulpy action gameplay. I personally love Bennies with its various options as a player and GM.
@@ElderGoblinGames - My Advanced OSE books include Increasing AC & Attack Bonuses in brackets, so it has both options. Did the original OSE releases not have that?
@@danielsommerlykke9475 honestly I haven't looked at it hard enough to notice. There's so many new games I'm interested in at the moment, but that's good to know! I do like it from a layout and word count perspective though!
No love for GURPS? I was an AD&D player, and also a The Fantasy Trip player. But when GURPS first came out, I never looked back. GURPS has been in its fourth edition now for many years, because it doesn’t need a fifth edition (yet - the game design still holds up, but it still needs a decent vehicle creation system). As simple, or complex, as you like, where you can design your characters free-form, or using a template, both to a points total, that makes characters balanced, but not necessarily equal. Play in any genre, without needed to learn new rules for each. Play in a cinematic universe, or with gritty realism, or any combination of each. Multiple options for magic systems, how psionics work, divine magic, etc. GURPS can be whatever you want it to be, and played however you want to play. The name is an acronym. GURPS stand for Generic Universal Role Playing System. And it takes each of these words seriously. Originally designed as a placeholder, pending the creation of a “cool name”, the designer(s) eventually decided it was the perfect name for the game. You can download the “core” rules for free, from Steve Jackson Games, if you want to try before you buy. Take a look. You might just discover the game you have always been looking for. Cheers,
@@Wolf359incRight on! I need to give GURPS another look. Admittedly I haven't glanced at it in a long, LONG time because it used to be the crunchiest game on the block, but it sounds like it got some good updates. I like it's flexibility, but back in the day at least, I wasn't crazy about the amount of homework. 😂
@@ElderGoblinGamesThey’re great summaries. Definitely worth coming back to when I want to remember what the selling points are for my group to try something new
I need to try Dragonbane. I finally own it. I'm a huge Basic Roleplaying fan, and you can see BRP's DNA in Dragonbane's mechanics. Even though I'm not a big Fantasy guy, I like the vibes, and I think it would be a lot of fun, especially for younger players.
@@ElderGoblinGames I'm a chronic dabbler. In my glory days of the late 80s through the early 2000s, I played more different games that I can even remember, from Ars Magica to Blue Planet to Fading Suns to Castle Falkenstein. My go-to has pretty much always been BRP generally and Call of Cthulhu in particular. It's the game I usually use to introduce folks to the hobby. I don't believe in a "universal" game mechanic, but BRP certainly has a very wide range of stuff that it works very well for. Of late, I've really enjoyed Year Zero, particularly as seen in Tales from the Loop and Alien. Dungeon Crawl Classics, which on paper I should hate as I never much liked Dungeons & Dragons or any of its various variants, has been one I've really enjoyed since getting back into the hobby in 2019 after a 15+ year break.
@@matthewconstantine5015 I too am a dabbler. Funny, I saw an Ars Magica in my local used book store the other day and almost grabbed it because of the epic cover alone. I hear chaosium puts out quality games and apparently Call of Cthulhu is bigger than D&D in Japan. I also keep hearing good things about the Year Zero system and I've definitely had Forbidden Lands on my radar for a while. That's the problem haha, too many good games, not enough time.
@@ElderGoblinGames Way too many games and nowhere near enough time, that's for sure. Ars Magica is, if I had to pick only one, my favorite Fantasy game. But it's hyper-specific and requires GM(s) and players that are ready to put in some time and effort. It's worth it. It's super rewarding. But it's not really a light game mechanically or otherwise. There's a "definitive" version of the 5th Ed coming out for its 20th anniversary, apparently. I think the 5th Ed is by far the most user-friendly edition, but it didn't have great art or layout. Chaosium, since they were rescued from the brink 10 or 15 years ago, has become an industry leader when it comes to product quality. They also have great starter sets for their three main games (Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest & Pendragon) that are a great value and an excellent introduction to each. Each one uses a variation of BRP, with RuneQuest probably being the most complex even before diving into its insanely deep lore, and Pendragon being the most streamlined (it's even turned the usual percentile roll into a D20 roll, like Dragonbane does). I have a copy of Forbidden Lands, which definitely has some cool stuff. I'm not totally sold on its specific variant of Year Zero, but I haven't played it to see how it works at the table. Tales from the Loop is probably the most streamlined version. Alien has a mechanic in it that I fell in love with, and I think could easily translate into any semi-near future, "blue collar" Science Fiction game where space is dangerous, even if it's not full of monsters. I was leaning toward Mothership for running some gritty, but non-Horror specific Science Fiction, until I read & played Alien and it really clicked for me.
Big Burning Wheel fan here (got to it through Mouseguard) and one of the things I'd like to highlight is that it's a game intended to be played for a long time (months, if not years) and your character will change so much as you play. Your Beliefs will challenge you, and what you thought was important in the beginning turns out to not be important at all, and you will grow, becoming a better fighter/sorcerer/bard, unless you're losing fights, taking wounds, and failing to get them treated, then you will slowly begin to fall apart (a head wound could potentially cost you an eye, which makes depth perception harder, etc.) I love it and play it several times a week (two tables we even play "The Gods Must Be Crazy" style of rotating GM's.)
lol, upon your suggestion in my own comments section, I watched your video, and ICRPG and Cypher are other games I have enjoyed and created videos on. I have not done Burning Wheel content, but I did do a Mouse Guard video. Mazes and Mausritter were the only two I didn’t have experience with. Definitely a great list, and clearly we have very similar game taste, and apparently similar intuition about when to make a video on this subject! Cheers man, glad you introduced me to your channel and congrats on the new kiddo!
My top four are Cypher System, Outgunned (with Action Flicks Vol. 1, and World of Killers), Mazes and EZD6. What do they all have in common? NPC/Monsters are built with a simple system of, special abilities, Strikes (HP, etc.) and a Damage value. For those of us who do not have time for long stat blocks.
Having played and run Savage Worlds, I was glad to see it on here. It’s a pretty solid system and easier on the GM than many games are. Combat can get kinda bogged down at lower levels but there are so many ways to avoid or improve combat if your players work together that it’s hardly an issue
Yeah, admittedly the layout / overall design is not great... I've heard torchbearer is quite the upgrade readability wise. Also, you can probably learn everything you really need to know from a tutorial video. To be honest, when we played we just picked from the things that made the most sense to us / got us excited to play, and went with a simplified version of combat.
Love to see some non wizards content. Been running the One Ring starter set while I wait for Moria to arrive and digging out my old MERP content to run a one shot for some old friends.
Not a bad list at all. But when mentioning games with world building baked it, I always have to shout out to Symbaroum! Can't get enough of that game. Love running it and simple to DM since all the rolls are player facing.
This is pretty close to my hypothetical list, though I would replace a handful of choices (Shadowdark, SWADE, DCC) with other choices: e.g., Stonetop (Iron Age Dungeon World), Fabula Ultima, and Fantasy AGE.
My recommendation is Ironsworn or its sci-fi version, Starforged. It gave me the confidence to actually GM a game myself, and our campaign has been going strong for over a year now!
Great editing and sound effects! Especially when Juno punched you 😂 Anything with small mice is always fun and cute so Mausritter looks like a good one!
Old school essentials. It's essentially... Let me see if I can get this right, '0th Edition D&D' reformatted and an updated layout. I actually really like it, it's very clean, very easy to read and reference. A lot of people who are into old school stuff swear by old school essentials. I haven't actually run it but the more I read it the higher it goes on my list.
Nice list! My only complaint would be no love for Into The Odd! Mausritter is basically a reskin of Cairn...and Cairn is just a reskin of Into The Odd, with the inventory system from Knave tacked on.
I have grown to love both of those games post this video. Although I still stand by Mausritter as being in a league of its own. Especially if you have kids. It's a very evocative game and the punch out cards for the inventory are really fun for visual learners!
You should know about Torchbearer! It’s a streamlined Burning Wheel like Mouse Guard but built around dungeon survival. It’s my favorite game now since it’s got all the sauce of Burning Wheel without a lot of the cruft.
Lately I'm playing Mazes, finally started a Blades champaign, and I see on the horizon a chance to play Mausritter. Great times. p.s. how do you feel about Dungeon World and PbtA in general?
That's awesome I love all 3 of those games! Honestly, I have only read through Dungeon World. I haven't had a chance to play it so I will reserve my opinion of it until then. I think it *seems* really cool and has a lot of fun ideas, but that's about as far as I can say for the time being. I have played a little bit of Blades in the Dark (which I really liked) and that is PbtA if I remember right. I think some of the PbtA games go a bit far with over mechanicalizing roleplay, but in general they have really interesting approaches to TTRPGs. That's the short answer
@@ElderGoblinGames Blades is a twist on the PbtA main mechanic, adding more dices while usually they use 2d6+stat and have different steps of results. Blades also has more sub-mechanics than the usual PbtA, but it can variate greatly. Overall they taught me to be more cinematic in my approach as a DM, eschewing initiative and the likes to make the narration more fluid. DW in particular has the flaw of go for the narrative/epic fantasy while holding on on "moves" focused on dungeon crawling, but has to be expected as a bridge between PbtA and D&D. If you ever have the chance of try those I'll look forward on your take. Meanwhile, thanks for the great videos!
I’m making my own ttrpg that melds all classes into distinct skills so you pick a class and can pick up other classes skills as well. I also am melding all combat to be a combination of mass combat and singular combat. Think of sending your military in in a dragon fight! I’ll be realizing it as “Tower of Dice” near the end January 2025. Or at the very least start a kick starter. I only have how the rules meld and small the skills and profs but if you know dnd osr or dnd2e you could probably look at my tables iv made to get what it means. I don’t have any rules written but tons and tons charts to visualize how everything works together and is compartmentalized.
That's a fine list of wonderful RPGs. The only issue I take with it is: There's a stong focus on D&D adjacant rules and worlds and tropes with Blades in the Dark being the only excaption. Left out ... is the whole world of the d100 gaming school. Yet it's not just d100 games. Those games do have a focus on verisimiltude and settings that are much more than primarily being stages for the PC or exploration material. Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha ... might be the most prominent representative. There are many more. Pendragon, Hârnmaster, the OpenQuest, Rennaissance, Revolution d100 and Mythras games. To a lesser degree you might also count the Maelstrom (UK) and WFRP-Engine games amongst them. (Legend of the 5 Rings - 1st to 4th edition strikes a similar vein.) These are games where in-game cultures & cults, organisations, values, believes ... matter ... and the PC can't opt out. Also omitted from the list are freeform/diceless games. Like Amber Diceless, Theatrix, Everway, The Hidden Isle ... Games that resolve actions or conflicts via (Tarot) card interpretation or codified story needs. Belonging outside Belonging games (also called "no dice no masters") aren't too removed from those games. The most notable difference is the absence of a GM and vignette/situational play. Dream Askew/Dream Apart, Our Haunt, The Mending Circle, Wanderhome ... might be examples of that kind of games. ... and we've not talked about "combat as sport" games, that D&D 3.5 & 4E championed. There are good alternatives in Pathfinder 2, 13th Age and Strike!. We also haven't talked about the gamey, narrative RPGs of 2D20 and Genesys. About multiple Ennies winners of the Year Zero engine - like Tales from the Loop. Crunchy Storytelling with WoD, CoD, Storypath, Alternity, Ars Magica ... etc is omitted as are rules light games and Brit Old School like OneDice, Barbarians of Lemuria, Troika & Advanced Fighting Fantasy ... There's a lot. And a lot beyond ... DnD-ish games of some kind. Even though I like OSR games a lot.
Those are all fine suggestions, but I believe I say a few times in the video these are the 13 games I'm interested in running right now. I'm still fairly new to the broader hobby and know very little about most of the games you named, but thank you for giving me lots of things to check out.
For other games with different genres, so not just the fantasy: Call of Cthulhu. It is a classic, with loits of good adventures. The Troubleshooters. Modern BRP, set in a fictitious 1960s, based on Franco-Belgian comics like Tinitn, Spioru, Yoko Tsuno. Add a dash of Lupin III... Good Sociaety: a Jane Austen rpg. Collaborative game that is very different from most anything. A bit expensive, and takes a while to get into. FATE (Either Core/Condensed or Adccelerated). A toolbox for handling any genre. There are a few worldbooks with a multitude of quick settings.
I love Cypher System and am running three campaigns (1 Numenera and 2 Old Gods Appalachia) plus there’s a huge demand for one offs I’ve been running(hooray for cypher shorts and Underground Oracle)
This Elder Gamer has some suggestions that have been well tried out. Runequest was always my go to game in the 80s. Compared to D&D it has gritty combat free of the inevitable chipping down of HP, and freedom from classes and alignments. It has had several incarnations, RQ3 was very good but since Avalon Hill went out of business is hard to get, the Mongoose versions are not so good, the best is Mythras by Design Mechanism. Of course there are a swathe of BRP d100 based games. Cepheus is a reworking of the classic Traveller. It seems quirky compared to modern games but it is a well tried system that has lasted nearly as long as D&D. Paranoia is a nice break in tone, it's really worth trying out for a couple of sessions. And while I speak of that, the best game is Toon, as the rules state "Toon is fun. Other games are not fun."! Now I have a bunch of new systems to try out, Thanks for bringing them to my awareness.
You mention Mouse Guard as a cleaner, lighter version of Burning Wheel. Torchbearer is also a good choice, and as a dungein crawler might be more appealing to some groups than a game about mice.
Have you looked into Worlds Without Number? I run the sci-fi version, Stars Without Number, and it's a lot of fun. The full base version is free on drivethru.
Actually I have worlds without number and I'm kicking myself for not at least mentioning it for its amazing GM section and world building tools. It's a great game.
@@ElderGoblinGames My crew loved SWN, when I ended the campaign to take a break from DMing (my group rotates DM duties) they asked to play more when I get back in DM's chair, that is a first for them when trying something besides 5e.
I will post this every chance I get. Can someone explain to me how BitD's mechanics are so tightly coupled with the genre and setting? I have seen this enough that I am now at the point where I am starting to believe it is a thing, I just don't understand it. My position - we wanted to play a dark, spooky game set in an alternate 50's on the southside of Chicago. I took BitD and just renamed things. The only "change" I had to make was I added a "Wheelman" playbook. Other than that, I carried over 98% of everything else just rebranding it with terminology appropriate to my setting. And it has worked really, really well. We are 7 sessions in and there is nothing I have had to tweak. Everything from the crew to rep to everything else, I just picked it up, placed it over our game and pressed "Go" and it has hummed right along. I really don't get the critique that BitD is only cool in the context of Duskval and whatever genre it is. This has not been my experience.
True, if there are spooky ghosties and vampires, you don't have to change much. It's mostly the idea of the heat / wanted mechanic to me more than anything. I think the combination of having a city you can't really leave because it's surrounded by a wasteland of ravenous undead along with the heat meter is why I feel it's tied to Duskvol, or at the very least an inescapable city filled with ghosties and a whole lot of corrupt folks. The crew / faction / influence system works well with rogish gangs, but I don't think works as well with other less sketchy factions. It's not that you can't change the names, but a lot of the feels are going to be similar.
Mausritter is the only game on this list that isn't on my shelf. I can't disagree with your choices or reasons for choosing these games. If I had to add one more suggested game, I would say The Fantasy Trip. TFT from Steve Jackson Games isn't overly complicated and would add a tactical choice to the selection of games on this list. Great list and I applaud all your choices. Guess I should look into adding Mausritter to my collection. Cheers!
I'll name a few indie games that I like a lot. Just be aware my favorites are all rules-lite games, because I like rules lite more these days. 1. Mini-Six Bare Bones. This is an evolution of the Star Wars D6 game simplified, and improved in a few ways. First, rules are free to download. Second, the game is all generic/all genres. Rules improvements are for combat that was an opposed roll before, but now just pre-calculates your defense rolls to speed up combat by halving the dice rolls (but the original combat system is also included if you want). It also has improvements for the Wild Die (exploding dice mechanic), and how you can use Hero Points. It also includes basic settings for a few games based on Firefly/Serenity, Willow, 70's cops and robbers, and Star Wars. 2. Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool Edition. This game was made to be simpler for kids, but I still like the dice mechanic. Every stat and skill starts as a D4, but your class improves a few stats and skills that make logical sense. It fixes things I dislike about D&D rules where characters gain gazillions of hit points, and Vancian Magic. Here, you start with single digit hit points, but max level is only about 50-75% more than that, i.e. 5 to start and 8 to end with. Magic is a skill check like everything else. Throwing a knife and throwing a fireball are the same, and do the same damage and range. The dice pool comes from your race and class skills giving you more dice, but the thing is your final roll of all your dice isn't added together, but instead you just pick the two biggest ones and those make your final roll. 3. Tiny D6 system. This isn't just one game, but a whole bunch, each one based on a genre like super heroes or mecha pilots. The game rules are VERY simple. A task roll is just 1D6 if its hard, 2D6 if its normal, or 3D6 if its easy. If any die rolls as a 5 or 6, you succeed. You don't roll stats. You just pick a class and that gives your starting hit points and a special class ability, and a couple of additional abilities you can pick from a list. It is very easy, and is also meant for kids as there is no math. For me the appeal is that the same rules are used for a bunch of genres, so you don't need to re-teach a kid new rules when you want to switch genres. The bad news is that each game is sold separately. 4. Kogarashi. This is medieval fantasy Japan. Samurai, Ninjas, martial artists, ect. The game uses six stats from D&D, but Constitution is gone, and Honor/Reputation replaces it. It is a roll equal or under, and only uses a 1D6. Your stats start as 1-4. Interestingly, rolling an attack, the number rolled is also your damage. A Strength of 3 means your character can do 1-3 damage per hit. Armor is a savings throw, and essentially is your 7th stat, reducing damage by how much you rolled. Magic is a skill roll, some of which can be used only once a day, or other spells can be used again until you fail, resetting the next day. All classes have 20 abilities and spells to pick from, but magicians get the more crazy & supernatural spells. It also includes a few rules for how to play solo, including random tables to generate dungeons and a basic "oracle" table to answer questions like, "Does this evil NPC have a sister? Is that sister the actual bad guy?"
@@ElderGoblinGames Yes, Tiny Dungeon is one of the games they make in that series. I would argue it is actually the one game that isn't so great, however. Tiny Dungeon doesn't do body armor well, and has only a suggestion on how magic can work. The other games are all good, though.
It's a nice generic gaming engine for all kinds of Hollywood-ish blockbuster games. Really. It's still my favourite rules engine for star wars. It's the gaming system d20 or True20 wanted to be, but are not. Beyond that ... there are better games for drama play, for eerie horror and ghost stories (vgl. Machen, MR James), for explorative play, games where the gaming world profoundly affects the PC, ...
@@ElderGoblinGames There And Hack Again is a "hack" of the Black Hack. It is inspired by stories like Lord of the Rings where some great evil is corrupting the world. A sort of corruption vs hope mechanic is introduced that is really interesting and makes it actually rewarding to play the "good guy."
First time seeing your content. Instantly subscribed. Now I know that I need to get a physical copy of Mausritter. My six year old loves the item chits and character cards from Steve Jackson's Fantas Trip: Melee and Wizard! So it should be an easy sale. Thank you! Sleep deprivation is one heck of a poison. Two year old has a perpetual war on sleep. Nothing like going to bed at 4 to wake up at 7... Have had more health issues since going into this stage of his life than in my whole life leading up to now. Take care of yourself so you can be there for your family. Also, that outro song is awesome! Is there more?
Having run Cypher system, it is definitely rules lite. I think I ever checked the book once or twice during a 3 month campaign. I can't play D&D and Pathfinder again after running a nice rules lite RPG.
Bittersweet that nothing from Onyx Path makes the list. Happy because it's good to see that the scene has evolved and moved on. Sad because it's a pity that such a once-reliable source of innovation and fun, didn't keep up. (Yeah, Exalted is still at the top of *my* list. But my list is worthless, as I haven't played anything else written in the last 10-15 years or so. 🤷 Guess I need to look for a group. Again.)
For dark fantasy nothing beats MorkBorg its ruleset is pretty light and most of the dice rolls are player facing... great system for a gritty dark souls like setting. There are a ton of resources for it online and at drive thru rpg
Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age, Night Shift: Veterans of The Supernatural Wars and the upcoming Thirteen Parsecs by Elf Lair Games is more customizeable and a lot lighter on rules than Cypher System.
I like so many things about Blades in the Dark, but trying to run it, it took so long to learn the rules and the barrier to entry was way too high. Maybe it's just me and my group at the time.
I found it refreshingly lightweight, but maybe that's because I was coming from games like D&D5e and PF2E, where it felt like I spent hours prepping for every session and usually trying to digest an entire adventure book. Results may vary, but once you get the core mechanics of BitD down, I feel like I could run it entirely on an idea I had 5 minutes before people started showing up.
@@ElderGoblinGames My experience was the steps to build the gang, choose who we were allied with, who we had beef with, what score we wanted to go on, etc. felt really impenetrable. I would run it again, but I would ignore a lot of the book.
@@ElderGoblinGames if you (for me anyway) can come up with a system to organize all your cards it's really smooth. After playing it and then going back to a system with an inisutive roll... we are unamused with inisutive. Honestly I like it a lot, and the person GMing it Luuuvz it. I experienced the only PC death in our gaming so far and chose to go out in a blaze of glory and that was cool and memorable.
@@David-su4is yeah, initiative has always been a point of friction for me. I'm writing a game right now so I'm constantly trying to think of better ways to do initiative. I like Dragonbane's card system a lot. It's about as close to what I'm looking for without getting too clunky.
Dragonbane! YES! Played my first intro game with a friend and two rando's and fell in love with the style and the system. With a MUCH better (skill based) and faster character creation system then D&D and combat that forces you to PAY ATTENTION because you may die in your first fight if you act like a D&D superhero. If you like DB then can I also Strongly recommend Vaesen, also by Free League. It has the same amazing art authentic (and artist) as DB but takes you to the 1800s as you investigate and banish disgruntled fey and folklore creatures who don't enjoy the industrial revolution so much (get outta mah forests!) Also, base building! That core box set for DB IS the best. But so are ALL of Free Leagues core or starter boxes.
I personally love call of cthulhu. The rules seem very complicated but you really only need the basics and the horror/detective stories are great for one shots
Horror is definitely a genre I haven't delved much into, but I hear great things about Call of Cthulhu. And I can definitely get behind a d100 roll under system. The mechanics are just so intrinsic to percentile.
@@ElderGoblinGames I also reccomend you to look into -Trail of Cthulhu- by pelgrane press. It is using the gumshoe system. a system that is designed for investigation in mind. And the mechanics for sanity is just *Chefs kiss*
Awesome list! Instant subscribed, love Hankerin Ferinale as well! I'm currently looking forward to run at least one of Sword & Wizardry Complete Revised, Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Hyperborea 3E (the last which I'm getting for my birthday)
Thanks! It's cool that there are so many good games out there. LotFP is the only one I recognize from the games you listed. Truly we have entered the greatest era of role-playing games.
@@ElderGoblinGames you're welcome and I totally agree LotFP was my first love for a B/X-like game Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised is a rewrite of OD&D with all its supplements and it's very to the point and I love its class variety as well as the single saving throw Hyperborea is like a reimagination of AD&D (2e mostly) as a sword and sorcery with flavor and setting completely included
@@ElderGoblinGames Not gonna lie... I couldn't wrap my brain around the idea at first, but once I finally dove in, I had the most immersive role-playing experiences in my 44+ years of role-playing. And I've played Starforged co-op and it's incredible. The Sundered Isles expansion for Starforged is awesome, too!
@@ElderGoblinGames tried to post an answer here but YT is a finiky biatch wont let me leave my link, pop by my channel to get to my web page, i have the game posted on itch as well.
White Box OD&D is my go to, but here some things I’d like to run sometime this year: Lamentations of the Flame Princess Coriolis Symbaroum Call of Cthulhu Vaesen Forbidden Lands Advanced Fighting Fantasy Hyperborea
Fabula Ultima is fantastic. Against the Darkmaster has a fantastic system and build your own world. Infinity has an amazing sci-fi world but rules are a bit too crunchy.
Sorry mastodon and Twitter are the best ways to contact me at the moment. I may make a business email in the future. The links are working on my end though, that's strange..
So, now that I had the time to actually watch the video... not promising that it makes more sense that the first one though: 1. I currently take a break from most of the 100 other RPG channels I subed to, because I'm a little heartbroken, that my DnD group just died on my. But not from this one. For the closing song alone. 2. I had tons of fun with Warhammer 1e what feels like 50 years ago... but it's only 30 years. Thanks for the memories. 3. I got DCC for 25 bucks on Amazon... best RPG value ever. 4. Mausritter has a German title, because Germans are small, cute, brave and a dangerous world wants to kill them. Got it. 5. Damit, I want to try out Dragonbane!
1. Sad about your group, but glad to hear someone likes my jingles 😆 2. Warhammer looks really fun, but I haven't had a chance to give it an honest look through. I do really like the character creation in it though. 3. DCC is a great value and game! It's an entire system, including an adventure for half the price of any other game. I really enjoy it. 4. That makes sense. I'm pretty sure I have some German in my blood, probably why I like Mausritter so much. 😁 5. Try it! It's really easy to learn and I bet you can find plenty of folks interested in playing it.
I picked up a PDF of it a while back and haven't given it an honest shakedown, but it seemed pretty simple and straightforward at a glance. Another contender for "my first RPG" from what I did read of it.
Games that I would play right now if given the opportunity: Earthdawn (the crunchiest game I play, but such a rich and immersive world. I'm a big fan of mechanics that marry up to theme) The One Ring (Tolkienesque gaming at its finest) Root (had a blast running this. Who doesn't want a woodland version of the war of the roses?) Troika! (Weird, science-fantasy where you can really lean into the absurdism. It comes with some really fun modules) Pirate Borg (everything is better with pirates) Mutant: Year Zero (I loved running this and I learned a lot from it, which is impressive considering how far into my rpg career I was before finding this game) Worlds Without Number (the only real D&D clone style game I'm really interested in. It strips away so many of my issues with D&D and the GM section of the book is incredible. Even if you just want to play D&D, get this book as the location generation tools are invaluable.) Electric Bastionland (I really like the aesthetic of this game) Valley of Eternity (a fantasy/western style game, but you are all penguins in Antarctica) Lex Arcana (paranormal investigation, but in Ancient Rome) Panic at the Dojo (I'm intrigued by the systems of this game and have always wanted to run a Streetfighter/side-scrolling brawler type game but didn't want to be slowed down by clunky rules. This one seems much smoother)
Those are some solid choices! I've heard the One Ring has really interesting travel mechanics. I want Troika, Electric Bastion Lands, and Mutant Year Zero I've got WWN and Root (both are great!) and I've not heard of the rest.
@@ElderGoblinGames One Ring's travel mechanics are a neat little mini game sort of experience. And they feel like they matter rather than just a movement from point a to point b.
@@ElderGoblinGames I've been playing Earthdawn across 4 editions since 1993. It is my go-to fantasy game because the world and lore are so rich. Pirate Borg is the same engine as Mörk Borg, but feels a lot more fun and less bleak than its predecessor. It also has a great, light ship combat system. A game that mechanically incorporates sea shanties and allows you to play a sentient, spell-slinging voodoo chicken is a winner in my book. Valley of Eternity was simply too unique a theme for me to pass up. Playing a grim heroic story with penguins, battling orcas and skuas and the horrible entities of the frozen north simply to save the penguin colonies that depend upon you but can never truly embrace you. Glorious. Panic at the Dojo was a very recent purchase. I saw a review and bought it almost immediately after. I even sprang for a hard copy off Drivethroughrpg. The mechanics are so interesting in how you design and implement your styles, the tactical choices and action management feel really engaging and thematic. It looks like it really captures the feel of a fighting game. I look forward to running it.
@@jasonnewell7036 wow that is a long time and some dedication. I was 5 years old in 1993 so, TTRPGs weren't even on my radar haha. Pirate borg sounds cool. I've kept a healthy distance from Mork Borg because it sounded too bleak and brutal, even for my group.
I think Worlds Without Number has the best DMG (..GMG?) of any game out there. Honestly it probably deserved an honorable mention just for that. It's got so many tables and tips for world building details. I'm kind of beating myself up for not mentioning it.
For sure. It was between Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane and I went with Dragonbane just for simplicity's sake. Plus it's probably closer to games like D&D for people who aren't familiar with games other than the big two.
@@ElderGoblinGames I totally get that. :-) And thanks for even responding to this admittedly somewhat grumpy sounding comment of mine. Great channel you got there! Please keep it up. Greetings from Germany!
Cool list, but you should really try getting away from d20 fantasy combat games and explore more stuff. Blades in the dark and swade were great picks btw
Agreed, but also, Mazes, Burning Wheel, Blade in the Dark and Savage Worlds are all non-d20 and Savage Worlds, Cypher System, Mazes, and Crown & Skull all have plenty of options for non-combat play and most of those aren't intrinsically tied to fantasy or have options for non-fantasy. I think I did more variety than most Top 10 type videos, especially since this is targeted for people who are probably just playing D&D / Pathfinder. Admittedly, a lot of these are combat oriented though. What would some of your suggestions be for games not centered around combat?
@@anthonyvolpato1005 I do need to pick up call of Cthulhu. I typically avoid the horror genre, but that one sounds more up my alley. To be honest I haven't had much interest in vampire the masquerade. But I wouldn't be opposed to someone selling me on it.
Very awesome list 😊. Thank you for taking time to watch my video. I had to come over & check your list out as well. You also put me onto some new ones to check out!!!!!!
If you enjoyed this video but felt like i was missing a few go check out @booksbricksandboards video here:
ua-cam.com/video/Etgn3TsykRQ/v-deo.htmlsi=L8-k091OPZiLpROj
He probably covered the ones i missed 😂
And here's the correct link for Mausritter:
losing-games.itch.io/mausritter
I mean, I like the old vampire the masquerade ttrpg.
I'm so happy that I discovered this channel. I've played D&D almost exclusively, but I know that trying other games and/or infusing other ideas into my current game can only be beneficial. Thank you!
There are so many great game designers out there that are, at the very least, with harvesting ideas from. Running those games will also grant perspective on different kinds of stories to tell. Enjoy the journey!
LOVE A SAVAGE WORLDS SHOUT OUT !! yes dude!
I'd love to see more SWADE content, I think there are tons of lessons to learn from the toolkit like Dramatic Tasks, Chases, Social Encounters, all the Vehicle rules, etc! Dramatic Tasks especially are applicable to any TTRPG game regardless of ruleset imo
It seems super cool and definitely a good alternative if your group is stuck playing "the Big Two" RPGs.
I really want to try it for a longer campaign.
@@ElderGoblinGames I've been running it with Eberron for over a year now. One of the best systems ever for pulpy action gameplay. I personally love Bennies with its various options as a player and GM.
😅😂🤣 Old School Essentials quietly cries on the shelf above right shoulder
It's for sure the best retro clone. With actually usable layout. I just wish my brain liked THAC0 more..
@@ElderGoblinGames - My Advanced OSE books include Increasing AC & Attack Bonuses in brackets, so it has both options. Did the original OSE releases not have that?
@@ElderGoblinGames OSE doesn't have THAC0. It gives the choice between 1e style attacks tables and modern attack rolls.
@@danielsommerlykke9475 honestly I haven't looked at it hard enough to notice. There's so many new games I'm interested in at the moment, but that's good to know!
I do like it from a layout and word count perspective though!
OSE is a particular flavor and well done, that was immediately ‘outclassed’ by Shadowdark.
1:34 13. Savage Worlds
2:14 12. Crown & Skull
3:18 11. ShadowDark
4:26 10 and 9. Cairn and Knave
5:29 8. Blades in the Dark
6:37 7. Index Card RPG
8:12 6. Cypher System
9:57 5. Dungeon Crawl Classics
11:27 4. Burning Wheel
12:53 3. Mausritter
14:06 2. Mazes
15:25 1. Dragonbane
I should really start doing these 😅 thanks for doing the legwork for me. I also put them in the description. Giga Chad right here!
No love for GURPS? I was an AD&D player, and also a The Fantasy Trip player. But when GURPS first came out, I never looked back. GURPS has been in its fourth edition now for many years, because it doesn’t need a fifth edition (yet - the game design still holds up, but it still needs a decent vehicle creation system). As simple, or complex, as you like, where you can design your characters free-form, or using a template, both to a points total, that makes characters balanced, but not necessarily equal. Play in any genre, without needed to learn new rules for each. Play in a cinematic universe, or with gritty realism, or any combination of each. Multiple options for magic systems, how psionics work, divine magic, etc.
GURPS can be whatever you want it to be, and played however you want to play. The name is an acronym. GURPS stand for Generic Universal Role Playing System. And it takes each of these words seriously. Originally designed as a placeholder, pending the creation of a “cool name”, the designer(s) eventually decided it was the perfect name for the game.
You can download the “core” rules for free, from Steve Jackson Games, if you want to try before you buy.
Take a look. You might just discover the game you have always been looking for.
Cheers,
@@Wolf359incRight on! I need to give GURPS another look. Admittedly I haven't glanced at it in a long, LONG time because it used to be the crunchiest game on the block, but it sounds like it got some good updates.
I like it's flexibility, but back in the day at least, I wasn't crazy about the amount of homework. 😂
@@ElderGoblinGamesThey’re great summaries. Definitely worth coming back to when I want to remember what the selling points are for my group to try something new
Thank you good sir for the timestamps.
Savage worlds and savage pathfinder are great!
I need to try Dragonbane. I finally own it. I'm a huge Basic Roleplaying fan, and you can see BRP's DNA in Dragonbane's mechanics. Even though I'm not a big Fantasy guy, I like the vibes, and I think it would be a lot of fun, especially for younger players.
It's got some really interesting mechanics for sure. What are your go to systems?
@@ElderGoblinGames I'm a chronic dabbler. In my glory days of the late 80s through the early 2000s, I played more different games that I can even remember, from Ars Magica to Blue Planet to Fading Suns to Castle Falkenstein. My go-to has pretty much always been BRP generally and Call of Cthulhu in particular. It's the game I usually use to introduce folks to the hobby. I don't believe in a "universal" game mechanic, but BRP certainly has a very wide range of stuff that it works very well for.
Of late, I've really enjoyed Year Zero, particularly as seen in Tales from the Loop and Alien.
Dungeon Crawl Classics, which on paper I should hate as I never much liked Dungeons & Dragons or any of its various variants, has been one I've really enjoyed since getting back into the hobby in 2019 after a 15+ year break.
@@matthewconstantine5015 I too am a dabbler. Funny, I saw an Ars Magica in my local used book store the other day and almost grabbed it because of the epic cover alone. I hear chaosium puts out quality games and apparently Call of Cthulhu is bigger than D&D in Japan.
I also keep hearing good things about the Year Zero system and I've definitely had Forbidden Lands on my radar for a while.
That's the problem haha, too many good games, not enough time.
@@ElderGoblinGames Way too many games and nowhere near enough time, that's for sure.
Ars Magica is, if I had to pick only one, my favorite Fantasy game. But it's hyper-specific and requires GM(s) and players that are ready to put in some time and effort. It's worth it. It's super rewarding. But it's not really a light game mechanically or otherwise. There's a "definitive" version of the 5th Ed coming out for its 20th anniversary, apparently. I think the 5th Ed is by far the most user-friendly edition, but it didn't have great art or layout.
Chaosium, since they were rescued from the brink 10 or 15 years ago, has become an industry leader when it comes to product quality. They also have great starter sets for their three main games (Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest & Pendragon) that are a great value and an excellent introduction to each. Each one uses a variation of BRP, with RuneQuest probably being the most complex even before diving into its insanely deep lore, and Pendragon being the most streamlined (it's even turned the usual percentile roll into a D20 roll, like Dragonbane does).
I have a copy of Forbidden Lands, which definitely has some cool stuff. I'm not totally sold on its specific variant of Year Zero, but I haven't played it to see how it works at the table. Tales from the Loop is probably the most streamlined version. Alien has a mechanic in it that I fell in love with, and I think could easily translate into any semi-near future, "blue collar" Science Fiction game where space is dangerous, even if it's not full of monsters. I was leaning toward Mothership for running some gritty, but non-Horror specific Science Fiction, until I read & played Alien and it really clicked for me.
Big Burning Wheel fan here (got to it through Mouseguard) and one of the things I'd like to highlight is that it's a game intended to be played for a long time (months, if not years) and your character will change so much as you play. Your Beliefs will challenge you, and what you thought was important in the beginning turns out to not be important at all, and you will grow, becoming a better fighter/sorcerer/bard, unless you're losing fights, taking wounds, and failing to get them treated, then you will slowly begin to fall apart (a head wound could potentially cost you an eye, which makes depth perception harder, etc.) I love it and play it several times a week (two tables we even play "The Gods Must Be Crazy" style of rotating GM's.)
I would love to play an extended game of burning wheel. I only got to play a short campaign in it but instantly fell in love with the game.
Dragonbane has single handedly reignited my interest in roleplaying. It's going to be my go-to game for years to come.
It's a really cool, very streamlined game!
lol, upon your suggestion in my own comments section, I watched your video, and ICRPG and Cypher are other games I have enjoyed and created videos on. I have not done Burning Wheel content, but I did do a Mouse Guard video. Mazes and Mausritter were the only two I didn’t have experience with. Definitely a great list, and clearly we have very similar game taste, and apparently similar intuition about when to make a video on this subject! Cheers man, glad you introduced me to your channel and congrats on the new kiddo!
Kindred spirits. Yes it looks like we have a lot of similar tastes. I subbed you as well when I saw your video haha.
Thanks for the shout out!
Absolutely! Thanks for making Knave 1 and 2, they are both excellent games!
I'm glad people are finding the games they like. There are plenty of games out there!
We are truly in a Renaissance of gaming. There is a Jane Austen TTRPG for crying out loud. You can play pretty much anything you can imagine.
I'm sincerely impressed-fantastic job!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video!
My top four are Cypher System, Outgunned (with Action Flicks Vol. 1, and World of Killers), Mazes and EZD6. What do they all have in common? NPC/Monsters are built with a simple system of, special abilities, Strikes (HP, etc.) and a Damage value. For those of us who do not have time for long stat blocks.
I really need to pick up EZD6. It's next on my list but my FLGS doesn't carry it.
@@ElderGoblinGames I have space issues, so I have the PDFs for all the EZD6 books I have. If I had the room I would have them all.
Im loving Savage Worlds, another great mention for rules lite and easy to homebrew for is EZD6.
Having played and run Savage Worlds, I was glad to see it on here. It’s a pretty solid system and easier on the GM than many games are. Combat can get kinda bogged down at lower levels but there are so many ways to avoid or improve combat if your players work together that it’s hardly an issue
It does some really interesting things, and I hear the Pathfinder version of it is good too.
@@ElderGoblinGames I am very excited by Savage Pathfinder! I haven't gotten to play yet but it seems very solid.
Burning wheel is so difficult, I’ve been discouraged to continue reading it
Yeah, admittedly the layout / overall design is not great... I've heard torchbearer is quite the upgrade readability wise. Also, you can probably learn everything you really need to know from a tutorial video.
To be honest, when we played we just picked from the things that made the most sense to us / got us excited to play, and went with a simplified version of combat.
@@ElderGoblinGames I’ll give it another try. Thanks mate
Love to see some non wizards content. Been running the One Ring starter set while I wait for Moria to arrive and digging out my old MERP content to run a one shot for some old friends.
I hear good things about One Ring, especially the travel mechanics.
Great review n video! So many good RPGs n some new ones to play!
The Cypher system is awesome. Numenera is one of my favorite fantasy game to run.
Agreed. It's good stuff, and so easy as a GM!
Thanks for jumping on.
Absolutely. Love the idea of all these community driven themes. Especially Independent gaming!
Not a bad list at all. But when mentioning games with world building baked it, I always have to shout out to Symbaroum! Can't get enough of that game. Love running it and simple to DM since all the rolls are player facing.
This is pretty close to my hypothetical list, though I would replace a handful of choices (Shadowdark, SWADE, DCC) with other choices: e.g., Stonetop (Iron Age Dungeon World), Fabula Ultima, and Fantasy AGE.
Any way to get in on trying those games with you?
I'll have to think on that one. I haven't done over the Internet RPGs since lockdown and to be honest I haven't missed it 😅
My recommendation is Ironsworn or its sci-fi version, Starforged. It gave me the confidence to actually GM a game myself, and our campaign has been going strong for over a year now!
Great editing and sound effects! Especially when Juno punched you 😂 Anything with small mice is always fun and cute so Mausritter looks like a good one!
She's got quite the left hook.
Huge Free League fan here but also giving a shoutout to Ten Candles. Great narrative oriented game. Super lite. Super fun. GREAT video.
Have you tried DM Scotty's EZD6? I need to find more videos of it so I can feel a bit more confident running it.
I really want to get it. My FLGS doesn't carry it so I'm going to have to get a copy from the old interwebs, but it's next on my list to buy.
This is an awesome list. Stumbled into ttrpgs recently… and interested in anything but DnD. What is the big box behind the dice?
Old school essentials. It's essentially... Let me see if I can get this right, '0th Edition D&D' reformatted and an updated layout.
I actually really like it, it's very clean, very easy to read and reference.
A lot of people who are into old school stuff swear by old school essentials. I haven't actually run it but the more I read it the higher it goes on my list.
@@ElderGoblinGames thanks for that break down. How to I get a hold of a copy or set?
@@mrhoads7 Check out ExaltedFuneral.com
Nice list! My only complaint would be no love for Into The Odd!
Mausritter is basically a reskin of Cairn...and Cairn is just a reskin of Into The Odd, with the inventory system from Knave tacked on.
I have grown to love both of those games post this video. Although I still stand by Mausritter as being in a league of its own. Especially if you have kids. It's a very evocative game and the punch out cards for the inventory are really fun for visual learners!
@@ElderGoblinGames give Into the Odd a look!
For anyone coming to this video late, i finally got a chance to play Crown & Skull, and it's moved way, way up on my list. Maybe like 3 or even 2.
Ironsworn (in guided mode) is one of my favorite RPGs right now.
What's do you like about the guided mode? I'm not familiar with it.
You should know about Torchbearer! It’s a streamlined Burning Wheel like Mouse Guard but built around dungeon survival. It’s my favorite game now since it’s got all the sauce of Burning Wheel without a lot of the cruft.
That's good to know! I have seen that one floating around my FLGS but haven't taken the time to peek through it.
Thanks for the recommendation! 🔥
The Dark Eye
Lately I'm playing Mazes, finally started a Blades champaign, and I see on the horizon a chance to play Mausritter. Great times. p.s. how do you feel about Dungeon World and PbtA in general?
That's awesome I love all 3 of those games! Honestly, I have only read through Dungeon World. I haven't had a chance to play it so I will reserve my opinion of it until then. I think it *seems* really cool and has a lot of fun ideas, but that's about as far as I can say for the time being. I have played a little bit of Blades in the Dark (which I really liked) and that is PbtA if I remember right.
I think some of the PbtA games go a bit far with over mechanicalizing roleplay, but in general they have really interesting approaches to TTRPGs. That's the short answer
@@ElderGoblinGames Blades is a twist on the PbtA main mechanic, adding more dices while usually they use 2d6+stat and have different steps of results. Blades also has more sub-mechanics than the usual PbtA, but it can variate greatly. Overall they taught me to be more cinematic in my approach as a DM, eschewing initiative and the likes to make the narration more fluid. DW in particular has the flaw of go for the narrative/epic fantasy while holding on on "moves" focused on dungeon crawling, but has to be expected as a bridge between PbtA and D&D. If you ever have the chance of try those I'll look forward on your take. Meanwhile, thanks for the great videos!
I’m making my own ttrpg that melds all classes into distinct skills so you pick a class and can pick up other classes skills as well. I also am melding all combat to be a combination of mass combat and singular combat. Think of sending your military in in a dragon fight! I’ll be realizing it as “Tower of Dice” near the end January 2025. Or at the very least start a kick starter. I only have how the rules meld and small the skills and profs but if you know dnd osr or dnd2e you could probably look at my tables iv made to get what it means. I don’t have any rules written but tons and tons charts to visualize how everything works together and is compartmentalized.
Legacy of cthulhu, and a vampire alone in the darkness are really good lite player facing rpgs, with traditional,coop, and solo play modes!!
That's a fine list of wonderful RPGs.
The only issue I take with it is: There's a stong focus on D&D adjacant rules and worlds and tropes with Blades in the Dark being the only excaption.
Left out ... is the whole world of the d100 gaming school. Yet it's not just d100 games. Those games do have a focus on verisimiltude and settings that are much more than primarily being stages for the PC or exploration material. Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha ... might be the most prominent representative. There are many more. Pendragon, Hârnmaster, the OpenQuest, Rennaissance, Revolution d100 and Mythras games. To a lesser degree you might also count the Maelstrom (UK) and WFRP-Engine games amongst them. (Legend of the 5 Rings - 1st to 4th edition strikes a similar vein.) These are games where in-game cultures & cults, organisations, values, believes ... matter ... and the PC can't opt out.
Also omitted from the list are freeform/diceless games. Like Amber Diceless, Theatrix, Everway, The Hidden Isle ... Games that resolve actions or conflicts via (Tarot) card interpretation or codified story needs.
Belonging outside Belonging games (also called "no dice no masters") aren't too removed from those games. The most notable difference is the absence of a GM and vignette/situational play. Dream Askew/Dream Apart, Our Haunt, The Mending Circle, Wanderhome ... might be examples of that kind of games.
... and we've not talked about "combat as sport" games, that D&D 3.5 & 4E championed.
There are good alternatives in Pathfinder 2, 13th Age and Strike!.
We also haven't talked about the gamey, narrative RPGs of 2D20 and Genesys. About multiple Ennies winners of the Year Zero engine - like Tales from the Loop.
Crunchy Storytelling with WoD, CoD, Storypath, Alternity, Ars Magica ... etc is omitted as are rules light games and Brit Old School like OneDice, Barbarians of Lemuria, Troika & Advanced Fighting Fantasy ...
There's a lot. And a lot beyond ... DnD-ish games of some kind. Even though I like OSR games a lot.
Those are all fine suggestions, but I believe I say a few times in the video these are the 13 games I'm interested in running right now. I'm still fairly new to the broader hobby and know very little about most of the games you named, but thank you for giving me lots of things to check out.
For other games with different genres, so not just the fantasy:
Call of Cthulhu. It is a classic, with loits of good adventures.
The Troubleshooters. Modern BRP, set in a fictitious 1960s, based on Franco-Belgian comics like Tinitn, Spioru, Yoko Tsuno. Add a dash of Lupin III...
Good Sociaety: a Jane Austen rpg. Collaborative game that is very different from most anything. A bit expensive, and takes a while to get into.
FATE (Either Core/Condensed or Adccelerated). A toolbox for handling any genre. There are a few worldbooks with a multitude of quick settings.
Call of Cthulhu is one of the best. Legends of the Five Rings, pre fantasy flight, is also amazing. Shadowrun is a good staple.
I love Cypher System and am running three campaigns (1 Numenera and 2 Old Gods Appalachia) plus there’s a huge demand for one offs I’ve been running(hooray for cypher shorts and Underground Oracle)
This was great. Nice to see new games. You definitely deserve more subs.
Appreciate it!
I've hoped to find a group for Symbaroum (also by Free League)
That game has such cool lore! I need to pick it up some time.
My group fell in love with Basic Fantasy.
I've heard nothing but good things about basic fantasy. Definitely on my list to check out.
Five Torches Deep, EZD6, ICRPG, The Black Sword Hack, The Black Hack.
That's a solid lineup. I need to grab EZD6 and FTD.
This Elder Gamer has some suggestions that have been well tried out. Runequest was always my go to game in the 80s. Compared to D&D it has gritty combat free of the inevitable chipping down of HP, and freedom from classes and alignments. It has had several incarnations, RQ3 was very good but since Avalon Hill went out of business is hard to get, the Mongoose versions are not so good, the best is Mythras by Design Mechanism. Of course there are a swathe of BRP d100 based games.
Cepheus is a reworking of the classic Traveller. It seems quirky compared to modern games but it is a well tried system that has lasted nearly as long as D&D.
Paranoia is a nice break in tone, it's really worth trying out for a couple of sessions. And while I speak of that, the best game is Toon, as the rules state "Toon is fun. Other games are not fun."!
Now I have a bunch of new systems to try out, Thanks for bringing them to my awareness.
You mention Mouse Guard as a cleaner, lighter version of Burning Wheel. Torchbearer is also a good choice, and as a dungein crawler might be more appealing to some groups than a game about mice.
Seeing your recommendation I am even happier I got the quick start for Dragonbane on Free RPG day
Same, I grabbed done last year with no idea what it was!
YOUR BABY IS SO CUTE!!! Future OSR player!
Haha thanks, got to start her young!
I agree with so many of your choices (8/13) whether I've played them or not, so... subscribed.
8/13 doctor's agree. These games are good for the soul.
Have you looked into Worlds Without Number? I run the sci-fi version, Stars Without Number, and it's a lot of fun. The full base version is free on drivethru.
Actually I have worlds without number and I'm kicking myself for not at least mentioning it for its amazing GM section and world building tools. It's a great game.
@@ElderGoblinGames My crew loved SWN, when I ended the campaign to take a break from DMing (my group rotates DM duties) they asked to play more when I get back in DM's chair, that is a first for them when trying something besides 5e.
I will post this every chance I get. Can someone explain to me how BitD's mechanics are so tightly coupled with the genre and setting? I have seen this enough that I am now at the point where I am starting to believe it is a thing, I just don't understand it.
My position - we wanted to play a dark, spooky game set in an alternate 50's on the southside of Chicago. I took BitD and just renamed things. The only "change" I had to make was I added a "Wheelman" playbook. Other than that, I carried over 98% of everything else just rebranding it with terminology appropriate to my setting. And it has worked really, really well. We are 7 sessions in and there is nothing I have had to tweak. Everything from the crew to rep to everything else, I just picked it up, placed it over our game and pressed "Go" and it has hummed right along.
I really don't get the critique that BitD is only cool in the context of Duskval and whatever genre it is. This has not been my experience.
True, if there are spooky ghosties and vampires, you don't have to change much. It's mostly the idea of the heat / wanted mechanic to me more than anything. I think the combination of having a city you can't really leave because it's surrounded by a wasteland of ravenous undead along with the heat meter is why I feel it's tied to Duskvol, or at the very least an inescapable city filled with ghosties and a whole lot of corrupt folks. The crew / faction / influence system works well with rogish gangs, but I don't think works as well with other less sketchy factions.
It's not that you can't change the names, but a lot of the feels are going to be similar.
Mausritter is the only game on this list that isn't on my shelf. I can't disagree with your choices or reasons for choosing these games. If I had to add one more suggested game, I would say The Fantasy Trip. TFT from Steve Jackson Games isn't overly complicated and would add a tactical choice to the selection of games on this list.
Great list and I applaud all your choices. Guess I should look into adding Mausritter to my collection.
Cheers!
Especially if you have kids/ Young folks you run games for. If you want a more serious version of the game check out Into the Odd.
I'll name a few indie games that I like a lot. Just be aware my favorites are all rules-lite games, because I like rules lite more these days.
1. Mini-Six Bare Bones. This is an evolution of the Star Wars D6 game simplified, and improved in a few ways. First, rules are free to download. Second, the game is all generic/all genres. Rules improvements are for combat that was an opposed roll before, but now just pre-calculates your defense rolls to speed up combat by halving the dice rolls (but the original combat system is also included if you want). It also has improvements for the Wild Die (exploding dice mechanic), and how you can use Hero Points. It also includes basic settings for a few games based on Firefly/Serenity, Willow, 70's cops and robbers, and Star Wars.
2. Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool Edition. This game was made to be simpler for kids, but I still like the dice mechanic. Every stat and skill starts as a D4, but your class improves a few stats and skills that make logical sense. It fixes things I dislike about D&D rules where characters gain gazillions of hit points, and Vancian Magic. Here, you start with single digit hit points, but max level is only about 50-75% more than that, i.e. 5 to start and 8 to end with. Magic is a skill check like everything else. Throwing a knife and throwing a fireball are the same, and do the same damage and range. The dice pool comes from your race and class skills giving you more dice, but the thing is your final roll of all your dice isn't added together, but instead you just pick the two biggest ones and those make your final roll.
3. Tiny D6 system. This isn't just one game, but a whole bunch, each one based on a genre like super heroes or mecha pilots. The game rules are VERY simple. A task roll is just 1D6 if its hard, 2D6 if its normal, or 3D6 if its easy. If any die rolls as a 5 or 6, you succeed. You don't roll stats. You just pick a class and that gives your starting hit points and a special class ability, and a couple of additional abilities you can pick from a list. It is very easy, and is also meant for kids as there is no math. For me the appeal is that the same rules are used for a bunch of genres, so you don't need to re-teach a kid new rules when you want to switch genres. The bad news is that each game is sold separately.
4. Kogarashi. This is medieval fantasy Japan. Samurai, Ninjas, martial artists, ect. The game uses six stats from D&D, but Constitution is gone, and Honor/Reputation replaces it. It is a roll equal or under, and only uses a 1D6. Your stats start as 1-4. Interestingly, rolling an attack, the number rolled is also your damage. A Strength of 3 means your character can do 1-3 damage per hit. Armor is a savings throw, and essentially is your 7th stat, reducing damage by how much you rolled. Magic is a skill roll, some of which can be used only once a day, or other spells can be used again until you fail, resetting the next day. All classes have 20 abilities and spells to pick from, but magicians get the more crazy & supernatural spells. It also includes a few rules for how to play solo, including random tables to generate dungeons and a basic "oracle" table to answer questions like, "Does this evil NPC have a sister? Is that sister the actual bad guy?"
I have Tiny Dungeon, is that part of the tiny d6 system? The rest I've not heard of.
@@ElderGoblinGames Yes, Tiny Dungeon is one of the games they make in that series. I would argue it is actually the one game that isn't so great, however. Tiny Dungeon doesn't do body armor well, and has only a suggestion on how magic can work. The other games are all good, though.
Savage Worlds is great. Very easy on the GM. It’s my goto system for…almost everything.
I'm eager to give it a try! There's so many cool ideas in that book.
It's a nice generic gaming engine for all kinds of Hollywood-ish blockbuster games. Really. It's still my favourite rules engine for star wars. It's the gaming system d20 or True20 wanted to be, but are not.
Beyond that ... there are better games for drama play, for eerie horror and ghost stories (vgl. Machen, MR James), for explorative play, games where the gaming world profoundly affects the PC, ...
If it has Classes. levels, and uses a d20 it is D&D.
It is an eponym for sure.
All Kleenex are tissues, but not all tissues are Kleenex.
Knave 2E and Dragonbane are at the top of my list. Also, There And Hack Again.
I love both of those games (obviously), Tell me about there and hack again
@@ElderGoblinGames There And Hack Again is a "hack" of the Black Hack. It is inspired by stories like Lord of the Rings where some great evil is corrupting the world. A sort of corruption vs hope mechanic is introduced that is really interesting and makes it actually rewarding to play the "good guy."
@@jeffwmoore I have Black Sword Hack, but I imagine it's a bit different if its based more on LotR 😁
First time seeing your content. Instantly subscribed.
Now I know that I need to get a physical copy of Mausritter. My six year old loves the item chits and character cards from Steve Jackson's Fantas Trip: Melee and Wizard! So it should be an easy sale. Thank you!
Sleep deprivation is one heck of a poison. Two year old has a perpetual war on sleep. Nothing like going to bed at 4 to wake up at 7... Have had more health issues since going into this stage of his life than in my whole life leading up to now. Take care of yourself so you can be there for your family.
Also, that outro song is awesome! Is there more?
Thanks! The Mausitter box set is definitely worth it. And yes, I have a jingle for just about every style video that I do.
I was in a Savage Worlds Deadlands campaign it was pretty fun.
Having run Cypher system, it is definitely rules lite. I think I ever checked the book once or twice during a 3 month campaign. I can't play D&D and Pathfinder again after running a nice rules lite RPG.
That's awesome! What a testament to the simplicity of the rules.
We’d love for you to check out and review Alloyed RPG!
Bittersweet that nothing from Onyx Path makes the list.
Happy because it's good to see that the scene has evolved and moved on.
Sad because it's a pity that such a once-reliable source of innovation and fun, didn't keep up.
(Yeah, Exalted is still at the top of *my* list. But my list is worthless, as I haven't played anything else written in the last 10-15 years or so. 🤷 Guess I need to look for a group. Again.)
i confess i tuned out after you trolled me with my beloved WFRP4e being in the list before unveiling DCC
😅😅😅 I love WFRP. I just can't get anyone to play it.
For dark fantasy nothing beats MorkBorg its ruleset is pretty light and most of the dice rolls are player facing... great system for a gritty dark souls like setting. There are a ton of resources for it online and at drive thru rpg
Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age, Night Shift: Veterans of The Supernatural Wars and the upcoming Thirteen Parsecs by Elf Lair Games is more customizeable and a lot lighter on rules than Cypher System.
I don't know any of those, but I'll have to check them out! Thanks for the tip.
I like so many things about Blades in the Dark, but trying to run it, it took so long to learn the rules and the barrier to entry was way too high. Maybe it's just me and my group at the time.
I found it refreshingly lightweight, but maybe that's because I was coming from games like D&D5e and PF2E, where it felt like I spent hours prepping for every session and usually trying to digest an entire adventure book.
Results may vary, but once you get the core mechanics of BitD down, I feel like I could run it entirely on an idea I had 5 minutes before people started showing up.
@@ElderGoblinGames My experience was the steps to build the gang, choose who we were allied with, who we had beef with, what score we wanted to go on, etc. felt really impenetrable. I would run it again, but I would ignore a lot of the book.
We've been playing Daggerheart beta for the past few months, as well as Shadowdark and the occasional Cypher System Shorts one offs. Happy gaming.
Awesome! Out of curiosity, what are your impressions of Daggerheart?
@@ElderGoblinGames if you (for me anyway) can come up with a system to organize all your cards it's really smooth. After playing it and then going back to a system with an inisutive roll... we are unamused with inisutive. Honestly I like it a lot, and the person GMing it Luuuvz it.
I experienced the only PC death in our gaming so far and chose to go out in a blaze of glory and that was cool and memorable.
@@David-su4is yeah, initiative has always been a point of friction for me. I'm writing a game right now so I'm constantly trying to think of better ways to do initiative. I like Dragonbane's card system a lot. It's about as close to what I'm looking for without getting too clunky.
Plus the MCDM shirt as a bonus
He is a river to his people.
Dragonbane! YES! Played my first intro game with a friend and two rando's and fell in love with the style and the system. With a MUCH better (skill based) and faster character creation system then D&D and combat that forces you to PAY ATTENTION because you may die in your first fight if you act like a D&D superhero.
If you like DB then can I also Strongly recommend Vaesen, also by Free League. It has the same amazing art authentic (and artist) as DB but takes you to the 1800s as you investigate and banish disgruntled fey and folklore creatures who don't enjoy the industrial revolution so much (get outta mah forests!) Also, base building!
That core box set for DB IS the best. But so are ALL of Free Leagues core or starter boxes.
Yeah, everything in seeing from Free League is really well done. I got a free Vaesen PDF on Halloween from Drive thru RPG,I need to give it a read.
I personally love call of cthulhu. The rules seem very complicated but you really only need the basics and the horror/detective stories are great for one shots
Horror is definitely a genre I haven't delved much into, but I hear great things about Call of Cthulhu. And I can definitely get behind a d100 roll under system. The mechanics are just so intrinsic to percentile.
@@ElderGoblinGames I also reccomend you to look into -Trail of Cthulhu- by pelgrane press. It is using the gumshoe system. a system that is designed for investigation in mind. And the mechanics for sanity is just *Chefs kiss*
Awesome list!
Instant subscribed, love Hankerin Ferinale as well!
I'm currently looking forward to run at least one of Sword & Wizardry Complete Revised, Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Hyperborea 3E (the last which I'm getting for my birthday)
Thanks! It's cool that there are so many good games out there. LotFP is the only one I recognize from the games you listed.
Truly we have entered the greatest era of role-playing games.
@@ElderGoblinGames you're welcome and I totally agree
LotFP was my first love for a B/X-like game
Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised is a rewrite of OD&D with all its supplements and it's very to the point and I love its class variety as well as the single saving throw
Hyperborea is like a reimagination of AD&D (2e mostly) as a sword and sorcery with flavor and setting completely included
Ironsworn and Ironsworn: Starforged need to be on this list. Designed as solo RPGs, they are also brilliant for co-op and guided play.
I've only recently become aware of Ironsworn / the idea of solo RPGs in general. I do need to check it out!
@@ElderGoblinGames Not gonna lie... I couldn't wrap my brain around the idea at first, but once I finally dove in, I had the most immersive role-playing experiences in my 44+ years of role-playing.
And I've played Starforged co-op and it's incredible. The Sundered Isles expansion for Starforged is awesome, too!
It will definitely be added to my ever growing list 😅
ICRPG and Knave, very big influences on the creation of my own game, luv it cheers Keep 'em rollin'
just bought the rulebook and bestiary for dragonbane, very cool
What's your game? Or do you mean like homebrew?
@@ElderGoblinGames tried to post an answer here but YT is a finiky biatch wont let me leave my link, pop by my channel to get to my web page, i have the game posted on itch as well.
White Box OD&D is my go to, but here some things I’d like to run sometime this year:
Lamentations of the Flame Princess
Coriolis
Symbaroum
Call of Cthulhu
Vaesen
Forbidden Lands
Advanced Fighting Fantasy
Hyperborea
Those are some excellent choices (IMHO)!
I have wanted to play burning wheel for years
Definitely checking out your #1. Dragonbane
Do it! It's really cool!
Fabula Ultima is fantastic. Against the Darkmaster has a fantastic system and build your own world. Infinity has an amazing sci-fi world but rules are a bit too crunchy.
All brand new to me! I will add them to the list of things to investigate when I find the time 😆
Hi there, is there any way to send you a private message? I tried all the links you have on yt and none worked, maybe I'm dumb :P
Sorry mastodon and Twitter are the best ways to contact me at the moment. I may make a business email in the future.
The links are working on my end though, that's strange..
@@ElderGoblinGames The thing is, I could not send you a direct message on any of these platforms. Or I am doing something wrong.
Welcome back to the hobby 🎉
Thanks! 🎲 🐉
Cool list. Needs a Chris McDowall game but otherwise really solid. I’d love to have a group for Electric and/or Mythic Bastionland.
Same. That game looks so cool.
So, now that I had the time to actually watch the video... not promising that it makes more sense that the first one though:
1. I currently take a break from most of the 100 other RPG channels I subed to, because I'm a little heartbroken, that my DnD group just died on my. But not from this one. For the closing song alone.
2. I had tons of fun with Warhammer 1e what feels like 50 years ago... but it's only 30 years. Thanks for the memories.
3. I got DCC for 25 bucks on Amazon... best RPG value ever.
4. Mausritter has a German title, because Germans are small, cute, brave and a dangerous world wants to kill them. Got it.
5. Damit, I want to try out Dragonbane!
1. Sad about your group, but glad to hear someone likes my jingles 😆
2. Warhammer looks really fun, but I haven't had a chance to give it an honest look through. I do really like the character creation in it though.
3. DCC is a great value and game! It's an entire system, including an adventure for half the price of any other game. I really enjoy it.
4. That makes sense. I'm pretty sure I have some German in my blood, probably why I like Mausritter so much. 😁
5. Try it! It's really easy to learn and I bet you can find plenty of folks interested in playing it.
What do you think about Tiny Dungeons?
I picked up a PDF of it a while back and haven't given it an honest shakedown, but it seemed pretty simple and straightforward at a glance. Another contender for "my first RPG" from what I did read of it.
One blade circles.
Fun video! You’ve got solid taste in ttrpgs
Thank you! There are so many cool games out there, and of the ones I've tried these really stand out.
I’d recommend Castles & Crusades.
Cool I'll check it out!
Is TORG considered good?
Good stuff!
Thank you! 🎲
Games that I would play right now if given the opportunity:
Earthdawn (the crunchiest game I play, but such a rich and immersive world. I'm a big fan of mechanics that marry up to theme)
The One Ring (Tolkienesque gaming at its finest)
Root (had a blast running this. Who doesn't want a woodland version of the war of the roses?)
Troika! (Weird, science-fantasy where you can really lean into the absurdism. It comes with some really fun modules)
Pirate Borg (everything is better with pirates)
Mutant: Year Zero (I loved running this and I learned a lot from it, which is impressive considering how far into my rpg career I was before finding this game)
Worlds Without Number (the only real D&D clone style game I'm really interested in. It strips away so many of my issues with D&D and the GM section of the book is incredible. Even if you just want to play D&D, get this book as the location generation tools are invaluable.)
Electric Bastionland (I really like the aesthetic of this game)
Valley of Eternity (a fantasy/western style game, but you are all penguins in Antarctica)
Lex Arcana (paranormal investigation, but in Ancient Rome)
Panic at the Dojo (I'm intrigued by the systems of this game and have always wanted to run a Streetfighter/side-scrolling brawler type game but didn't want to be slowed down by clunky rules. This one seems much smoother)
Those are some solid choices! I've heard the One Ring has really interesting travel mechanics. I want Troika, Electric Bastion Lands, and Mutant Year Zero
I've got WWN and Root (both are great!) and I've not heard of the rest.
@@ElderGoblinGames One Ring's travel mechanics are a neat little mini game sort of experience. And they feel like they matter rather than just a movement from point a to point b.
@@ElderGoblinGames I've been playing Earthdawn across 4 editions since 1993. It is my go-to fantasy game because the world and lore are so rich.
Pirate Borg is the same engine as Mörk Borg, but feels a lot more fun and less bleak than its predecessor. It also has a great, light ship combat system. A game that mechanically incorporates sea shanties and allows you to play a sentient, spell-slinging voodoo chicken is a winner in my book.
Valley of Eternity was simply too unique a theme for me to pass up. Playing a grim heroic story with penguins, battling orcas and skuas and the horrible entities of the frozen north simply to save the penguin colonies that depend upon you but can never truly embrace you. Glorious.
Panic at the Dojo was a very recent purchase. I saw a review and bought it almost immediately after. I even sprang for a hard copy off Drivethroughrpg. The mechanics are so interesting in how you design and implement your styles, the tactical choices and action management feel really engaging and thematic. It looks like it really captures the feel of a fighting game. I look forward to running it.
@@jasonnewell7036 wow that is a long time and some dedication. I was 5 years old in 1993 so, TTRPGs weren't even on my radar haha. Pirate borg sounds cool. I've kept a healthy distance from Mork Borg because it sounded too bleak and brutal, even for my group.
Is that YOU playing and singing your theme song through the credits at the end?
That is me. I have a jingle to go with just about every style of video I make.
When you’re in trouble, you
Call D.W.
I can hear this comment. (Let's get dangerous🎶)
Burning Wheel in the top 5 is classy AF
Haha thank you 🫡🔥🛞
Mork Borg
What is your take on Worlds Without Number?
I think Worlds Without Number has the best DMG (..GMG?) of any game out there. Honestly it probably deserved an honorable mention just for that. It's got so many tables and tips for world building details.
I'm kind of beating myself up for not mentioning it.
I went into this video about TTRPGs and am still shocked with the amount of nerdom!
Glad to hear I'm as nerdy as I imagine I am 😆
Great list but it is definitely missing Forbidden Lands imo.
For sure. It was between Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane and I went with Dragonbane just for simplicity's sake. Plus it's probably closer to games like D&D for people who aren't familiar with games other than the big two.
@@ElderGoblinGames I totally get that. :-) And thanks for even responding to this admittedly somewhat grumpy sounding comment of mine. Great channel you got there! Please keep it up. Greetings from Germany!
No to hit armor class zero for you? My heart is hurt. ;)
Thac0 is wack0
@@ElderGoblinGames It is.
Cool list, but you should really try getting away from d20 fantasy combat games and explore more stuff. Blades in the dark and swade were great picks btw
Agreed, but also, Mazes, Burning Wheel, Blade in the Dark and Savage Worlds are all non-d20 and Savage Worlds, Cypher System, Mazes, and Crown & Skull all have plenty of options for non-combat play and most of those aren't intrinsically tied to fantasy or have options for non-fantasy.
I think I did more variety than most Top 10 type videos, especially since this is targeted for people who are probably just playing D&D / Pathfinder.
Admittedly, a lot of these are combat oriented though. What would some of your suggestions be for games not centered around combat?
@@ElderGoblinGames vampire the masquerade and call of cthulu would be two games I would love to see get more love
@@anthonyvolpato1005 I do need to pick up call of Cthulhu. I typically avoid the horror genre, but that one sounds more up my alley. To be honest I haven't had much interest in vampire the masquerade. But I wouldn't be opposed to someone selling me on it.
Thanks for the video! We’d love for you to check out and review Alloyed RPG
Very awesome list 😊. Thank you for taking time to watch my video. I had to come over & check your list out as well. You also put me onto some new ones to check out!!!!!!
Awesome! Seems like we like a few similar games 😁