Day Two’s #RPGaDay2018 question, What do you look for in an RPG? When it comes to RPGs these days there are a few things that I look for.

 

 

There are three things I consider when it comes to looking at a new PRG. Now please understand none of this will keep me from making an RPG purchase they are just an added bonus.

 

Universal System Rules

Myself I’ve always been a fan of universal systems. One of the first things look for in an RPG is a good solid core set of rules. This allows me slightly modified or tweaked things for any game I might want to run.

NOTE:
When I was younger the ability to use a universal core set of rules even trumped the rules themselves needing to be solid ! I will even use a painful example of this, a very long time I ran Palladium game systems RPGs. Honestly, I ran Palladium system games for far longer than I would like to admit, but they had some very great setting concepts that at the time just keeps pulling me back because it saved the group from having to learn a new system.

Thankfully today there are several excellent Universal systems out there that have kept Palladium on the shelf for many many years now.

 

Some of my Personal Favorites

Cipher System
FATE Accelerated
FATE
Savage Worlds

I also wish I had more GURPS or the BURPS books. I have always loved GURPS but I have never run it.

 

Homebrew Ready

Another thing that I look for in RPGs is how much work will I need to do to be able to make the game “My Own”.  There are very few exceptions I can think of where an RPG game in my collection has not been tweaked, modified or played with in some way or another in this way to make it more “My Own”
A great example of a game that I love to play, but I hate to run is Shadowrun the RPG.

I personally like having a framework provided to me that I can build my own Ideas off of. In the case of Shadowrun, I often feel like there is so much going on that any thing I add is just extra clutter. This is probably the reason why my Shadowrun games look more like Cyberpunk games with Meta Races added to them.

 

Too Much of a Blank Canvas is a Bad Thing

The irony here for me personally is even though I like universal core systems. When I’m handed something that is to bare bones I like it even less than if I’m given something that is exceptionally well-written but gives me no wiggle room.

A good example of this is my love for FATE. But I hate making my own settings for FATE because the Fate toolbox feels to me like. Hear is an excellent rule set, and nothing for me to build my ideas around. Granted this gives me all the creativity I could ask for.

Yet personally I find at least having some kind of an outline to build on is far easier to develop ideas around than a blank page.

 

What are some of the things you look for in an RPG Game?

 

If you enjoyed this Question, Take a trip down memory lane and check out these questions.

 

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