Hello, I thought this would be the right subforum to ask about RP systems. So here I am, asking about RP systems.

I went, naturally, to the RP Systems subforum before coming here. Unfortunately, I just got more confused. I might have missed an elucidating resource on the site, and if that's the case, I'd be incredibly grateful if someone could link me to it.

My questions are:

1) What are the popularly used game systems?
2) Is there a resource I can use to manage a game within those systems?
3) Should I even bother with game systems or is free-flowing the way to go?

In general, I think what I'd really like is an Intro to game systems, one that presents every popular system, the rules of that system, the pros and cons of that system, and gives me a website or whatever for managing a game running that system.

That's it

Oh, if this forum isn't appropriate for this thread, my apologies, but I didn't know where to go so I just went here

Great questions!

I'll start with your third question first.  No, if you want to, you don't have to borrow with learning game systems.  Freeform is the most popular type of system on RPOL, and everything you need to play is generally found within those games.

For the first question, this thread looked at some of the most popular systems:  link to a message in this forum.  You'll find more information about Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Pathfinder, GURPS, FATE, Savage Worlds, and other systems.  In addition, several of the posts there have links to the rules different companies freely make available.

For your second question, what kind of resource are you looking for?  The Heaven forum has character sheets and more for lots of systems:  link to another game.  Apart from that, you might want some kind of cheat sheet/DM screen for your system of choice.  Many systems also have character generation software/websites that help with creating characters.

When choosing which system you're going to use, think about what kind of game you want to run.  If you want to run a fantasy type game, D&D and Pathfinder are favorite choices.  There are systems for Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Firefly, and many other IPs.  Some games, like D&D and GURPS, are Rule 0 games, meaning that the gamemaster/narrator has the most authority.  Other games, like FATE, are more collaborative.

This post compares some of the most popular systems (although it's missing D&D):  http://www.sygnus.org/2014/07/...-systems-comparison/

This post has brief blurbs about 40+ different systems:  http://www.feartheboot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7132

More about different systems:  http://listverse.com/2012/02/1...-role-playing-games/
This message was last edited by the user at 09:31, Fri 01 July 2016.

To be a little out of order, for #2, the answer is RPOL.
Ok, there's a lot of other sites that do something similar, and there's other ways of playing than play-by-post, but RPOL is here for exactly that purpose.

for #3, I'd say yes unless the game's focus is 100% social. A system, even if it's homebrew, adds a layer of uncertainty and danger to things, it also tends to come with tons of setting fluff, worldbuilding and things that can be used as inspiration that's very nice to have.

In general, I'd suggest starting with a system that has an extensive SRD (that is, a large chunk of the rules and most of what players need to know, up for free), or is entirely free itself, preferably one that's light on the rolling.

A second suggestion? play first before trying your hand at running a game. You really don't know what you're getting into until you do it for the first time even with freeform, hell, especially with freeform, and doing it with zero experience as a player on top? ouch.
This message was last edited by the user at 09:50, Fri 01 July 2016.

Hey! Thanks for your suggestions and help!



I have already participated in some RPs, although not on this site. Thank your for your suggestions!



These are probably the best two system choices for me, then. I'll look them up. Thank you for your help as well!

In reply to Coasty (msg # 4):

Every site is different; I'd advise playing in a game here to get used to the mechanics from the player's side before trying to run anything.  Enjoy!

Another option for you to consider is Wikipedia. If you look up role-playing games, they have a list of pretty much all game systems. You can click on each link, and the entry gives an explanation of the system. It usually lists all supplemental material that's been published for that system.

If you are going to use Pathfinder they have an excellent SRD with everything you will ever need to play or GM.  http://www.d20pfsrd.com/

Some GM's will let you watch/'lurk' if you ask.  If you get in at the beginning of a game, you can see the sequence of events as it starts, otherwise you may have a lot of gaming material to read thru to get caught up.  Players often leave - lurkers have been given a chance to join in at that time.