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22:16, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Best Generic Gaming System?

Posted by allworth
WhiteComic
member, 349 posts
In omnia Paratus
Momento Mori
Wed 16 Aug 2017
at 06:57
  • msg #10

Best Generic Gaming System?

that sounds interesting enough. Are there any source books and/or materials to reference to online somewhere? I would love to look into this and just expand my knowledge.
Isida KepTukari
member, 161 posts
Elegant! Arrogant! Smart!
Wed 16 Aug 2017
at 09:38
  • msg #11

Re: Best Generic Gaming System?

WhiteComic:
How complex or noncomplex is Basic Roleplaying (BRP) and Cypher System? I've been wanting to learn some new and easy systems so I can widen my range of running games outside of just free-form.


Cypher System I think is fairly easy to play, particularly compared to any of the more complex systems like d20.  The very first Cypher System is called Numenera, and there are some fantastic fan-made guides for it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...l_AOMS6FnGFf4gyMA4K_

That link has three short videos: character creation, gaining and using XP, and comparisons between Numenera and the d20 system.

This link has an actual example of gameplay/how to play by the people who made the game:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26Id3jBB7Q

Though the setting for Numenera is unique, the underlying mechanics are the same for any game in the Cypher System.  I can knock together a character in fifteen minutes, once I understand the rules.  I can literally make up a unique monster in one minute, same with an NPC, a trap, puzzle, or riddle, or any other challenge.
WhiteComic
member, 353 posts
In omnia Paratus
Momento Mori
Wed 16 Aug 2017
at 09:40
  • msg #12

Re: Best Generic Gaming System?

Hey thanks! I'll definitely save these and take a look. I'm really trying to expand my horizons when it comes to role playing so I appreciate the materials you have provided for me this evening. I'm definitely going to take a look and read through and maybe build a small game out of it.
GamerHandle
member, 951 posts
Umm.. yep.
So, there's this door...
Wed 16 Aug 2017
at 22:11
  • msg #13

Re: Best Generic Gaming System?

allworth:
In reply to GamerHandle (msg # 4):

First, thanks to all for the replies.

I lean towards rules built to be for ALL genres, Story Agnostic, Classless, and Dice.

Thanks again.

Welcome

Depending upon level of crunch:

Basic RolePlaying (BRP) [simple]
to
HERO [potential to be complex, but, complexity is set by the person running the game]

are some good choices.

However, HERO is a DIFFICULT choice for RPOL, as the speed/initiative mechanics make play quite complex.
horus
member, 227 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Thu 17 Aug 2017
at 02:22
  • msg #14

Re: Best Generic Gaming System?

It does take extra work to use a sequential combat system with initiative and surprise, but it can be done.  Typically, you would want to get all your players to post their declared actions along with their Initiative numbers, then make a resolution post that sorts it all out in order.

Some other generic rule sets:

  • The Black Hack (free, geared more toward Fantasy, though.)
  • Astounding Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (also geared more to Fantasy.)
  • QAGS (a very funny set of gaming rules that is VERY generic)
  • TWERPS (another funny and rules-light game system for any type of setting)
  • Tri-Stat dX (free and very generic.)
  • Fate Accelerated seems to also have its fans here. (I've never tried it.)


Hope that helps round out your researches.

Good Hunting,
D
Mrrshann618
member, 121 posts
Thu 17 Aug 2017
at 12:35
  • msg #15

Best Generic Gaming System?

In reply to WhiteComic (msg # 8):

In the BRP/Call of Cthulhu system all skills/tests are percentile. Roll to hit roll against your skill. Two guys wrestling Compare stats (10 vs 10 has a 50% change to win). Your stats are the everyday 3-18 "normal" range though things like Giants and other supernatural can easily break that barrier.

What options you use is up to you in the BRP system. They include rules for random armor protection as well as set armor values. You want to hold a shot trade initiative ranks for % bonuses.

The basic book fares really well under a fantasy setting.
Sci-Fi does descent though it is really generic.
The basic books do not do Supers very well in my opinion.

There are no levels so characters progress based on how they are played. Skills used more often tend to increase faster. This also means that a sword is just as deadly to a new player as to a veteran IF they are hit. The system really plays into veterans REALLY being veterans simply by skills alone.

Since the rules are unified between sci-fi and fantasy you can actually mix genera together without any kind of balance or conversions.
truemane
member, 2095 posts
Firing magic missles at
the darkness!
Thu 17 Aug 2017
at 13:46
  • msg #16

Best Generic Gaming System?

My favourite generic system is Aspect Only Fate:

https://drive.google.com/file/...jQ2Y2YzMjI0YTE3/view

I've used it for sci-fi, urban fantasy, supers, a game I ran once based on the movie 9 (note, I mean "9" with the sentient post-apocalyptic dolls, not "Nine" the pseudo-sequal to 8 1/2).

I find it works for everything, is easy enough to explain to anyone in a minimum of time, and there are enough dice to keep things interesting.

It does involve a lot winging it. I love winging it, but as always YMMV.
Aslanii76
member, 125 posts
Fri 18 Aug 2017
at 01:50
  • msg #17

Best Generic Gaming System?

GURPS is an older system out there with lots of period books.  Somewhat complicated and a fairly deadly combat system.
Mad Mick
member, 903 posts
The end
is in the beginning
Fri 18 Aug 2017
at 07:13
  • msg #18

Best Generic Gaming System?

The Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPS, natch) is still my go-to system for fantasy, sci-fi, modern, horror, mystery, and superheroes.  You can easily run a game featuring a French musketeer, a Viking from 500 AD, a Vulcan science officer, and a Transformer.  It's as crunchy as you like.  I've played in some GURPS games that were in incredibly deadly with lots of dicerolling and others that were almost freeform with only the occasional dice roll.

In creating characters, you'll pick advantages, disadvantages, quirks, and perks that create nice roleplaying hooks (Duties, Phobias, Codes of Honor, Allies and Enemies, etc.)

One of the biggest challenges to the system are the sheer amount of options available, both when generating characters and in optional rules.  It's good for potential GMs to be pretty strict with what they allow and what rules they use.  Character creation can take some time, although there are character generation tools available (some free, but the best one is $20).

There also aren't a ton of published adventures for GURPS, since the system is used for all kinds of game genres.  Most GURPS GMs prefer to use their own adventures, but if you like to use published modules, they can be converted easily enough.

Another drawback is the number of books available.  For a GURPS 4E game, you need GURPS Characters and GURPS Campaigns, but if it's a fantasy campaign, you might want GURPS Fantasy.  Magic has its own book.  Powers, too.  However, there are a ton of useful sourcebooks for different historical periods and campaign worlds.  Since new editions of GURPS act more as consolidations of rules, older materials can easily be used.  Also, GURPS Lite (and Ultralite) are good introductions, and they're free.

I love that one system can be used for so many different types of games, and I really love how much the system encourages roleplaying.
This message was last edited by the user at 07:13, Fri 18 Aug 2017.
Muaadeeb
member, 74 posts
Mon 21 Aug 2017
at 21:51
  • msg #19

Best Generic Gaming System?

I would say GURPS as well.
bythenumbers
member, 19 posts
Mon 21 Aug 2017
at 22:59
  • msg #20

Best Generic Gaming System?

In reply to Muaadeeb (msg # 19):

Cortex Plus. Love the lightweight rules and mechanics, and it's pretty easy to hack for just about any setting. Great, tactical dice mechanic, to boot. I like to think of it as a "fixed" version of Fate Core in terms of flexibility, because of CP's Distinctions and Assets filling the same niche as Fate's Aspects, but without the weird reckoning about whether an Aspect applies or not.

GM'ed CP twice for RL campaigns, and the system worked really well. Improvising opposition, NPCs and obstacles was a piece of cake.
AramilNailo
member, 42 posts
Mon 21 Aug 2017
at 23:14
  • msg #21

Best Generic Gaming System?

I'm going to pitch in again for Savage Worlds.
Simple, cinematic and generic.
Waxahachie
member, 151 posts
The horn that wakes
the sleepers
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 17:36
  • msg #22

Best Generic Gaming System?

For something simple and flexible, I'd go with Basic Roleplaying (BRP).

For something with a bit more heft and crunch to it, but easily adaptable for any genre and setting, I'd go with Savage Worlds.
RPGuru92
member, 162 posts
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 19:10
  • msg #23

Best Generic Gaming System?

I think GURPS would be an idea, its made a fortune on genericness. Though if you want bare-bones bliss Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying. Finally, I will always be a FUDGEr

Then the duct tape of role-playing will always be RISUS for me.
Dgorjones
member, 44 posts
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 21:54
  • msg #24

Best Generic Gaming System?

Absolutely RISUS.  That is a genuinely rules lite, generic game.  It's amazing.  It's only 4 pages and can handle anything.  It makes virtually all other allegedly rules lite games look like Pathfinder.
This message was last edited by the user at 21:54, Wed 23 Aug 2017.
DarkLightHitomi
member, 1184 posts
Thu 24 Aug 2017
at 02:13
  • msg #25

Best Generic Gaming System?

Or try my Two Paragraph Roleplaying System,

Each character picks two foci from the following,
Combat
Agility
Charisma
Smarts
Spirit

Roll 3d6 any time success is not garunteed, or 4d6 drop lowest if a character's focus applies. 8+ is basic success, 12+ is a great success, 16+ is an amazing success, and 18 is a legendary success. Else (7 or less), a complication occurs, such as an added obstacle, alarm goes off, need to find a new route, etc.
FaerieGodfather
member, 9 posts
Tue 1 May 2018
at 02:12
  • msg #26

Best Generic Gaming System?

Going to throw my two cents in here:

Cortex, either Plus or the upcoming Prime.

You adjust the trait sets according to the genre and the type of game experience. You adjust the damage rules according to the level of brutality you want.
This message was lightly edited by the user at 21:06, Tue 01 May 2018.
TCArknight
member, 63 posts
Tue 1 May 2018
at 14:37
  • msg #27

Best Generic Gaming System?

I’m actually starting to believe that Genesys from FFG is a very good option for a ‘generic’ system...
jimlafleur
member, 166 posts
Tue 1 May 2018
at 16:45
  • [deleted]
  • msg #28

Best Generic Gaming System?

This message was deleted by the user at 16:46, Tue 01 May 2018.
jimlafleur
member, 167 posts
playing AD&D, AFMBE,
BFRPG, Rifts
Tue 1 May 2018
at 16:47
  • msg #29

Re: Best Generic Gaming System?

Dgorjones:
Absolutely RISUS.  That is a genuinely rules lite, generic game.  It's amazing.  It's only 4 pages and can handle anything.  It makes virtually all other allegedly rules lite games look like Pathfinder.


So true! And if you really wanta bit more you can get the additional RISUS compendium.
truemane
member, 2119 posts
Firing magic missles at
the darkness!
Tue 1 May 2018
at 17:02
  • msg #30

Best Generic Gaming System?

In reply to Dgorjones (msg # 24):

Thirded. The game is presented in a comedic way, but it can be used for almost anything.
horus
member, 475 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Tue 1 May 2018
at 20:09
  • msg #31

Best Generic Gaming System?

Well, if you're looking for comedy, you might want to look at QAGS (Quick *Ash* Game System)  {Hey, an Ash is a type of tree...}

You can tell when a game doesn't take itself too seriously when the rules are fun to read.
DarkLightHitomi
member, 1344 posts
Tue 1 May 2018
at 20:17
  • msg #32

Best Generic Gaming System?

d20 is very versatile and gives a good baseline scaling from natural humans to superhero demigods. Strip it's fluff and it is still playable for any genre (though tech content can be found in d20 modern).

The only exception is magic, but Spheres of Power is made for d20 and can easily handle anh magic needs.
Genghis the Hutt
member, 2520 posts
Just an average guy :)
Tue 29 May 2018
at 20:49
  • msg #33

Best Generic Gaming System?

You don't get more generic than "roll a die and add your stat".  Now, there are systems that purposefully ignore all stats or just assign story points or whatever and I'm going to ignore them as if you want that type of a game then you never need to buy a gaming system, just do it.

Now some systems have people increase their stat as they level.  Some systems have people increase the size or quantity of dice as they level.  Some systems do both.  (If the system you like is one of the wacky ones where you get smaller bonuses as you level because you're trying to hit an increasingly smaller target number, and AD&D I'm looking at you, just replace "increase" with "decrease").

Some game systems have tried to make unified or universal stat systems where characters from disparate "worlds" (like fantasy or futuristic) can run together, but this is difficult -- it's difficult enough to balance things when every character is from the same time period, mainly because it's difficult to balance things out when they don't serve the same purpose.  Exactly how many oranges does it take to equal one apple?  How about a banana?  And how many ounces of steak or cups of wheat/barley grape-nuts does one orange equal?  Some people really like oranges, some people have kidney stone problems and try to limit their citric acid intake, some people love fruity meals, some people are pure carnivores.

Looking at the major systems, they've all standardized to some degree or another.  GURPS, Shadowrun, d20, World of Darkness (especially the, I don't know what it's called, revised, new but not the new new now called classic one), they're all fun.  I personally think that GURPS is funky, that NWoD is superior to OWoD as far as balance and playability goes, and that d20 is a marvelously open system leading to Pathfinder and Spycraft and many other third-party games that are all theoretically playable with each other.
jkeogh
member, 85 posts
Tue 29 May 2018
at 22:05
  • msg #34

Best Generic Gaming System?

Has anyone tinkered with the Genesys system from Fantasy Flight Games?

I have  a soft spot for those crazy dice they made for the Star Wars RPG and think that the narrative dice could work just about anywhere, so I'm glad they are trying a generic system but haven't heard much about it's success or failings...
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