These Are A Few Of Our Favorite TTRPGs!
In honor of our Try An RPG Day next month (for those who identify as women and girls), Lady Diceacorn and Meepline have decided to share some of their favorite role-playing games! (And as much as Meepline loves D&D, it will not be on this list. ::shocked face::)
Try An RPG Day 2018 was a rousing success!
Meepilne’s Favorites
Numenera
Numenera is my favorite role-playing game EVER. This game, by Monte Cook Games, was the first to sport the sleek and simple Cypher System that MCG is known for. From the gorgeous art on their character sheets, to the ease of character creation, the Cypher System is, in my opinion, one of the best “gateway RPGs.” If you read our previous post about the Art in RPGs, you know how I feel about the absolutely stunning art in all of the Numenera books. But the thing that makes Numenera my favorite RPG is the setting. The game is set in the Ninth World, a far far distant future of Earth, after many civilizations have risen and fallen. The technologies of those civilizations have permeated the planet and the atmosphere, creating the Numenera, technology that has become almost like magic. Certain characters can manipulate the Numenera, and throughout the game you gather Cyphers, pieces of Numenera that are useable once. They can be potions, weapons, or even armor pieces. Make sure to use your Cyphers; you’ll find a bunch as you travel the Ninth World! More permanent pieces of Numenera are Artifacts or Oddities. Artifacts are more useful (like a ring that eventually turns you to diamond), and Oddities are fun flavor pieces (like a small rectangle that plays an ancient song). There is a TON of material for this game, but the thing I love about this game is the customizability. There is so much potential for this game for you to let your creativity loose, especially with your starting Oddities. One of my favorites was the earring I made that vibrated at sunrise and sunset. I didn’t realise how amazingly useful it would be in the game we played (The Devil’s Spine), but it turned out to be a saving grace to our party.
Apocalypse World
Apocalypse World is another favorite. There are many Powered by the Apocalypse games (like Dungeon World and Girl Underground), but this is the one and only original! By D. Vincent Baker and his wife Meguey Baker, it’s a rough, gritty, ridiculously over the top look at the generation after an Apocalyptic Catastrophe (they don’t specify the Catastrophe). This game is really easy to pick up and just run. The setting is determined by players and MC (game runner) alike; everyone builds it together! This was also the first game I ever ran myself; it was a delightful game set in Chicago, under a broken section of the El. They had to travel South to find an energy source. What the energy source was hadn’t been determined yet, nor had the exact location. It is a game that lends itself to a lot of improv and creativity in the moment, and takes minimal prep time in between.
Meepline’s RPG shelf. 3 of the 4 games mentioned in this post can be found on this shelf!
Lady Diceacorn’s Favorites
Savage Worlds
Savage Worlds is a wonderful game for beginner Game Masters and beginner players. The rules are extremely easy to pick up and teach, and are very versatile. The only game I have been disappointed in is the superhero game I played in. This game uses all the dice but a d20. There is an extra d6 that you have as a player called the Wild Die. Rolled with your check, you will take the higher number and it allows the highest result on the dice to “explode” and you can keep rolling that die until it is not the highest result and add it all together. The high result can increase with the awesomeness. I have promised Smalerie that this is the perfect setting to run a Harry Potter game in. Last year, I kickstarted the new edition. I can’t wait to see what they have done with it.
Danger Patrol
Danger Patrol never was released in Alpha form, but its free beta test is one of my favorite games of all time. The premise is that you are creating a 50’s pulp sci-fi half hour tv show. (Encourage the players to come up with products to sell during commercial breaks.) Characters are created at the table in a very fun and unique way. But running this game is not for the extreme planner, because GMs improv the entire game, with only a name and the character’s backstory to guide them. It is an exciting and unique challenge, where my ability to come up with ideas off the cuff shines.
These some of our favorite games. Three of these systems will be available to try at our next Try an RPG Day, which takes place on May 19, 2019 from 12 - 6 pm at Comicazi. This is all women-lead tables filled with all women players. It is a fun and easy way to try RPGs or try a new system. We are still taking GM signups. Player sign ups will begin the weekend of May 3, 2019.