6 more great RPGs that aren't Dungeons and Dragons

[@talahar123]

One utterly delightful hack of Lasers & Feelings is "Oh dang! Big Foot stole my car with my friend's birthday presents inside!". But that's just one of many, the L&F hacks are mostly super creative and such fun to skim through. :D

[@DeathCatInHat]

I started out playing DND and when I looked into other games quickly relized it was really not the one for me. I have been loving playing and finding new TTRPGs. This and the other one helped me find more to play and I thankbyou all for that.

[@ScFirestorM]

Lancer's universe is one where terrible things have happened, are happening, and may yet happen. It is also filled with hope for the future in spite of the terrible things. I think it's summarized best with one line in the core book: "Union could not bring their dead back home, but they would choke the stars with the living."

[@spiritandsteel]

That line gave me full-body chills the first time I read it in the book. Lancer is so beautifully, brilliantly written. And the worldbuilding is just phenomenal.

[@ravenshadowz2343]

In RuneQuest, you must roll the base chance for a regular success or below, not under the base percentage.

[@stormy7745]

Lasers and Feelings is so delightful, and tbh it's excellent for being a sort of palate cleanser if you want to give your dm a break from your usual session but still want to play bc anyone can run it and anyone can play it

[@spuckett2489]

Not sure if these are covered in the other video, but Mork Borg, Apocalypse World, Tales From The Loop/Things From The Flood, Monsterhearts, Cthulhu Dark, Fiasco, Kids On Bikes/Brooms, Quest, Broken Compass, Trophy, and Golden Sky Stories are a lot of fun too :)

[@talahar123]

Wish the great Savage Worlds would finally make it onto one of these lists. After bouncing off trying to DM one of those D&D/D20 rules I finally found the game to run for me with SW. It's a universal system where you can easily prop onto a premade setting that are readily available, or create your own with ease. It's also the base for Deadlands: The Weird West which is just a brilliant Western Horror game with a long history. Definitely give that a try, the newest version called SWADE (Savage Worlds Adventure's Edition) is only a couple of years old and is pretty awesome.

[@WardNightstone]

Savage worlds is great there is a webcomic called up to 4 players that a few years ago started doign a story where they play Crystal heart (a savage worlds game created by the comics creator that you can actually buy in wich humans have LITERLALY crystal hearts and if they swap the crystal they are born with otu they get powers...but it's not as simple as that because of corse it's not)

[@MrMixWhelan]

Deadlands is on the original list this is a follow up to :)

[@talahar123]

@@MrMixWhelan Well color me silly then. Should have watched the original list again before commenting. Thanks for keeping me in check, Wheels! :D

[@MrMixWhelan]

@@talahar123 no problem!

[@alderaancrumbs6260]

Savage Worlds is incredible!

[@Alkis05]

I had the most fun with RPG playing Vampire the Mascarade. It was a group with some 30 people and 2 Narrators (which made for a super crowded domain, now that I am thinking about it). We had a fully staffed Tremere chapel, ventrue, Gangrel, Toreador, etc., with elder council, Prince (who was a La Sombra), Sheriff, the whole thing. All players. Even a few stray, like a sethist and a Tzimisce. There were barely any NPCs. We had Elysium meetings, dressed in character, once every 2 months and adventures and other interactions every other Tuesday night.

[@chrislundgren182]

Some to mention is Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mutant Crawl Classics, Lion & Dragon, RPG, Basic Fantasy RPG,

[@Jkelenqest]

One of my favorite non-D&D ttrpgs that I hope makes it into a future video is Numenera. I really enjoy it mechanically with the pool system and the way character creation and advancement works, but the thing that really pulled me in is the post-post-post-post apocalyptic Gene Wolfe/ Jack Vance "so far in the future that it's basically the past, but way weirder" setting. And the art is gorgeous.

[@benpuffer7891]

I feel like anyone talking about Mausritter and not at least acknowledging the Mouse Guard rpg is doing a disservice.

[@TheTwyker]

Both are great, but very different beasts. :D

[@spacelem]

I like Mouse Guard for the flavour and setting, but not so much for its mechanics. Mausritter is a lovely game with nice light mechanics, but while what little flavour it provides is great, it doesn't get you very far. Mouse Guard setting + Mausritter mechanics = a perfect match.

[@rranft]

A few old ones from my teens and early twenties: Space Opera - moderately crunchy sci-fi RPG from 1980. RoleMaster/Space Maseter - ICE's roleplaying system, first is fantasy flavored and the second is sci-fi. Also spun off into a Middle Earth RPG with some solid source books. Cyberpunk 2020/RED - a pretty classic cyberpunk RPG. Mekton - a mecha anime RPG. Has expansions for more diversity in what style of mecha setting one wants.

[@syaoran5476]

I love Lancer!! I have a White Witch/Black Witch build atm in my (last played like half a year ago) game being a tank that also controls the battlefield is so RAD.

[@disposable157]

I love vampire v5 so much. The mechanics are great as well - there's a really good 'push your luck' approach to your vampy powers and its so refreshing when compared to d&d's spell slots system, aka 'you can only cast three spells before the magic stops working' The other chronicles of darkness games are great as well, particularly promethean and changeling

[@malkavthemad4249]

I actually think V5 in lore is many steps back. The mechanics aren't bad though.

[@paullomax4038]

I always drop in Delta Green as a recommendation. It's Call of Cthulhu meets X files and its a ton of fun provided the setting appeals. There's also a GUMSHOE version called Fall of Delta Green with its own charms.

[@spuckett2489]

It's also worth mentioning that Fall Of Delta Green focuses on the 1960s and the events of that decade - Ken Hite wrote about situationism, the May '68 events in Paris, and how it could be tied into the mythos and I was hooked.

[@GratuaCuun]

One game line I want to throw into the ring is the TinyD6 games. They are as the creator puts it "Simple not stupid". All of them can be easily played and run, are simple to learn but also have different dials you can tweak to make the game the way you want. Not only that but all the different genre books can easily be mashed together to come up with a setting thats really unique. For example, Want to run Firefly? Just mix Tiny Frontiers with Tiny Gunslingers and with a wee bit of tweaking you're good to go. They have new ones coming out all the time. We know there is Tiny Spies and Tiny Cyberpunk being worked on and if you want your superhero fix there is Tiny Supers thats out. But if you want a game thats easy to run and play but the frame work is still pretty robust to build upon seriously look into TinyD6. Another one I would be remiss not to mention which is kind of in the same vein as TinyD6 is Neon City Overdrive. Rules-lite narrative cyberpunk game that is again really easy to pickup and play in like 5-10 mins.

[@spuckett2489]

Don't forget the Tiny book about lifeguards, and my personal favorite, Tiny Taverns, a game about running a tavern :)

[@and280]

The fact that nobody talks about Warhammer Soulbound is a crime.

[@countesschewi2399]

I do wish that when you mentioned Lancer you talked about the amazing artwork of one of its designers, Tom Parkinson-Morgan. (There's also guest art from other artists which is just as good) He has a webcomic called Kill Six Billions Demons that's nearing its end so you can binge-read it graphic novel style, and is also currently working on a new RPG called ICON, inspired by JRPGs that you can get the playtest version of for free. His vision of the far future is absolutely inspiring. (There's also a PBTA game set in the world(s) of K6BD.)

[@GoblinLord]

is it just called K6BD Rpg or is it got a unique name

[@countesschewi2399]

@@GoblinLord Look up "Broken Worlds" and you should find it.

[@nickdejager8873]

I like L&F.. Though when I run it, i have players select three FATE style aspects. One has to include your role on the ship (like Ace Pilot ) and the other two can be anything (within reason, like FATE). I find it fleshes out the characters better, but I also use it for determining if someone gets the expert die.

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

I think it's time you took a look at Traveller and its new Cepheus Engine variant

[@matthewdaley4403]

Game designer here. As somebody who knows the folks behind a bunch of these games, thanks for the support. They’re great games made by great people.

[@michaelbarclay1496]

My two go to recommendations for TTRPS that aren't the big 'ol dragon are currently *Band of Blades* and *Masks: A New Generation* Band of Blades is an RPG based on the system from Blades in the Dark which gets a big mention in the first video and is just great. It's set in a grim fantasy world, with some major Dark Souls feels where humanity is decisively losing a war against an unstoppable undead army. You play the last survivors of a once great legion and you're only real task is to run the heck away and not die before you can get home and reinforce. It has a very prescriptive campaign where you move between zoomed in missions and broader campaign moments where you decide where to travel next, or what supplies to use. In the latter you'll play as various key leaders of the legion and in the former you embody a few hardened soldiers or puny rookies and hope they all make it home alive. It has some major XCOM vibes, and players will likely control a lot of characters throughout the campaign, as soldiers die or need to rest and recuperate after a bad mission. It fits a really nice niche in RPGs because it's certainly not a one shot, but it's also not a 2 year long DnD campaign either. A whole campaign might last 10-12 sessions or so, providing a decent but not overwhelming commitment Masks is an RPG about teenage superheroes living in a very superhero world - think Teen Titans, or the Young Avengers. It runs off my personal favourite system, _Powered by the Apocalypse_ which is used in a few games mentioned in the videos here (Bluebeards Bride, Night Witches). It has some really neat features - there's no HP system, instead when hurt you get conditions. So after a fight you might be Angry or Guilty and you have to perform quirky roleplaying triggers to cure them. It has an interesting influence system where, if you have influence over someone you can shift their stats around and basically tell them what's what. As every player character is a kid, by default ALL adults have influence over the players unless you do something about it. It's a great way to do a coming of age story, as the players all start as young and very new superheroes and eventually find their footing and cast aside the influence imposed on them by their parents, their mentors, or their older rivals. The company that made it just had a very successful Kickstarter for an Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG which is heavily based off Masks and I am VERY excited for that game!

[@LangleyVanDerKley]

Love your Runequest review - My game for the last 35 years!!

[@liamobrien6044]

PLEASE COVER DELTA GREEN OR SAVE IT FOR HALLOWEEN ITS THE BEST HORROR RPG EVER SORRY CTHULHU BUT I WANNA BE SECRET AGENT FISHMONGER

[@matthewconstantine5015]

Runequest!

[@GigachadVTuberEnjoyer]

I liked lancer alot, it's super customizable. And there are a ton of weird unique abilities

[@TheHUmarWhitill]

So happy to see Lancer getting a shout out! I have only had a chance to DM it once but it was a ton of fun

[@Pioootr]

No Love for Legend of Five Rings, Conan, Traveller, Alien, Coriolis, Delta Green, Warhammer, Tales from the Loop or 7th Sea?

[@kenroach5469]

Nice to see RuneQuest getting some mention. I've been playing/GMing RQ in its various versions since 1978. The rules allow both high fantasy and low fantasy campaigns to be run. The latest non-Glorantha-related version is called "Mythras" and is published by Design Mechanism which provides a free, downloadable PDF version of the core rules on their website. There is another older, highly polished non-Glorantha version called "Legends", published by Mongoose Publishing and still available as e-books from their website. Because of the universality of Chaosium's original D100 game engine used in their games, all published RuneQuest-related material, regardless of version, is compatible with minimal effort with any other version, providing a large amount of material for a Gamemaster to choose from. It's quite easy to combine RuneQuest, Pendragon (Arthurian England), Call of Cthulhu, and even Cthulhu Now and Delta Green for porting in modern weaponry into Steam Punk and time travel campaigns.

[@colbyboucher6391]

If anyone is interested by the basic mechanics of Runequest but doesn't like how heavily it's tied to Glorantha, there's always Mythras.

[@galinor7]

I'm doing a dark age Mythras Brythonic campaign at the moment. Wonderful game.

[@zeno6111753]

Nice to see someone talk about actual roleplaying games instead of roll-playing games ;)

[@Maintfive]

One I used to play was "The Morrow Project" it made a good jump off point for people who couldn't wrap around magic.

[@snoophogg85]

Bluebeard's Bride sounds really interesting!

[@2122Hellfire]

Those illustrations are beautiful too

[@snoophogg85]

@@2122Hellfire for sure!

[@SeporiBowi]

I wish I had time to play all these games.

[@GoblinLord]

I think it'd be an interesting hack of L&F is to have multiple pairs of stats that each use the same "Under-Over" roll system

[@Cronirios]

Most stores direct me to DnD when I ask them about rpgs that aren't DnD here. I like these videos

[@AntonyBrotherton]

Lasers and feelings is a great one nighter but it’s not really geared up to long term play. Great list BTW and I will deffo be checking out lancer

[@SkullDixon]

I'm only little surprised at the number of Well Known non D&D rpgs on this list.

[@WardNightstone]

Lasers and feelings is SUPER easy to reskin i did a version for the podcast Flintlocks and fireballs that was about the partys Monkey Geoffory and Rick Budd has done a TON of reskins cause he used to do a show where they would play reskins of Lasers and feelings

[@peterfleshman812]

Considering that VtM has been around since the early 90s, it is probably a grandma's RPG.

[@JDRedding]

Regret that you didnt mention Traveller ... for old time space gaming, it's a go to

[@svenk5221]

for some wierd reasons they totally ignore powered by the apocalypse games and also all the outstanding stuff Fee League published over the last half decade.

[@Ellohir]

Mausritter is great, and the PDF version is free!!

[@geekdomo]

Thanks for adding VTM! I have been playing it and running it since the early 90s and the 5th edition is by far the most accessible version. With shows like LA By Night and even the complete rip off by the show True Blood its really grown in the 30+ years of its existence. World of Darkness is seeing a massive resurgence. In 2018 VTM 5th Edition was RPG of the year, was hoping it would have made your last video but glad you are covering it now.

[@disposable157]

The Fall of London campaign book is top notch as well

[@geekdomo]

@@disposable157 Yea I love all of the WoD Books they have released recently. Kickstarted a ton.

[@disposable157]

@@geekdomo I just got mummy 2nd ed and I love the ideas they mess about with but it has SO MANY bits of non-English terminology. I have to flip to the glossary every twenty words or so. It'll be worth it in the end (promethean sure was) but yeesh

[@geekdomo]

@@disposable157 I Kickstarted that as well but still have not received my hard copy yet. I was one of the first to ks it.

[@rossbalch]

I think Cortex Prime could be an interesting inclusion in a future list. Very narrative focused and maintained by DnDB company Fandom. If the tools mature in line with DnDB it could become a favourite in the future I think.

[@richardhoneycutt4937]

old guy here: Runequest / Mythras EABA The Fantasy Trip

[@not-a-theist8251]

Vampire the Masquerade is absolutely amazing. Played 2 long campaigns in it

[@tinyhowie]

So glad someone finally recommended RuneQuest. It's an incredible game even Golantha is so detailed it's akin to our real world from different cultures. Very realistic, but with a sprinkle of fantasy magic, which also derived from some of our real world concept on how magic comes to be.

[@galinor7]

RQ is just awesome. It is where it all began. Mythras. Call of Cthulhu, Special Agency, K A Pendragon, and so many more games owe their existence to this masterpiece. BRP works so well in pushing a realistic narrative. My favourite version is probably Stormbringer. Yup huge call out for RQ.

[@shallendor]

My top 10 RPGs. 1-Cypher, 2-Teenagers From Outer Space, 3-Gamma World 4E(not based on D&D 4E), 4-All Flesh Must be Eaten, 5-Battlelords of the 23rd Century, 6-Pathfinder, 7-5E, 8-Palladium system, 9-AD&D, and 10-Star Frontiers

[@coffeepete]

Important Video. Please do some steps outside your comfort zone. There are so much nice indi and small other systems. Give them a try.

[@SteveJ0966]

I did a search of your channel for GURPS, and this is one one of three videos that came up, yet not one of them actually mentions this highly adaptable system. Time for a feature perhaps?

[@JDRedding]

GURPS and Traveller were my alternatives ... Steve Jackson Games put out a amany great game system, such as OGRE and Car Wars (another classic game (reborn today in Gaslands))

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

For minimalist games, I actually quite like Cthulhu Dark. I ran the game for several sessions as a lunch-break diversion for myself and some friends at work and genuinely enjoyed it. Granted, I did add the rule that characters have ONE consequence where they can take some sort of wound (physical, mental, spiritual... whatever makes sense) so that they didn't have to so strictly avoid confrontation. And it's easily adapted to other things, not just Call of Cthulhu-esque games. I'm a huge fan of World of Darkness (specifically, the "new" game line from 2000 forward, and more specifically the Mortal, Mage, and Changeling branches). It was the best game to get me away from D&D 3.5 back in the day. The older variant (shown here) tends to be a little too wacky and biblical for my likes, though. Meanwhile, I have very much been wanting to play/run Mausritter. But I want to create some board game quality (or nearly so) tokens for the equipment. I just haven't gotten around to actually doing it. I recently bought a copy of Runequest (an Ancient Greek-ish setting is right up my alley, and I rather like Call of Cthulhu, the big brother of this game). However, my initial read through of the book has me skeptical that it's a good fit for my group. There are some truly great elements to its structure and design, but it seems like it might be way too _crunchy_

[@azuraben5128]

Aaah, need more of this kind of videos, I want to learn more systems, MORE I SAY!

[@alexgreychuck7605]

Nice to see these games getting some love. All great choices.

[@Shane.Zuspan]

Would love a "Great One Shot RPGs" (that aren't all D&D)! And a nice range between light and fun to deep and impactful...

[@bobroll6530]

Yay Finally people talking about lancer

[@DGB_Smyth]

Please review Spire: City Must Fall...one of the best underrated TTRPG!

[@l0stndamned]

Interesting selection.

[@JacksonOwex]

Watching the video simply because this is about games that AREN'T D&D!!! D&D just isn't what I remember it was, plus now that it's so popular it just doesn't feel like a cool thing to be into anymore, not like it was 30 years ago!

[@lukedudley5030]

If you have mature players and a smart games master who has a plan then Kult is one of the best role playing games out there....not all guns a flash but with a smart story can be awesome.

[@katcrossley6894]

Love the list videos. Have you thought about some with a more personal angle from the teameg "7 times we "may" have "accidentally" cheated, or our greatest gaming victories, times we were sore losers, or shameful gaming secrets? Would love to hear you all chat about your gaming times. Because let's face it us board gamers all have those stories stored up 😂 I'm sure us commenters could give you a story or two as well

[@kalleendo7577]

Awesome

[@rachelmcveigh3997]

Surprised not to see Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) or any of Free League Publishing games like Mutant: Year Zero on the list. DCC's Lv 0 funnels makes character creation really unique and FLP games are dice pool based, which keeps things very interesting. Also shout out to Alice Is Missing, a silent RPG that had me in literal tears by the end

[@dicebreaker]

Alice is Missing is absolutely wonderful but I can't talk about it in good faith as it was written by a friend of mine! You can however read my preview from before we were pals here: www.dicebreaker.com/games/alice-is-missing/feature/alice-is-missing-rpg-kickstarter-preview

[@AndyP998]

Started with D&D back in 80s then tried maybe 20 other systems. Runequest still among all systems has best rules though, wasnt much fan of world though. D&D is way overrated, i would rate it as beginners game

[@ksaint17]

Ironsworn: Starforged

[@shadesofmysoul]

Ex-member?? What!?

[@keepyoureyespeeled]

Happened earlier in the year. He left to produce independent content.

[@shadesofmysoul]

@@keepyoureyespeeled thanks for the knowledge PS. Love your pic and user name

[@keepyoureyespeeled]

@@shadesofmysoul thank you

[@erikriggiola6780]

No mention of Legend of the five rings? Now in it's 5th edition with an exciting new dice mechanic? No Mention of Star Wars by FFG and picked up by Edge Studios? With one of the best game systems ever??? Really??? Also Dune, Conan by Modiphius, The One Ring, Vaesen, Coriolis, Pendragon....come on guys.

[@iloveathos]

what about hero system?

[@Duette-1]

Why not mention Mythras alongside Runequest?

[@jasonnewell7036]

Earthdawn! EARTHDAWN!!

[@Kandiell]

calling the GMS everest "crappy" means you didnt read the system properly. id argue its borderline OP as shit lol, if a bit dull.

[@marcraygun6290]

Talking of mechanical what about cthlhutech?

[@user-hd1ul6od2x]

It's a shame that Shadow of the Demon Lord was not mentioned, but that's okay.

[@michaelcross3464]

"Emo band, The Cure." smh nah.

[@zeugirdorle6586]

Still no Degenesis ;D

[@shinrafugitives3880]

J. Scott wouldn't like this act of destroying society for not playing 5e like a good consoomer

[@RonJomero]

Nosferatu have been errata'd that their appearance is no longer supernaturally ugly and won't break the Masquerade if they are seen in public. But they do show some sort of disfigurement, and will be fairly memorable to anyone that sees them. They just won't immediately believe in vampires all of a sudden if they see one

[@scottpaquette8980]

Still would love to see how they feel about TORG: Eternity.

[@BrentWalker999]

Is torg any good?

[@scottpaquette8980]

@@BrentWalker999 I enjoy it a lot. The rules also are different then anything else out there.

[@BrentWalker999]

@@scottpaquette8980 card or dice based?

[@scottpaquette8980]

@@BrentWalker999 Both actually. You roll a d20 and consult a chart on the result added to your abilities. a d6 is rolled for damage and cards are used to adjust the result, or add effects.

[@BrentWalker999]

@@scottpaquette8980 sounds very unique!

[@trafficjam7559]

This video is 2 weeks too late, my group just held a tournament of sorts to decide on our next RPG.

[@timofkings5173]

What TTrpg won?

[@trafficjam7559]

@@timofkings5173 Legend of the Five Rings won by a landslide. It’s very interesting but the rules can be a little complex.

[@FHangya]

ex member? What happened to Johnny?

[@dicebreaker]

They've been gone since March!

[@Strategiusz]

6 more rich countries that are not North Korea.

[@lucasdeconninck1232]

Man, I hope Wild Bills payed you thousands upon thousands for that unsightly ad...

[@ping3791]

Would you please not mix with me and us? I am really annoyed by all these mix without permission. Isn’t that annoying that things you don’t like that are forced on you?

[@gazuki1352]

No Dark Heresy, instant fail.

[@OtocinclusAffinis]

Yes, Dark Heresy is a failure.

[@KayleighBourquin]

I was gonna watch this, but seeing that thing in the corner really turned me off not just the video but the entire channel. How far DB have fallen.

[@darrenbarlow1826]

Most of the "family" of channels have been sponsored by them tho

[@captcephalopod2988]

Yes how dare a smaller channel get paid. They should starve for their craft that we demand of them

[@MrMixWhelan]

Hi! We have a sponsorship deal with Wild Bill's that's been running for a while as it's based on the amount of US views we receive. We noticed a lot of viewers dropping off after the long ad read at the start of our vids which in turn dropped our views a little which has extended the length of the sponsorship. This is a compromise to make it a little more user friendly for everyone until we've hit our view quota for the sponsorship. Things like this help us to make videos!

[@kneau]

Kayleigh - what do you have against veteran-owned, "Premium Olde Fashioned Soda Pop?" Not teasing you; I'd like to know if you'd prefer one disruptive advert with no corner promo code? I, for one, love root beer!

[@KayleighBourquin]

@@kneau I would prefer one sponsorship bit within the video, I don't mind them, gotta fund the channel afterall. Having a thing in the corner though is very distracting, and made it very difficult for me to watch. Though I'm not sure how root beer relates to a board game channel 🤷‍♀