The Top 5 Best Universal RPG Systems for Solo Play (PLUS my Campaign 'Spark' World Building Tool)

[@DezRPGDAD]

Nice, ICRPG master edition is a goldmine. Glad to see it here.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Absolutely, it has a lot of pieces that can slot into other games, but it stands on its own very well.

[@lexington2968]

Can you recommend any actual plays of it? I hear a lot of praise for ICRPG and can't find anything using it.

[@lexington2968]

I see so much praise for ICRPG but no good AP or resources for it, can you give any AP recommendations?

[@zdbarnett]

ICRPG is my absolute favorite TTRPG. I've been running campaigns in it for about seven years and it's the perfect set of setting-agnostic rules. Excellent shout out!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@lexington2968 sorry, didn’t see a notification on this comment… really, ICRPG is loose enough on rules, you could convert most adventures to those rules on the fly if you are experienced in the system they were written for.

[@scottfrench7466]

Thank you for making this video. It was a fun watch and I now have some new systems to explore

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jcraigwilliams70]

ICRPG is really good. I hear that it won't be getting official support anymore, which is sad if true, but Hankerin is working on a new game, so it's entirely possible. I'm glad to see you mention Fate. I have always really loved it, but it seems to get a lot of undeserved hate. I think it just confuses people who come from more traditional games. I think it's a prefect choice for many types of games, but I have to admit that I am a little unsure about how the Fate point economy and the discovery of Aspects would work in solo games. Another game (which doesn't get nearly enough love) that I think would be good for solo is Freeform Universal.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

The nice thing about all of the systems I mention here is that if none of them received any additional support, there is already enough to run about any type of game. Fate as a solo is about like any, you always need some sort of an adjustment or a predetermined “agreement” as to how you will handle a given situation. Running with the Mythic Emulator you can pretty well determine the right answer most of the time… I actually have a solo run through in Dresden Files Accelerated I did for the channel a couple weeks ago. Admittedly, my use of compels to generate fate points was missing (but I do point out a missed opportunity in the titles). I haven’t tried Freeform Universal but I will give it a look.

[@AceneDean]

Tana from Word Mill is currently finishing up a second edition of the Mythic RPG. It is really looking like a great, modern, streamlined version of the original.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

The Second Editon of Mythic is out. It is the large Blue Book. It is a great system, and has a TON of elements tables. I have it, as well as the Revised Edition (Red Book), and the original (Old Blue Book), and the One Page Mythic. I really like One Page Mythic, borrowing elements tables from Mythic 2e.

[@AceneDean]

@@booksbricksandboards783 The Mythic GM Emulator 2e is out, yes. What I am referring to is a second edition of the RPG rules. It will be an RPG that contains a GME, not a GME that contains an RPG.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Ah! The Revised Version (Red Book) included rules to play the Emulator as an RPG (as well as conversion tools to take existing RPG’s to use in the Mythic GME game).

[@RedwoodRhiadra]

I can't lie, hearing you list out all the FASERIP ranks from memory was impressive 🙂

[@booksbricksandboards783]

lol, played a lot of that game…. First time I played it, I copied by hand the results table and character creation tables, on wide ruled paper… because my cousin was taking it back to Chicago the next day. Stayed up the entire night. Played on that for 6 months before I could get the basic set.

[@sarashinai528]

Thanks for putting this together, I'm always on the lookout for new GM resources that can up my sessions. Any chance that spark table is publicly available?

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Thanks, appreciate it! I don’t have it up anywhere at this time, but if you would like a copy email me at [e-mail] and I will send it over to you. (I don’t keep as close an eye on that email as I should, but will watch for the next few days a bit more than usual)

[@Eviper44]

Stabilize that camera. Hurts to watch. Nice information thoughm thank you for vid.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Didn’t realize that the tripod got bumped up against the table. Consequently the camera shook each time I touched the table. If you take a look at my other videos, not a common problem. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@jonathanrector]

Any chance of some Cypher / SWADE solo game videos? I'd love it if you had the time for that. Also, between Cypher and SWADE what makes you pick SWADE over Cypher? Thanks!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Almost certainly SWADE (it is on my schedule). Cypher is a possibility. I have a FATE solo filming this week. The reason I prefer SWADE to Cypher is twofold. 1) I like the damage system better. 2) I feel like the game handles different styles better. Cypher always feels like playing Cypher to me. Playing SWADE in Deadlands or Rifts feels VERY different than playing in Golarion for me. It is a mechanical thing for me.

[@jonathanrector]

@@booksbricksandboards783 Thanks!

[@christopherfield2802]

Thanks for this info, very useful

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@christopherfield2802 Welcome!

[@messenger3478]

After I got Fate, I was disappointed in that I couldn't find any fantasy genre material for it. I love creating, but I didn't feel I could just start from scratch. I found that 1 of the forms of the Fudge system came with Fantasy material in the book, but haven't boughtit yet there are other games I like more.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Fair. If you wanted a non magical fantasy setting for Fate, the Princess Bride RPG is Fate based.

[@shaneintheuk2026]

A great video thank you. I have three comments. Firstly I wonder how many characters you play solo? Savage Worlds works best with multiple characters who can support each other. I find lots of characters can be quite time consuming as you’re rolling for each and the bad guys too. Secondly I liked your adventure generator. I use The Covetous Poets Adventure Crafter as I love the detailed descriptions. Thirdly I think the Basic Role Play rules based on the d100 skills drawn from Rune Quest is pretty generic. I’ve played versions of it in many settings like Rune Quest and Ring World and I know many other settings exist too.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Much welcome Shane! I will respond in order of the comments: 1). That really depends upon the system, the session and how I am feeling. Typically no more than 3 (because as you said, juggling is difficult). If I play a true solo, I might give some advancements, or utilize the built in solo enhancements for a system (Dragonbane and Strider for One Ring both give bonuses to solo heroes). 2) I appreciate that. Random generation tools help to keep a solo player surprised, so they become very valuable to me. Glad someone found mine useful. 3) I have played a lot of Call of Cthulhu, and extensively researched Runequest, so I’m familiar with the Basic RPG. I think it is a very good system. If I ran it as a universal, I would want to keep it very simple to avoid rules bloat. It could easily become a d100 version of GURPS. I prefer to keep my solos a little bit lighter mechanically (most of the time anyway).

[@Greg_M1]

Hi, very helpful information. Could you make available the document for your campaign spark??

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Send me an email at [e-mail], and I will send you the PDF. I don’t have a sharing medium other than email for it at this point. I will check that email over the next couple of days and send it out.

[@RedwoodRhiadra]

@@booksbricksandboards783 If you've got a gmail, you've got Google Drive - you can put the PDF in your Public folder and share the link in the video description...,

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@RedwoodRhiadra I do not have a Google drive actually. But happy to email to anyone. Thanks!

[@simontemplar3359]

Savage Pathfinder is brilliant! I'm glad to see ICRPG up there as well. We are living in a great time for universal rules sets. I think there's a lot to be explored using Dragonbane. I think any of the Into the Odd style games could be adapted as a good solo system. I hope you got to make that jump to Savage Pathfinder. I've never played that one. I have the books, but no players. doh!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Still finishing the PF2E campaign, but getting very close to Savage Pathfinder. I will be doing some videos on it once we get started.

[@knightnomore]

Where can i get you homemade tables???

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Send an email to [e-mail] and just let me know what you are needing.

[@Mind_of_MATT]

I noticed that some pages in your Mythic RPG book are color. How did you get that? I'm sure my copy is all black & white. Cypher System seems okay but too expensive. Where did you get those ICRPG target cards?

[@booksbricksandboards783]

On DriveThruRPG they had a color version available for the Mythic book(personal preference, I generally get softcover from DTRPG because I don’t like the binding on their hardcovers). Cypher is a little bit pricier than some of the other options here, but the layout, art and design is one of the cleaner options as well. The ICRPG cards were (I believe) part of the files that came with the PDF of the book. I printed and laminated these myself. SIDE NOTE: $15 laminator from Wal Mart 6 years ago has been hands down the best investment in my gaming hobby that wasn’t a book. 😉

[@Mind_of_MATT]

@@booksbricksandboards783 I'll have to check those Drive Thru files for ICRPG & see if the cards are there. If not, I could make my own. I hear you on the laminator & while it does protect things, I just don't like glare 😁

[@booksbricksandboards783]

That is a fair statement, especially for the video. But for actual game use, it is nice to be able to use stuff as wet erase and not worry about destroying it. I laminate game rule sheets, rule summaries, and RPG tip sheets (for my players and myself). I have all the rules for Savage Worlds on a single front and back quarter page sheet. They spill a beer or soda on it, no big deal. Spill the same on my SWADE Rulebook and I would be very disappointed! 😉

[@sheldonisnumberone]

The problem is d and d has the best best spells system.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I’m not sure on your meaning here. If you are meaning that you prefer the set list of spells from D&D, you could easily port those effects to other systems (if you prefer the other aspects of that system). I have found that I actually am not a fan of the D&D spell list generally, as it compares to a more free for magic system, or even compared to a weirder version of its own spells (such as DCC or Lamentations of the Flame Princess). The free nature of the Savage World Powers is really a sweet spot for me. Everyone has their own preferences.