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Anonymous03/09/26, 21:19No.97682754Best universal tabletop ruleset?
So basically I want to start running different kinds of settings/scenarios with friends.
None of us have ever been too into board games, it is primarily me that kind of brings them up and has the most experience but still nothing substantial.
Now the thing is, I want us to start running some more specific settings for example stuff like The Dark Tower books by Stephen King as a setting and the likes.
My question is, because D&D requires a lot of homebrewing, is something like GURPS the best more universal ruleset for wanting to try out a lot of differently themed campaign settings or is there something better than GURPS? And if so what edition?
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Anon03/09/26, 21:21No.97682766
Wow, I was actually seriously considering that until I got to Baldur's Gate 2. Fuck off bro, literally the most overrated CRPG of that era.
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Anon03/09/26, 21:39No.97682852
First off, I'm a white muscular Slav.
Secondly, Fallout 2 is literally my least favorite Fallout of the ones I've tried. I barely give a fuck about series and the only one I even enjoy is the first.My favorite CRPGs aren't even shit like Baldur's Gate 2 but rather dungeon crawls like Wizardry (especially 6-8) or Eye of the Beholder.
Also what the fuck are you talking about railroading you actual worthless nigger scum? Jesus I can feel your seething rage at not being fully white from behind the screen dude, talking to me about railroading when praising THE amusement park CRPG of the 90s. That game is beyond railroaded.
Why didn't you pick BG1 for your dogshit example? It would actually make sense then.
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Anon03/09/26, 21:39No.97682854
ACKS *Waiting for Bluesky fucker to Reee hearing ACKS mention*No in all seriousness. I don't think you can said one system as the best system. It all depends on what you're into and wanting from said system.
ACKS is great for late game and more "Nationbuilding" style of TTRPG, games like "X without Number" are great for mixing their settings together without much issue. Then you have games like D&D that work due to it's fame. Then games like GURPS that basically make a system for everything but they often feel like offical homebrew over a full system.
So at the end of the day, it just depends on the game you want to run as there is no one game fits all.
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Anon03/09/26, 21:42No.97682877
Universal systems are (almost?) universally trash.
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Anon03/09/26, 22:36No.97683220
Genuinely, I think it's worth tracking down a few of the shorter examples and just seeing what has a core mechanic you like.
Mini Six, Unisystem, JAGS, GURPS Lite, wushu, Risus, SW, etc. Read quick starts, see what has your X factor.
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Anon03/09/26, 23:23No.97683486
My favorite universal rules engine is BRP (more specifically in the form of Mythras). A great number of varied games are broadly compatible with BRP, including: Runequest, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, Aquelarre, Stormbringer/Elric!, Elfquest, Renaissance Deluxe, Clockwork & Chivalry, Pirates & Dragons, and Legend are all broadly compatible and adaptable as well.It's an underappreciated gem with enormous potential.
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Anon03/10/26, 11:17No.97685621
OVA
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Anon03/11/26, 12:09No.97690970
D&D is gay, always has been and always will be.
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Anon03/11/26, 12:22No.97691006
I always wanted to get into gurps despite the name sounding like an oesophegal condition.>can I do mass combat, I don't mean in some gay handwavey way like in d and d facti9n play where I just tell you 5000 orcs killed 5000 pensioners i mean can it scale to a decent wargame of a couple of hundred figs on the table
>does it encompass historical stuff with a basic level / pulp literacy (I am ok with Hollywood historicals as long as they are in the ballpark)
>can I do something really simple with it, like play granular Heroquest
>how much random table goodness do I get, I want weather, personality, anything
>what is the difference between 3rd snd 4th and is there some bsckwards compstibility
>can I use it to generate hex maps or explore that way
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Anon03/11/26, 12:24No.97691013
I'm still stuck pretty early in the game when you meet the Japanese dude and there is a room full of lightning mephits
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Anon03/11/26, 21:43No.97693392
GURPS has lots of rules for lots of things, but they're generally quite specific - there's A spellcasting system, A psi system, etc, that you staple on.Universal systems tend to either be:
- Crunchy, but you create your own crunch, where there's a respectable underlying chassis to create rules with. I found Valor: the Heroic Role-Playing System a pretty good set up for this; Hero System is the classic example.
- Quite light, and you create your own crunch, where there's a functional underlying chassis and also some superstructures to hook stuff into. I like Technoir the most of all these, though it's very weighted towards investigative games; Fate is the classic, and functional.
- Extremely light, and the rules are just "lol, make it up," so you just make up whatever you need. There are so many of these it'd take forever to list. You just roll some dice and add whatever bonuses the GM feels like.GURPS, unfortunately, is none of these. If you wanted to do (say) Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'd have to beat it into shape.
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Anon03/12/26, 00:49No.97694226
>Open the thread to say BRP
>Anon already beat me to it
It's a very straightforward system, anon. Percentages are very approachable, and everyone "feels" like they understand them (until one of your guys gets incredulous that he failed a 77% check). And like he mentioned, there are a ton of bespoke game systems so it can function both as a toolbox and has stuff ready for you if you're in the mood to try a different genre or theme. Take the BRP pill.
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Anon03/12/26, 05:21No.97695296
what is this ACKS guy's retardation and why does he keep posting
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Anon03/12/26, 16:50No.97697421
If you really want to jump settings, I think picrel is your best bet because it's going to be pretty easy
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Anon03/12/26, 17:08No.97697489
I love GURPS but it basically relies on lots of crunch (that at least the GM needs to know really well). You can't really shake that, so if it doesn't fly with you, you won't get much mileage out of it.I also like Savage Worlds, but it's really limited in what it does. It's basically a wargame turned RPG (because it literally is), but in my experience it gets out of the way enough to play a cool story.The D6 System is kinda neat and quite simple too. It's the same system used in the Star Wars d6 games. I don't really like how damage works in it, and the target numbers vs average number for each dice pools can get wonky, but it's worth a look..I've read Big Eyes Small Mouth 4e and it seems decent - though I haven't actually played it and for some reason nobody seems to talk about it ever.I think the morale of the story is that no single system is boundlessly universal, so you're going to have to end up figuring out what you want out of it and try a bunch.
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Anon03/12/26, 22:36No.97699417
Maid RPG.
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Anon03/14/26, 19:13No.97707942
GURPS is good. I think their combat is overly granular, admittedly. But unless you're buying a "Powered by GURPS" game, it's more of an "RPG Building Kit" than a prebuilt RPG.