Non-ICRPG, non-D&D, roleplaying games which you:
-play in currently
-played in recently
-haven’t played, but are jazzed about
Non-ICRPG games you groove on
pocketroid
#1
pocketroid
#2
Numenera
I’ve been playing in a Numenera game for several months now, and it’s neat. I play an ent who found a device like Geordi LaForge’s visor, which allows him to speak with the dead and shoot powerful eyebeams. In our story, we just crossed a cold desert, and found a towering crystal obelisk. I like playing in Numenera, and the lore is top notch. There are many ideas to mine from it for GMing. But I don’t think I’d ever run a Cypher System game.
Dungeon World
The game I am consistently excited about, for years, but never get to actually play. When I daydream about RPGs, or write up GM journal notes, it is always within the context of PbtA - not restricted to only Dungeon World. Currently scheming on a Pokémon World PbtA hack which will probably go nowhere other than my head and pen.
Burning Wheel
Currently my favourite system which I’m most excited about. I think this is the last RPG I’ll ever need. Drunkens & Dragons briefly touched on it in one video, but as Hankerin is a d20 tactical combat simulationist, he couldn’t grasp it in his brief skimming, kinda like when he first found Dungeon World. Burning Wheel is incredible and has a lot to offer, but is definitely for a more roleplaying-focused group, and doesn’t work as well as a combat simulator for d20 folks used to minmaxing and battles every night. I’ve had a platonic ideal for an RPG in my mind since I discovered RPGs, but no system expressed it fully, until I found The Burning Wheel. Basically, character creation is robust, and gameplay is “play to find out what happens” and open rolling/discussion, to the max. It’s easy to roleplay your character, and it’s easy to GM. There is not a lot of room for ambiguity or uncertainty; the player characters have motivations and a life history before they even roll their first check, and continue to evolve as you play. Here’s the creator of Dungeon World, talking about Burning Wheel.
Andreas
#3
Dread. This is the horror game that uses a Jenga tower instead of dice. If you make the tower fall, you’re out. This is my go-to game for anything horror. The book has a few pages of rules, and almost 100 pages of solid advice on running horror games. Do not underestimate the suspense if that Jenga tower. I’ve never held my breath or squirmed in my chair so much at a game.
Don’t Rest Your Head I haven’t played this yet, but I have read it and heard the folks at RPPR play through a session. It sounds like madness, and I can hardly wait to give it a shot.
Risus, the Anything RPG. When I left rules-heavy games behind, Risus was my first rules-lite love. Risus is excellent for quickly creating precisely the character you want in a narrative way, and tying that into the rules. I still use the character creation rules when designing NPCs for any other game. The mechanics have a harsh death spiral, but there are plenty of ways to turn the tide in your favor.
Hans-Arsch
#4
10 Candles
if you like Dread (i do!) you should try this one. Feels strange at first, but turned out to be a awesome Game
Paranoia
Just started reading the new edition of this and i hope playing it is Fun the same way.
Fate and Fate Accelerated
I have a lot about Fate that i don‘t really get to work at the table yet but we played a lot Fate and for charakter driven Games with a lot of playerchoice and creativity this was still my go to system
Fiasko
you don‘t know fiasko, the GMless crazyness? Get it and try it! Depends a lot on the chosen Playbook and the amount of humor you want to have in your games but we had a blast with this
the quiet year
you play a community together after a long war and you got a year til everything will end. Crazy experience while you drive the game further by sketching a map together. Very special and not for everyone but if you like to play something completely different this one rocks
microscope
havent played til now but reading was just 
what a cool idea to create a world together. i hope to do that in 2019
The Black Hack The only one that competes with ICRPG in ease of DMing. In fact, for a more gritty campaign, I switched to TBH from ICRPG and it was also very easy to create custom content for it. 2e has a TON of tables to roll in, for every kind of situation I can imagine I’d need.
Dungeon World The game that opened my eyes to non-D&D games. It showed me other paradigms of game design could work just as well or better for certain types of games and players.
Mouse Guard Sadly I’ve only played a heavily homebrewed version of this game, but its concept is one that synced with me from the first read. Its adventures are sometimes more heroic than any fantasy game would ever be able to achieve because of the setting and characters that can be developed in it. Brazilian version will arrive in March and I will have a group waiting for it.
Genesys Narrative Dice Games Both Edge of the Empire and the new Legend of the Five Rings games intrigue me a lot. No numbers on dice mean it becomes somewhat more subjective and I like that.
3:16 Doom in space. Damage counted in Kills. Flashbacks as a mechanic element. Despite it being a very small book and simple system, it is among my favorite because it shows how much fun you can have without complexity being a part of the game.
Speaking of… checked out your channel after Hank’s mention the other day. Good stuff!
sjleland
#10
DUDE. I love Ten Candles! Such an underrated and unique game.
As of late…
FFG Star Wars
Been running this in my Sunday night group. Fun game with a lot of crunch thats there if you want it, but pretty easy to house rule if need be. My roommate bought me the book last year for Christmas and it’s been a blast to read.
Basic Fantasy Roleplaying Game
Been reading this one for the last two months and so much of it makes sense. Takes everything thats awesome about B/X era D&D and combines it with the good parts of the d20 SRD. The entire system is free and it has a great online community.
Black Hack
My feelings somewhat echo the above game. The more and more I read this game (especially 2nd edition) the more it just makes sense. Super slick.
Dungeon World
Not much else to be said here. One of my favorite games ever, and one that my group will hop back into every few months in between other games.
Mouse Guard
Been trying to learn this one lately and I think it’s finally starting to stick. We’ll see where my experience with this goes!
Blades in the Dark
Got this one for my birthday and I’m excited to dive in!
TheyCallMeDeans
#11
Dungeon World I’ve got a game I’m about to kick off on Roll20. Really excited about harnessing co-creation and narrative with some motivated strangers.
The Black Hack used it to introduce some rookies to RPGs this year. They loved the speed and flexibility.
Star Wars 1E d6 totally bypassed this one during the 80s but I’m jazzed to give it a try once my copy of the 30th Anniversary rules arrives.
Hero Quest 2E love the focus on narrative beats. Trying to figure out how to pitch it.
Lon
#12
Slightly different tack on my response. I’m pretty much resigned to being Forever GM, unless I manage to get my crap in one sock enough to get to be a player online.
So the closest I tend to get to being a player is immersive co-op board games with heavy RPG influence.
To wit:
I’m playing through Betrayal Legacy with my wife, a couple-friend, and a coworker. How can you not like a game where somebody is gonna turn on all the others and proceed to launching crossbow bolts into the back of all your erstwhile friends Every. Single. Session?
Also playing Secrets of the Lost Tomb An Indiana Jones flavored super pulpy dungeon crawler with a dedicated table of 5, plus occasional 6th. Kind of fun to go machete - a - machete against the ghost of Blackbeard’s minions, etc.
Recently finished 300+ hours of Gloomhaven when the stars aligned to bring 2 friends back into town the same weekend and my other local friend was off work too.
To a less narrative degree, have a every otherTuesday night board game group that’s been tearing up some post apocalypse with Maximum Apocalypse. With this group we had been playing Arkham Horror LCG for like 3 years but wore out on it. I’m angling for this group to be my ICRPG Supers group (using Vigilante City Kickstarter adaptation when it comes out). By the way, if +Runehammer wants a beta tester table for this, count me in .
Solo play Arkham Horror 3e Every now and again when I have enough down time and quiet in a row.
The Laundry: imho the best way to run “Cthulhu-like” adventures for players who are burned-out on Call of Cthulhu. Perfect mix of dark humor and horror. Most things written by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan is gold anyway. I’m still running my Laundry campaign (started 3 years ago). It’s good, buy it and buy Black Bag Jobs(adventures book basically) as well.
Waste World: written by Bill King, basically an unofficial 2000 AD comics rpg. If you ever loved Rogue Trooper, ABC warriors or Nemesis the Warlock, you must get this book. The system is awesome and quite easy to convert to ICRPG. Ran a sandbox campaign that turned into a post-apocalyptic version of Journey to the West. You can buy it for cheap nowadays, so go get it.
EDIT: whoops sorry I just reread the OP and saw the non-D&D game. So I erase my D&D5 reference and replace it with INTO THE ODD, how to get a very rich, original, complete and very playable game in 48 pages.
Goomba
#17
Blades in the Dark-
Fantastic and really Daunting at first glance for me as the GM and sole owner of the book. The setting is fantastic though and created some of the most unique and memorable sessions for my group.
Dragon Age-
The Beast that I first wet my beak on. Huge fan of the video games for the story and was awestruck with the book when I found a used copy at a game store. I havent played this in quite some time though but will be running a campaign later this year so I’m really looking forward to diving back in.
Starfinder-
Super Jazzed to jump in this once we wrap up our ICRPG campaign. Had the good fortune of finding pretty much all the books and pawns for 60% off or more so naturally it was added to the collection.
The Expanse RPG-
Kickstarter is arriving this month. impaitiently waiting to devour the Corebook.
City of mist-
I kick started the latest Nights of Payne town which looks amazing. Art is on another level and the theme is right up my ally coming off reading the Dresden Files and playing the Wolf Among Us. You can buy the core-book now but I have plenty of gaming to do in Alfiem so I can wait.
The End of the World - Revolt of the Machines-
Its a D6 apocalyptic game where you play as yourself and just try and survive. This is what sold my friends on what an RPG can be and one we routinely come back to. Also I can play this one since others want to GM it.
this is were i cut my teeth
Lakins
#20
@Ezzerharden i have no idea how that would work 
. i main thing i love about rifts is the over the top character sheets 
… savage world has already changed everything i loved about the original 
if you can find a way to hack it and have it still feel like a rifts game, i am all ears 
.
Lakins
#22
@Ezzerharden i have seen this before 
. and there are a few unfinished gaps. but those can be filled . but for me it is missing the one key element that would make it perfect for me 
. super powers: heroes unlimited. i want mutants and super heroes, vigilantes. the works 
. @Runehammer and @Alex had posted once before about a superhero game
i am waiting for the day this drops 
. i will be happy to run something hero or villain related. my time is coming. lol 
and i will run my heroes game much like Hank does " like a big old bad ass."
Johannes_H
#25
Coriolis - The Third Horizon [recently, few-shot]: This became my absolute favorite SciFi-RPG (sorry Warpshell). Great ruleset, awesome setting, prime artwork.
The One Ring [recently, one-shot]: In my opinion the best incarnation of Tolkiens world as a RPG-Setting, hands down.
Symbaroum [recently, one-shot]: The setting is great, the artwork is magnificent, and the how it deals with magic (including a kick ass list of spells) - nice.
Der Sprawl [jazzed about]: It is the german translation of “The Sprawl”. It arrives here a long while ago, but still haven’t had a chance to play a game of PbtA-Cyberpunk…