System rpgs (and what makes them fun)

[wander]

I decided to make this general off-topic thread as system rpgs do have a sub-forum, though it's for approved members only and I figured it was a good idea for guests and members waiting for approval to have a place to chat about system rpgs, along with a thread that I hope will be a welcoming step for new and old members here that want to get into a system though for whatever reason haven't (many I find say they find them intimidating).

I think it's kind of upsetting how we've veered away so strongly from system gaming, at least stuff that isn't DnD 5e and PF. IMO, these aren't great systems to teach people for their first system and there's a lot of added complexities that needn't be there naturally gatekeeping the hobby from those who'd like to try a play, especially after series like Critical Role and LA by Night are making system play more acceptable and willing to give a go in the general public's eye.

So whilst yes, there is a system rpg sub-forum for the approved, I feel that's more a containment and isolation board for what otherwise should be an equally valid aspect of roleplaying games. This thread is for more general talk and to invite others in to chat in a more general sense, like what new rpgs are coming out or got released, what you're playing in your circle or want to play next, tips for GMs, advice for new players...

I want to crush the misconception that systems are bad-wrong-fun, or scary and intimidating. I'd like to get more of us into them.

So, on drivethrurpg there's a few cool popular things going atm I think are great and given they're top rated products, others must do too! 

AoS: Soulbound; It's the Warhammer Age of Sigmar official rpg. Super easy d6 dicepool system, easy character creation and imaginative high fantasy setting make it ideal for a first jump into rpgs.

Oak, Ash and Thorn: Changeling: the Lost is a classic in the new world of darkness (now known as Chronicles of Darkness) line that uses a d10 dicepool mechanic, this supplement adds more into the rerelease of a classic game of humans captured by fae and trying to reclaim their lives as they've escaped from their captors...

ALIEN rpg; a licenced rpg set in the ALIEN franchise universe, xenomorphs, androids, megacorps, space... It's all here. It uses the nice and simple Mutant Year Zero system as a base, it's another d6 dicepool system. Very fun to play, quite lethal given the subject matter with a table full of gory critical injuries!

Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras 2; Take your Chronicles of Darkness games (see above with Changeling:the Lost) to a variety of historical settings set in a variety of differing locales. If you like historical settings (I know lots of people here do), then this may be worth looking into.

Dishonored rpg; an official rpg based on the videogame franchise. Kind of narrative like FATE and uses the 2d20 system. Roll low on multiple d20s and count your successes, sort of like a dicepool game.

Wrath and Glory 2e; the newest 40k rpg. Uses a d6 dicepool system, with varying Tiers to represent character power.

Conan the Adventurer; latest release for the Conan official rpg, like Dishonored it uses the 2d20 system.

Blades in the Dark; very similar setting to Dishonored, it's a steampunky heist rpg and uses the Powered by the Apocalypse system, usually rolling 2d6 and 7-9 is a success but- and 10+ is a total success for essentially any action you need to roll for.

Stars without Number; I find this space-faring rpg system is very similar to the classic system, Traveller. Personally I've always preferred Traveller, though they're very similar and SwN got a revised edition release.

BESM 4e; Big Eyes, Small Mouth... It's a generic system for running anime/manga themed games. It's not perfect, though if you make your character to concept with the other players close by so you don't step on toes or munchkin min/max to break the game, you can have a nice bit of fun with this.

That'll do listing some, so... If you want to give a system a go or have recently had fun with one, feel free to gush about it here!

[Avernale]

An interesting system I've heard of is Lasers & Feelings.  The rules are simple, only a page long, and designed so you can play it in (for example) a bar with your friends with just a six-sided die.  Each character has only two stats, Lasers & Feelings, which are technically one stat because they share the same number (2-5).  You try to roll below that number to succeed with your Lasers stat (representing science, technology, rationality, precision, etc.) and above it when using your Feelings (diplomacy, passion, intuition, etc.).  That's pretty much it.