Session 5: The Games that do (and don't) Fit my Fancy

I talk a lot about being a Game Master (GM) and that is a synonymous word to mean someone that controls, writes, runs, etc. any sort of game. Could be ttrpgs or could be Scrabble - though you're probably just checking the dictionary for that game.

Most of the time, when I refer to myself as a "GM" I mean it in reference to the Dungeons & Dragons game system but I do have other systems that I like to play and run. I also have systems I've played or run that I don't like. games I've only read the rules of but want to run, and games I haven't had any time to read past the cover. Here's a handful of them and some of the "pros" and "cons" I've found as well as my personal opinions.

Legend:
Summary = My interpretation of how the game works, I write a lot of these off the ole smooth brain so I'm sure I won't get it exactly right.
Pros = What I think is good about the game.
Cons = What I don't think is enjoyable about the game.
Opinion = My final opinion on the matter.

I recommend to play

I don't recommend to play

I can't say one way or another if it's worth playing

Dungeons & Dragons (5e + 2024)

Summary: First off, I have never played anything other than 5th edition. But, Dungeons & Dragons is a d20 game system where you play as a fantastical hero that goes through an adventure with companions, rolling skill checks and killing monsters in order to product a story. The older editions used to be far more dungeon crawl / battle-simulator-esque, but 5th edition and beyond has leaned far more into the story telling aspect. The d20 keeps the storytelling nicely between a set of guardrails.

Pros:

• Very mechanics light.

• Good for new players to any ttrpg.

• Great for learning how to tell a story with others.

Cons:

• Can feel very inflexible at times without manual rule modifications.

My Opinion:

I really like Dungeons & Dragons as a player and a GM. It was the first ttrpg I got involved with (which I'm sure is the case for many of you). I've played with veterans that have been in it since D&D Advanced edition and have run games for newbies and I find the game to be very friendly to all types of players. There are the typical issues that the mechanics of D&D can be easily leveraged to those that are more numbers-savvy than others, and I find myself turning far more to homebrew content and mechanic modifications than I had before. That being said, I don't consider either of these to be much of an issue if you like making those manual adjustments (which I do).

Pathfinder (2e)

Summary: Pathfinder was originally created due to D&D transitioning from 3.5 edition to 4th edition. From what I've heard, 4th edition was blasphemous in comparison and thus Pathfinder was born. It is a very mechanics-heavy game that is intended to provide the player with the ability to truly fine tune and customize their character through feats and skills and what not.

Pros:

• Provides clear mechanics that also allow for customization.

• Provides a very clean form of action economy that can allow for maneuvers over simple action, bonus action + movement.

Cons:

• It is very mechanics dense and not friendly for players that struggle to "think ahead" on character creation.

• It does not allow much room for players to modify their character builds based on story elements without creating detrimental problems at higher levels.

  
  

My Opinion:

I have not played or run Pathfinder (2e) but I have listened to Actual Plays of Pathfinder and I have read the rule book from back to front (...hmm...I think that's right). Generally, as a mechanics lover, I really enjoy what Pathfinder 2e offers to its players. Several of my friends dislike the new edition because they've fixed some of the game breaking properties, but I'm sure they'll figure out new ways to break it. That being said, i don't find it as friendly for new players unless you have a good group that's ready to really sit with them and put their characters together. My wife, for example, is a great player with D&D but she'd rather have mechanics that impact story than actual function and I don't feel like Pathfinder allows for that without punishing the player.

Call of Cuthulhu (7e)

Do you like the spooky settings? Do you like Eldritch Horror? This is the game for you. Built on the idea that you are an investigator discovering the world around you isn't as normal as you'd like it to be. It is a d100 system with a very wide range of skills available to the player and the use of sanity to remind the player that the things that go bump in the night do have an effect.

Pros:

• Has a mechanic system that is unique to the setting.

• Offers a lot of unique skills and traits that characters can take on to be the ultimate investigator.

Cons:

• Is not friendly to characters that are not set up for specific "investigations".

• Is very high stakes and characters are far more "joe shmo" rather than heroes.

  
  

My Opinion:

I have only played Call of Cuthulhu and personally...I don't like it. I really love the setting, spooky things are my preferred setting type for any ttrpg. What I don't like is not feeling like a damn hero. I want to be the hero of this story with all of my friends. I don't want to die to a tentacle horror just because I got crushed to death while being a 30 year old trying to figure out my life. (I already do that every day without rolling physical dice.) Mechanically, I also find it to be very unforgiving. My wife and I have play several campaigns in it and every time we miss the mark on what the right "build" is for the campaign we're playing. In most other ttrpgs you have a tougher time if you build "wrong" but Call of Cuthulhu feels like you shouldn't have tried playing in the first place.

Savage Worlds (Explorer's Edition)

This is another investigation game with a dice step system in that you use all dice sizes but apply different sizes dependent on how talented you are in a skill. You can take on weaknesses that gives you boons and strengths in other aspects and it is far more focused on investigating the story over dungeon crawling and destroying monsters.

Pros:

• Easy to jump in and set up a character.

• Easy to know where to stood on a roll because the DC was always the same.

Cons:

• It can be a little redundant without a good story

My Opinion:

I have only played this once via a game my sister put together and ran. They did an amazing job where it was built around exploring a haunted house to stop a cult from succeeding in their ritual. My wife and I played as two distinctly different characters. I was the brute and she was the smarts and it made for a pretty balanced exploration. I also like that it rewarded you for taking "risks" while building the character such as I took a trait where my character only had one arm, which made my dexterity checks harder but in turn I was more mentally resilient.

The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game

If you have ever heard of or listened to The Magnus Archives anthology podcast, this is a roleplaying game based on that. You are a part of the Magnus Archives reading submissions and interviews and solving mysteries that could end in tragic and unexplainable horrors.

My Opinion:

I can't give any pros or cons to this system as I have not played it, run it, or read through the rules book. Instead I just stare at it longingly in my bookshelf, hoping a day comes where I can read it and succumb my players to yet another horror story. But, I love the Magnus Archives and Rusty Quill gaming is where I had my first interaction with ttrpgs which gives me the feeling that this is going to be good.

Daggerheart

This is recent to the gaming world via the Critical Role / Darrington Press crew. It runs with a d12 mechanic and a hope / fear system. Traits and maneuvers are organized with cards, mixing in a simplified deck-building aspect in addition to the typical dice rolling of a ttrpg.

Pros:

• It is a very tactile game with the cards, fear tokens, etc.

• It does not limit combat and movement on squares but instead on rough distances, allowing room for larger maps.

Cons:

• It is very heavy on resource management.

• It depends a lot on improv storytelling.

My Opinion:

I really like how tactile Daggerheart is. I am a tactile person and I greatly enjoy applying resource management to ttrpgs. I think it helps keep my players thinking and pushing themselves for creative solutions. Some of my hesitation right now are the campaign frames vs. modules at this point. I think it is a bit of a barrier to entry for a lot of new GMs that don't know how to start or organize their own campaign or even veteran GMs. There are a lot of new mechanics in this system not just for the players but also for the GMs. Giving people a guide on how to these can be applied (beyond just saying how the rules work) within a story I think is very important. It does sound like modules are at the top of their list for putting together soon so this should fix itself in no time

Coriolis

This is a d6 system where you are in a world in which the need for exploration and scavenging of resources within ancient ruins and space ships is paramount. You go out with a crew to explore and fend off the horrors of space and unexplored planets in terms of returning home with resources to keep the population alive. You also get an ethereal bird that follows your group around, which is fun.

Pros:

• There are only (5) classes to chose from.

• There is a focus on exploration over investigation or combat.

Cons:

• The (5) classes can feel limiting.

My Opinion:

I don't have the most informed opinion on this as I'm still part way through reading the book and I have not played or run it. In general, I picked this up from Gencon 2025 because I liked the setting of being space explorers. I also really enjoy the idea that they "limit" the group to provide the (5) classes that you must have in order to run a functioning crew. That being said, there are a plethora of background and features you can apply to your characters to give them that custom feeling. Additionally, everything is rolled with a d6 no matter what, which is always nice when it comes to minimal costs on your players. I'm excited to try this in the future with people.

UNNAMED GAME

A friend of mine is a big fan of developing games and has been working on and testing out his current brainchild. There's no name for it, but it has a unique system that is sort of a combination of the skill range selection and luck mechanic of Call of Cuthulhu with the d20 dice rolling of Dungeons & Dragons and action economy of Pathfinder. Generally, it's still in it's very pre-alpha stage with lots of modifications happening between each session but the overall concept is there.

Pros:

• It is built to allow characters to be completely customizable even down to the spells.

• You have a lot of room to push for successes without feeling like your pants are down at the end of it.

Cons:

• It is not friendly for ttrpg first time players, and I doubt it ever will be.

• The "customized" spell mechanic system is not good and still leans on the GM a lot to "build" the mechanics of the spell in real time which bogs the game down.

My Opinion:

Generally, I've been enjoying myself. We've played a variation of settings with this game and it's been improving with each game. Something I like the most is that it uses a d20 base dice for ability checks but then any skill modifier you want to add to the roll, you then get to apply an ability dice based on what you think makes the most sense. Are you looking to use construction skill to take a door off it's hinges? Do you want to use your skill with you general strength to rip it out of the opening? Roll and d20 and your strength ability dice and add your construction skill to see if you succeed. He still has a lot of kinks to work out to avoid having to spend 30 minutes on every spell or construction of a mechanic while actively playing, but I can see the vision.

And that's all I've got on my current list. There's of course lots of modules and stories I also have ready to play, planning for, and thinking about. Perhaps in a future post I'll share what those are.

Overall, What do you all think of the option above? Would you recommend any games? Are there any that are better to play than run?

Looking forward to your sentiments.

See you next session.

Julia