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Chainsaw Hobbit
2014-06-30, 05:15 PM
This is a thread where people can recommend or draw attention to lesser-known roleplaying games. They need not be polished, or even good. The only prerequisites are relative obscurity and at least one interesting feature.

Please don't post only a link or a title. A paragraph or two of description is very helpful.


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My recommendations ...


Ghost Lines. (http://www.onesevendesign.com/ghostlines/) A free, rules-light game designed for one-shots and short campaigns. The setting is this wonderfully atmospheric dystopian mystical steampunk thing, and the players take on the roles of ghost hunters who defend trains from the supernatural. A lot of roleplaying conventions aren't explained and the game does exactly no hand-holding, so I would only recommend it to veterans of the hobby.


Lamentations of the Flame Princess. (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/117262/LotFP-Rules--Magic-Full-Version?manufacturers_id=2795&affiliate_id=294744) Weird Finnish heavy metal D&D. The rules are essentially a refined version of 80s basic D&D, but the implied setting is a terrifying semi-historical dark fantasy world that draws inspiration from H. P. Lovecraft, Michael Moorcock, Robert E. Howard, and surreal horror movies.

An no-art version of the player's book can be downloaded for free (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/115059/LotFP-Rules--Magic-Free-Version?manufacturers_id=2795&affiliate_id=294744), and the illustrated version is $5. The game master's book has yet to be released. There are plenty of adventure modules and supplements.

(The art and content is often legitimately disturbing.)


Basic RolePlaying. (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/24384/Basic-Roleplaying?cPath=74_5621&it=1&affiliate_id=294744) The universal system that powers Call of Cthulhu. It runs on a d100 mechanic, doesn't use classes or levels, and has moment-to-moment gameplay that rather resembles AD&D.

The Core rule-book is $22 and has a bunch of options, ideas, sample content, and modular rules. There is also a free quick-start book (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/82093/Basic-Roleplaying-Quickstart-Edition?cPath=74_5621&affiliate_id=294744) that contains only the basic procedures of play and some short sample adventures. By default, the game is rather gritty and unforgiving, but there are plenty of suggestions on how to run a more heroic game as well.

I find the presentation to be kind of bland and underwhelming (small text, boring descriptions, and rather generic grey-scale illustrations), but the core system to be quite solid and flexible.


Dungeon Crawl Classics. (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/101050/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-RPG?affiliate_id=294744) This game is rather beautiful. It is a tribute to early D&D, pulp fantasy, and 70s psychedelia. The artwork will often resemble an elaborate painting one might find on the side of a hippie bus, or a fever dream rendered in the style of an Elizabethan etching, or an artist's rendition of a fantasy cosplay convention in 1976. Magic is wild and unpredictable; a great fungus hive mind lives deep beneath the earth; warriors can sever limbs, or send monsters tumbling off of cliffs, or jump onto the head of a dragon and gouge out it's eyes; two wizards might duel in the mouth of a great star-whale; Elf is a class; clerics can be forsaken by their deities if they ask for help too often; and adventurers are ruthless and amoral.

DCC doesn't bother to explain the basics of roleplaying, and assumes it's players are already familiar with some form of D&D. Highly recommended.

Chaosvii7
2014-07-01, 05:58 AM
Final Hour of A Storied Age (http://www.danmaruschak.com/blog/final-hour-of-a-storied-age/) - Dice light roleplaying with a huge emphasis on personal goals and world building through dice mechanics. Basically, you get a bunch of words that you then use to form a short sentence that makes a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Then, based on how many of the words intersect with each other, you determine the antagonist, protagonist, and supporting characters, and then work to build a world while trying to accomplish the goals set forth by your sentences.

Lady Blackbird (http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/) - Admittedly I haven't gotten to play this one yet, but it's a story-driven game with heavy sci-fi steampunk influences. Reading through the PDF gave me a taste of Firefly meets Fantasy Roleplaying(something between IKRPG and D&D). With a strong emphasis on traveling a vast sea of space and time, on the run from fate itself, it's definitely got the makings of a perfect one-shot space fantasy adventure for storytellers.

I have one more game a good friend of mine made that I could recommend but I need to talk to my friend to see if I can get a PDF of it to share beforehand. If I can get my hands on it I'll post it.