What would be a good system for...

[vPumpkinG]

Hello playground.

I want to introduce my tabletop group to a new kind of setting and i would appreciate any suggestions for what i have in mind.
I'm planning to run a campaign where the PCs are a bunch of normal people interacting with supernatural/otherworldly entities, that'd allow me to set the game in the real world and give me enough flexibility to add stuff as i see fit.
If anyone has ever played XCOM-2, that's what i'm aiming for but not so focused on combat, i want to build a world like that one not simulate the tactical combat.
I though of Hunter:The reckoning because the whole 'take back the night' idea but when i looked at the combat part it just doesn't give me the right feeling, seems unbalanced and seems like frequent combat is a bad idea.
Then i looked into Shadowrun, but it's too futuristic and has nonhuman PCs.
What i'm looking for is a system for modern day games, maybe steampunk? And not too difficult to learn.
Any ideas?

[Koo Rehtorb]

Call of Cthulhu?

[Beans]

Hunter: The Vigil (the New World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness answer to Hunter: The Reckoning) could perhaps work for you?

[Squiddish]

As far as I can tell, this is a good chunk of the premise of D20 Modern. Monsters are appearing randomly, and most people remain blissfully unaware. Additionally, using some of the content on the WotC website, you could adapt D&D 5e to serve a similar function. It might require a bit more work on your end, but it might be easier to learn if your players don't have much experience with the D20 system.

[kyoryu]

For beginner players, especially if you don't want to focus on combat so much, I'll almost always recommend either a PbtA game (in this case, Monster of the Week seems the closest fit), or Fate/Fate Accelerated.

[Grod_The_Giant]

seems unbalanced and seems like frequent combat is a bad idea.

By this, do you mean you want combat to be a frequent, viable option, or for it to be a rare, dangerous thing?

[vPumpkinG]

Hunter: The Vigil (the New World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness answer to Hunter: The Reckoning) could perhaps work for you?

i'll take a look to this system, thanks.

@Squiddish: Thanks! i'll take a look into this. I'll have free time during summer vacations so maybe i can actually homebrew something... after i learn the system.

@Koo Rehtorb: I was thinking more hidden alien overlords than hidden eldritch overlords but it could work, how frequent/lethal is combat in Cthulu?

@kyoryu: Looks interesting, thanks!

@Grod_The_Giant: if not frequent, at least one per session. And not very high on lethality so newbies can get a good grip on it.

If i'm being so annoying about combat it's because: while they all can RP, they aren't that good at 'tactical combat'. Also, the grid is optional and if i can skip it, then much better.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Savage Worlds, perhaps? D&D 5e should work decently well if that's the sort of background your players are coming from-- replace bows/crossbows with various types of guns without changing stats, maybe add the Modern Magic Unearthed Arcana, and you should be fine. All-human parties work okay if you have everyone use Variant Humans-- the bonus feat offers plenty of individualized flavor.

[the OOD]

Hello playground.

I want to introduce my tabletop group to a new kind of setting and i would appreciate any suggestions for what i have in mind.
I'm planning to run a campaign where the PCs are a bunch of normal people interacting with supernatural/otherworldly entities

I've run a fair number of games like this, normally high realism and moderate/high lethality, often exploring modern humans interacting with supernatural elements using all the tools and wits at their disposal.

that'd allow me to set the game in the real world and give me enough flexibility to add stuff as i see fit.
If anyone has ever played XCOM-2, that's what I'm aiming for but not so focused on combat, i want to build a world like that one not simulate the tactical combat.

my group ran an Xcom-style campaign using Universal Decay, witch worked quite well. the system is an excellent pick that feels like a model of reality, rather than a set of abstract video-game mechanics. the mechanics are very well-designed and the system is highly internally consistent, so extra rulesets like while magic, psionics, super-powers, alien races, and genetic engineering are distinctly unique subsystems, they interact very well with both the mundane rules and each other.

I though of Hunter:The reckoning because the whole 'take back the night' idea but when i looked at the combat part it just doesn't give me the right feeling, seems unbalanced and seems like frequent combat is a bad idea.

ooh, I always had my eye on hunter, but never got to play it. sadly WoD's mechanics often aren't up to the task of delivering on the White Wolf's excellent settings, and while my current group is quite sharp, most of us weren't up for taking on the truly absurd difficulty. pity.
that said, if you group is predominantly made up of ruthlessly brilliant tacticians who are ready for savage difficulty, this could be great.

Then i looked into Shadowrun, but it's too futuristic and has nonhuman PCs.

shadowrun is a very setting-centric RPG, I've never tried adapting it for another purpose, and I am not sure how well it would work. probably a good call to pass on it.

What i'm looking for is a system for modern day games, maybe steampunk? And not too difficult to learn.

Universal Decay, as mentioned above, seems like a good option, while it's optional "steampunk" mechanics a bit weak, it is an excellent high-realism modern RPG, and the various optional supernatural systems are wonderful. it is also my favorite rules-heavy RPG, with a strong central system that the other mechanics build on, that said, if your group is averse to rules-heavy games, definitely take a pass on this one, although a background in 3.5 should help considerably.

D20 modern:Urban Arcana will inevitably be mentioned, and while I will not be showering it with praise like Universal Decay, it has a place and time. the main catch with d20 modern is that character combustibility is almost nil, witch is a benefit for some groups, but is a big turn-off for others. if you can rock rules-heavy, UD is a much better game in almost every way, but if you like it clean and simple, this could do the trick quite nicely.
special mention to the Urban Arcana supplement: while I will probably never use it in a game, I highly recommend giving it a read-through, ESPECIALLY the modern magic items section. some of the ideas there are pure gold.[/QUOTE]

Fate is a setting-adaptable storytelling/roleplay focused system, give the free online version a look, either it works for you or it doesn't, best way to tell is to read it.



hope this help
-OOD

[kyoryu]

If you want more tactical combat in your X-COM, I'd also look at Savage Worlds or GURPS depending on if you prefer light/medium or heavy crunch.

THe previous suggestions are better for RPG beginners or those more interested in the story side of things.