How to choose a TTRPG system

29 Jun 2019Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs)

I’m going to let you into a secret. You only need three things to run a TTRPG: a set of rules, a group of players, and a story. That’s it.

TL;DR Choosing a game system is hard, but don’t rush this decision

And before you ask: no, you don’t even need dice. There are plenty of digital dice apps, which are easier to use if you have a visual disability. You could also channel some of the ingenuity that people in American prisons need in order to play TTRPGs, since they are not allowed to have dice. (You can read more about that in this Vice article.) Either way, even if you do want to roll a physical set of dice, you usually only need one. (Don’t tell Laura Bailey.)

A quick note: This question turned out to be a lot more complex than a single post could handle, so I’ve split into additional posts. Also, the rest of the post will refer to DMs, Keepers, Storytellers, GMs, etc. as “GMs” generically.

What’s so important about the system anyway?

Choosing a rule system is an essential step in starting a group, which can have a massive impact on your success. It defines a lot of what you and the players will be doing every week. Even between games, you will find yourself spending your time very differently depending on what system you choose. That’s one reason I decided to cover rule systems at the start of this series.

Generally, the game or rule system determines how you create a character, how characters interact with the world, how the world behaves, how people at the table interact with one another, and who makes the decisions about what happens. The system also determines the range of skills that characters in the world have, and whether player characters are the same as other people in the world or whether they are somehow unique. It determines whether characters can use magic, or engage in combat, or have other ways to resolve obstacles or problems.

The system also affects the kinds of stories you can tell. Many game books include guidelines about how to create a story for your game. Do the players have a goal that they need to achieve, either separately or together? Do they need to overcome a Big Bad, solve puzzles, explore an imaginary world, create a community, or achieve something else entirely?

You can find a game system for almost anything that you can imagine. But unless everyone at the table has access to the same rules, it’s difficult to get anywhere.

“So help me pick one, already!”

I was wondering about the next part of this article, so I ran a very small, very unscientific Twitter survey. Specifically, I asked current TTRPG players how they decide which systems to run.

The final sample size is tiny, but I wanted to have some basis for what follows. So, to summarise:

  • Out of about 60 people, 38 said they choose the system based on a specific genre they liked or the mood they want to create around the table
  • 11 said they usually choose one system
  • 5 people said they choose a system everyone knows
  • Only 3 said that they buy a system before they try to get a group together

This suggests that most people choose a system before they buy one, and that the most important consideration is the kind of experience they want. That sounds about right – it’s certainly the method I would recommend.

It helps if all the people in your group are familiar with the game you want to run. That might make it easier and faster to start – but it doesn’t necessarily make it better. Usually, it also means that you are playing with people who have some experience already. But that doesn’t help you to put together a group from people who have never played before.

Instead, let’s assume that you are trying to play a TTRPG for the first time, and that you want to include a couple of friends who have never played either.

Who chooses the system?

When we talk about choosing a game system, we actually mean “choosing a rulebook (or set of rulebooks)”. Some systems require a whole bunch of books, others can be as short as a few pages. Micro-games take up as little as a page.

Whether you are getting these books in hard copy or as a download, from either a brick-and-mortar or an online shop, you generally have to spend at least some money for the game you want. The next question that arises is, who buys those books?

After thinking about it for a few moments, I posted a second survey:

To summarise those results, six people said that the GM chooses the system and the other four said it was everyone as a group. No one said that the players decide.

Now, there are practical reasons why it’s often easier for the GM to choose the game system. For one reason, they often have access to more system information than players do. In D&D, for example, the GM needs to have access to two books that the players are not supposed to read. In Call of Cthulhu, all of the magic spells and monsters are in the Keeper’s guide. Even for systems where players and GMs use the same book, there will be chapters that are intended only for the GM.

One of the responses said,

“In all the groups I’ve been in, everyone pitches in with what sort of story they want and what systems they think fit the story. But the GM always gets the final say as they’re the one who has to deal with it the most and GMing a game you don’t like is just horrid.”

@starshinescrib

That’s a pretty good explanation for why it’s often the GMs who pick the system. It can take a GM a long time to prepare and plan a game, particularly with some of the more complex systems. As the GM, you are at least partially responsible for teaching someone the game and helping them to understand complicated rules. So you should expect to spend a lot of time reading the books and making sure you understand them.

Another member of the San Jenaro Co-Op, @propergoffic, weighed in on the thread, saying that in his experience, it’s generally “Whoever had the idea to run it or whoever could afford the rulebook.” He followed this up by making a great point:

I really loved that response, because he managed to express something that has been bugging me for a while. In most of the games I’ve played or run, the choice of system has been kind of a done deal. It’s only recently, while experimenting with different rule systems, that it occurred to me that this might not be the best way to do this.

Sure, the easiest way to start is often to pick the rule system and then get your players involved. To be honest, all the groups I’ve played in used the system as the starting point. It’s usually a case of, “Here’s this new book I got!” or “This is the kind of story I want to tell” or “I’ve always wanted to try this!” And sure, you get to try out a whole bunch of cool new games – but that doesn’t always translate into a successful group.

Instead, I want to look at ways you can try out different systems, and ways you can do that with other people. Unfortunately, this post is already much too long, so it will have to wait for another week or two.

“Homework?!?!!”

(Yes, homework. GMs have to do a LOT of homework.)

In the meantime, why not explore the wide variety of systems that are available? I can guarantee you that, regardless of what genre or setting you like, you will be able to find a relevant Twitch stream or podcast. It’s a great way to find people who are playing those kinds of games, and to get a sense of a system even if you don’t know much about it.

One more point: remember that you don’t have to finish a podcast or a stream just because you started it. If you try it and don’t enjoy it, skip ahead or find another. You may find more than one group playing the same system in drastically different ways. Either way, you are bound to find something to enjoy or inspire you.

Exploring RPG systems you might want to try

To summarise the main points so far: the system determines a lot of what you do before, during and after games. I did include suggestions for how to choose a system if you don’t know who your players are yet. But the best way to pick the right system for your group is to talk to the people you want to play with.

That doesn’t mean you can’t do some research beforehand. In fact it will be much easier to help choose a system (with your group) if you have an idea of what your options are. Fortunately, there are a plenty of ways to get a sense of what is available.

But before we get into that, let’s consider three elements you should think about when you decide whether a system is right for your group: genre, complexity, and creativity.

Genre

First, it helps to answer a few basic questions about what you enjoy. For example, which genres do you like? This includes films, television shows, books, video games, boardgames, podcasts, whatever. Which of them get you excited about the idea of telling stories? Which of them make you wish you lived in that world, or lived those kinds of lives?

Alternatively, do you prefer non-fiction? Is there a particular era, subject, or kind of person that interests you? What about it sets your imagination going?

If you are going to be a GM, you need to come up with the idea of a world or place figure out the kind of thing that makes you think, “I want to help people explore what it would be like to live in this place, or this time, or under these circumstances.” Remember that you want a range of options, so you should try to come up with at least two or three for your group to choose from.

Complexity

You also need to consider how complicated you want the game to be. In the twitter poll I ran for last week’s article, I got a pretty spot-on explanation for why that matters. Responding to the question of how they pick a system, they said:

“Usually it’s the genre, but the other leading factor is how complex the system is. On the weekend my group has 5 hours every 2 weeks, so we run a pretty intense game. But we also try to squeeze in sessions 2 hours after work 1 day a week, and for that we use very light systems.”

@DelvesDaily

Game systems can be very simple, or very, very complicated. For example, Dungeons and Dragons is surprisingly popular, considering how complex it is. Watching an experienced DM like Matt Mercer run a D&D game, you might think it’s a lot easier or simpler than it actually is. One of the reasons I love watching Critical Role is that Matt makes it look easy. Believe me, it’s not.

For complex systems, the GM often needs to do a lot more work before, during, and after the game. A lot of this involves reading, planning, and doing maths. There are definitely ways of making complex systems easier to run, although that will have to wait for another article. But it generally means that you need to do more work, not less.

I have many thoughts about what makes a good game system. In my experience, overly complicated rules often get in the GM and the players’ way. Unless you really love maths, or want a strategic/tactical game, I suggest finding a relatively simple system – especially if this is your first time running a game. But your mileage may vary, so you and your group will need to figure this out for yourselves.

Creativity

As a GM, you will need to be creative. You may need to create the world that people interact with, other people for the players to interact with, situations, complications, problems, and other parts of the story. Players will also have a range of options, which may give them a lot of leeway in how they approach the game.

This is part of what is great about being a GM. It can also get a bit tiring after a while. You may need to think about the extent to which the system itself helps you to stay creative, or allows the players to be co-creators with you.

A lot of game systems make additional content available to help you tell a story. They may have modules (short storylines) that you can run, or pregenerated characters that players can use or that you can use. They may have setting books that give you a list of places, names, villains, and potential allies, as well as a storyline of some kind.

Other systems focus on making it easy for you to build your own world, or make it part of the gaming experience at the table.

You may find that having access to existing sources helps to generate ideas for your own stories. A word of warning, though: lore is not (always) your friend. Often, it can get in the way of your own creativity, or create disagreements around the table.

For example, take a game system based on an existing franchise, like Lord of the Rings, Witcher, or Star Trek. If people feel strongly about parts of the lore, and you need to change it for any reason, you can easily spend hours arguing with players about the changes you’ve made.

If you’re going to use a system that has a lot of lore, make sure that your players are happy for you to bend it a bit, or get things wrong occasionally, or otherwise present familiar content in your own unique way. Either way, try not to let existing sources stifle your own creativity.

Now what?

Whether you’re buying rulebooks as a GM, or as a group, you generally want to have an idea about whether you like the system before you pay money for it. Fortunately, many TTRPG companies release free or preview versions of their popular systems.

Usually, free or preview versions of a rule system includes only a very small amount of the information you need to run a fully realised campaign. But that also means that you can focus on the most fundamental rules – the ones that are easiest to learn or that make the game unique. Any well-crafted preview version aims to give you a good idea of what playing in that system will be like.

There are many reasons to try simplified versions of various game systems before you commit you or your players commit any serious amount of time or money to it. Even if a game system is popular, or seems to be the perfect thing for what you want, it’s no guarantee that it will suit you or your players.

Also keep in mind that you may not end up playing using the system you started with. Often the reality of a game system is very different from how it’s marketed.

Even if you’ve seen someone playing a game on a stream, there may be a lot of the rules that you don’t see. Most streams are smart enough to keep the boring stuff off-screen – for example, by creating characters, levelling up, and performing other upkeep between games. Many groups who publish videos or podcasts of their games online edit sessions before uploading them.

Most streams are smart enough to keep the boring stuff off-screen – for example, by creating characters, levelling up, and performing other upkeep between games. Many groups who publish videos or podcasts of their games online edit sessions before uploading them.

So how do you pick which system to run?

My advice is: Don’t settle on any game system too quickly. Take your time, try out a few different systems – preferably with your prospective group, or even just a group of friends if you can rally them around.

Talk to your players if you have a group in mind. Or if you want to test a specific system, ask some friends to oblige you by being your test subjects. Your friends might be more willing to join you for a few sessions of 2-3 hours, even if they don’t want to commit to playing in any game long term.

If you can’t get enough friends together, you could offer to run a practice game or two at a local game shop.

You could also simply – read through the preview rules. Do the rules make sense to you after reading the simplified version? Try to imagine what an actual scene or interaction would look like. What would you as the GM do, and what would you expect players to do? How close is that to what you think a game should be? Most importantly, does that sound like fun? If not, you may need to consider a second, or a third, or even a fourth option.

What, more homework!?!!

You can check out a list of free or preview versions of various rule systems online at DriveThruRPG. The search terms will show you a list of all the Quickstart rules that are available for free on the site. But you can also limit the results by adding additional factors that are important to you, like genre or publisher. Just click the link and go wild.

DriveThruRPG
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