How to Select an RPG system (a chart)

[InkwellIdeas]

I threw this together yesterday, and it has already gotten one revision based on a slew of comments. Please note some comments on the chart are serious and some are tongue-in-cheek. (Not malicious.) But all are superficial.

Inkwell Ideas How to Select an RPG (A Chart)

Like Morrus' map of the RPG community, this will still evolve based on feedback.

 

[Relique du Madde]

That chart is flawed since Mutants and Masterminds (especially 2e) could be used for more genres then super heroes due to its various suppliment books. Also where are the the Anime RPGs? Mecha RPGS? Western RPGs?

Sadly, If you take every genre and system into account that chart should be huge.

 

[TarionzCousin]

This looks great. So far my only feedback is to go through and make sure that there is a Yes/No/Maybe/Huh?/Etc for each option. Several at the top have a comment but lack the "Yes/No" feel.

Such as:

Do you have lots of d6's?
Do you like races as classes?
Do you like odd mechanics?

Anyway, great job. It's helpful, too.

 

[InkwellIdeas]

That chart is flawed since Mutants and Masterminds (especially 2e) could be used for more genres then super heroes due to its various suppliment books. Also where are the the Anime RPGs? Mecha RPGS? Western RPGs?

Sadly, If you take every genre and system into account that chart should be huge.

I'm still thinking about where to draw the line with the multi-genre games. I'm leaning to listing them in the multi-genre area and maybe the one or two most popular variants if those variants are just as popular as the core game.

What Anime, Mecha and Westerns aren't too niche? Maybe BESM, Robotech, Mechwarrior, Deadlands. Is Aces and 8s getting enough play? Boot Hill most likely. Thanks for the ideas... what others fit?

 

[jdrakeh]

Interesting, but deeply flawed, IMO. For example, you provide an option for the Fantasy genre, but have no option for the Low Fantasy sub-genre (embodied by games like HarnMaster). Likewise, you have no option for historical roleplay (Aces & Eights, Boothill, Gangbusters, Medieval Murder Mysteries, etc). Also, Cyberpunk is grouped under Modern (which is not a genre, BTW) when it's typically considered a Sci-Fi sub-genre (Dark Future).

 

[InkwellIdeas]

Interesting, but deeply flawed, IMO. For example, you provide an option for the Fantasy genre, but have no option for the Low Fantasy sub-genre (embodied by games like HarnMaster). Likewise, you have no option for historical roleplay (Aces & Eights, Boothill, Gangbusters, Medieval Murder Mysteries, etc). Also, Cyberpunk is grouped under Modern (which is not a genre, BTW) when it's typically considered a Sci-Fi sub-genre (Dark Future).

I think I can address many of these in the next update. The prior comment also led me to a few of the other games. But remember it is mostly just for fun... maybe a tiny bit useful to point out a couple of tidbits about each game. Its pretty silly to boil the games concepts and/or mechanics to essentially a couple of bullet points. But that's also part of what (I hope) makes it funny.

 

[noffham]

D&D0E did not have races as classes. That was Basic/Expert aka BECMI.

Just sayin...

 

[TarionzCousin]

Interesting, but deeply flawed, IMO.

It will get there eventually, I'm sure. This isn't a finished draft.

 

[shadzar]

Infinite loop found.

"wads of cash for minis" that leads back to itself.

 

[Diamond Cross]

Sigh.

Why people have to complicate things just to be right is beyond me.