There are a lot of role-playing games out there, and almost all of them have something none of the others have. But a few stand out for offering such a new idea that it can change the way we play, or inspire other designers with new ideas. This list is really a fraction of ‘games that changed the industry’. You can probably add plenty more. But as a place to start in looking at some of the most innovative games on the market, this will do for now. If you happen to be unfamiliar with any of the following, I hope you take some time to check them out.
I should add that I obviously haven’t played everything out there (I’ve tried though!). So what I list here is simply where I encountered a particular mechanic or style of play. If you know of an earlier example please comment so it can get the credit it deserves! I’m sure there are plenty I’ve missed.
[h=3]Empire of the Petal Throne/Runequest - Setting Matters[/h]
While Dungeons and Dragons is the granddaddy of all games, it still shows its roots as a wargame with role-playing. The setting was always ‘kind like Lord of the Rings and stuff’. However, the games that followed it realized that we needed more than just rule, we needed worlds to adventure in. Empire of the Petal Throne and Runequest were among the first to offer a new setting as well as new rules set, and this may be one of the secrets of their long lasting appeal.
[h=3]Call of Cthulhu - Player characters are not special[/h]
By the time Call of Cthulhu appeared, gaming had moved out of dungeons and spread to city role-playing. But Call of Cthulhu gave us a lot more than just scary gaming. The player characters are pretty ordinary people, nothing really special or supernatural about them. They are not heroes, often just people in the wrong place at the right time, or those with just too much curiosity. Also, fighting the monsters is not the way to ‘win’ at Call of Cthulhu, in fact, it is often the best way to lose. With no treasure to gain but keeping hold of your sanity, Cthulhu changed the nature of pretty much everything we were used to.
[h=3]James Bond - Hero Points[/h]
Beanies, hero points, brownie points, karma, they are everywhere - the points you get to manipulate a dice roll because you are the player characters. This mechanic may not seem particularly special, but it marks the start of players being able to influence dice rolls with more than just their character’s skills. They give players some of the Gamemaster’s power to decide which dice rolls are going to be special and in this way influence the narrative.
[h=3]Pendragon - Generational Gaming[/h]
I could write an entire article about why Pendragon is one of the most perfect systems ever devised, but let’s focus here on what most people noticed: the generational aspect. In Pendragon you play through the years of the game pretty quickly, aging your character until they are too old to go adventuring anymore. Then you play their eldest child and carry on, inheriting both their land and reputation. Each character builds on the last, creating a dynasty as you play through the age of King Arthur. You have to be prepared to retire your character just as they are getting really good, but the constant cycle refreshes the game in a natural way.
[h=3]Ars Magica - Troupe Style Play[/h]
Ars Magica was originally designed as a game where you play magicians as powerful as the likes of Gandalf or Merlin. For that it is already interesting, starting player characters off as extremely powerful, paving the way for Leverage and Firefly where your characters are already at the top of their game. As John Wick said in his espionage game ‘Wilderness of Mirrors’, “James Bond was never first level.”
However, Ars Magica is most noted for the idea of troupe play, where you might run several different groups of player characters to experience different levels of the campaign setting. You might all be warriors, switch to everyone playing castle servants, then to a council of mages, with each player having a character for each level of the game. It is a great way to experience more of the campaign world and play different levels of power and responsibility.
[h=3]Amber - No system[/h]
Amber blew my mind when I first read it. Marketed as ‘diceless role-playing’ it is better described as ‘systemless role-playing’. When you create a character you determine not exactly what their abilities are, but who they are better than. If you get into a conflict with someone better than you, then you need to think of a way to cheat or even the playing field through story. It is a lot of get used to, and a huge gear change as it is essential for the players to join the narration as much as the Gamemaster. If you can’t find a copy of Amber the same system is used in ‘Lords of Gossamer and Shadow’ with variations in ‘Nobilis’ and ‘Itras By’.
[h=3]7th Sea - You Can’t Die[/h]
Is death the only real threat? In 7th Sea characters cannot die from simple loss of hit points or the like. So each character death is only ever part of the story, a grand end to a climactic narrative and (more importantly) often the player’s choice. Rather than making a game boring, the lack of terminal consequences makes player characters bold, fearless and adventurous. They leap onto carriages, swing from chandeliers and throw themselves into danger. Free from the tyranny of a bad dice roll, they become heroes.
[h=3]Houses of the Blooded - Narration is for players too[/h]
I’m cheating a little here as I think this idea came first from Inspectres and/or FATE, but I first saw it in House of the Blooded. In this game a roll of the dice is not to see who succeeds or fails, but who narrates the outcome. If the dice roll well the player decides, if badly the Gamemaster. Now the GM may be a lot harsher, but the player need not always narrate success. In this way the game becomes about telling the story together rather than following the plot from the Gamemaster.
[h=3]Smallville - Relationships Matter[/h]
I’ll finish with what I believe is the most underrated game of the last few years. Smallville is a work on genius but few people seem to know it very well. It masters the age old superhero game problem of how you balance playing Superman with playing Lois Lane. The answer here is to make the game about relationships rather than skills. Player characters are built in terms of their relationships to each other and their general goals in life such as Glory or Love. If Superman tries to save Lois Lane he doesn’t make a flying roll, he rolls his relationship to Lois to see if she matters enough to him to make the right effort. It also matters why he is saving her, is it because he loves her or just wants another photo opportunity?
That’s all I have time for at the moment, but there are plenty more industry changing games out there. I’d be curious to hear what I’ve missed!
This article was contributed by Andrew Peregrine (Corone) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
I should add that I obviously haven’t played everything out there (I’ve tried though!). So what I list here is simply where I encountered a particular mechanic or style of play. If you know of an earlier example please comment so it can get the credit it deserves! I’m sure there are plenty I’ve missed.
[h=3]Empire of the Petal Throne/Runequest - Setting Matters[/h]
While Dungeons and Dragons is the granddaddy of all games, it still shows its roots as a wargame with role-playing. The setting was always ‘kind like Lord of the Rings and stuff’. However, the games that followed it realized that we needed more than just rule, we needed worlds to adventure in. Empire of the Petal Throne and Runequest were among the first to offer a new setting as well as new rules set, and this may be one of the secrets of their long lasting appeal.
[h=3]Call of Cthulhu - Player characters are not special[/h]
By the time Call of Cthulhu appeared, gaming had moved out of dungeons and spread to city role-playing. But Call of Cthulhu gave us a lot more than just scary gaming. The player characters are pretty ordinary people, nothing really special or supernatural about them. They are not heroes, often just people in the wrong place at the right time, or those with just too much curiosity. Also, fighting the monsters is not the way to ‘win’ at Call of Cthulhu, in fact, it is often the best way to lose. With no treasure to gain but keeping hold of your sanity, Cthulhu changed the nature of pretty much everything we were used to.
[h=3]James Bond - Hero Points[/h]
Beanies, hero points, brownie points, karma, they are everywhere - the points you get to manipulate a dice roll because you are the player characters. This mechanic may not seem particularly special, but it marks the start of players being able to influence dice rolls with more than just their character’s skills. They give players some of the Gamemaster’s power to decide which dice rolls are going to be special and in this way influence the narrative.
[h=3]Pendragon - Generational Gaming[/h]
I could write an entire article about why Pendragon is one of the most perfect systems ever devised, but let’s focus here on what most people noticed: the generational aspect. In Pendragon you play through the years of the game pretty quickly, aging your character until they are too old to go adventuring anymore. Then you play their eldest child and carry on, inheriting both their land and reputation. Each character builds on the last, creating a dynasty as you play through the age of King Arthur. You have to be prepared to retire your character just as they are getting really good, but the constant cycle refreshes the game in a natural way.
[h=3]Ars Magica - Troupe Style Play[/h]
Ars Magica was originally designed as a game where you play magicians as powerful as the likes of Gandalf or Merlin. For that it is already interesting, starting player characters off as extremely powerful, paving the way for Leverage and Firefly where your characters are already at the top of their game. As John Wick said in his espionage game ‘Wilderness of Mirrors’, “James Bond was never first level.”
However, Ars Magica is most noted for the idea of troupe play, where you might run several different groups of player characters to experience different levels of the campaign setting. You might all be warriors, switch to everyone playing castle servants, then to a council of mages, with each player having a character for each level of the game. It is a great way to experience more of the campaign world and play different levels of power and responsibility.
[h=3]Amber - No system[/h]
Amber blew my mind when I first read it. Marketed as ‘diceless role-playing’ it is better described as ‘systemless role-playing’. When you create a character you determine not exactly what their abilities are, but who they are better than. If you get into a conflict with someone better than you, then you need to think of a way to cheat or even the playing field through story. It is a lot of get used to, and a huge gear change as it is essential for the players to join the narration as much as the Gamemaster. If you can’t find a copy of Amber the same system is used in ‘Lords of Gossamer and Shadow’ with variations in ‘Nobilis’ and ‘Itras By’.
[h=3]7th Sea - You Can’t Die[/h]
Is death the only real threat? In 7th Sea characters cannot die from simple loss of hit points or the like. So each character death is only ever part of the story, a grand end to a climactic narrative and (more importantly) often the player’s choice. Rather than making a game boring, the lack of terminal consequences makes player characters bold, fearless and adventurous. They leap onto carriages, swing from chandeliers and throw themselves into danger. Free from the tyranny of a bad dice roll, they become heroes.
[h=3]Houses of the Blooded - Narration is for players too[/h]
I’m cheating a little here as I think this idea came first from Inspectres and/or FATE, but I first saw it in House of the Blooded. In this game a roll of the dice is not to see who succeeds or fails, but who narrates the outcome. If the dice roll well the player decides, if badly the Gamemaster. Now the GM may be a lot harsher, but the player need not always narrate success. In this way the game becomes about telling the story together rather than following the plot from the Gamemaster.
[h=3]Smallville - Relationships Matter[/h]
I’ll finish with what I believe is the most underrated game of the last few years. Smallville is a work on genius but few people seem to know it very well. It masters the age old superhero game problem of how you balance playing Superman with playing Lois Lane. The answer here is to make the game about relationships rather than skills. Player characters are built in terms of their relationships to each other and their general goals in life such as Glory or Love. If Superman tries to save Lois Lane he doesn’t make a flying roll, he rolls his relationship to Lois to see if she matters enough to him to make the right effort. It also matters why he is saving her, is it because he loves her or just wants another photo opportunity?
That’s all I have time for at the moment, but there are plenty more industry changing games out there. I’d be curious to hear what I’ve missed!
This article was contributed by Andrew Peregrine (Corone) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
