Fate is much more my jam when it comes to “rework for everything” systems. It fits narrative elements with mechanics without being constraining.
Whenever I play PBTA I keep bouncing against the limits of the system because most of them are laser focused on emulating some sort of narrative genre, and often I want more from my characters than to just play out a selected arrangement of tropes. And as a GM I occasionally feature quests that pull from entirely different genres.
I haven’t played Thirsty Sword Lesbians but “a selected arrangement of tropes” hits the nail on the head when it comes to Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark. At least The Sprawl (also PbtA) offered multiclass options and enough lateral advancement that playbooks were more a theme than a rigid dichotomy.
Going back to Fate, this system has become my go-to for “I have a story I want to tell with my party and I just want the rules to, basically, function”. Great for those games where the storytelling matters and the rules almost don’t.
Cypher is another good one if you need linear (or at least, level-like) progression, and an emphasis on finding and using cool loot
I really like Fate and hope to one day find a group that clicks with it. It avoids many of the tropes I’m tired of in D&D.
But in my experience it does need players who are going to do more than phone it in. Passive players can really drag it down. “I dunno I hit him with my sword” kind of works in D&D but not very well in Fate.
Having played Monster of the Week, I think I agree with you about PbtA systems. They’re fun, but I tend to get a little bored with them after a few sessions, especially since I like to make characters who don’t really fit into any of the playbooks. The best fit of a playbook at character creation rarely has more than a few plays I would want to spend experience points on.
I will say, though, that I like the experience system in PbtA games. It does a good job of helping players feel like they accomplished something each session.
I haven’t had a chance to play Hillfolk, only read it years ago… but from what I remember, it also just has great ideas for creating PCs with existing relationships that can port to just about any other system!
Some more freeform systems:
Fate, another great “do all” system
Hillfolk, more like theater impro framework.
Another shoutout for Fate! It’s great
Fate is much more my jam when it comes to “rework for everything” systems. It fits narrative elements with mechanics without being constraining.
Whenever I play PBTA I keep bouncing against the limits of the system because most of them are laser focused on emulating some sort of narrative genre, and often I want more from my characters than to just play out a selected arrangement of tropes. And as a GM I occasionally feature quests that pull from entirely different genres.
I haven’t played Thirsty Sword Lesbians but “a selected arrangement of tropes” hits the nail on the head when it comes to Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark. At least The Sprawl (also PbtA) offered multiclass options and enough lateral advancement that playbooks were more a theme than a rigid dichotomy.
Going back to Fate, this system has become my go-to for “I have a story I want to tell with my party and I just want the rules to, basically, function”. Great for those games where the storytelling matters and the rules almost don’t.
Cypher is another good one if you need linear (or at least, level-like) progression, and an emphasis on finding and using cool loot
I really like Fate and hope to one day find a group that clicks with it. It avoids many of the tropes I’m tired of in D&D.
But in my experience it does need players who are going to do more than phone it in. Passive players can really drag it down. “I dunno I hit him with my sword” kind of works in D&D but not very well in Fate.
Having played Monster of the Week, I think I agree with you about PbtA systems. They’re fun, but I tend to get a little bored with them after a few sessions, especially since I like to make characters who don’t really fit into any of the playbooks. The best fit of a playbook at character creation rarely has more than a few plays I would want to spend experience points on.
I will say, though, that I like the experience system in PbtA games. It does a good job of helping players feel like they accomplished something each session.
Whenever someone talks about fate there’s this moment of fear, because it’s so close in name to FATAL. It’s only for a moment though.
“2 pages of rules” 400-pages FATE rulebook next to me: Am I a joke to you?
I haven’t had a chance to play Hillfolk, only read it years ago… but from what I remember, it also just has great ideas for creating PCs with existing relationships that can port to just about any other system!