Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Contemplative Journey RPG?

pakoito

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Messages
3,086
When I was in Japan Ryuutama was quite popular. It's kind of Ghibli meets Dragon Quest, very Japanese. I have seen there's a similar one that came out of the west this year, Wanderhome.

I was wondering whether the Grognards at the Codex can recommend any RPG or similar experience for a person or a group that want that journey and exploration experience rather than the usual hobomurder and munchkin minmaxing. And preferably without furry stuff.
 

Eldagusto

Educated
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
67
Location
Antartica
Okay I highly recommend Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine - Jenna Katerin Moran | DriveThruRPG.com its much different from any game I have ever read/played and it would fit what you are looking for with aspects you never knew you wanted. Its a Diceless system and it could represent abstract games that represent Harvest Moon, or even Rugrats or the TV show Community, or Spirited Away.

Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition - Onyx Path Publishing | Mage 20th Anniversary | DriveThruRPG.com Mage's game also revolves around journeys of your own inner world and enlightenment.

Mage the Awakening 2nd Edition - Onyx Path Publishing | Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition | Chronicles of Darkness | DriveThruRPG.com is a tighter system without all the metaplot and complex history. Its version of the Astral Realm is very interesting peek into your inner world.
 

Silva

Arcane
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
4,778
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Ok, serious now..

Dogs in the Vineyard is a game about moral dilemmas based on authority or belief. The resolution mechanic deals with escalation of violence from verbal > physical > gunfight and how these conflicts change the characters back. I played it just once but it was a very interesting experience, pretty different from your typical RPG. Don't know if I would want to play it frequently like I do other RPGs though, it's kinda heavy.

Ultraviolet Grasslands is a weird one. It's beautifull and strange and evokes a feeling of discovery. But it's supposed to go with D&D/OSR which are about, well, murderhoboing. If anything, it's great as inspiration for a contemplative. Here, a nice review. "If Hayao Miyazaki adapted Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun".
 
Last edited:

Alex

Arcane
Joined
Jun 14, 2007
Messages
8,750
Location
São Paulo - Brasil
Shadowrun makes you contemplate on shooting people in the face with a full burst SMG.

It's really an enlightening experience.

:killitwithfire:

This, but without the sarcasm. Planning a run in old school Shadowrun is what RPGs are all about... and it does require a whole lot of contemplation.
 

Silva

Arcane
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
4,778
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Alex , I'm all for heist/mission planning in RPGs (love Shadowrun and Blades in the Dark) but it has nothing to do with the kind of contemplation the OP asked. A more contemplative cyberpunk would be something in the line of Blade Runner.

Edit: I think there's one Blade Runner rpg in the making. Will google it and post here if I find something.
 

Silva

Arcane
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
4,778
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
And the Blade Runner one I talked about before is really coming up..


https://www.bladerunner-rpg.com/

"The official Blade Runner RPG will propel players into the streets of Los Angeles as Blade Runners with unique specialties, personalities – and memories.

The core game and its line of expansions will push the boundaries of investigative gameplay in tabletop RPGs, giving players a range of tools to solve an array of cases far beyond retiring Replicants. Beyond the core casework, the RPG will both in setting and mechanics showcase key themes of Blade Runner – sci-fi action, corporate intrigue, existential character drama, and moral conflict – that challenge players to question your friends, empathize with your enemies, and explore the poisons and perseverance of hope and humanity during such inhumane times.

The rules of the game are based on the acclaimed Year Zero Engine, used in award-winning games such as the ALIEN RPG, Tales From the Loop and Forbidden Lands, but further developed and uniquely tailored for Blade Runner."
 

JamesDixon

GM Extraordinaire
Patron
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
11,178
Location
In the ether
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
Hero System or GURPS will allow you to run the setting and genre of your choice. Both have great communities that will help you get into the rules etc...
 

pakoito

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Messages
3,086
Hero System or GURPS will allow you to run the setting and genre of your choice. Both have great communities that will help you get into the rules etc...
It's more about the mechanics being interwoven with the theme. GURPS is rules-heavy and focused on combat and pre-setup scenes IIRC.
 

JamesDixon

GM Extraordinaire
Patron
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
11,178
Location
In the ether
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
Hero System or GURPS will allow you to run the setting and genre of your choice. Both have great communities that will help you get into the rules etc...
It's more about the mechanics being interwoven with the theme. GURPS is rules-heavy and focused on combat and pre-setup scenes IIRC.

Neither Hero or GURPS are rules heavy during play. You use what you need and fit with the theme. I've ran plenty of Hero games ranging from westerns to superheroes to horror. There really isn't pre-setup either if you're a good GM. When I ran it I did it off the cuff with nothing really slated for that session and let the players find the adventure naturally. I would use the character's own back stories as well.

I've included GURPS here because it is a toolkit like Hero System is. Unlike Hero System, it has top notch in-depth genre books that covers everything into the deepest detail. It's more of a reference for me then it is to actually run. GURPS is more gritty whilst Hero System is more cinematic.
 

JamesDixon

GM Extraordinaire
Patron
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
11,178
Location
In the ether
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
Wanderhome rpg.

Oops, I already mentioned this above.

JamesDixon , how is Gurps/Hero contemplative ? I'm not getting it. Those are just game rules.

In reference to this item from the provided example game:

✿ There’s a lot of focus on telling stories about your character. Every character has a “personal item” which tells us something about that character. But much of their equipment tells stories about the characters, too: No one will ever have the starting money to buy what they want, so everyone will have to make compromises: You can afford a high quality sword, but not a shield and tent. Or you can pool your money with the other players and together buy a tent, but not have enough left for armor. In the end, beginning characters have to buy equipment with “special qualities” that reduce the cost of their equipment. Things like “uncool”, “gross”, “smelly”, “old”, “broken”.

You can buy a sword and a shield at the start of the game by reducing the cost in this way: “I have an uncool, old sword; and a gross shield”. But the real fun comes in what happens next: Telling the others what an “uncool, old sword”, or a “gross shield”, look like! Why do you carry stuff like that? Why does it smell? Why is it uncool? Those little things add up to more interesting story elements for your character!

If you’re lucky, maybe in time you can buy “cute”, “well-made”, or “mithril” equipment.

Character creation in Hero/GURPS is all about coming up with the character concept. What do you envision the character to have in the way of skills, perks, talents, powers, and disadvantages? All of that is contemplative. It's also to be used by the GM to create scenarios.

Going through the supposed advantages of the Ryuutama game has existed since the first edition of Champions and GURPS.
 

JamesDixon

GM Extraordinaire
Patron
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
11,178
Location
In the ether
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
Lol that's a load of crap and you should be ashamed of it. :lol: First because any game does that, second because it misses the thread subject completely (adventures based on journeys).

I'm not the one that picked the game and said it was contemplative. Every game is about the journey and it's a matter of the group to decide how to approach it. The OP made it clear that he was talking D&D 3E and later since prior editions were not murder hobos. You were frequently going up against situations that would result in a party wipe if things weren't thought through. In fact, you got more experience for avoiding combat using your smarts and acquiring gold then killing monsters. Only in 3E did you get zero xp from gold, less xp from adventures, and most xp for killing monsters.

Now my recommendation fits since the focus is on the characters themselves. In Hero System and GURPS you have to take disadvantages as part of the point cost of your character. In Hero System it can be drug addictions, personality traits like a code against killing, physical limitations, hunteds, and the like. All of that is used by the GM to craft a story that fits the party like a glove. It also allows the characters to grow in meaningful ways and work to overcome those limitations. In order words, you accrue the experience points that are then used to buy off the disadvantages if you want or you can use it to improve skills, powers, etc... directly.

You can take the shit rating and shove right up your retarded ass where it came from.
 

Silva

Arcane
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
4,778
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Not exactly contemplative, but I remember in Earthdawn when you found a special artifact (like a magic sword) you had to go uncovering its history or legends to unlock it's various bonuses and powers. I never played it, but it seems to promote exploration in some way.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom