RPG with “Good Form:”

I think this topic has wide open ground for interpretation. The first game that comes to mind is the Cypher System. It flows almost seamlessly from genre to genre and from one campaign setting to another smoothly. I think it probably has a lot to do with Cypher growing out of Numenera.

I tend to tinker with a lot of generic systems. Before d20, there was GURPS. After the d20 Open Game License became a thing, there were a ton of generic or universal systems. FUDGE/FATE, Index Card RPG, Savage Worlds, Powered by the Apocalypse, Basic RolePlaying Game, and Mutant: Year Zero all fall into that category. I just think Cypher does it the smoothest with the least amount of conversion and kitbashing. I think a lot of it comes from the myriad of world represented in Numenera, but more recently, Cypher has been gaining a lot of notoriety on its own.

That’s not to disrespect any other games. There are tons of solid universal RPG engines. Cypher does take some work on worldbuilding early on in any campaign. Even if the groundwork is already laid by a setting book, some choices still need to be made to flavor the campaign. No magic in a gritty, realistic cyberpunk style game is one such example. Sometimes there is a little power in the “no” at the beginning or a Cypher System campaign.

The Cypher System itself flows quite nicely. The skill rolls, bonuses, etc are easy to calculate. Once you’ve had some experience with the system and possibly the different world books, it’s very easy and fun to run. The core rulebook is put together well enough, I would feel comfortable walking into a convention and running it cold even if I didn’t know the adventure or the setting.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.