Find a group from all over the world

GURPS (Generic Universal RolePlaying System) is a tabletop role-playing game designed by Steve Jackson and published by Steve Jackson Games. Initially released in 1986, with its current Fourth Edition published in 2004, it provides a universal ruleset built to accommodate any conceivable genre, setting, or power level. The system is recognized for its high degree of modularity and its strict reliance on point-based character creation rather than traditional classes or experience levels. Description In GURPS, players construct characters by allocating a predetermined pool of Character Points. These points are spent to acquire core attributes, specific skills, and advantages. Players can also elect to take disadvantages, such as physical limitations, phobias, or social stigmas, to gain additional points during the creation process. The game functions primarily as a mechanical toolkit rather than a fixed set of rules. Game Masters are instructed to select only the specific mechanics, combat modules, and magic systems from the core rulebooks and supplemental materials that fit the intended tone and setting of their campaign. System Overview & Key Features 3d6 Task Resolution The system exclusively uses a pool of three six-sided dice (3d6) for action resolution. To succeed at a task, a player must roll a total equal to or lower than their character's modified skill or attribute target number. The use of three dice generates a bell curve probability distribution, which makes average outcomes statistically common and extreme successes or failures mathematically rare. Point-Buy Character Creation Character generation is entirely point-based. The Game Master assigns a starting total of Character Points (CP) to dictate the overall power level of the campaign. Every element of a character, including the four basic attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Health), specialized skills, wealth, and social status, is purchased using these points. Universal Modularity GURPS is structurally designed for adaptation. The core rulebooks provide the foundational mechanics, while hundreds of supplemental books offer optional, granular rules for specific settings, such as cybernetics, realistic martial arts, space travel, or varied magic systems. The ruleset is intended to be heavily customized and scaled in complexity by the Game Master. Tactical Combat and Damage Resistance Combat encounters operate on one-second turns, creating a highly detailed and tactical framework. The system incorporates rules for hit locations, weapon reach, bleeding, and shock penalties. In combat, armor functions as Damage Resistance (DR); it directly subtracts from the numerical damage inflicted by an attack rather than making the target more difficult to hit. Skill Defaults When a character attempts an action for which they do not possess the specific trained skill, the system utilizes a "default" mechanic. The player may roll against a closely related skill or a foundational attribute, applying a predetermined numerical penalty. This mechanic simulates a character attempting an unfamiliar task using their general knowledge or raw physical capabilities. Additional links sjgames.com/gurps - Official Steve Jackson Games publisher website and digital storefront gurps.fandom.com - Extensive fan-curated wiki for rules, settings, and sourcebook references

Monster of the Week (MOTW) is an urban fantasy-horror tabletop role-playing game developed by Michael Sands. It was first published in 2012, and a revised edition was published by Evil Hat Productions in 2015. The entire theme of the game is heavily inspired by TV shows like Buffy, Supernatural, X-Files, Fringe and many others. The system it directly evolved from is Apocalypse World (2010) Description Players in the MOTW system take on the role of monster hunters. Capable of dealing with most creatures that might get in their way. Using skills to solve mysteries, track monsters and eventually defeat them.  System Overview & Key Features Powered by the Apocalypse Engine (2d6) Players roll two six-sided dice (2d6) when performing actions, adding relevant character modifiers to the result. Rolling a 10 or higher is considered a success. 7-9 is a partial success, which will also carry some added consequences. Getting a 6 or lower means failure - you have not succeeded in whatever you attempted and dire consequences are soon to follow. Basic and Playbook Moves Game mechanics are categorized into discrete actions called "Moves." Basic Moves are universally available to all characters and cover common actions such as "Investigate a Mystery," "Kick Some Ass," or "Act Under Pressure." Playbook Moves are exclusive, specialized abilities granted by a character's chosen Playbook, allowing them to manipulate the narrative or game mechanics in unique ways. Finite Luck Points Each character possesses a limited track of Luck points. A player may permanently expend a point of Luck to retroactively alter a dice roll to a 12 (a complete success) or to entirely negate a single instance of sustained damage. Luck is a resource the players have to keep an eye on. Using too much can get you out of trouble, but if you don't have it when you need it most - trouble awaits. Harm and Exploiting Weaknesses Physical trauma is tracked using a short monitor called "Harm." Player characters and adversaries possess low thresholds for sustaining Harm, making direct combat inherently dangerous. To successfully defeat a primary antagonist, players are mechanically required to investigate and utilize the creature's specific weakness, as standard physical attacks are often insufficient to achieve a permanent victory. The Mystery Countdown To structure a gameplay session, the Keeper utilizes a tool called the Countdown. This is a chronological timeline detailing the sequence of events that will occur if the player characters fail to intervene. The Countdown is divided into escalating phases, ending with a catastrophic event. It serves to govern the pacing of the investigation and provide a sense of urgency. Additional links evilhat.com - Official Evil Hat Productions website genericgames.co.nz - Official home of Michael Sands and the original game files

Talislanta is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game created by Stephan Michael Sechi, first published by Bard Games in 1987. It draws its inspiration from Jack Vance's Dying Earth novels and the travelogue spirit of the Arabian Nights rather than from Tolkien. It built its identity around a single blunt promise printed right on the box: "no elves". No dwarves, no halflings, no standard-issue fantasy races at all - just dozens of original cultures found nowhere else in the genre.  The game has passed through five editions and nearly as many publishers, including a stint at Wizards of the Coast in the early '90s, and creator Stephan Michael Sechi now makes the entire back catalogue - every edition, every supplement - available for free through the official Talislanta Library. Description Playing Talislanta starts with a choice. Instead of creating a character from separate race, class, and skill lists, players pick one of well over a hundred archetypes. Things like the Cymrilan Rogue Magician, the Jaka Beastmaster, or the Mandalan Mystic Warrior - each one a fully realised character tied to a specific culture. Complete with attributes, skills, gear, and a place in the world already worked out. A little light customisation (a point moved here, a skill added there) and the character is ready to play.  What makes the game distinct isn't its mechanics, which are deliberately light, but the scale of its setting: the continent of Talislanta is home to more than a hundred distinct peoples, and the rulebooks spend far more pages on culture, custom, and worldview than on combat math. It rewards players who want to explore a genuinely alien fantasy world over chasing mechanical optimisation. System Overview & Key Features Archetype-Based Character Creation Character creation isn't a build process, it's a selection process. Every archetype in the book arrives fully statted, dressed, and equipped, tied to a named culture and a defined role in Talislantan society. Archetypes are deliberately unbalanced against one another, since staying true to the setting mattered more to Sechi than parity between character options. The Unified Action Table Skill checks, combat rolls, and magic all resolve on a single d20 chart. Attacking works exactly like any other skill roll: add a skill rating, compare to a target number. There's no separate combat subsystem to memorise, which keeps the rules themselves down to a few dozen pages even in the densest editions. Modes and Orders Magic runs on two interlocking pieces: Modes (twelve broad effect categories like Attack, Heal, or Illusion) and Orders (culturally rooted schools of magic, from Cartomancy to Elemental Magic). A magician's Order shapes how a Mode behaves and looks when cast, so the same underlying effect plays out completely differently in different hands - which lets a short list of Modes support a near-endless variety of actual spells. A World Built Without Tolkien Every culture in Talislanta was designed to avoid genre default: no elves, no generic barbarians, no standard dragons. In their place are peoples like the Thralls (identical clone-warriors distinguishable only by tattoo), the sky-sailing Phantasians, and the shapeshifting Sindarans. The setting material - not the rules - is where most of the page count and most of the game's reputation live. Links talislanta.com - Official Talislanta website talislanta.com/talislanta-library - Free official PDFs of every edition and supplement ever published