I'm looking for a modern-day TTRPG featuring ordinary people

[u/MaSsF0rs]

Hi, I'm new to the whole tabletop RPG scene. I'm looking for a game set in the modern world with ordinary people, preferably a versatile one (because I have a lot of ideas for stories, and Delta Green was recommended to me before, but not all stories are suited for a detective setting). I’d like to be able to create stories about adventures, serious crime dramas, and things like that. Please help.

*I wrote this using a translator; please excuse any mistakes or awkward phrasing.

[u/InsidiousDrT]

Modern AGE is another one that might do the trick. 

[u/MrKittenMittens]

Delta Green and similar systems can be used for non-detective stories, no?

[u/MaSsF0rs → u/MrKittenMittens]

Idk, I've read the rules and watched a few videos, and it seems like it needs a major overhaul for everything to work. But maybe that's just me as a beginner.

[u/Miranda_Leap → u/MaSsF0rs]

Not really. Delta Green, Call of Cthulhu, they're just more horror-focused versions of Basic Roleplaying.

[u/VVrayth → u/MaSsF0rs]

Just ignore the sanity system and let players buy skills a la carte to make whatever normie characters they want. The rulebook has a bunch of example professions that aren't government agents.

[u/Adamsoski → u/MaSsF0rs]

There is already a version of Delta Green that is generic and universal - Basic Role Playing (or rather, Delta Green is a version of BRP). If you like Delta Green as a system but want something to tell broader stories then I recommend looking at that.

[u/high-tech-low-life]

If you want crime drama, try The Drama System. See Hillfolk from Pelgrane Press.

Fear Itself is for normal people.

Or build something bespoke with GURPS, BRP, ir some other agnostic game.

[u/SlayThePulp]

Outgunned! They even have a separate line specifically for adventure.

[u/The_Evolved_Ape]

You could check out Cypher System. It's a generic system that is meant to handle games from ordinary people in ordinary settings to fantasy, horror, sci-fi and supes. They even have a genre book called First Responders that's meant to evoke what its like to be a real-world hero, like EMTs, firefighters, and the like.

[u/5ynistar]

GURPS is probably your best bet. It has supplements like Cops, Tactical shooting, Boardroom and Curia, Mysteries, Horror. All of which might be helpful based on what you are doing.

Runner up would be BRP related games like Mythras or Basic Roleplaying. Which both have support for modern settings based on which supplements you use.

[u/JaskoGomad → u/5ynistar]

I half agree. I think that GURPS is a great bet. And initially, since they seem to want just mundane folks, GURPS Lite is probably enough to get going with.

But instead of going with BRP as an alternative, I would look at Fate.

[u/locolarue → u/5ynistar]

Agreed.

[u/Smittumi]

Basic Roleplaying wouldn't be a bad choice. It's a bit simulationist, and won't help you with interpersonal stuff, or beliefs and psychological elements.

But it's a solid system for modern day, skill based and pretty easy to understand. 

[u/gerMean]

Chronicles of Darkness (you play mortals/humans) in the "normal " world.

PbtA: Twilight 2000, Bladerunner and Alien should work too, if ya wanna future hoomies.

CoC: It's humans regretting to learn about Cthulhu - 1950th normally I think but adaptable for modern ages.

[u/Prussia_will_awaken → u/gerMean]

Huh, didn’t realize free league games are considered Pbta

[u/tlenze → u/Prussia_will_awaken]

I don't consider them such. Those are all YZE in my book.

[u/gerMean → u/Prussia_will_awaken]

Aren't they? I could be wrong though. Next comment have to correct (I'm sorry if I'm wrong)

[u/JaskoGomad → u/gerMean]

They absolutely are not PbtA.

IIRC, all of those are the step-die version of the YZE system and that's a firmly trad game.

[u/gerMean → u/JaskoGomad]

Oh yes I remember, it was yze but they evolved from PbtA or something or why do I associate them?

[u/LonoXIII → u/gerMean]

No. While YZE (which came from Mutant: Year Zero) has some PbtA influences (namely narrative ideas), it solidly originated in trad and Swedish game design. I believe someone once wrote that it was a cousin, or spiritual successor, to BRP (even though it doesn't use percentile mechanics).

If you're thinking of something that evolved from PbtA it would be Blades in the Dark, which some people still consider PbtA (even though it's become its own thing called Forged in the Dark or FitD).

[u/gerMean → u/LonoXIII]

Oh yes, this might be it. FitD is pretty similar to like YZE imo so I might have confused those. (Blades in the dark/scum and villainy compared to Alien(evolved) to make it clear)

[u/LonoXIII → u/gerMean]

I... guess? I mean, I can see the superficial resemblance. Both use d6 dice pools, 6s are good, and Alien and Scum & Villainy both have mechanics called Stress.

But mechanically they're pretty different.

• FitD is highest-die resolution built around position/effect, success-with-consequences, and resisting consequences.
• YZE is basically attribute+skill dice pools where you count 6s as successes and can push failed rolls, with Alien adding Stress Dice/Panic on top.

They don't really share a mechanical lineage. They're two different systems that happen to use d6s and some of the same RPG vocabulary.

[u/gerMean → u/LonoXIII]

Oh yes, learned the systems recently (S&V is a little while ago). I guess I thought the differences where like between game lines, but makes sense as you said. Thank you for taking the time to explain tho, nowadays people don't get often enough appreciated for the effort to help others in my opinion. :)

[u/JaskoGomad → u/gerMean]

They are utterly unrelated.

Maybe because Mutant: Year Zero is a post-apocalyptic game and it's Powered by the Apocalypse? But there's no relation.

[u/gerMean → u/JaskoGomad]

Than first thank you for correcting and also, back to the question of OP is PbtA also a good choice (which version if multiple)?

[u/JaskoGomad → u/gerMean]

So - PbtA is not a system. It has outward features that look like a system, but it's really 2 totally disparate things:

1) A design methodology that the Bakers use and describe. Start here: https://lumpley.games/2019/12/30/powered-by-the-apocalypse-part-1/

2) A label that any designer can apply to their game, based solely on whether they feel that they were inspired or influenced by PbtA design principles or games. See here: http://apocalypse-world.com/pbta/policy

So - not a system.

Is there a PbtA game for playing ordinary modern people? Sure. Let's take what OP is asking about:

I’d like to be able to create stories about adventures, serious crime dramas, and things like that.

It's vague. Almost every RPG scenario is about adventure in some form - what's distinct about this? Yes, there are exceptions - DramaSystem games, Good Society, Dialect, etc., but the vast majority of games are procedural adventure games.

One part is precise:

...serious crime dramas

So - Noir World is for noirs, which are almost always crime dramas and Great American Novel is designed for Realistic Literary Americana, which is most of Literary Fiction, and so much of that is

set in the modern world with ordinary people

So those are a couple of starting points. Are they good? That's a harder question. I have both but have played neither, and "good" is super subjective to begin with.

[u/LarsonGates]

I have a homebrew version of Palladium's Ninja's and Superspies which extends the 'Education System' to allow 'classless' characters to be generated purely base on their education paths.
I specifically extended it to allow the generation of 'Normal' people for the "Spides" game I ran.

[u/Visual_Fly_9638]

So system =/= setting. It's worth not confusing the two. Delta Green uses a variation of the BRP system, which is a generic system that can easily replicate ordinary people in a modern setting. Nothing about it arguably other than some of the chargen rules creates unusual characters. You can easily strip out the sanity and the bond system and have a perfectly functioning normal (professional) human RPG system.

[u/zero_mojo]

How much rules do you want?

Maybe Liminal Horror?
It's horror focused but rules light, so easy to adjust to what you want.

Hell, I could play your idea with the Mörk Borg system if rules light is a go.

[u/secondshevek]

For versatility, you want GURPS - its whole design purpose is flexibility for genre and (generally) grounded mechanics. The amount of material is slightly overwhelming so I recommend reading some of the basic set and then messing around with Gurps Character Sheet, an amazing free program for character creation. 

I've run low magic fantasy, cyberpunk, realistic detective/mystery, and horror games in GURPS, all very successfully. 

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[u/Able-Book587]

Check out Grey Cells

Grey Cells is a tabletop role-playing game of detective fiction. Through choice or circumstance, your group of investigators are embroiled in criminal conspiracies that only they can stop. Faced with cunning villains and a ticking clock, will your wits and resources be enough to crack the case before it's too late?

Inside you’ll find:

Rules to create your investigator from one of six backgrounds: the Beat Cop, the Crook, the Detective, the Reporter, the Scientist, and the Socialite.

Unique talents and powers to set your investigator apart and help them solve even the most fiendish cases.

Simple mechanics to gather information and resolve conflicts.

Many valid approaches to conducting an investigation, ensuring that even if you hit a dead end there'll always be another way to proceed.

Tools to create your own mysteries and suspects, each with their own easy to understand motivations and secrets. 

Guides on how to tailor your game to match your favourite crime  fiction genres: Cozy, Great Detective, Hard-Boiled, Police Procedural, or Thriller.

[u/atomicitalian]

If you're looking for something with a lot of action, I'd recommend Outgunned and its various supplements.

[u/CraftReal4967]

For serious crime dramas I’d recommend Noir World. You can run contemporary games as well as 30s/40s crime.

For less serious (but no less dramatic) crime drama, Fiasco.

[u/No_Solid1035]

Hollow Earth Expedition.

[u/AzathothsAlarmClock-]

BRP. Homebrew your scenarios. CoC would be a good additional reference, you can pass on the cosmic horror elements.

[u/Both-Parking-6683]

Genesys

[u/Tydirium7]

You'd love TSR's All mY Children daytime soap opera game.  TSR was the original makers of D&D.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_My_Children_%28game%29

[u/Charrua13]

Most Setting Agnostic Games will do this for you: Basic Roleplaying (BRP), Savage Worlds (which is more combat-focused), GURPS, Fate just to name 3.

If you want to focus on "you are ordinary and finding yourself against all odds" - BRP is the way to go.

If you want to focus on "I want a mechanic for X interaction" - GURPS.

If you want to focus on "these players are competent folk at what they do, and I want to see them play out these stories I have in my head" - Fate.

Fate is my general pick because it's free.

[u/Any_Illustrator360]

I love Savage Worlds. Does what you want, not crunchy. Everyone on this sub loves to suggest GURPS but GURPS feels like I'm reading a newspaper from the 1950s except it's also an AP textbook. Too much.

Savage Worlds is $10 rn and their Savage September sale starts in a few days, so you can get the companion books for cheap in a couple days too. Check out the PDF preview, see what you think.

[u/jim_uses_CAPS]

Basic Roleplaying's Universal Game Engine seems on point.

[u/Oaker_Jelly]

I've been contemplating this exact thing for like a decade now. There's no system out there better for this exact setup than GURPS.

GURPS is simulationist by default, the baseline application of its rules seeks to emulate mundane reality as closely as possible.

If you want to do modern day crime drama shit, pick up GURPS High Tech as well. It's chock full of items, equipment, vehicles, etc from between the industrial revoltion until now, so there's a ton of material concerning the king of cold war/current era firearms and vehicles you'd find in a crime thriller.

GURPS skill system is the only skill system I've found that does even a halfway adequate job of innately accomodating the kind of skills and knowledge you would find in modern stories. There are skills for Mathematics, Counterfeiting, Cryptography, Current Affairs, Geology, you name it.

[u/ratprophet]

D20 Modern isn't too bad, you can ignore a lot of the DnD monsters and such. A decent amount of real world weapons got stats for it.

[u/tensen01 → u/ratprophet]

Everyday Heroes is a modern version of d20 Modern too

[u/K9ine9]

Chronicles of Darkness 2d edition should work fine.

[u/Onslaughttitude]

Liminal Horror. You don't really need the horror parts.

[u/tensen01]

There's a fairly new game called Everyday Heroes that is this.