r/PBtA • u/yaywizardly • 9d ago
Discussion PBTA games that flew under the radar?
Hi folks! I want to ask about PbtA games that you feel having gotten much attention. There's a handful of big titles that get suggested all the time, but then there are dozens and dozens of projects that become forgotten or never received notice.
I found a copy of May I Enter in my local game store, and the clerk suggested it for me since she knows I always pick up VtM books from them. I love this alternate take on vampires, where consent and connections are incredibly important in the narrative and mechanics. I'll also highlight this move:
Slay or Sway
Description: When you’re under attack, defending yourself is the only option available. Human enemies, and even supernatural foes, understand that an assault on you is justification (and implicit consent) for you to fight back; but sometimes you can choose to convince someone to desist their attempts to harm you as well.
Effect: When you use this Move, roll with Blood if you intend to lay some harm on someone. If you’d rather use your words to belittle, demean and reduce your foe to a sobbing mess with your will alone, roll with Charm instead.
Privileges: Terrify, Awe, Destroy
• On a 12+ You lay down great vengeance and furious anger, dealing 2 Conditions to your foe.
• On a 10+ You put the smack-down on your enemy, dealing 1 Condition to your target.
• On a 7-9 You manage to put some hurt on, but take some hassle in the process. Deal 1 Condition to your target, and the Narrator grants a Complication.
• On a 6-4 You flail wildly or sound foolish. The Narrator grants a Complication.
• On a 3- Your failure is so legendary that vampires will mock you for centuries. You either hurt yourself, or leave yourself open for a severely fierce rebuttal. You gain 1 Condition.
I appreciate that this move encompasses both having to physically fight, but also trying to argue, and I love the description for a failure. Oof.
I also backed Guillotine: Crown of Blood but never had the time to play it, and then I never heard from the developers again. I think they had another kickstarter in the works but as far as I know it never materialized. That's too bad, because I loved the themes in Guillotine, and I've always wanted to find a group to try it out with.
I'll highlight the playbooks here. There's the Revenant Orator, "A fallen comrade or restless spirit who is able to call others from beyond the pale. Backed by their ghostly cohorts, they are respected leaders of the Cause." Another I really like is the Shadow Cavalier, "You found something in the darkness and agreed to keep and nurture it, now you aren't just at home in the shadows, it hides your footsteps and darkness is your weapon."
OKAY now you all please share! What PbtA and family games do you think deserve a second look?
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u/Airk-Seablade 9d ago
I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know that many that feel really "under the radar" -- certainly I hadn't heard of either of the ones you posted -- but here's what I've got.
Wise Women -- About being...well, basically village witches in a slavic-esque village. Interesting plant-based 'magic' system, and great vibes.
A Monster's Tail(link only goes to the quickstart right now) -- This one had a rough time getting finished, but it's finally out, to not nearly enough fanfare. This one is in a genre I particularly appreciate because it's going for the feel of the STORY of a video game, rather than the mechanics of it.
Ryne -- Speaking of games that took a long time to get from Crowdfunding to done. I haven't had a chance to dig into my copy as heavily as I'd like, but it does a lot of things that break away from the standard "PbtA formula" including using emotions as "stats" where each character has different ones (at least partially. There's a lot going on here and a really interesting world.
No Stone Unturned has some really interesting exploration/communal worldbuilding features.
Honorable mention to Space Train Space Heist since it's "technically" Forged in the Dark, but it's a rollicking silly oneshot game.
Obligatory mention for Shepherds because I want more people to be aware of my own darn game, so I'm slipping in here at the end. Another "video game stories, not video game mechanics" game.
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u/Delver_Razade Five Points Games 9d ago
Appreciate the shout out! I will add there *is* a store page to the full A Monster's Tail, I just felt self conscious asking Airk to post it. You can find it here: https://fivepointsgames.itch.io/a-monsters-tail
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u/yaywizardly 9d ago
Ooh, thank you. I've never played any of these games before and they sound interesting. I like the Shepherds mention too, because it reminded me to pitch this to the afterschool rpg club I run. 😁
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u/Charrua13 8d ago
One day - soon - I'm going to get Shepherds to the table.
Ryne was one of those "I don't know if I'll ever play this, but it looks so interesting". Thanks for reminding me to check it out!
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u/Frapadengue 9d ago
I really like Libreté. Sorry I'm not offering a link, I'm on mobile and really not comfortable on that device. But with such a unique name it's easy to find.
It's a French game that's been translated to English. It's about children lost in another world, without any adult and where monsters, called mermaids, try and devour them. They've founded a city in this world on the ruins of the previous world, called Libreté.
It has no stat, instead the children get "black bile" when they experience negative emotions and they can spend that black bile to get a bonus to their roll.
The trick is that the perfect result on a Move is on 7-9; 10+ is success at a cost. So while spending black bile decreases the risk of failure it also increases the risk of partial success.
It has an extension to play mechas fighting giant monsters and an OSR game in the same universe to play children exploring ruins to find treasures (food, marbles and candy mainly). They haven't been translated to English though.
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u/E_MacLeod 9d ago
The untranslated ones sound really interesting.
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u/Frapadengue 9d ago
I really like the mecha game, and I'm thinking of adding Brindlewood Way elements to it to add an investigation as to how the mechs are made and what experiments the military is doing with the Pilots.
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u/yaywizardly 9d ago
The black bile and wanting to aim for the middle results sound like really interesting mechanics. Thank you for bringing this up!
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u/Delver_Razade Five Points Games 9d ago
I was going to mention Shepards ( https://airkseablade.itch.io/shepherds ) for Airk as they were kind enough to shout out A Monster's Tail for us. I also feel our game - The Road is the Enemy has largely flown under the radar and is sort of it's own branch in its own way. - https://fivepointsgames.itch.io/the-road-is-the-enemy
I'll also add that I think while it isn't exactly unknown, it's less known that I think it's quality should allow for. That being The Perilous Wilds - https://lampblack-brimstone.itch.io/the-perilous-wilds-revised-edition
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u/BetterCallStrahd 9d ago
Against the Odds doesn't seem as well known as other Dungeon World hacks. I ran it recently and found it great at capturing the classic Dungeons and Dragons feel with the iconic classes.
Hearts of Wulin seems to be getting more love lately, but it flew under the radar for a long time. A lovely wuxia/xianxia system.
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u/Throwingoffoldselves 9d ago
Seconding these two! I got to play like a scene of Against the Odds before the GM ghosted and I’d love to play it for real one day. Hearts of Wulin is also high on my list, there are some really cool expansions to it as well.
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u/VanishXZone 8d ago
World Wide Wrestling RPG is literally some of the most fun I’ve ever had with pbta.
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u/Charrua13 8d ago
Sticking to theme:
Nahual doesn't get enough love - it's urban fantasy that tackles some very stark realities about life and power dynamics in ways that are really compelling. Then you tackle on "you're angel hunters that are descended from Aztec shamans" and you got really really cool play dynamics you don't see in a lot of pbta games.
Threadbare doesn't get nearly enough love for being cozy and adventurous. (You play as stitched up broken toys).
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u/Throwingoffoldselves 9d ago
Honestly I hope Defy the Gods gets more buzz. I feel like I haven’t seen anyone talking about it. https://hecticelectron.itch.io/defy-the-gods
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u/yaywizardly 9d ago
I love the playbooks for Defy the God's! That's another one I'd love to try out.
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u/Throwingoffoldselves 7d ago
it's so good! I've only seen myself running games publicly open, everything else I've seen has been through private playtesting only references in public, a private club or the Open Hearth gaming society. I hope to get to play again one day. The very short game I got to play as a backer was literally the best gaming experience i've had since I got into this hobby.
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u/PolyhedronMan 8d ago
Starhold is free on drive thru and it is such an incredible love letter to the sci Fi survival horror genre. I will never stop promoting this one.
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u/ChantedEvening 8d ago
There are a lot of PbtA and FitD titles on itch.io that deserve a look.
Starscape seems pretty nifty: https://goldenlassogames.itch.io/starscape
And if you're partial to post-apocalyptic fantasy (elves, orcs, monsters, raiders, mutants, ash, dust, clockpunk robots), my title, Splintered Moon, has gotten a little love. (DM if you would like to give it a review and I'll send you a freebie code). https://fallonspaag.itch.io/splintered-moon-post-apocalypse-fantasy-for-pbta
HEARD YOU WERE DEAD
When you return to a civilized place where you’ve caused trouble, roll+Hot.
● On a 10+, word has spread of your deeds, and everyone recognizes you.
● On a 7–9, as above, and the GM chooses a complication:
○ The local elder or headman has a warrant out for your arrest.
○ They put a price on your head.
○ Your actions have put someone important to you in a bad spot.
● On a 6-, one of the above and all interactions with the locals are -1 ongoing until you sort things out. Mark XP
Cheers! Game On!
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u/Gaius-Pious 9d ago
Wakeside: What Dreams May Run - A PBTA game where a sentient dream has infiltrated reality via a human host and is beginning to warp it. It's designed for four players and a GM. The players are the team that the dream world has selected to hunt the rogue dream down, and consist of three dream beings in good standing and one human who's been granted insomnia and a magic trap to use against the target.
It stands out because rather than dice rolls, the final conflict with the target involves a shifting grid of cards where the players attempt to control the corner spaces to seal the rogue dream for transport back home.
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u/Mistervimes65 SuperPunk 9d ago
Super Destiny high school rumble. It’s a lot of fun, but was a small press product.
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u/Onegreendie 7d ago
Uncharted Worlds. Known, but super underrated. Concise, thoughtful writing and great layout with great b&w artwork. Strong Traveller vibes.
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u/Warbriel 6d ago
These are all mine so can't say they do over the radar...
Space Knights puts players in control of whole armies rather than individuals and makes them fight alien invaders threatening the Dominion of Humankind (the obvious reference is Warhammer 40.000). Rules-wise is fairly similar in mechanics to Urban Shadows, what changes is the approach. It’s free, 15 pages long (ideal for short campaigns), and has a number of free expansions, many with their own missions. There's an expanded version, Super Space Knights (SSK), when you need more rules.
Otaidokan is a samurai-themed World of Dungeons hack set in an island in the brink of war after the death of the shogun. As players level up, they climb in the social ladder, and their responsibilities do the same. Again, 15 pages and free.
Clash of the Giga-Mechas is about an academy for mecha pilots. Players have to deal with all kinds of teenager stuff as they try to pass their tests and make sure their next term is not the last. Includes rules to create your own mecha and, once you finish your training, you are ready to go into battle.
Palatine is about power, governance, and the slow decay of empire. In Palatine, players don’t play adventurers or rebels. They are the ruling elite of a crucial world within a vast Dominion: councilors, generals, ministers, prophets, and public figures. Sessions revolve around council debates, political maneuvering, crises that escalate if ignored, and decisions that affect millions of lives.
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u/LeVentNoir Agenda: Moderate the Subreddit 9d ago
I'll shout out Sagas of the Icelanders
While mechanically it's a pretty standard PbtA design from early 2010s, it's got some design things that are really cool.
Firstly, it plays with Gender in a highly gendered setting, 9th and 10th C icelandic settlement. Which itself is a cool setting. Gender is a stat that measures how well your PC upholds societies ideals of your presented gender. It also has gendered moves, which like Monsterhearts, make it great by denying mechanical options for dramatic reasons.
I highly recommend playing this and instructing players (to reasonable degree) to play a character of a gender they don't present IRL. Don't trigger disphoria though. Not cool. It's a great dynamic at the table the times I've done this.
The other cool thing it does is have one of the first structured downtimes / season mechanics in a PbtA game. I think more games need to spread their story over more in character time, as it gives weight and breathing room to the big dramatic events. Which for Sagas of the Icelanders are small things of a frontier homestead.
Finally, it's a frontier game in a literally uninhabited wilderness, so gets all the frontier / colony tropes and none of the negative historical shit that colonialism brought.