[Resource List] No-prep and Low-prep Setting/RPG Toolkits

ArrozConLeche · April 08, 2015, 01:17:26 PM

Perhaps I haven't looked hard enough, but I haven't seen a thread with recommendations on No-prep or low-prep rpgs or standalone settings. I'm thinking of those with lots of content generation tools, but others that rely on group input are cool too. Tools to generate setting content, like Microscope or How To Host A Dungeon are great too.

Sci-fi:

Stars Without Number

Fantasy

Red Tide: Campaign Sourcebook and Sandbox Toolkit
Vornheim
How To Host A Dungeon

Horror

Silent Legions
Wilderlands of High Fantasy

Generic:

Microscope

any others?

flyingmice · April 08, 2015, 01:54:36 PM

Some of my own games:

Sci-Fi - StarCluster 3E, In Harm's Way: StarCluster, Lowell Was Right

Fantasy - Volant

Arkansan · April 08, 2015, 05:19:00 PM

For fantasy it seems like there was an old Judges Guild product that had tons of tables for generating random things from people to places. Damn I don't recall the name. Maybe the reference sheet they put out for od&d?

Spellslinging Sellsword · April 08, 2015, 09:11:18 PM

Quote from: Arkansan;824727For fantasy it seems like there was an old Judges Guild product that had tons of tables for generating random things from people to places. Damn I don't recall the name. Maybe the reference sheet they put out for od&d?

Ready Ref Sheets.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/932/Ready-Ref-Sheets-1978?it=1

Arkansan · April 08, 2015, 09:46:39 PM

Quote from: ptingler;824774Ready Ref Sheets.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/932/Ready-Ref-Sheets-1978?it=1

That's it! Thanks.

S'mon · April 08, 2015, 10:57:27 PM

Classic D & D - Moldvay, Mentzer & clones - is the master system for low prep and procedural generation imo. The trick is to avoid cruft creeping in that makes this harder, like complex rules supplements, and only add in things that make gming even easier.

I'm currently Gming Mentzer Expert using the bfrpg supplements Chaotic Caves and Monkey Isle, both are ideal being low prep sandboxes with tons of content and a structure that encourages adding more. The whole campaign to level 7 has taken less work than 1 issue of a Paizo AP.

Omega · April 08, 2015, 11:43:08 PM

BX D&D does a pretty good job.

Add in the wilderness gen tables from AD&D and you are good to go.

Most other games with robust random gen systems tend to also be more than a little complex.

markfitz · April 09, 2015, 04:00:02 AM

Beyond the Wall is great for low prep/no prep sessions. Character generation also produces the home village of the characters and the play books give you interlinked character histories. The scenario packs allow you to roll up your adventure on the spot, and do a good job of it too. Then the new supplement, Further Afield, gives you great guidelines for generating a sandbox campaign setting with player generated elements that may or may not be true, and ongoing threats to the characters that build in the background.

RPGPundit · April 10, 2015, 04:56:19 AM

Arrows of Indra has the random Patala Underworld cave-generation tables in it.

jeff37923 · April 10, 2015, 05:28:33 AM

Classic Traveller

Mongoose Traveller

d6 Star Wars

RPGPundit · April 11, 2015, 03:39:01 AM

Mongoose Trav would be quite good for this, with its random tables for patrons and missions.

ArrozConLeche · April 13, 2015, 10:12:40 AM

Great list so far. Some of these I don't know and will check out.

One that Zak S mentioned on G+:

Yoon Suin

RPGPundit · April 14, 2015, 03:25:56 PM

Quote from: ArrozConLeche;825661Great list so far. Some of these I don't know and will check out.

One that Zak S mentioned on G+:

Yoon Suin

Yeah that one looks like it could be; it has the prerequisite shitloads-of-random-tables.