Hi there!
Do you have any recommendations for games with mechanical depth that aren't focused on combat?
From my experience I'm thinking of primarily Burning Wheel, as well as Chuubo's. There's something just so compelling about presenting players with strong mechanical incentives and systems to master - while also being able to create narratives that don't need to center on fighting.
THEME: Non-Combat Mechanical Depth
Hello there! Mechanical depth is a tricky thing for me sometimes, especially when I'm reading about a game based on blogs or store descriptions. I think that much of the games I list here will be games I've talked about before, and while I personally think these games are complex, you might disagree! One through-line that I found in many of these games is that when you're not focusing on combat, the next most popular way to play with complex relationships.
The World of Darkness, by White Wolf / Onyx Path.
World of Darkness games can be about a lot of things; redemption, survival, violence, a search for belonging… but one thing that's pretty consistent across each of the various settings is the complex politics that bind the supernatural societies together.
This isn't to say that there isn't combat in World of Darkness. However, since the games are rooted in horror, fighting isn't wise; much better to make a deal, craft a complex ritual, or convince someone else to stab your problem in the back. The complex factions and warring beliefs of the World of Darkness can foment nefarious plots, strained relationships, and power vacuums that have made this setting a fantastic resource for LARPS, forum roleplay, and so much more.
If you want a system mastery that also requires a strong knowledge of the core setting, you might have a real hoot with the World of Darkness.
Gumshoe Games, by Pelgrane Press.
Gumshoe games are focused on investigation more than anything else, with a very specific and unique mentality around mysteries. The core of a Gumshoe game is the belief that players do not need to roll in order to get access to the clues they will need to solve the mystery. However, the completeness of the clues, extra context, and the goals provided that your characters might want to achieve once they solve the mystery, are all still up for debate. This is where your abilities come in.
Abilities in Gumshoe act as two things: ratings and pools. Ratings represent your standard ability in various skills. Pools are points that can be spent to temporarily increase a rating, which is what you'll likely need to do in order to meet the difficulty number assigned to any specific activity.
As a result, the complexity in Gumshoe lies in resource management; determining which actions are worth spending resources, and which actions you are comfortable choosing to fail. There might also be a layer of strategy in the assembly of clues; an astute group might be able to assemble a more complete picture of whats going on, as well as perhaps the motivations of the parties involved, and potential avenues to solve the problem to avoid certain complications.
There's a lot of GUMSHOE games out there; some include Nights Black Agents (spies vs. vampires), Trail of Cthulhu (Eldritch Horror), Ashen Stars (investigations in space!) and Bubblegumshoe (teenage detectives).
Good Society, by Storybrewers Roleplaying.
Welcome to Good Society, the Jane Austen roleplaying game. Play out your very own regency drama of balls, estates, passions and desires.
Good Society has plenty of layers, with chapters, tokens, reputation, scandal, letter-writing, conflict and upkeep. I don't know if it's technically crunchy in terms of math, but the relationships and the way you interact with society looks a little complex, at least from the outside looking in. As a player, you'll be responsible for both a main character as well as side-characters, resulting in an expansive cast that encourages players to be involved in scenes even when their own main character isn't involved.
Playing a game of Good Society asks your character to be strategic in actions not to preserve hit points, but rather to preserve reputation - both their own, and that of their family or loved ones. Can you still get what you want while preserving your reputation? What sacrifices might you have to make for love? Play Good Society to find out.
Phoenix Wright TTRPG, by Rezzy.
FAN CREATION Based on the Phoenix Wright franchise. The players are divided into prosecution and defense parties, and then each performs its own DM led investigation of a crime scene. After both parties have finished their investigation, everyone is brought back together for a trial to determine the verdict.
If you love sorting out numbers, mods and stats to build a character, you'll probably like the Phoenix Wright TTRPG.
This is a bit of a rough game; the author of it hasn't really done an editing pass recently, but if you want complexity, it has it in spades. You have encounters, but since the entire goal of the game is to solve mysteries and defend your clients in court, combat is the very last thing you want to resort to. You'll be using your abilities to collect evidence, talk to witnesses, deduct motives, and search your personal knowledge in order to find the real culprit.
Hillfolk, by Pelgrane Press.
In the shadow of empires, an epic saga of ambition and desire!
In an arid badlands, the hill people hunger. Your neighbors have grain, cattle, gold. You have horses and spears, courage and ambition. Together with those you love and hate, you will remake history—or die.
With the Hillfolk roleplaying game, you and your group weave an epic, ongoing saga of high-stakes interpersonal conflict that grows richer with every session. Its DramaSystem rules engine takes the basic structure of interpersonal conflict underlying fiction, movies and television and brings it to the world of roleplaying. This simple framework brings your creativity to the fore and keep a surprising, emotionally compelling narrative constantly on the move.
As you build your story, you mold and shape the Hillfolk setting to fit its needs. Do you entangle yourself with the seductions of your wealthy cousins to the north? Do you do battle with the fearsome sea people to the west? Or do you conquer the scattered badlands tribes to forge a new empire of your own?
The DramaSystem of Hillfolk is all about relationships and emotional need; the need for approval, reassurance, respect, reassurance, as well the need to punish, to force subservience upon others, and the desire for power. Relationships are the avenues by which you fulfill these needs.
Character creation for this game feels rather simple, but the way you navigate the game feels like it might still be complex. Each scene in the game is carefully constructed, fleshed out with complications, set pieces, and goals. What you can do in these scenes is also fleshed out: you can rush a scene, call for a time jump, negotiate your inclusion in a scene, and compete for the right to describe what's going on. The themes of negotiation and competition force you to evaluate where exactly you'll want to invest the resources available to you, usually taking the form of a pile of tokens. If you love the interpersonal strategy behind social games, you might like Hillfolk.
The Shadows Beneath, by Rob Justice.
"The Shadows Beneath" is a tabletop role-playing game where players take on the roles of Anglers, fishing in eerie New England waters. The game emphasizes exploration, player-driven narratives, and confronting eldritch horrors. Players must balance the allure of knowledge with the ever-present threat of awakening ancient, terrifying forces. The game features mechanics for handling social, mental, and physical challenges and incorporates a unique Certainty system, where players must manage their character's grasp on reality as they encounter the game's terrifying elements.
The Shadows Beneath is not a long game, but I think it's interesting that it takes elements often considered hallmarks of combat games and re-tools them for fishing. You're always rolling to defeat a Target Number, which is typically a multiple of 5. Anglers will wrestle with the environment, NPCs, other Anglers, and, of course, fish. The game has a Catch Chart that the group will need to reference every time you try to catch a fish.
Some pieces that you'll have to wrestle with as you play include your relationship to other anglers, the traits that you have your strengths in, the reason you're out here fishing, and a track called Certainty; your ability to keep your grasp on reality. Certainty can have a big impact on your character's journey; lose all of it and you start taking Dark Traits, which give you sinister abilities that encourage you to do terrible things.
You also can learn to cast rituals, which require you to sacrifice a part of yourself in the process, deal with Marks, which is wounds and terrible consequences, and upgrade your boat, the most important resource you depend on out on these hostile waters.
Nibiru, by Araukana Media.
Remember Your Past. Secure Your Future
Welcome to Nibiru: A massive space station, home to millions, where stories of drama and struggle are written on a daily basis. Play as the Vagabonds; vagrant souls who wake up in the station without memories of their past. Piece back together their story as you travel through the strange vistas of a skyless world, where nature and artificiality merge into one and where memory and identity shape everything.
I think Nibiru, from a basic understanding of the game, looks less crunchy in comparison to other games, since the basic premise of the game is that you fill the character sheet as you play. However, the gradual way in which you flesh out your character (and their backstory) allows for layers of complexity, as you can learn various mechanics the longer you play.
Advancement in Nibiru happens when you fill out pieces of your character's backstory; with positive memories costing you experience, and negative memories giving you experience. Positive memories give you bonuses to various actions, while negative ones give you a negative modifier. There's also special rules associated with the habitat your character is connected to: Dreadlands characters can use negative memories to exert control over the world, while Brighttown folks can get large amounts of experience from special objects, but are also bound to those objects and must constantly seek them out. The restrictions placed upon you according to your character type constrict you in an interesting way, and I think they fuel really creative play.
Ryuutama, by Kotohi.
Ryuutama calls itself a “Natural Fantasy RPG”. It is a fantasy role-playing game set in a western medieval-style setting. The conceit of this setting is that at one point, in everyone’s lives, people get this intense feeling of wanderlust. They put their daily lives on hold and travel the world with new-found companions. They find out more about the world, and at the same time learn about themselves.
Ryuutama emphasizes travel, exploration, community, friendship, harmony and growth. There is also a “Console RPG-like” combat system: But while combat certainly happens, it’s not the central focus of the game. Adventures usually involve traveling from one town to another, packing gear, crafting items, cooking and sharing along the way; getting lost, meeting people and (sometimes cute) monsters along the way; braving the elements and trying to set camp properly.
If you're a fan of traditional JRPGs, you'll likely find something to love here. There are multiple sub-systems that you'll have to maintain to support your party as they explore a world full of dragons, especially regarding inventory. You need to think about weight, carrying capacity, expiry date, and perhaps even price. This might direct your choices in regards to how far you travel before turning around, whether or not you buy a pack animal, or boosting your ability to navigate properly.
Ryuutama isn't combat free, but I think the focus and complexity of the game is meant to make it so that if you do get into a fight, you can resolve it fairly easily; but the rules and mini-games regarding magic, inventory and travel make it fairly clear that the real story this game is meant to tell is about the journey, and the things you find along the way.
You Might Also Enjoy…
Insane Amounts of Crunch Recommendation Post (Without a specific focus on combat.)
Non-Combat, Heroic Fantasy Recommendation Post.
In-Depth Magic Systems Recommendation Post - especially Ars Magica.
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