Comparative Reference by System This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent urban fantasy tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases The intent is reference and comparison, not recommendation. World of Darkness Dice-pool system centered on supernatural identity, personal horror, and social tension. Includes multiple g

Comparative Reference by System This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent mecha tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases The intent is reference and comparison, not recommendation. Lancer Tactical, grid-based mecha combat system paired with lighter narrative play outside the cockpit. Mechs are built using modular

Comparative Reference by System This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent post-apocalyptic tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases The intent is reference and comparison, not evaluation. Gamma World Post-apocalyptic science fantasy with mutation-forward character design. Rules vary by edition but generally emphas

This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent cyberpunk tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases No evaluative language or rankings are applied. Cyberpunk 2020 Skill-based system using a stat + skill + d10 resolution model. Emphasizes lethality, equipment detail, and social consequence. Player QoL Extensive skill list

Table play isn’t a single experience. It changes shape depending on scale. At major events, pacing tightens early. Decisions are made with long arcs in mind — not just the current round, but the entire event. Players tend to avoid lines that introduce unnecessary variance. Experimental choices thin out quickly, replaced by patterns that are known to hold up across multiple rounds. Losses are absorbed differently here as well. A single misstep can feel cumulative, not because

Champion selection is often treated as a strategic decision, but at the table it behaves more like a personal one. Players tend to return to the same champions even when alternatives are available. Not because those champions are objectively stronger, but because they feel legible. The lines make sense. The rhythm matches how the player thinks. Some champions invite patience. Others reward decisiveness. Over time, players stop choosing based on matchup spread and start choosi

Watching repeated games makes one thing clear: comfort closes matches. Players piloting familiar decks navigate complexity with less friction. Decisions happen faster. Errors are caught earlier. Recovery lines are easier to see because they’ve been walked before. By contrast, technically stronger decks often introduce hesitation. Players double-check interactions, reread cards, or miss timing windows simply because the deck hasn’t settled into muscle memory yet. This gap show

Beginner tables are often treated as transitional spaces. In reality, they influence the entire environment. The pace at beginner tables is slower, but the conversations are richer. Players talk through turns. Decisions are verbalized. Assumptions are surfaced instead of hidden. That transparency doesn’t stay contained — it leaks outward. More experienced players overhear questions they stopped asking long ago. Sometimes those questions expose habits that went unexamined. Som

Perception travels faster than results. Certain decks develop reputations early, often after a few visible wins. Those wins circulate through conversations, not data. By the time the deck appears again, it arrives with expectation attached. That expectation does some of the work. Opponents play more cautiously. Lines are second-guessed. Small setbacks feel heavier because they’re interpreted as confirmation rather than variance. What often gets overlooked is how narrow those