I think it's been a great year for RPGs precisely *because* of the scandals and nonsense, most of which all happened with WOTC. That caused so many of us to look around and find lots of other, better games.

@jeffreyquigley

7 ай бұрын

I'll second that.

@harjutapa

7 ай бұрын

yeah, it's really helped to diversify the ttrpg landscape in people's perceptions.

@crapstirrer

7 ай бұрын

Yeah. The spotlight has had a chance to drift away from one particular giant dragon of the industry.

@WelfareChrist

7 ай бұрын

Agree. Like the response to Candela Obscura. Good stuff.

Having run a Fabula Ultima campaign for a few months now, I can say with confidence that it's probably my new go to system. It does a great job of keeping things mechanically simply while honing in on the things that make JRPGs great. It keeps crunch to a minimum but it offers enough to get power gamers thinking, and the bonds and traits system means that mechanical bonuses are intrisically tied to character motivations and feelings. And I haven't even gotten to the higher levels in my campaign. Seriously, if you're all looking for a lighter rules RPG or something that really nails the JRPG feel, Fabula Ultima is the best on the market.

@opscontaylor8195

7 ай бұрын

The BONDS part of it is so good for making sure that even if someone is playing the "Edgy Loner" they have reasons to work with the rest of the team. It's great. And I love that multiclassing is both expected and balanced for.

so happy to see Fabula Ultima on the list. Really deserves it and a rare european TTRPG among all those US based ones.

@kilbert666

7 ай бұрын

No thanks, if I want to play a video game, I'll play one. Fabula is just dungeon crawls with no substance

@12thLevelSithLord

7 ай бұрын

@@kilbert666Tell me you've never even read Fabula Ultima without saying you've never read Fabula Ultima.

@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115

7 ай бұрын

If you like your scientific calculator in your character sheet.....

@12thLevelSithLord

7 ай бұрын

@@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115 lolwut? Scientific calculator? FU isn't GURPS or HERO System. It's pretty straightforward.

@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115

7 ай бұрын

@@12thLevelSithLordAnd wait until you face Phoenix Command.

I have Fabula Ultima. Anyone that _doesn't_ have it, and ever liked any Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, etc style game, _is wrong._ Get it now. It's a beautiful $30 book with PDF, no hoops to jump thru. Get. It. NOTE: @Nonat1s did get one thing slightly wrong. You ADD the two dice together (which is good, when in doubt target number is 10 so if it's D6 + D6 your odds are low but say a common D8 + D10 is more likely) but their higher of the two is used for the Base for damage or effect determination.

@Nonat1s

7 ай бұрын

Oh, thank you for the clarification! I think I'm gonna try to get a group together for a oneshot at some point! It's the system I'm most interested in after going over this list!

@opscontaylor8195

7 ай бұрын

@@Nonat1s No problem, it's very good. I demoed it at a couple cons this year, and it plays super fast compared to D&D 5e and PF2e. You might have a hard time going back.

@FaptainCalcon750

7 ай бұрын

​@Nonat1s there's a free(PDF) called Press Start for Fabula Ultima that's basically the PF2 Beginner Box for this system. It's got pre-gens, a quick adventure and is great at teaching the rules.

@enrif3099

7 ай бұрын

@@Nonat1s you can get the fabula ultima press start "starter kit" for free, which is a great introduction and a small one shot in one

@LieseFury

7 ай бұрын

dragon quest*

Sad to see Dragonbane was left off the list, that shit was suuuuch a banger new system.

Fabula Ultima is always great to see getting rewarded. It got an Ennie for just general best game, and I agree. Of all the RPGs I've read, Fabula Ultima is the one I'm most excited to run. The only reason I haven't yet is because I need to put a lot of work into making sure I run it "right" to sell the system. I didn't realize Heliana's was being sold now, at least as a PDF. I backed that shit two years ago and I still don't have any of my rewards (beyond maybe the PDF? I'm not entirely sure if I have the complete thing or some sort of early backer thing). Really hope I get that shit eventually but even if I do it'll be bittersweet. I don't even _play_ 5e anymore! When I backed that Kickstarter it was during a time when I thought 5e could do no wrong! I feel like I've aged ten years since I backed that stupid Kickstarter! Send me my shit, Loot Tavern!!

I think WoTC and DnD 5e have reached the end of their time. Pathfinder is an excellent system as is Chaosium and many others. Hasbro should give up the ghost or sell DnD to a campany that will treat the IP with the respect it deserves.

@gray007nl

7 ай бұрын

Ehh... I don't think that's true, like 5e is still the most popular TTRPG by miles, second place is a very VERY distant second. OneDnD is starting to shape up well too, so I don't think WotC has anything to worry about. WotC as a company definitely isn't at the end of their time in the slightest either, MTG is still just a giant money printer.

@12thLevelSithLord

7 ай бұрын

You greatly overestimate how much the average consumer cares about (or is even aware of) the various D&D controversies.

@jleonas

7 ай бұрын

A lot of negatives for Hasbro but they did have success with BG3, and, for better or worse, One DnD next year will be a major boost for them in terms of interest and dollars. They are doing their best to screw it up, but DnD is a huge brand. How many smaller games are described to new players as “It’s like dungeons and dragons…”? Many/most of them. Don’t expect them to go away any time soon.

FABULA ULTIMA, YES!!! OMG, it makes me so happy to see the system get more attention

The subheading already tells me everything I didn't want to know. "spice up your weekly D&D game" tells me they're already starting from a point I don't care about.

I think it’s been a pretty solid year for TTRPGs, just not D&D and less exciting for PF2E (though announcements have been fire) which is totally fine by me. Avatar Legends and Fabula Ultima are probably my picks for the year

Me over here still not have played BG3 yet or own it yet but my time has been taken up by making characters on PathBuilder and trying to figure out all the fun little things in Foundry to help my partner build maps for their games they run :3

Fabula Ultima ❤

Great video. Quite a lot of 5e adjacent system, which is a shame in my opionion. Especially as Free League has great games on their own engines which released this year (like the One Ring or Dragonbane).

Lmao, no way! I've been listening to Old Gods of Appalachia for a while, and have been asked to run a Supernatural Old West style campaign, but had no idea there was already a RPG System for it!

The OGL thing was so insane I keep thinking it happened last year.

Pirate Borg and Dragonbane are my top 2 for this year. Especially the boxset for Dragonbane, its so good.

I really enjoy your channel and its helped me playing P2e! I think it would be awesome if you did a video on your favorite books of 2023! Thanx!

Releases I was excited for this year (in no particular order) 1. Fantasy Age 2nd Edition Core 2. Savage Worlds Horror Companion (SWADE) 3. Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion (SWADE) 4. Vampire The Masquerade 5th Edition Player's Guide (finally collecting all the other clans and powers into one book) 5. Werewolf The Apocalypse 5th Edition Special mention to the ongoing "Dragonlance: Vault Of The Undying" Adventurer's League modules being developed and released by Baldman Games, and everything released by Dragonlance Nexus this year, for giving me more material and a great adventures to run for my group in the World Of Krynn (my favorite fantasy setting). The best things to come out of the release of Shadow Of The Dragon Queen was the commissioning of the AL adventures and the Dragonlance setting being Greenlit for 3rd party creation on DMsGuild.

Hype! Looking forward to your coverage of MCDM down the line - really exciting to see you cover other systems.

Lol I miss you too bud.

@Qedhup

7 ай бұрын

And hey I offer Cypher spots for you any time. Including in my next KZread one shot. I think treantmonk is coming back for round 2!

It's a solid list, I've been quite impressed by Polygon's TTRPG coverage in this recent period. Sorry you didn't make it on, I'm loving Sinclair's Almanac. Can't wait for the Codex!

Hi! I just wanted to thank you for creating excellent content all year long and wish you happy holidays

I would have liked to have seen Starfinder Ports of Call on the list. It did a fantastic job expanding the setting for the game master and the giving a lot of player options. Also sci-fi games don't get a lot of love in TTRPGs. Glad to see fabula ultima on the list though. I've been talking it up to people since if first ran the quick start guide for it.

Once again I would like to ask if Sinclair's Almanac will be getting a custom pack so I can use the options on Pathbuilder

Baffling to put Lord of the Rings 5e on the list, when The One Ring is *right there*. They even mention it!

@rootyful

7 ай бұрын

Did One Ring release this year? This seems to have been their qualifier for the list.

@12thLevelSithLord

7 ай бұрын

@@rootyful Oh, yeah, good catch. Time has mushed together the past few years. Didn't realize it'd been out since 2021

I am curious about Fabula Ultima. But the new games on my shelf this year that I’m really looking forward to trying out are Household, Die RPG, and New Edo.

I had heard of Fabula Ultima awhile back and I saw in the description that it was based on Ryuutama's system at least partially. I have renewed interest in getting a play of that game system in. Thanks for the content!

New nonat video! its a great day!

If you want to play Lord of the Rings why not play the “original version “ of this, The One Ring by Free League Publishing. Same material with Year Zero mechanics instead of 5e. Old Gods of Appalachia is amazing. I hope they release more material! You should definitely play at least one session of Cypher. Really cool take on character creation and mechanics.

FabUlt is a very interesting game, I've played a couple one shots and short campaigns it feels good to play with the right group.

The new Basic Roleplaying core book and Pendragon's starter box would be my top 2 from 2023.

hay Nonat question did you ever play Pathfinder 1st ed ? did secend ed bring back spells like reloading hands and abundent ammo as well as the feat Master Craftman?

For Mr. Algo Rythm

Playing in a Fabula Ulitmate Campaign right now and it´s pretty fun for a first edition

Would have loved to see Household by Two Little Mice on here, it's so charming!

i cant speak for everyone else, but i would love to see your top 10 TTRPG books of 2023.

my issue with avatar is you know no bending rules :) i get that there using narrative but it kills the game for me, fabula is a lot of dun

This is the first I'm hearing of Fabula Ultima, and it sounds like a game I'd like to try out sometime... It also got me to thinking about something. I've been working on a character concept for a Red Mage from Eorzea (the principle location of the popular MMO, FFXIV), who has fallen through a rift, and landed right in Golarion. If you don't know, the Final Fantasy XIV RDM casts elemental spells from the black and white traditions of magic, building up a gauge where each tradition has to be in balance with each other. Once the gauge is filled, you can take a lunging leap forward, perform a magic-infused melee combo, then flip backwards to immediately finish off with a combination of un-aspected (non-elemental) AoE spells. ...Can a build like this be done in P2E? I've tried to make this concept work with the Magus job, tried adding a Sorc or Druid archetype, but it just doesn't feel right. Is it even possible? I'll keep trying different builds to find one that works, if I come up with something, great. If not? Oh, well, there are plenty of other builds to try out.

Hexmaster seems worth a look

Glad to see Old Gods of Appalachia on the list. In my eyes, it was the best ttrpg book this year

I wonder why they picked the 5E version of LOTR instead of the The One Ring system which is its own thing.

I haven't played BG3 yet! o/ I have no explanation. I just, haven't bought it yet.

While I iked Fabula Ultima I'll argue it doesn't actually feel like a JRPG, at least the mechanics. I like the scene sistem and how the abilities and enemies work, but one of the mechanics that make JRPGs different from other kinds of RPGs are the crunchy formulas and stupid high numbers. One of the reasons JRPGs are so grindy it's because part of the appeal was to boost your party to deal the highest amounts of damage posible (which depending on the game, it could be anywhere from 3 to 10 digits), so I'll definitely say the simple mechanics of Fabula Ultima is preciosely what makes it look very different from actual JRPGs. Again, still like it, and of course it has to be simple for a TTRPG experience otherwise all the time would be consumed just doing math.

I was not a fan of Avatar. I think forcing it into PBTA was a mistake, and Magpie Games are so fixated on the system. :( it’s unfortunate. Barkeep on the Borderlands is amazing. I love it. Fabula Ultima is FANTASTIC. So good. The LOTR One Ring rpg is by far my favorite. The 5e version was alright, but it’s still 5e. Old Gods of Appalachia is such a fantastic podcast. Again though, I wish it wasn’t shackled to Cypher. Probably my least favorite RPG system on the market. I’m between that and PBTA 🤣 But a horror game could work. I haven’t read it so I can’t pass judgement. But I didn’t like the rules in Numenera or The Strange.

Fabulous ultima is not savage worlds?

Tell me you haven't listened to the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast by how you pronounce "Appalachia". 😂

Yeah, this year nothing special came out, a shame but at least we have some things different than the usual...

Hi Mum!

So, alternate lost?

... I wouldn't say no to an indie showcase video...

👏👏👏 pathfinder deserves it

I’m pretty early

First

Me before watching: "Oh boy. Polygon. I'm sure this article will be insightful and informative, and certainly not filled with needlessly divisive pseudo-enlightened identity-reductionism." Me after watching: "Oh wait, it actually was. Huh. Okay, then. Well done, Polygon."

@VimyGlide

7 ай бұрын

mythically rare polygon w

I've never played BG3. I did not like BG1 or BG2. I thought about playing BG3 until I found out that it only contains the subclasses from the PHB (plus a few added to give each class 3). Given that I'm tired of 5e (I know BG3 uses a modified system), I still haven't tried BG3.

I found Phandelver deeply disappointing and badly written. The second half of the adventure - the new part - puts an assortment of villagers in peril for the players to rescue, but the overhauled first half . . . doesn’t line up the adventurers to know or care about these people in any way. It came out around the same time I picked up Sky King’s Tomb and I was blown away by the difference in how Paizo introduces players to the themes of the campaign, gives them reasons to care and builds a narrative for the GM to utilise. I can’t think of any reason for it to be on a “best of” list for the year beyond it being published by Wizards. Keys from the Golden Vault had a muted reaction, Bigby had the AI art problem, Book of Many Things had the accompanying card deck quality failure, which only leaves Phandelver and Planescape. I genuinely think Planescape is a better product by a country mile, but people who are over-invested in it as a setting were way too critical to include it in a popular “best of” list. Planescape is “Eh, pretty good” and that’s the best D&D has managed to put out this year.

@TimothyEdwards

7 ай бұрын

(I write this waiting for my Friday evening take out to arrive so may have Chosen Violence While Hangry.)

@parsath_2584

7 ай бұрын

The best D&D book was Chains of Asmodeus.

to this day i have not in fact played baldurs gate 3. or 1. let alone 2.

ngl, obelisk being on this list is almost as undeserved as cocoon winning best debut indie game at the game awards. almost. at least obelisk actually *is* a TTRPG book released in 2023.

Matt Covile team is for sure one of the best in the industry, the bar is set quite low tho...

No whrp lustria or imperium maledictum? Shame

Actually it has only been a bad year for dnd, I think other games and plublishers have been having record sales and there have been some amazing publications. Sucks for dnd, but not for the rest of us.

Shadowdark not being on this list is straight up bullshit. They should have taken off a 5e book for it.

Don't shill. We all know that Magpie, Montie Cook, MCDM, Paizo, and WotC are on the do not support list. But by all means, support Free League, EN, Prismatic, Need, and Loot Tavern.

As someone who loves JRPGs, I really don't like Fabula Ultima. I've read the book 3 times and it just doesn't work for me. It's a combat simulator and not much else. They got so invested in simulating the mechanics of a JRPG, they missed the boat on emulating the actually roleplay and power fantasy.

@12thLevelSithLord

7 ай бұрын

Did you miss the mechanics related to your traits and bonds? Or the various ways Fabula points are gained and what they can be used for? The Surrender and dying mechanics? There's way more going on than just a combat simulator.

@Nastara

7 ай бұрын

Yeah its a game with a lot of combat rules but it’s a JRPG and most of the genre is heavy in combat. That being a complaint is absolutely weird. But the out of combat loop is really good for the style of game it is trying to be. A good portion of the book involves constant world creation through play. So out of combat is about GM and players developing the world’s ongoing fiction live at the table. 1. World creation rules for Session 0. 2. Fabula Point system allows players to keep adding lore to the game. 3. System of traits and bonds that reward players for playing out strengths and flaws with the ability to shape the world with Fabula Points. Essentially out of combat you are roleplay your characters and invoke traits to gain advantages. Or you lean on flaws to get advantages later. These turn to Fabula Points which you use to help with successes or help in creating lore for the world. Then with these successes, changes, and victories you set the stage for what you want to do next. And then you go there and chances are it’ll be a JRPG dungeon with fights.

Shouldn't be on the list because I despise Anime and JRPGs: Avatar, Fabula Ultima Shouldn't be on the list because I simply don't care: Flee Mortals, Guide to Monster Hunting, Level Up Shouldn't be on the list because not really new: Pathfinder Player Core Shouldn't be on the list because absolutely bad product and simple money-grab: Phandelver Shouldn't be on the list because it's Dnd 5e and Dnd sucks. There are better rules for the setting available: Lord of the Rings 5e Should be on the list: Dragonbane, Warhammer FRPG Lustria, every original Shadowrun publication by Pegasus

Hussah!!! Time to enjoy that-there new digital almanac at the library. Then a stack of celebratory 🧇 waffles 🧇!!!

@landonwyndham979

7 ай бұрын

You actually did it you absolute mad lad.