What is the best option for an rpg like X-Files and is it any good?
What is the best option for an rpg like X-Files and is it any good?
Adam Sanchez
Cooper Johnson
I'd say just pick whatever mechanics you like best from whatever rpg you know, and then make the rest yourself.
Obviously, a lot will depend on the GM being able to actually make a plot with interesting npc interaction, much more than choosing the "right" system.
Most of X-Files is just Fox and Scully running around gathering clues, interviewing people, looking at lab samples, and trying to gain access into places/files they are not supposed to know about. There is hardly any combat, maybe a few stray gunshots, a fistfight, but mostly running around when outnumbered.
I think you should start writing a plot and NPCs long before you do anything else.
Nicholas Thompson
If you want more combat, New World of Darkness. If you want more magic, Unknown Armies. If you want it very police procedural, GUMSHOE. If you want procedural with a lot of ghoulies, Mutant City Blues. If you want streamlined, Nemesis.
All of them are decent, but not great.
Anthony Stewart
Delta Green.
drivethrurpg.com
I have not played it personally but I have heard it has some pretty neat mechanics dealing with life outside missions.
Jace Hernandez
Have you ever played/ran a campaign like that?
It seems like a lot of work, but I am really down with the conspiracy/supernatural-based setting and tone.
Noah Morris
Over the Edge
Or any narrativist system
Basically what this guy said X-Files isn't "find the alien and shoot it with your shotgun". It's "Spend ten minutes checking out a weird incident, discover some offputting clues, roll to suddenly remember an old Indian legend, spend thirty minutes talking to NPCs, and then discover that it was a completely different monster with a different MO.
Matthew Lee
My only problem with this (having also not played it myself) is that Delta Green is more the guys in black that try to stop Mulder.
Eli Allen
Probably Conspiracy X, although it's more X-Com/MIB esque.
Charles Price
Sure, the DG setting differs a bit from X-Files, but not too much. Just use your own setting, make the players X-Files agents rather than DG agents and play things like they would. Should be easy enough.
The system in itself is solid enough for X-Files (get the new one, look for Kickstarter), although it is quite lethal, so gun fights usually end badly.
Lincoln Russell
Is Delta Green really it's own system? I always thought it was just Call of Cthulhu with some different fluff thrown on top.
Owen Adams
This just engage in the more Down to earth character stuff andyou're golden
Ian Parker
Right you are buddy! It's originally CoC with a different (modern setting) and some extra rules. But they've made a kickstarter for a new DG which is it's own game, although very similar. New sanity rules and some other stuff.
Adrian Fisher
>If you want it very police procedural, GUMSHOE
gumshoe is pretty much built for x-files style investigative play. Maybe look at Trail of Cthulhu, and add some extra bits for modern tech and character archetypes?
Jack Peterson
Delta Green
Liam Bailey
I ran a game like X-Files in GURPS once, it's got really good rules for most everything you'll cover. Delta Green and Hunter:The Vigil both work well for that sort of thing too. I imagine there are some Men In Black/black helicopter inspired systems that would work fine too, really anything investigation focused.
Really though, system can take a back seat to you the DM making interesting and actually spooky/mysterious cases for the players to follow. You could run it in Fatal and it would still be good as long as you have that ability down.
Aaron Watson
Kind of bored so do you mind if I run you wonderful fa/tg/uys through a possible Delta Green campaign idea I'm working on?
Luke Johnson
So just to give some background on everything I've developed the game around immense paranoia with 'trustno1' being the main theme of the game.
I've created a few manila envelopes with characters from a number of government 3 letter agencies. Anything with a law enforcement twist to it. So I have one for the FBI, CIA, NSA, ATF, USM - and a few others. In each of the envelopes I have dossiers on various DG contacts and information that the characters has. It's all done up stylistically, big CLASSIFIED stamps on the envelopes, redacted info below the stat lines. Just descriptions and contact info.
So at the start of the campaign I'm letting each character pick a government agency and they have sole access to that envelope.
So here's the meat of the campaign.
>2016
>Majestic 12 has finally decided to wipe out Delta Green
>Recently recruited 'E' cell agents are notified of the wipe of one of the 'D' cell contacts.
>One of the file contacts is a Majestic 12 spy.
>Players will have to find the mole and determine what is causing the compromise of the cells.
Landon Perry
Folders sound neat, I love stuff like that.
As for the campaign idea, not everybody can play a mole convincingly. Maybe you'd need to select the player for that somehow? Does M-12 somehow move in?
Also maybe the idea of taking out D-cells contact could use a little more meat on it.
Samuel Collins
Only one real option here.
Kayden Peterson
I may have misrepresented the way I'm presenting the folders. The characters from that organization will be given various NPC dossiers. Some of them will be contacts, others just random personnel. A few of these people will be know delta green contacts, one of them is a mole. There will also be a smattering of M12 affiliated people as well.
So this idea of a Delta Green mole won't be played by the players, but they need to find who it is as an overarching goal within the campaign.
Beyond that I'm using a jenga tower as a way of invoking physical anxiety in the players. Any form of sanity loss will be accompanied by a pull or multiple pulls from the block tower. If it collapses the charater will face additional sanity effects.
Noah Myers
GUMSHOE
Aaron Nguyen
Delta Green, Silent Legions, Call of Cthulhu, Esoterrorists, Unknown Armies...
Lincoln Walker
This
Christopher Fisher
I've had success running PDF related and GURPS lite for a couple of one-shots
Mason Sanchez
Basically look up Pelgrane Press, read through nearly everything they've built on the GUMSHOE system and mash any systems you like together because they work fine that way. I'd suggest using Trail of Cthulhu as a base and using other books for more up to date equipment and skills since ToC, while perfect for your needs otherwise, is specifically designed for a twenties to thirties tech level.
Aiden Adams
VASCU in Hunter: the Vigil is basically psychic X-Files. (so basically the X-Files, given Mulder`s latent psychic abilities). HTV is an awesome game which is very easy to introduce new players to and quickly gets the setting of the Chronicles of Darkness across. Just don't pull your punches as the Storyteller.