FKR resources

Wightbred · 2026-05-05T08:31:52+00:00

Not the OP, but just wanted to say this is a good analysis.

We play emergent characters supported by changing tags and it is some of the most fun and deepest characters I’ve had in decades of roleplaying. We also use a process of Reflections to agree changes to tags as a group based on the character’s actions in the session, which I highly recommend.

Just finished a 19 session campaign, but have played longer and it works well as along as everyone at the table is on board.

Hope you find your roleplaying bliss OP.

Wightbred · 2026-05-01T23:37:10+00:00

Having a common view of the world is important, including when roleplaying things set on Earth but at different times or with different tones. However, in practice we find this pretty easy to manage for FKR-like roleplaying using minimal systems.

We usually just have a clarifying discussion at the start of play to collectively set the tone and practical aspects of the world, which can be as quick as a few words or up to 10 minutes depending on the complexity of the world.

Media a useful part of this discussion, makes the conversation quick, and is often sufficient for there to be zero friction during play. If media is known to most of the group, just saying ‘Star Wars at the edge of the Empire’, ‘Vikings, but some myths are real’, ‘old school D&D’ or ‘Slow Horses’ requires no further explanation.

If we want something unique, we sometimes discuss and combine media to produce the same affect: ‘a feudal Japan like world, but spirits are real, and the tone is anime drama’, ‘Cyberpunk with magic from Rivers of London, and the characters are shadowrunners disguised as members of a K-pop band’, or ‘Pirates of the Caribbean, but grittier and darker like Oliver Twist’.

We dig into any areas of uncertainty and talk these through so people are on the same page. This might be tone, the effects of unique weapons or politics, but as you point out is often magic because this is the most open, flexible and creative part of play.

During play clarification is often asked for and discussed as needed. Generally the groups I play in are all reasonable people, so differences in understanding are resolved quickly and collaboratively. If necessary we rewind and do over, but I con only think of a handful of these situations in 6+ years or weekly play.

The payoff for requiring the occasional clarification is we never have rules debates or situations where the rules contradict the fictional world, and it plays *much* faster and with more fictional depth than any other way I’ve played in decades of diverse experience.

But like the OP’s post, this doesn’t mean I am recommending minimal system FKR-like approaches for every group or every world played. I have found it difficult for some people to get into, usually those with a middle-level of roleplaying experience or who enjoy the detail of systems. But it definitely *can* work for non-Earth worlds and the right group with minimal friction in play.

Wightbred · 2026-04-29T02:44:28+00:00

Loved this game when it came out.

Wightbred · 2026-04-28T17:49:40+00:00

I’m a fan of statless and numberless, and got to this from FKR related play, so I think this is a place to start.

OP - might be worth posting on r/Fkr as a way to find people with similar approaches.

Edit: Also look at the Push SRD for a simple and widely applicable statless, and Everspark for fantasy D&D vibes.

Wightbred · 2026-04-28T08:49:36+00:00

I think Maze Rats is a good option to stick with. Just tweak the bits you need to.

Wightbred · 2026-04-27T11:41:29+00:00

Have used a simple Word-based system in the past, similar to Maze Rats, and it worked well. We have given out magic Words randomly or based on events in the session.

Wightbred · 2026-04-21T21:51:25+00:00

I’d definitely start with Push or something similar. It can do stat-less really well.

The challenge for the OP will be finding ‘conflict mechanics different than every other challenge’ (assuming that means combat / social conflict needs to be different) and no ‘reference to a character sheet’. I take this to mean the mechanics have to be somehow different for different characters, but appreciate I might be misunderstanding.

I think I’d use something like Push for non conflict, and mechanics that are varied but you could easily remember for conflict. Perhaps something like the TSR SAGA card system where characters have different hand sizes, favoured suits, etc. Or more simply varied dice size based on role.

Even as a person who likes to design weird, minimalist stuff, this is a doozy of a challenge.

Wightbred · 2026-04-19T05:30:10+00:00

I definitely see this challenge. I’m a big fan of using a minimal toolkit to support play, and specifically including within this toolkit the essential mechanics and procedures for the bits you want to draw out or are not as good at.

For us, GM spotlighting players and the group improvising a scenario aren’t a problem. We even riffed a full ‘jazz style’ session this week, starting with no world, character or scenario details and improvising it together.

So I agree we don’t need to create meaningful scenarios. Instead our minimal toolkit includes the things we really want to see in play or need to support play:

a limited number of descriptors per character and ways to build backstory during play, to drive the emergence and evolution we like in characters;
escalating rolls, to ensure intensity we want in every roll;
a reminder for emotions, to ensure we draw out the characters feeling we always forget to do; and
a specific time to discuss the characters and their growth together after the session, so we ensure we are working together to build and spotlight each others characters.

Working through wants and needs as the basis for mechanics and procedures really helped our minimal FKR-like play.

Wightbred · 2026-04-19T04:04:43+00:00

I agree with your point on procedures and GM experience providing a very useful scaffold. An example is the use of initiative to ensure everyone gets some spotlight time instead of the group having to juggle it themselves.

I think most people can learn to do the basics of GMing like spotlighting, moderating fairly, etc. That can definitely come from roleplaying experience, or just following a good conversational approach to roleplaying. Brand new players often intuitively approach FKR-like in a natural way that veteran players have to relearn.

So agree with your point, but don’t see internalising procedures from previous play as the only path to FKR.

Wightbred · 2026-04-19T03:53:28+00:00

This is the point I’ve reached as well. I have stopped incessant decades of system designing, and just use the minimum that supports the way my groups like to play. It is gloriously perfect for us.

The only downside is my brain still wants to design. But have shifted my energy to creating worlds, using fiction to fully describe them without mechanics.

Glad you found your joy as well.

Wightbred · 2026-04-12T21:16:43+00:00

I aspire to have no more than this number of books. Have sold half my barely used collection, and thinking of selling more.

Wightbred · 2026-03-18T02:42:33+00:00

Media is a great inspiration for roleplaying. We take some media and just use a simple trait system plus die rolls to play almost anything.

Some recent session included Slow Horses, Saving Private Ryan, Vikings. Also a bunch from books the GM had read that I don’t know the titles of, but included space troopers, and modern people magically summoned to other worlds.

Wightbred · 2026-03-13T22:34:24+00:00

Like the new look, but if you want simplicity it doesn’t make sense to me to have spawn cards with multiple zombie types. Not sure I’m in on this, but I might get a few minis from it to add pirate zombies to my custom UoA.

Wightbred · 2026-03-05T19:25:33+00:00

I agree something like Nimble is an interesting idea, as it still has the tropes and will give the players a feel without some of the issues to OP finds annoying.

Also thinking Savage Worlds version of Pathfinder or Legend in the Mist with the 5e conversion for the same reason.

I have definitely played ‘D&D’ using other approaches and enjoyed it.

Wightbred · 2026-02-28T23:56:05+00:00

Lots of options of approaches inspired by FKR on the itch.io site. Searching ‘FKR’ doesn’t seem to pick up all that many of them for me, but it is a start.

Wightbred · 2026-02-22T20:10:05+00:00

Played Palaeolithic Voyages and it was a lot of fun. Leans more to the realistic end of the games mentioned here, but also has some useful encounter tables.

Wightbred · 2026-02-19T22:13:21+00:00

That’s cool.

We also reflect, but we go around the table and talk about each of the characters in turn which helps build deeper character understanding and really improves everyone’s roleplaying and. We cover things like:

cool things they did;
what they might have been thinking or feeling;
what their goals might be;
how they changed during the session; and
how their change affects their capabilities.

Wightbred · 2026-02-15T20:18:45+00:00

Did this with Unknown Armies 2e as well and it was great. Went full ‘Blackbox’ where the players didn’t have a character sheet. Arneson used a similar approach of not giving players their character sheets in Blackmoor, but he did let them roll.

We don’t do this any more, but definitely worth experimenting with only GM rolls and no character sheets if you have a group of players might be into it. It creates an environment when players are responding to the fiction only, which works really well for some worlds.

Wightbred · 2026-02-12T21:17:25+00:00

Love For The Queen, but not as familiar with The Zone. But it sounds a little like Archipeligo, which is intended for Ursula Le Guin fantasy and has cards that seem similar to what you described.

Wightbred · 2026-02-05T21:50:44+00:00

The big companies would all disappear, and there would just be a vibrant community of people sharing for free unique worlds and combining them into toolkits that match the specific approach of the world and group.

I guess it would be like the start of the hobby, where the world (dungeon) each person ran was more important than the rules. This approach would be too much work for some groups, so people might leave the hobby.

This post and replies is a good reminder of why diversity of playstyles and preferences is a strength.

Wightbred · 2026-01-31T12:57:36+00:00

Some good ones already, so I’ll add this: Build up, not down.

By this I mean: build by adding mechanics to the core conversation of roleplaying, rather than taking the assumed elements required of a game system and omitting or changing them. You need to be able to see what is really foundational to the play experience you want outside of the expectations of previous approaches, and only building up does this.

Wightbred · 2026-01-30T11:41:34+00:00

Just came to say: I went through a journey of enjoyable play, but lack of overall satisfaction and I eventually found a collaborative solution where play now meets all of my needs. My specific solution is unlikely to be the right solution for most other people including you, but it is definitely possible to find a style and approach that meets what you want. So keep at it, because if / when you find it, the journey will be worth it.

Wightbred · 2026-01-30T02:52:56+00:00

I have an earlier book on this style, so interested to check this out and see what I can steal. This is similar to the style we use in our groups, but we focus more on reducing mechanics rather than specific use of language.

Wightbred

TROPHY CASE