Some more freeform systems:

Fate, another great “do all” system with like 2 pages of rules, and mitigation against the dice, you can decide to take a malus now to be able to have a bonus later. Though it’s not combat focused, but that usually means you can develop your encounters more rather than use braindead agressive enemies all the time, and make combat to the death only a last resort.

Hillfolk, more like theater impro framework.

GURPS. It has a little bit of a learning curve and some problems with outdated terminology but it is a great system.

Savage Worlds - Pulpy Action-oriented system, tons of setting books, has e.g. an official Pathfinder rulebook. Uses exploding dice balanced out by “bennies” and “wild dice”. Lots of fun IMO, I especially liked when my Shadowrun 2e game converted to the Sprawlrunners Savage Worlds rules, combat and hacking went much faster and was a lot more fun to play. My current multiverse based dimension-hopping campaign is using this system and it’s been a barrel of fun. I feel no need to fudge dice since the players can choose to spend a bennie to re-roll when it matters to them. Running out of bennies is basically like the character running out of luck, so it’s very cinematic in that way.

Freeform Universal - totally free system (as in it’s Creative Commons). No GM dice rolls. Players roll dice only when both success and failure are interesting. Has some similarities with Savage Worlds in terms of player agency and a system similar to bennies.

Basic Roleplaying - Percentile-based d100 system. Used for RuneQuest and Call of Cthulhu. Perhaps the best system for a simulationist approach due to all skills being a number from 0-100 that shows the exact percentage of the time the character will succeed. This means there’s very little mathematical crunch and the extremely straightforward stats always tell you at a glance what your odds are going to be in any roll. I haven’t personally played it but I find this design incredibly elegant.

Honestly, I don’t mind people who hack 5e as long as they’re upfront about it (as in, don’t invite you for Cyberpunk game only to reveal it’s a 5e Cyberpunk hack at character creation). This is a way some people express their creativity. It’s kinda like how despite there being other games at the time, hundreds if not thousands game devs started from designing levels for Doom or hacking Doom or converting Doom to new platform. It’s now happenning with Skyrim.

A lot of RPGs started as d&d hacks - Runequest, which lead to Call of Cthulhu, started as “what if we only ruled d10’s in d&d”. Tunnels & Trolls exists because creator read d&d book and decided to hack the rules to be more for his liking. Warhammer exists because Games Workshop needed a replacement game when losing rights to publish d&d in Britain. Pathfinder is a similiar story, it was just d&d 3.55 (and sucked just like 3.5) before 2nd Edition.

Don’t forget that whatever situation you can possibly imagine, Pathfinder has a rule for that! No reworking required as long as you don’t mind stopping the game while you ctrl+F and read the results whenever somebody comes up with a new idea you haven’t prepared for because it’s literally a perfect system that accounts for everything.

If you’re really looking for not-catch-all systems you should check out ADRPG (Amber Diceless RPG) I haven’t played it properly but I’ve read the books it’s based on and read through the rule book and it looks really cool and unique. Another unique one is Microscope. I’ve also not played it but read the rule book and it comes highly recommended. It’s a completely different kind of tabletop game, one can almost not even call it an RPG, but there are roleplaying elements. I’d recommend checking it out.

If you’re not really looking, well, there you have it anyways I guess. Feel free to ignore.

idc what anyone says, Blades in the Dark is not a PbtA game. It has like 2 things in common with PbtA systems

Also PbtA systems are great for a story focused games, but they’re not exactly tactical and characters tend to be a little static. They focus on story pretty much to the exclusion of everything else. If you want story though go for it, they’re great. I prefer more of a balance personally.

Worlds Without Number focuses on sandbox play and strikes a nice balance with story and combat. Stars Without Number is basically the Sci-fi version. Both are free with premium versions that have a bit of nice optional content, like more powerful options for heroic characters and Star Wars style space magic

i’ve made one if u want it

Eclipse Phase, White Wolf games, Mutants and Masterminds, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire…

There’s pathfinder 2, 13th age, shadow of the demon lord

The D20 based Cypher System game Numenera is what I run and have the most fun in. Takes place about 1 billion years in the future on the Ninth World, what future humanity calls the new Pangea continent that once hosted 8 previous super civilizations that rose and fell.

Character creation is fun, based on the formula ‘I am a [descriptor] [type] that [focus]’ with what descriptor you give your character giving appropriate bonuses, like Charming giving skills in interaction and starting off with an important contact you charmed before the game. Type is class, like a Nano that can control some of the latent nanites in the air. Focus is something very unique, something that can start an adventure itself, like Talks to Machines or Murders.

Health isn’t nebulous HP like it is in dnd, instead split into three pools ‘speed’ ‘might’ and ‘intellect’ with some abilities having pool costs, or some strenuous actions depleting it. I like the feeling of weakening it can give after a day of adventure.

Even if you’re not into it I’d get the bestiaries at least, best I’ve seen so far and easy enough to slot into dnd.

Did I miss something or has no one even mentioned any One Roll Engine games?

I mean I love me some Fate, and PbtA is great and all. But where are the Better Angels? The Monsters and Other Childish Things? The Dirty Worlds?

So you’re saying I should find a system I like and use the mechanics for whatever setting i want to play? Hmmm…

This is the second time I hear about Thirsty Sword Lesbians here and I am still afraid to google it.

Is this serious or is it some sort of joke system?