Pen&Paper is a broad term. Often, the biggest representative of role-playing games, Dungeons and Dragons, is mentioned, but there are many other great systems.
What are Pen&Paper? The term Pen&Paper stands for games that can be played with a pen (Pen) and paper (Paper). This includes Dungeons & Dragons. Usually, they are role-playing systems in which the player creates a character and interacts with a world led by the Dungeon Master.
The character’s decisions are made by the player themselves, and the Dungeon Master creates the scene from them. To make it a real game, dice are used to determine whether something works or not.
As an example, let’s take a simple jump over a chasm for an adventure in Dungeons & Dragons: The player wants to jump over a chasm. The Dungeon Master calls for a dice roll, the difficulty of which they set themselves, but the player does not know. Since it is quite a wide chasm, the DM sets the difficulty at 18.
Then the player rolls a 20-sided die and states their result. If the player rolls an 18 or higher, they overcome the chasm. However, if the number is lower than 18, the DM decides what consequences that has for the player.
How did this list come about? There are several websites where Pen&Paper can be played. FoundryVTT is the developer of software that allows players to meet online to experience their adventures.
On their website, FoundryVTT published statistics showing which Pen&Paper systems are played the most. MeinMMO presents you with the top 10 and explains what the special features of the systems are.
Rank 10: Star Wars Roleplaying
Star Wars kicks off our list, and the Pen&Paper has certain special features. The dice system is not a usual W20 system and is narrative. This means that the dice not only determine the success or failure of a roll.
If you happen to fail a roll, there is still the possibility of rolling a so-called Triumph. This is a critical success and gives the player a strong advantage, even if they did not master the roll.
For whom is Pen&Paper? The Star Wars role-playing game is suitable for any fan of the film series or the books. There are three different core books and a starter set:
- Edge of the Empire: With this book, you become a bounty hunter or smuggler of the underworld.
- Age of Rebellion: In this book, you play right in the conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion.
- Force and Destiny: This book is for all Jedi fans and anyone who has always wanted to use the Force.
- Starter set for The Force Awakens: The starter set is an adventure where you learn the rules as you play. It takes place during Episode 7, The Force Awakens.
To play the Star Wars Pen&Paper, only one of the books is needed. However, the rules and content can all be combined.
