Tabletop RPG · since 1980 · #37 most discussed

Basic Roleplaying

Play ordinary or extraordinary people in any setting with a percentile skill system and gritty, fairly deadly combat.

Percentile (d100)Genericd100roll underclasslesshigh lethalitystress or sanitytheater of the mindAny lengthNeeds a GM

6.5

Geek rating

From 10 firsthand play reports in 2 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 7.7.

Player rating— / 10

No visitor ratings yet.

Discussion6.7 / 10

288 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.

Rules weight

Medium. Hype 2.7 for its age.

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What players say

At the table

The notes draw on two r/rpg threads with ten firsthand reports in total. Tables describe BRP as a roll-under percentile system that stays out of the way, and most run it gritty and light on combat. They disagree about long-term progression. Some like the slow, use-based growth, and others say it runs out of room in longer campaigns.

What works

Granular skills make players think about their characters in detail. The long skill list also prompts them to use what the character is good at. (thread)
Slow, use-based advancement feels organic, like real learning, and campaigns can run for years. (thread)
Skills protect niches, so each character gets spotlight in their specialty. (thread)
Rolling under your skill on percentile dice is easy to teach, and the system stays out of the way of the roleplaying. (thread)
Tables report it is easy to customise or lighten for any genre, and it works well for exploration and investigation groups. (thread)

What tables struggle with

High lethality leads some players to treat characters as disposable. One GM is frustrated by deaths from avoidable mistakes. (thread)
Players who want high-action, high-fantasy or D&D-style adventuring find the gritty, low-combat style a poor fit. (thread)
One player found it engaging enough to function but not outstanding for immersion. (thread)
In longer campaigns characters top out their skills and the game sags, though it still doesn't get in the way. (thread)
Its older, generic design can feel flat, with fewer quality-of-life tools than newer Chaosium games. (thread)

Who it suits

Groups that want gritty, skill-driven play where fights are fast and dangerous.
Investigation and exploration tables, and GMs who like to trim or adjust the rules.

In players' words

"Progression is slow, and niches are protected. The granularity in skills allows players that choose their niche to naturally get spotlight in it." (thread)
"It begins to sag in longer term campaigns as characters top out skills. But it does not get in the \"way\"" (thread)
"I've been trying to get the players to value the characters despite the high lethality of the game" (thread)

The threads behind it

Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.

7.8

Basic Roleplaying (BRP) and Immersion

Players and GMs who ran BRP, including a Delta Green-based hack, mostly report an immersive, gritty game. Granular skills, slow progression, niche protection and fast, deadly combat work well at their tables, and the main problems are lethality making players invest less in characters and a verdict of 'functional but not outstanding' from one commenter. Much of the thread is about Burning Wheel, Traveller and other games, and those comments were ignored. 7 firsthand · 70 comments

Open on Reddit

7.5

What are your thoughts on the new Basic Roleplaying Universal Game Engine? BRP in general?

The thread is mostly about reading impressions, Mythras, and Call of Cthulhu or Delta Green, so few commenters describe playing BRP itself. Those who do say it's a comfortable, easy-to-teach d100 system that stays out of the way, and they adjust it to fit their group. 3 firsthand · 66 comments

Open on Reddit