Some tabletop roleplaying games opt for a lesser focus on combat, but others go full bore into making combat the primary mechanical focus.
Combat is often a big part of RPGs. A lot of them tell stories based around conflict or overcoming problems, and sometimes those problems have to be fought head-on. Whether it's Dungeons & Dragons or Call of Cthulhu, violence often rears its head. Despite this, not all RPGs have rules that handle combat well.
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Some TTRPGs are overly simplistic, not giving players enough options they can do and becoming monotonous in the process. Others are complex and get bogged down in endless dice rolling or checking tables. Some, however, hit a sweet spot. Whether crunchy or fiction-driven, regimented or open-ended, some RPGs have combat that puts others to shame.
13th Age is one of many RPGs that takes its cues from Dungeons & Dragons. Specifically, it draws from Fourth Edition, noted for its tactical combat. 13th Age attempts a more stripped-down version of that game's rules. It focuses heavily on combat, with most of the mechanics forefronting it.
For the most part, it works well. 13th Age is perfect for a group that wants to stick with fantasy but wants combat at the center. Its classes are well-balanced and its abilities are interesting. In particular, it's designed to avoid slow and bloated combat without making things too easy. Some detractors think it may be oversimplified, but plenty of players enjoy the game's combat system.
Mutants & Masterminds is infamous for its front-loaded rules. The moment-to-moment gameplay is fairly simple to understand. However, players have to grapple with character creation to get there. Mutants & Masterminds attempts to make any character from superhero fiction playable. As such, character creation is a lengthy process of creating and modifying superpowers.
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On the other side, however, this makes for fun combat. Players get to bring their custom-made abilities to bear against supervillains, who respond with their own unique powers. No two fights are the same in Mutants & Masterminds, and an average campaign will be bursting with entertaining combats.
Many games make fun combat systems through in-depth rules. They present players with a list of abilities and have rules for most outcomes, making it a very tactical affair. Dungeon World goes for the opposite approach. It's a game under the Powered by the Apocalypse umbrella, which focuses on the story first.
When a player gets into combat in Dungeon World, they have a list of 'moves' they can make. However, these moves can take many forms, with a very generic resolution system for most actions. As such, players can do complex moves like climbing up an enemy, targeting specific body parts, or rigging up improvised weaponry without worrying about the specific rules. The resulting imaginative combat isn't for everyone, but has its fans.
A lot of RPGs make combat a stylized and cinematic affair. Characters perform impossible feats, shrug off blows from firearms or greatswords, and act like they're in an action movie. Not Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. It's set in an iconic dark fantasy setting, and it plays its combat for all the grittiness and grimness it can.
Combat is short and vicious in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. A single bad hit can end a character's career, and its critical hit list is stomach-turning. This creates an impetus for players to play as cautiously and sensibly as possible, and then go all-out when a fight does happen. It's dangerous, gory fun.
Mecha fiction tends to focus on epic, explosive battles between two or more mechs and their pilots. Any RPG looking to emulate that has to be able to make its combat fun. Luckily, Lancer does that with flying colors. Its combat is tactical in two parts. First, players have to create a unique mech frame, and then they need to make the best use of it in a fight.
The rest of Lancer's rules tend to be flexible and easy. Its storytelling elements are very rules-light, allowing players to get to the point of mechs fighting more quickly. Combat requires a grid-based map and expects players to make the best use of their abilities possible. In some ways, its combat resembles a wargame, but that suits many Lancer fans just fine.
Pathfinder's first edition draws heavily from Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition. The two games' rules are very similar, including their combat. Pathfinder Second Edition, however, completely overhauls many of the game's mechanics. This is easiest to see in the game's combat system, with its signature three-action economy.
Pathfinder doesn't divide its turns into movement, actions, and bonus actions like D&D Fifth Edition. Instead, players have three actions, and anything they might want to do costs one or more actions. This way, players get full use out of their turns, not having to use specific abilities with specific actions. However, it also imposes just enough of a limit to force players to choose what's most important each turn. When combined with its unique and fun classes, this system makes combat a beloved part of the game.
Shadow of the Demon Lord is another game that puts combat first and foremost in its rules. It has rules for out-of-combat situations, but the game expects players to spend a lot of it fighting. However, this choice pays off, as Shadow of the Demon Lord's combat is fast-paced and entertaining.
Shadow of the Demon Lord mixes elements of D&D 5e with other games. Notably, it uses a unique way of deciding turn order. Creatures choose between a fast turn, which goes first but only gets one action; and a slow turn which goes after but allows for two actions. This, along with high damage, interesting abilities, and simple resolution mechanics, make combat fast but surprisingly tactical.
Fantasy Flight Games make a series of RPGs set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. These RPGs are known for fun but utterly brutal combats. They're short, bloody affairs, any of which can see a character die. Only War, focusing on the Imperial Guard, maintains the visceral and swingy nature of combat but gives players ways to mitigate it.
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Most Only War characters get a comrade, an NPC tied to their character. Comrades are by design more disposable than player characters. Some abilities even let them be used to draw gunfire. The addition of secondary, less valuable characters eases the risk of a single bad roll spelling doom while also increasing how tactical the combat can be.
One of the unique mechanics of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game is its dice. The game doesn't use standard d20s or d6s. Instead, the game uses custom dice with symbols instead of numbers. When a player rolls, they get a number of Successes and a number of Advantages - with the flipside being Failures and Threats.
The fun of combat comes from spending these different points. When players roll, they want to get a lot of either. Successes allow them to hit and do damage, while Advantages let them aid allies or gain an edge in the overall combat. Threats and Failures can cause them to lose footing or bolster their enemies. The resulting combat is fun and unpredictable, but one the players still have control over.
Fourth Edition is undeniably the most contentious version of Dungeons & Dragons. It presents a big shift in the focus and presentation of the game. Nothing in 4e stops players from roleplaying or focusing on the narrative. However, the rules are presented in clear, mechanics-first terms that emphasize their use in combat.
Despite its detractors,4e's combat is the best Dungeons & Dragons has ever had. Every player character starts with several interesting options to choose from and only gets more throughout the game. It isn't perfect, and it suffers from issues like tracking many effects and having to wear down large hit point pools. However, the sheer breadth of abilities and the potential synergies between them have made for an edition many still enjoy to this day.
NEXT: The 10 Best Combat Board Games
Isaac Williams is a movie-goer, TV watcher, journalist, blogger, gamer, comic book-fan, and roleplayer. He's been a bartender and a waiter, and now he writes lists for CBR. He focuses on TV shows and movies. In his free time, Isaac can be found gaming, reading, playing D&D, walking Birmingham's lengthy canals, and catching up on movies.
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