When I have the urge to play in a specific genre or setting and I can find a TTRPG that fits what’s in my mind like a glove, there’s nothing better. Despite the thousands of options from which to choose, however, rarely do I make that perfect match, settling for something just good enough. That’s why I love keeping a good generic system or three in my back pocket, a TTRPG my players and I can mold into exactly the shape we want.
Enter SAGAS, a new generic system from creator Dennis Fleming (Okayest DM on socials). SAGAS stands for “Setting And Genre Agnostic System” and is designed to allow players a maximum of customization with a minimum of crunch. Characters are built by combining multiple traits and talents together, and gameplay boasts math-lite combat and few rules for players to memorize. As with all good generic systems SAGAS key feature is the ability to craft any setting for any genre, allowing players to populate their new world and begin playing almost immediately.
Judging by the description of the SAGAS rulebook on the Kickstarter page, the game takes its rules light, max customization very seriously. All of the basic rules fit in twelve pages, the remainder of the book instead packed with character features to flesh out characters, as well as everything else you need to get playing. This includes some pre-generated characters along with their leveling up tables, so you can get a sense of how character development works, and jump into play with a pre-gen of any level.
The SAGAS Kickstarter aims to fund the Main Rulebook, as well as a series of supplements presenting quick jumping off points for SAGAS campaigns. Fulfillment for both the PDF and print-on-demand versions will happen through DriveThruRPG. The artwork featured on the KS page is excellent, evocative of the creative variety possible within SAGAS. You can also meet the design team and get a feel for gameplay with an informative YouTube video.
Avoiding the “stretch goal glut” which has sunk many other crowdfunding campaigns, Fleming has kept things simple but enticing. Initial goals unlock additional setting supplements and some simple but effective quality of life additions to the game. Having met those, as yet unspecified funding levels include unlocking alternate Rulebook cover art, as well as guest supplements by talented TTRPG creators DeAngelo Murillo (of Emerald Templars fame) and Amber, a writer and editor whose credits including Flabbergasted!, Necrobiotic, and Fat Magic.
Obviously generic TTRPG systems aren’t for everyone. But if they’re for you, I highly recommend checking out SAGAS for yourself and supporting this brand new system. It isn’t often you have the chance to get behind something right from the start; SAGAS is definitely a system you want to back now.
The SAGAS Kickstarter campaign is running now and ends February 7. Give it a look; after all, why tell stories when you can write SAGAS?
A wonderful review! Thank you so much for your kind words, Brent! Here’s hoping we unlock some of those extra stretch goals!