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A list of RPGs that emphasize (or at least support and prioritize) non-violent stories and conflict resolution.

(There is no particular sequence to these whatsoever, it's mostly just whatever order people recommended them to me in.)

  • Tales from the Loop - Step into the alternate '80s universe created by scifi artist Simon Stålenhag in this retro RPG, in the vein of ET and Stranger Things.
  • Shock: Social Science Fiction - Shock: Social Science Fiction is Joshua A.C. Newman’s fiction game of culture and future shock. Inspired by the works of Bruce Sterling, Kim Stanley Robinson, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Philip K. Dick, the game pushes the players to make stories that matter to them — stories about politics, philosophy, love, and death.
  • Questlandia - In Questlandia, you and your friends will tell the story of a one-of-a-kind fantasy world. Then, you’ll take on the role of characters trying to achieve their goals in a society on the brink of collapse.
  • Damn the Man, Save the Music! - Damn the Man, Save the Music! is a game about making a last-ditch effort to save something you love. Play a ragtag group of underachievers, overachievers, street philosophers, and lovestruck artists united by one cause: to rescue your local record store from the oppressive hand of The Man… and to keep the music playing.
  • Poutine - This is a game about love, regret, and delicious, delicious poutine. In it, you will tell the stories of people living in a small town, their hardships, and their perseverance.
  • FreeMarket - A transhuman science fiction game set aboard a space settlement in the Saturnian system. Several generations are living on FreeMarket Station: the sons, daughters and grandchildren of the Originals; immigrant travelers from elsewhere in our solar system; and designed-to-order humans fabricated in 3d matter printers. It’s a world without death, without poverty, without sickness and without any need for laws.
  • Golden Sky Stories - Originally released in Japan as Yuuyake Koyake, Golden Sky Stories is a heartwarming, non-violent role-playing game that’s great fun for all ages. It takes place in a small town in rural Japan, and players take on the role of henge (pronounced hen-gay, like a chicken that’s happy), animals with just a little magical power, including the ability to temporarily take human form. They do not fight great battles or unearth valuable treasures though; Golden Sky Stories adventures are all about helping others and becoming friends.
  • MAID - Maid is an light comedy anime-themed tabletop role-playing game for three or more players. The very easy to learn rules-light system, complete with random events which drive the story forward, will have you playing the game with friends only fifteen minutes after opening the book.
  • Do: Fate of the Flying Temple - Do: Fate of the Flying Temple is a family-friendly standalone roleplaying game. This book contains everything you need to set off for adventure in the windpunk setting of the Many Worlds. In this game, you can fly with dragons, solve problems and puzzles, and defeat the bad guys just like the heroes of Avatar: The Last Airbender and How to Train Your Dragon.
  • Fall of Magic - Fall of Magic is a collaborative story game in the tradition of the fantasy journey where the landscape, hospitality, and exploration of our character’s relationships take center stage.
  • Life on Mars - Life on Mars is a tabletop story game where we explore what life might be like aboard the first manned mission to Mars. Through play we'll discover, who we are, how we relate, and how life on Mars changes us.
  • Society of Dreamers - The Society of Dreamers is a role-playing game about a little-known group that formed in Europe in the early 19th century. This group seems to have studied dream phenomena – specifically, they seem to have held the belief that there were autonomous life forms living in people’s dreams. The Society called these creatures mnemosites – dream eaters.
  • Archipelago - Archipelago is a story/role-playing game by Matthijs Holter where each player controls a major character. Player take turns directing and playing out a part of their character’s story, leading them towards their selected point of destiny, while other players interact with and influence that story.
  • Ghost Court - In a small claims court full of plaintiffs and defendants, testy judges, overworked clerks, and peace-keeping bailiffs—all of whom might be living or dead—you and your friends will see that spectral justice is done, one absurd case at a time.
  • Hillfolk/Drama System - With the Hillfolk roleplaying game, you and your group weave an epic, ongoing saga of high-stakes interpersonal conflict that grows richer with every session. Its DramaSystem rules engine, from acclaimed designer Robin D. Laws, takes the basic structure of interpersonal conflict underlying fiction, movies and television and brings it to the world of roleplaying. This simple framework brings your creativity to the fore and keep a surprising, emotionally compelling narrative constantly on the move.
  • Primetime Adventures - Ever wonder what would have happened if you were in charge of a TV show you watch? Would those two have gotten together after all? Would he have finally reconciled with his mother? Would there have been fewer vampires? More wicked professors? With Primetime Adventures, that’s all up to you! Create a cast of characters, figure out what makes them tick, and put them in dramatic situations.
  • A Penny for my Thoughts - (go read the actual play example on their page for an explanation.)
  • Itras By - Itras by is a surreal roleplaying game set in a city reminiscent of Europe in the 1920’s. The system is card based and focuses on freeform and improvisation.
  • Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands - Humanity has spread through the Milky way, using interstellar transit gate technology to colonize the galaxy. Mobile frames are the hard-working, hard-fighting combat- and labor mecha they’ve brought with them. You are romantic ace mobile frame pilots, caught up in an undeclared war for the future of the Bantral system. Fight with your friends. Ally with your rivals. Fall in love with your enemies.
  • Truth and Daring, Wits and Chivalry (two hacks of Lasers and Feelings) - (See descriptions on the linked page, more info on the site.)
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