Pros: simple D100 system, with interesting mechanics to make you world consistent Cons: i didnt understood the Gm emulation, even though i´ve watche multiple videos and read the book 3 times

Lots of cool ideas in this book. It's worth reading and works well at the table - though I have developed a far simpler version of it for my own use. My problem is the "pinup" style illustrations. Lots of large-breasted women in impractical clothing and no off-setting men or anything to make it a "style." It's just kind of gross and inappropriate. I would never want someone next to me in a waiting room or on a bus looking over and seeing some of the art. It's time to either take it out or commission something more tasteful, IMO.

The actual content of the book is good, but the art (full of nearly-naked women with strange anatomy and waists as small as their heads) is distracting and actually detracted from the experience of reading the book for me.

Thoroughly enjoy the GM Emulator system though! If you ever re-release, please please comission better art.

Just echoing the other reviews which say that if you're only interested in the solo system, then its better to buy the Mythic GM Emulator instead and save yourself the $2.

I found the Mythic RPG to be more useful as a creative writing tool rather than a fun game to play solo. In fact, when it comes to specifically playing solo, I found the experience of using the Mythic RPG to be more akin to doing English Literature homework with dice or doing my taxes instead of actually playing a game.

The greatest weakness of the Mythic RPG is that it tries to be completely generic. I understand that the goal is to allow the players to fit it into whatever setting or type of story they want, but as a result it loses concrete mechanics to actually support an individual fantasy. In fact, for any type of game you want to play, it is better to use a system with concrete mechanics and only use the Mythic GME to fill in the missing "gaps".

Its clear that the main appeal of the Mythic system is the GM Emulator. The instincts of the author were correct in first creating an RPG to show off the Emulation system, but then separating the Emulator out to be its own standalone system. The Mythic system is too abstract and generic to support actual play, unless layered on top of another RPG system.

more in depth review on my blog: https://farooqsgaming.blogspot.com/2019/08/mythic-game-master-emulator-review.html

I really like Mythic Role Playing as I don't need a DM and can use it for Solo Play.

This is the review you're looking for down here.

Okay, so. If you're primarily interested in the GM emulation rules, but you're looking at this and thinking to yourself 'hmm, well, why not just get the full rules for the like 2 more dollars it costs?' then I strongly suggest you STOP and go buy the standalone GM emulation rules. I own both, and I purchased the GM emulation PDF second, despite the fact that this book contains all the information in that book, and to be honest, I somewhat wish I had purchased that first.

The issue is in presentation.

I'm going to state right now that there is nothing wrong with the Mythic RPG rules. It is a perfectly servicable (if not particularly interesting) low-crunch generic system. It looks like it works. I can't particularly think of any specific type of game I'd choose it over a more specialized system for, though. I suppose it might work for a simple generic system in the case of wanting to run something I already knew and didn't want to learn a new system for. I'd need to get my group familiar with Mythic RPG first, but after that I suppose it could serve well for something like that.

The issue I have is that I was more interested in the GMless rules which are the major selling point of the system. In the way the book is written, the rules you would need to know to use Mythic's GMless rules to run it with another game's ruleset (another selling point) are spread throughout the book and intermixed with the Mythic RPG rules. Reading this book and trying to determine which rules you would need to keep and which to discard in order to run this with, say, 5E D&D, becomes a bit of a chore.

I suppose it might be easier to do if I played Mythic first, but I've got a current D&D game going that I was wanting to try running this a bit with which I don't want to halt to play a few sessions of Mythic first, and I DEFINITELY don't want to try to convert D&D over to the Mythic system. Both my and my players' free time is limited and it's hard enough for us to get together on a weekly basis, wasting time goofing around with a new system is simply not really what I had in mind.

If you're wondering if there's anything else in the book that could be interesting (say, a unique setting, or anything that could be interesting for use standalone from the RPG rules) there kind of isn't. It's just the game rules, there is a bit of artwork interspersed in the pages that gives the impression this is more of a fantasy system, but it really is generic in the functional term of that word- it could be used for any sort of game whatsoever, and doesn't have any rules that are specifically built towards being a particular genre. I suppose that could be considered a feature but there can be such a thing as being TOO universal. The main RPG rules simply don't seem to have much flavor at all in my opinion.

I suppose if you're looking specifically for a DMless generic rules-light system and not interested (at least not immediately) in pulling out the GMless rules and using them with another system, this might be the version for you. If you're more likely to want to do that than to drop whatever you're currently running and playing Mythic as a complete package, though, I'd suggest grabbing the GMless rules package instead.

PS: I sort of wish there wasn't a requirement to rate it out of five stars on DriveThruRPG in order to review it. I think this system looks well done and my problems with it mostly have to do with it not being super easy to pull apart, when the description made me believe otherwise. There is another version of this that is already pulled apart, and if you want it pulled apart, you want that one instead. That's all I'm trying to say.

I bought this product years ago along with "Mythic Variations." I've read through it several times and it has some great advice for creative stories, running your game and keeping track of things whether you're using it as your game engine or just the GM Emulator part. Although I find the Mythic system intriguing I have never used it. I'm sure it would work perfectly well for running a game with. The main selling feature for me was the Game Master Emulator. I'm almost always the GM for the games I play, and the idea of being able to get a group together and join them as a player was very appealing. I've used it a few times with Mutants and Masterminds 3e and Savage Worlds and can say it works great. You need to know how your chosen gaming system works, and the GME does the rest of the work for you. I'd recommend Mythic for that alone! If you do want a generic system, you get that too...so it's a great purchase for folks looking for one or both of those things.

Summary : a very interesting product, perhaps more on the story game side than some other RPG. As a generic RPG system, 4 stars, the fifth because it contains a great deal of advice on how to actually use the system for many things AND for the potential as a GM tool.

I reviewed the pdf, which I bought. I played solo games only.

Content description : The system description starts with character creation, probably to allow reader to figure the new system more quickly. Everything is described with on a ladder, compared to an "average", decided by the players. Then you have the Fate Chart, which is quite central to the system (percentage of success or getting a "yes" to a question, based on the ranks defined before), followed by task resolution, fighting rules, how to generate more randomness in your adventure, how to generate an adventure with and without GM, and advices on converting other games to the Mythic system. There is a complete play exemple, on about 15 pages. It is ended by various reference tables and sheets.

Layout is clear, but internal links are lacking.

I do not like the art. I feel it is cheesy, almost unprofessional.

How it works ? Basically, the GM and/or the players asks questions, and the answer is provided by a roll on the Fate chart (answer is pass / fail or yes / no). Hence, if the GM allows it, you may actually err quickly on the story game side. Though, it is pretty interesting to make a call on many situations.

What I liked :

• system is easy to grasp and covers a lot of ground, though a bit of work during game may be needed (taking notes for further reference)
• still there are many examples and advices provided, which illustrates clearly the system, making even easier to understand it
• the solo GMing part actually works, and I guess it also would as no GMing system
• the work is modular, you can use a part of it, or as a whole
• many references sheets. Print them, stick them together, and you have your GM playmat withing minutes

Could have been even better with :

• better art. The product seems to be a Platinium seller on OBS, so it could make sense to give a few hundred of bucks to an(other) artist to improve it. It is almost disheartening, with many half naked women, one naked mer-dude taking a shower, and a few bad designed monsters… It does not convey the sense of "Mythic" by any way and could maybe even be removed without loss
• the fight rules are more complicated than the rest of the system, which is a bit surprising, and would slow down everything. The author gives only a few lines of advice on how to get ride of it, a simplified version of fighting rules could have been useful, with examples
• internal links. We are in 2018, even a pdf bought for a handful of bucks should have them
• no SRD or CC licence, which I think is a bad point for a generic system nowadays

I've always wanted to play a pen and paper roleplaying game like DnD or Pathfinder, but never had the chance to actually play one of those games. Almost everyone said it was way too difficult and expensive, so I'd almost given up. Luckily I found this book. I love the concept of using ranks instead of tons of numbers and including random events that might change your easy sounding mission completely. The instructions were easy to understand and the many examples really give you a lot of inspiration. However you don't have to use them. After reading the book I really wanted to give this a try, so I convinced my sister to play with me. Both of us have almost no experience in pen and paper roleplaying so I was amazed how good it worked. Our first mission was a simple task: Defend the peasants sheep from giant spiders. Before the spiders were even there a random event occured and we found out that the peasant (with no combat experience at all) had decided to help us. So he was hiding behind a hay bail with a pitchfork in his hands. Our characters an angry orc and a werefolf didn't even see the spiders as fast as the peasant tried to attack. His success was very unlikely so we already expected his attempt would fail. It got even worse for him: He was caught in a ball of spider web! Defeating the giant spiders and saving the peasant kept us entertained for almost an hour. This was our first try and we both enjoyed it a lot. I can really reccomend this book! (English isn't my first language so there might be some mistakes in this text - sorry for that.)

I purchased this more for the GM Emulator features than the Roleplaying system. The main purpose of this system is to allow you to apply the tools in this book to play any RPG adventure without requiring a game master. This allows solitaire and cooperative play. The foundation is actually pretty simple system with two key parts: Yes/No table and two-word keyword system.

The Yes/No table can be used to present Yes/No questions to the system, with the chart providing a mechanism to determine the % chance of yes, no or exceptional yes/no. You roll percentile dice (1-100) to get the result. You ask questions of the system as you might ask a game master when you need more details of a setting or what's happening, such as "Is the market crowded?", "Do I find the gem on the dead goblin?", or "Is the weapons officer a traitor?" To provide a weight to favor the more likely answer, you determine how probable it should be for the answer to be Yes. For example, "Do I find the gem on the dead goblin?" might be unlikely if you have more powerful enemies that haven't been defeated and the gem is key to the story, or it could be very likely if you slayed the goblin in a dungeon where the type of gem is pretty common for the treasure the dungeon contains. You cross-reference this probability of being likely with a Chaos Factor, which begins at 5 on a scale of 1-9. The higher the Chaos Factor, the more likely are Yes and Exceptional Yes responses. This factor goes up or down between each "scene" of your adventure based on how chaotic you think the previous scene was.

The Yes/No table can also be used to determine % of a challenge succeeding based on the cross-reference of the skill of the character attempting the challenge with the difficulty of the obstacle or competing character. For example, if you want to determine if a Ninja succeeds in hitting a target with a shooting star, you would consider the Ninja's skill (likely Exceptional) with the difficulty of hitting the target (average for a target character with average dexterity). You then get a % chance of getting a Yes, No, Exceptional Yes, Exceptional No and roll percentile dice (1-100) to get the result. This is using the exact same table as above.

Finally, there is a two-word keyword system designed to provide you with a random two word combination to help stimulate (or "seed") your imagination to apply it to the current situation. You have a supporting table that can also determine the subject of the keywords, if applicable. For example, this can be used to generate a random event in a scenario when doubles are rolled on the percentile dice. The first roll would determine the subject, such as Player Character Favorable, and the next two rolls determining the two words from two different keyword tables that are used in combination. Each table has 100 different keywords. For example, you might produce a result of "Passion" and "Attention" from the two tables. So if you're a spy sneaking into a secret base and get a random event with "Player Character Favorable -> Passion Attention", it's up to you to apply it to the situation. In this case, I might say that nearby guards are chatting with a beautiful officer in the hallway that would allow me to sneak past them undetected.

The book contains more information about how you can apply this to your adventures, and it even uses this system to let you play a full RPG game without requiring any other RPG rules. Where the book really shines is in the way it demonstrates the use of the system in a variety of settings (Sci-Fi, dungeon, mystery, etc.). But if you already have a rule set that you like, such as Pathfinder, you can use the tools mentioned above to allow you to play your campaign without a dedicated game master (though one player or the group will have to provide interpretations on the results produced by the system, as well as when and how to apply the charts.

Why does this work so well? If you're just setting up the adventure without any guidance, you tend to direct the adventure along a particular path. Once you've set this process in motion, your mind will tend to propel forward in a particular direction. When you use the Mythic system, you interrupt your story at various points to determine whether the story proceeds as you initially design. When you get a No, Exceptional, or keyword response, you're forced to stop and reevaluate your story and might be forced to redirect the narrative path. That's where the surprise comes in.

The only problem I've had with this is that I haven't felt like the Chaos Factor has worked for me as intended. I've had several times when the Chaos Factor keeps dropping to the point where I can't get anything to happen. But I need to play around with this more, as I might need to be more proactive in making something happen, even if it's in a different direction.

What my wife said after the first GM-less session we played using the Mythic GM Emulator, " I can't believe it works". I have to say, that after losing our usual group of roleplayers and not playing a regular campaign for the last three years, this has been a godsend. Now, me and my wife can both scratch both the player and gamemaster itch, while not needing a large group to play with. Using it with the Cypher System (which lends itself nicely to improvisation gaming because of the ease of making up NPCs on the fly), and can't wait to use it while beta testing the Dresden Accelerated rules. I'm sure this won't be for everybody, but I can say that purchasing all three books in the Mythic series was one of the best things I could have done for my game ( or lack there of). If you're skeptical, don't be... you have to try it, it's awesome!

P.S. I have to say that at the moment, I have been using the GM Emulator, and haven't used the system rules presented in this book yet. Regardless, I'm glad I picked up all three books, they are well worth the price.

Great game - and a great GM / Gm-less tool! I've not yet digested the system enough to use it (just skimmed through the PDF for the first time).

And still: its' brilliance shines through clearly.

Damn, I'd never EVER imagine a tabletop RPG system where not only the world, not only characters and events can be improvised on-the-fly... but RULES??

Wow! Deciding, say, the rules of magic half-way thru adventure - isn't it incredible? And whatever else may come up during adventures?

Which automatically means - we get an ideally customized ruleset while we play. Because it's we, the particular group of players, who choose the rules. The way we like them!

I love this Mythic!

Mythic is a concise, well-written volume of rules and ideas that delivers what it says. It will take some imagination and a little practice to get the most out of the concepts. Most of the thickness of the book is the elaboration of a few key, but simple ideas . Using a unique percentile probabilities chart, Mythic delivers the outcomes of your choices and any random events that may occur. It sounds over simple the way I'm saying it. Get the book and you'll see how cool the system is; It works!

The only thing I didn't like about this product was the pinup/cheesecake female drawings littered through the book. Way too much. I have the full version of Acrobat and I used it to paste solid blocks to cover some of them. Hey, we all have smiled at the sight of the female fighter with the chainmail bikini (she has the same armor class as the male fighter in full plate!). I just don't want to see 20 versions of her in a book I'm trying to take seriously.

I consider this product well worth what I paid for it. I could see opportunities for supplements here as well. I really want to explore the idea of playing Mythic (or my favorite role-playing game using Mythic) without a GM/DM.I believe Mythic is a real good place to start.

I will finish by saying the art, as cheesy as it is(cheesy in concept not quality), does not reflect the great work in the writing. I recommend the Mythic very highly. I'm happy I purchased it.

As always I like to say that this is my opinion and yours may vary. Peace.

If you buy this as a stand-alone RPG, you may find yourself a little frustrated by the emphasis on tables and on having to keep working out new success odds continually. But that's not really what Mythic is for - it's there to provide a slick, challenging, often exciting means of creating / abstracting story elements, actions, twists and turns and overall plot runs.

It's hard to take in until you start using it, but in reality the slick bit of this product lies in a relatively few pages: the concepts of a chaos factor, story interrupts, extreme successes and failures on probability rolls, and two "oh god that's such a simple idea but it works brilliantly" tables. What this does is provide a great way of crating a story 'on the fly' and challenging yourself, if you're GM / playing solo, or you and your group if you're playing without a GM, to interpret and add depth and colour as a story unfolds before you.

I have used elements of the system alongside The One Ring, and am about to use it in the same way with another LOTR RPG: the part-finished Hinter Lands. This is one of the suggested uses, and I found that I didn't need to do any system conversion - I use the Mythic system to shape and develop a solo story, and the other system to handle mechanics like character creation, skills and combat.

This is one of the strengths of the design: there are many ways to use it, in part of whole, with or without another rules system and in any setting. It has helped me to boil my own RPG use down to what really matters and what I really enjoy - storytelling and creation of my own myths and histories.

I strongly suggest you buy the supplement as it provides some more very useful tables, but I am very happy with Mythic despite my initial scepticism that something could really allow for solo roleplaying. It really does work - not for everyone perhaps, but certainly for those who enjoy story and its possible branches and diversions as much as sword-swinging.

• Presentation- CHECK!
• Writing style- CHECK!
• Logical rules system- CHECK!
• Fun- CHECK!
• Versatile- CHECK!
• Online community/support- CHECK!
• Innovation- CHECK!
• Price- CHECK!

Okay, if you are on the fence (and I don't blame you because so was I):

The writing style is like "The Idiot's Guide To..." or "Dummies". Considering I was raised on Gary Gygax's random stream of thought and technical measurements, it was a refreshing pleasure to read clear and organized RPG system with tons of visual aids.

Mythic RPG is a free form generic system, based on odds, points, answering questions, comparing stats, and dice rolls, that can be played as a straight RPG, GM screen, family parlor game, idea generator, novel helper, and remains the only RPG system that I have come across that can be played as a surprise solitaire (not a Choose Your Own Adventure linear style). So if you are a RPG fan but can't seem to organize a game at home or on the internet, Mythic is your product. If you do run games with people at your home or elsewhere, this can be a pick up game in any setting. Wanna do a Star Trek RPG? Lord of the Rings? Horror? Cop? Superhero? Real life? Star Wars? Conan? Cyberpunk? Japanese? This is a one-stop solution.

Performing character creation, combat, and events takes practice even after you read them, but the author lays everything out with great examples and instances. Nothing is glossed over or omitted. There is a learning curve, of course, and practice makes perfect, but I already had a session with two family members and they loved it. They didn't feel it was an intimidating RPG like when I tried (and failed) to get them to play with Wizards of the Coast products.

The setting and themes are completely limitless, as are the storylines and character skills. This is the only UNLIMITED and INFINITE RPG system. I haven't played an RPG like it, so it gets full points for innovation in a world of DnD clones and remixed editions. Can the system be rigged? Sure, but the author freely admits this and has recommendations for obnoxious players and even hints for solo players to not cheat. Can the logic be "broken"? Only if you keep asking too many detailed questions (which the author warns against).

If you are not into creating things or random events, this isn't for you.

If you want more ideas on how to make specific settings and genres, check out the other product here (the Bundle Pack has both) and the Yahoo Group for more info.