Lilith

This is my favourite game system by far! Cinematic, narrative and character driven, rules light, it's a pure delight to play! You play as investigators of the mysterious organisation Candela Obscura, which goes around investigating mysterious phenomena that occur, partially because an old civilization that used too much magick is buried beneath the city. You play with D6 dicepools, so literally anyone can pick it up (no fancy dice required) and there is a free quickstart guide available from Darrington Press. You can also see a lot of examples of Actual Plays if this game on YouTube, including by Critical Role. The rules are simple and the cinematic scenes favour character growth and narrative, which is great for avid roleplayers. It takes place in a world similar to the Edwardian Era, with a dash of steampunk and some interwar years going on. There is horror, yes, but not necessarily from the phenomena your characters will investigate. This game puts horror in humanity and humanity in horror. I honestly can't say enough positive things about this game. I adore it! I've been playing in a long running campaign and it's the highlight of my week! The book also has some example assignments, but a lot of it is left to you and your Lightkeeper's (GM) imagination. The sky is the limit with this game, though I highly recommend safety tools, as this is a horror game. There is also an amazing community online around this game (you can find many on the Darrington Press discord) with fresh ideas, inspiration, and tales to share. It is the one TTRPG I think everyone should play!

Are you a fan of Vampire media? Are you someone who likes to be dark and edgy? Then this is the game for you! I adore this game, as it allows one to go into much darker fantasy than even things like Curse of Strahd. Whether you're more of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, What We Do in the Shadows fan, or Nosferatu fan, this game has a lot to offer. As a D10 dice pool system (rather than number crunching) it lends itself better to narrative and roleplay than, say DnD, Pathfinder, or Call of Cthulhu. Of course, it also all depends on your GM. Combat is definitely something that can and does happen. In the newest edition, even social encounters can be treated like combat. The game is really fun in what it offers to players in terms of Clans (classes, if you will). If you're a fan of classic vampire lore, this is full of it and has tons of little easter eggs. You can be dark and seductive, a vampire fighting their curse, or even a complete monster. The closest thing to a "downside" to this game is that it requires safety tools (which all games should), and, depending on how hard your table goes, some aftercare. It's a super enjoyable game where you get to unleash the beast within (and not be a menace to society irl, lol) without hurting your psyche or that of your table if safety tools are used (and you have a good Storyteller, as I've had). Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys narrative play, dark gothic themes, and just vampire media in general!

Jason is a phenomenal game master who allows players to let loose, but also knows when to direct them back to the plot line (in a group that was at least 80% ADHD, that was no easy task). He was fantastic at explaining the rules of Call for Cthulhu (not the easiest system at first glance) and allowing us to let our imaginations run wild with the characters. My only regret was that we couldn't finish the one-shot in one session, but that's also because the group we had was heavy on the roleplay, so it caused the plot to slow down a bit. But that was on us, the players, not on the GM. Jason harboured a safe and fun environment with immersive locations and NPCs. I can only recommend him.

Connor is a very skilled game master. His storytelling is amazing and he will provide you with near Critical Role-worthy voice acting and accents! His playstyle is very cool and he allows for everyone to be creative. Connor is very inclusive, kind, and generous with his time. He is easy to contact and to chat to about anything game or character related and happy to help beginners (his knowledge of ttrpgs is encyclopedic!) Connor is very creative and has so much to offer as a GM. I can only recommend!

Anya is a phenomenal game master who brings fantastic storytelling (amazing reveals!) and great characters to every session. Her ideas are creative, well set-up, and well thought out. She runs my favourite game with my favourite table. I love having Anya as a GM and will happily forgo other game masters in favour of her games! ^_^ She also is sure to be respectful and uses good safety tools. And she's very nice! <3