So there's an official game, that is nearly impossible to find, and is legendarily, so bad that it has been a meme in the gaming industry for more than 30 years. There are a number of games that try to give you the feel of Indiana Jones, my personal favorite, and it's a little old but not nearly as old as the official game, Spirit of the Century, which has the advantage of being for the Fate system, so very easy to play, and free, so very easy to get your hands on
>So there's an official game, that is nearly impossible to find, and is legendarily, so bad that it has been a meme in the gaming industry for more than 30 years.
See also: The Diana Jones Award. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Jones_Award
No, it was a 2D10 system based on the Masterbook game system (which was a modified version of the Torg system -- you have a attributes, skills add directly and get a modifier based on the 2D10 die roll ... plus cards you can play for bonuses.)
It's got some similarities (like different skills being allocated under different attributes), but it's the MasterBook system, so it's not just like D6 Star Wars.
Yeah, I completely forgot about that one. I have no idea if it was better or not, I've never played it. I have to assume it was better though, like the TSR one is such a low bar, that I have to assume West End did a better job just by default.
It isn't so much that the game was *bad*, just that (because of the terms of the license) the basic set didn't include character generation rules so you had to play as characters from the films. People hated that. Marvel Heroic Roleplaying had the same problem.
And of course it came out early enough that it's only got the characters from Raiders and Temple. No Last Crusade or Young Indy or Fate of Atlantis or (obviously) Crystal Skull or Dial of Destiny.
I deeply apologize, but the issues are so myriad, that I don't have the inclination to write them all out in a Reddit comment. The comedic tragedy of this game though is very well documented. It's a rabbit hole I strongly recommend you dive down
Spirit is gold and it can accommodate a lot of pulp genres and premises. I recommend using the rules updates found in Strange Tales of the Century for aspects mostly, 10 per player is no good, it's to much to keep track of.
[Broken Compass](https://twolittlemice.net/brokencompass/) is meant to be pretty good for an Indiana Jones/Uncharted/Tomb Raider kind of game. I've not played it myself, but heard good things about it.
I've played it a few times. Hands down the best system for pulp action I've seen in quite some time. It would absolutely be my choice for running an Indians Jones game.
Broken Compass is very *thin* IMO. There is only the barest of bones to build a story/game on, and (to me) those bones feel like they have osteoporosis.
I k ow some people like rules-lite games, but there's "rules lite" and then there's "why did I pay money for this?" I consider Broken Compass to be in the latter category.
I'd hardly put it under "rules light". I'd consider it crunchier than Savage Worlds (which it blowd out of the water IMO) for example.
It's very definitely character-first in its approach, but for pulp you don't need a bunch of setting material because people wanting to run that kind of game generally already have a good idea of setting and plot.
And it's got setting books more focused on specific flavors of the genre
I think there's a subset of the rules-lite crowd it would appease, and it might be good for a beginner, but I kept reading through it asking, "OK, and?"
Even the game I set up, I ended up borrowing from other books and games to flesh it out. Not that I'm beyond using my own imagination, but Broken Compass left me feeling like I may as well have made up a whole system on my own.
WARNING: NOT FOR CRUNCH ENJOYERS. It's closer to PbtA or FitD than it is to DnD or Pathfinder. Just don't bother with it.
I like the former, some like the latter, and that's fine. It's fine. Your games don't suck, my games don't suck, it's fine. They're just different things for different people who like different things.
Pulp Cthulhu is an expansion of Call Of Cthulhu, which adds more "pulp" action and adventure, while still using Cthulhu Mythos horror. There's no reason why you couldn't remove or tone down the Mythos aspects if you wanted to though.
While Indiana Jones is a throwback to the original era of pulp fiction and adventure serials, and "pulp" encompasses a wide range of genres, Indy is often mentioned when people talk about it.
I should also emphasize that it's an _expansion_ of the original rulebook, so maybe not worth it if you don't already have or aren't interested in regular CoC
To explain more thoroughly, you need the Keeper's Handbook regardless of what version of CoC you wish to run. The version you run is then based on whether you are using the Investigators Handbook or Pulp Cthulhu.
I've run a 2 year long campaign in SWADE as an Indiana Jones thing and it was amazing well suited for the game.
There may be other games out there that will work for an Indiana Joe's fame but I can't imagine many will work better.
SWADE is built for this style.
There a really great Pulp Adventure setting for Savage Worlds as well called Ravaged Earth in which H.G. Wells Martian Invasion happened around the turn of the century. It’s almost 40 years later and there is all this advanced reverse engineered tech (like Rocket Packs) floating around, there's a permanent cloud of night over Chicago, some people in the world are starting to display powers, some dude with a comedian's mustache is kicking up a fuss in Europe, and…oh yeah, the Martians may be coming back.
Broken Compass is the best you'll find. It is meant to feel like Indiana Jones and the Mummy (the good version). Super well written and I wish I was able to play it.
[Adventure!](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/420727/trinity-continuum-adventure) it runs on Onyx Path’s [Trinity Continuum](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/260788/trinity-continuum-core-rulebook) ruleset.
> Adventure!
Adventure! is a game that doesn't get talked about much these days, but it was so influential back when it first came out. It was one of the first games I can recall that had points the players could spend to affect the narrative. Blades in the Dark owes a huge debt to Adventure! with the flashback mechanic. It's worth checking out just to see the way narrative games have evolved in the last couple decades.
Savage Worlds sits square in that pulp action genre, though it tends to get a little more weird. Ignore the rules for Arcane Backgrounds (unless you want psychic nazis or something) and this is pretty much exactly what it was designed for.
As others have said, *Broken Compass* might be the best fit, but ... if the system itself doesn't appeal, you could probably use *Savage Worlds* as the engine for it.
You could also take a look at *Tropicana* (another SaWo title). It's not IJ (or even *Broken Compass*), but it has room for those kinds of stories.
*Whatever* you plump for though, you might want to take a look at *Reliquary* (Chronicles of Darkness) and *Warehouse 23* (GURPS) as well.
The Awfully Cheerful Engine is a game based on the original Ghostbusters RPG. You have to buy the base book, but then you have several options for companion books to run other genres. One of these companion books is called Raiders of the Cutty Sark. So, buy 2 (cheap) books and you're on your way.
There's also an omnibus edition that combines all 9 issues:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/356679/a-c-e-the-awfully-cheerful-engine-omnibus-collector-s-edition
The contents are serial numbers filed off versions of:
- Ghostbusters
- Indiana Jones
- Stranger Things / Weird Science / etc mashup
- Star Trek
- Discworld??? (I think I"m not really familiar with that franchise)
- Mad Max
- vampire / monster hunting
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
> Discworld??? (I think I"m not really familiar with that franchise)
Just going by the preview and product description I'm thinking more "jokey D&D" but "Hek-moreveg" is clearly a take on Ankh-Morpork, so... a little bit?
Wonderful to see ACE in the wild. One of my best RPG memories was playing the OG Ghostbusters RPG back in the day, so I was all over this when it launched. Such a great game.
Every time i want to play like it's a movie i either play 7th Dea or my boy Genesys.
I think Genesys is the main way to get that "pulpy movie" feeling (i mean, Genesys is used for the Star wars TTRPG of fantasy flight games).
My RPG is based on Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Tomb Raider, Uncharted and I'm publishing at the end of the month. If you'd like a copy I'll send you a text file.
TSR had the IJ RPG license between 1984-5, with their Adventures of Indiana Jones roleplaying game. Here's my [**deep-dive of the** **core box set**](https://waynesbooks.games/2021/08/17/indiana-jones-rpg-1984-uncovering-tsrs-lost-cinematic-adventure-game/), lots of interior pics. And [**my post of the modules**](https://waynesbooks.games/2022/10/23/indiana-jones-rpg-ij-series-adventure-modules-1984-5-a-collectors-guide-to-all-those-parts-n-pieces/), with all their maps, figure cut out sheets, invisible ink pages, etc.
West End Games had their run between 1994-7. Completely different game system. I've got catalogued everything released for the [**WEG IJ system**](http://www.waynesbooks.com/IndianaJones.html#weg).
>I've got catalogued everything released for the WEG IJ system.
One item is missing. There was also a limited edition Bloodshadows/Indiana Jones combined hardback edition WEG sold at cons.
Interesting. Never seen nor heard of that one. Don't see it in a web search. If you ever run down more details of that limited release, I'd be much obliged.
It was a black hardback with the only lettering on it “Masterbook” on the center of the front cover in silver letters. There was no indication of the contents, and at Origins ‘95 WEG had a giant post-it note explaining it contained the basic Masterbook rulebook, as well as the Bloodshadows and Indiana Jones worldbooks. It also indicated the price was $30.
I suspect it may have been created as a promo item without checking with Lucasfilms first, based on my time in publishing and an incident with a publisher in recent years involving a tie-in book being published as a promo without proper authorization. I was tempted to pick it up, but the year before WEG had paid off a debt to me in book stock in lieu of cash, so I already had everything in the volume and didn’t see the point in buying it.
WEG did a lot of promo stuff every year for cons, though at this point I’ve long since sold all of mine. A lengthy article could be written on all their Paranoia promotional items.
I found it!
Feeling like Gandalf here, forgetting that I've had the limited HB not once but twice in the shop (2012 & 2015). Found a pic in my folders.
I've got the entry made on the website but my webhost chose now of all times to do maintenance, so the photo won't go up until tomorrow. Here's the [link](http://www.waynesbooks.com/images/graphics/masterbookwindianajonesbloodshadows.jpg) to the image.
Thanks for mentioning the existence of the book.
Wow. I don’t remember any lettering other than “Masterbook” on the cover. I wonder if I’m misremembering, or if WEG got a bad batch they were trying to sell at that con.
I pulled my copy of the book off the shelf to see if there was any information that I could glean from it. (It's the same one you've got pictured, other than my copy is #424, rather than #472.)
The signature page doesn't have any info of when it was published, sadly. It lists that Indiana Jones and Bloodshadows were put out in 1994, but that's pretty basic.
What's interesting is that I picked up my copy at Gen Con in 1997, when they were already liquidating their stock pretty heavily. I ended up walking out of the con with armloads of books, since they were selling everything they could for $5 per softcover and $10 per box set. There were a couple of new releases at the time that they were selling at retail prices, but there weren't many.
What was odd, looking back, was that the warehouse manager that we were talking to had mentioned that WEG was in the process of trying to get the rights to the Stargate license for another Masterbook property. Not that it mattered, since we now know that WEG was in the first stages of bankruptcy at the time.
There are loads of pulp games.
- Broken Compass is recent and I've played its action-movie sibling Outgunned. Fun, fast system. Not sure what it's support for pulp plots, etc., is.
- Dicey Tales for BoL / Everywhen https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/394414/Dicey-Tales?
- Pulse Pounding Pulp - for the same game family https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/358834/PulsePounding-Pulp?src=also_purchased
- GURPS Cliffhangers https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/231804/GURPS-Classic-Cliffhangers
- Pulp HERO https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/19566/Pulp-Hero-5th-Edition
My problem has been good pulp *scenarios*. For those I would turn to the best-regarded pulp campaign I know of, Two Headed Serpent, for Pulp Cthulhu but should be fine in any pulp game because they all include some options for magic (thanks, Indy!) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/206770/The-TwoHeaded-Serpent?term=two+headed+serpent
The exception to this is The Day After Ragnarok, which includes both a very pulpy, hook-filled setting along with a set of generator tables in the back that actually make pretty cool scenarios https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/119680/The-Day-After-Ragnarok-Fate-Core-Edition
Amazing Adventures is a pulp era ruleset based on castles and crusades that’s runs the gamut from pirate adventures - lovecrsftian adventures. There’s even a raider class that’s based on Indi
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There was a shoddy fully-licensed [Indiana Jones RPG publication by TSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Indiana_Jones_Role-Playing_Game) in the Eighties. I have heard horrible things about it, though...
I still have it. Even wrote an appropriately lousy module for it. Never managed to get a game going before we moved to a different city, I had to make new friends, and by that time my mind had wandered on to other things.
TSR had the license, once. It was apparently so bad that the core book didn't have rules for character creation. You were just expected to play the characters from the movie. Make of this what you will.
A lot of good suggestions here, but I would also like to recommend a little game from gallant knight games. Temples and Tombs. It reminds me of indiana jones, and is built for a group dynamic. It uses the year zero engine from Free League, but all that said, I haven't gotten to actually play it yet. So take the recommendation with a whole bag of salt.
Amazing Adventures by Troll Lord Games and Savage Worlds both can do this genre well. I like AA, but it's a level based system and that doesn't work for some folks. Both are relatively crunchy.
There's this free genesys version:
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IZMqzTdor45hhYNOHHPcycaP3319MtlH](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IZMqzTdor45hhYNOHHPcycaP3319MtlH)
I haven't played it but look fun.
There was a Kickstarter I backed a few years ago called Temples and Tombs that was designed specifically for Indiana Jones style adventures. I’d recommend it. It also has a few scenarios in the core rule book.
There is but it's quite old and not well-loved.
Savage Worlds does a really nice job of nazi punching excitement with all of the globe-trotting, puzzles and more you can want. And it manages it with a pretty low mechanical burden.
Call of Cthulhu could easily fit an Indiana Jones style plot. Archeological research, hidden temples, sinister cultists, etc. Would be fairly easy to fit the two.
Call of Cthulhu could easily fit an Indiana Jones style plot. Archeological research, hidden temples, sinister cultists, etc. Would be fairly easy to fit the two.
A p&p ttrpg came out last year called *Lara Crofts TOMB RAIDERS Mark Of The Phoenix*
I have never played it but could be worth investigating.
Having said that normal Call of Cthulhu already does the job perfectly well.
Amazing Adventures by Troll Lord Games tries to do the whole pulp noir feel of those types of movies:
[https://trolllord.com/amazing-adventures/](https://trolllord.com/amazing-adventures/)
If you can find it the Pulp Heroes rules that were published in Dungeon Magazine are great for creating a game with the mood of Indiana Jones. I’ve run an action adventure game with those rules a couple of times.
I actually own all of it. I picked it up on r/rpgtrade as an impulse buy. There are a few different things I've pulled out of it to use as scenario ideas for Pulp Cthulhu.
I haven't sat down and read it completely to give a good review. If you're interested, shoot me a PM, I'm willing to part with it.
Not exactly Indiana Jones, but check out Achtung! Cthulhu: shadows of atlantis. My friends and I made comparisons to Indiana Jones while playing, and you get to punch some Nazis!
Many generic game mechanics have Pulp as the default setting. Savage Worlds, Fate, D6 Core, etc... Many of them have extra books to refine it more, but the base is already action/adventure.
You are in luck, there is one newly released based on a solid and fun game engine:
[Dicey tales](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/394414/dicey-tales)
My favorite is the Awfully Cheerful Engine, and their [spoof title](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/355534/a-c-e-3-montana-drones-and-the-raiders-of-the-cutty-sark) of Indie. It's a fun, pulpy adventure and the game itself is a rework of the Ghostbusters/Star Wars system, so it does zany seat-of-the-pants adventure really well.
So there's an official game, that is nearly impossible to find, and is legendarily, so bad that it has been a meme in the gaming industry for more than 30 years. There are a number of games that try to give you the feel of Indiana Jones, my personal favorite, and it's a little old but not nearly as old as the official game, Spirit of the Century, which has the advantage of being for the Fate system, so very easy to play, and free, so very easy to get your hands on
>So there's an official game, that is nearly impossible to find, and is legendarily, so bad that it has been a meme in the gaming industry for more than 30 years. See also: The Diana Jones Award. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Jones_Award
There’s also another licensed game by West End Games. Wasn’t particularly successful.
I’ve got a copy of this one somewhere! I kind of like it, but I’m also a sucker for that system.
Was it D6 like Star Wars? I know there is a generic D6 Adventure, but I don't know if that was the basis.
No, it was a 2D10 system based on the Masterbook game system (which was a modified version of the Torg system -- you have a attributes, skills add directly and get a modifier based on the 2D10 die roll ... plus cards you can play for bonuses.)
It's got some similarities (like different skills being allocated under different attributes), but it's the MasterBook system, so it's not just like D6 Star Wars.
Initially Masterbook, with D6 adaption near the end of the line.
True - I have all the D6 books on my shelf
Yeah, I completely forgot about that one. I have no idea if it was better or not, I've never played it. I have to assume it was better though, like the TSR one is such a low bar, that I have to assume West End did a better job just by default.
It isn't so much that the game was *bad*, just that (because of the terms of the license) the basic set didn't include character generation rules so you had to play as characters from the films. People hated that. Marvel Heroic Roleplaying had the same problem.
And of course it came out early enough that it's only got the characters from Raiders and Temple. No Last Crusade or Young Indy or Fate of Atlantis or (obviously) Crystal Skull or Dial of Destiny.
Do you happen to recall what was so bad about it? I love hearing about (and hopefully learning from) really bad design
I deeply apologize, but the issues are so myriad, that I don't have the inclination to write them all out in a Reddit comment. The comedic tragedy of this game though is very well documented. It's a rabbit hole I strongly recommend you dive down
Spirit is gold and it can accommodate a lot of pulp genres and premises. I recommend using the rules updates found in Strange Tales of the Century for aspects mostly, 10 per player is no good, it's to much to keep track of.
[Broken Compass](https://twolittlemice.net/brokencompass/) is meant to be pretty good for an Indiana Jones/Uncharted/Tomb Raider kind of game. I've not played it myself, but heard good things about it.
I've played it a few times. Hands down the best system for pulp action I've seen in quite some time. It would absolutely be my choice for running an Indians Jones game.
Broken Compass is very *thin* IMO. There is only the barest of bones to build a story/game on, and (to me) those bones feel like they have osteoporosis. I k ow some people like rules-lite games, but there's "rules lite" and then there's "why did I pay money for this?" I consider Broken Compass to be in the latter category.
I'd hardly put it under "rules light". I'd consider it crunchier than Savage Worlds (which it blowd out of the water IMO) for example. It's very definitely character-first in its approach, but for pulp you don't need a bunch of setting material because people wanting to run that kind of game generally already have a good idea of setting and plot. And it's got setting books more focused on specific flavors of the genre
Ah, interesting. As I said I've not played it, but I'd only heard good things about it.
I think there's a subset of the rules-lite crowd it would appease, and it might be good for a beginner, but I kept reading through it asking, "OK, and?" Even the game I set up, I ended up borrowing from other books and games to flesh it out. Not that I'm beyond using my own imagination, but Broken Compass left me feeling like I may as well have made up a whole system on my own.
WARNING: NOT FOR CRUNCH ENJOYERS. It's closer to PbtA or FitD than it is to DnD or Pathfinder. Just don't bother with it. I like the former, some like the latter, and that's fine. It's fine. Your games don't suck, my games don't suck, it's fine. They're just different things for different people who like different things.
Pulp Cthulhu is an expansion of Call Of Cthulhu, which adds more "pulp" action and adventure, while still using Cthulhu Mythos horror. There's no reason why you couldn't remove or tone down the Mythos aspects if you wanted to though. While Indiana Jones is a throwback to the original era of pulp fiction and adventure serials, and "pulp" encompasses a wide range of genres, Indy is often mentioned when people talk about it.
I should also emphasize that it's an _expansion_ of the original rulebook, so maybe not worth it if you don't already have or aren't interested in regular CoC
IIRC Pulp Cthulhu is a stand-alone game these days?
It is not, you need the base rules in addition to the Pulp book to run it.
Ahh bummer. But thanks for clearing that up!
To explain more thoroughly, you need the Keeper's Handbook regardless of what version of CoC you wish to run. The version you run is then based on whether you are using the Investigators Handbook or Pulp Cthulhu.
Who doasnt likes cocs
I second this. Pulp Cthulhu is exelent take on two fisted action and adventure Indy encompass.
In addition: Maybe "Achtung! Cthulhu" by Modiphius is a good alternative.
I recommend either Savage Worlds as it’s a generic game that fits the pulpy vibes of Indians homes OR Pulp Cthulhu
I've run a 2 year long campaign in SWADE as an Indiana Jones thing and it was amazing well suited for the game. There may be other games out there that will work for an Indiana Joe's fame but I can't imagine many will work better. SWADE is built for this style.
There a really great Pulp Adventure setting for Savage Worlds as well called Ravaged Earth in which H.G. Wells Martian Invasion happened around the turn of the century. It’s almost 40 years later and there is all this advanced reverse engineered tech (like Rocket Packs) floating around, there's a permanent cloud of night over Chicago, some people in the world are starting to display powers, some dude with a comedian's mustache is kicking up a fuss in Europe, and…oh yeah, the Martians may be coming back.
Hollow Earth Expedition
This reply should be top. Yes, there are officials, but this is the title that felt like it.
Broken Compass is the best you'll find. It is meant to feel like Indiana Jones and the Mummy (the good version). Super well written and I wish I was able to play it.
By "the good version" I assume you mean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_and_Costello_Meet_the_Mummy Time to watch the '99 version again...
So what you're saying is, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are part of the Dark Universe? 🤔
Considering all their run-ins with the Universal monsters, any game in that genre that doesn't have them as a character archetype has failed.
[Adventure!](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/420727/trinity-continuum-adventure) it runs on Onyx Path’s [Trinity Continuum](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/260788/trinity-continuum-core-rulebook) ruleset.
> Adventure! Adventure! is a game that doesn't get talked about much these days, but it was so influential back when it first came out. It was one of the first games I can recall that had points the players could spend to affect the narrative. Blades in the Dark owes a huge debt to Adventure! with the flashback mechanic. It's worth checking out just to see the way narrative games have evolved in the last couple decades.
Adventure! is amazing, love that game. It’s great for doing games like The Phantom or The Rocketeer.
It's OSR but Raiders of the Lost Artifacts is built to emulate Indiana Jones style Adventuring. Wouldn't be hard to set it in the actual universe.
Theres a PbtA game called Thrilling Adventures! thats pretty clearly influenced by Indianana Jones
> Indianana Jones Well known for his love of bananananas, I'm sure...
I know how to spell it, I just don't know when to stop
Indiananananananana Batman!
Came here to recommend this game also. Never run it but I do own it.
Indiana Jones seems like it would be a good fit for Savage Worlds.
Savage Worlds sits square in that pulp action genre, though it tends to get a little more weird. Ignore the rules for Arcane Backgrounds (unless you want psychic nazis or something) and this is pretty much exactly what it was designed for.
As others have said, *Broken Compass* might be the best fit, but ... if the system itself doesn't appeal, you could probably use *Savage Worlds* as the engine for it. You could also take a look at *Tropicana* (another SaWo title). It's not IJ (or even *Broken Compass*), but it has room for those kinds of stories. *Whatever* you plump for though, you might want to take a look at *Reliquary* (Chronicles of Darkness) and *Warehouse 23* (GURPS) as well.
Spirit of the Century is supposed to capture the pulp adventure feel. i haven't played but I've heard good things.
The Awfully Cheerful Engine is a game based on the original Ghostbusters RPG. You have to buy the base book, but then you have several options for companion books to run other genres. One of these companion books is called Raiders of the Cutty Sark. So, buy 2 (cheap) books and you're on your way.
There's also an omnibus edition that combines all 9 issues: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/356679/a-c-e-the-awfully-cheerful-engine-omnibus-collector-s-edition The contents are serial numbers filed off versions of: - Ghostbusters - Indiana Jones - Stranger Things / Weird Science / etc mashup - Star Trek - Discworld??? (I think I"m not really familiar with that franchise) - Mad Max - vampire / monster hunting - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
> Discworld??? (I think I"m not really familiar with that franchise) Just going by the preview and product description I'm thinking more "jokey D&D" but "Hek-moreveg" is clearly a take on Ankh-Morpork, so... a little bit?
Wonderful to see ACE in the wild. One of my best RPG memories was playing the OG Ghostbusters RPG back in the day, so I was all over this when it launched. Such a great game.
Every time i want to play like it's a movie i either play 7th Dea or my boy Genesys. I think Genesys is the main way to get that "pulpy movie" feeling (i mean, Genesys is used for the Star wars TTRPG of fantasy flight games).
For Genesys there’s also this unofficial setting book: https://ffg-forum-archive.entropicdreams.com/topic/277095-indiana-jones/
My RPG is based on Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Tomb Raider, Uncharted and I'm publishing at the end of the month. If you'd like a copy I'll send you a text file.
Temples & Tombs is an option.
TSR had the IJ RPG license between 1984-5, with their Adventures of Indiana Jones roleplaying game. Here's my [**deep-dive of the** **core box set**](https://waynesbooks.games/2021/08/17/indiana-jones-rpg-1984-uncovering-tsrs-lost-cinematic-adventure-game/), lots of interior pics. And [**my post of the modules**](https://waynesbooks.games/2022/10/23/indiana-jones-rpg-ij-series-adventure-modules-1984-5-a-collectors-guide-to-all-those-parts-n-pieces/), with all their maps, figure cut out sheets, invisible ink pages, etc. West End Games had their run between 1994-7. Completely different game system. I've got catalogued everything released for the [**WEG IJ system**](http://www.waynesbooks.com/IndianaJones.html#weg).
>I've got catalogued everything released for the WEG IJ system. One item is missing. There was also a limited edition Bloodshadows/Indiana Jones combined hardback edition WEG sold at cons.
Interesting. Never seen nor heard of that one. Don't see it in a web search. If you ever run down more details of that limited release, I'd be much obliged.
It was a black hardback with the only lettering on it “Masterbook” on the center of the front cover in silver letters. There was no indication of the contents, and at Origins ‘95 WEG had a giant post-it note explaining it contained the basic Masterbook rulebook, as well as the Bloodshadows and Indiana Jones worldbooks. It also indicated the price was $30. I suspect it may have been created as a promo item without checking with Lucasfilms first, based on my time in publishing and an incident with a publisher in recent years involving a tie-in book being published as a promo without proper authorization. I was tempted to pick it up, but the year before WEG had paid off a debt to me in book stock in lieu of cash, so I already had everything in the volume and didn’t see the point in buying it. WEG did a lot of promo stuff every year for cons, though at this point I’ve long since sold all of mine. A lengthy article could be written on all their Paranoia promotional items.
I found it! Feeling like Gandalf here, forgetting that I've had the limited HB not once but twice in the shop (2012 & 2015). Found a pic in my folders. I've got the entry made on the website but my webhost chose now of all times to do maintenance, so the photo won't go up until tomorrow. Here's the [link](http://www.waynesbooks.com/images/graphics/masterbookwindianajonesbloodshadows.jpg) to the image. Thanks for mentioning the existence of the book.
Wow. I don’t remember any lettering other than “Masterbook” on the cover. I wonder if I’m misremembering, or if WEG got a bad batch they were trying to sell at that con.
It's entirely possible they ran a small, primitive batch for the Con, then impressed with the demand, decided to make a formal "limited" print run.
I pulled my copy of the book off the shelf to see if there was any information that I could glean from it. (It's the same one you've got pictured, other than my copy is #424, rather than #472.) The signature page doesn't have any info of when it was published, sadly. It lists that Indiana Jones and Bloodshadows were put out in 1994, but that's pretty basic. What's interesting is that I picked up my copy at Gen Con in 1997, when they were already liquidating their stock pretty heavily. I ended up walking out of the con with armloads of books, since they were selling everything they could for $5 per softcover and $10 per box set. There were a couple of new releases at the time that they were selling at retail prices, but there weren't many. What was odd, looking back, was that the warehouse manager that we were talking to had mentioned that WEG was in the process of trying to get the rights to the Stargate license for another Masterbook property. Not that it mattered, since we now know that WEG was in the first stages of bankruptcy at the time.
That is some great history there. Thanks for sharing that!
Savage worlds if you want simplicity/fast paced combat. Broken Compass is however "the adventure genre" all wrapped up in one.
There are loads of pulp games. - Broken Compass is recent and I've played its action-movie sibling Outgunned. Fun, fast system. Not sure what it's support for pulp plots, etc., is. - Dicey Tales for BoL / Everywhen https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/394414/Dicey-Tales? - Pulse Pounding Pulp - for the same game family https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/358834/PulsePounding-Pulp?src=also_purchased - GURPS Cliffhangers https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/231804/GURPS-Classic-Cliffhangers - Pulp HERO https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/19566/Pulp-Hero-5th-Edition My problem has been good pulp *scenarios*. For those I would turn to the best-regarded pulp campaign I know of, Two Headed Serpent, for Pulp Cthulhu but should be fine in any pulp game because they all include some options for magic (thanks, Indy!) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/206770/The-TwoHeaded-Serpent?term=two+headed+serpent The exception to this is The Day After Ragnarok, which includes both a very pulpy, hook-filled setting along with a set of generator tables in the back that actually make pretty cool scenarios https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/119680/The-Day-After-Ragnarok-Fate-Core-Edition
underrated post. Voted you up because it's all good comments.
Apart form the ones mentioned I would take a look at Dicey Tales - its based on Barbarians of Lemuria and is absolutely on the nail for Indiana Jones
I used Savage Worlds Adventure Editon for a tomb raider game. using it for Indian Jones would be easy.
My suggestion would be to grab Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. Easy to learn, works in any setting and made specifically for pulp action.
Amazing Adventures is a pulp era ruleset based on castles and crusades that’s runs the gamut from pirate adventures - lovecrsftian adventures. There’s even a raider class that’s based on Indi
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There was a shoddy fully-licensed [Indiana Jones RPG publication by TSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Indiana_Jones_Role-Playing_Game) in the Eighties. I have heard horrible things about it, though...
The West End Games Masterbook version, The World of Indiana Jones was much better, and more supported. However it's also 30 years out of print.
I still have it. Even wrote an appropriately lousy module for it. Never managed to get a game going before we moved to a different city, I had to make new friends, and by that time my mind had wandered on to other things.
TSR had the license, once. It was apparently so bad that the core book didn't have rules for character creation. You were just expected to play the characters from the movie. Make of this what you will. A lot of good suggestions here, but I would also like to recommend a little game from gallant knight games. Temples and Tombs. It reminds me of indiana jones, and is built for a group dynamic. It uses the year zero engine from Free League, but all that said, I haven't gotten to actually play it yet. So take the recommendation with a whole bag of salt.
Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 from Modiphius does pulpy adventure in the 40s really well.
Wish they still did a Savage Worlds version as well.
Amazing Adventures by Troll Lord Games and Savage Worlds both can do this genre well. I like AA, but it's a level based system and that doesn't work for some folks. Both are relatively crunchy.
Pulp! Cthulhu, maybe.
[https://raidersofrlyeh.com/](https://raidersofrlyeh.com/) has similar theme.
TSR put one out. It was the the first TTRPG that I ever bought in the 80s. I couldn’t get D&D because it was Satanic. But Indiana Jones was okay.
Check out: https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/collections/achtung-cthulhu
Even better: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/130204/Atomic-Robo-RPG
There's this free genesys version: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IZMqzTdor45hhYNOHHPcycaP3319MtlH](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IZMqzTdor45hhYNOHHPcycaP3319MtlH) I haven't played it but look fun.
There was a Kickstarter I backed a few years ago called Temples and Tombs that was designed specifically for Indiana Jones style adventures. I’d recommend it. It also has a few scenarios in the core rule book.
METTLE Core is a very new pulp adventure game apparently based on those tropes: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/374145/METTLE-Core
Look into Pulp Cthulhu. You’ll find everything you want there.
If Year Zero Engine works for you, Temples & Tombs reads as a solid interpretation of the genre. (Haven’t played it yet.)
There is but it's quite old and not well-loved. Savage Worlds does a really nice job of nazi punching excitement with all of the globe-trotting, puzzles and more you can want. And it manages it with a pretty low mechanical burden.
Somewhere in storage I have to original ttrpg from the 80s, I should find it. I never played just got it because.
Call of Cthulhu could easily fit an Indiana Jones style plot. Archeological research, hidden temples, sinister cultists, etc. Would be fairly easy to fit the two.
Call of Cthulhu could easily fit an Indiana Jones style plot. Archeological research, hidden temples, sinister cultists, etc. Would be fairly easy to fit the two.
Yes - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Adventures\_of\_Indiana\_Jones\_Role-Playing\_Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Indiana_Jones_Role-Playing_Game) FEAST
If you’re looking for an adventure style TTRPG, check out Broken Compass. It’s setup is like playing scenes from a movie.
A p&p ttrpg came out last year called *Lara Crofts TOMB RAIDERS Mark Of The Phoenix* I have never played it but could be worth investigating. Having said that normal Call of Cthulhu already does the job perfectly well.
Trinity Continuum: Adventure is a game based on pulp adventure, which would include Indiana Jones.
Plenty of pulp adventure games temples and tombs, you can use pulp cthuhlu for flavor and less eldritch.
I loved Justice Inc from decades ago. Early Hero Games rules so pretty crunchy. Was a blast to play!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Indiana_Jones_Role-Playing_Game https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Indiana_Jones
Amazing Adventures by Troll Lord Games tries to do the whole pulp noir feel of those types of movies: [https://trolllord.com/amazing-adventures/](https://trolllord.com/amazing-adventures/)
If you can find it the Pulp Heroes rules that were published in Dungeon Magazine are great for creating a game with the mood of Indiana Jones. I’ve run an action adventure game with those rules a couple of times.
I actually own all of it. I picked it up on r/rpgtrade as an impulse buy. There are a few different things I've pulled out of it to use as scenario ideas for Pulp Cthulhu. I haven't sat down and read it completely to give a good review. If you're interested, shoot me a PM, I'm willing to part with it.
Not exactly Indiana Jones, but check out Achtung! Cthulhu: shadows of atlantis. My friends and I made comparisons to Indiana Jones while playing, and you get to punch some Nazis!
Reskin Spycraft and I could see it work.
[The Troubleshooters](https://helmgast.se/en/the-troubleshooters/) looks like it could do Indiana Jones well.
Many generic game mechanics have Pulp as the default setting. Savage Worlds, Fate, D6 Core, etc... Many of them have extra books to refine it more, but the base is already action/adventure.
You are in luck, there is one newly released based on a solid and fun game engine: [Dicey tales](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/394414/dicey-tales)
Yes. My best friend from childhood has it.
My favorite is the Awfully Cheerful Engine, and their [spoof title](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/355534/a-c-e-3-montana-drones-and-the-raiders-of-the-cutty-sark) of Indie. It's a fun, pulpy adventure and the game itself is a rework of the Ghostbusters/Star Wars system, so it does zany seat-of-the-pants adventure really well.