Meta: Core Rules
A downloadable TTRPG
NEW JULY 2025: Meta 0.9.9.1 is released! Includes errata changes, many changes to advantages for balance, removing redundancies, updating formatting and terminology. Major change to obstacles (challenges). See Meta v0.9.91 Updates & Errata for more information.
With Meta, you have many tools at your disposal to change your dice after making checks. Because of this the tag line of the game is "The RPG with rules for cheating your destiny".
If you need a check to go your way, it can happen. But if you cheat fate too much you're going to burn out bright, fast & hard.
Meta: Core Rules has everything you need to start running your own games, including tips and tricks for creating new traits and designing your story from the ground up. With lots of suggestions for would-be storytellers looking to tell short, long or one-shot games. Try a mixer game and see how it goes!
Modules for additional games using Meta will release in time. You are also encouraged to alter & share these rules (with attribution) to make your own games in any form (and please of course show them to me).
If you have played Meta in some capacity and have feedback or suggestions on how the game can be improved, you can email me at meta.rpg.cheatcodes@gmail.com. And got to www.metagamesystem.ca for more!
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Meta Versino 0.9.9.1 is ready!15 days ago
- Meta: Core Rules (v0.9.9)Sep 16, 2023
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
What kind of games would you say this is best for? I've been peeping around for systems to run some shonen stuff (specifically One Piece) and I haven't really dug deep into this one yet lol.
I suppose it depends on what part of shonen stories you're looking at! I think the core rules at a baseline excels at interpersonal dramas with some fights.
If you want to get into some of the big flashy fights, there is a section for "magic" in chapter 7 (extras). You could easily adapt that to represent unique powers & techniques. That chapter also has a lot of ways to design your own new traits, but I also understand that's not what everyone's looking for in a game.
When I released the Beta for the game, I also released a module titled "Pepperoni" as in "who do you call when you want some..." based on Samurai Pizza Cats. That has a few powers that could be adapted, but since it's based on SPC it's a bit more farcical!That's still available, but some of it might be a bit out of date.
If you give it a shot let me know! I'd be happy to offer more suggestions too.