Are there any RPGs that would work well for a Touhou-styled game? What are your thoughts on recreating something as complex as a bullet hell shooter in tabletop form? Thank you!!!
THEME: Touhou Bullet-Shooters
Hello friend! Bullet Hell Shooters are not usually the kind of games I like to play. I prefer social drama over physical combat, although I definitely understand the allure.
I looked up Touhou and as far as I understand, it’s a shoot-em-up game in which the protagonists protect a haven for yoke called Gensokyo from various threats, or “incidents’. What I understand about bullet shooters is that knowing your enemy is key; so repeated runs or play-throughs are expected so that you can get used to enemy attack patterns, etc.
Now, I'm not a dungeon-crawling aficionado here, but from what I've heard about dungeon-crawls - that is, if you think from the point of view that rogue-like video games provide the same level of grinding and failure as a bullet-shooter. Dungeon crawls have the ability provide the same kind of feeling, because your characters have to travel the same ground over and over again. The difference might be that in dungeon crawls and rogue-likes, it's not just the player getting better - the character also receives upgrades in the form of equipment, or abilities.
So when it came to recommendations for this post, I found a few games that might vibe with Touhou themes, but I also tried finding some other rules systems that you could potentially play around with to find the style of play you're looking for.
Next Dream, by ohnoproblems.
A gmless, diceless game for 3-6 players using the belonging outside belonging system. You will need to know the rules detailed in Chapter 1: Playing the Dream found in the full rulebook to get the most out of this play kit.
Based on the Touhou series by ZUN, Next Dream lets you create and play your own stories in its world. Play as one of the colorful and eccentric denizens of Gensokyo as well as its undergirding social, metaphysical, and narrative pressures. Plot festivals and crash incidents; delve into the arcane and mingle with the divine; fill the skies with your own histories, emotions, and desires as written in the language of magical artillery.
I’m including this game even though it doesn’t really fit into the bullet-shooter vibe, because it’s inspired by Touhou. Your characters might be involved in conflict, but you could also take actions like “fall out of love” or “delve into old knowledge.” Belonging Outside Belonging games ask players to play both a character and a setting element, facilitating GM-less play. These games are usually very exploratory and emotional. I suppose the answer that the designer had for your question about recreating a bullet-hell-shooter was to… well not do that. Instead their goal was to focus on the story elements of Touhou that felt meaningful and abstract the combat out to look at the emotions underneath it.
This World Summons Too Many Heroes, by Nick Duff.
This World Summons Too Many Heroes!! is a tabletop rpg about regular people being pulled into a fantasy world to become heroes, demon lords, goblins, talking swords, or any kind of adventurer you could think of! Go on an isekai adventure in the Kingdoms of Ceria, where summoning scrolls have been scattered across the countryside and people are recklessly using them to steal people from other worlds and bring them into this one with new powers gifted to them by a goddess of reincarnation.
A hidden magical world is basically an isekai, so this game has some thematic elements that might resemble the setting of Touhou. The idea in this game is that people from other worlds keep being brought into one kingdom, and the sheer amount of them is causing a lot of problems. If Gensokyo is letting too many things past its barrier, perhaps the problems in This World Summons Too Many Heroes look pretty similar. The Goddesses Expansion is an add-on to this anime game, and it comes with new classes, new enemies, and new toys to play with in the same fantastical world.
I’m also including this game because it’s based off of the LUMEN system, which prioritizes combat and making your characters feel powerful. If you are interested in dynamic combat and the ability to face off against a vast number of foes, you should definitely check this system out. I even have a LUMEN folder where you can see a number of different themes!
Gun Witch - Lead, Thread and the Dead, by Blackberry & Holly.
GUN-WITCH: LEAD, THREAD, AND THE DEAD is a role-playing game designed for two or more players, centred on making your way in a world wracked by war and decay, where even the gods are struggling to find their footing. It’s a game about building community and connection inimical to the very context, about finding common ground with people who view things in a way you never could, and about doing what you can to bear a weight that you can’t let drop, no matter how much you might want to let go. It’s also about the weight and power of violence, wielding your weapon properly, and working astonishing miracles of life and death at the end of the barrel of a gun.
This is another game that lists Touhou in its list of inspirations, although it also digs into the western genre to give you a world full of danger and violence. This game also has guns as an integral part of combat - so expect to have the ability to shoot through your problems. Your characters are Covens of different orders, all of which take different jobs and walk the Sacred Path of the Six Chambers. The art really draws me in for this one.
Knave, by Questing Beast.
KNAVE is a rules toolkit by the creator of Maze Rats and The Alchemist's Repose for running old school fantasy RPGs without classes. If you are introducing a group of new players to OSR games, Knave allows them to make characters and understand all the rules in minutes. Every PC is a Knave, a tomb-raiding, adventure-seeking ne’er-do-well who wields a spell book just as easily as a blade. This is an ideal system for players who like to switch up their character’s focus from time to time and don’t like being pigeonholed. A PC’s role in the party is determined largely by the equipment they carry.
Knave is a pretty well-known game in the OSR scene. OSR stands for Old-School Revival, which is a very popular sphere for dungeon-crawlers. Your characters are pretty small and squishy, and you are raiding tombs. It’s very likely that your character dies during play - and you’ll have to create new characters to throw into the dungeon and try to solve problems that you didn’t survive the first time.
You are an Engraved. Cursed to wander the shattered world of Obron, you seek the power to take back control of your fate. Explore Realms, kill Rune Lords, and carve the power of fate into your very being.
RUNE is a solo tabletop RPG inspired by the soulslike genre of video games, including Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. In RUNE, you are a wanderer of the lands of Obron. The world is dangerous, but full of power if you are willing to reach out and take it. RUNE combines narrative exploration with tactical combat to capture the environmental storytelling and high stakes combat you love in soulslike games.
What stands out for me in the RUNE pitch is the following quote: “Enemies have movesets that are determined by dice rolls, telegraphing their intentions and giving you a moment to react.” The designer also describes RUNE combat as a “puzzle” that you will have to solve - which sounds similar to the idea of learning enemy patterns in order to overcome them. It’s not going to work for group play, but it’s something that you could play around in solo mode and maybe steal some ideas for something else!
Breathless Games (SRD designed by Fari RPGs)
Breathless Games are games about characters who are getting into more and more dangerous situations, with depleting resources that can only be re-charged whenever you decide to “take a breath.” The biggest problem about taking a breath is that, well, the GM gets to advance the situation, make it worse. There are a number of Breathless games that have been made for different genres, quite a few of which focus on horror and survival, but there’s also a Magical Girl game, a monster-hunting game, and a southern gothic game! You can check out my Breathless folder to see what I’ve found on Itch so far.
Other Games I’ve Recommended
Mystic Lilies, by Will Uhl at Merry Mancer Games.
Blood Neon, by Rad Mad.
11dragonkid's video about Infinite Revolution also mentions Touhou games in terms of game feel, even though the game itself is in space.
I’d also recommend checking out my Hellbusting Games post, particularly the bit about Hell Grinders.
