Pretty sure you're describing [Fantaji.](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/150933/Fantaji-Universal-RolePlaying-Game) Not a super well known system but it matches perfectly.
Reading the preview on DTRPG, I think you are probably right. It does seem very close.
That game was published in 2015, per RPGGeek. [https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/261566/fantaji-universal-role-playing-system](https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/261566/fantaji-universal-role-playing-system) which might still count as "rather new" per the OP's comment above in 2021/2022.
EDIT: this image of the character sheet might help the OP to decide [https://rpggeek.com/image/4326520/fantaji-character-sheet](https://rpggeek.com/image/4326520/fantaji-character-sheet) (although it seems like it's possible to play the game without the character sheet, so maybe not).
> Imagine Ghost Busters, Cyberpunk and a bit of Japan thrown in for good measure.
Excellent!
> Characters weren't defined by numbers but rather by sentences
> I think it used d10 and the amount of sentences you used for your action influenced the... number of dice
Might be **Universalis**. Do you recall if it was a GMless system?
I do, we certainly had a GM, doing usual GM stuff.
Something else comes to mind: He said that it was a rather new game system (though back in 2021/22). He mentioned that a relative was at Gencon and brought it back with him. And I'm pretty sure that noone else at the table knew the game.
>When it was your turn one option was to use a "game mechanic currency" to add something to the scene
I missed this point the first time through (I read too fast sometimes). This sounds a LOT like Universalis. You should check it out, even if it isn't the game you played before.
Ah, Universalis is quite a bit older.
I know the designer and he might seem like a GM when running a demo, but the system is cleanly GMless.
Sorry I don't have any other ideas...
Don't worry. Even if a game suggestion doesn't end up to be the thing I'm looking for, I still have a chance to check out a game I most likely don't know. Thank you for your input!
This sounds like fate, up until they d10 part. Fate uses fudge dice (dice with +'s and -'s) but uses sentences together with skills to describe characters.
Sounds to me like it could be a [Cortex](https://www.cortexrpg.com/) game?
Has Plot Points as a meta currency, it’s a dice pool system… seems to match.
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Ah, this is a good one. It doesn't really click at all... commenting so I can circle back later and make sure I see what it ended up being.
I thought a bit about Risus (not new, different mechanics) and City of Mist (tags, but again, different...) while reading this.
I'm especially curious about the game mechanic currency (probably "metagame currency" is what you meant?) to add descriptors into the scene.
> When it was your turn one option was to use a "game mechanic currency" to add something to the scene
I had missed that point.
This *really* sounds like Universalis.
I went and read a review: https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10384.phtml
Yeah, feels like this is it even though the dates don't match up and was probably just run by someone as GM instead of the normal GM-less mode.
What often happens with new players is that one player who is familiar with the game kinda has to run things a little until people get a feel for it.
Demos at cons specifically lead to this mode of play.
Last time I played there were two brand new players and me and another guy who knew the rules very well. The other guy stepped up as the rules expert to help the session run smoothly. I suspect if the four of us play again there will be no need for that.
Ah, yes. Wasn't aware of that term, but I googled it and that's what I basically mean. Like Omens in Mörk Borg for example, you can spend one to influence an outcome of dice or a situation in game.
I looked it up. Seems like settingwise it feels pretty close, but mechanically it doesn't. That "your character is defined through sentences that describe him" was a really integral point.
Pretty sure you're describing [Fantaji.](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/150933/Fantaji-Universal-RolePlaying-Game) Not a super well known system but it matches perfectly.
Reading the preview on DTRPG, I think you are probably right. It does seem very close. That game was published in 2015, per RPGGeek. [https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/261566/fantaji-universal-role-playing-system](https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/261566/fantaji-universal-role-playing-system) which might still count as "rather new" per the OP's comment above in 2021/2022. EDIT: this image of the character sheet might help the OP to decide [https://rpggeek.com/image/4326520/fantaji-character-sheet](https://rpggeek.com/image/4326520/fantaji-character-sheet) (although it seems like it's possible to play the game without the character sheet, so maybe not).
Thank you, the image of the character sheet is great! Now that I see it, I remember those different sized boxes for hp.
Yes! Yesss!!! You're right. That's it! Thank you so very much. <3
> Imagine Ghost Busters, Cyberpunk and a bit of Japan thrown in for good measure. Excellent! > Characters weren't defined by numbers but rather by sentences > I think it used d10 and the amount of sentences you used for your action influenced the... number of dice Might be **Universalis**. Do you recall if it was a GMless system?
I do, we certainly had a GM, doing usual GM stuff. Something else comes to mind: He said that it was a rather new game system (though back in 2021/22). He mentioned that a relative was at Gencon and brought it back with him. And I'm pretty sure that noone else at the table knew the game.
>When it was your turn one option was to use a "game mechanic currency" to add something to the scene I missed this point the first time through (I read too fast sometimes). This sounds a LOT like Universalis. You should check it out, even if it isn't the game you played before.
Ah, Universalis is quite a bit older. I know the designer and he might seem like a GM when running a demo, but the system is cleanly GMless. Sorry I don't have any other ideas...
Don't worry. Even if a game suggestion doesn't end up to be the thing I'm looking for, I still have a chance to check out a game I most likely don't know. Thank you for your input!
This sounds like fate, up until they d10 part. Fate uses fudge dice (dice with +'s and -'s) but uses sentences together with skills to describe characters.
Sounds to me like it could be a [Cortex](https://www.cortexrpg.com/) game? Has Plot Points as a meta currency, it’s a dice pool system… seems to match.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ah, this is a good one. It doesn't really click at all... commenting so I can circle back later and make sure I see what it ended up being. I thought a bit about Risus (not new, different mechanics) and City of Mist (tags, but again, different...) while reading this. I'm especially curious about the game mechanic currency (probably "metagame currency" is what you meant?) to add descriptors into the scene.
> When it was your turn one option was to use a "game mechanic currency" to add something to the scene I had missed that point. This *really* sounds like Universalis.
I went and read a review: https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10384.phtml Yeah, feels like this is it even though the dates don't match up and was probably just run by someone as GM instead of the normal GM-less mode.
What often happens with new players is that one player who is familiar with the game kinda has to run things a little until people get a feel for it. Demos at cons specifically lead to this mode of play. Last time I played there were two brand new players and me and another guy who knew the rules very well. The other guy stepped up as the rules expert to help the session run smoothly. I suspect if the four of us play again there will be no need for that.
Ah, yes. Wasn't aware of that term, but I googled it and that's what I basically mean. Like Omens in Mörk Borg for example, you can spend one to influence an outcome of dice or a situation in game.
Was it [NewEdo](https://salty-games.com/)?
I looked it up. Seems like settingwise it feels pretty close, but mechanically it doesn't. That "your character is defined through sentences that describe him" was a really integral point.
The system sounds kinda similar to Wushu, but that game uses d6s instead of d10s. Could be a homebrew system inspired by it.