There are games that have a “big fish in a big pond” feel - e.g. sandbox D&D games, or a “big fish in a small pond” feel, e.g. games with contained campaigns/missions.
There are also games that do a “small fish in a small pond” feel really well, e.g. Fiasco.
Are there any games that do a “small fish in a big pond” feel well? e.g. games where the players are not outstanding heros, and where the world feels big - not only spatially, but also socially and politically?
Edit: lots of good suggestions so far, but maybe I could have added:
- it’s fine and good if the small fish somehow end up having a big effect
- it would be amazing if the big-world had well fleshed out other goings-on. Ideally some mechanics that let all players contribute to this feeling, so it doesn’t depend entirely on the quality of the DMing
Edit 2: title, to avoid all the computer game suggestions. I guess the community name isn’t hint enough, huh?
old d&d editions or OSR-Systems can offer that feel as player characters tend to be weaker than their 5e counterparts.
the world of darkness games might also be an option, but i’ve only watched/listened to some actual plays and there the player characters seemed like pretty small fish until they established themself as a politcal force through luck and schemes.
I’ve seen it go this way, but also blood-sucking super heroes. It depends a lot on the individual table, but this was one of the first systems I thought of.
Agree on OSR, though through skill and fortune one can become a big fish. Though I recall it used to be one you hit level cap you just retired.
Old school DND and OSR clones would do great with their high chance of dying.
If you really need to stay with 5e you could cap player levels at 6 and scale the world. But that might not be worth it