Fabula Ultima is everything I didn't know I needed in tabletop
Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2026 3:45 pm
I've been a long time proponent of "play any other kind of game, even once" in the TTRPG space, and that has recently been redoubled since having spent the last year running the system Fabula Ultima (the JRPG-inspired system) for my Saturday table.
As a Foundry user, there are a lot of helpful modules to make running things smoother (especially the Quick NPC Wizard), but of course the most important part is the content of the system. In that way, FabUlt is perfect for my table full of really all-in RPers. Before anything else happens, the table constructs their game world together, requiring that every player contribute one area, mystery, and threat that they'd be interested in exploring during the campaign. I love that instant buy in, and how it allows players to create their characters specifically tying into the threats they just created minutes before, it's juicy stuff. After world creation, players will still be able to use their pool of Fabula Points to (aside from mechanical benefits) speak new aspects of the setting into existence, so creating the world and the story that the players want to engage with is an ongoing process that can develop alongside the plotline.
The game itself is very based around creating individualized builds for a character. Multiclassing is mandatory (you need to split your 5 starting levels across at least 2 before you even start), and you can't get every ability a class has to offer (at full power) on a single character. This means that two characters that have the same class can use them in different ways to get different benefits, and their unique combinations of classes and skills make each character just feel like themselves, rather than one rigid archetype each.
As a GM, the book specifically recommends that, to better let the players decide what to do next, you shouldn't have more than one session planned out in advance. This, for one thing, is a huge weight off of my back for prep, and allows me to keep being surprised by some of the wild adventures and ideas that the table gets up to in pursuit of their goals!
Pictured above is the current setup of our FabUlt party. As of the last couple of sessions, a player schemed with me such that her original PC (a gladiator called Zelora) would be kidnapped and replaced by her dubious sister, Alacra. Tagging out characters, like in the manner of Final Fantasy 4, is very easy to do in FabUlt so long as the party is in a situation where it makes sense. If you bring an old character back, they instantly level up to match the party, so there's no risk of falling behind because you wanted to play around narratively, which I find very fun.
If I can get even one person to bring FabUlt to their table, I'll call that a win.
As a Foundry user, there are a lot of helpful modules to make running things smoother (especially the Quick NPC Wizard), but of course the most important part is the content of the system. In that way, FabUlt is perfect for my table full of really all-in RPers. Before anything else happens, the table constructs their game world together, requiring that every player contribute one area, mystery, and threat that they'd be interested in exploring during the campaign. I love that instant buy in, and how it allows players to create their characters specifically tying into the threats they just created minutes before, it's juicy stuff. After world creation, players will still be able to use their pool of Fabula Points to (aside from mechanical benefits) speak new aspects of the setting into existence, so creating the world and the story that the players want to engage with is an ongoing process that can develop alongside the plotline.
The game itself is very based around creating individualized builds for a character. Multiclassing is mandatory (you need to split your 5 starting levels across at least 2 before you even start), and you can't get every ability a class has to offer (at full power) on a single character. This means that two characters that have the same class can use them in different ways to get different benefits, and their unique combinations of classes and skills make each character just feel like themselves, rather than one rigid archetype each.
As a GM, the book specifically recommends that, to better let the players decide what to do next, you shouldn't have more than one session planned out in advance. This, for one thing, is a huge weight off of my back for prep, and allows me to keep being surprised by some of the wild adventures and ideas that the table gets up to in pursuit of their goals!
Pictured above is the current setup of our FabUlt party. As of the last couple of sessions, a player schemed with me such that her original PC (a gladiator called Zelora) would be kidnapped and replaced by her dubious sister, Alacra. Tagging out characters, like in the manner of Final Fantasy 4, is very easy to do in FabUlt so long as the party is in a situation where it makes sense. If you bring an old character back, they instantly level up to match the party, so there's no risk of falling behind because you wanted to play around narratively, which I find very fun.
If I can get even one person to bring FabUlt to their table, I'll call that a win.