How to play Madoka Magica in a TTRPG
I asked on Tumblr recently if people would be willing to see this style of content where we talk about different ttrpgs suited to playing in specific settings or media, and people said they'd be down! and voted Madoka Magica to be the first one! So we're starting with it A quick disclaimer is that I actually really don't like Madoka, I have some personal beefs with it and I think its generally Gen Urobochi's weakest work, but I think I can get some games people might enjoy if they enjoy Madoka!
https://evilhat.itch.io/girl-by-moonlight
Good for: Doomed magical girl stories, people who want to play out a complex evolving story
This is the big one, Girl by Moonlight is a TTRPG that has different modes of play based on the type of story you want to tell, and one of them is in fact Madoka inspired! the specific storyline in it is fighting back against an inevitable apocalyptic end, which is probably what people are looking for in a Madoka game! Its a great time
https://massif-press.itch.io/corebook-pdf
Good for: Tactical combat, in-depth character creation
I'm being 100% serious when I say that Lancer is genuinely a very good game to run Magical girl media in. In general, lancer leans very well into any media that has a strong distinction between combat and non-combat characters, it won't be the most... complex story, since lancer is first and foremost a combat tactics game, but I'm sure you can still write something interesting in it! plus Lancer is a pretty simple game all things considered so it might be easier to understand for people new to games that aren't D&D
https://selkie.itch.io/daisy-chainsaw
Good for: Simple combat and even simpler roleplay rules, people who want to just play literally Homura and use a gun
Daisy Chainsaw isn't exactly the best game for heavy roleplayers since basically all of its mechanics are around combat, you could theoretically transplant the combat into a more complex roleplay system that discourages combat, but you could also just do freeform between combat sessions, it works just fine. Daisy Chainsaw's focus on brutality is quite fun, and can lead to a very different, but still fun, vibe
https://ironykins.itch.io/hardcaptor-sakuga-full-metal-petticoat
Good for: People who want to subvert subversions, people who want to play a more optimistic and hopeful take on the Magical Girl vs Eldritch Horrors trope
Hardcaptor Sakuga is... a subversion of a subversion, its outright a parody of Madoka's tone, using its framing of extremely human magical girls fighting against eldritch horrors assisted by even more eldritch familiars to instead tell a story of hopeful magical girls persevering through impossible odds, maybe not what you're looking for when you want to run Madoka specifically, but still something to look at if you're interested in the aesthetics and tone of Madoka, but want to have a different take on its story