D&D is a blast of a game, but if you’ve played a lot of it, you and your group may be open to something different or merely to experiment. That’s when one of the following role-playing games comes into play. Here are some of the best role-playing games that aren’t D&D for you to try next.
Pathfinder
Let’s just get Pathfinder out of the way, as I’m sure every single one of you has heard about it. But just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Pathfinder is similar to D&D in setting and general vibe, however the mechanics are slightly different. It’s generally simpler, and D&D 5e and the classes are generally seen as more powerful, as they gain bonuses at every level.
For simply a change of pace, it may be worth trying a Pathfinder one-shot to test out the differing mechanics to see if it’s more to your style.
Cyberpunk 2020
I was initially very surprised to learn about Cyberpunk 2020 after having played the video game (it’s good now, I swear). This role-playing game was made years before the video game, and if the Keanu Reeves edition wasn’t to your style, then you may appreciate the role-playing game.
Thematically, Cyberpunk 2020 is set in a dystopian cyberpunk city that allows you to play as everything from a backstabbed corpo to an upcoming ruffian to a cybernetic spy. The dark future is beset on all sides by greed, guile, and the rare innocence that makes the betrayals all the more dramatic.
Mechanically, Cyberpunk 2020 is simpler than D&D on a lot of levels; however, there are more dice to be rolled when being hit. With combat being toothier and much more realistic, you’ll have to be much more careful here than you would otherwise be in D&D.
Dark Souls The Roleplaying Game
Set in the insidious and grueling lands of the Dark Souls franchise, Dark Souls The Roleplaying Game will allow you and your players to set up your own adventures in the final days of the Age of Fire. Whether you want to invent your own lands, characters, and enemies or play in familiar locations, this game accommodates for all.
Dark Souls The Roleplaying Game differs mechanically from D&D thanks to the hollowing mechanic. As the undead can never die in Dark Souls, there are other consequences for death, allowing for an utterly unique system that sets itself apart from other roleplaying games.
If the cycle of undeath whilst trying to keep other forces — good or bad — at bay, whether you’ll succeed hinges on how ready you are to die.
Dragon Age RPG
The world of Thedas can be brought to the tabletop with Dragon Age RPG. The rich fantasy world was too good for screens alone, and now players can make their own characters and explore Thedas at their own pace.
If you’re a fan of Dragon Age, then this will be an almost guaranteed win. There’s more room for emphasis on how actions are said here, which was the biggest takeaway for me, personally. Dragon Age RPG may not have a revolutionary system, but it’s still Dragon Age.
For a jaunt in Thedas with your pals, you can’t get better than Dragon Age RPG.
Bunkers and Badasses
Bunkers and Badasses is a Borderlands role-playing game that plays very differently from D&D. Naturally, it’s incredibly combat-focused, with little room in the book for actions and items that are used outside of combat. I personally think this allows for greater DM freedom, but it’s clear this is a system designed to host lots of fights.
You needn’t be a fan of Borderlands to enjoy Bunkers and Badasses, as this is a book designed for fun, outrageousness, and mayhem (literally, in the latter case). The systems differ almost completely from D&D, from stats being dependent on character creation without any dice rolls to being revived at the cost of gold and trauma.
For fast-paced and non-stop action, Bunkers and Badasses is a must-try.
Symbaroum
Symbaroum has an acclaimed setting that’s praises are sung by anyone who’s played it. Very story-orientated, the mysterious forest of Davokar is hiding something, although it’s never quite clear what.
The formation of the party that enters Symbaroum will dictate how the party views and handles the gritty conflict that takes center stage in the story and setting. Who will they empathize with? Who will they help? The dark and mysterious narrative is what defines Symbaroum and makes it so unforgettable.
No matter how the players approach the conflict in Symbaroum, they’ll be taking part in an epic story.
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game is set in the rich wastelands of the nuclear apocalypse. There are so many places that players could go in the large world of Fallout, but the DM is also able to make up their own post-nuclear regions.
In Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, how actions are performed differs wildly from any other system I’ve seen, and it drips with that Fallout style. Although the systems may differ here, the classic D&D feeling of exploration, adventure, and choices are all the same.
If you’re a fan of the Fallout games, then Fallout: The Roleplaying Game is a natural choice.
Blades In The Dark
Blades In The Dark is different mechanically and thematically from D&D, and yet it’s still a highly regarded TTRPG system. A stealthier, espionage-esque roleplaying game, Blades In The Dark has systems that are incredibly easy to learn and allow for rich storytelling and tense action.
Set in a haunted steampunk city, Blades In The Dark is perfectly optimized to host sleek one-shots and longer campaigns, as the players, ruffians and hooligans, take on jobs and do whatever it is they want to.
In fact, Blades In The Dark is almost a must-try, especially if it’s for a group getting into the whole role-playing scene.
The One Ring
Have you ever wanted to embark on a grand adventure like in Lord of the Rings? Who am I kidding — that’s why anyone plays D&D. With The One Ring, you can finally take part in the conflicts of Middle Earth without calling your DM a fraud.
In the films, there’s action to be had every five minutes. In the books, however, there’s a lot of traveling. Thankfully, The One Ring is incredibly respectful to the books, going so far as to have each character have an exploitable flaw and a Hope stat so that corruption is never truly out of mind.
If you wish to fight grand monsters and go on a quest that’s about more than fame and glory, but friendship, honor, and the greater good, then The One Ring is a fantastic choice.
Warhammer 40K Wrath & Glory
Warhammer! Who doesn’t love this grimdark story of desperation and zealotry? In Warhammer 40K Wrath & Glory, a party of players can enjoy a very streamlined experience that allows them to get into forming their legacy and fight their enemies. And there are a lot of enemies.
As players progress, they’ll graduate from lowly subordinates to officers of higher standing and then to powerful individuals with powers and abilities. Whether being a lowly Adeptus Militarum soldier to being a runty Ork, there’s a path of power for everyone. As long as they don’t get ripped to shreds prematurely, that is.
Warhammer 40K is an incredibly vast, mysterious, and dangerous world, and whether you want the highs of cinematic action or the lows of being a tiny runt out of their depth, Wrath & Glory will accommodate you.
With these incredible role-playing games at your disposal, all you’ve left to do is set one up for play.
Published: Aug 17, 2024 09:39 am