With the updates to the OGL, you might be looking for a way to play your fantasy game without having to worry about supporting a company that doesn't hold the interests of the community as a priority. These series of recommendations are specifically about exploring dungeons in settings that might possibly have dragons, and require little to no time, effort, or money given towards Wizards of the Coast. Moreover, most of these games heavily encourage home-brew, rule hacks, and your own custom creations!
Ironsworn, by Shawn Tomkin.
In the Ironsworn tabletop roleplaying game, you are a hero sworn to undertake perilous quests in the dark fantasy setting of the Ironlands.
Others live out their lives hardly venturing beyond the walls of their village or steading, but you are different. You will explore untracked wilds, fight desperate battles, forge bonds with isolated communities, and reveal the secrets of this harsh land.
Are you ready to swear iron vows and see them fulfilledโno matter the cost?
Ironsworn is majestic. Character motivation is built in during creation, so you start the game knowing something about who your character is and what they want - and from the very beginning, your characterโs story is vital to the campaign. You can approach problems from a number of different approaches, including combat, persuasion, physical prowess, and more.ย
The game is built for solo, co-op, and guided play. This means that if you have a friend whoโs willing to GM, they have plenty of help in coming up with plot. If you have no-one whoโs willing to GM, you can still play the game - and if you have no-one whoโs willing to play the game with you, you can still play it. Finally, and this might be the best part: Ironsworn, a 270-page PDF full of lore, advice and foesโฆ is free.ย
DURF is a rules-light dungeon-fantasy RPG in the vein of games likeย Knave,ย Troika!ย andย Into the Odd. When it comes to character background, appearance, and history, much of what you decide will be up to you: your character backstory doesnโt have to influence your stats if you donโt want it to. Your characterโs stats are boiled down to three: Strength, Dexterity, and Willpower, and you have an inventory of 10+ your Strength. The game is rules-light, but the rules that are there make combat similar to what you see in D&D: you have to roll higher than your opponent, account for range, and most rolls depend on a d20.ย
Spell casting isnโt limited to specific classes in DURF, because there arenโt any specific classes. However, that doesnโt limit what your character can do to grow. You can increase character stats, add new spells, and consult a trove of content for this game created by people who love it, much of which is either free or incredibly reasonably priced! If you find yourself writing a lot of your own content for your D&D game anyways, you might enjoy the really creative community thatโs popped up around DURF and similar OSR games.
World of Dungeons, by John Harper.
World of Dungeonsย is a simple, quick-play, dungeon crawling game, using one of the core mechanics from theย Powered by the Apocalypseย rules system. It's compatible with Old School Renaissance and original D&Dย monsters, dungeons, andย adventure modules.
This is another game that doesnโt require a lot of dedication to convert what you know and are comfortable with into a new system. Itโs also an introduction to the standard PbtA conceit of rolling 2d6 for every action and a three-tiered level of success that moves the plot forward, even if you fail. Failure in PbtA games can be just as interesting and engaging as successes - and once youโve got the hang of this mechanic, thereโs a whole world of games available to you!
Tunnel Goons, by Nate Treme (Highland Paranormal Society).
Tunnel Goons is a simple table-top role-playing game. It was originally only included in the zineย The Eternal Caverns of Urk. It's a light weight 2d6 system that can be applied to many different genres and settings.
An extremely streamlined system, Tunnel Goons is only 4 pages long and is pay-what-you-want. You only need d6โs to play, and have three stats to take care of. If you enjoy roleplaying but find the idea of transferring to a new system daunting, you pick up a game of Tunnel Goons to try out something new without having to learn a bunch of new rules or spending a lot of money.ย
This game is small and simple, but itโs also been hacked a number of times for many different genres, which means that if what you like about roleplaying is coming up with new settings and new character options to play with, youโre right at home here!
Realms of Terrinoth, by Fantasy Flight Games.
Terrinoth is a land of forgotten greatness and lost legacies. Once ruled by the Elder Kings who called upon mighty magics to perform great deeds and work marvels, the land has suffered greatly at the hands of its three great foes: the undead armies of Waiqar the Betrayer, the demon-possessed hordes of the bloodthirsty Uthuk Yโllan, and the terrifying dragons of the Molten Heath. Many of its great cities have been cast down into ruins, and many wondrous secrets and powerful artifacts have been lost.
For hundreds of years, Terrinoth slipped into gloom and decay. But heroes arise just when their lands need them the most. Courageous adventurers brave the ruins of past ages and the foul creatures within to uncover the treasures of their ancestors. The Daqan Barons, inheritors of the ancient kingdoms, rebuild their walls and muster their armies, while the wizards of Greyhaven gather runes of power to awaken guardians of stone and steel. These preparations come none too soon, for the ancient enemies of the lawful races are stirring again, and Terrinoth needs champions of courage and cunning to stand against the rising darkness.
If what you like about D&D is the collection of options and stat-block builds that you can lovingly craft, the Genesys system that runs Realms of Terrinoth has plenty of options that help you build your own backgrounds and create your own classes. So if the setting doesnโt have what youโre looking for, it canโt stop you! The dice system is fundamentally different in that the dice donโt have numbers on them at all - they provide you with successes, failures, advantages and threats, which means that itโs possible to succeed and also running into obstacles, as well as fail and still experience a boatload of good luck!ย This is the only game on this list that isn't an indie game.
Cairn is an adventure game for one facilitator (the Warden) and at least one other player. Players act as hardened adventurers exploring a dark & mysterious Wood filled with strange folk, hidden treasure, and unspeakable monstrosities.
Based on Knave by Ben Milton and Into The Odd by Chrisย McDowall, Cairn is an attempt at making Intoย The Oddย semi-compatible with popular OSR settings like Dolmenwood. Character generation is quick and random, classless, and relies on fictional advancement rather than through XP or level mechanics. The game itself isย rules-light but functional, leaving most rulings up to the Warden.
Cairn is an excellent example of how creative and generous the indie ttrpg community is, especially within the OSR scene. A free rulebook, it is designed to be used alongside other popular games in the OSR scene, and has many of its own adventures designed by the community. These kinds of games are wonderful for players who are excited about exploring fantastical and dangerous places, and solving the variety of problems that appear within.
Blades in the Dark, by John Harper.
Blades in the Darkย is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of daring scoundrels seeking their fortunes on the haunted streets of an industrial-fantasy city. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries, dangerous bargains, bloody skirmishes, and, above all, riches to be had โ if youโre bold enough to seize them.
You and your fledgling crew must thrive amidst the threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the Bluecoats of the city watch, and the siren song of your scoundrelโs own vices. Will you rise to power in the criminal underworld? What are you willing to do to get to the top?
Blades in the Dark is a setting that has amassed a large following for a number of reasons: it has free player resources, it prioritizes fiction-first gaming, it has a tight set of rules that are easy to learn and expand upon, and the setting fucking slaps. Itโs the parent of the entire Forged in the Dark family of games, so if you donโt want to play criminal masterminds in an industrial city - you donโt have to! Thereโs so many games published under this ruleset that fall under different themes, such as Band of Blades, a military fantasy setting, Into the Dark, a dungeon-delving game, and Blades Against Darkness, a game about adventurers exploring tombs and new frontiers. FitD games provide a tight setting and focus for your group, so youโll always know what your players are working towards, and there are number of interlocking systems that you can pull on to increase your chance of success - at the risk of pushing your character a little closer to stress and trauma.
If you want something that's not high-fantasy dungeon delving -well, that's what the rest of my blog is for!
