While video games get all of the spotlight these days, there is no denying tabletop RPGs still have a role to play (pun intended). At their best, TTRPGs can transport you and your friends to worlds of fantasy and wonder, filled with adventures, good times, and laughter. Today, there are plenty of them around for you to sink your teeth into whether you’re a D&D vet or have never played a TTRPG before.
In this article, we’re going to share with you the 10 best tabletop RPGs you just have to play.
10) Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)
The most famous TTRPG, Dungeons & Dragons, has made a strong comeback after being featured in the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. Although there are decades worth of expansions and new concepts to the game, you fortunately only need a few core books to get a grasp on how the entire game is played. Once you’ve started, you’ll be joining the Dungeon Master and a few friends every weekend to hop into the magical world you all created together. We think D&D is a fantastic place to start off your TTRPG journey if this is your first time playing a pencil-and-paper game.
9) Masks: A New Generation
If fantasy the setting doesn’t gel with you, how about superheroes? Masks: A New Generation takes the ideas of superstrength, flight, and other superpowers to see how heroes can handle fighting with each other, falling in love, and figuring out a way to put that all aside to save the day. Unlike other TTRPGs, characters aren’t saddled with permanent stats. But your character is defined by how others see them, whether they’re considered a “Freak” or simply “Mundane.” Masks: A New Generation makes it easy for new players to get into the game and pushes players to have fun by creating dramatic scenarios.
8) FATE Core
FATE Core will push your imagination to your limits and really leans on the “role-playing” part of the game. It works extremely well because it makes the game adaptable and there is a character-driven core that makes everything happen. The ruling mechanic of the game is statements called “Aspects.” Aspects are used to describe the characters you play, the world they’re in, and the adventures you partake in. Unlike other games that rely heavily on combat scenarios, FATE puts more emphasis on the narrative.
7) Starfinder
Take your adventures to space with Starfinder! It builds up the well-established mechanics and gameplay of Pathfinder and literally takes them out of this world. It has everything you’d expect from a sci-fi RPG: alien organisms, alien worlds, starship battles, and high-tech weapons like plasma rifles. It uses the same D20 dice mechanic you’d find in other combat-related games, but it also puts a huge emphasis on space traversal. Although it can take a few games before you fully understand what you’re doing, the learning curve is well worth it for the total absurdity you and your party can get up to.
6) Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade lets you imagine what it would be like to be a blood-drinking immortal. It takes place in the World of Darkness mythos, where you are tasked to stay alive and thwart rival supernatural gangs and vampire hunters alike. The coolest part of the game is that it keeps up with the amount of blood players consume and how well they quell the beast within to hang on to whatever little bit of humanity they still have. It’s one of the more adult-themed games on the list, which makes it a ton of fun for vets and newcomers to TTRPGs.
5) Star Trek Adventures
Ever wanted to be beamed up by Scotty? Well, there’s no Scotty in this one but you can still see what it’s like to be a crew member on a Federation starship. Whether you play the captain, security officer, or the other roles needed to make the starship function, there’s something for everybody whenever the Romulans come knocking. You can take it a step further and imagine each campaign is an episode– that way, you can RPG as both Star Trek characters and TV actors.
4) Cyberpunk
If you’ve played the recent Cyberpunk 2077 from Projekt CD Red and enjoyed it (with the new updates, of course), then you would also have a good time with their TTRPG of the same name. The latest edition, called Cyberpunk Red, takes the lore of a dystopia, futuristic Earth where megacorporations rule the world and humans are part cyborg with cybernetic powers and cranks it up to 1,000. However, any version of Cyberpunk is sure to bring fun times by taking on complex topics and exploring relations in this type of environment.
3) Call Of Cthulhu
Call Of Cthulhu is the go-to TTRPG for players looking for a little horror in their game. It takes the world crafted by H.P. Lovecraft and ties it into a tabletop game that can be enjoyed by fans of his work. Players take on the role of Investigators and come face-to-face with supernatural entities you’d find throughout Lovecraftian books. The campaign is driven by the Keeper or this game’s version of a Game Master. There’s horror, freaky creatures, and good times on the horizon for anyone who decides to delve into the world.
2) Blades In The Dark
Blades In The Dark takes a more focused approach to TTRPGs where players are part of a gang looking to make their name in the criminal underworld. Start off as a small-time street runner and make your way up to the boss level. All the while, they’ll come across weird technology, alchemy, and even other player characters as ghosts.
1) Monster Of The Week
Monster Of The Week lets players adventure as fully customizable pre-set characters where they hunt monsters across the streets and cities of the USA. Similar to other TTRPGs, most actions fail or succeed based on a dice roll. And the goal of the game is to solve puzzles and mysteries given to them by the Game Master. If you’ve ever wanted to play someone like Dean and Sam Winchester, then this is the game for you!
