Systems
There are so many TTRPG systems out there in all sorts of different genres. I’ve only had the pleasure of playing in a few of them, but I’ll try to record as many as I can here, along with links to find more information. Some are free, some are not, and I will try to provide summary information if I know it.
Some systems may not have a particular genre, as in they may be genre agnostic, and I’ll mention that where possible. But generally speaking, if a system has a primary genre, that’s where I’ll put it.
Some systems may have Starter Kits available to get you up and running quickly or let you test the game before buying.
Fantasy
- Dungeons & Dragons (5e+) — the mainstream fantasy juggernaut with a vast adventure ecosystem.
- Pathfinder (2e) — crunch-forward fantasy with deep character options and robust adventure paths.
- Cairn — rules-light fantasy about dangerous forests, inventory play, and emergent peril.
- Knave (2e) — lightweight, slot-based OSR built for exploration and fast prep.
- Maze Rats — ultra-compact OSR with big random tables and speedy character gen.
- Old School Essentials (OSE) — faithful B/X retroclone with crystal-clear rules and layout.
- Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) — gonzo Appendix-N fantasy with zero-level funnels and wild magic.
- Forbidden Lands — hex-crawl survival fantasy with strong exploration and base-building.
- Shadowdark — modern OSR with real-time torch timers and classic dungeon ethos.
- Fabula Ultima — JRPG-inspired cinematic fantasy about bonds, styles, and over-the-top arcs.
- BREAK!! — anime/SNES-flavored fantasy emphasizing teamwork, clarity, and accessibility.
- Crown & Skull — hex-driven dark-fantasy “world engine” with tactical foes (Runehammer).
- Index Card RPG (ICRPG) — DIY-friendly d20 toolkit that prizes speed and table flow.
- DC20 — crunchy-but-approachable fantasy from The Dungeon Coach.
- Nimble — fast, tactical 5e-compatible tuned to minimize slog and spotlight choices.
- Legend in the Mist — rustic fantasy; play as folk heroes in a narrative focused adventure.
- Enclave — diceless, narrative-first fantasy about teamwork.
- Tales of the Valiant — 5e-compatible rebuild with new classes, monsters, and dials.
- Draw Steel — action oriented fantasy RPG by well-known RPG YouTuber Matt Coville.
- Tiny Dungeon (2e) — minimalist fantasy on the TinyD6 chassis; perfect for quick starts. (They have other genres too.)
- The Black Hack — streamlined OSR core with loads of hacks and community content.
- Five Torches Deep — 5e-meets-OSR survivalist dungeon crawling with resource pressure.
- HackMaster — crunchy, tongue-in-cheek homage evolved into full sim-fantasy.
- Worlds Without Number — stellar sandbox-building toolkit + classic fantasy adventuring.
- Dragonbane — classic Swedish fantasy revived: fast, dangerous, adventurous.
- The One Ring (2e) — lore-first licensed Middle-earth RPG.
- Blades in the Dark (industrial/ghost-punk heists) — crew-based capers with position/effect, downtime, and stress.
- Brighter Worlds - whimsical fantasy adventures built from Cairn.
Horror (and Urban Fantasy)
- Call of Cthulhu — investigative cosmic horror using BRP; sanity and relentless dread.
- Delta Green — modern conspiracy horror: agents vs. the Mythos, with bonds and burnout.
- Vampire: The Masquerade (V5) — personal horror among secret vampire societies.
- Monster of the Week — PbtA monster-hunting in the vein of Buffy/Supernatural.
- Vaesen — Nordic folklore investigations with a gothic tone.
- MÖRK BORG — doom-metal, art-heavy, end-times grimdark fantasy.
Cyberpunk & Near-Future
- Cities Without Number — cyberpunk sandbox sibling to SWN with faction tools and missions.
- Cyberpunk RED — official continuation of the Cyberpunk line (post-2020, pre-2077).
- Technoir — gritty, high tech and hard-boiled adventure.
- Neon City Overdrive — Classic cyberpunk action with a d6-based system
- Zaibatsu — Neuromancer inspired future Tokyo dystopia.
Modern-Action
- Everyday Heroes — modern d20 action: chases, hacking, hazards; licensed blockbuster settings.
Universal/toolkits often used for modern or anything:
Savage Worlds (SWADE) — “Fast! Furious! Fun!” multi-genre engine.
GURPS — detailed universal toolkit for any genre.
Cypher System — rules-light, narrative-forward universal engine.
Sci-Fi / Science-Fantasy
- Into the Odd (Remastered) — brutal, treasure-driven exploration with elegant minimal rules.
- Stars Without Number — sector-building sandbox sci-fi with OSR roots.
- Mothership — survival-horror sci-fi with panic & stress at the forefront.
- ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game — official Alien survival-horror in space (Year Zero Engine).
- Tales from the Loop — kids-on-bikes mysteries in a retro-futurist ’80s.
- Coriolis – The Third Horizon — Arabian-nights-in-space: mysteries, factions, and icons.
- Troika! — planar-hopping science-fantasy with exuberant weirdness.
- Vaults of Vaarn — dying-earth, blue-desert science-fantasy zine RPG. (Add your preferred link here.)
- Diaspora — Fate-based hard-sci-fi about small crews and collaboratively mapped worlds.
Post-Apocalyptic & Military Survival
- Mutant: Year Zero — post-apoc survival and community-building in the Zone.
- Twilight: 2000 (4e) — sandbox survival after WWIII in an alternate 2000.
- Fallout: The Roleplaying Game (2d20) — official wasteland roleplay.
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