27 Free tabletop RPGs that aren’t D&D 5e!

[@DaveThaumavore]

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[@ProfPyro]

Oh look, 27 more games my group will never be able to align our schedules for!

[@mitchellsink2584]

I believe we are living in an amazing time to be in the trpg hobby. The wealth of innovation and ease to enter the hobby is just insane.

[@DaveThaumavore]

Agreed.

[@kraigmeatbicycle1636]

I think we're in the golden age of RPGs

[@rashakor]

Illusion of choice 😂

[@TheManyVoicesVA]

​@@rashakor How is it illusion? Because all the casuals only play DND5E?

[@rashakor]

@@TheManyVoicesVA Pretty much! I think there was vastly more variety and choice in the late 80’s early 90’s. There are more players nowadays but yes 99% of the market is D&D or clones of it.

[@SonySteals]

I’m impressed that you have managed to fit 27 games in a 23 minutes video, including intro and outro.

[@bananabanana484]

And a sponsor too

[@capesword111]

OSRIC's another example, and a similar project called For Gold & Glory, each with a free PDF core rulebook based on 1E and 2E AD&D, respectively. On top of that, the print editions are both at budget-friendly prices, especially if you like paperbacks, making buying a physical copy much more manageable than the original books. OSRIC has its own web site, but both games are available on drivethrurpg in their free PDF and in their print forms, and print copies can be purchased on Lulu, too.

[@timothyyoung2962]

Oh, man, Risus. I remember running and entire, off the wall dimension jumping campaign called Tales from the Warp using this little system. It was fun and easy which worked great for a game with a beetleman janitor, a clone of Elvis searching the multiverse for Graceland, a sentient ostrich, and a demonologist who was tired of being evil and was looking for her new purpose. Nice to see it made this list. Really great for a game where you just want to have fun and screw around.

[@nickenquist3788]

This is why I love your channel. You always find something new. Also I was very happy to see that Mausritter was mentioned. It’s my favorite ttrpg currently.

[@TheManyVoicesVA]

Ive been wanting to play it. Hopefully gonna get in a session this Sunday

[@leandronc]

The Dungeon World SRD is also free online. DW was the paradigm shift for me 10 years ago, it showed me RPGs could be very different from D&D.

[@Ranked_Journey]

18:16 Cool to see Talislanta mentioned. A GM I knew was very into it, had their own deep lore theories, and tried to get their players interested in it, including Savage Lands.

[@Martin_Dimirag]

Basic Fantasy deserves its own video, its a great "modern" take that has several years on its back, with lots of available material for free, and a great community.

[@ryanpoulter6286]

This is where I shill for Ironsworn. Not sponsored, it's just that good. (And it's on the list!)

[@williamdavis7274]

Just the links alone make this video a gem!!!

[@OverBlackSands]

Very glad to see FATE in there too, as it feels to have been kind of forgotten over time. Mausritter is lots of fun and I was surprised to see Cepheus Engine in there too. There's amazing stuff out there for Cepheus done by Stellagamma and Zozer. Oh and Degenesis is just too sick, what a work of art. Oh and BFRPG of course, you can get you and your players each a handbook and an aditional adventures book for the price of a single 5e book and the amount of extra community made content is fantastic

[@jcraigwilliams70]

I love FATE and don't understand why it seems to get hate, but I suspect it's just a bit too different for some people. I had never heard of Degenesis, but it looks cool.

[@Morpheus451]

I think Fate seems forgotten because there’s very litte being published for it anymore as Fate setting books don’t sell very well. That doesn’t mean that Fate isn’t being played a lot but the system is so flexible and simple at the same time that you don’t need much handholding to plug it into any setting you can think of. That’s great for players, not so great for publishers. Another reason why you don’t see the system being talked about more is probably because it’s kinda boring. It’s really cool when you first learn about it but after a short while there’s not much to talk about. You just use it. It’s a well-made tool that does a great job in a lot of circumstances, without many details to fiddle with. And lastly it’s not for everybody, perfect for creative types who are into collaborative story-telling but the majority of people talking about TTRPG online, I assume, are more into systems that are either very specialized or generally more complex and crunchy.

[@BerlinTrainStation1]

I forgot how much inspiration I got from 13th age until watching this video! Lots of great systems featured here!

[@golem2246]

Voidcore is a free rpg that blends science fiction inside our solar system with the Lovecraft mythos. It seems solid and packed with art but I've never personally played it.

[@andrewcarper3702]

There are a few that didn’t get mentioned that are available on DrivethruRPG that I think are worth mentioning. There’s Wushu Black Belt Edition, which is an omnibus edition of an action focused rpg focused on being almost entirely freeform in most situations. There’s The Happiest Apocalypse On Earth, which is a PBTA game heavily inspired by theme parks and also the Monster of the Week TTRPG. It’s a fully free game, as far as I can tell. It’s also worth noting that the whole Microlite 20 collection of games as of 2020 is available as one massive pdf that clocks in at over a thousand pages of many different games for free.

[@ConlangKrishna]

Thank you so much for this video! 🙏 I had heard about almost ALL of these games, but I did not know they were practically available for free. I supported the Talislanta 6e kickstarter, and I am looking very much forward to it.

[@SerpC]

Great vid; I love Ironsworn and Talislanta. Lady Blackbird and Freeform Universal are also great but already mentioned by other commentors. QuestWorlds has a free SRD and is the successor to the HeroQuest RPG since that trademark changed hands. It feels a little like Fate in some ways. Dungeon World also has a free SRD; very fun fantasy PBTA. Finally, Knave isn't free but the text is Creative Commons licensed and several fans have put out free versions with their own layouts/formatting.

[@barbarnyak]

So glad Quest was on the list. ❤ I recommend it for solo players! I do like Ironsworn but Quest was the one I used at my very first solo ttrpg session. I had a blast!

[@David-su4is]

I have Quest but never considered paying it solo. What did you use for an orical? I ran a game for my son (14) and daughter (12) and my son (who is an avid reader) managed to break the game, by min maxing an evoker, in the first session.

[@Nephitejnf]

Of note, the paid versions of Stars Without Number, Worlds Without Number, and Cities Without Number also have supplements to add in content from the other games and convert to. So, with one of the paid versions, you get the tools to combine all of them.

[@odolowa1]

Been playing a bunch of Godbound recently. Find it great at running extremely powerful heroes, and the DM tools have great rules for running factions in a sandbox setting and tools that would be good for even high level D&D or Pathfinder play that can help manage the level of power you see in those games.

[@Boi10217]

Want to update here that starfinder is getting a second edition that will make it fully compatible with pathfinder 2e, and both still continue to be freely available on archives of nethys!

[@theprecipiceofreason]

Grim Castle has a free version that's pretty huge but they charge for the GMs guide and an additional spells supplement. Czepeku is legit the best looking artist/mapper out there. I hope they start making bigger maps!

[@PeterCeee]

Putting in a plug for Fantastic Medieval Campaigns from Traverse Fantasy, a superb and faithful (not to mention thoughtful) version of original 1974 DnD!

[@jcraigwilliams70]

Some really good choices here. In terms of suggestions, I always try to raise awareness of Freeform Universal which is a game that I think deserves more love. It reminds me a bit of Fate in that it's very fiction-first and relies on descriptors similar to Aspects.

[@iiiiitsmagreta1240]

Huh! Checking out the rules now and I like what I'm seeing 😄tysm!!

[@jcraigwilliams70]

@@iiiiitsmagreta1240 there is a 2nd edition in the works. The beta was released quite some time ago, but the author has used the basics of it to create other games, like Neon City Overdrive.

[@SerpC]

Definitely deserves a mention. There's a bunch of free hacks out there, too, to bring it to specific genres.

[@Blizzic]

This has just become an essential resource for anyone trying to escape WOTC. You’re doing god’s work

[@tryman1592]

@DaveThaumavore BTW there is current a sale for degenesis as a bundle. The bundle is valued at 150$ and is free for now .

[@mohnkern]

Don’t forget Monte Cook Fames CSRD for Cypher System

[@jasonGamesMaster]

Just want to add OpenQuest, which has an SRD. It is a lighter (but still crunchy) version of BRP (d100 system like Call of Cthulhu etc). The SRD is very focused on fantasy, and it makes a good replacement for RuneQuest.

[@AndiVx]

Quest sounds pretty cool. I might try it.

[@BravesSheet]

Wow, there are so many here that I have never heard about - my evening is planned ^^ Thank you!

[@LeeJCander]

Cairn now has 2 offshoots that I play. Monolith (sci-fi hack) and Liminal Horror (modern horror hack) both great and super easy to pick up and play.

[@Skanah_]

The Without Number series is definitely my pick for free ttrpg, very robust. Also Swords and Wizardry is getting a new box set soon, which is nice.

[@Skanah_]

Also a big fan of Cairn and Mausritter

[@DaveThaumavore]

I’ll probably pick up that box set.

[@nutherefurlong]

@@DaveThaumavore The PDF of the 2023 edition is already available. Not free, but pretty inexpensive

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@nutherefurlong I’ll grab it. But I would love to have the physical box as well.

[@nutherefurlong]

@@DaveThaumavore Yeah, there are quite a few boxed sets I'd get if I could. Kind of neat they're so common now

[@prinnydadnope5768]

Thanks for this. If you're doing lists like that, I think a System list with things like PbtA, FitD and so on with some example for each would be good to have

[@metallsnubben]

Heads up: the timestamp for Cairn in the description is 15:15 when it's supposed to be 12:15

[@DaveThaumavore]

Fixed, thanks!

[@samsolitaryroll]

Here are some solo oriented (but can be played in group) PWYW RPG that is pretty new - Elegy (Miracle M) : mix between Ironsworn system and Vampire the Masquerade setting. Rule lite PbtA. - Tales of the Burned Stone (Fari RPG) : Dark-fantasy RPG inspired by Diablo, The Witcher and the Warded Man - Jamais Vu (Mithrillica) : Disco Elysium inspired investigative RPG about amnesiac investigator.

[@borgy1337]

Awesome vid, amazing how many RPGs are out there!

[@jasonandkrishandy-kraus123]

A very enjoyable review of free games! I just downloaded Stars Without Number to integrate into my STA Captain's Log games. Thanks, Dave!

[@PersonMan000]

Godbound is a little more than a regular OSR game. The abilities of the game are meant to feel game breaking from level 1. You can literally have an ability that lets you move to any location you can see instantly at Level 1. It makes the game feel very different, despite its OSR foundation

[@aranorlightsonw3957]

Damn, this would be fun, if I has friends to play with

[@deedoublejay]

Great list! Thanks, Dave.

[@joshs_boxes]

The link you have for Mork Borg bare bones edition actually leads to the adventure Rotblack Sludge

[@thinktank8286]

I heard the adjective "crunchy" used in this video and others. New to TTRPG. What does it mean?

[@DaveThaumavore]

Requiring frequent use of math, calculations and other number “crunching” in the course of play.

[@Jigglupuff22]

I’m surprised that Lady Blackbird wasn’t mentioned.

[@unrulyarcana2394]

Awesome list! As far as other free games, I'd probably add OpenLegendRPG. But that ones a bit obscure...

[@CavernadoLekkis]

Third attempt on commeting this video. These are two more games that I think could be in this list: Heroes of Adventure and World of Dungeons. Heroes of Adventure is a tabletop role-playing game about a group of travellers, explorers, mercenaries and treasure hunters who travel through the perilous wilderness from settlement to settlement taking on missions, jobs and adventures that others refuse to do. The game is inspired by classic fantasy adventure games. World of Dungeons is a simple, quick-play, dungeon crawling game, using one of the core mechanics from the Powered by the Apocalypse rules system.

[@guyman1570]

IRONSWORN RPG!!!

[@vidgrip8622]

Great list. Swords & Wizardry is my huckleberry.

[@Wordforwordbiblecomic]

Thaks a lot Dave I really appreciate it!

[@michaeledmonds4849]

Cities Without Number is about to be delivered to KS backers, and is the cyberpunk genre of the * Without Numbers games from Kevin Crawford (not free yet IIRC, since still not officially published)

[@DaveThaumavore]

Indeed it's not free. I guess he's pivoting to a more traditional self-publishing model.

[@TheStarspire]

As of today there seems to be a free version of this one as well on DTRPG.

[@michaeledmonds4849]

@@TheStarspire Yes, the SRD (Rules only) is what I believe is up for free on DTRPG. The World stuff and GM tools IIRC are in the paid version, which I assume be up for purchase once all the KS backers have gotten their copies...I know there is going to be a Print on Demand option in DTRPG at some point, similar to Ironsworn.

[@TheStarspire]

@@michaeledmonds4849 the free version at Cities Without Number: Free Version on DTRPG includes most of the GM tools. Like they usually do.

[@solidussnate6348]

Warrior, Rogue & Mage, that's free. Check that one out for something simple and rules lite. All the supplements are free too!

[@maxducoudray]

The newest version of Swords & Wizardry exists now. I have a copy, though I backed the Kickstarter and I'm not certain whether it's available at retail yet.

[@Greyawk89]

We could add Down We Go, Stravagante!, Tunnel Goons, Durf and Dominion Rules

[@RichardBejtlich]

This is such a great video for independent RPG month. 👏🎲🙏

[@Nolzei]

Are there any free ttrpgs like VtM?

[@Alloyed-RPG]

Alloyed RPG is another to add to your list!

[@bartosso]

what about Eclipse Phase (both 1 and 2E)? It's on the CC licence, all of it.

[@irhinohammer]

Free is best, ngl. There's all sorts of stuff out there, for free.

[@totallymojo]

I kind of discovered Carin a couple of months ago. I mean, I've seen it and read about it many times before, but I thought the auto-hit mechanic was a complete shit idea. But turns out.. In gameplay it fucking rocks. I have played tons of games since I got into this hobby in 2014, and never EVER have anything flowed so smooth. And since there is no real setting tied to it, I can put it in any setting I want or world-build as much as I want. I actually think I found "My Game".

[@Dieter-Doeddel]

I miss OpenD6/MiniSix/Micropend6 RPG/ (there is a very nice D6 version of Talislants) and W.O.I.N. SRD on the list. And GURPS Lite of course.

[@ahather]

kevin crawfords free editions are 100% the full game, whats in the deloux are extras, conversely whats free with Lancer is the player facing rules, all the GM stuff is not free

[@liamobrien6044]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the pendragon rpg in a video. I’ve heard it’s a near perfect rpg in terms of quality and unique rules.

[@lineriderman7]

Your link for MORK BORG appears to go to their example adventure, not the barebones rules. Could be good just to link people to the content section on their website, as it has quite a few free tools besides the rules and the example adventure.

[@DaveThaumavore]

Cool. Fixed. Thanks!

[@lordlol77]

Great video! I only have one question. Does anyone know of a more modern style hard sci-fi system? Preferably without psyonics or anything like that.

[@golem2246]

Eclipse Phase isn't necessarily free and it does include rules for its version of psionics but the vast majority of the complexity comes in how you are a personality that can upload into different bodies including robots and regular humans. The rules allow for a pretty interesting transhuman/posthuman story.

[@Xaxp]

Kinda surprised you didn't mention Tiny D6 anywhere but I suppose it doesn't have a lot of free resources. Not that I've found in the places I frequent anyway.

[@VicioAV]

Which of this have the best combat system? My party is combat heavy enjoyer 😅

[@DaveThaumavore]

Best is a highly subjective term. Go with Pathfinder I guess.

[@VicioAV]

@@DaveThaumavore TY 👍

[@Boone_Flyer]

Just commenting to add White Box Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game (or FMAG for short). I believe the pdf is free and the paperback version is only about 5 bucks.

[@UltraTtrpger]

Can we please update the links for these games? The majority of them don't seem to work anymore.

[@SylverQrow]

I havent played but i hear WildSea is good

[@kalleendo7577]

Awesome!

[@TortugaDMStudios]

Lasers and Feelings? It's a one page but it (and it's hacks) are all free.

[@vahrens]

I would add ERPS to the list, but unfortunately at the moment it is German only. However, the creator is working on a new version that also will be translated to English then :)

[@pinpanar9]

the nghtmare underneath is FREE 1E +2E

[@Ranked_Journey]

I wouldn't call Archives of Nethys a SRD, it's just straight up Pathfinder 1/2e and all its rules.

[@himurogentoku7117]

Why ones are your favorites, Dave?

[@draggo69]

Nice!

[@TonyJ1776]

KZbin doesn't supply enough thumbs to UP VOTE this video.

[@Joshuazx]

Add Open Legend RPG to your list.

[@phillee427]

Since many of those games are O Sr based, can we really counter this 27?

[@opscontaylor8195]

I was going to say Cortex, but then realized the current version (Cortex Prime) is not free.

[@josedasilva6885]

Tagmar 2. Pokemon RPG.

[@tengri_tunga]

Would you review Baldur's Gate 3 in terms of how loyal the game is to D%D 5e system?

[@DaveThaumavore]

Pretty cool idea. I’m not super into D&D but I’ll think about it.

[@tengri_tunga]

@@DaveThaumavore I would love to watch it. Also, I think it would help your channel to get attention of people who never heard about tabletop rpg's or new to the genre (like myself). Thank you for your consideration, have a nice one.

[@nunyamyob9555]

Microlite20

[@nikoteardrop4904]

I adore Risus, but for gods' sake, do not call it an "indie RPG" in Ross' earshot. He seriously hates that shit.

[@DaveThaumavore]

He’s probably not watching.

[@nikoteardrop4904]

He's very likely lightened up by now, too