Five More RPGs Worth Trying If You’re Looking For That Fantasy Fix
If you’re looking for a newer way to get your fantasy RPG fix, here are five great options that deliver the goods.
Whether due to the OGL blues or folks just looking to shake up the status quo, more people than ever are looking beyond the remembered realms of the sword coast to find a home for their fantasy roleplaying. There’s an absolutely expansive list of games out there, though.
But don’t let the unknown keep you down. Here are five more RPGs worth trying for that fantasy fix. And where you can start learning to play them.
Worlds Without Number
Worlds Without Number is perhaps one of the best RPGs to jump into if the only thing you’re familiar with is the fifth edition of the world’s oldest RPG. This is a game rich with setting detail and sorcery, but it’s also fully compatible with an epic sci-fi RPG Stars Without Number.
This RPG has one of the best sets of worldbuilding tools. There are GM tools of all sorts in here, everything you need to build the setting of your dreams. But players will find it welcoming as well. It’s a system of classes and levels and characters who strive to be not just fantasy heroes, but legends in their own rights. This may be what you’ve been hoping for all along with your fantasy RPG dreams. In addition to the full version linked above, there’s also a free version right here.
AGON
From the designer of Blades in the Dark comes a fantasy RPG of mythologic proportion. Agon is an RPG of mythic heroes and legends. Where heroes face down epic trials and battles as they live lives that emulate the stories of epic poems and Ancient Greek heroes.
This is an incredibly evocative game. Its flavorful system leans well into the idea of epic heroes facing down obstacles in their paths. Though, fair warning, it is a much faster-paced game than a typical dungeon crawler might be. Which is great for a one-shot with little to no prep. But the system really sings when you string together episodes into a longer campaign. If you want arts & oration as well as monsters and mortals, this one’s worth a shot.
Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of
This is the Barbarian who started it all for D&D back in the day. Robert E. Howard’s sulking Cimmerian carved a path of legendary adventures that helped inspire Gary Gygax back in 1974. Through the strange turning of the years, Conan has seen many RPG adaptations.
Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of is the latest. It’s built on Modiphius’ 2d20 engine, which relies as much on the story you’re telling as it does the characters you build to establish the barbaric world you adventure in. In Conan, you’ll find worlds that are pulpy and fantastic. You might face off with cultists, sorcerers, giant serpents, bandits — and much worse besides.
While the game doesn’t play quite the same as other d20-based systems, you’ll find that it allows for heroic feats, the likes of which haven’t been seen since between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas.
The One Ring 2nd Edition
The world of Middle-earth is an evocative one. Filled with dwarves and elves and halflings, this is the setting that helped kick off fantasy as we know it today. And in The One Ring 2nd Edition, that adventure takes on a whole new life all its own.
This is a slightly more narrative take on a fantasy adventure. But only because it wasn’t designed from the ground up as a wargame. But don’t let that fool you. You’ll still fight orc captains and have to figure out how to break their armor, but it means your whole group will have to work together to use their abilities in order to succeed.
In addition to some interesting combat rules, there are rules for making journeys, and having Councils with the other notable peoples in Middle-earth.
Shadow of the Demon Lord
This is a dark, apocalyptic fantasy. It is a world torn asunder by war, plague, and ancient horrors. To many, this is the end of days itself. Demons rise from the darkness. Things are bad — which means it’s ripe for heroes.
If you want a darker, deadlier fantasy RPG that still feels a bit familiar, this is the way to go. It’s built off of many of the same core principles as its dungeon-crawling inspiration, but it takes them to crunchier, grittier ends. It’s a differently scaled system, but if you’re looking for interesting classes with wild abilities that can go from good to bad to worse depending on how you roll, then you’ll want to give this one a try!
What are some of your favorite fantasy RPGs?
