5 Roleplaying Games That Aren't D&D

Tabletop role-playing games are incredibly fun and a great way to bond with
friends; however, people often find them inaccessible or hard to learn.
We’ve all heard the tale, “I’ve always wanted to try D&D but…” followed by
a long list of reasons as to why they’ve never checked it out. Dungeons &
Dragons aren’t the only game out there to learn and there are plenty of
great games for people who’ve never played before!

These are five games that are tabletop RPGs that aren’t Dungeons & Dragons
!

By Blythe Kala

Tabletop role-playing games are incredibly fun and a great way to bond with friends; however, people often find them inaccessible or hard to learn. We’ve all heard the tale, “I’ve always wanted to try D&D but…” followed by a long list of reasons as to why they’ve never checked it out. Dungeons & Dragons aren’t the only game out there to learn and there are plenty of great games for people who’ve never played before!

These are five games that are tabletop RPGs that aren’t Dungeons & Dragons! 

1. Powered by the Apocalypse

The ‘Powered by the Apocalypse’ system is one of my personal favorites! It’s easy to learn, most resources are accessible online, and you only need two six-sided dice. PBtA also has a lot of different flavors of adventure: you want to be a magical hero of anime, they’ve got Glitter Hearts! You want a more traditional fantasy setting then they’ve got that too. It’s a versatile system with lots of variety and is super easy to learn for beginners. 

Link: http://apocalypse-world.com/pbta/

2. Honey Heist 

Are you incredibly unsure of TTRPGs? Do you think they have too many rules and it seems daunting? Well then look no further than ‘Honey Heist’. It’s one page, only a couple of stats, and you play a goshdarn bear trying to steal honey. It’s fun, super easy to learn and run, and it’s perfect for anyone who’s not quite ready to take the dive into the tabletop world. 

Link: https://gshowitt.itch.io/honey-heist

3. Weave

‘Weave’ is another one that I’ve, personally, had a lot of fun playing. It’s a tarot deck based card game with an app that walks you through what you need to do. There are a few different adventures that are randomized by the cards you scan into your app. This one isn’t as accessible as the ones above but it’s very fun, silly, and easy to learn. If you have four people who’ve never played a tabletop RPG before and don’t have any dice then once box set of Weave and some smartphones with a camera and internet are all you need! Some of the settings include: cyberpunk, fantasy, space age, and the Stranger Things-esque teen drama. It’s also not as high of a price point as some other RPGs, selling at $30 instead of $40-$50. 

Link: https://monoclesociety.com/

4. Quest

This is not a system I’ve played before but ‘Quest’ has been well-reviewed online and is incredibly accessible! It’s a one d20 system with all resources accessible online if you can justify getting a hardcover book. It’s a great workshop in character building and learning to play a fully-fleshed out individual during your games. People always worry about having a hard time getting into character or being a “good enough” actor (there’s no such thing, just have fun) but ‘Quest’ allows for a chance to learn who your character is and play them on an epic– well– quest! 

Link: https://www.adventure.game/

5. Tales From the Loop

Have you been watching too much ‘Stranger Things’ lately and really want to play in a setting like that? Well then, ‘Tales from the Loop’ is just the game you’ve been looking for! The game takes you to a town where strange things– pun intended– occur and you, the local kids, must figure out what’s going on! This one is another excellent collaborative storytelling experience and while it’s spooky, it does not set out to horrify you (maybe your gamemaster does but that’s on them). Furthermore, death is not usually a possible outcome, which allows the players to take risks, have fun, and try creative solutions. It’s so popular that it even has a show on Amazon Prime.

You can hear the GWNP crew play this one here!

Link: https://www.loop-rpg.com/

That’s been five tabletop role-playing games that are not Dungeons & Dragons! We hope this helps you on your journey to becoming a TTRPG pro. 

Are there any games that you love that we missed? Share your favorites with us across the socials and let’s help everyone get started in the wonderful world of role-playing games!