For When You Want Something besides Dungeons and Dragons
Dnd is by far the most popular tabletop roleplaying game. In fact It’s the one I recommend to most group. DND is a cultural icon for brand recognition alone, a very powerful asset. It’s important because you will have most ease finding people around you who want to play dnd. Another point towards Dnd is the sheer amount of third party content provided for it. However, if you have a consistent group, switching up the tabletop roleplaying game you are playing can be a way to regain the feeling of novelty.
What is a TTRPG
A Tabletop Roleplaying game is a framework for a game based around imagination. It enables the creation of characters and provides the element of chance through die rolls. Characters often have different attribute scores making individuals have distinguishable roles. TTRPGs contain rules for actions you can do. Tabletop roleplaying games are the engine while the dungeon master is the game itself. This type of thinking should give you a good picture of why you may want to try different Tabletop roleplaying games. Different engines have different capabilities and will empower you to make your own game the best it can be, which is at least my goal as a dungeon master.
Pathfinder 2e is Innovative and Customizable
Pathfinder is very similar to Dnd. It primarily revolves around fantasy roleplaying. Unlike some of the other entries on this list most of your friends who play Dnd should be interested in Pathfinder. As a DND player who started with fifth edition, the edition whos selling point is it is its simplicity, I eventually craved more options. Pathfinder second edition boasts more options in regard to mechanics especially. The complex mechanics can make the game perfect for those unsatisfied with the level of official mechanics in Dungeons and dragons.
Pathfinder has a different action system. Instead of an action economy where you have an action, bonus action and reaction, Pathfinder has a pool of “action points”. All actions cost a certain number of points. I find that this eases play and allows players to do what they want on their turn more often. My personal group will be switching to Pathfinder 2e in the summer for these reasons. Read the Pathfinder rules by reading the button below.
Cyberpunk is one of the best futuristic TTRPGS
While the video game cyberpunk may have flopped, the tabletop roleplaying game is very enjoyable. A futuristic setting is quite different than your normal DND experience. Taking place in night city, on the west coast of the USA, Cyberpunk is all about gang, political and even corporate warfare. One thing that stood out to me in my groups cyberpunk one shot is that there are so many different skill. Imagine the performance skill divided into skills such as dancing, acting and guitar. This made character creation super fun. I was enabled to make a character I never could have in Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. This character was a reporter for his own corrupt media company that perpetuated the headlines and networked with powerful individuals. Of course you could make a similar character in dnd but there is no, “interview” skill in fifth edition. Other highlights of cyberpunk include its “netrunning” system that allows you to hack and its lethal combat system. Some groups may not be interested in a futuristic campaign but a oneshot thats super enjoyable could turn into a long term campaign.
Call of Cthulu
Call of Cthulu is a tabletop roleplaying game focused around Lovecraftian creatures. Call of Cthulu is special because of its emphasis on fear. This emotion is powerful, which evokes memories. It truly is great for story telling and irons out a lot of the issues DND has for stories that want to revolve around a darker world. In DND players learn the monsters over time. This leads to metagaming, even if its unconscious. How are you supposed to be afraid of a goblin. In Call of Cthulu the monsters are described as beyond the imagination, which really brings in the greatest fear, the unknown. Another aspect of Call of Cthulu is that fighting is not the goal. If you are in a fight in Call of Cthulu something has gone wrong. The monsters are supposed to be almost unbeatable. This type of play may not be for everyone but for some of the people i converse with, they prefer it.
Be a pokemon trainer in pokemon Tabletop United
Pokemon Tabletop United is a ttrpg that involves the popular franchise, pokemon. This system can fulfill any idea you wanted to try in pokemon. Wanna have pokemon in a space campaign go for it. Pokemon Tabletop united is super great if you’re a pokemon fan but its likely not everyone at your table is big into pokemon. The Tabletop roleplaying game opens up a lot of possibilities impossible in the videogames. Trainers take a more active role during the combat and can even battle alongside the pokemon. This game can be pretty hard to DM but the experience you’ll bring is in my opinion worth it.
Dungeon Crawl Classics gives the Retro Feel
Dungeon Crawl Classics is a low fantasy rpg. This means magic is less common. It is more lethal than DND which is similar to how first edition started. It has more dice including a d 3, d5, d7, d14, d16, d24 and d30. Instead of adding modifiers you go up or down the “dice chain”. Instead of customization it has a theme of darwinism. Whichever character lives is your character. In fact Dungeon Crawl Classics starts with more characters than players and culls the weak until you have your one character. Its super fun if you are looking for a game and story revolved around chance rather than plot.
It is important to diversify the types of games you play. We can all get stuck not wanting to change but that gives power to wizards of the coast to do stuff like get rid of the Open Game License. We need to be willing to adapt. There are many great creators out there who could use the support as well. Hopefully you make great memories playing these games and use them as tools to cultivate friendships. Thats what tabletop roleplaying games are for.
Summary
There are many different Tabletop roleplaying games. They can enable you to do different things easier. We often hear we can do anything when we play DND. I totally agree, you absolutely can run a futuristic campaign. The rules for these futuristic ideas better fit cyberpunk though. Not only does it save you a lot of work but the system is designed around it. One of the biggest issues can be the task of wanting to learn a new system, it is work. Picking a system that interests your players are key. One huge benefit of being able to switch systems is, it brings competitiveness to the industry. You may be able to find that other TTRPGs are cheaper which is a growing concern as prices increase.