What is the best free tabletop RPG?

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GamingTabletopRPG

What is the best free tabletop RPG?

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Jan 22, 2024

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29 Games Considered

Best free tabletop RPG	Price	Price	Publisher
84 Dungeonslayers	Free	-	-
77 Fate Core	-	$25 MSRP, Pay What You Want for PDF	Evil Hat Productions
-- Swords & Wizardry	-	-	-
-- Risus	-	-	-
70 Dungeon World	-	-	-

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score 82 · Answer 1

Dungeonslayers

Top Pro

Well written, lightweight ruleset

The rules are beautifully presented and succinctly explained. The basic rules are explained within 20 pages. See More

Top Con

Rigid class system

StudiousAergia's Experience

Exactly what I needed, quick and simple, has a levelling up system and notes on what things cost, all the basics. See More

Top Pro

Quick and Simple

Great for kids See More

Daniel Evans's Experience

The link is dead. See More

Top Pro

Fast combat system

DS uses a streamlined approach. It's typically possible to get through 3-4 battles in 2 hours. See More

Top Pro

Complete with a hilarious working community

Presenting more that 30 fanbased works per year. See More

See All

score 40 · Answer 2

Fate Core

Top Pro

An even more streamlined version is available, called Fate Accelerated

Whereas Fate Core is skill driven, has more variables to keep track of and is potentially more varied in terms characters created, Fate Accelerated is approach driven, has less variables to keep track of and allows getting started quicker. Also, the Accelerated version is just 50 pages whereas the Core version is 310 pages. See More

Top Con

It can be difficult to come up with aspects

Coming up with aspects can take a while. Especially for new players. In addition to coming up with traits that define the character, tags and compels are needed. Furthermore all of these little nuances have to be coherent as well as balanced in terms of power. This can make the character creation process take a while. See More

MElissaGaRD's Experience

great one See More

Specs

See All Specs

Top Pro

Excellent clarity of rules

It starts at the very beginning by explaining what is roleplaying and moves on to introduce various mechanics and conventions and explains why they're there, when's the appropriate time to use them and what are the best practices on how to do it. The book does so in easy to understand language, offers many examples and highlights the important bits in various ways. See More

Top Con

Compel mechanic is not for everyone

Compels allow GM to trigger a player's aspect in exchange for a fate point. The player can avoid invoking noted apect by spending a fate point. Concerns about the system include removing control from the player of how a character is played, GMs having a lot more data to track (each aspect for each player) and possibility of getting stuck in a compel-loop of forcing certain behaviour. See More

Top Pro

Focuses on roleplaying by originating gameplay from world-building

Fate uses "aspects" to influence the gameplay in ways that are consistent with the world that's built. Aspects are descriptive phrases that define anything they are attached to. They give both roleplaying and mechanical advantages and disadvantages. For example, a character could be "raised in a wretched hive of scum and villainy" and that would allow him to better negotiate with thiefs and crooks, but also make him poor at fine dining etiquette. See More

Top Con

Atypical mechanics

The general mechanics of Fate are broadly dissimilar to classic roleplaying games like D&D. While this is generally the system's strongest point, players who are not yet accustom to the game may find great difficulty with it. See More

Top Pro

Multiple settings available for free

If you have problems creating your own game world there are a lot of settings available for free and they range from fantasy to Soviet-era pulp sci-fi, so everyone can find something for himself. See More

Top Con

Not for passive players

If you find your players passive and unwilling to take an active role in creating game world then the experience may be not as enjoyable as it could be. See More

Top Pro

Straightforward and Flexible

The system is great for moderating a session of roleplaying. Bring your own setting, and any additional gameplay your group enjoys. It lends itself well to those without the money to invest in miniatures, game boards, or even tables. See More

Top Pro

No fixed setting

Fate Core is a general purpose RPG system that can be applied to any theme. See More

See All

score 20 · Answer 3

Swords & Wizardry

Top Pro

Great for those looking for a classic fantasy experience

Top Con

High mortality rate

Top Pro

Allows expanding upon it

Top Con

A few odd design decisions

See All

score 25 · Answer 4

Risus

Top Pro

Can be taught in less than 10 minutes

Risus has a very minimalist rule system that breaks down all actions to their core function. Risus comes with a super short, four page rulebook (available in many forms and formats) that's easy to read, includes examples and has a bit of humor thrown in to make the process or learning more enjoyable. See More

Top Con

Little guidance can be found for GMs and players

Some prior understanding of how an RPG is played and what is the role of the GM is required as the rules cover only the very core of the system. See More

Top Pro

Very flexible rules

Risus is not confined to a selection of pre-defined character-classes, settings or abilities. Characters are described via clichés such as Witch Doctor, Gambler, Musician with a number of dice assigned to each cliché that are then used in challenges that relate to the appropriate cliché. See More

Top Pro

A large following that provides a lot of content

A large amount of adventures, artwork, characters, clichés as well as optional rules can be found for Risus. An excellent resource for all aforementioned things as well as many others is Risusiverse, a fan-made website of all things Risus. See More

See All

score 30 · Answer 5

Dungeon World

Top Pro

Encourages players and the GM to build the world collaboratively

Unlike other RPGs where the GM creates the world and the storyline single-handedly, here GMs are specifically asked to leave blanks and players encouraged to fill them in. See More

Top Con

Hard for the GM with non-collaborative players

Top Pro

Great advice and systems to help GMs along

Dungeon World provides GMs with great advice on how to run a good session. Additionally, GMs can set conditions that, if fulfilled, will give a player XP. It gives the GM a way of enticing players to perform certain actions they might not otherwise have considered or wanted to perform. See More

Top Con

Combat system can be confusing for some

Dungeon World's combat system is not divided into turns in order to make it more fluid. But it can get confusing as to what happens in what order. It is purposefully frantic, but that can turn off some. Especially people with preconceived notions of how RPGs should be played. In the most basic form - GMs narrate the beginning of an NPC's action to which the player responds. If the player's response triggers a move, roll the dice. GM narrates the conclusion. See More

Top Pro

Encourages creating relationships between characters

Relationships between characters are established during the character creation process as well as at the end of each session via Bonds. Bonds are simple statements that explain how a character relates to another character. An example of a bond would be, "Avon proved himself a coward in the dungeons of Xax’takar. He is a dangerous liability to the party and must be watched." Multiple bonds can be established at a time. At the end of each session bonds resolved and new ones created give XP. See More

Top Con

It's not entirely free

The text is CC-BY but the game as a whole (graphics etc) is not free. You can make and sell your own games based off it but you won't find the PDF download for free anywhere. See More

Top Pro

Narrative driven fantasy RPG

Dungeon World is set in a D&D-esque world with a distinct slant towards combat and treasure gathering while emphasizing narrative over combat mechanics. The game includes classic fantasy RPG classes such as Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Thief and Wizard and D&D style ability scores such as Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. See More

Top Con

You support Adam Koebel, a very controversial person

Top Pro

Has a self-regulating power balance system

In Dungeon World, XP is given for failures, and automatically for any rolls that are 6 or below. It provides many benefits and chief among them is the fact that it allows players to catch up to the difficulty of challenges faced. Additionally, it encourages the group to attempt harder challenges, reduces grief caused by failure and clears the GM from having to track each individual player's level. See More

Top Pro

Encourages playing according to character's way of thinking and morality

XP is given at the end of the session if a character is acting according to alignment. Alignments are categorized as Good, Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic, and Evil. See More

Top Pro

Does not require special dice

The game can be played with common six-sided dice. See More

See All

score 26 · Answer 6

Warrior, Rogue, & Mage

Top Pro

Light ruleset

Top Con

Simulationist

GM-based Unequal distribution of authority If you like Story Games (i.e. GMless, Collaborative RPGs) this is not for you. See More

Top Pro

Easily expanded and adapted

Top Pro

Beginner-friendly

Top Pro

WR&M derivatives can be shared and even sold freely

Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license, which means you can create WR&M derivatives and share them freely or even sell them. It’s the same open license Fate Core uses. See More

Top Pro

Good if you like Simulationist RPGs

If you like RPGs putout by the big publishers, you will probably like this game. See More

See All

score 10 · Answer 7

Marvel Super Heroes

Top Pro

Random character generation is quick and allows for some truly memorable superheroes

MSH has a quick and easy character generation process. Characters are created by rolling for origin, ability scores, powers, talents and deciding on a name. It usually takes less than 10 minutes and offers an impressive variety in characters created. See More

Top Con

High level of randomness

Power balance between characters can be highly varied since all attributes are decided with a dice roll. See More

Top Pro

Designed to be beginner-friendly and narrative-focused

The game has a light ruleset that encourages roleplaying. Most conflicts are resolved with a percentage roll and a consulting table with the GM having a lot of flexibility due to rules being mostly just guidelines. See More

Top Con

Designed with a single interpretation of a superhero in mind

MSH's karma system rewards ethical behaviour, as such anti-heroes like Deadpool or Punisher are almost impossible to play as. See More

Top Pro

Character advancement is optional

Top Con

Some of the karma system potential is lost

Karam system is used for 2 things in the game - advancing the character (getting new powers, abilities and raising ability scores) and improving character's rolls. Since most players tend to focus on advancing the character, the secondary function of the karma system is often wasted potential. See More

Top Pro

Power Stunt mechanic encourages creative use of powers or abilities

(not available in the basic set) See More

Top Pro

Karma system rewards heroic roleplaying

Karma is a resource used for character advancement and increasing chances in a conflict. It's gained by performing actions that a moral hero would perform. See More

See All

score 20 · Answer 8

Basic Fantasy

Top Pro

Tons of free optional content

ConvivialHypate's Experience

Fantastic OSR-style RPG! See More

Top Pro

Free PDF

Top Pro

Tons of optional rules, with a very active community

Top Pro

Cheap POD

Top Pro

Active community

The basic fantasy forums are active and the game is still being actively developed. Tond of supplements on the basic famtasy website. See More

See All

score 12 · Answer 9

Lamentations of the Flame Princess

Top Pro

Characters don't ever become too powerful

Top Con

No power gain

Characters don’t ever become too powerful. See More

Top Pro

A different take on magic

Top Pro

Streamlined

Simple, streamlined rules for old-school crawls (most of them organized alphabetically). See More

See All

score 16 · Answer 10

Eclipse Phase

Top Pro

Great setting

The setting, like everything about Eclipse Phase, is great. It has depth and scope, offering a huge array of themes and prospects for adventure, though underlying it all is a noir, tragic feeling, both refined and raw. There´s no subterfuge or apologies. The world is violent, it´s deadly, it´s a tragic affair but one the beckons living. There´s a universe out there to discover but you have to look no further than your own habitat to find both light and darkness, and most of all shadow. See More

Top Pro

High standard of quality

Production value and quality of each and every product is on par with the best, and far, far above your average RPG, even your classic "best sellers". See More

Top Pro

Comprehensive and intuitive D100 system

The basic mechanics are easy and familiar but it offers a robust system that can deal with pretty much anything you can thrown at it. See More

See All

score 7 · Answer 11

Open d6

Top Pro

Includes rulebooks covering the more common genres

Open d6 includes rulebooks for Fantasy, Adventure and Space settings. See More

Top Con

Complicated magic system

Top Pro

No special dice required

The game can be played with common six-sided dice. See More

Top Pro

A simplified variant, called Mini Six, is available

Mini Six is a fan-made variant of Open d6 that aims to be a distilled version of the Open d6 system. See More

Top Pro

There are theme-related books available to start various types of games

D6 Space is West End Games old "Star Wars D6" game with all of the licensed Star Wars names removed. It's a stand alone complete game. D6 Fantasy is a standalone ruleset for running a D&D type game with the D6 system. D6 Adventure is a standalone ruleset for using the D6 system in a Wild West, spies, or modern adventure game. All three have supplement books (Spaceship design, magic, aliens, etc). See More

Top Pro

Each rulebook has a good introductory section

See All

score 5 · Answer 12

Heroes Against Darkness

Top Pro

Focuses on simplicity

The game uses a single "d20 + modifier ≥ target" mechanic for everything. Characters can be created in less than 5 minutes. The writing is concise and clear. See More

Top Con

Requries prior knowledge of RPGs to completely understand

Some knowledge will be required to understand the rules as there are some unexplained conventions that are presumed to be understood. See More

Top Pro

Deep, without being cluttered

A lot of meta-tools such as templates, etc, that make combat encounters incredibly simple to construct. Great tools for creature-building. A lot of good information on world-building. You can make any type of game efficiently, from hack-and-slash to role-playing. If you have played in a D&D campaign, this is a great choice for your first outing as a GM. See More

See All

score 7 · Answer 13

Old School Reference and Indexing Compilation (OSRIC)

Top Pro

Great Compilation of AD&D 1E Rules

Great book. See More

Top Con

Complex and inconsistent rules

There is no "general system" for doing things in the game - everything is a special case. This can result in a lot of page-flipping to find the particular rules for something, and in problems for new GMs who don't yet know the system well, or who aren't comfortable with improvising. See More

Top Pro

AD&D 1E aligned to d20 SRD

See All

score 15 · Answer 14

Basic Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

Top Con

Lacks variety in various areas

In order to make the character creation fast and relatively simple in-depth customization options have been excluded from the basic ruleset. There's also a limited selection of character options (just 4 classes with a single sub-class), monsters, magic items, etc. The variety is to be found in the full game. See More

Top Pro

Bounded Accuracy

Bounded Accuracy is a core design ideal of 5th Edition. In short, it means the numbers don't get too big; this lets weak challenges remain relevant for longer, and strong ones become survivable sooner. In practice, it also places more focus on a character's inherent abilities and less on magical equipment than has been the case in recent editions. See More

Top Con

Still puts too much emphasis on spellcasters

The sword and sandal brigade, as well as the ever undervalued and undersupported Ranger class (Arcane Archer is under Fighter, not Ranger, where it belongs!), are still second fiddle to the magic slingers and rogues who are always overpowered. See More

Top Pro

Encourages character immersion

Numerous core aspects of 5th Edition exist solely to encourage thinking in-character, including mechanical rewards for good roleplay and detailed character backgrounds with lasting effects in the game. See More

Top Con

Too easy to fall into the meatgrinder trap

Roleplaying falls by the wayside too easily as the murder-hobo set are catered to! Of course, it's also about the DM, however, majority of players want combat and that is exactly what D&D likes to provide - along with the archetypal and archetypical meat-grinder dungeon fest. See More

Top Pro

Easiest tabletop RPG to find someone to play with

As D&D is the largest tabletop RPG franchise and played by most people, it is the easiest tabletop RPG to find players for. See More

Top Pro

Minimal but versatile rules

5th Edition strikes an impressive balance in keeping the rules simple without limiting the creativity of players. See More

See All

score 6 · Answer 15

GRIN

Top Pro

Zero dice required

GRIN uses a a standard deck of playing cards instead of dice. See More

Top Con

Can be seen as too simple for some

Because each encounter has just two possible outcomes - success or death - there's little wiggle room in terms of roleplaying. See More

Top Pro

Narrative focus

With no intrusive dice or math players can focus on the story, with every action being resolved by the simple draw of a card. See More

Top Pro

Creates excellent tension

GRIN uses a a standard deck of playing cards to create a fast paced and deadly feel that evokes modern horror films. One of the best horror games made, its ideal for Halloween or horror movie nights. See More

Top Pro

Its great for single session games

Like any horror film, characters will die. Grin lends itself to deadly games and rally shines with 4-6 players and narrative arcs lasting 3-4 hours. See More

Top Pro

Easy to improvise

With the intrinsic arc of a classic horror narrative built into the core mechanic, Grin can be an intuitive framework for improvised play. See More

Top Pro

Unique mechanic

In true horror movie style, death becomes increasingly likely as the game's story moves irrevocably forward. See More

Top Pro

Easy to pick up

The game has just one page of rules. It can be explained in a minute -- even to people who have no rpg experience. See More

See All

score 12 · Answer 16

GATEWAY RPG

Top Pro

Rule-Lite

Curt Simcox's Experience

Gateway RPG is fast and easy to run. It can be run in any theme or setting so it's really easy to get friends interested in playing an RPG, even if they don't want to play your typical high fantasy game. Because the only dice you need are a few d20's, you don't have to go buy a ton for your players. See More

Specs

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Top Pro

Free

entropyxl's Experience

Gateway makes RPG's more cinematic and fluid. You can adapt any story or setting and create a game that your friends will enjoy playing. See More

Top Pro

Works for any setting or theme

RationalUoke's Experience

Been looking for a system adapted for 1 1 and 13 yo players. The difficulty with such players is that they are often incredibly specific about their character, but do not have the interest in jaming with 10 different dice, so it's the dm (see me) that has to make sure they are rolling the right dice and their result is correct. Gateway gives easy enough rules for them to understand, which you can make more complicated once they are comfortable, making it easy to tailor the game to their needs See More

See All

score 10 · Answer 17

Adventurers!

Top Con

Not rules lite

The website has two pdfs for free, which is great, but the "lite" Version is 170 whopping pages. See More

Top Pro

Ultra-lite rulebook

Manages to get a complete RPG into only 2 pages for the Players Guide and another 2 for the GM's guide, yet it's still a really good and playable game. See More

score 3 · Answer 18

Gumshoe

Top Pro

Great for investigative scenarios

The system is built to avoid issues of running an investigative scenario with a common RPG systems where the probability of finding a clue will often be left to a dice roll. Instead, Gumshoe is not about finding clues, but about interpreting them. See More

score 6 · Answer 19

Lady Blackbird

Top Pro

Pregen characters

The game features 5 pre-made characters, all with connections to each other and the basic story, which makes getting started very fast. See More

Top Con

The whole group must be comfortable with improvizing, because there's gonna be a lot of it

Top Pro

Recognisable theme and story

The setting and story is basic enough to allow for flexibility, but also a clear homage to Star Wars. See More

Top Pro

Simple rules that allow player agency

Character sheet and rules take up only one page, which makes the game simple to understand and easy to reference while playing. Yet the rules still allow players to make interesting choices to avoid too much randomness. See More

Top Pro

Helpful GMing guidelines

See All

score 5 · Answer 20

Low Fantasy Gaming

Top Pro

Rules Light

Light rules framework with emphasis on GM rulings See More

Top Con

Not a new Low Fantasy Setting itself

The free LFG PDF is a rules system for use with your favourite low magic setting, not a new low fantasy setting itself. See More

Top Pro

Dark & Dangerous Magic

Every time a spell is used, the caster must test for a Dark & Dangerous Magic effect. See More

Top Pro

Open World Gaming

Specific rules to support open world/sandbox/episodic adventures, including Party Retreat & Chase rules, and random encounter tables based on location rather than level. See More

Top Pro

Free PDF book

Free PDF download at the link: https://lowfantasygaming.com/ See More

Top Pro

Fast, Gritty Combat

Quick and engaging combat with martial exploits and injuries & setbacks when reduced to zero hp (assuming not dead) See More

See All

29 Games Considered

My Recommendation for Dungeonslayers

My Recommendation for Dungeonslayers

Well written, lightweight ruleset

Rigid class system

Quick and Simple

Fast combat system

Complete with a hilarious working community

My Recommendation for Fate Core

My Recommendation for Fate Core

An even more streamlined version is available, called Fate Accelerated

It can be difficult to come up with aspects

Excellent clarity of rules

Compel mechanic is not for everyone

Focuses on roleplaying by originating gameplay from world-building

Atypical mechanics

Multiple settings available for free

Not for passive players

Straightforward and Flexible

No fixed setting

My Recommendation for Swords & Wizardry

My Recommendation for Swords & Wizardry

Great for those looking for a classic fantasy experience

High mortality rate

Allows expanding upon it

A few odd design decisions

My Recommendation for Risus

My Recommendation for Risus

Can be taught in less than 10 minutes

Little guidance can be found for GMs and players

Very flexible rules

A large following that provides a lot of content

My Recommendation for Dungeon World

My Recommendation for Dungeon World

Encourages players and the GM to build the world collaboratively

Hard for the GM with non-collaborative players

Great advice and systems to help GMs along

Combat system can be confusing for some

Encourages creating relationships between characters

It's not entirely free

Narrative driven fantasy RPG

You support Adam Koebel, a very controversial person

Has a self-regulating power balance system

Encourages playing according to character's way of thinking and morality

Does not require special dice

My Recommendation for Warrior, Rogue, & Mage

My Recommendation for Warrior, Rogue, & Mage

Light ruleset

Simulationist

Easily expanded and adapted

Beginner-friendly

WR&M derivatives can be shared and even sold freely

Good if you like Simulationist RPGs

My Recommendation for Marvel Super Heroes

My Recommendation for Marvel Super Heroes

Random character generation is quick and allows for some truly memorable superheroes

High level of randomness

Designed to be beginner-friendly and narrative-focused

Designed with a single interpretation of a superhero in mind

Character advancement is optional

Some of the karma system potential is lost

Power Stunt mechanic encourages creative use of powers or abilities

Karma system rewards heroic roleplaying

My Recommendation for Basic Fantasy

My Recommendation for Basic Fantasy

Tons of free optional content

Free PDF

Tons of optional rules, with a very active community

Cheap POD

Active community

My Recommendation for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

My Recommendation for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

Characters don't ever become too powerful

No power gain

A different take on magic

Streamlined

My Recommendation for Eclipse Phase

My Recommendation for Eclipse Phase

Great setting

High standard of quality