Best Indie Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Written by Iain McAllister

RPGs are as diverse as films, and D&D isn’t the only expression of the form. Putting aside other big hitters like Call of Cthulhu and Pathfinder, let me take you off the beaten path, away from Dungeons and those pesky Dragons. We’re heading into the forest of indie RPGs.

Apocalypse World 

Designed by Vincent and Meguey Baker

The game that drew attention to the indie scene in 2010. Apocalypse World introduced us to the idea of a collaborative style of play. Here players and GM, would contribute equally to the building of this apocalyptic world, giving everyone investment from the start. 

Rather than having to assemble a character from myriad classes and powers, Apocalypse World gave us playbooks. These gave you a few choices to make and then you were ready to go. Each playbook provided players with character motivations, cool abilities, and inspiring ideas that made each one unique.

It popularised the idea of “failing forward”. The idea is to push the narrative forward, even if the player’s rolls don’t have a positive outcome. It allowed both GMs and players to embrace a failed roll as part of the story, and a path to interesting developments.

Apocalypse World was hugely influential and many designers have used the system to power their games. Monsterhearts is an example that comes up often: a game of high-school monsters just trying to get through the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. You will likely play a ‘Powered by the Apocalypse’ (PBTA) game on your journey into the indie scene. 

Buy Apocalypse World on DriveThruRPG

Play this if you want to play diverse characters in an apocalypse of your own making. 

 

Blades in the Dark 

Designed by John Harper

Blades in the Dark lets you play criminals in the fantasy city of Doskvol. You’ll steal, smuggle, murder, and blackmail. Rampaging around the streets of the city, you aim to become the very worst the town has to offer. 

A distant relation of Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark uses the ideas of playbooks and strong fail forward mechanisms. It encourages players to ‘live dangerously’ in order to contribute to the narrative, even to the detriment of their own characters. It gives them the tools, and encouragement, to make that happen. It cemented the idea of ‘downtime’, the bit in between the actual play of sessions. It gave this bit of gaming culture structure and rules, all designed to lead to better stories at the table.

Every session of Blades in the Dark is one or more criminal jobs, and the big innovation Blades brought to the ‘heist’ genre was skipping the planning. Rather than asking the players to meticulously plot out their approach and ensure they have everything they need, Blades skips to the action. Players are then encouraged to ‘flashback’ to narrate the planning they did at the moment it becomes relevant.

Think Ocean’s 11. It’s brilliant, flexible, and game changing. 

Blades in the Dark’s system has been used in other games. You’ll come across ‘Forged in the Dark’ (FITD) frequently on your travels. Scum & Villainy, the ‘not Star Wars honest guv’nor’ game, and Band of Blades, fantasy military campaigns, are two standouts.  

Buy Apocalypse World on DriveThruRPG

Play this if you want to embrace being the bad guys and come out on the top of a criminal empire. 

 

Savage Worlds 

Designed by Shane Hensley

If you like your action pulpy and two-fisted, then Savage Worlds is the game for you. This game lives up to its tagline of ‘fast, furious, fun’ by making characters big, bold, and able to roll with the punches. 

With no default setting you are free to take your games to anywhere you want. Of course there are loads of settings and supplements from magical cowboys, Deadlands, to Swashbuckling adventurers, 50 Fathoms. 

With most games I am recommending here, I do so because their mechanisms and setting combine together to create something unique. Savage is the only generic system I am recommending because it is focused on pulp and it shines in that genre. 

Buy Savage Worlds on DriveThruRPG

Play this if you want action focused shenanigans in a variety of worlds. 

Brindlewood Bay

Designed by Jason Cordova

Call of Cthulhu may be THE investigation game, but that hasn’t stopped others trying to take it on. Brindlewood Bay turns the investigative game on its head by asking “What if the GM didn’t know the answer either?” 

The characters are meddling widows in a Massachusetts town. These Maevens get themselves mixed up in solving murders. Players will gather clues and when they think they have enough will throw out their accusations and have a denouement like any good Agatha Christie story would have. It’s Miss Marple meets Hellboy. To complicate matters a cult is trying to summon their dark lord.

The way Brindlewood does this is to combine a light PBTA system with some of its own innovations. The main one is to have a list of clues that the GM can throw out when the Maevens look for them. The clues are not tied to locations and can be interpreted. So for instance ‘A secret affair’ could be found in a diary, overheard on the phone, or have evidence strewn around a bedroom. It gives you the tools you need to make your mystery shine. 

Its unique take on the mystery genre has given it some influence. Carved from Brindlewood Bay (CfB) include The Between, Victorian monster investigations, and Public Access, looking into a mysterious TV channel that disappeared. 

Buy Brindlewood Bay on DriveThruRPG

Play this if you want an investigation game without the burden being on the GM. 

 

Agon

Designed by John Harper and Sean Nittner

Agon is a masterclass in giving you just enough to create awesome stories. Waylaid by the Greek Gods on the way home from ‘The War’ you land on mysterious islands to solve their strife. Every island is like an episode of a TV show, and the scripts are provided by the game.

Crucially this game bakes in a short campaign structure. You can bring it to a satisfying conclusion in about 6-8 sessions. Many RPGs set up a campaign as a sprawling years-long endeavour, it is refreshing to have something so considerate of your time. 

Agon is a system that has had quite a bit of influence. While not as widespread as PBTA or FITD, you may come across games run by the Paragon system.  

Buy Agon on DriveThruRPG

Play this if you want tight, episodic content, dripping with Greek tragedy. 

 

Free League Publishing

(various designers)

Free League (Fria Lagan) is a Swedish publisher who have been on the rise recently. Their core ‘Year Zero’ system was first seen in Mutant Year Zero, a game about surviving in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Why am I mentioning a whole publisher rather than a game here? Franchises. 

Free League excels at bringing franchises to the table. Alien, Blade Runner, and Lord of the Rings have all had the Free League treatment to great success. They also have their own games like Vaesen, Swedish monster hunters, and Tales from the Loop, nosey kids in a Sweden that never was.  Their production is top notch and they provide great starter sets for their games. 

Buy Mutant: Year Zero on DriveThruRPG

Play Free League games if you are looking to dive into worlds you have seen on screen!

The RPG scene has never been healthier or more diverse. The games will delight, frighten, and surprise you. All you need to do is venture out to see what you can find. 

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