Love the vibe of cosmic horror, but ready for a break from the familiar early 20th-century period melodrama? Cohors Cthulhu sends your role-playing group back to the 2nd-century Roman Empire, complete with all the trappings of imperial might and varied cultures colliding that you’d expect during that time period. But unlike in the real world, this is Known World beset by old and unknowable gods and the malign schemes of their followers. 

Cohors Cthulhu leverages Modiphius’ now well-established 2d20 game system to significant effect. After multiple successful games, the designers have hit their stride in adapting elements to new settings and situations. In brief, players apply both an attribute and any skill test, leading to a combined target number that the character must roll under. Success in your endeavors leads to Momentum, which can be used to add additional dice to a pool when you roll to get additional successes. In short, it’s intuitive, fun, and always helps your characters' unique features stand out in conflicts. 

The system nails a unique vibe by embracing the many historical cultures and locations at hand, and then asking the characters from those places to deal with the likes of magic and otherworldly terror. Even without the Lovecraftian elements, this is an excellent way to delve into an Imperial Roman story. Add in those elements of nascent horror, and it becomes something really special. 

Brandon Sanderson’s novels have felt overdue for the RPG treatment for some time; I’m confident many home gaming groups have likely house-ruled their own versions of his settings into familiar existing systems. Brotherwise Games has partnered with Sanderson to bring out an official game that embraces the broad scope of worlds in the author’s Cosmere. The first to get the complete treatment is this take on the Stormlight Archive, but we can expect more to follow. 

After a long wait to see how it all came together, the resulting system does a stellar job of capitalizing on the unique magic systems, lore, and factions that make the Stormlight books so compelling. You can take on the role of a Knight Radiant, partner with your own Spren, and do battle to halt the Desolation. For longtime fans, one of the biggest draws is the way the book offers in-canon exploration of the world of Roshar, fleshing out what you already gleaned from the novels. 

Mechanically, the Cosmere RPG keeps its core systems relatively close to RPG staples like d20 rolls to determine success, but layers in several additional elements that enrich the experience. The d6 Plot Die comes out to “raise the stakes” in clutch moments. Opportunities and Complications add nuance to the results of rolls. And, of course, your characters gain access to Surges just like the characters in the books, allowing them to complete remarkable feats that play with the fundamental forces of nature around them, which adds a ton of excitement. 

It's a rich and detailed system that should precisely fit the bill for anyone enamored of Sanderson’s fiction. While it might not be the first RPG stop if you’ve never engaged with those stories, it should be great fun for anyone who has longed to experience this world for themselves.

Less a game in its own right and instead an expansion of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons into a unique setting and style of play, the Crooked Moon garnered much well-deserved praise this year for its brilliant twist on expectation. At well over 600 pages in length, the massive book offers everything you might wish to discover to transport your D&D adventures into a world of folk horror. 

Avantris has taken a comprehensive approach to refreshing D&D, bringing its chilling twist to familiar fantasy archetypes. We get the chance to play monks who spread plague with their touch, jester warlocks, and Frankenstein-esque Barbarians. Instead of elves and dwarves, you can take on the role of scarecrow-like Harvestborn, fierce werewolf Curseborn, or ghoulish Graveborn. The Crooked Moon also layers in an innovative fateweaving system that aims to connect the main campaign narrative back to individual character backstories. 

While The Crooked Moon is a complete setting in its own right, the book also includes a huge 350-page adventure that takes full advantage of the quirks and oddities of the setting the designers have built. 

Many play groups are hesitant to abandon the familiarity of D&D rules, but are eager to try something that dramatically changes the surrounding trappings. That’s precisely what you get with The Crooked Moon, offering a thrilling excursion into stories of darkness and folklore. 

The Forgotten Realms has long been the default setting for D&D adventures, but it’s been some time since we had a dedicated release that expands and highlights the setting in its own right. Alongside its DM-targeted Adventures in Faerûn release, the new player-centric Heroes of Faerûn is a treasure trove of details to flesh out a character and campaign, notable for its smart organization, clean presentation, and top-tier fantasy art. 

Players get new subclasses, feats, and equipment. Lore enthusiasts can delve into the many deities of the Realms, learn about ancient, forgotten empires, and investigate wares and equipment unique to specific regions. And if you’re looking to really go down the well of a deep narrative dive, you can join (or do battle against) one of the many complex factions that have risen to prominence over the life of the setting, each detailed with extensive sections on bringing them into gameplay. 

We also get a slick new approach to group casting under the banner of circle magic, letting players work together to cast empowered spells that go beyond what any spellcaster can do alone, which can lead to some great role-playing moments. 

All in all, it’s a substantial addition to the game and a robust mix of options to follow up on last year’s revised Player’s Handbook. If you’re looking to tell epic tales with larger-than-life high-fantasy characters, there’s a reason the Forgotten Realms has maintained its primacy for so long.

One of the biggest stories in RPG circles this year has been the Critical Role team’s move to expand into an original game system that caters strongly to the narrative play style its streams are best known for modeling. After long anticipation, that system was released to the public this year. By most any measure, Daggerheart hits the mark, with some clever innovations that encourage thoughtful role-playing, fun character interactions, and exciting conflicts to play out at the table. 

The core of Daggerheart is built around an innovative system of Hope and Fear, manifesting as individual twelve-sided dice rolled during encounters. A higher roll on the Hope die provides future benefits for the player to leverage in upcoming situations, while a higher roll on the Fear die gives the GM tools to complicate the lives of the heroes. In essence, both Hope and Fear are currencies that may be spent to advance the game. This mechanical system also has obvious narrative consequences, helping everyone in the scene describe and advance what’s happening. Players will also sense an especially impactful difference as they progress through levels, as higher-tier play helps your characters really become beastly powerhouses that can mow through low-level foes. 

Daggerheart encourages many features to be handled in a freeform or more abstract way, from combat initiative to the acquisition of treasure. That seems very purposeful, putting the focus instead on big-picture character moments, memorable villain encounters, and inter-party dialogue. The game demands a high level of trust between the GM and players, and for that reason, I think it’s especially well-suited to experienced friend groups who have played together for a long time. If that’s you, Daggerheart is a really thrilling twist on expectation, and an impressive addition to the expanding world of RPG systems.

If your play group is especially interested in the tactical combat side of RPG play, Draw Steel is the new game you should be considering. While narrative depth and storytelling are certainly options, Draw Steel is chiefly a game focused on battles against monsters, and making that experience as rewarding as possible. 

Base-level characters in Draw Steel already feel like powerful heroes in their own right, ready to take on major challenges. The action is purposefully built around cinematic descriptions of epic throwdowns. The rules support that approach through a tiered understanding of outcomes based on the final value of your roll – each ability you use has flavorful and descriptive outcomes depending on where the numbers fall. In an interesting twist on expectations, players build power and capability over the course of a hard-fought battle (rather than diminish as they take damage), creating opportunities for big, flashy, heroic moments that turn the tide of a conflict.

As a game, Draw Steel requires the two-book set of Heroes and Villains. The Heroes book highlights everything players need, but the Director (GM) should also plan to snag a copy of Monsters to complete the set. It’s a game that pretty much demands a grid map, measuring distances, and all the other trappings of classic tactical table play. If those kinds of encounters are the place you see your table group come alive, give it a close look.

Whether you’re bringing someone new or younger into the RPG fold, or you’re just looking for something a bit lighter and more whimsical to bring to the table, Dungeons & Kittens is a stellar choice to consider. 

Dungeons & Kittens sees the party take on the role of kittens who have been exiled from the kingdom of cats, set in a post-apocalyptic world where nature has reclaimed the world after the disappearance of humans. Players collaborate to solve conflicts, confront challenges, and move through brief stories – full sessions can be as short as an hour. In case you’re still not grasping the tone at play here, the characters have access to spells of Meowgic. 

Character creation and skill checks are approachable and straightforward, and the overall system is extremely rules-light. In fact, the Starter Set itself is played chiefly through narrative-focused books that let the Storyteller (the GM) carry new players directly into the action with little prep. While there’s not enough meat on the bone here to support a lengthy campaign with your longtime gaming group, it is instead an incredibly inviting option if the players coming to join want a gentle and welcoming gateway into what makes RPGs so fun and funny. 

With an impressive legacy of RPG developers working hard on its creation, Exodus is one of the most anticipated video game RPGs on the horizon. But many may have missed that there’s already a tantalizing opportunity to dig into that universe through the available tabletop RPG. 

In most of the ways that matter, the Exodus TTRPG is a sci-fi D&D system, using the same base rules system, but with unique classes, gear, and other systems to introduce a fascinating universe set in humanity’s distant future. 

Players control a Traveler, hunting down lost remnants of ancient technology that will let you confront the Celestials – titanically powerful beings that are the distant, distant descendants of ancient humans, having evolved into something entirely new. As a core storytelling and gameplay mechanic, Exodus plays with the time-dilation effect inherent to fast travel across the stars, creating fascinating interactions for players to explore at the table. If you want to stick with familiar mechanics, but branch into a futuristic setting, while also getting a glimpse at this upcoming video game’s world, it’s worth tracking down the Traveler’s Handbook. 

Billing itself as a “Rustic Fantasy RPG,” Legend in the Mist casts players as ordinary villagers in a land of untamed wilderness and dangers lurking beyond the safety of your settlement, and the need to set forth and uncover the mysteries of what is happening in the world beyond the reach of local cookfires. 

The focus of play is narrative descriptors and situational shifts that affect the way any given conflict or situation might resolve. Dice rolls get modified by factors like whether it’s raining heavily, if you’re tired from a long journey, or if your character has an uncanny sense of direction. 

In play, everything feels like it’s aiming to be like a story told around the fire, with a strong collaborative focus between players and GM, and an in-built goal of layering a broader narrative with discrete character arcs that create dynamic growth over time for everyone. 

Legend in the Mist was released this year, but only in digital format; the physical book versions are due next year. But even digitally, the art and production values are through the roof, with an evocative and emotional character art style leading the way. If you’re looking for a departure into rich storytelling for your experienced group of role-players, this one is a winner.

After successfully transitioning to Pathfinder’s new edition in its fantasy game, Paizo has brought many of the same lessons over into its science fiction game. The new 2nd edition retains much of what made the original so compelling, but smooths over rough edges and simply makes the game more fun to sit down and play. 

The new Player Core book is a massive tome, offering more than 450 pages filled with great art and extensive play rules. Hundreds of pages and forum posts have been written about the distinctions between Paizo and Wizards of the Coast’s approach to rules design. But it’s enough to know that this new edition of Starfinder offers an exceptionally robust and flexible system that encourages experimentation, both in character creation and progression, and also in crafting adventures and campaigns on the GM side. 

The new Player Core book moves some things over into other releases, including starship combat, and not every class and race from the earlier edition is present in this first release. But if you’ve been waiting to try out this glorious mix of laser rifles and lightning bolt spells, this new edition is an easy recommendation.