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Developers continue to explore new avenues while showing that when it comes to table-top role-play games anything is possible. There are dozens of new variants on existing franchises and new mechanics and worlds to explore. Spanning across every genre from cyberpunk to high fantasy. There are even systems that can be played solo or without a guide. The genre is rapidly growing and the next few years of gameplay have a lot in store.
Updated March 9, 2022 by Camisha Pisenti: There are always plenty of options for fans of table-top RPGs to choose from. While Dungeons & Dragons is a well-known system, it’s far from the only option available. Video game and television franchises are beginning to create table-top versions of the worlds fans love. In addition, there are many independent developers in the table-top space that are creating their own systems. This article has been updated with several upcoming TTRPGs set to release in 2022.
12 So You’re in a Tavern
Release Date: February 8th, 2022
So You’re in a Tavern is a table-top RPG about telling outrageous stories that may not always be true. The game operates using a deck of playing cards and a few tokens, to help tell the tales and determine the final winner.
Once a player begins telling their own outrageous story, the other players make wagers to change the contents of the story. The storyteller can choose to accept and incorporate the change or deny it wagering their own token. So You’re in a Tavern can be played as a standalone game or used as a rumor mill for an ongoing campaign in other systems. The game is available on itch.io.
11 Trials of Melodosia
Release Date: February 5th, 2022
Trials of Melodosia is a table-top RPG for two to six people, based around the concept of “Oops! All Warlocks,” Music Divas, and singing competitions. Players will participate in a cooperative competition to become the next Divas.
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Players who enjoy the musical works of Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Beyonce, Selena, and more will find that these singers are patrons in the world. In fact, there are fifteen patrons, each with their own unique ways to offer assistance. Rather than combat, Trails of Melodosia uses musical elements such as range, soul, power, and rhythm, which the characters must master.
10 Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent
Expected Release Date: March 2022
Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent is a campaign setting that uses the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition ruleset developed by Chris Metzen and Warchief Gaming. Players will explore the world of Lawbrand, which hosts eight cities, plenty of enemies, and the power of the Auroboros. Lawbrand is based around the roleplaying campaign that Metzen ran during the 1980s and 90s, before working on titles such as Warcraft and StarCraft.
The world of Lawbrand features over 100 pages of lore, five new races, four subclasses, and plenty of new spells. Players who take on the mark of the serpent will be able to wield unimaginable power, which comes at a cost. The Mark is a game system that offers a unique experience for a TTRPG setting, the more its power is used to more dangerous the side effects become. Players looking to up the stakes of their campaigns while exploring a unique world will want to check out Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent on Kickstarter.
9 Necrobiotic
Expected Release Date: March 2022
In a world where birth rates continue to sink, death is spiraling out of control, and humanity’s survival relies solely on the use of the animated bodies of their loved ones, players become survivors in Necrobiotic. This title is being developed by the Penny for a Tale team including Mitchell Wallace, Samantha Davis, Mr. Smith, Valerio Amadei, and Andrea Marmugi.
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This dystopian table-top RPG takes players through a world of emotions. The system is based on deck-building mechanics using standard playing cards, with the option to use tarot cards. The gameplay mechanics push players to roleplay and highlight each other’s specialties. Players can choose between multiple backgrounds, from architect to technosophist.
8 DARK SOULS: The Roleplaying Game
Release Date: May 16, 2022
Fans of the Dark Souls franchise will want to keep an eye out for the table-top version of the game. Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game, uses the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons system. The roleplaying game also introduces unique Dark Souls mechanics, such as position which allows characters and creatures to spend HP on incredible feats. These feats come with their own drawbacks, as they put players closer to death’s door.
Much like the video game, death will be a common factor in the RPG; however, players will have the chance to rise again and again. Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game rewards willpower and perseverance.
7 Coyote and Crow
Release Date : May 2022
Coyote and Crow is a sci-fi and fantasy tabletop role-playing game. The game takes place in a First Nations alternate future, where colonialism never came to the Americas. This shift in the timeline allowed the Indigenous peoples of the Americas to forge their own paths.
In Coyote and Crow, technology and spirituality co-exist with one another. Humans have also been given a gift that enables them to use superhuman abilities. Coyote and Crow lets players explore a world where old treaties may be tested, grudges can be renewed, and distant continents have yet to be explored.
6 Once More Into The Void
Expected Release Date: Spring 2022
Table-top players who are fans of franchises such as Mass Effect and Star Trek: Picard will enjoy Once More Into The Void. In this science fiction RPG, players will bring their team back together for one final job. The game is made up of a collection of mini-games, that guide players through a scene or multiple scenes. Each mini-game gives players a chance to roleplay their characters and explore the emotions and drives of the characters.
A campaign can be run completely on the fly, even without a game moderator. Players can complete the story in one to four sessions, depending on their preferences. The team behind Once More Into The Void includes Jamila Nedjadi, Jason Pitre, Adrien(ne) Valdes, Camille Chua, Christopher Rothwell, and Avery Alder.
5 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
Expected Release Date: Summer 2022
Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra and table-top RPGs have a lot to be excited about. Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game will allow players to return to the world of the Avatar franchise and become the heroes of the story.
There are a variety of things to do in the world, from protecting merchants from the Triple Threat Triad in Republic City to rescuing a child from the Spirit World. Avatar Legends: The RPG also includes playbooks that represent each character archetype from the television shows.
4 Hoplomachus: Victorum
Expected Release Date: March 2022
Players looking for a Table-top RPG experience that offers a single-player option will want to look into Hoplomachus: Victorum. Victorum offers an easy-to-learn but complex-to-master set of gameplay mechanics. Players begin by selecting a hero to take on the role of while navigating a world full of gladiatorial arenas. Taking place in the year 79 AD, after mankind’s desperate attempt to keep Mt. Vesuvius from erupting, heroes must now defeat Pluto’s greatest champions.
Over the next four play sessions, players will build their heroes’ stats and skills while also improving their team of gladiators’ stats. As they travel around eight regions players will encounter multiple event types, to test their skills. Hoplomachus: Victorum is being developed by Chip Theory Games, and has a page on Kickstarter.
3 Ironsworn: Starforged
Expected Release Date: March 2022
A standalone follow-up to the Ironsworn table-top RPG, Ironsworn: Starforged builds on the award-winning innovations of the original. The game offers three types of play from solo, cooperative, and guided. Players will journey through their new home, the Forge, and traverse opportunity and peril.
Conflicts between individuals and factions have just as much impact as environmental conflicts. In addition to the core rulebook, the game will include a deck of asset cards that become vital for character development. Assets represent a character’s background, skills, traits, resources, and companions.
Starforged is developed by Shawn Tomkin, the original creator of Ironsworn in collaboration with Absolute table-top and a team of artists, writers, and consultants. Upon the completion of the Kickstarter campaign, all backers will immediately receive the digital preview version of the game.
2 Into the Mother Lands
Expected Release Date: September 2022
Recently launched on Kickstarter, Into the Mother Lands is an Afrofuturist sci-fi journey on an interstellar plane. The gameplay focuses on culture, skills, and values encouraging players to build characters whose abilities are built around what they’re good at and who they care about. Fans of franchises such as Star Trek and Wakanda will want to keep Into the Mother Lands on their radar. Players will land in Musalia 1500 years in the future where they can begin to make their own paths.
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The RPG’s sourcebook will feature a variety of unique worlds to explore, several futuristic professions - including pilots and combat medics - as well as multiple cultures. Players can even see the system in action live on Twitch, and catch up on the adventure on YouTube. Into the Mother Lands is developed by an all-Person of Color team featuring Tanya Depass, B. Dave Walters, Gabe Hicks, Jasmine Bhullar, Eugenio Vargas, and Vanessa B. The game was also fully funded on Kickstarter by eager fans within ninety minutes of its launch.
Into the Mother Lands is still quite far away, but the complete book should be available by September 2022.
1 The Wagadu Chronicles
Expected Release Date: December 2022
Table-top fans looking to explore an Afrofantasy setting that doubles as an MMORPG and table-top 5E compatible system should look into The Wagadu Chronicles’ Kickstarter. While the game is more of a hybrid between table-top and online play, the table-top materials act as a crucial element when showcasing the lore to a deeper extent. Twin Drums is the team behind the game and has stated that community-generated content that focuses solely on the table-top side of the game will eventually impact the MMO as well.
The world of Wagadu is home to a variety of people who have fallen into this world and must now fight to adapt and survive. Players who journey into the world will be met with many unique cultures and lineages rather than the standard races and classes mechanic. A vast majority of the lore elements in the game are inspired by actual experiences, with the help of African biologists and elders, to make the world more authentic.
Every Video Game Coming Out In 2021 (And Beyond)
There is naturally quite a bit of overlap between table-top and digital RPGs, with the former influencing the latter in many ways. While counting the days until the release of a new board game, people can turn to their PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC to pass the time, and 2021 is absolutely packed with upcoming releases. For a complete calendar of every AAA and indie game coming out on these systems, please check out the below articles:
Every Video Game Release Coming Soon For PS5 And PS4 Every Video Game Release Coming Soon For Xbox Series X|S And Xbox One Every Video Game Release Coming Soon For Nintendo Switch Every Video Game Release Coming Soon For PC
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