I’m always looking for new TTRPGs. I have a lot of different game styles I like to run, but I’ve come to think of what I’m looking for for games that really jive with me. I like games that have a mixture of crunch and player agency – 13th Age is in many ways my ideal game. So, here are 5 games I’ve not played yet that I’m itching (no pun intended, although I think you can get most of these on itch.io as it happens) to get down!

For legibility, I’ve put the links in a group at the bottom of this post, rather than clutter them through the paragraphs – most of these have free samples / quickstarts, so check them out!

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His Majesty The Worm

This indie dungeon-crawler has loads to love in it. Systems for camping, dungeoneering, and combat revolve around a mixture of Tarot card draws and player prompts – with a flavourful implied setting and some great original ideas about the routines of play. For example, give the players a map – they can decide where they go on it, and you tell them what they find – such a good way to get them involved. There’s a whole process of play for when you go back to town, too. Honestly, I’ve not been this excited by a ten foot corridor since Torchbearer first came out – and if anything this looks more playable.

Cloud Empress

Look, Mothership isn’t for me. I can deal with the OSRish system, and just about get behind stat rolls and saves, but sci fi horror isn’t really my jam. I’ll play Alien, but it’s not a game I’m likely to ever run.

However, Cloud Empress takes the Mothership core system and brings it into a post-apoc science fantasy hexcrawl. There’s magic, there’s massive insects, there’s – chalk – a magic pollutant that you gather. And its range of adventure supplements offer more of this weird setting, in hexcrawl explorations. It’s not my usual game, but I’m itching to bring those massive cicadas to the table.

Fight With Spirit!

Genres that stand out always grab me – even if I’m not really into them yet. FWS is a game emulating sports anime – high school teams battling out, or even dual sports like boxing or MMA. It uses a mixture of cards, tokens, and player prompts, and I’m at the stage where I need to run it with some curious folks to try and get my head around it. I think it might be amazing. But I can’t parse it without playing (like so many games!)

Lancer

This is one of the most well-known recent indie games. Mech combat, using a crunchy hex-tile system, and the barest of systems for life outside of mechs. I loved Salvage Union, but this might offer a bit more crunch for what I’m after. I’d been searching round for a print copy for months before finding it at my local game store, and I grabbed it straight away.

Bludgeon

This game I’m hoping to get not just to the table, but to the Unconventional GMs channel. A high fantasy action game from a team of Indian designers, it looks just different enough to be really exciting – action stances, different kinds of magic that feel different, and a different cultural pattern to the western fantasy we can get jaded to. It reminds me of Gubat Banwa, and that is only a good thing. Expect to see it soon!

So, that’s my current “Must Play” list – alongside games I’ve played before, of course. What is grabbing you right now? What would you like to see featured on Unconventional GMs? Let me know in the comments!

Links:

His Majesty the Worm – game website

Cloud Empress – game website

Fight With Spirit! – storybrewers games website

Lancer – game page on itchBludgeon – game page on itch