JRPG is a notoriously difficult and occasionally offensive genre to pin down. Though the term was originally an acronym for “Japanese Roleplaying Game,” meant to delineate between American exploration-centric computer RPGs and the flashy turn-based console RPGs often produced by Japanese game studios, the enormous swath of media that the term now encompasses isn’t easily constrained to a core set of rules or narrative conceits.

Long ago, the world of Avatar was limited to D&D homebrews. Then, everything changed, when Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game was released. Only the Game Master, master of the Powered by the Apocalypse system, could run it. But when the players needed him most, he vanished.

It all began with Vincent and Meguey Baker’s Apocalypse World, a roleplaying game set in a Mad Max-style apocalyptic wasteland that casts players as survivors trying to build a life amidst scarcity, external and internal threats, and a mysterious force known as the world’s psychic maelstrom. Released in 2010, it received critical and popular acclaim, numerous awards, and was hailed as an innovative leap forward for independent roleplaying game design. But Apocalypse World’s legacy lies in its open invitation to other designers to publish games inspired by it.

You step out of the ornithopter. The sun immediately warms your face. Sand lightly pelts your skin on any areas not covered. You could be here for any reason: A member of house Atreides (a family of well meaning strong proud folk) , an emissary from House Harkonnen (fighters and scoundrels), a spy from an unknown House, a representative of the Bene Gesserit (seers). Your reasons are yours. Your skills have not let you down. You pat your trusty knife and turn silently to your comrades. With small nods and skills of their own you head toward the metal city of Arrakeen ready to meet your destiny.

Yielding extraordinary powers amid a mundane world is what most of us dreamed of as children. With Superman reimagined once again, your table might be ready for a Super Hero adventure. Different systems try to capture the unique aspects of the genre.

In March 2025, the Arcane Library Kickstarted an expansion to the OSR-style Shadowdark RPG which reached $1 million in 12 hours. As of this writing, the project has reached $1.7 million with 15 days remaining. This astounding success follows another $1 million Kickstarter campaign and a sweep of the 2024 Ennie Awards, when Shadowdark RPG won four awards including: Best Game, Best Design, Best Rules, and Best Layout.

Hunter: The Reckoning plunges players into a world where ordinary people become hunters—reluctant or fanatical warriors against the supernatural.

Let’s identify some of the best places (ranked most likely to least likely) to find the companions who will join you in your next Pokémon Tabletop United (PTU) adventure.