Fantasy RPGs are a staple of the tabletop gaming hobby. Many of us started playing games about fantastical journeys through idyllic countrysides with elf and dwarf friends by our side. After many such quests, however, it’s normal to want to try something new. Perhaps you hope to find a game with more strategic combat or one that encourages deeper roleplay. Maybe you’re looking for an entirely new genre like sci-fi or horror.
It could also be that fantasy is still your favorite, but that you yearn for something with a more serious tone. A game where the monsters are actually deadly creatures of legend, or one where the more sinister implications of magic are explored. We’ve opened up our grimoires to conjure such games for your consideration. Whether you’re looking for dark settings, gritty combat rules, or meaningful consequences for characters who play with otherworldly power, something here is bound to jump out at you.
Die RPG
Imagine being sucked into a roleplaying game and getting legit superpowers. Don’t write this off as some anime isekai fantasy. Die RPG actually shares a story with a comic of the same name that explores what happens to a group of adults who get transported into their teenage TTRPG campaign. They are forced to endure the consequences of the chaotic choices they made as teens. Worse yet, the game can only be exited if the whole group agrees. So as you create a character in Die RPG, you face the same questions: Do you really want to live forever in a fantasy world? And who would you kill to get your wish?
The Witcher TRPG
As one of the biggest names in dark fantasy, The Witcher had to get a spot on this list. You know of Geralt’s trials from the novels, video games, and Netflix show, but the Witcher TTRPG puts you in the role of tortured monster hunter. The tabletop game takes place during the Third Nilfgaardian War and saw design input from CD Projekt Red, so you expect to see familiar locations and monsters from The Witcher 3. You’ll also find a brutal combat system where dismemberment is a real possibility.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
If you know Warhammer lore, you know what’s coming in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Magic is an almost surefire path to corruption or being branded a witch. And before you can even battle the world-threatening Chaos, you are likely to fall prey to plots within the supposedly safe cities. The characters you play? You are not wizards or knights at the start. You’re more likely to start as a random villager or lawyer. Survive long enough and perhaps you can gain the power to make a difference in this world. But this is Warhammer combat, so be prepared for one bad d100 roll to end your career for good.
City Of Mist
Here’s a modern fantasy RPG with an idea you may have heard before: figures of mythology are real. Not only are legendary heroes and monsters real, they get reborn inside of random people and grant them abilities. Your character could very well be a reincarnated Hercules with the strength to match. It turns out that the gods, themselves disguised as local influential people, want to use you to advance their centuries-old schemes. City of Mist lends itself well to noir-style detective stories where players try to figure out the hidden mythological conflicts underpinning city crimes.
Symbaroum
Your civilization has fallen, and now your people must rebuild in a new land. You’ve relocated on the border of a vast and mysterious forest that has been found to harbor an abundance of resources. There’s ancient treasure there, too, but plundering the long-hidden ruins runs the risk of awakening untold horrors. Symbaroum has a setting that’s dark not because of violence, but because of the ominous mystery of it all. The game follows familiar d20 rules but also offers plenty of optional add-ons to tailor the experience to your table’s type of dark fantasy.
Mork Borg
The world is ending, everyone sucks, and your party pulls up to some sick guitar riffs. Mork Bork brings all the flavor of a heavy metal, post-apocalyptic, fever dream adventure to your table. Player creation is simple and the goal is even simpler: go into dungeons, fight stuff, and get loot. The rules are very straightforward to the point of being oversimplified and player characters will die a lot. But if you’re looking for a fun time with pizza and beer for one-shot night, you need Mork Borg in your life.
Inevitable: A Doomed Arthurian Western RPG
Take an Aurthian kingdom of myth and age it up a few centuries. Now, in the age of guns, the prophets have foretold the end. Your party plays as cowboy knights (the most radical thing ever) on a quest to stop the apocalypse. But as the name of the game implies, the end of the world is Inevitable. This downer ending is already a qualifier for dark fantasy, but the game also features stellar art that further emphasizes the grim nature of the lands you’re trying to preserve.
Hunter: The Reckoning
Back to the modern day, in a world where vampires and such are very real and need to be dealt with. You take on the role of a monster hunter, one of the few brave souls who stand against the things that go bump in the night. Yet these creatures have infiltrated society on a deep level and wield much influence to aid their cause. You’ll need to sacrifice a lot to take the fight to the enemy. Or you can also play as the enemy in Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, which exist in the same universe as Hunter: The Reckoning.
