Dicebreaker plays Brindlewood Bay, a game of old ladies solving (sometimes paranormal) murder mysteries, with the designer Jason Cordova.

Grannies Vs. Cthulhu: Brindlewood Bay

Hero Squad plays through Ryuutama, a cozy, heartwarming, natural fantasy RPG about feeding stories to dragons who control the seasons.

Ryuutama: Roleplaying With Dragons

A cast of podcasters and comedians convenes to play Wanderhome, a game of traveling animal-folk searching for home.

Dreamstream: Wanderhome

It can, but it doesn't have to. Combat-light games de-center combat as a resolution mechanism, framing violence as a last resort or fail state rather than a readily available tool to players. That doesn't mean it won't occur, and you should talk to your game master about their expectations and yours.

Anything and everything else! Due to the shared history of tabletop RPGs and wargaming, combat occupies an outsized space in many traditional games. These days, more games that focus on social play, worldbuilding, narrative development, exploration, and investigation are bridging that gap. In combat-light games, you can expect more character- and world-focused stories, where action scenes are between characters and the environment, chase scenes, or scenarios where player characters are flatly outclassed in physical force.

What do players do in combat-light games?

If you're more interested in discovering relationships, narrative twists, truths about the world, and interacting socially with other characters and NPCs than in fighting battles, combat-light games might be for you! If you'd rather attend a masquerade ball, solve a mystery, meet and befriend a strange creature, or visit an exotic location than cross swords with an undead king, try a combat-light game.

Many games focus on the consequences of violence, as it's rarely a clean solution to problems. Others simply don't empower the player characters to commit violence, meaning facing monsters and other deadly threats is more of a puzzle than a fight; players need to figure out how to survive or escape rather than outright defeat a force stronger than them.

How do combat-light games discourage combat?

Combat-Light

“Combat-Light” games typically focus less on combat encounters and more on social play, storytelling, and exploration. Combat tends to be shorter, less frequent, resolved in a more narrative style, or absent altogether, while keeping the story as the primary focus.

Browse Combat-Light TTRPGs Explore one-shots, campaigns, and homebrew adventures run by expert GMs across Roll20, Foundry VTT, Discord & more. Find your perfect game on StartPlayingGames!

Combat-Light

Frequently asked questions about Combat-Light games

Does combat-light mean no combat?

What do players do in combat-light games?

Why should I play a combat-light game?

How do combat-light games discourage combat?

Combat-Light Reviews and Actual Plays

Dreamstream: Wanderhome

Grannies Vs. Cthulhu: Brindlewood Bay

Ryuutama: Roleplaying With Dragons

Find a Combat-Light group and Start Playing today!