Saturday, June 27 is Free RPG Day 2026, presented by your participating friendly local gaming stores. The tabletop roleplaying holiday offers free samples of games and, often, chances to join a game at your store. In the last article, I discussed what Free RPG Day is, how to get these freebies, and looked at a sampling of the d20-centric offerings. For this article, we’ll look at those RPGs that aren’t powered by the concepts of Dungeons & Dragons’ gaming engine. Here’s a sampling of what free booklets will be available at your local gaming store.
WHAT’S FREE AND AVAILABLE, YET NOT D20-CENTRIC IN 2026?
Famous properties on offer. This year, there are 40 free games and adventures to try out on June 27 (listed here). If you’re less versed in tabletop roleplaying games, let’s talk about some options that may inspire you to take up the dice and game because they’re the RPG is based on a popular property.
The Cosmere RPG: Law and Obligation from Brotherwise Games (link)
The Secret Wars Expansion Preview from Marvel Comics (link)
Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying Quickstart from Free League Publishing (link)
Powered by the Apocalypse offerings. Involving playbooks, 2d6, and moves, let’s talk about one of the most popular indy TTRPG systems, Powered by the Apocalypse, and the free offerings rooted in this system.
Quickstart Adventure Bundle from Magpie Games (link)
Legend in the Mist from Son of Oak (link)
KAGUYA PROTOCOL from Mythworks (link)
New, original offerings. In addition to all of the “known” TTRPGs, there are a number of brand new quickstarts that introduce upcoming games.
The Age of Vikings Quickstart from Chaosium (link)
Wizard Riders from Catalyst Game Labs (link)
Fossilized Violence from R Talsorian Games (link)
Other offerings. There are more non-d20-centric free options that I didn’t cover, but are worth picking up at your friendly local game store on Free RPG Day 2026 (Saturday, June 27).
ROLL THE DICE ON SOME NEW GAMES!
If you want to check out new tabletop roleplaying games, look up what Free RPG Day 2026 events are happening on Saturday, June 27. Check this link to see if your friendly local game store is participating here. Have fun slinging dice in a new, free adventure.
Egg Embry does not use AI in any of his writing. He participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon. If you like the articles at EN World please consider supporting the Patreon.
Famous properties on offer. This year, there are 40 free games and adventures to try out on June 27 (listed here). If you’re less versed in tabletop roleplaying games, let’s talk about some options that may inspire you to take up the dice and game because they’re the RPG is based on a popular property.
- TYPE: Adventure
- SYSTEM: Cosmere® Roleplaying Game
- Brandon Sanderson’s The Cosmere RPG brings The Stormlight Archive and the Mistborn series together in a single TTRPG. In 2024, the Kickstarter for the RPG generated the highest-grossing TTRPG crowdfunding campaign to-date with over 50,000 backers/gamers. To get Sanderson fans to the gaming table, this one-shot is designed to introduce players to the Stormlight campaign setting. If you are a fan of Sanderson’s vast shared universe of novels, this adventure awaits at a participating friendly local game store.
- TYPE: Adventure
- SYSTEM: 616 System
- What’s the best known fictional world? Likely, any list of well-known fiction is going to include Marvel’s universe. This preview offers a lot of content: Secret Wars stories, a Battleworld adventure, 16 pages of story, a map, and links to the pregenerated characters plus a quickstart guide. This book is perfect for Marvel fans that want to try roleplaying.
- TYPE: Quickstart
- SYSTEM: Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying
- When it comes to horror TTRPGs, Vaesen is a major award winner: three ENNIE Awards in 2021 for the core rulebook, two ENNIE Awards in 2023 for the Mythic Britain & Ireland expansion, and one for Vaesen: Seasons of Mystery adventure. Do you want to try out Nordic horror set in the late 1800s? This booklet is a quickstart with rules, pregenerated characters, and an original one-shot adventure titled “The Archivist’s Curse.”
Powered by the Apocalypse offerings. Involving playbooks, 2d6, and moves, let’s talk about one of the most popular indy TTRPG systems, Powered by the Apocalypse, and the free offerings rooted in this system.
- TYPE: Quickstart adventures
- SYSTEM: Avatar Legends and Root RPG (Powered by the Apocalypse variants)
- Above, I looked at popular properties, and these books fit that description. This bundle offers six quickstart adventures for Avatar Legends and Root RPG. Based on the popular animated series, Avatar Legends is among the top three highest-grossing TTRPG crowdfundings to-date. Root RPG converts Leder Games’ Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right board game into a roleplaying game while retaining Kyle Ferrin’s whimsical cartooning style. For Avatar, there is one era and one of the Four Nations per book, so you’ll get a lot of history with these adventures. Root offers unique clearings (settings) to try out the game in. If you’re looking for an introduction to these worlds or Powered by the Apocalypse, this may be the right fit for you.
- TYPE: Quickstart
- SYSTEM: Legend in the Mist (Powered by the Apocalypse variant)
- The Mist version of Powered by the Apocalypse manages something that I haven’t experienced since Palladium’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness, making character creation the most fun element of the game. Not to slight the rest of the system, but character creation and character evolution are central to this system. Son of Oak redefines Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics by removing playbooks and embracing language instead of math, character traits as story elements, and the ability to evolve your character through their actions, not their XP. This quickstart promises rustic fantasy, which allows you to sample the system and world. If you like it, you’ll want to try out the full RPG to test drive their character creation options.
- TYPE: Adventure
- SYSTEM: CBR+PNK (Forged in the Dark variant)
- CBR+PNK is a cyberpunk TTRPG about punks on a final run. Full of action, the game is laid out as a few one-page pamphlets. CBR+PNK is an ENNIE Award winner (2024 Silver winner for Best Layout and Design) as well as additional awards. This scenario combines this game with a tease for the upcoming TTRPG, ONIGAMI, which focuses on “shinobi, monsters and wicked powers by Emanoel Melo and Luigi Calistrato.” The creator behind CBR+PNK and one of the top scenario writes for the RPG are combining forces to create something new and this is your first opportunity to preview ONIGAMI while playing CBR+PNK.
New, original offerings. In addition to all of the “known” TTRPGs, there are a number of brand new quickstarts that introduce upcoming games.
- TYPE: Quickstart
- SYSTEM: Basic Roleplaying system (d100)
- Chaosium is bringing a quickstart for their The Age of Vikings TTRPG. In The Age of Vikings, you’re seeking adventure in Iceland, a land without kings or queens. Explore the sagas using the d100 Basic Roleplaying system complete with a short rules explanation, four pregenerated characters, and an adventure.
- TYPE: Quickstart
- SYSTEM: Unknown
- Catalyst Game Labs, the company behind Shadowrun and Battletech, is debuting a new TTRPG for Free RPG Day 2026, Wizard Riders. A ravaged planet, motorcycles, and wizards rule the roads of the far future. This quickstart introduces the setting and rules to gamers, which makes this a book to seek out.
- TYPE: Quickstart
- SYSTEM: An original system
- The company behind Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk RED brings you the opposite of near-future neon punks: cavemen. In Fossilized Violence, you’ll face evolving dinosaurs in a world of violence and starvation. Fight dinosaurs and neanderthals, and hope to live long enough to become an elder. If this project interests you, you can get an advance look at the game via DriveThruRPG with the free Fossilized Violence Quickstart #1.
Other offerings. There are more non-d20-centric free options that I didn’t cover, but are worth picking up at your friendly local game store on Free RPG Day 2026 (Saturday, June 27).
- Tradition of Destruction from Renegade Game Studios (link) for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition Roleplaying Game
- Daggerheart: The Dying Spire from Darrington Press (link) for Daggerheart
- Zombicide: Plaguebearer RPG from Edge Studio (link) of the TTRPG of the same name
- Dungeons & Kittens: An Afternoon Outing from Edge Studio (link) of the TTRPG of the same name
- Arkham Horror RPG: Three Days to the Big Easy quickstart adventure from Edge Studio (link) of the TTRPG of the same name
- Level 1 Free RPG Day indie RPG Anthology from 9th Level Games (link) for a variety of indy systems, with this one themed around stand-up like comedy
- Home: House of Broken Promises from Wet Ink Games (link) for an original system
- QRAWL from 9th Level Games, sponsored by Paizo for an in-store experience
- No Place Like Homebrew sampler from Roll and Play Press (link), designed to be system neutral
- The Story Engine: Lore Master’s Deck from Story Engine Deck (link), designed to be system neutral
- End of Session from Sirius Dice for an unknown system
- Free RPG Day 20th Anniversary Pencil
ROLL THE DICE ON SOME NEW GAMES!
If you want to check out new tabletop roleplaying games, look up what Free RPG Day 2026 events are happening on Saturday, June 27. Check this link to see if your friendly local game store is participating here. Have fun slinging dice in a new, free adventure.
Egg Embry does not use AI in any of his writing. He participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon. If you like the articles at EN World please consider supporting the Patreon.
