Vote For The Most Anticipated RPG of 2023!

As we do every year, it's time to vote for the most anticipated tabletop roleplaying game of the coming year! Here is last year's Top 10 (spoiler: the winner was Free League's Blade Runner). Previous winners include 13th Age (2013), Star Wars Force & Destiny (2015), Rifts for Savage Worlds (2016), Trudvang Chronicles (2017), Vampire: the Masquerade 5th Edition (2018), Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (2019), Dune (2020 & 2021), and Twilight 2000 (2021), and Blade Runner (2022). What will be the most anticipated RPG of 2023?

Note: you need to be logged in to the site to vote.

UPDATE -- VOTING IS NOW OVER!

We took nominations. Now it's time to vote. What will be the most anticipated RPG of 2022? You can vote for up to 3 games. Voting will be open for 2 weeks, until January 3rd.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Why isn't my favourite game nominated? Did you nominate it?
• Why isn't my nomination on the list? Check the nomination thread. If you made a valid nomination (name, link) and it's not in the poll, let me know ASAP so I can add it. The most common reasons for a game's nomination being invalid is because it's already available. Check DTRPG and make sure you can't already buy it there.
• Did I make a mistake? Almost certainly. If you spot a game on the list which doesn't qualify (usually because it's already available!) let me know so I can remove it.
• How does a game qualify? It must have been nominated by you in the nomination thread with a valid formatted nomination, it must be a standalone tabletop RPG (not a setting, adventure, supplement, etc.), and it's projected release date to the general public (not just Kickstarter backers) should be in 2023.

 

[Morrus]

Voting closes later today folks!

 

[Marley117]

Pendragon 6th is being written via Greg Stafford’s guidance. It was his notes and his plan to release a 6th edition. He began work on it a decade ago. It will be his name on the credits.

Also, the lead now is Dave Larkins, who worked extensively with Greg Stanford previously. He has already written for Pendragon in the last edition. I am stoked for 6th.

 

[davewire]

Several of these were games I have backed on Kickstarter so it was a bit of a tough choice.

Dragonbane, aka Drakar och Demoner is a game that I have always been interested in seeing translated into English, and when Swedish gaming powerhouse Free League announced that they had obtained the rights to produce the latest edition and had plans to make it available in English, I jumped right on it. I know that it’s virtually a clone of Chaosium’s RuneQuest, but I am a long time fan of Chaosium and their skill based system and Free League has never disappointed in quality.

Paranoia is just fun. Everything about the game just screams cartoonish antics. I also really enjoy Mongoose’s work, especially on Traveller, as well as their previous editions of Paranoia. I’m definitely intrigued with what will be going into their next edition of the game.

Lastly, I had to give my vote to Pendragon 6e. As I previously mentioned, I am a big fan of Chaosium. I am also an avid fan of Arthurian lore. I have long awaited a chance to own a copy of Pendragon and very nearly picked up the 5th edition until Chaosium announced a 6th edition was in the works. Although it’s a game I don’t think that I’ll ever play, it’s a game I absolutely look forward to both as a resource and a testament to Greg Stafford’s legacy.

Runners up for me are Mothership 1e and DIE.

I remember getting the pdf for Mothership shortly after it was released. The game is exceptionally well thought out and perfectly laid out. The character sheet is intuitive and really requires no foreknowledge of the game to fill out as all of its instructions are right there and easy to follow. The game uses a similar d100 skill system to Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu with some tweaks and really works well with the tension and horror elements presented in the game. But all that is Tuesday Knight Games’ “Zero Edition”. The new 1st Edition looks to refine these elements and work out any kinks from the earlier edition. Plus, with crowdfunded assets, better production quality, and a new format presented in an old school box set, it should be a welcome update.

DIE hits a little closer to me for a very different reason. Based on the Image comic book by Keiron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, it asks what if you, as the player, suddenly got transported into the TTRPG you were playing and became your character. One part Jumanji, one part D&D, it has a different feel than other fantasy RPGs as you will also have to create your real world persona. (Feel free to play as yourself, but beware, you might just get sucked into the game!)
Keiron Gillen just might be my favorite modern comic book writer. I’ve been a fan of his since his run on Journey into Mystery for Marvel Comics which followed a young, reborn Loki as he attempted to save Asgard from the shadows whilst being treated with scorn and mistrust for the actions of his prior incarnation. Hey, Loki’s gonna Loki, am I right? I’ve since devoured the vast majority of his library of works including Young Avengers, Darth Vader, The Wicked + The Divine, and Phonogram. When I heard his follow up to WicDiv for Image would be a comic about gamers getting trapped in the RPG they played, I was all in. Additionally, Stephanie Hans’ artwork is beautiful and her talents will be lent to the upcoming RPG. Throughout the book, Gillen teased in the letters page that he had been playtesting an actual game based on the book and readers should be on the lookout. And sure enough, that game has come to fruition.

 

[Morrus]

Voting will close in about half an hour, end of business today UK time. Good luck to everybody!

 

[DarkCrisis]

I'm eagerly awaiting my Kickstarted edition of Avatar the Last Airbender RPG to come in.

From your list though, Monty Python and Walking Dead.

 

[Morrus]

Hmm. It appears that Brindlewood Bay is already available on DTRPG.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

Which would make it ineligible for the 2023 list.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Hmm. It appears that Brindlewood Bay is already available on DTRPG.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

Which would make it ineligible for the 2023 list.

That was one of my choices.. Ah well.

 

[Morrus]

Voting has closed, folks!

 

[Ogma01]

Pinebox Middle School (Pinnacle Entertainment) is not a standalone game. It is a setting supplement for Savage Worlds.

Pinebox Middle School | Pinnacle Entertainment Group

Rifts for Savage Worlds WON in 2016... It is also "not a standalone game."

 

[SteveC]

So I picked 13th Age v2, Gloomhaven, and Shadow of the Weird Wizard. The one that hasn't been talked about is Weird Wizard, which is something that I'm really excited about as a possible replacement as my go-to game for fantasy. I didn't back Shadow of the Demon Lord and really regret that due to the shear quantity of material: that was an insane Kickstarter! The talk is a March or April KS for Weird Wizard, which I'm really excited about.

The other one that sticks out to me is Gloomhaven: if they manage to make the non-combat parts as interesting as combat, that will be exceptional.

13th Age is another no-brainer: I ran two successful campaigns with it previously, and the play test looks really sharp too!

All in all, an exciting year for new games looks to be upon us.