As someone who’s helped make a tabletop game, and someone who has run not only said game but others, I can confidently say I have some experience with them. Certainly, it pales in comparison to those of my friends who have been playing these games long before I knew what they were. However, some things in the tabletop field don't take forever to become readily apparent. It just takes a willingness to open your eyes or perhaps take a stroll online to see what’s out there.

The point I’m getting at is this: tabletop games have an issue. More specifically, one tabletop game has an issue. Dungeons and Dragons is often like a weed (albeit a very alluring one at first) that chokes out the rest of the ecosystem. As someone who’s been in that ecosystem, let me say that many of people are missing out.

I trust that if you’re reading this, you’ve played a tabletop game. If not, you’re at least familiar with them. If you play something other than D&D, then let this be an introduction to some other wonderful games to try out. If you don’t, let this be an excuse to finally branch out. Especially as of late, D&D has been heavily monetized. It’s turned into a project with less love of the game and more love of making an extra dollar through new covers, barely changed editions, and preorders of all things, as if it’s some AAA game (which many have their own issues).

Either way, there are plenty of systems out there that allow you to play in settings that D&D could never hope to accomplish so innately, nor as simply or with as much clarity.

SO WHAT TO PLAY INSTEAD?

TRIANGLE AGENCY.

My current favorite has been a game called Triangle Agency. I’m setting up a game for it at current with some friends, but I’ve watched some other people play through it. It’s rather easy to pick up, which makes it all the easier to get new people to play it. No, you don’t have to do copious amounts of reading. Reading the manual shouldn’t be a pain to do anyway- Triangle Agency, despite being on the longer side, makes sure of this with one of the most visually stunning books I’ve ever seen.

It riffs on SCP, on that job you hated, water cooler talk, and weird science fiction. You play as a person with an entity inside of you; it’s something that manifests through the thoughts of many people, a collective will given purpose and life. To not be captured yourself, you work for Triangle Agency. They make sure your anomaly never gets out of control, and you capture other anomalies for them in return. A win-win, if you don’t think hard about the fact you’re stuck with this job.

Triangle Agency is horror themed by nature, but the level of the horror varies widely. You can play something as simple as forcing your players to be lost in a train station because everyone hates them, or as horrific as people being mutilated. It meets people where their tolerance is at. The same thing allows for a wide variety of settings and scenes.

Also, you only ever roll 6d4. That’s it. No modifiers, no different dice. It’s 6d4 all the way down, and you’re hoping to strike gold (rolling several 3’s). 

In short, you get to play a character who’s thrown into the deep end of dealing with the strange things threatening reality. You decide how you deal with it, if you deal with it, and what you do when you’re finally off the clock. It’s good fun, and I can’t recommend it enough.

DEFINITELY WIZARDS.

Definitely Wizards is a much lighter game. You’re someone other than a wizard, about to take your wizard practical exam so you can use your magic more freely. This game is lighter than Triangle Agency, both in mechanics and tone. You roll even less dice- only a singular d6. If you have more to spare, I recommend giving everyone two others. I use these to track the two stats in the game. 

As for the game itself, the nature is so whimsical that you’ll often have people parading around and using their strange powers to think outside the box so they’re not caught. I’ve had someone play a magician who put out a fire with one of those flowers that squirt water- except this time it shot out a whole flood. I’ve had people send their familiars out to find things while playing poker on the ground. Someone’s called up god to ask for yet another shield, and been told in return that he’ll do it only if he makes some good posts to promote him on social media. 

This is not a serious game, and it’s best this way. The game also constantly inspires people to change things up, because using wizard or natural spells too much runs the risk of getting caught. It’s easy to take on the go and can be printed on a single piece of paper. It can be run in an hour or two as well, making it perfect for a hangout with nothing to do.

BREAK ROOM.

Break Room is a game actually in a collection from The Ultra Micro-RPG Book. I like this one in particular because it’s also short and causes some good chaos at the table. You only need some strips of paper, a place to put them all in, and a timer of some sort.

You all work in the same workplace as employees, and someone gets to go home that day. Naturally, you all want to be the guy to get out of here. You have to do it by any means necessary. Throw others under the bus, talk about how you’ve been traumatized, or show yourself off. Last time I played, someone was wailing that her horse got run over and she had to go back to bring her to the hospital.

As you can see, this is also a deeply unserious game.

Each round, people have time to state their cases. At the end, people take a vote on who deserves to go home most. Rounds continue, time getting progressively shorter until people only have the time to shout a few words. The final tally of collective votes is taken, and the boss finally sends home the worthiest employee.

It’s also good for being played in under an hour. You could perhaps even squeeze it into half an hour once you’re familiar with the game. It’s also good for on the go, and unlike the other games can be played with things you probably have around no matter where you are.

I WANT MORE GAMES

If I kept giving recommendations though, we’d be here all day. Itch.io has some fantastic TTRPGs that come out all the time. You can usually grab a bunch in a bundle, and support a good cause while you do. You can also look around on social media, or ask a friend. But either way, please treat yourself to something new.