The Best Tabletop RPGs That Aren’t D&D
Love D&D but want something new? The best tabletop RPGs that aren't D&D, from cosmic horror and sci-fi to heists, plus which one suits your group.
Dungeons & Dragons is the giant of tabletop role-playing, and for good reason. But it’s not the only game in town, and it’s not always the right one. D&D is built around combat and dungeon-crawling heroes. If your group wants to investigate a cosmic horror, pull off a heist, survive on a haunted spaceship or play a cosy, low-stakes adventure, there’s a game made exactly for that.
Trying a new RPG is also one of the best things you can do for your D&D game. You’ll pick up ideas, see different ways to run a table, and maybe find your group’s new favourite. Here are the best tabletop RPGs that aren’t D&D.
Our group tried Call of Cthulhu for a Halloween one-shot, expecting a bit of spooky fun. What surprised everyone was how different it felt from D&D: nobody wanted to fight anything, everyone was terrified of the dice, and Rook’s investigator ended the night hiding in a wardrobe. We played again the following week.
Call of Cthulhu
Genre: Cosmic horror investigation · Publisher: Chaosium
The classic horror RPG, first published in 1981. You play ordinary people (professors, journalists, private eyes) in the 1920s who stumble onto things humanity was not meant to know. Combat is deadly, your characters lose their sanity as they uncover the truth, and the best ending is often just escaping alive.
It’s the perfect contrast to D&D: you’re not heroes, and the fun is in the slow dread of an investigation. The rules are percentile-based (roll under your skill on a d100), simple to learn, and the published adventures are some of the best in the hobby.
Where to get it: Chaosium
Blades in the Dark
Genre: Heists in a haunted industrial city · Publisher: One Seven Design
You play a crew of scoundrels in Doskvol, a dark, ghost-haunted city, carrying out heists and building your criminal empire. The genius of Blades is that there’s no planning phase: you jump straight into the job, and “flashbacks” let you reveal the clever preparation your character did all along.
It’s a “narrative-first” game, so the rules support storytelling more than tactics, and it has inspired a whole family of games using its system (called “Forged in the Dark”). If you love heist films, this is your game.
Where to get it: Evil Hat
Mothership
Genre: Sci-fi horror · Publisher: Tuesday Knight Games
Think Alien: blue-collar workers in space, a distress signal, something wrong on the derelict ship. Mothership is a lean, fast survival-horror game where characters are fragile and panic is a real mechanic. The first edition box set makes it easy to start, and the game has a huge library of short, punchy adventures made by fans and small creators.
Where to get it: Tuesday Knight Games
Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Personal horror, politics · Publisher: Renegade Game Studios (fifth edition)
You play vampires secretly living among humans in a modern city, caught in the politics of ancient vampire clans and struggling not to give in to the Beast inside. Vampire is about drama, intrigue and moral choices more than combat. It’s great for groups that love roleplay and long, scheming campaigns.
Pathfinder (Second Edition)
Genre: Fantasy · Publisher: Paizo
If you like D&D but want more tactical depth and more character options, Pathfinder is the obvious next step. It grew out of D&D’s 3.5 edition, and its second edition (now in its “Remaster” version) has a clear three-action turn system that many players find more satisfying than D&D’s. The rules are freely available online through Paizo’s open licence, so you can try it without buying anything.
Where to get it: Paizo
Daggerheart
Genre: Fantasy · Publisher: Darrington Press
From the team behind Critical Role, Daggerheart launched in 2025 as a fantasy RPG that leans more into storytelling than D&D does. It uses two twelve-sided dice, one for “Hope” and one for “Fear”: whichever rolls higher shifts the story in your favour or the GM’s. It comes in a box with cards for abilities and equipment, which makes it very approachable.
Where to get it: Daggerheart
Monster of the Week
Genre: Urban fantasy, monster hunting · Publisher: Evil Hat Productions
Play a team of monster hunters in the style of Buffy or Supernatural. Each session is usually one mystery with one monster to investigate and defeat. It uses the “Powered by the Apocalypse” system, which is simple and keeps things moving with roll results that often mean “you succeed, but there’s a complication”. Great for one-shots and episodic campaigns.
Where to get it: Evil Hat
Alien: The Roleplaying Game
Genre: Sci-fi horror · Publisher: Free League
The official game set in the Alien universe, and a beautifully made one. It has a clever stress mechanic: the more stressed your character is, the more dice you roll, but the higher the chance of panicking. It works well for both one-shot horror scenarios and longer campaigns. Free League also makes Dragonbane, a light, fun fantasy game if you want a different flavour of dungeon crawling.
Where to get it: Free League
Mörk Borg
Genre: Doom metal fantasy · Publisher: Free League (originally Stockholm Kartell)
A pitch-black, art-heavy fantasy RPG about a world that’s ending, and it’s going to end badly. The rulebook looks more like a metal album than a game manual, the rules fit on a few pages, and characters die often. It’s punk, it’s chaotic, and it’s a lot of fun for one-shots.
Where to get it: Mörk Borg
Honey Heist
Genre: Comedy · Publisher: Grant Howitt (free)
A one-page game where you’re bears pulling off a heist at a honey convention. Seriously. Each player has two stats, Bear and Criminal, and as one goes up the other goes down. It’s free, takes ten minutes to learn and is perfect for a silly night or a group of total beginners.
Where to get it: itch.io
Which RPG should you try?
| If your group likes… | Try |
|---|---|
| Horror and mysteries | Call of Cthulhu |
| Heists and clever plans | Blades in the Dark |
| Sci-fi horror, quick to start | Mothership or Alien RPG |
| Drama and politics | Vampire: The Masquerade |
| More tactical D&D | Pathfinder |
| Story-led fantasy | Daggerheart |
| Episodic monster-of-the-week fun | Monster of the Week |
| Chaotic one-shots | Mörk Borg or Honey Heist |
Tips for trying a new RPG
- Start with a one-shot. One session is enough to see if the group likes a game.
- Leave your D&D habits at the door. Many games reward different things, like running away, failing forward or spending resources aggressively.
- Read the GM section. Narrative games in particular explain how they’re meant to be run, and it’s different from D&D.
- Use the starter set if there is one. Many of these games have beginner boxes or free quickstart rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest tabletop RPG to learn?
Honey Heist and Monster of the Week are among the easiest. Mothership is also very quick to learn for a full game.
What’s a good RPG for horror?
Call of Cthulhu for investigation, Mothership or the Alien RPG for sci-fi horror, and Vampire: The Masquerade for personal, dramatic horror.
Is Pathfinder harder than D&D?
A little. Pathfinder has more rules and character options, but its three-action system is clear, and many players find it easier to understand than D&D once they’ve learned it.
New to the hobby altogether? Our How to Play D&D: A Complete Beginner’s Guide explains the basics that most of these games share.
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