Awesome Free Tabletop RPGs

A curated list of free and/or open source tabletop RPGs.

Emoji Symbols used in this list

💰 :moneybag: = commercial
✅ :white_check_mark: = recommended
🆓 :free: = commercial but with free license (possibly limited)

Table of Contents

Awesome Tabletop RPGs

Tabletop RPGs

Open source games

All the systems listed in this section are under open licenses, i.e. can be remixed, and often rehosted.

1w6 - a system based on d6 (GPL)
24xx - a small system that has spawned several hacks (CC)
6d6 - an awesome d6 system. their wiki, unfortunately, seems to be down (CC)
Aurora Engine - a d6 dicepool system that uses half dice (public domain)
Bivius - simple awesome solo game (CC)
Chronia - an awesome technofantasy game based on d6 pools (CC)
Commonsense - an awesome solo oracle, not to mention a list of all the simple ways to achieve weird dice (CC)
Crypts and Castles - an awesome simple 2d6 based game (CC)
d6 Pool - what it says on the tin (CC)
Demon Hunters and a Comedy of Terrors Beta - a FATE derivative that uses polyhedral dice (CC)
Eclipse Phase - a d100 sci-fi system (CC)
FATE - a rules-lite system that has spawned a ton of hacks. Has an SRD (OGL or CC)
- Polyhedral FATE - the most original of all FATE hacks (CC)
- Destiny Dice - custom dice designed to be used with FATE, but adaptable to other systems too (CC)
FivexFive - a system where you roll two d5 and multiply the results
Forge Engine Universal Roleplaying System - an awesome universal system that uses various dice (CC)
Freeform Universal - the third big freeform system that has also spawned some derivatives. link to beta for v2 down the page, too (CC)
G.A.M.E - step dice system that uses separate dice from heritage, trade, stats (alternate link requires boardgamegeek login to download) (CC)
GIST - an awesome minimal 2d6 system (CC)
Ghost Lines - awesome minimal Apocalypse World/PbtA derivative (CC)
HexGen - a modern/scifi/cyberpunk awesome system where skills range from 3d6 to 10d6 with tactical combat (CC)
In the Dark of a Fallen Empire - an awesome derivative of In the Light of a Ghost Star (CC)
Ironsworn - an awesome solo system (CC)
JAGS - (not) Just Another Gaming System (has a FDL licensed version according to the website)
Jovian Despair - an awesome d6 minisystem (CC)
Lady Blackbird - a small system that spawned several hacks (CC)
Microlite20 - d20 distilled down to the basics (OGL)
minimald6 - a simple d6 based game that spawned many hacks (CC)
One Roll Engine - an awesome system that is based on a pool of d10 (or d6) and finding sets of matching dice (CC)
Opend6 - SRD for a system that sums up a pool of d6s (OGL)
Open Adventure - an open system that uses a d6-d6 as core (CC)
Open Core Roleplaying System - an d20 system that allows swapping the d20 out for some other dice (OGL)
Ops and Tactics - an awesome modern tactical combat system (CC)
Rapido y Facil - an awesome d6 roll and keep system (keep middle) (warning, it's not English, [ES]!) (CC)
SAGA - a dice pool based universal system (CC)
Sad Press Collection - seven little hackable games (CC)
Siren RPG - an open source 3d6 system (CC)
Spiral Dice - an awesome system using custom dice (CC)
Sufficiently Advanced - an awesome far future system that is released under CC according to a comment on the linked page (CC)
So1um Role Playing Game designed & written by Matt Jackson. Can be played solo. (CC)
Talislanta - an awesome d20 system that has nothing to do with "the world's most popular rpg" (CC)
Tango - awesome step dice system where the GM also rolls dice - no static TNs here (CC)
Ten Thousand Worlds - an awesome system if you need a height/weight/speed logarithmic table (CC)
The Simple Game System - an awesome simple system (it uses only d6) but surprisingly deep (CC)
Tiny d10 a small d10 system (CC)
Tunnel Goons - a lightweight 2d6 game that has spawned some hacks (CC)
Turbo Dice - an awesome system that uses various kinds of dice (CC)
Tzi - an awesome system using poker dice (MIT)
Ugis - a mix of Risus and Microlite d20, with a bit of Fate (CC)
Wushu - an awesome cinematic game that uses d6 pools (CC)
YAGS Yet Another Game System - a generic system (GNU)
x6 - d6 based system (CC)

Free games

These games have unclear licensing, no licensing specified (which means you can't remix them), or custom licenses (e.g. allowing only supplements to be created).

Adventurers! - an awesome 2d6 system that is free; no license specified
Builders' Guild - an awesome d12 based system with a crafting/invention focus; PWYW; no license specified
The Contract - an awesome d10 dice pool system that is entirely online; no license specified
Dark Coast - an awesome small system by the author of Troll, a dice probability calculator
Dominion Rules - Fantasy and historical based on d12; released under DRL (Dominion Rules License)
Dungeons the Dragoning 40k 7th - an infamous mashup of D&D, Warhammer, Exalted and some others; no licensing specified
Farhome - an awesome free system using custom dice (all d6); unclear licensing
FreeRPG - an interesting system that has four variants for the core mechanic, presented as a wiki site; no licensing specified
FUDGE - the other rules-lite system that has a ton of hacks (their own license, but it's pretty much "credit the original author")
Fuzion - the system that evolved from the one CP 2020 was based on. warnings, it's pretty much an attempt to marry CP with Hero System that... didn't really work. If you want an OGL version, look at Action! below
Idee Fixe - an awesome d10 dice pool system (warning, it's not English, [PL]!)
Iron & Aether - awesome free online system, licensing unclear
Knights of the Black Lily - an awesome d100 system with degrees of success; "making the full rules available is definitely planned for the future[...] in the meantime, [...] please send us an e-mail"
MetaScape II - an awesome game with an original "doubling die" (a specially marked d16); no license specified
null.hack - awesome game based on Mothership RPG (Panic! Engine) - d100 based; no license specified
Open Legend - a free system online with their own Open Legend Community License; unfortunately it's not clear what constitutes the OGC
Quasar - a hard sci-fi system that tries to avoid violence, relies on a lot of tables. "You may copy them as much as you desire so long as they are not modified. You may base any game products, whether for profit or not, on the Quasar game without any royalties, licenses, or other payments."
ParaŚwiaty - an awesome generic supplement about parallel/alternative universes (warning, not English, [PL]!); no license specified
Planar Gaming System - an awesome roll and keep system, no license specified
Risus: The Anything RPG - an extremely simple d6 based system that spawned a number of home rules; their own community license
Simple Universal System - looks to be a d20 evolution; the cards are awesome; no license specified
Skyrealms of Jorune - an archived RPG system from 1985, no license specified
Spiral Dice - an awesome system using custom dice, available for free, no license specified
Star Squad - awesome looking freebie worth looking at, no license specified
Talespinner - awesome online d10 system; no license specified
Trespasser RPG - fantasy tactical RPG that uses d20 for checks and a potency die (increasing with level) for attacks; no license specified
The Window - awesome minimalist reverse step die system, "You can take this text and do with it as you wish (for your personal use, mind you.)"
TriStat dX - a system that only uses three stats, AFAICT the author's current intention is for it to be freely distributable (GNU?)
Totem - a small system that uses a bag of differently colored tokens for action resolution; no license specified
Witchcraft (archived) - a Unisystem based game straight from the publisher's page, no license specified!

Retroclones

Basic Fantasy - an D&D retroclone available for free
Cepheus Engine - a Traveller retroclone that has a SRD (linked) (OGL)
Codename Spandex - a retroclone of Golden Heroes (public domain)
Delving Deeper - another OD&D retroclone with an SRD (OGL)
Dark Dungeons - a Cyclopedia retroclone (OGL)
Darker Dungeons - (archived page) a mashup of the above with some Rolemaster-inspired stuff (OGL)
For Gold & Glory - a retroclone of AD&D, available for free from several sources (OGL)
Forerunner - a retroclone of 4e (OGL)
Four Color - FASERIP retroclone (public domain)
GLOG - a small retroclone that spawned a lot of hacks (CC)
GORE - a retroclone mashup under OGL, also has their own license which allows using their IP (OGL)
Fantastic Heroes & Witchery - AD&D retroclone with somewhat goofy classes (OGL)
Hyperspace d6 - a streamlining of the old SW d6 systems (CC)
Lavender Hack - OSR system that mixes PbtA moves with the B/X feel (OGL)
Legends of Emerald Republic - effectively a retroclone of L5R - uses their own resolution system, a pool of d6 and d10 (CC)
Lightmaster - a retroclone of Rolemaster (OGL)
Orcus - 4e retroclone (OGL)
Organic Rules Components (ORC) - a system that while not a retroclone looks and feels like many old-school systems (CC)
OSE - Old School Essentials SRD (OGL)
OSRIC also available on DriveThru for free (OGL)
Spellcraft & Swordplay - a retroclone of OD&D using only d6 (OGL)
The Big Brown Book - another D&D retroclone using only d6, hosted on Box by Fossil Bank
The Wasteland Games Archive - (archived) all the out of print products Wasteland Games made available for free
ZeFRS - a retroclone of TSR's Conan (the one using a Marvel-like lookup chart) (public domain)

Quickstarts

Many systems that are otherwise paid have free quickstarts. NOTE: unless explicitly indicated, those are NOT under open licenses! You can read and play them, but NOT use the content in your own ttrpg!

Alternity - a free demo of a new version of Alternity, an rpg with an interesting dice mechanic (roll d20 and add or substract a second die)
Ashes of Power - a free intro adventure for Genesys (a system that uses custom dice)
Aspect Prime - an awesome system using custom dice. If you missed the beta, this is the way to see how their dice work.
Beta Red - an awesome cyberpunkish system using a d6 dice pool
BOLT RPG - a system that uses one die for task resolution and another for complications (CC)
Burning Wheel
Carbon Grey - a derivative of Opend6 that is available for free, and the setting primer is PWYW
Coriolis - an awesome Arabian-themed space setting that runs on d6 dicepools
Dungeon Crawl Classics - quickstart and intro adventure for an awesome system that uses a reverse step die system, with imaginary dice such as d3, d5 or d7 (OGL) (note: the quickstart on drivethru is paid)
EABA Lite - a free version of EABA, an awesome generic system (the full system does have their own license allowing supplements)
Electric Bastionland - an awesome system, an evolution of Into the Odd
ELEMENTAL Discovery Guide - a quickstart for ELEMENTAL, a d6 system that has quite a lot of free adventures
Elite Dangerous RPG - an awesome system based on Elite: Dangerous, the space game
First Five Fantasy Roleplaying Player's Guide - a retroclone of OD&D, this does not contain monsters or treasure
GURPS Lite - a free starter for GURPS
HackMaster Basic
Heroes and Hardships - an awesome d10 roll and keep universal system
Index Card RPG - an awesome system in which you roll a d20 plus a stat die; the quickstart (3e upgrade) is CC licensed
Lancer - all the player facing rules (which are a majority of them) are free
Lex Arcana - an awesome system set in alternate history Rome with an interesting system that allows for linear, pyramid or bell curves
Lost Eons - awesome solarpunk cross between BitD and 24xx, scroll down to see the quickstart download
Mistborn - based on a book series of the same name, a d6 dice pool based system where you attempt to match any dice showing less than 6
Mutant Chronicles - an awesome 2d20 based system from Modiphius; starters for Dune and Star Trek licensed games are also available from DriveThru
Mythic d6 - a derivative of Opend6->Legend d6
Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland - awesome OSR post-apocalyptic futuristic system
Perstoria - a 2d6 based system
Pip System - another Opend6 derivative that went in a different direction
Shadow of the Demon Lord - a d20 derivative that has some awesome ideas (e.g. boons and banes)
The House of Blue Men - quickstart and intro adventure for Sorcery and Superscience, an awesome system that uses a "floating dice" system (basically step dice)
Stars without Number - has a Traveller feel. Has a paid version, too, with minimal differences.
Worlds without Number - vastly expanded compared to Stars. Has a free and paid version, with minimal differences.
System DL - a diceless system
Tiny d6 - a small d6 system
Tunnels and Trolls - free version of one of the first roleplaying games, that can also be played solo

System Reference Documents

ACKS SRD Adventurer Conqueror King System SRD (OGL)
Action! System - an archived copy of the publisher's downloads section, YMMV when trying to download (some links are 404) / online version converted from the originals (OGL)
ARC - a doom tabletop system that also has a quickstart
Blades in the Dark - has an online SRD (CC)
Breathless - open SRD of the survival horror game of the same name (CC)
Cairn - itself a descendant of Knave and Into the Odd, it has its own SRD (CC)
Caltrop Core - a d4 based system with an SRD (CC)
Charge RPG - a free and open generic RPG by Fari Games (CC)
CORE Micro - a dice pool based system with bonuses on top (CC)
DoubleZero SRD - a modernized version of the old James Bond RPG (OGL)
d20/D&D 3.5 - "the world's best known Role-Playing Game" aka Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 (OGL)
d20Hero - OGC from Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition (OGL)
d20 Modern/Future/Arcana - three more derivatives of d20 have been partially made available (OGL)
Pathfinder 1,2/Starfinder - a d20 derivative that has a lot of content available - not just the core rulebooks, but pretty much all 1st party content (OGL)
D&D 5e - 5e also has an SRD, too! (OGL)
Drama System - the system that powers Pelgrane Press Hillfolk (OGL or CC)
Entropic Gaming System - a step dice system which has separate dice for skills and attributes (OGL)
Fortune System - (archived page) a 2d6 system with wagers (CC)
GUMSHOE - a system for running investigative scenarios from Pelgrane Press (CC or OGL)
Iridium System - an awesome system that has a Core Reference (OGL)
Mark of the Odd - an SRD for the core system behind Into the Odd (the system itself also has a free edition)
Nuts and Bolts SRD - a simple system based on throwing any dice which have an equal number of success and failure faces (CC)
OpenQuest - SRD for the open portion of the Mongoose Legend RPG (3e to be exact) (OGL)
Runic SRD - looks to be an SRD of a Runequest adaptation (OGL)
D100II SRD - another Runequest-like SRD (OGL)
QuestWorlds - SRD for a modern version of HeroQuest (a d20 system with "masteries") (OGL)
Push - simple 2d6 system, has a free SRD (CC)
WaRP - the system used in Over the Edge (OGL)
WOIN - a dice pool based game where the size of the pool is determined by several factors; has optional rules converting to other resolution systems (OGL)
vsM Engine - if you played vs Monsters, vs Outlaws or any other in the series, this is the basic SRD. all original sites are down so the link is to somebody's copy on Dropbox (OGL)
Year Zero Engine - an SRD for YZE (OGL)
The Worlds of Legacy - an SRD for Legacy: Life Among the Ruins (an awesome PbtA derivative that has settlement and family-building rules) (CC)
Traveller - an SRD for original (non-d20) Traveller (OGL)
Troika! - scroll down past the download button to see the download link for the SRD

Card-based games

C22 - an awesome card-based system that has an SRD (CC)
Capers - awesome game about superpowered gangsters in the 1920s, has an SRD (CC)
Enchanted Realms - "free for anyone to take an use as they wish"
Carta SRD - a solitaire-based game
Freelancer's Guide - a sci-fi card based game

Related Awesome Lists

Awesome Search: search all awesome lists
Awesome Tabletop RPG
Awesome Shadowrun

FAQ

Q: I like < insert name of a commercial system >, are there free/open alternatives that I can hack? A: Sure, for many of those alternatives exist. Look in the quickstart category first, many of those are OGL.

Alternatively, try the following ideas:

if you like Cortex Prime, try the Polyhedral FATE variant
If you like Genesys or Star Wars FFG, try the Destiny Dice
If you like SilCore, try Jovian Despair

Contribute

Contributions welcome! Read the contribution guidelines first.

License

To the extent possible under law, original author has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.

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