Play a Little Different With These Diceless TTRPGs
These diceless TTPRGs may not have any D20s to roll, but the stakes are just as high and the worldbuilding is just as satisfying!
Most tabletop RPGs are pretty dice-heavy. It’s how we see how successful our characters were at their task, who has the upper hand in combat, and even how a conversation is going. But there are some diceless TTRPGs that use a different mechanic—or even none at all—to keep the story moving forward.
Dread
Dread is an RPG that doesn’t take a lack of dice to mean a lack of tension. It’s a horror RPG where players pull stacked blocks out of a tower (y’know, like Jenga) as they move and make decisions. A successful pull means a successful character. But the block tower coming down spells certain doom for whoever was unlucky enough to pull. Naturally, as more blocks are pulled, the game gets more dangerous and the stakes get higher.
Alice is Missing
Not only is this game diceless, it’s also silent. Alice Brairwood is a junior high student from the sleep town of Silent Falls, and she is missing. Her friends use their phones to text each other and play out scenarios as they uncover more clues as to what happened to Alice. Alice is Missing is a game that makes the kids-solving-mysteries genre feel a little more real and grownded. It’s a unique and innovative approach to RPGs that’s perfect for remote or in-person play.
Microscope
In Microscope you build a timeline, but by bouncing back and forth in time. You’ll zoom into vastly different eras in a non-linear fashion before moving on to a completely different one. Players roleplay scenes to collaboratively answer questions and come up with what’s happening there and why. It’s an open-ended game that will make you feel like you’re time traveling.
Good Society
In Good Society, players jump into their own Jane Austen-style regency drama. There are estates, fancy clothing, balls, and so many social situations to maneuver. And maybe there will even be a little romance! That is, if your social standing doesn’t keep you apart! Good Society is a card-based and multiple award-winning TTRPG. But don’t let the polite company trick you into thinking that the stakes aren’t high.
The Quiet Year
The Quiet Year is a game where players map out the struggles and successes of a community living after the collapse of civilization. Aspects of the game feel hopeful as you build community, but there is a definite backdrop of concern and slowly running out of time. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and while there are technically dice involved, they are used as more of a countdown clock than a measure of success.
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