Tabletop role-playing game

{{Short description|Form of role-playing game for leisure}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Multiple issues| {{Original research|date=September 2025}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2025}} }}

A '''tabletop role-playing game''' ('''TTRPG''' or '''TRPG'''), also known as a '''pen-and-paper role-playing game''', is a kind of [[role-playing game]] (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their [[characterization]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=John |title=What is a Role-Playing Game? |url=http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/whatis/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914081206/http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/whatis/ |archive-date=14 September 2008 |access-date=9 September 2008}}</ref> and the actions succeed or fail according to a set [[role-playing game system|formal system]] of rules and guidelines, usually involving [[randomization]] (such as through [[dice]]). Within the rules, players have the freedom to [[improvisation|improvise]], and their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.<ref name="Kim-2008">{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=John |title="Narrative" or "Tabletop" RPGs |url=http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/whatis/tabletop.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829174633/http://www.darkshire.net/%7Ejhkim/rpg/whatis/tabletop.html |archive-date=29 August 2008 |access-date=9 September 2008}}</ref> Neither pen and paper nor a table are strictly necessary for a game to count as a TTRPG; rather, the terms ''pen-and-paper'' and ''tabletop'' are typically used to distinguish this format of RPG from [[role-playing video games]] or [[live action role-playing game]]s.<ref name="Kim-2008" /> Online play of TTRPGs through [[videoconferencing]] has become common since the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="Dicebreaker-2021">{{Cite web |last=Allison |first=Peter Ray |date=2021-04-21 |title=Tabletop roleplaying has given players comfort, connection and control in a world that's taken them away |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/tabletop-roleplaying-comfort-connection-control-covid-19 |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Polygon-2020">{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=2020-05-08 |title=It's OK to not be OK with tabletop gaming done via Zoom |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/8/21252398/tabletop-role-playing-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-zoom-remote-coronavirus |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Gameshub-2021">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-26 |title=How COVID helped tabletop RPGs go mainstream |url=https://www.gameshub.com/news/features/how-covid-helped-tabletop-rpgs-go-mainstream-6028/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.gameshub.com |language=en-AU}}</ref>

Some common examples of tabletop role-playing games include ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'', and ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder]]''.

== Gameplay == === Overview === In most games, a specially designated player typically called the [[game master]] (GM) purchases or prepares a set of rules and a fictional [[Setting (fiction)|setting]] in which each player acts out the role of a single [[player character|character]]. The GM describes the game world and its inhabitants; the other players describe the intended actions of their characters, and the GM describes the outcomes. Some outcomes are determined by the game system, and some are chosen by the GM.<ref name="Kim-2008" /> This pattern was established by the first published role-playing game, ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', but is not universal across all tabletop RPGs. === Detail === Games are of indefinite length, from a single brief session (sometimes completed in a few hours) to a series of repeated sessions that may continue for years with an evolving cast of players and characters. Play is often episodic and mission-centric, with a series of challenges culminating in a final puzzle or enemy that must be overcome. Multiple missions played with the same characters may be related to each other in a plot arc of escalating challenges. The exact tone, structure, pace and end (if any) vary from game to game depending on the needs and preferences of the players.

During the first session, players typically [[character creation|create characters]] whose roles they will play in the game. As well as fleshing out the character's personal history and background, they assign numerical [[Statistic (role-playing games)|statistic]]s to the character; these will be used later to determine the outcome of events in the game. Together, these notes tell the player about their character and said character's place in the game world.<ref name="Kim-2008" /> In many game systems, characters can increase their statistics during the course of the game (or over multiple games).

[[File:RPG-2009-Berlin-2.jpg|thumb|left|Role players at the Convention Burg-Con in Berlin 2009. The [[gamemaster]] (left) sits behind the [[GM's screen]].]] The GM then begins the game by introducing and describing the setting and the characters. Specific tabletop [[Rpgs|RPGs]] may have a unique name for the GM role, for examples: Dungeon Master, Referee and Storyteller.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Frum |first1=Larry |last2=Kohan |first2=Topher |date=2010-06-08 |title=Dungeons & Dragons tries to lure back players |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/06/08/new.dungeons.dragons/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-04-11 |title=The great 1980s Dungeons & Dragons panic |work=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26328105}}</ref> Some games, such as ''[[Polaris (2005 role-playing game)|Polaris]]'' and ''[[Primetime Adventures]]'', have distributed the authority of the GM to different players and to different degrees. This technique is often used to ensure that all players are involved in producing a situation that is interesting and that conflicts of interest suffered by the GM are avoided on a systemic level.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Zora |date=11 May 2020 |title=5 Low-Prep, GMless Games to Play from Far Away |url=https://sidequest.zone/2020/05/11/5-low-prep-gmless-games-to-play-from-far-away/ |access-date=3 May 2021 |website=Sidequest |language=en-US}}</ref>

The players describe their characters' actions, and the GM responds by describing the outcome of those actions. Usually, these outcomes are determined by the setting and the GM's common sense; most actions are straightforward and immediately successful.<ref name="Kim-2008" /> For example, if a player has their character look around a room, the GM will describe the room; if they have their character leave, the GM will describe whatever they encounter outside the room.

The outcomes of some actions are determined by the rules of the game. For example, while looking around the room, a character may or may not notice an important object or secret doorway, depending on the character's powers of perception. Determining the outcome usually involves rolling dice and adjusting the result for the character's statistics and environmental factors to see whether the action was successful. Typically, the higher the character's score in a particular attribute, the higher their probability of success. There are alternate game systems which are [[Diceless role-playing game|diceless]], or use alternate forms of randomization, such as a deck of cards or a [[Jenga]] tower.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Review of Dread |url=http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13186.phtml |publisher=rpgnet}}</ref>

Tabletop RPG settings includes challenges for the player characters to overcome through play, such as traps to be avoided, rulers to be courted, or adversaries to be fought. Many game sessions contain moments of puzzle solving, negotiation, chases, and combat. Frequently, this involves interacting with [[non-player character]]s, other denizens of the game world, which are played by the GM. In most games, the full details of the setting are kept secret, but some broad details of the game world are usually given to the players.

Tabletop RPGs are often conducted like [[radio drama]]: only the spoken component of a role is acted. Acting in tabletop RPGs is not always literal, and players do not always speak exclusively in-character. Instead, players act out their role by deciding and describing what actions their characters will take within the rules of the game.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grouling |first=Jennifer |title=The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7864-4451-9 |pages=6 |quote=As suggested by the name, TRPGs are played face-to-face (around a table, most likely), and involve players 'acting out' a role. This acting is not always literal. Players do not arrive in costume or speak exclusively in-character – something that differentiates TRPGs from live-action role-playing games (LARPs). Instead, players develop characters based on certain rules and are responsible for deciding what those characters do over the course of the game.}}</ref>

== History == {{main|History of role-playing games}} {{See also|Timeline of tabletop role-playing games}}

=== Early role-playing === Tabletop role-playing games have origins in [[wargaming]], which has roots in ancient [[strategy game]]s, particularly [[chess]] and its predecessor [[Chaturanga]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Henry A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PQBpr6KAdHkC&q=In+what+part+of+India&pg=PT153 |title=A Short History of Chess |date=10 October 2012 |publisher=Crown |isbn=9780307828293}}</ref> From the late 18th century to the 19th century, [[chess variants]] evolved into modern wargames, most notably [[Kriegsspiel (wargame)|Kriegsspiel]]. Over a century later, [[David Wesely]] developed [[Braunstein (game)|Braunstein]], the first tabletop roleplaying game, from [[Strategos (game)|Strategos]], and then the [[miniature wargame]] ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]'', was released in 1971, both of which became the basis for ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peterson |first=Jon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=syNzMAEACAAJ |title=Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People and Fantastic Adventures, from Chess to Role-playing Games |date=2012 |publisher=Unreason Press |isbn=978-0-615-64204-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief History of Wargaming |url=http://faculty.virginia.edu/setear/students/wargames/page1a.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030514061936/http://faculty.virginia.edu/setear/students/wargames/page1a.htm |archive-date=14 May 2003 |website=University of Virginia}}</ref>

According to RPG designer [[John Wick (game designer)|John Wick]], chess can be turned into a role-playing game if [[chess piece]]s such as the [[King (chess)|king]], [[Queen (chess)|queen]], [[Rook (chess)|rooks]], [[Knight (chess)|knights]] or [[Pawn (chess)|pawns]] are given names, and decisions are made based on their motivations. According to Wick, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was a "sophisticated, intricate and complicated combat simulation board game that people were turning into a roleplaying game" just "like giving your rook a motive" in Chess.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wick |first=John |date=1 October 2014 |title=Chess is not an RPG: The Illusion of Game Balance |url=http://johnwickpresents.com/games/game-designs/chess-is-not-an-rpg-the-illusion-of-game-balance/ |website=John Wick Presents |access-date=2 September 2017 |archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813165848/http://johnwickpresents.com/games/game-designs/chess-is-not-an-rpg-the-illusion-of-game-balance/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The assumption of roles was a central theme in some early 20th century activities such as the game ''[[Jury Box (game)|Jury Box]]'', mock trials, model legislatures, and "Theatre Games". In the 1960s, [[historical reenactment]] groups such as [[The Sealed Knot (reenactment)|The Sealed Knot]] and the [[Society for Creative Anachronism]] began to perform "creative history" reenactments introducing fantasy elements, and in the 1970s [[fantasy wargame]]s were developed, inspired by [[sword and sorcery]] fiction, in which each player controlled only a single unit, or "character". The earlier role-playing tradition was combined with the wargames' rule-based character representation to form the first role-playing games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rilstone |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Rilstone |year=1994 |title=Role-Playing Games: An Overview |url=http://www.rpg.net/oracle/essays/rpgoverview.html |access-date=1 September 2006 |publisher=RPGnet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Where we've been and where we're going |url=http://www.rpg.net/oracle/essays/wherewevebeen.html}}: "Generation 1" games</ref>

''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', developed in 1974 by [[Dave Arneson]] and [[E. Gary Gygax]] and published by Gygax's company, [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], was the first commercially available role-playing game, though at the time its [[Dungeons & Dragons (1974)|first printing]] was marketed as a niche wargaming product.<ref name="Dangerous Games-2015">{{Cite book |last=Laycock |first=Joseph |title=Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds |date=12 February 2015 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520960565 |pages=31–50 |chapter=Chapter 1: The Birth of Fantasy Role-Playing Games}}</ref> Gygax expected to sell about 50,000 copies total to a strictly hobbyist market.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sacco |first=Ciro Alessandro |date=4 March 2004 |title=The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax |url=http://atlasofadventure.com/Archive/gygaxinterview.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040530091430/http://atlasofadventure.com/Archive/gygaxinterview.asp |archive-date=30 May 2004 |publisher=Atlas of Adventure}}</ref> After establishing itself in boutique stores, it developed a strong, lasting fan base that distinguished itself from the typical wargame player base. By the time of its [[Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set|first major reprinting in 1977]], ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was refocused as a role-playing game to segregate it from the typical wargame.<ref name="Dangerous Games-2015" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=25 December 2020 |title=What Is a 'Role-Playing Game' Anyway? |url=https://www.wired.com/2020/12/geeks-guide-jon-peterson/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=25 December 2020}}</ref>

One of the first original role-playing games was [[M. A. R. Barker]]'s ''[[Empire of the Petal Throne]]'', first published in 1974, the same year as ''Dungeons & Dragons''. It introduced the fictional world of [[Tékumel]], influenced by [[List of mythologies#South Asia|Indian]], [[Middle Eastern mythology (disambiguation)|Middle-Eastern]], [[Egyptian mythology|Egyptian]] and [[List of mythologies#Mesoamerica|Meso-American]] [[mythology]].<ref name="Wired-2012">{{Cite magazine |last=Gilsdorf |first=Ethan |date=20 March 2012 |title=Gamers Mourn "Lost Tolkien" M.A.R. Barker |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/03/lost-tolkien-m-a-r-barker/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=15 June 2020 |via=www.wired.com}}</ref> It also introduced the game mechanic of [[critical hit]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Slack |first=Andy |date=4 April 2012 |title=Review: Empire of the Petal Throne |url=https://andyslack.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/review-empire-of-the-petal-throne/ |access-date=28 January 2017 |website=Halfway Station}}</ref> According to creator Barker, "this simulates the 'lucky hit' on a vital organ."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=M.A.R. |title=Empire of the Petal Throne |page=34}}</ref> The game influenced Arneson and Gygax, who was so impressed with it that his company TSR published ''Empire of the Petal Throne'' in 1975.<ref name="Wired-2012" /> TSR published Barker's game and setting as a standalone game, rather than as a "supplement" to the original ''D&D'' rules.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of TSR |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924195557/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp |archive-date=24 September 2008 |access-date=20 August 2005 |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]}}</ref>

Another early game was ''[[Traveller (role-playing game)|Traveller]]'', designed by [[Marc W. Miller|Marc Miller]] and first published in 1977 by [[Game Designer's Workshop]]. This was originally intended to be a system for playing generic space-opera-themed science-fiction adventures (in the same sense that ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was a system for generic fantasy adventures), but an optional setting called "the [[Third Imperium]]" that was detailed in subsequent supplements became strongly identified with the game. The changes in this setting over time, especially those involving "the Fifth Frontier War" as depicted in the ''[[Journal of the Travellers Aid Society]]'', arguably constitute the first use of [[metaplot]] in a role-playing game.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Appelcline |first=Shannon |title=Designers and Dragons: the '70s |date=2014 |publisher=Evil Hat Productions |isbn=978-1-61317-075-5 |page=160 |quote=Metaplots generally advanced the plotline of an RPG setting through new publications. Uniquely, GDW explored both of these avenues in the late '70s.}}</ref>

=== Mid–1980s to early 1990s: diversification of settings and systems === Up to this stage, each game had tied itself to a particular setting; If a player wanted to play in a science-fiction game and a fantasy game, they had to learn two game systems. Attempts were made in ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' to allow cross-genre games using ''[[Gamma World]]'' (1978) and ''[[Boot Hill (role-playing game)|Boot Hill]]'' (1975) rules, but the obscure rules went largely unused. Meanwhile, ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' and ''[[Paranoia (role-playing game)|Paranoia]]'' offered different role-playing experiences, in which the story arc of a group's investigation would lead to death and/or madness, or where comical infighting within a group would be expected and reinforced within the genre conventions of "a darkly humorous future". The [[Hero System]], first introduced in ''[[Champions (role-playing game)|Champions]]'' (1981), was also used in ''[[Justice, Inc. (role-playing game)|Justice, Inc.]]'' (1984), ''[[Fantasy Hero]]'' (1985) and other games. [[Steve Jackson Games]] followed with ''[[GURPS]]'' (the Generic Universal Roleplaying System) in 1986. At the same time, games using the fictional worlds of ''[[Star Trek]]'', [[DC Heroes]], the [[Marvel Universe]] or ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' expanded the range of possibilities for Table-top gaming. Games such as ''GURPS'' and ''Champions'' introduced [[character creation]] via point-buy systems; later, ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' and similar games emphasized storytelling, plot and character development over rules and combat.

Due to the game's success, the term ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has sometimes been used as a [[Genericized trademark|generic term]] for fantasy role-playing games. TSR undertook legal action to prevent its trademark from becoming generic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TSR vs Mayfair Games |url=https://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/copyright/cases/tsr_vs_mayfair.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.darkshire.net}} No. 91 C 0417 (1993)</ref> ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was a subject of [[Dungeons & Dragons controversies|controversy]] in the 1980s when opponents such as [[Patricia Pulling]] claimed it caused negative spiritual and psychological effects. Academic research has discredited these claims.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Cardwell, Jr.: The Attacks on Role-Playing Games |url=http://www.rpgstudies.net/cardwell/attacks.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.rpgstudies.net}}</ref> Some educators support role-playing games as a healthy way to hone reading and arithmetic skills.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kestrel |first=Gwendolyn F.M. |title=Working Hard at Play |url=http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/kestrel.htm |url-status=usurped |website=New Horizons for Learning|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929230919/http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/kestrel.htm |archive-date=2006-09-29 }}</ref> Though role-playing has been generally accepted in society,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christian Gamers Guild |url=http://christian-gamers-guild.org/wp/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> the subject retains a level of controversy among some religious organizations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dark Dungeons |url=https://www.chick.com/products/tract?stk=0046 |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.chick.com}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Games: Fantasy or Reality? |url=http://www.watchman.org/occult/frpgames2.htm |work=The Watchman Expositor |volume=15 |issue=6 |year=1998 |publisher=[[Watchman Fellowship]] ministry}} - article denouncing role-playing games as cult activity</ref> This belief or attitude is by no means universal among religious organizations; there are faith-based role-playing games on the market<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lauriechristine.com/lightraiders/ |title=Christian Role-Playing Game for teens—Lightraiders by James R. Hanibal |first=Lauri|last=Christine|date=September 19, 2025 |website=lauriechristine.com}}</ref> and religious role-players who disagree that these games are morally corrupt or occult in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Confessions of a Dungeons & Dragons Addict |url=http://www.mjyoung.net/dungeon/confess.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.mjyoung.net}}</ref>

=== 1990s: decline in popularity === Competition from [[role-playing video game]]s and [[collectible card game]]s led to a decline in the tabletop role-playing game industry.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026|reason=This is a significant claim that isn't backed up by a source}} The financially troubled market leader [[TSR, Inc.]], which had suffered financial setbacks from overproduction, was eventually purchased by [[Wizards of the Coast]].<ref>{{Cite web|first=Ken|last=Tidwell|date=10 April 1997 |title=Wizards of the Coast to acquire TSR |url=http://www.gamecabinet.com/news/TSRWotC.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.gamecabinet.com}}</ref> To better cope with the economics of role-playing games, they introduced a new regime of [[open gaming]], allowing other companies to publish D&D-compatible supplements.

=== 2000–2010 === In 2000, Wizards of the Coast's ''Dungeons & Dragons'' [[brand management|brand manager]] [[Ryan Dancey]] introduced a policy whereby other companies could publish ''D&D''-compatible materials under the [[Open Gaming License]] (OGL). He was frustrated that game supplements suffered far more diminished sales over time than the core books required to play the game, then this would spread the cost of supplementing the game and would increase sales of the core books, which could only be published by WotC. The new ''D&D'' rules became known as the ''[[d20 system]]'', and a [[System Reference Document]] was published, containing all the rules needed to write a supplement or run a one-off game, but lacking the character advancement rules necessary for long-term play. The [[open gaming]] movement and 3rd/3.5 edition ''D&D'' (2000, 2003) enjoyed a great deal of success, and although there was some criticism of the move, a great many [[:Category:d20 System|d20 System games]] were released until around 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zambrano |first=J. R. |date=2023-01-16 |title=A Brief History of the Open Gaming License |url=https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2023/01/a-brief-history-of-the-open-gaming-license.html |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Bell of Lost Souls |language=en}}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[indie role-playing game]] communities arose on the internet, studying role-playing and developing several forms of [[role-playing game theory]] such as [[GNS theory]]. Rules innovations combined with literary techniques to develop games such as ''[[Apocalypse World]], [[The Quiet Year]],'' and ''[[Dogs in the Vineyard]]'' that rely on the contributions of players to enhance moral agency in a process of emergent storytelling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Adam |date=2015-02-19 |title=Playing The Quiet Year, a tabletop game about building communities |url=https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/quiet-year-tabletop-game-building-communities/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Kill Screen - Previously |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowthian |first=Declan |date=2021-12-28 |title=10 Tabletop RPGs That Changed The Hobby Forever |url=https://www.cbr.com/tabletop-rpgs-changed-hobby-forever/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Isaac |date=2022-09-19 |title=10 Best Non-Fantasy Tabletop RPGs |url=https://www.cbr.com/best-non-fantasy-tabletop-rpgs/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2010–2020 === In January 2012, Wizards of the Coast announced that a new edition of ''D&D'', at the time referred to as ''D&D Next'', was under development. In direct contrast to the previous editions of the game, ''D&D Next'' was developed partly via a public open playtest.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gilsdorf |first=Ethan |date=9 January 2012 |title=Players Roll the Dice for Dungeons & Dragons Remake |page=2 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/arts/video-games/dungeons-dragons-remake-uses-players-input.html |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref> An early build of the new edition debuted at the 2012 ''Dungeons & Dragons Experience'' event to about 500 fans.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ohannessian |first=Kevin |date=3 February 2012 |title="Dungeons & Dragons Next" Creators Look To Simplicity, Open Development To Regain Lost Gamers |work=Co.Create |url=http://www.fastcocreate.com/1679620/dungeons-dragons-next-creators-look-to-simplicity-open-development-to-regain-lost-gamers |access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref> Public playtesting began on 24 May 2012,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mearls |first=Mike |date=25 April 2012 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (News on D&D Next) |url=http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4news/20120425a |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720201719/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4news%2F20120425a |archive-date=20 July 2014 |publisher=Wizards.com}}</ref> with the final playtest packet released on 20 September 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2012 |title=Final Playtest Packet |url=http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4news/20130920 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721200345/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4news%2F20130920 |archive-date=21 July 2014 |publisher=Wizards.com}}</ref> The 5th edition's ''Basic Rules'', a free [[PDF]] containing complete rules for play and a subset of the player and DM content from the core rulebooks, was released on 3 July 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 July 2014 |title=5E Basic Rules |url=http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules?x=dnd/basicrules |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731124943/http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules?x=dnd/basicrules |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 July 2014 |access-date=20 August 2014 |publisher=Wizards.com}}</ref> In forty years the genre grew from a few hobbyists and boutique publishers to an economically significant part of the games industry. Grass-roots and small business involvement remains substantial while larger projects have attracted several million players worldwide. Toys industry leader [[Hasbro]] purchased [[Wizards of the Coast]] in 1999 for an estimated $325 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hasbro buys Wizards of the Coast: the FAQ|website=The Duelist|url=http://www.mtghistory.info/Docs/PressReleases/19990910%20-%20Hasbro%20Buys%20WotC%20-%20The%20FAQ.pdf|date=1999}}</ref>

With the emergence of [[esports]], [[Video game live streaming|livestreamed gaming]], and [[Let's Play|Let's Plays]], [[actual play]]s of TTRPGs became a popular podcast and webseries format, and contributed to the resurgence of TTRPGs in the 2010s and 2020s.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Watch Us Roll: Essays on Actual Play and Performance in Tabletop Role-Playing Games |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4766-4343-4 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Shelly |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |oclc=1263339374}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitten |first=Sarah |date=March 14, 2020 |title=How Critical Role helped spark a Dungeons & Dragons renaissance |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/14/critical-role-helped-spark-a-dungeons-dragons-renaissance.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812013515/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/14/critical-role-helped-spark-a-dungeons-dragons-renaissance.html |archive-date=August 12, 2021 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=[[CNBC]] |language=en}}</ref> These include streaming shows and podcasts such as ''[[Dimension 20]]'', ''[[Critical Role]]'', and ''[[The Adventure Zone]]''.

=== 2020–present: resurgence in popularity === Tabletop role-playing games increased in popularity in the early 2020s, facilitated by an increase in online play through video conferencing during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]],<ref name="Dicebreaker-2021" /><ref name="Polygon-2020" /><ref name="Gameshub-2021" /> viewership of actual play programming on [[streaming media]] such as [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hannah |first=Zoë |date=2024-08-05 |title=This D&D actual play from Gen Con was hilarious, and now you can watch it on YouTube |url=https://www.polygon.com/24213975/dnd-dungeons-dragons-gen-con-2024-actual-play-brennan-aabria-astarion-karlach-anjali-bhimani |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> and the development of user-friendly marketplaces to buy and sell [[indie role-playing game]]s as [[PDF]]s, such as [[Itch.io]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jovanée |first=Alice |date=2024-09-23 |title=Get hundreds of indie TTRPGs for just $10 at itch.io and support accessible gaming |url=https://www.polygon.com/good-deals/455327/itch-io-accessible-ttrpg-gaming-bundle-sale |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2023, Wizards of the Coast attempted to alter the [[Open Game License]]. When the community protested, they walked the decision back, and placed basic 5th Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' rules into the [[Creative Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Mollie |date=April 18, 2025 |title=After two years of community distrust, DnD releases its new SRD on April 22 |url=https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/srd-april |website=Wargamer }}</ref> Later that year, ''[[Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves|Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves]]'' was released.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barber |first=Nicholas |date=March 29, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons: Honour among Thieves: 'Warm and upbeat' |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230328-dungeons-dragons-honour-among-thieves-warm-and-upbeat |website=[[BBC]] }}</ref>

== Game systems == [[File:6dice(cropped).jpg|thumb|Role-playing games often use [[polyhedral dice]] to resolve game actions.]]The set of rules of a role-playing game is known as its ''game system''; the rules themselves are known as [[game mechanics]]. Although there are game systems which are shared by many games, for example, the [[d20 system]], many games have their own, custom rules system. Game rules determine the success or failure of a character's actions, or adjudicate changes in the setting or the characters themselves. Many game systems use weighted [[Statistic (role-playing games)|statistics]] and [[Dice notation|dice rolls]] or other random elements. Some games offer a [[System Reference Document]] (SRD) that allows other designers to use part of the game system in their own, future game products.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-17 |title=Beloved Tabletop RPG Will Now Let Fans Make, Sell Their Own Games |url=https://kotaku.com/cypher-system-open-license-unlimited-indie-monte-cook-g-1849073716 |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tam |first=Kyle |date=2022-03-14 |title=How to make a roleplaying game |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/how-to/how-to-make-rpg |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tam |first=Kyle |date=2021-12-07 |title=9 best tabletop RPG systems to hack into a custom game |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/best-games/best-rpg-systems-hack-custom-game-srd |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leonard |first=Andrew |date=2000-03-10 |title=Dungeons & Dragons to go open-source? |url=https://www.salon.com/2000/03/10/dungeons/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref> Some game systems emphasize the creation of a journal or other [[keepsake game|keepsake]] in response to prompts or other game mechanics over the course of playing the game.<ref name="Polygon-2021">{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=March 26, 2021 |title=Field Guide to Memory is a 'keepsake' game written inside your own personal journal |url=https://www.polygon.com/2021/3/26/22352414/field-guide-to-memory-keepsake-game-impressions-interview |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003298045 |title=The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies |date= |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2024 |isbn=978-1-003-29804-5 |editor-last=Zagal |editor-first=José P. |edition=1 |location=New York |pages=83, 175, 181 |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003298045 |editor-last2=Deterding |editor-first2=Sebastian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-09 |title=PhD Student Greg Loring-Albright Investigates "Keepsake" Games |url=https://drexel.edu/coas/news-events/news/2021/September/phd-student-greg-loring-albright-investigates-keepsake-games/ |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=College of Arts and Sciences |language=en}}</ref>

=== Genres and settings === Some systems are designed for a particular [[genre]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowthian |first=Declan |date=2021-10-17 |title=10 Fun TTRPG Genres That Aren't Fantasy (& The Best Game From Each) |url=https://www.cbr.com/ttrpg-genres-not-fantasy-games/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbott |first=Benjamin |date=September 7, 2022 |title=Best tabletop RPGs 2024: Must-have adventures you need to try |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-tabletop-rpgs/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}</ref> Examples include ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (fantasy), ''[[Starfinder Roleplaying Game]]'' (science fiction), ''[[Outgunned]]'' (heroic action), and ''[[Ten Candles]]'' (horror). Genre-based games often come packaged with a default setting but invite adaptation to other settings in the same genre by players and GMs.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} [[Universal role-playing game system]]s also exist, created with the intent of building a rule system that can be adapted to any genre. Examples include ''[[Basic Role-Playing]]'', ''[[Champions (role-playing game)|Champions]]'', and ''[[GURPS]]''. The ''[[D20 System|d20 system]]'', based on the third edition of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', has been used in science fiction and modern-day game settings such as ''[[Spycraft (role-playing game)|Spycraft]]'' and the ''[[Star Wars Roleplaying Game (Wizards of the Coast)|Star Wars Roleplaying Game]]''. In practice, most universal systems are more effective for particular settings, power levels, or types of play.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

Other systems are more strongly tied to the specific setting of the game they feature in. Tabletop role-playing games that take place in existing fictional worlds have been called a form of [[fan fiction]]. Some officially licensed game systems provide templates enabling players to play as canon characters, such as the ''[[Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game]]'', which includes official character sheets for Marvel heroes and villains.<ref name="cbr-fanfiction">{{cite web |last=Krum |first=Rebekah |date=August 27, 2023 |title=How TTRPGs Became A Platform For Officially Supported Fanfiction |url=https://www.cbr.com/ttrpg-fanfic-licensed-games/ |access-date=June 4, 2025 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]}}</ref> In 2023, Rebekah Krum of ''[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]'' commented that "such games have existed nearly as long as the industry itself, cropping up as the result of marketing campaigns or attempts to capitalize on existing hype, but they've never been more popular than they are now".<ref name="cbr-fanfiction" /> She highlighted that this includes ''Dungeons & Dragons'' setting books for [[actual play]] shows like ''[[Acquisitions Incorporated (actual play)|Acquisitions Incorporated]]'' and ''[[Critical Role]]'', just as "''[[Fate (role-playing game system)|Fate]]'' sourcebooks set in the world of ''[[The Dresden Files]]''. Many are collaborations between well-known game developers and the creators of the original tales or experts on them, such as ''The Witcher Tabletop Roleplaying Game'' from [[R. Talsorian Games]], ''[[Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game|Avatar Legends]]'' from [[Magpie Games]], and several titles from [[Modiphius Entertainment|Modiphius]], including ''[[Star Trek Adventures]]''".<ref name="cbr-fanfiction" />

=== Character creation === {{main|Character creation}}

Before play begins, players build or select a character. This can take one of several forms:

* Selecting from a number of pre-set templates or playbooks, created by the game's developer or by the GM. ''[[Feng Shui (role-playing game)|Feng Shui]]'' and many ''[[Powered by the Apocalypse]]'' games use this method.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wieland |first=Rob |title=A Beginner's Guide To Powered By The Apocalypse Games |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2020/12/29/a-beginners-guide-to-powered-by-the-apocalypse-games/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> * Building a character using a set of broad options, such as [[Character class|class]] and [[Fantasy tropes#Races|species]] (called "race" in some older games, including D&D prior to 5e 2024).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parkin |first=Jeff |date=2024-09-17 |title=What's changed in Dungeons and Dragons 5e 2024 |url=https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/451897/dnd-2024-rules-revisions-changes |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> This approach is particularly common in fantasy games, such as Dungeons & Dragons and ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanna |first=James |date=2020-10-14 |title=Powered by the Apocalypse vs. Dungeons & Dragons: How the Mechanics Compare |url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-and-dragons-powered-by-apocalypse-mechanics-compare/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> * Point-buy systems, often used in universal RPGs such as ''[[Champions (role-playing game)|Champions]]'', and ''[[GURPS]]'', assigns the player a certain number of points with which to purchase statistics for the character.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tremaine |first=Kate |date=2022-08-23 |title=10 90s TTRPG Trends We're Glad Are Gone |url=https://www.cbr.com/90s-ttrpg-trends-were-glad-are-gone/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> The cost of each statistic varies depending on its presumed effectiveness.

=== Statistics === {{main|Statistic (role-playing games)}}

[[File:Minsc Character Sheet from Cameron Tofer pen&paper game.jpg|thumb|Statistics recorded on a character sheet]]

Characters in role-playing games are usually represented by a number of ''statistics''. Statistics are an abstract measure of how successful a character is likely to be at a class of tasks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2023-05-25 |title=Critical Role launches new tabletop RPG with a free quickstart guide |url=https://www.polygon.com/23737596/critical-role-candela-obscura-quickstart-guide-free-download |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jarvis |first=Matt |date=2023-06-13 |title=Fabula Ultima is the Final Fantasy tabletop RPG I've always dreamed of |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/fabula-ultima/opinion/fabula-ultima-final-fantasy-tabletop-rpg-of-my-dreams |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref>

Many game systems make distinctions between two key types of statistic: [[Attribute (roleplaying games)|attribute]]s and [[Skill (roleplaying games)|skill]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dozsa |first=Preston |date=2018-10-29 |title=Mutant: Year Zero (Tabletop) Review - CGMagazine |url=https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/tabletop/mutant-year-zero-tabletop-review/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zambrano |first=J. R. |date=2022-04-05 |title=D&D: Using Skills With Alternate Ability Scores |url=https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2022/04/dd-using-skills-with-alternate-ability-scores.html |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Bell of Lost Souls |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-19 |title=How to Play Vaesen |url=https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/features/how-to-play-vaesen/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Tabletop Gaming}}</ref> These names are not always consistent across different games - a "skill" in one game may be a "talent" or "ability" in another. Attributes are statistics all characters possess: strength, agility, and intelligence are common examples. These are ranked, often on a numeric scale, so that a player can gauge the character's capabilities. For example, a character's strength rating could be used to determine the likelihood that the character can lift a certain weight. Skills are abilities that only some characters possess, such as negotiation, horseback riding, and marksmanship. Game systems often define skills that are genre-appropriate. For example, fantasy settings generally include [[Magic (gaming)|magic]] skills, while science-fiction settings may contain [[spacecraft|spaceship]] piloting skills. However, some skills are found in several genres: a medieval rogue and a Wild West outlaw may both be very proficient at throwing knives, and a skill labeled "diplomacy" may benefit ancient Roman patricians or industrial tycoons of the 19th century equally well.

Some games such as [[Burning Wheel]] and [[The Shadow of Yesterday]] represent character motivations as statistics. Character motivations are things in which the character believes strongly. ''[[The Riddle of Steel]]''{{'s}} Spiritual Attributes, ''Burning Wheel''{{'s}} Beliefs and The Shadow of Yesterday's Keys are such features. They might reveal secrets the character has kept, aspirations they hold, or other characters they care about.

=== Solo TTRPGs === {{main|Solo role-playing game}} TTRPGs are typically played in groups, however, single player TTRPGs are also available.<ref name="GamesRadar-2025">{{Cite web |last=Wickens |first=Katie |date=2025-02-26 |title=Solo RPGs and journaling games give me advantage on mental health rolls in a way D&D couldn't |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/solo-rpgs-and-journaling-games-gave-me-advantage-on-mental-health-rolls-in-a-way-d-and-d-couldnt/ |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Lifehacker-2022">{{Cite web |last=Hesse |first=Brendan |date=2022-06-15 |title=Solo Tabletop RPGs Are Really Fun, Actually |url=https://lifehacker.com/solo-tabletop-rpgs-are-really-fun-actually-1849067606 |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=Lifehacker |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Polygon-2025">{{Cite web |last=Zeoli |first=Rowan |date=2025-01-02 |title=Can't find a tabletop gaming group? Try the solo version instead |url=https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/503622/solo-ttrpg-tabletop-role-playing-games-no-group/ |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=Polygon |language=en}}</ref> Brendan Hesse of ''[[Lifehacker]]'' highlighted that solo TTRPGs, like other TTRPGs, "run the gamut of settings and playstyles" and while it is a "different experience", solo games combine "the tactile feel of dice rolls and imagination-driven approach of group-based tabletop gaming, with the pick-up-and-play nature of single-player video games".<ref name="Lifehacker-2022" /> Katie Wickens of ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' noted that many of the earliest games were "solo mods of multiplayer TTRPGs", typically involving "dice and/or cards, a character sheet, and a hex map from your chosen tabletop RPG to wander through".<ref name="GamesRadar-2025" /> Similar to non-solo games, they often required stat tracking; however, Wickens observed that the journaling elements and story tracking requirements "were far less introspective than the kind we often see" in the 2020s.<ref name="GamesRadar-2025" /> Rowan Zeoli, for ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'', explained that solo tabletop games "started in earnest with wargames in the [1980s]" and slowly rose "in prominence for the next few decades until the quarantine period of the ongoing COVID pandemic offered a perfect moment for board games and TTRPGs".<ref name="Polygon-2025" /> Wickens commented that the "genre has evolved profoundly", with many including a narrative focus – "the lines between simple solo RPG systems and journaling games have become far more blurred over the years".<ref name="GamesRadar-2025" /> Additionally, she noted that "many solo journaling systems today are not only subversions of the standard pen-and-paper model" but also introduce "their own unique and even far-flung mechanics to help cement the theme".<ref name="GamesRadar-2025" />

== Campaign settings == {{main|Campaign setting}}

Each game has a [[Setting (fiction)|setting]] in which [[Adventure (role-playing games)|adventures]] and [[Campaign (role-playing game)|campaigns]] (connected strings of adventures) can take place. Campaign settings are usually designed for a specific game (such as the ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' setting for ''[[Dungeons & Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]''), though some settings are published with the intent of being usable in many games. There are numerous campaign settings available both in print and online. In addition to published campaign settings available for purchase, many [[game master]]s create their own.

[[File:D&D_Game_1.jpg|thumb|Miniature figurines, a dungeon diorama and other accessories for a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign]] Campaign settings exist for almost all [[genre fiction|genres of fiction]]. Because two long-time best-selling role-playing games, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and ''Pathfinder'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Top 5 Roleplaying Games--Fall 2020 |url=https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/47881/top-5-roleplaying-games-fall-2020 |access-date=14 September 2021 |website=ICv2}}</ref> are part of the fantasy genre, fantasy is among the most played role-playing genres. While role-playing's roots began in fantasy, science fiction has been used in settings such as ''[[Traveller (role-playing game)|Traveller]]'', [[Horror fiction|horror]] formed the baseline of the ''World of Darkness'' and ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' while ''[[Spycraft (role-playing game)|Spycraft]]'' was based in modern-day [[Spy fiction|spy thriller]]-oriented settings. The comic book and superhero genres have been utilized for games such as ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]''.

The size of a setting can vary. Campaign settings such as the ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'' and [[Invisible Sun (role-playing game)|''Invisible Sun'']] detail entire cosmologies and time-lines of thousands of years, while the setting of games such as ''[[Deadlands]]'' or ''[[Coyote & Crow]]'' might only describe one or more nations within a brief segment of [[alternate history]]. Other settings describe smaller locations, such as ''[[Blades in the Dark]],'' which describes a single fantasy city, ''[[Alice is Missing]]'', which describes a realistic small town, and ''[[Visigoths vs. Mall Goths]]'', which takes place entirely inside one [[shopping mall]]. Some settings involve shifting between multiple different planets or timelines, sometimes with their own genres. For instance, in ''[[GURPS Infinite Worlds]]'', the characters are "Infinity Patrol" agents who travel to [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate worlds]], some of which include fantasy or steampunk as well as science fiction elements.

A number of campaign settings have fused multiple genres into a single game. ''[[Shadowrun]]'' combined fantasy with [[cyberpunk]], ''[[Castle Falkenstein (role-playing game)|Castle Falkenstein]]'' drew on fantasy and [[Steampunk]] elements, and ''[[Torg]]'' mashed up fantasy, science fiction, pulp and horror elements. Meanwhile, ''[[Feng Shui (role-playing game)|Feng Shui]]'' combined Chinese historical fantasy with Kung Fu action tropes and [[dystopia]]n science fiction. Instead of literary genres, some campaign settings are modeled on video game genres, such as ''[[Fabula Ultima]],'' which is based on [[JRPG]]s like [[Final Fantasy]].

== Publishers == {{main|List of game manufacturers}}

=== Major commercial publishers === The largest publisher of role-playing games is [[Wizards of the Coast]], a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Hasbro]] and publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Other major companies in 2020-2024 included [[Onyx Path Publishing]] (''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]'', ''[[Exalted (role-playing game)|Exalted]]'', and others), ''[[Games Workshop]] ([[Warhammer 40,000|Warhammer 40K]])'', [[Chaosium]] (''Call of Cthulhu)'', [[Green Ronin Publishing]] (''Fantasy AGE: Cthulhu Mythos''), [[Free League Publishing]] (''[[Alien: The Roleplaying Game]]'', ''[[Mörk Borg]]''), [[R. Talsorian Games]] (''[[Cyberpunk (role-playing game)|Cyberpunk]]''), [[Paizo]] (''Pathfinder''), [[Evil Hat Productions]] (''[[Fate (role-playing game system)|Fate]]''), and [[Modiphius Entertainment]] (''[[Star Trek Adventures]]''), as tracked on ICv2's Top 5 Roleplaying Games articles<ref>{{Cite web |title=TOP 5 ROLEPLAYING GAMES - SPRING 2021 |url=https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/48851/top-5-roleplaying-games-spring-2021 |access-date=15 September 2021 |website=ICv2}}</ref> and the Bestselling Titles list<ref>{{Cite web |title=DriveThruRPG.com - Top 100 Products |url=https://www.drivethrurpg.com/top_100.php |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=www.drivethrurpg.com}}</ref> on [[DriveThruRPG]].

Most role-playing game publishers are privately held companies and do not release sales figures, making precise estimates difficult. There has been no publicly available, systematic examination of point of sale data, limiting further estimates to a rough consensus between industry analysts.

Most commercially published RPGs are [[small press]] products, selling fewer than a thousand units.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sullivan |first=Kate |date=9 November 2017 |title=Complete Guide to Small Press Publishing: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Small Presses for Writers |url=https://www.tckpublishing.com/complete-guide-to-small-press-publishing-for-writers/ |access-date=3 May 2021 |website=TCK Publishing |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Print on demand]] is often used to reduce costs for small print runs.

===Indie publishers=== {{main|Indie role-playing game}}

Independent or [[Indie role-playing game|"indie" role-playing games]] are tabletop role-playing games produced by individual creators or [[small press]] publishers, in contrast to games published by large [[corporation]]s.<ref name="Dicebreaker-2022">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2022-06-06 |title=Queer Games Bundle strives to earn a living wage for marginalized artists in the tabletop RPG space |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/topics/bundle/news/queer-games-bundle-2022-itchio |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Gab |date=2022-08-19 |title=The 10 Best Indie Tabletop RPGS, According To Reddit |url=https://screenrant.com/best-indie-tabletop-rpgs-according-to-reddit/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indie Games Get the Spotlight During Zine Month |url=https://news.yahoo.com/indie-games-spotlight-during-zine-202000699.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref> As a movement, indie game design typically emphasizes creative freedom and fair financial compensation for game designers.<ref name="Dicebreaker-2022"/> The indie role-playing game community often produces games with signature and idiosyncratic character. Some indie designers create and sell their own games on [[Itch.io]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Birsner |first=Chris |date=2021-11-14 |title=30 Best Games On Itch.Io, Ranked |url=https://www.thegamer.com/best-itchio-games/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Joseph |date=2022-11-25 |title=Itch.io Black Friday Sale Gives Creators All The Revenue |url=https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/itchio-black-friday-sale-gives-creators-all-revenue |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=TechRaptor |language=en}}</ref> [[DriveThruRPG]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gerber |first=Meredith |date=2018-11-21 |title=OneBlogShelf: RPGNow Merging with DriveThruRPG on February 2019 |url=http://oneblogshelf.blogspot.com/2018/11/rpgnow-closing-on-february-2019.html |access-date=2019-07-09 |website=OneBlogShelf}}</ref> [[Kickstarter]], [[BackerKit]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2022-06-14 |title=Backerkit launches its own crowdfunding platform with nearly 40 planned projects |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/topics/crowdfunding/news/backerkit-crowdfunding-announcement |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2022-12-12 |title=BackerKit discusses challenging the 'big green K' as it moves from crowdfunding tool to competitor |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/companies/backerkit/interview/backerkit-talks-redefining-crowdfunding-future-small-creators |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref> or via in-person sales at gaming conventions, while others use distribution services such as [[Indie Press Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cha |first1=Ed |last2=Taylor |first2=Brennan |title=Help Zone/About Our Site |url=http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/help.php?section=about/ |access-date=2010-04-11 |publisher=Indie Press Revolution}}</ref>

=== Business models === Role-playing games are produced under a variety of [[business model]]s, which succeed or fail based on those models' objectives. The smallest viable businesses are one person companies that produce games using [[print on demand]] and [[e-book]] technologies. Most of these companies provide a secondary income for their owner-operators.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} Many of these businesses employ [[freelancers]], but some do not; their owners complete every aspect of the product. Larger companies may have a small office staff that manages publishing, brand development and freelance work. Guided by a developer/manager, freelancers produce most of a game line's content according to a central plan. Some start with already established franchises while others create original series and then branch out as a franchise to multiple medias. Finally, a few companies (such as Wizards of the Coast and [[Mongoose Publishing]]) maintain an in-house writing and design staff.

The standard business model for successful RPGs relies on multiple sales avenues:{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} * The so-called [[three-tier (alcohol distribution)|three-tier distribution model]], under which the company sells products to distributors who in turn sell the products to retailers who sell to customers. This is traditionally divided into the hobby trade (used by the majority of print publishers) and the book trade (viable for a smaller number of companies able to absorb returns and provide sufficiently large print runs). According to [[ICv2]], hobby retail sales have declined, with the balance of hobby games sales moving from RPGs to [[Miniature figure (gaming)|miniatures]] games and [[collectible card games]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hobby Game Sales Eke Out a Tough Win in 2023 |url=https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/56589/hobby-game-sales-eke-out-tough-win-2023 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=icv2.com |language=en}}</ref> * Direct sales via the internet, through an online retailer or through the company's own electronic storefront. * Electronic sales and distribution, either without any physical product at all (e-books) or through a [[Print on demand|POD]] service. Once limited to small companies, this sales venue is now employed by publishers of all sizes.

Typically, RPG publishers have a very long life cycle once they manage to generate an initial successful game.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} TSR, the initial publisher of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] was an independent entity until 1997 when it was acquired by [[Wizards of the Coast]], who was subsequently acquired by Hasbro in 1999. Many of TSR's contemporaries remain in business as independent publishers. The core design group of a publisher is often kept as a team within the new company for the purposes of continuity and productivity, though [[layoffs]] are common after such mergers and acquisitions. For example, Wizards of the Coast experienced multiple layoffs in the wake of acquiring [[Last Unicorn Games]] and after its own acquisition by [[Hasbro]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

==See also== * [[Gaming convention]] * [[Polish role-playing games]] * [[Indie role-playing game]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links==  * [http://rpg.net RPG.Net] – RPG community and database

[[Category:Role-playing games| ]] [[Category:Role-playing]] [[Category:Tabletop games]]