A few sites are running their analysis and op-eds on which RPGs are the most anticipated for 2023.
I think EN World started this, and they’ve done it again with thousands of votes. It makes sense to share their results rather than reinvent the wheel.
1. King Arthur Pendragon, 6th Edition (Chaosium)
Pendragon 6E was 4th on the list in 2021 and 3rd in 2022. It’s 2023’s most-anticipated TTRPG! Greg Stafford developed Pendragon in the 1980s, and Chaosium is publishing a 6th edition soon(ish). Campaigns can span generations, with players playing their characters’ heirs.
2. Dragonbane / Drakar och Demoner (Free League)
Free League’s Twilight 2000 and Blade Runner were #1 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Dragonbane is the English-language remake of Drakar och Demoner, a 40-year-old Swedish RPG (the new version is also available in Swedish under its original title). The boxed set centres on the Misty Vale, a secluded mountain valley threatened by orcs, and is classic fantasy with a “mirth and mayhem” playstyle.
3. 13th Age, 2nd Edition (Pelgrane Press)
13th Age, developed by D&D 3E and 4E lead designers, was the most anticipated game of 2013 when EN World started this yearly poll. The 2nd edition is expected to be backwards compatible and coming our way via Kickstarter.
4. Household (Two Little Mice)
Each room in an abandoned house is a 14th-century nation. Using a d6 dice pool, player characters are “littlings” – a bit like faries – on adventures. Miniatures, cards, and accessories combat spiders, rats, and centipedes. This recently raised nearly half a million dollars on Kickstarter.
5. Mothership 1e (Tuesday Knight Games)
Tuesday Knight Games’ Mothership game was free before the epic Kickstarter, slowly accumulating supporters. Kickstarter has a ready-made audience for the official “1E” boxed set. The d100 “Panic Engine” lets you play scientists, teamsters, androids, and marines, and as EN world notes, it’s Alien(s).
6. Shadow of the Weird Wizard (Schwalb Entertainment)
Rob Schwalb’s family-friendly Shadow of the Demon Lord ruleset ranked #7 last year. This 2020 game reimagines the Demon Lord system for a new audience. Clockwork City’s eccentric Weird Wizard’s sorcery has changed the world.
7. The Walking Dead Universe RPG (Free League)
Free League’s Year Zero Engine powers this official Walking Dead TTRPG, announced recently. The game’s details are scarce, but if you’ve seen the TV show, you know what to expect.
8. Warhammer 40K Imperium Maledictum (Cubicle 7)
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4E and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar: Soulbound from Cubicle 7 have featured on EN World’s surveys before. Using d100, this one investigates and socialises, offering deadly combat. PCs’ benefactor sends them on secret missions, which may be better than life toiling with the imperium’s ceaseless labour.
9. Old Gods of Appalachia (Monte Cook Games)
With almost $2M raised on Kickstarter, MCG deserves its first spot in EN World’s annual poll. This game’s Appalachian mountains house eldritch entities’ tombs. Monte Cook Games knows the Kickstarter audience well, and these old gods are a standalone Cypher-powered game and loads of accessories and add-ons.
10. Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme (Exalted Funeral)
When announced earlier this year, Exalted Funeral (and Crowbar Creative) raised nearly $2M on Kickstarter. Why not? Monty Python! Spam, catapults, coconut dice rollers, and a Python-esque sense of humour.
Via EN World.
What do you think? Measured observations are welcome and you can leave them in the comment section below.
