Low fantasy and historical fantasy RPGs
Whether you like it or not, the popular standards and stereotypes for what passes for “fantasy roleplaying” are dictated by the Dungeons & Dragons behemoth. In the current era, this generally entails superheroic and near-indestructible player characters embarking on epic-scale adventures in colorful “kitchen-sink fantasy” worlds teeming with fantastical creatures and all-pervading magic. Many players, however, are looking for alternatives to these high fantasy setting assumptions. They are still interested in the general ambiance of pre-modern times and their legends, but prefer a more down-to-earth mode of play. Other groups would wish to replace the “faux-medieval” trappings of the dominant fantasy settings with something more historically authentic and set in a specific time and place in our history.
This is a list of RPG systems that are suitable for just such purposes. To a greater or lesser extent, they eschew the familiar tropes of heroic high fantasy in favor of a more grounded or historically-based gaming style. While the criteria for inclusion were quite broad, each game listed here has one or more of the following features (but not necessarily all of them!):
- Human-only or human-centric: The player characters are all human beings, not members of any fantasy “races”.
- Non-heroic: The player characters are (relatively) ordinary people with appropriate abilities and concerns.
- Rare, dangerous, or subtle magic: The world features a sharp division between the mundane and the supernatural and is not organized around the latter. The characters can’t just throw a spell at every problem.
- Gritty and lethal: People are presented as vulnerable and dangerous situations as truly dangerous. Violence is not something to be laughed at.
- Verisimilitudinous: The world operates according to widely recognized, predictable laws, and the characters are not shielded by any “plot armor”.
- History-based: The setting is a more or less strict representation of a particular era in real human history. For the purposes of this list, this means any period ranging from the so-called Dark Ages to early modern times (for roleplaying in the ancient era, see my list of sword-and-sandal RPGs).
I attempted to limit the listed items to standalone systems. Many of these games are supported by various additional materials that are relevant to the theme of this list (such as specific low fantasy or historical setting supplements); however, listing them all would be beyond impractical. I did make some allowances for cases like Cthulhu Dark Ages, where only the supplement fits the list while the main game would be out of place here.
Because the sword and sorcery genre is often identified as a subgenre of low fantasy, I also recommend taking a look at my list of sword and sorcery RPGs. A large portion of my OSR list might also be relevant as a supplement to the current list.
Mythras
d100 · Derived from RuneQuest · Multiple setting supplements
5 figs out of 5
GURPS
3d6 · Multiple setting supplements
4.5 figs out of 5
Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game
3d6 · Derived from GURPS · Classic D&D-inspired setting
4.5 figs out of 5
HârnMaster
d100 · Low fantasy medieval setting
4.5 figs out of 5
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP)
d100 · Dark fantasy Renaissance setting
4.5 figs out of 5
Pendragon
d20 · Historical fantasy medieval setting
4 figs out of 5
Paladin: Warriors of Charlemagne
d20 · Derived from Pendragon · Historical fantasy medieval setting
4 figs out of 5
Zweihänder
d100 · Based on WFRP · Dark fantasy Renaissance setting
4 figs out of 5
The Burning Wheel
Xd6 · Low fantasy setting
4 figs out of 5
Savage Worlds
dX · Multiple setting supplements
4 figs out of 5
Ars Magica
Xd10 · Historical fantasy medieval setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Forbidden Lands
Xd6 · Dark fantasy setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Against the Darkmaster
d100 · Based on MERP
3.5 figs out of 5
Rolemaster
d100 · High fantasy default setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Low Fantasy Gaming
d20 · Low fantasy setting
3.5 figs out of 5
The One Ring
Xd6 · Tolkienian fantasy setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Ironsworn
d6+2d10 · Low fantasy setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Cthulhu Dark Ages
d100 · Supplement for Call of Cthulhu · Historical fantasy early medieval setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Barbarians of Lemuria
2d6 · Sword and sorcery setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Honor + Intrigue
2d6 · Based on Barbarians of Lemuria · Historical 17th-century setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Basic Roleplaying (BRP)
d100 · Multiple setting supplements
3.5 figs out of 5
Magic World
d100 · Derived from Stormbringer
3.5 figs out of 5
Symbaroum
d20 · Dark fantasy setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Shadow of the Demon Lord
d20 · Inspired by WFRP · Dark fantasy setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Maelstrom
d100 · Historical fantasy 16th-century setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Maelstrom Domesday
d100 · Based on Maelstrom · Historical fantasy early medieval setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Chivalry & Sorcery
d100 · Historical fantasy medieval setting
3.5 figs out of 5
Wolves of God
d20 · Historical fantasy early medieval setting
3 figs out of 5
The Riddle of Steel
xd10 · High fantasy or sword and sorcery setting
3 figs out of 5
Blade of the Iron Throne
xd12 · Based on TRoS · Sword and sorcery setting
3 figs out of 5
Song of Swords
xd10 · Based on TRoS
3 figs out of 5
Sword & Scoundrel
xd6 · Based on TRoS · Dark fantasy Renaissance setting
3 figs out of 5
Worlds Without Number
d20 · Dying Earth setting
3 figs out of 5
Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of (Conan 2d20)
2d20 · Sword and sorcery setting
3 figs out of 5
Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC)
d20 · Old-school pulp fantasy setting
3 figs out of 5
Aquelarre
d100 · Historical fantasy medieval setting
3 figs out of 5
The Witcher
d10 · High fantasy setting
3 figs out of 5
Fantasy HERO
3d6 · Customizable universal system
3 figs out of 5
Lion & Dragon
d20 · Historical fantasy medieval setting
3 figs out of 5
OpenQuest
d100 · Derived from RuneQuest · High fantasy setting
3 figs out of 5
Old-School Essentials (OSE)
d20 · B/X D&D retroclone
3 figs out of 5
The Dark Eye
3d20 · Low fantasy setting
3 figs out of 5
Torchbearer
Xd6 · Derived from The Burning Wheel
3 figs out of 5
Hackmaster
d20/d100 · High fantasy setting
3 figs out of 5
Mörk Borg
d20 · Dark fantasy setting
3 figs out of 5
Fate
Fudge dice · Multiple setting supplements
2.5 figs out of 5
Blades in the Dark
Xd6 · Dark fantasy setting
2.5 figs out of 5
Band of Blades
Xd6 · Based on Blades in the dark · Low fantasy setting
2.5 figs out of 5
Sword Chronicle
Xd6 · Derived from SIFRP · Low fantasy setting
2.5 figs out of 5
Chronica Feudalis
dX · Historical medieval setting
2.5 figs out of 5
Swords of the Serpentine
d6 · Sword and sorcery setting
2.5 figs out of 5
Legend of the Five Rings
Custom dice · East Asian fantasy setting
2.5 figs out of 5
7th Sea
Xd10 · Fantasy 17th-century setting
2.5 figs out of 5
Knave
d20 · Settingless
2.5 figs out of 5
Genesys
Custom dice · Multiple setting supplements
2.5 figs out of 5
Dragon Warriors
d20 · Low fantasy setting
2 figs out of 5
Warlock!
d100 · Inspired by WFRP · Low fantasy setting
2 figs out of 5
Reign
Xd10 · Low fantasy setting
2 figs out of 5
Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures
d20 · Low fantasy setting
2 figs out of 5
Through Sunken Lands and Other Adventures
d20 · Based on Beyond the Wall · Sword and sorcery setting
2 figs out of 5
Dungeon World
2d6 · Classic D&D-inspired setting
2 figs out of 5
Advanced Fighting Fantasy
Xd6 · High fantasy setting
2 figs out of 5
Shadows of Esteren
d10 · Low fantasy setting
2 figs out of 5
Lamentations of the Flame Princess
d20 · Historical fantasy 17th-century setting
2 figs out of 5
The Sword of Cepheus
2d6 · Sword and sorcery setting
2 figs out of 5
Renaissance
d100 · Historical fantasy early modern setting
2 figs out of 5