Developers have been translating TTRPGs to the PC and console for decades, with varying degrees of success. Though they haven’t all been winners, some RPGs based on tabletop games have earned a place among the greatest titles of all time. From Neverwinter Nights and Planescape: Torment to Baldur’s Gate 3, some truly great games have been adaptations of TTRPG adventures. While these games, and many others, have drawn from Dungeons & Dragons, however, some developers have looked to other tabletop games for inspiration.
Longtime fans of TTRPGs know that there’s far more than just D&D to enjoy. While the classic fantasy game may be the most popular and recognizable, there are plenty of other excellent games that span a wide variety of genres and styles. From flashy science fiction to gritty, supernatural noir, there’s no shortage of TTRPGs to enjoy, and some phenomenal games have been sent in these alternatives to D&D. For fans of games like Baldur’s Gate 3 who are looking for something new, these RPGs based on different tabletop games are excellent options.
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Cyberpunk 2077 Began as Cyberpunk 2013
The Release of Cyberpunk 2077 Helped Revive the TTRPG
The original Cyberpunk TTRPG was released way back in 1988 and bore the full title of Cyberpunk 2013. Set in an alternate history with a timeline diverging from our own in the ’80s, the first edition covered life in the western United States in the early 21st Century.
Subsequent editions advanced the timeline, with Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk V3.0 bringing the world forward through the ’20s and into the ’30s. These early editions of the game drew a cult following that loved the style and sci-fi vibes of the world, but the RPG never became a major hit or enjoyed mainstream success. CDPR’s decision to develop a game set in the world of Cyberpunk changed this.
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Cyberpunk 2077 jumped the setting forward yet again, giving fans a glimpse of Night City in the latter half of the 21st Century. While it updated the world, the game still honored the source material, featuring the same aesthetics and even bringing back beloved characters, factions, and corporations. While it experienced a rough launch, subsequent work by CDPR salvaged the action RPG and made it a hit.
Even better, for fans of the TTRPG, the development of the video game prompted a revival of the original game. Cyberpunk Red, a new edition of the tabletop game, launched in 2020 and was designed to serve as a prequel to the video game. The first release in the TTRPG series in over a decade, the new edition continues to maintain a cult following and is a worthy companion to Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
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December 10, 2020
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
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Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is Set in the World of Darkness
The Cult Classic is Still Loved Today
Among cult classics and flawed gems, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines tops the lists of the greats. Allowing players to take on the role of a newly turned vampire, the RPG is set in a noir world of conspiracy, supernatural threats, existential dread, and constant danger. Featuring over a dozen vampire clans, many representing different classic tropes and vampiric archetypes, players get to decide what sort of vampire they’ll be and who they’ll ally with or oppose as they seek to survive in the night.
Despite a rushed development and troubled launch, marred by bugs and lack of polish, the game still developed a loyal fanbase who love VTM – Bloodlines for its deep story and branching paths. Some fans, however, aren’t aware that the beloved PC game is actually based on a TTRPG series.
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Vampire: The Masquerade first launched in 1991 and quickly became a hit among TTRPG fans, as well as developing a robust LARPing community. Over time, new editions were released, and other games set in the same world were added. Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion, and other titles expanded on what was dubbed the World of Darkness.
This setting looked much like the real world on the surface, but with a gothic-punk aesthetic. Bloodlines stayed true to this approach and, while it failed commercially, did justice to Vampire: The Masquerade and the larger World of Darkness. Since then, several smaller titles set in the World of Darkness have been released to varying degrees of success, and a true sequel is currently in the works.
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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Uses the Mechanics of the Star Wars RPG
The Star Wars TTRPG Was Short-Lived But Influential
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic continues to top lists of the best RPGs of all time, featuring an original story set millennia before the original trilogy, great characters, and one of the best twists in the history of video games. It marked a departure for developer BioWare, both from the isometric style of its past titles and from games based on Dungeons & Dragons. While KOTOR gave the studio a chance to leave fantasy and move into the realm of science fiction, however, it was still rooted in the TTRPG and faithfully replicated its mechanics and style.
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While it featured an original story, Knights of the Old Republic’s gameplay was based on the Star Wars Roleplaying Game released by Wizards of the Coast in 2000. Drawing heavily on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons for inspiration, the TTRPG earned praise from critics when it was released, though its success was short-lived.
The game received several source books from 2000 to 2002 and two new editions, with the second launching in 2007. Unfortunately for fans, the TTRPG got its last book in 2010 and has since been discontinued. Still, the system lives on as the backbone of one of the greatest video game RPGs of all time.
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Pathfinder: Kingmaker is Based on D&D’s Chief Competitor
A Fantasy Game With a Twist on the D&D Style
Fans who want something a little different but don’t want to depart too far from the Dungeons & Dragons formula will almost certainly love Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Drawing on the Pathfinder TTRPG and adapting one of its most celebrated adventure modules, the game features isometric combat and exploration along with a kingdom-building mechanic. Though it lacked the budget and polish of RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, it still earned praise for its story and massive scale. Further, it was noted for so faithfully translating the Pathfinder system to the PC.
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Pathfinder: Kingmaker didn’t have the budget or the marketing of Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s still a phenomenal RPG set in a fantasy world.
Pathfinder was first launched by Paizo Publishing in 2009 and is largely based on D&D 3.5. Arising from Wizards of the Coast’s development of the fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons and changes to the third-party licensing policy, the new game features many of the monsters and concepts of the older fantasy series, but with a completely original setting.
Many D&D fans who disliked the streamlining and simplification of later editions have come to love Pathfinder for its more complex mechanics. Gamers who love fantasy but are looking for something new would do well to check out Pathfinder, and Pathfinder: Kingmaker remains an excellent introduction to the setting and gameplay.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
- Released
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September 25, 2018
- ESRB
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t
- Developer(s)
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Owlcat Games
1
Shadowrun Returns Blends Science Fiction and Fantasy
Cyberpunk and D&D Fans Will Find Something to Love About Shadowrun
Like Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Shadowrun Returns is a crowd-funded isometric RPG that flew under the radar for many gamers when it released. The 2013 title, however, deserves a look from fans of the genre. Blending real-time exploration and turn-based combat, the game combines some of the best elements of science fiction and fantasy.
Shadowrun Returns is set in a cyberpunk, dystopian future where magic has inexplicably returned to the world, along with classic fantasy races like elves, dwarves, and orcs. Technology and mysticism clash, and mercenaries work together to take on evil corporations and get rich in the process. Fans of cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopia will all find something familiar about the world and something to love in the story.
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Shadowrun Is a Great D&D Alternative for Fans of Cyberpunk & Urban Fantasy
Shadowrun’s blend of fantasy and cyberpunk elements makes it an excellent alternative for D&D fans looking to try out a new role-playing system.
As with Cyberpunk 2077, Shadowrun Returns helped draw new fans to a longtime TTRPG. The Shadowrun tabletop game first launched in 1989 and has earned numerous awards over the course of its six editions. While never rivaling Dungeons and Dragons commercially, it has consistently drawn players who like a little hacking and corporate espionage mixed in with their fantasy.
Notable for the freedom it allows players, Shadowrun has never incorporated classes, letting players mix and match any skills they want to learn, allowing for specialization in technology, magic, or combat, or a blend of them all. Drawing from, possibly, the most unique TTRPG on the list, Shadowrun Returns is a great indie game that RPG fans owe it to themselves to check out.