Step into worlds both familiar and fantastical with the best new tabletop RPG books of 2024, where innovation meets tradition in stunningly crafted guides and adventures. From the cyberpunk streets of Tokyo: Otherscape to the eerie corporate horror of Triangle Agency, this year’s releases redefine role-playing with rich storytelling, inventive mechanics, and breathtaking design. Whether you crave dystopian thrills, mythic quests, or solo journaling journeys, these standout titles promise to ignite your imagination and elevate your gaming table to new heights.
Dungeons & Dragons celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, a major milestone not just for Wizards of the Coast but for the entire tabletop role-playing game industry. Even as Wizards sought to simultaneously take a victory lap and secure D&D’s dominance by releasing new core rulebooks, other publishers looked back to the hobby’s history to put fresh spins on what old-school gaming means. The hobby’s growing popularity also leaves plenty of room for innovation, as designers craft fantastical new worlds and put strange spins on history.
This alphabetical list of the best tabletop role-playing books of 2024 includes items from the industry’s top designers and standout work from brand-new publishers. Whether you’re looking to hunt monsters or for hope at the end of the world, deep mechanics or plenty of laughs, these books show off the power of TTRPGs to unleash the imagination and how far the hobby has come in the past half-century.
Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts
Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts is a substantial 128-page expansion for the acclaimed heist-themed RPG, adding rich new lore, factions, and player options to the dark, industrial-fantasy city of Doskvol. It introduces 27 new factions, over 100 heritage and background packages, and 13 innovative technologies that deepen the setting and character customization. The expansion also features six modular rule systems, including revamped Harm & Trauma, Advancement, Downtime, Load, and Action mechanics, designed to streamline gameplay and enhance player agency. With new catalysts that shake up the world and fresh GM tools, Deep Cuts elevates Blades in the Dark to new heights, offering both narrative depth and mechanical flexibility for veteran and new players alike.
Blades in the Dark is one of the best indie RPGs out there, and John Harper made it even better this year by quietly releasing Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts. The book updates the original rules based on Harper’s experience running the game for years, cutting dice rolls during downtime actions to remove the potential for disappointment and changing the way that threats work to present players the risks of their actions upfront and make them figure out how to avoid the consequences. Deep Cuts further fleshes out the already rich setting of Duskvol, placing the haunted city on the brink of explosive change thanks to a mix of new technology, union movements, a paranoid empire, and occult forces.
Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts
$10 $10 $10 at Itch.io$10 at DriveThruRPG
Broken Tales Core Book
Broken Tales Core Book offers a dark, innovative tabletop RPG experience by flipping classic fairytales on their heads. Set in a mystical 18th-century Europe, players join the Order, a secret group working for the Papacy to investigate supernatural threats. The game features villains turned heroes and heroes turned villains, all stemming from a corrupted wish that shattered the realm of fairytales. With a rich narrative system called Monad Echo, the book provides rules for players and storytellers, ten ready-to-play scenarios inspired by stories like Little Red Riding Hood and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and extensive world-building elements. Its striking black, red, and white art enhances the eerie atmosphere, making it a standout title for one-shot and campaign play alike.
A dark wish shattered the realm of fairy tales in the Ennie-nominated Broken Tales by breaking all the stories. Now villains like Captain Hook and Bluebeard serve as hunters, tracking down warped versions of fairy-tale heroes who prey upon the people of 1700s Europe. Filled with evocative black, red, and white illustrations from Daniel Comerci, the book by Alberto Tronchi offers horrifying adventures based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “The Three Little Pigs,” and other classic stories perfect for playing as one-shots. The flexible rules also make it easy to devise your own twisted stories and characters.
Broken Tales Core Book
$19$2421% off $19 $58 at The World Anvil Kickstarter Edition (physical)$19 at DriveThruRPG (PDF)$50 at Imagining Games (physical and PDF)
Dreams and Machines Player’s Guide
The Dreams and Machines Player’s Guide is a comprehensive core rulebook for the post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG set on Evera Prime, where humanity struggles to rebuild after a devastating war. Spanning 222 pages, it covers character creation, the rich history of the world, and the current state of affairs, all built around a new version of the 2d20 system that emphasizes Spirit as a key resource. Players can choose from five origins and nine archetypes, including advanced options, allowing for diverse and flexible character builds. The guide also details a wide array of Old World equipment and vehicles, enhancing gameplay depth. With its narrative-driven mechanics and beautifully crafted presentation, it offers both newcomers and seasoned players an immersive experience of hope and heroism in a dangerous, evolving world.
There are plenty of games set in dark post-apocalyptic worlds, but Modiphius Entertainment’s Dreams and Machines takes a more optimistic approach to imagining what comes after. Long after a war between man and a twisted AI ravaged the utopian world of Evera Prime, new societies have formed with their own traditions and views on how much of the old technology can be trusted. The system encourages players to make an impact on the world not just through their adventures but by becoming mentors and inspiring figures, offering the option to retire a character or have them die to fit the narrative. It also has a fairly ingenious version of “magic” as some people can use GLIFs and forgotten words and gestures to control advanced technology.
Dreams and Machines RPG Starter Set
$15 $15 $39 at Modiphius Entertainment$27 at Amazon$15 at DriveThruRPG (PDF)
Eat the Reich
Eat the Reich is a thrilling and ultraviolent tabletop RPG set in 1943, where players become vampire commandos dropped into Nazi-occupied Paris with the mission to drink all of Adolf Hitler’s blood. Designed by Grant Howitt and illustrated by Will Kirkby, this game combines fast-paced action, blood magic, and creative combat in one to three intense sessions. Utilizing a quick-to-learn D6 dice pool system called the Havoc Engine, players engage in a wild narrative filled with enemy reinforcements, iconic characters, and gruesome foes to defeat and feed upon. The 72-page rulebook is richly illustrated and packed with detailed locations, encouraging imaginative destruction and storytelling. Eat the Reich has earned multiple awards, including Gold ENnies for Best Cover Art, Best Interior Art, and Best Adventure, and is praised for its unique blend of horror, history, and over-the-top gameplay.
Designed to played in one to three bombastic sessions, Eat the Reich is the gore-soaked, over-the-top game for fans of Inglourious Basterdsand The Suicide Squadthat won several awards at this year’s Gen Con. A group of vampires that can include a man-bat and a flesh-eating cowboy are coffin-dropped into occupied Paris with the goal of making it to Hitler’s zeppelin docked at the Eiffel Tower and drinking all his blood. The adventure by Grant Howitt is packed with stunning illustrations by Will Kirkby, keeping descriptions short while providing plenty of wild settings and antagonists. Players can meet up with the French resistance, rescue “degenerate” art, ride around on Napoleon’s undead horse, and level up by defeating Nazi underbosses. What more could you want?
Eat the Reich
$12$1520% off $12 $30 at Amazon$30 at Rowan, Rook and Decard$12 at DriveThruRPG (PDF)
Historica Arcanum: Era of the Crusades
Historica Arcanum: Era of the Crusades is a richly detailed 5th Edition tabletop RPG setting that plunges players into the occult and tumultuous world of the 12th-century Holy Lands. Centered around the legendary cities of Jerusalem and Cairo in 1182, this expansive sourcebook offers deep lore, character options, subclasses, and a bestiary inspired by historical and arcane elements. Players navigate a dark narrative where Crusader knights and the forces of Saladin confront eldritch threats, mythical creatures, and political intrigue. The setting also introduces innovative mechanics like the Deck of the Damned for combat and narrative tension, alongside tools to create unique knightly orders, making it a comprehensive package for immersive historical fantasy campaigns.
Metis Creative produces extremely high-quality supplements for history buffs, and its latest book, Historica Arcanum: Era of the Crusades, brings players and game masters to 12th-century Cairo and Jerusalem. The detailed maps and explanation of the power players of the time provide plenty of material tied to the setting-specific campaign The Sigil of Jerusalem, but this book also offers plenty of subclasses and systems that can be easily ported into other games. Evocative character options include a doomsaying bard and a self-flagellating cleric, and there are rules for magical backlash and having characters feel the stress of bloody battles and encounters with the unknown that will add stakes to their actions.
Historica Arcanum: Era of the Crusades
$60 $60 $60 at Metis Creative (physical and digital)
Pathfinder Lost Omens: Tian Xia World Guide
Pathfinder Lost Omens: Tian Xia World Guide is a comprehensive 304-page gazetteer that richly details the vast and diverse continent of Tian Xia, a land shaped by ancient dragons and steeped in deep history, culture, and mythology. The guide explores over 20 distinct nations and kingdoms, their unique peoples, religions, factions, and the powerful imperial dragons that once ruled the land. It offers a vivid timeline, lore, and a bestiary, making it an essential resource for game masters and players seeking to immerse themselves in this vibrant Asian-inspired setting. Praised for its depth, storytelling, and cultural richness, the book provides a compelling foundation for adventures in Tian Xia, despite some critiques of its artwork. This world guide stands out as a must-have for 2024’s tabletop RPG releases, delivering both charm and a well-crafted narrative to enrich any Pathfinder campaign.
TTRPGs have a long history of Orientalism, and Paizo worked to combat that by assembling dozens of writers of Asian descent to bring their perspectives to crafting a setting book rich with character options that any Pathfinder player will want to check out. Celebrating the diversity of Asian fantasy, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Tian Xia World Guide features acupuncturists and street food vendors, oni and tanuki, and options for martial artists who draw on the powers of the zodiac – like a character from Sailor Moon. The book is filled with vibrant art showcasing not just a wide array of creatures but apparel, food, and architectural styles.
Pathfinder Lost Omens: Tian Xia World Guide
$30 $30 $80 at Paizo$30 at Paizo (digital)$69 at Amazon
Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook (2024)
The 2024 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook is a comprehensive and thoughtfully redesigned core rulebook for fifth edition, packed with 384 pages of new content and improvements. It features 12 core classes, 48 subclasses, 10 species (formerly called races), 75 feats, and 16 backgrounds, offering players a wealth of character-building options. The book introduces streamlined and clearer rules, including a refined crafting system and new Weapon Masteries, enhancing gameplay depth and customization. Its layout is more accessible, with a beginner-friendly approach that starts with how to play the game, and includes an alphabetized Rules Glossary for easy reference. Stunning new artwork brings every class, subclass, species, and equipment to life, making the 2024 Player’s Handbook both visually striking and functionally improved. This edition balances accessibility for new players with depth for veterans, making it a must-have for any D&D enthusiast.
A decade after launching the D&D 5th edition rules, Wizards of the Coast released a revised Player’s Handbook to reflect the way the game has evolved through both official supplements and the efforts of performers, third-party developers, Dungeon Masters, and players. While remaining accessible to newcomers, the book pushes forward the levels of choice and complexity for those who want it through redesigned character classes, species, and weapon rules. Its art showcases the breadth of the game’s multiverse and the play experiences it provides, from epic battles to the chance to just share some laughs with a table of friends.
Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook (2024)
$50 $50
The latest version of the Player’s Handbook features a lighter rules introduction and relegates its crunchier mechanics to a rules glossary.
Read More $50 at Amazon (physical)$60 at D&D Beyond (physical and digital)
Shadowdark RPG
Shadowdark RPG stands out as a dark fantasy tabletop role-playing game that masterfully blends old-school dungeon crawling with modern, streamlined mechanics. Created by Kelsey Dionne and published in 2023, it quickly gained acclaim for its immersive gameplay, where players navigate perilous dungeons under the constant threat of dwindling light sources and lurking monsters. The game emphasizes fast-paced, risk-driven combat and a unique magic system that adds unpredictability and excitement. Praised for its elegant design, high production values, and accessible ruleset-all contained in a single core book-Shadowdark RPG won multiple 2024 ENNIE Awards, including Product of the Year, and has been recognized as one of the best new tabletop RPG books of 2024.
The award-winningShadowdark RPG uses a light ruleset but calls on the art style, monsters, and generally brutal vibe of the earliest versions of D&D. Players are encouraged to start with a reserve of several level 0 characters and see which one makes it through the brutal gauntlet of their first adventure alive. The lucky ones get to continue their career of avoiding deadly traps and fighting monsters in a setting where the darkness is so dangerous that you’ll want to keep very close track of how long your light source will last – that is, if the monsters don’t find a way to extinguish your torch or dispel your light magic. The book is packed with tables for rolling up rumors, encounters, and loot, making it easy to pull together ideas for a quick adventure.
Shadowdark
$59 $59 $59 at The Arcane Library
Starfinder Second Edition Playtest Adventure: A Cosmic Birthday
Starfinder Second Edition Playtest Adventure: A Cosmic Birthday is a well-crafted introductory adventure designed for 1st-level characters that takes players through a pivotal moment in Starfinder history. Set on Absalom Station, the story unfolds across three chapters, beginning with a mysterious elevator malfunction that strands the party in the extradimensional Ghost Levels. Players encounter a mix of classic dungeon crawling and narrative-rich sandbox elements, including side quests in Little Akiton and escalating cosmic phenomena linked to the birth of a new eldritch god known as The Newborn or Aucturn’s Child. The adventure features updated fan-favorite creatures, new cosmic horrors, and is designed to showcase the Starfinder Second Edition playtest rules, inviting players to provide feedback while immersing themselves in a galaxy-shaking event with lasting repercussions for the Pact Worlds.
The rules for Paizo’s Starfinder Second Edition are a work in progress, but Jenny Jarzabski designed A Cosmic Birthday as an adventure game masters can keep running for years with just some minor tweaks when the new core books come out next year. She’s succeeded in devising a warped story that kicks off with an elevator malfunction sending players falling into a parallel dimension. Players can rob a bank, fight eldritch horrors, and navigate traps including some very aggressive advertising. It’s a fantastic intro to the setting and system, encouraging creative thinking and offering plenty of opportunities for role-playing by helping out a cast of quirky NPCs.
Starfinder Second Edition Playtest Adventure: A Cosmic Birthday
$22$2512% off $22 $25 at Paizo$22 at Amazon
Triangle Agency
Triangle Agency is a standout tabletop role-playing game released in 2024 that blends paranormal investigation with corporate horror in a present-day setting. Players take on the roles of Field Agents working for the enigmatic Triangle Agency, tasked with capturing supernatural anomalies while navigating bureaucratic red tape and balancing everyday responsibilities. The game is notable for its dark humor, innovative Stability/Chaos dice system, and a deeply meta narrative style presented as an in-universe corporate manual. Highly praised for its design, storytelling, and art, Triangle Agency offers a unique blend of horror, satire, and collaborative storytelling, making it one of the best new TTRPG books of 2024.
One of the funniest TTRPG rulebooks out there, Triangle Agency evokes the warped humor of Paranoia and Better Off Ted for a game about a totally trustworthy company tasked with preserving mundane reality by locking up anomalies created by common thoughts. The art in the game master section is especially great, but the whole book offers a deeply meta approach to explaining how to play agents with supernatural powers who have to manage their standing within the company, commitments in the real world, and the anomalies that have bonded to them. The focus on how will affects reality also makes it one of the better manifestations of collaborative storytelling.
Triangle Agency
$30 $30 $60 at Haunted Table (physical and digital)$30 at Itch.io (digital)
What makes Tokyo: Otherscape the standout RPG of 2024
Tokyo: Otherscape stands out as the premier RPG of 2024 due to its innovative blend of mythic fantasy and cyberpunk set in a richly detailed dystopian Tokyo Mega City, where supernatural beings from Japanese legend collide with cutting-edge technology and corporate intrigue. Powered by the streamlined and flexible engine derived from City of Mist, it emphasizes player creativity and narrative progression through inner conflict and character weaknesses, rewarding specificity and imaginative roleplay. The setting book offers extensive new player options, tropes, pre-made scenarios, and a deep lore database, enabling both players and game masters to immerse themselves fully in a vibrant, haunted urban landscape filled with Oni, Yakuza, rogue AI, and nanotech disasters. Its combination of thematic depth, mechanical innovation, and evocative world-building makes Tokyo: Otherscape a fresh and compelling evolution of the cyberpunk RPG genre.
What unique cyberpunk and mythic elements set Tokyo: Otherscape apart in 2024
Tokyo: Otherscape distinguishes itself in 2024 by seamlessly merging cyberpunk and mythic elements into a unique roleplaying experience set in a futuristic Tokyo Mega City. The game features a world where the relentless “Noise” of technology and modern life has awakened ancient spirits and mythical beings-such as Yokai, Oni, and Kami-who now roam freely alongside high-tech elements like VR gear, androids, and cyberspace.
This blend manifests in characters who balance three aspects of evolution: their humanity, magical gifts from myth (Mythoi), and technological enhancements (Noise). Players can create diverse characters like sorcerous gunslingers, renegade androids, or magical fashion icons, engaging in high-stakes missions such as cyberspace train heists or stealing from nanite hive minds. The setting uniquely combines traditional Japanese folklore with cyberpunk staples, including demon motorcycle gangs and old gods reborn as computer programs, creating a vibrant, symbolic urban landscape.
Mechanically, Tokyo: Otherscape employs the Mist Engine’s tag-based system, which uses descriptive tags instead of complex modifiers, streamlining gameplay while encouraging narrative-driven character transformations. Characters evolve dramatically through story choices, shifting their powers and identities between myth, tech, and humanity, which influences both roleplay and mechanics.
Overall, Tokyo: Otherscape’s standout feature is this rich synthesis of ancient myth and cutting-edge cyberpunk technology, wrapped in a flexible, cinematic system that highlights storytelling and character evolution in a dystopian yet symbolically charged setting.
