Forged in the Dark (2017)

Blades in the Dark is a heist-themed tabletop roleplaying game system about a crew of daring misfits  on the streets of an industrial fantasy city. Published by Evil Hat Productions in 2017 and designed by John Harper, it introduced the highly influential Forged in the Dark rules engine. BitD revolutionized the heist genre in tabletop gaming by pushing players straight into the act, eliminating the "planning phase". The system it loosely evolved from is Apocalypse World Description In Blades in the Dark, players are part of a criminal organization in Doskvol, a grim Victorian era city. The city is protected by a wall of lightning, to keep any threat on the outside. Players create their characters as either smugglers, thieves, assassins or cultists and explore the criminal underworld, perform dangerous heists, manage gang warfare and grow their criminal organization. The game focuses heavily on narrative momentum and failing forward. Characters are competent but flawed, constantly accumulating stress, trauma, and heat from the law as their gang rises to power. System Overview & Key Features Action Roll (d6 Dice Pool) The core mechanic uses a pool of six-sided dice(d6) based on a character's action rating. The highest die result will determine the outcome of the action. 6 is considered a full success, 4-5 is a partial success with a consequence, and 1-3 is a failure. Rolling multiple full successes is considered a critical success. Position and Effect Before every roll, the Game Master explicitly states the character's Position (Controlled, Risky, or Desperate) and Effect (Limited, Standard, or Great). This transparently communicates the exact stakes and potential fallout of the action before the dice hit the table. Stress and Resistance Characters have a Stress track. Players can spend Stress to give themselves for extra dice when rolling. They can also use it to assist an ally, or fuel their special abilities. Players can also spend Stress when facing any situation or consequence the GM throws at them, this makes the characters very skilled, but forces them to consider when to spend it. The Flashback Mechanic Instead of spending hours planning a heist, the crew simply chooses a target, picks a detail, and jumps right into the action. Later, they can use Stress, to envoke a flashback moment, where they explain how they had already planned for such a situation, or had "solved" it beforehand. Progress Clocks The game uses circular progress tracks called Clocks to visually represent approaching danger or the progress of a complex task. A clock might represent the alert level of the city watch, the structural integrity of a safe vault, or the patience of a rival gang leader. The Crew as a Character The criminal organization the players run has its own character sheet. The organization gains experience, levels up, claims territory, and unlocks special abilities, ensuring that the gang's rise to power is just as mechanically significant as the characters' Additional links evilhat.com - Official Evil Hat Productions website bladesinthedark.com - Official System Reference Document and rules database

Ishanekon: World Shapers is the (probably) biggest free Indie TTRPG with over 2,500 character options. It has been mainly developed by Jan Luyken, aka Blaze Reason, with the aim of creating a game that can compete (if not surpass) the current biggest games on the market while remaining affordable for anyone. With its easily adaptable rules and wide range of options, from beginner-friendly to highly complex, it is designed to satisfy the needs of almost any story and play style. Description From epic fantasy and sci-fi to mundane humans facing everything from common threats to cosmic horror, Ishanekons: World Shapers’ modular design lets you easily adjust the rules to help you experience your stories. This game is designed with the idea that you bring the flavor, and the mechanics help you bring it to life. The 10 Archetypes with over 200 Sub-Archetypes, 1000+ Abilities, 600+ Talents, 300+ items and upgrades, and more allow you to build anything from a simple cat to a city-destroying kaiju. Role and complexity filters let you find what you need quickly while helping you avoid those features that might be too overwhelming for your liking.

Basic Roleplaying is the venerable "D100" engine that has powered Chaosium’s greatest hits for over four decades. Originally appearing as a slim booklet in 1980, it was most recently revitalized as the Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine in 2023. In 2026, it stands as one of the industry's most important open-source platforms, released under the ORC License, allowing independent creators to build and sell their own games using its legendary, time-tested mechanics. Description BRP is a "genre-neutral" toolkit that discards character levels and rigid classes in favor of a pure skill-based system. Whether you are playing a Bronze Age warrior, a 1920s detective, or a futuristic mech pilot, the core experience remains the same: your character is defined by what they can do. Because it uses percentages (e.g., "I have a 65% chance to climb this wall"), it is widely considered the most intuitive and "transparent" RPG system for new players to understand at a glance. System Overview & Key Features The Universal D100 Engine Every action is resolved by rolling two ten-sided (d10) dice to get a result from 1 to 100. If you roll is equal to or under your skill rating, the action is deemed a success. This approach simplifies the mechanical process of the game, as there are no complex tables to keep track of and compare to decypher whether it is a success or failure. Organic Character Growth There is no "Experience Points" system in the traditional sense. Instead, when you succeed in using a skill, you mark a "Skill Check" on your character sheet. At certain stops in the game/story, the player rolls to see if the character improves in those skills, meaning your character evolves based specifically on the actions they performed (and succeeded at) during the game. Modular Rule Design The Universal Game Engine is designed with variations and systems to choose from. GMs can choose whether they prefer to just use "Hit Points" or add a more detailed wound system with "Hit Locations" for more realistic tactical consequences. Systems for Magic, Sorcery, Mutations, or Superpowers (depending on the setting) can be added, instead of being baked in the core mechanics, ensuring the mechanics always fit the theme of the game. Deadly and Tactical Combat BRP combat is grounded and dangerous. Unlike high-fantasy games where adventurers have a vast health pool, a single strike of a sword or bullet in BRP can be fatal. This encourages players to think creatively and use mechanics and terrain to their advantage. Talking their way out of situations is often seen as more reasonable (and survivable), than just treating every conflict as a forced combat situation. The ORC License Revolution By introducing to the Open RPG Creative (ORC) license, BRP started a wave of third-party "Powered by BRP". This has expanded the system into new genres like Cyberpunk, Wuxia, and Cozy Fantasy, all supported by a single, unified ruleset and system, compatible with most themes. Compatibility with "The Big Three" Because the core mechanics have remained the same since the beginning, a monster or spell from a 1980s supplement is almost always compatible with the modern 2026 engine. This gives GMs access to one of the largest libraries of pre-written adventures in tabletop gaming, spanning Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, and Pendragon. Additional links chaosium.com/brp : Official BRP Universal Game Engine portal basicroleplaying.org : The primary community hub and "BRP Central" forums

RPG Soundboard is an audio companion for tabletop RPG game masters, featuring a user interface designed for easier, live playback. Load your own music and sound effects, organize them across multiple soundboards and playlists, and increase the immersion of your table. System Overview & Key Features Multiple soundboards & playlists keep separate setups for each campaign, each with independent playlists, players and sound types 30+ real-time audio effects apply DSP room presets live during playback: Dungeon, Tavern, Forest, Castle Hall, Crypt, Dragon Lair, Battlefield, and more Remote control Any device can host or join a session: start a server on your PC, phone, or tablet and connect from any other device on your local network, with real-time sync across all connected clients Sharing screen a dedicated presentation window your players can watch, with a custom background. Supports chroma key (green, blue, black) for OBS and streaming setups 3D dice roller roll dice directly from the sharing window and display animated results live for your players Drag-and-drop reordering rearrange players on the fly with animated swaps Cross-platform Windows, macOS, and Linux Sound Types Tag any sound player as Ambient, SFX, or Music using color-coded categories. Create your own types to match your workflow /images/general-media/1778834657_sIRN1b1s.PNG Your audio files stay on your machine. The app never uploads them anywhere. Links rpgsoundboard.com - Official website reddit.com - Reddit subreddit youtube.com - Youtube channel

MapleMapsDnD is a D&D content creator and battle map artist. You may have seen their work in some battlemap highlight compilations on YouTube and TikTok. They focus primarily on making high quality, high-immersion maps tailored to your needs, so you can keep your players engaged. MapleMapsDnD is available for commissions! About The Maps High Detail 4K & 8K Battle Maps with and without grid: Compatible for all VTTs (Roll20, Foundry, Fantasy Grounds) and Print Friendly! /images/general-media/1774197579_QmuQ2KC5.png Detailed Immersion: Created from a true top-down perspective for functionality around your tabletop, their maps provide quality and attention to detail for that extra bit of roleplaying immersion. Environmental Adventure Packs: Do you have an idea for a map but you need help bringing it to life? MapleMapsDnD maps are designed to take you on a journey along with your party. From their first trial within the ever-changing dunes to the depths of a dragon’s keep. Efficient Delivery and VTT Integration: Need a map done quickly? MapleMapsDnD offers a 1 day map delivery (for an extra fee) on their Fiverr, with pre-made square grids you can drop into your campaign, or even gridless if that is what you prefer. Their maps include FoundryVTT ready to insert files as well so you won’t lose time making walls, lighting, difficult terrain etc. Whether you have a very specific idea, a sketch, just a few keywords, or only a thought, MapleMapsDnD can create a map that fits your exact TTRPG needs! /images/general-media/1774197584_PDrnQ79k.png Maps Rights Personal Use: You are free to use this artwork for any of your private home games. Commercial Use: For monetized content, streams, or commercial publications, an additional licensing fee is required. You can contact MapleMapsDnD through the links below for custom commission rates or if you have a map you’d like them to design. You can also support them on Patreon where you can gain access to tons of already made free maps, even more Patron exclusive maps, as well as weekly map pack releases available for Patrons of ANY tier! The MapleMapsDnD Discord server is a great place to follow their work-in-progress maps, vote for future maps in polls, get D&D info, DM tips, and be a part of a friendly and welcoming community! Plus, the first 100 members get a Founder badge that comes with some legacy benefits down the line! E-mail: maplemapsdnd@gmail.com Discord - MapleMapsDnD Discord server Patreon - Patreon page Fiverr - Fiverr page

Charkeeper is the free digital character builder and sheets for different ttrpg, it supports the 5E and 5.5E editions of Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder 2E, Daggerheart, Cosmere RPG, DC20, Fallout 2d20, Fate. You can save your character data without limitations. /images/general-media/1779312958_rZw2GVyn.webp System Overview & Key Features Cross-platform CharKeeper is available as a web app, runs on iOS and Android mobile devices, and has a MacOS app. Integrations CharKeeper has integration capabilities with Owlbear Rodeo and Telegram to display dice roll results within the app and execute various commands. Homebrew management system Create and share your homebrew races, classes, subclasses, items. Combine your homebrews to books for easy sharing with your players. Open source CharKeeper is available as open source on GitHub. You can open issues with feedback or bug reports or contribute to CharKeeper development. Links charkeeper.org - Official website play.google.com - Android app apps.apple.com - iOS app discord.gg - Discord server buymeacoffee.com - Buy Me a Coffee Page github.com - Github page