Polygon.com / 29.04.25

The best new RPG books of 2025 so far

Interior art from Ryokos Guide to the Yokai Realms by Loot Tavern. Many of my most anticipated tabletop role-playing game books of 2025 wont be released until convention season kicks off this summer, but the year has started strong for the hobby. While Wizards of the Coast seeks to maintain its dominance by emphasizing customization and adding more support for high-level play in the 2024 Dungeons & Dragons rules refresh a very welcome change for my gaming group, which is in the midst of a level 10 adventure using the new rules small designers are offering alternatives for medieval fantasy using systems with lighter rules and less baggage.  Beyond spanning multiple rulesets, the best games of the year so far also offer the opportunity to play through stories with a wide variety of tones and themes, from restoring harmony with nature to finding your place in a city full of supernatural creatures. Some of my favorite game systems have new editions or supplements that make them better, o...
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