Tabletop RPGs For Game Of Thrones-Style Campaigns

George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire series, famously adapted into the HBO drama Game of Thrones, popularized a specific variant of “dark-and-gritty” fantasy – worlds where the ruthless honor of feudal society has decayed into cutthroat politics and destructive wars, magic is a “sword without a hilt,” and interesting characters both saintly and flawed can die at any moment. The following tabletop roleplaying games each have settings with all the previously mentioned qualities, making them good choices for gamers who are looking for a system to tell Game of Thrones-style stories (that isn’t the official A Song Of Ice And Fire Roleplaying Game).

In many ways, the original A Song Of Ice And Fire series was written by George R.R. Martin as a deconstruction of the romanticized view of feudalism presented in both period medieval romances and many 20th century works of modern fantasy. The nobles and knights of Westeros are too frequently ambitious tyrants or cruel butchers, magicians frequently must resort to brutal sacrifices in order to work their craft, and the fraternity of guardians standing watch against the undead horrors of the north have criminals, traitors, and exiles in their ranks. The world of A Song Of Ice And Fire and the Game of Thrones series, in short, is a place where only the clever, pragmatic, and ruthless can thrive – and even then only sometimes.

In many ways, though, A Song Of Ice And Fire owes a lot more to the Late Medieval/Renaissance period of European history then it does to the feudal era proper. George R.R. Martin himself cites the War Of The Roses, a 15th century succession war that paved the way for the English Renaissance, as a key inspiration for ASoIaF. Accordingly, many of the tabletop RPGs below take place in fantasy worlds with societies transitioning between decentralized feudal kingdoms into modern, centralized nation-states, a transformation of culture, values, and technology that makes the venomous political scheming and countryside-wrecking battles of Game of Thrones possible.

The Sword, The Crown & The Unspeakable Power

The Sword, The Crown And The Unspeakable Power, published by Wheel Tree Press and built around the “Powered By The Apocalypse” game engine, is an RPG carefully designed to let both players and their “Master of Ceremonies” collaboratively craft a dark fantasy setting of decadent nobility, devious power struggles, and mercenary heroes, then bring this newly made world to life over the course of several game sessions.

At the start of a The Sword, The Crown And The Unspeakable Power campaign, players create characters by choosing one of several Playbooks that embody heroic fantasy archetypes such as sorcerers, rogues, and warriors, along with less-than-heroic archetypes such as torturers, treacherous advisors, and curse-casting wielders of the “Unspeakable Power.” Parallel to this character creation process is the creation of relationships and entanglements between each player character, along with Game of Thrones-style threats and factions fighting for power, wealth, and ideals in the setting’s fantasy kingdom.

Ironsworn – For A Game of Thrones’ Night Watch-style Campaign

Tabletop gamers looking for a gritty and perilous roleplaying game similar in tone to the Night’s Watch sub-plot in the A Song Of Ice And Fire books should definitively check out Ironsworn, a dark fantasy RPG designed to accommodate both solo and group play. The “Ironlands” setting of this RPG, much like the lands north of the Wall in Game of Thrones, is a harsh place wracked with long winters. The titular “Ironsworn,” as with the black-clad members of the Night’s Watch, swearing binding vows upon sacred objects, committing themselves to lives of great hardship and duty if they keep their vows and public disgrace if they break them.

Magic in both the Song Of Ice And Fire books and the world of Ironsworn is subtle, dangerous, and steeped in rituals. The bitter cold of the Ironlands can also give birth to horrific monsters, undead frost zombies, and cruel elf-like beings who threaten civilization – just like the mysterious Others from the books of George R.R. Martin. Game Masters looking to improvise a story in the style of Game of Thrones, The Witcher, and other dark fantasy works can roll dice and consult the “Oracle Tables” of Ironsworn to create new NPCs, new plot-hooks, or new threats to keep players on their toes.

Houses of the Blooded

The fantasy RPG Houses of the Blooded, available on Drivethru RPG and designed by John Wick, is centered around the intrigues and passions of a noble ruling class similar to the Great Houses from Game of Thrones, but also much like the the doomed Melnibonéan people from Michael Moorcock’s Elric Saga – proud, cruel, and doomed to extinction. Indeed, the game lore and narrative text in this RPG is written in the voice of a historian who is recounting the history of a vanished people through their ruins, artifacts, and literature.

Players in Houses of the Blooded portray nobles of the Ven, a humanoid, but decidedly alien species with an excess of passion and a society that personifies the phrase “deadly decadent court.” Tabletop gamers should check this RPG out if they’re interested in campaigns where their PCs jockey for power and influence, practice “forbidden” blood magic, pursue extremely self-destructive love affairs, and hatch plots to destroy their enemies in exquisitely painful ways.

Brancalonia – The Spaghetti Fantasy RPG

Recently funded on Kickstarter, Brancalonia – The Spaghetti Fantasy RPG, is a fantasy setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition heavily modeled after Medieval Italy, an era of clashing city-states, “serene republics,” principalities, papal kingdoms, mercenary companies, and power-hungry noble families who would fit right into A Song Of Ice And Fire. Set to be published in both English and Italian, Brancalonia – The Spaghetti Fantasy RPG introduces new monsters, class variants, magical spells, and humanoid species to liven up a gaming group’s D&D session – each inspired by classic Italian folklore, period literature like Dante’s The Divine Comedy, and modern media such as the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Player characters in the setting of Brancalonia are generally depicted as Knaves and lowlifes, members of a Free Company who are hired to take on the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs.

Sources: Wheel Tree Press, Kickstarter, Drivethru RPG

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