Free RPG Day is June 24: These are the best games and adventures

Free RPG Day takes place on June 24, 2018. Like Free Comic Book Day, it’s traditionally been an opportunity to visit your friendly local game store and stock up on bite-sized tabletop role-playing games and one-shot adventures. In 2023, the publishers are stepping it up a notch by introducing a number of quick-start guides. But what really stands out is how things have gone to the dogs — literally.

Heckin’ Good Doggos

Wet Ink Games

This year’s most interesting release is Heckin’ Good Doggos: Someone’s Last Day At The TrackWet Ink Games has released a quickstart TTRPG document for all ages. With just a few six-sided Dice and an ordinary deck of cards, the players are ready to get started. My friends, that is the business of role-playing a dog. It’s a wonderful intro experience for families — or, really, anyone new to tabletop role-play as a hobby. This booklet has all the required rules and an entire adventure. DriveThruRPG has the complete game.

The Ennie Award-winning Team at 9th Level Games has returned with First LevelThe 80-page book is filled with new rules-light games. One of the most interesting games is “The Standout”. Rainbow Bridge. It has players taking on the role of animals passing into the afterlife. It’s a tiny, three-page game that is dense with emotion. You can find previous years’ First LevelDownload volumes for free from the 9th Level Website.

Wrapping up the rare pet-lovers’ TTRPG trifecta is a one-shot adventure for Steamforged Games’ Animal Adventures, which uses the rules of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. Apocalypse Miaow – The Faraway Sea is 27 glossy pages long and includes full-color art and a battle map — the perfect add-on to the U.K.-based company’s Animal Adventures Starter SetThe set includes 7 miniatures featuring adorable furry adventures.

Quickstarts for days

A “quickstart” document for a TTRPG traditionally comes with all the rules you need to play the game, plus an introductory adventure and some pregenerated characters. Think of them as pamphlet-sized starter sets, and this year there’s a bunch of them to be had.

Image: Magpie Games

For the vast majority of people, the fastest way to get started is with Avatar Legends The Roleplaying GameThe game was a huge success on Kickstarter, bringing in more than $9 million. The game is available for order now, but if you don’t want to dive in and buy a copy just yet the quickstart guide comes in at 48 pages plusThere are also some reference cards and pre-generated characters. You can read more about Magpie Games’ blockbuster in our feature story.

This year, we’ve also added quickstart guides to the games below: Achtung Cthulhu (Modiphius Entertainment), Dragonbane Free League), The Roleplaying Game RootMagpie Serpentine Swords (Pelgrane Press).

Finally, there’s a neat little quickstart packet for a rules-light game called Mazes The 9th Level Games are really interesting to me. It’s literally a pad of paper with rules written on both sides. Just tear them off in order, reading aloud what you’re told to read aloud, and your table is set and your players are ready to roll. If you only have 30 minutes to hang out in your FLGS this weekend, spend it with this game and you won’t be disappointed.

Single-shot adventures

“One-shot” adventures are short, multi-encounter supplements that will require you to own the core rules to run them. The majority of these are free and available at stores. However, you must also own the TTRPG rules in order to use them. You can easily download the quickstart versions of most rules. Below, we link them in the order they are applicable.

Other One-shot Adventures available on Free RPG Day

• Taste of the MoonThe following are some examples of how to use Vampire MasqueradeFind the Quickstart at DriveThruRPG.
• Cobra/Con FusionThe following are some examples of how to use G.I. Joe Roleplaying GameYou can also find out more about the following: Transformers Roleplaying Game
• Operation Seaside ParkThe following are some examples of how to use StarfinderFind the Basic Rules CheatsheetPaizo (at the Paizo Website)
• Storm Eel’s RestThe following are some examples of how to use Rokugan AdventuresThe rules of this game are compatible with those for the 5th edition. Dungeons & Dragons.)
• Piercing the Demon’s EyeThe following are some examples of how to use Dungeon Crawl ClassicsThe Goodman Games site has a guide to help you get started.
• Car Crush You can also find out more about the following: Oliver TwistedThe following are some examples of how to use Zombicide: ChroniclesThe CMON site has a quickstart.

The local games shop has a lot of surprises for anyone who makes it there. You should be aware, however, that these products are in limited supply. So, before purchasing one of the most sought after items, ask around and see if you can play with others.