Almost every expansive video game and sometimes even a movie franchise started with atabletoprole-playing game, and the whole concept of a TTRPG started with the awe-inspiring lore found in literature. The basic scaffolding of party roles, talents, stats, and other features of tabletop games are all present in those old stories, and some games have an equally complicated lore to go along with them.
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There are plenty of story-rich games to choose from that don’t require thetime, investment, or readingthat some gamers prefer. For those that want an immersive experience with a lot of backstory and character building there’s plenty to choose from, not only from innovative new titles but also the classic brand names that have been in development for years. These are thebest tabletop games with complicated lore.
7Twilight Imperium
This is one of the few lore-rich TTRPGs in existence that isn’t part of a franchise that also includes video games,comic books, novels, or movies. Before a gamer even gets started withTwilight Imperium, they learn about the 17 different factions that are competing to control the universe, an introductory step into a vast galaxy.
Players choose which of these factions to play, the equivalent of choosing a species and class in other RPGs, and set out to achieve galactic domination. Each faction has its strengths, weaknesses, and unique skills, and each of them provides a different experience. Players can use commerce to defeat their enemies or choose a species with advanced technology that can use warp speed or wormholes.
6Dungeons & Dragons
Gary Gygax lovedThe Lord of the Ringsso much that he invented a game that would bring every Tolkien fan’s wildest dreams a bit closer to reality, and the rest is history. The earliest incarnations ofD&Dconsisted of simple, core rules and only three basic classes, but it was enough to start a whole new kind of entertainment media.
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Since its inception in the late 1970s,D&Dhasn’t just refined its own rules and classes, it’s also added an impressive library of story and lore about virtually every corner of the Wizards of the Coast universe. This doesn’t include the vast array of non-canon but equally interesting homebrew and spinoff materials, and these days the genre goes well beyond fantasy and also includes steampunk sci-fi, and horror.
5Star Wars: Edge Of The Empire
Any TTRPG from theStar Warsuniverse is a good choice here, butEdge of the Empirefeaturessome familiar characters and places, so almost anyone who sits down to play italready knows some of the very detailed backstory. The game integrates the popular lore of the movies with the history and lore of other planets and people, and the player can experience both of them.
Every player in this game starts as a neutral character that lacks allegiance, but their choices determine what side they take and their ultimate destiny. Tasks and adventures in this series ofStar WarsTTRPGs include working for gangsters, transporting illegal goods for revolutionaries, or even helping some escaped convicts start a colony.
4Pathfinder 2e
Pathfinder,specifically the 2e version, bills itself as the ultimate RPG when it comes to class choices and character customization and puts itself in direct competition with other medieval fantasy-based games in both ways. There are almost 40 classes a player can choose from in this game, and that doesn’t include sub-classes or Prestige Classes.
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Most gamers knowPathfinderthrough its popular video game series, which includesKingmakerandWrath of the Righteous, and the campaigns that are used as complicated storylines are also available in TTRPG form as adventure modules. It has an equally vast world named Golarion that a party of adventurers can explore for months or even years.
3Quantum
A crowdfunded project that has been up and running since 2014, the story ofQuantumbegins with the premise that humans in the futureused their cutting-edge technologyto disturb an anomaly in deep space. This changes the nature of reality and makes the various adventures in the game possible, which in turn makes this game so complex and story-rich.
The real power of this game can be found in the strict mathematical system that’s used to create the core rules. It’s called Infinite Roleplaying System and can be applied to a variety of RPGs, and although some players use dice, they aren’t required and a lack of them won’t affect the gameplay.
2Warhammer 40,000
This is the game that includes the infamous costly miniatures, starting the joke about the title referring to the price. The fact is that the miniatures aren’t mandatory and there are plenty of versions of this game to fit any budget, and the lore doesn’t change no matter what price tier a player is using.
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Warhammer 40,000is even more famous for its complicated, detailed, and often dark and sordid lore, which mixes sci-fi with fantasy, horror, and apocalyptic elements into a history that spans eons. It takes place in the 41st Millenium when the undead Emporer of Mankind sits upon the Golden Throne of Earth and thousands of living people are sacrificed every day to keep him trapped in a gruesome state between life and death.
1Shadowrun
The Cyberpunk genrehas finally been around long enough to produce a TTRPG with complicated and detailed lore. Magic also exists in this universe, making it officially a science fantasy game and the creators have taken advantage of the opportunities that present with a lot of complicated lore.
Shadowruntakes place in the not-so-distant future, the year 2080, but life has changed. When the Mesoamerican long-count calendar ended, the Sixth Age began, and creatures and powers that had previously been locked away in another dimension manifested in reality. The result is a mix of modern tech, ancient legend, and magical adventure.
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