I have two great passions in my life. The first is roleplaying games and the second is getting free stuff. These passions came together last Saturday during my new favorite holiday: Free RPG Day.
Free RPG Day (or FRPG Day for short) is an annual event where RPG companies team up with local game shops to offer free products to eager customers, things like exclusive adventures, quickstart rules that get you playing new RPGs with almost no prep, and even goodies like dice and maps.
Inspired by Free Comic Book Day, this holiday has been providing gamers with free new materials since 2007. It encourages new players to dive into the world of TTRPGS, grants veteran players the chance to try out something new and expand their collections, and gives local game shops a well-deserved boost in sales.
In the past, I’ve found myself settling for leftovers as the day wound down, usually scoring only a few Paizo adventures (those guys are incredibly generous with their offerings). But this year was different. I was fortunate enough to have my humble local comic book shop host FRPG Day. Despite its modest size, it orchestrated a day I’ll remember fondly as I wait for next year’s offerings.
The offerings on display this year were great, and I only regret that I was limited to taking five items. Understandable, but frustrating. You can see my haul in the photo above, but there were many other materials I wished I could have nabbed.
There were a slew of adventures for the more popular systems, including Pathfinder (a sequel to last year’s free adventure, no less), Starfinder, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dungeons and Dragons, and Vampire: The Masquerade. There were also adventures for less known systems such as a GI Joe/Transformers RPG crossover, Zombicide Chronicles, Critical: Foundation, and the 5e conversions Animal Adventures and Adventures in Rokugan (based on the Legend of the Five Rings setting).
Better yet were the quickstarts which offered basic rules and introductory adventures that let you play with no prior experience. Games like Achtung! Cthulhu, Root RPG, Avatar Legends, Mazes, Dragonbane, Heckin’ Good Doggos, and Swords of the Serpentine were all present and I only regret that I wasn’t able to try them all.
There were also a number of accessories, many of which were snatched up before I ever got there, including dice, dice trays, minis, pins, and even a coloring book!
One of my personal favorite discoveries at the event was an excerpt from Loup Garou, a Graphic Novel Adventure (GNA) book that merged gamebooks with comic books. As a fan of gamebooks like the Choose-You-Own-Adventure and Fighting Fantasy series, discovering GNA was exciting. In Loup Garou, you explore branching paths by navigating numbered comic books panels, while playing a recently turned werewolf attempting to escape a vicious werewolf hunter. Paired with light RPG elements, Loup Garou fascinated me with its style and sold me on the potential of gamebook comics.
Another gem was the Level-1 Anthology, which probably deserves its own article some day. This Ennie Award-winning anthology, having released a new volume four years in a row, showcases short RPGs crafted by independent designers. Bursting with creativity, these games push the boundaries of what an RPG can be. Some are clever, some are bizarre, but they all showcase what gaming can look like outside of the tried-and-true methods of mainstream games.
The good news is that most FRPG Day offerings eventually find their way onto the internet, albeit sometimes months later and at full price. However, Level 1 remains free, with past issues available to download right now.
Beyond passing out free merchandise, my local comic book shop also hosted three events for FRPG Day: two organized games and a talk by industry professionals. While I missed out on the old-school Swedish RPG Dragonbane, I was fortunate enough to participate in an organized game of the Root RPG. With one Game Master and six players, none of whom had ever played the game before, we embarked on an adventure through a world of cutesy woodland creatures that gave way to a tale of harrowing political intrigue and social unrest.
Our mission revolved around aiding the recently devastated town of Hacksaw Dell, and every action we took put us at odds with a different faction - be it the old Eyrie Dynasty, the freedom-fighting Woodland Alliance, or the religious authority of the Lizard Cult.
The rules proved accessible, utilizing 2d6 rolls with modifiers to resolve actions, where a 10+ represented a success, 7-9 a partial success, and anything lower indicated a failure. While grasping the nuances of the setting’s political landscape was challenging, after our three-hour session I felt I had a firm grasp on the world and its factions, enabling me to jump into a full game in the future.
In addition to the play sessions, a seminar held by Darcy Ross, marketing manager at Darrington Press, and Will Hindmarch, designer of the game Till the Last Gasp, provided valuable insight into games publishing. Their discussion focused on the path to getting published in the games industry, covering topics such as pitching ideas, playtesting, and selecting the right publisher. This event was unique to my local game store, but highlighted the potential of FRPG Day to extend beyond community building and organized play to providing learning opportunities for aspiring RPG writers like myself.
I loved my time at these events, and it made me want to see this day grow in the future, with more participating locations, a wider range of events, and the involvement of even more publishers. More participating shops would ensure that more people can partake in the festivities, while also reducing crowds (excellent if your game shop consists of two folding tables in a back room, like mine). Furthermore, it presents an opportunity to spread the joy of RPGs to a larger audience. By hosting additional events like organized games and industry panels, we can encourage more people to not only play but also to create their own RPG content. Free RPG Day serves as an ideal occasion to foster connections, build communities, and fuel the expansion of the hobby.
While the RPG market remains dominated by Dungeons and Dragons, there has been a surge of exceptional RPGs in recent years, showcasing more creativity than ever from voices never heard from before. It would be a shame for these smaller experiences to get lost in the crowd. Therefore, anybody seeking to stand out in todays market should consider crafting content specifically for Free RPG Day. A single well-written adventure or a quickstart guide can be instrumental in enticing players to explore new games, overcoming the hurdles that come with trying something new.
I would be remiss not to acknowledge the online participants of FRPG Day. Games like Let’s Jam!, Banda’s Grove, Impossible Identity, Fort Pleasant, Godling, and Creation Myths were all generously made available for free by their creators on itch.io in celebration of the day. However, it’s safe to say that these and many other offerings flew under the radar, relying as they did on word-of-mouth. It would be advantageous to see online designers join forces and release their free games as bundles on platforms such as itch.io to gain greater visibility. In my own experience, bundles have introduced me to many RPGs that I might have otherwise overlooked due to cost barriers.
Additionally, online spaces like Roll20 could expand the festivities by hosting free RPG demonstrations or incorporating Free RPG Day materials into their events. There is ample opportunity for smaller communities to take advantage of the promotional opportunities this day provides.
If it’s not clear already, I really love Free RPG Day, and I believe in the incredible opportunities it offers to both players and designers. With a whole year before the next Free RPG Day, there’s ample time to get excited and prepare for the next event. I encourage everyone to actively participate in future FRPG Days.
Start by asking your local game store if they plan to take part. If not, try asking them if they’d consider changing their minds. Additionally, consider organizing an online FRPG Day event, especially if you’re an indie designer looking to gain recognition. Join forces with fellow indie developers, pooling your resources to make a greater impression than you could manage alone. Above all, spread the word!
If you have any captivating Free RPG Day stories of your own, I invite you to share them by leaving a comment. Your experiences, thoughts, and ideas will be valuable in maximizing the potential of future FRPG Days. I’d love to hear from you and get a discussion going!