The TTRPGs I Want to Run (or Play) in 2026
- Richard Keir
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
Here’s my 2026 hit list of tabletop RPGs I’m desperate to either run or finally get to the table as a player. Some are ultraviolent. Some are tragic. Some are emotionally devastating. And one involves wizard school chaos because I live in a house of Harry Potter fans.
Let’s go.
(If you prepare to watch rather than read then please watch below)
Eat the Reich
“What if Inglourious Basterds was a vampire RPG that lasts one night?”
This might be the most direct elevator pitch in tabletop.
Eat the Reich is a one-shot RPG where you play vampire commandos coffin-dropped into Nazi-occupied Paris with one mission: kill (then drink) Hitler.
It’s:
Ultraviolent
Stylish
Packed with incredible art and production
Designed to explode in a single session
Mechanically, it runs on pools of d6s that both players and the GM roll and spend to complete objectives, overcome challenges, and absolutely devastate enemies. It feels kinetic and mission-focused — perfect for a loud, chaotic game night.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Ages
“Cosmic horror hits harder when God is real and still doesn’t answer.”
Modern horror has safety nets. Phones. Science. Infrastructure.
Now remove them.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Ages places eldritch horror in a world of low literacy, superstition, pagan–Christian tension, and deep religious conviction. The clash between divine belief and incomprehensible cosmic truth is deliciously grim.
I’m especially keen to run Branches of Bone, where players take on the role of Vikings raiding what appears to be a normal Christian monastery.
Spoiler: it isn’t.
And honestly, who doesn’t want to play monks battling eldritch horrors?
Mothership
“Mothership isn’t about surviving. It’s about how you die.”
I love the Alien: The Roleplaying Game — but it’s chunky. Mothership feels like what Mörk Borg is to fantasy: stripped down, stylised, lethal.
It keeps:
Panic mechanics that instantly spike tension
Brutal space horror
Clean, fast rules
And the modules? Incredibly usable. From classic bug hunts to cosmic nightmares like Chromatic Transference, the community support is phenomenal.
If I want space horror without prep bloat, this is it.
Shadowdark
“What if old-school dungeon crawling actually scared people again?”
Shadowdark makes darkness matter.
You track torchlight in real time. When the light runs out… things happen. Bad things.
It’s:
Lethal
Fast to create characters
Perfect for West Marches and open tables
Old-school in art and playstyle
I run a lot of public and rotating games. A system that supports quick death and
quick recovery? That’s gold.
Vampire: The Masquerade
“I don’t want to run a vampire power fantasy. I want to run a vampire tragedy.”
My introduction to the World of Darkness was through Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption and later Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. I loved the setting.
But I’ve never actually run the tabletop game it all came from.
That needs to change.
I’m not interested in superhero vampires. I want:
Political horror over combat
Personal horror, hunger vs humanity
Long-term chronicle arcs
Social conflict as the main engine
Ideally? A Redemption-style chronicle set during the 12th-century Crusades.
Unless, of course, something like Legacy of Kain: Scourge of the Sarafan for Mörk Borg fully derails me.
Dark Matter (5e 2024 Update)
“5e, but in SPAAAAAACE.”
Dark Matter was one of the most fun campaigns I’ve ever run using D&D 5e.
With the 2024 rules updates, I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out on standard fantasy. This updated sci-fi setting might be the bridge I need.
It’s:
Familiar mechanics
Unfamiliar tone
Guardians of the Galaxy energy in a 5e shell
For D&D-only players, it’s an easy sell. Same engine, new flavour. A stepping stone into wider TTRPG waters.
Heart: The City Beneath
“This game wants your character to break.”
I don’t know much about Heart.
But everyone keeps telling me to play it.
Cosmic horror? Yes.
Obsession and self-destruction? Absolutely.
Stress systems with Fallout consequences? Sign me up.
It blends urban weirdness with fantasy in a way that feels tailor-made for tragic character arcs. I suspect this one could emotionally ruin me — in the best way.
Kids on Brooms
“I’ve got kids. And a Harry Potter–loving wife.”
I play a lot of heavy, grim, morally bleak games.
I probably need balance.
The Kids On… series has always intrigued me, and Kids on Brooms offers:
Accessible mechanics
Strong emotional storytelling
Short campaign potential
Wizard school chaos
It’s a perfect palate cleanser between doom spirals.
Triangle Agency
“This game gaslights the players on purpose.”
Bureaucratic horror. Think Severance meets SCP.
Triangle Agency leans into meta-textual weirdness and structural confusion, intentionally. Character progression and story logic can feel disorienting… but in a controlled, artistic way.
This feels ideal for:
Experimental tables
Players who think they’re too smart for horror
Groups that enjoy being unsettled beyond jump scares
I want to see how far I can push it.
Delta Green
“You don’t save the world. You delay the end.”
Born from Call of Cthulhu roots, Delta Green layers in an X-Files-style conspiracy framework.
Agents investigate unnatural threats, then cover them up.
It thrives on:
Moral compromise
Institutional decay
Slow, inevitable collapse
The horror isn’t just cosmic, it’s bureaucratic and personal.
Exactly my vibe.
Final Thoughts
That’s the 2026 list.
Some are ultraviolent one-shots.
Some are long-burn tragedies.
Some are experimental mind-benders.
One is wizard school chaos.
But either way my table is going to be about trying new systems. Breaking habits. And maybe, just maybe, emotionally devastating my players in entirely new ways.
If you’ve played any of these, I’d love your tips for running or surviving them.
And if you haven’t — which one grabs you the most?
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