Twelve TTRPGs That Are Good D&D Alternatives For Horror Fans
Many of us got our start playing TTRPGs with Dungeons and Dragons, whether you got started as an adult or in grade school. But few seek out D&D alternatives, sticking with the tried and true game that sparked their love of fantasy tabletop gaming. Whether you’re tired of playing the same game, or you’re looking for new themes and systems to explore, there are a vast number of TTRPGs that aren’t D&D that do things differently.
Of course, since we’re horror gaming aficionados, we’re going to focus on great alternatives to D&D for horror fans. From guts & gore to tension & terror, these games will make you forget that Dungeons & Dragons even exists.
12 Horror TTRPGS That Aren’t D&D
Call of Cthulhu
Inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos and words of “weird fiction” authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and more, Call of Cthulhu from Chaosium Inc. is a relatively simple TTRPG alternative to the fantasy games popularized by D&D. In Call of Cthulhu you play investigators delving into the mysteries of the unknown. Strange cults worshiping dead gods and tomes filled with forbidden knowledge unlock the mysteries of the stars, though you may go mad the more you learn of them.
This game uses the Basic Roleplaying System, utilizing D100 (percentile) dice to determine failure or success in all your skills and actions. Character creation involves a bit of math, but the system itself is simple to pick up and easy to play! Settings include a world similar to ours in the 1920s, the modern age, or the dreamlands of Lovecraft and his fellow writers.
World of Darkness
Step into the shadows of our world and enter the World of Darkness, where vampires, werewolves, mages, changelings, and wraiths roam the nights. Now in its 5th edition, the World of Darkness consists of several unique but related games: Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Hunter: The Reckoning, and several more. Take on the role of a brooding vampire, eccentric mage, or malicious spirit in this horror alternative to D&D with themes of loss, remorse, and exploring our humanity.
Originally published by White Wolf, the World of Darkness IP has traded hands a few times, now published by Paradox Interactive in partnership with Renegade Game Studios. It uses the Storyteller System, a unique d10 dice pool-based mechanical alternative that bases success or failure on how many dice you roll with a six or higher.
The Midnight World
Inspired by games like Call of Cthulhu and the World of Darkness, The Midnight World is a relatively new indie TTRPG alternative to D&D focused on the healthy and positive portrayal of PTSD in tabletop gaming. In it, you play characters who’ve experienced a significant trauma in their life that has let them glimpse beyond the veil and access arcane powers.
Created by two combat vets, The Midnight World introduces an alternate universe where Dread Beings lie just beyond our perception while approximating the anxiety and depression that accompanies PTSD in a way that is respectful to sufferers in a safe manner.
Ten Candles
Ten days ago, the sky went dark, and They came… Ten Candles is a collaborative storytelling game of tragic horror where you know from the beginning that you are going to die. But for now, the sky is dark, but we are still alive, and you will work with the other players to create truths about the world and Them before the last candle burns out.
Ten Candles is a unique TTRPG designed to be played with 10 tea light candles at the table. As the lights go out or get blown out, the tension ramps up, and by the end, all characters will have died, lost in the darkness that covers the earth. This game is designed to be played by those interested in storytelling and running games themselves, as all players work to create truths and even steal narrative control with their rolls.
Mork Borg
The apocalypse is already here in this self-described “pitch-black” TTRPG. Mork Borg may be the most similar game to D&D amongst the recommendations here, as a grim-dark fantasy game, but that is where the similarities end. You play doomed explorers in a dying land seeking treasure, redemptions, or maybe even forgiveness as the world ends and crumbles to ash around you.
Created by artist Johan Nohr and Pelle Nilsson, Mork Borg has a striking visual aesthetic and can be played completely for free with the resources available on their website. A wealth of community-created content, as well as numerous spinoff titles like Cy_Borg, Pirate Borg, and Vast Grimm, provide immeasurable scenarios and new game ideas to play through.
ALIEN
In space, no one can hear you scream, and this Dungeons & Dragons alternative embodies this tagline. Bringing the fan-favorite horror franchise ALIEN to the tabletop is no easy task but Free League Publishing has done so with fanfare.
Using the Year Zero system, ALIEN provides unique ways to handle stress and the horrors of space, xenomorphs, and evil corporations. Players take on the roles of space truckers, marines, or corporate agents in either cinematic stories or longer campaigns.
FEAR by the Fire
Inspired by the 90s television series “Are You Afraid of the Dark,” FEAR by the Fire is a rules-light game designed for telling ghost stories around a campfire. With only your five senses to rely on, the players tell stories of haunts, ghouls, demons, and more, with minimal dice rolls but plenty of scares.
Created by Ellie Collins of The Facility Productions as a simple game to play with friends around a campfire, FEAR by the Fire is easy to adapt to any play style or location as the book offers alternative rules for playing without dice. Rules-light games like this are fantastic alternatives to D&D, especially for younger players, as they’re easy to learn and adapt to.
Blades in the Dark
Have you ever wanted to pull off a stunning heist amid a steampunk fantasy city? Blades in the Dark is a game about one-upping rival gangs, noble families, and the city watch while battling your inner demons. As you rise through the criminal underground of an industrial-fantasy city you’ll get the opportunity to build your crew of assassins, hawkers, or smugglers.
Step over to the grimier side of fantasy politicking and play out your favorite heist movie in Blades in the Dark or play one of the many TTRPGs that aren’t D&D based on this system like Scum & Villainy or Band of Blades.
Kult: Divinity Lost
Our reality is a prison and those willing to risk everything to escape will see sights beyond their wildest imagination. Oft compared to films like Hellraiser, Dark City, and The Matrix, Kult: Divinity Lost is a game about peeking beyond the veil and witnessing the horrors that lie beyond. But the more you see, the more you learn and can tap into these unearthly powers.
Where the United State’s Satanic Panic of the 80s was centered around D&D, the alternative in Sweden of KULT. Published by Helmgast, in this new edition, players step into an alternate universe to our own with a brand new rule set and modernized setting.
Vaesen
Inspired by Scandanavian folklore and the art and stories of Johan Egerkrans, Vaesen is a dark gothic game of fairytales, trolls, and human investigators. Something stirs in the shadows and you are ready to help or stop it, depending on if it’s friendly or malicious. This game used a modified version of Free League Publishing’s Year Zero Engine, set at the turn of the 20th century.
This game allows players to explore the folklore and myths of Scandanavia and the British Isles as investigators and explorers. Plus, you can customize the level of horror and take a terrifying tale to family-friendly with ease.
Liminal Horror
Another rules-light, indie TTRPG alternative to D&D, Liminal Horror is a game for fans of Junji Ito, John Carpenter, and Silent Hill. This game is described as a “fail forward system” focused on creative problem-solving and creating memorable experiences. Players take the role of investigators in a world full of terrible and unknowable things that hide in the spaces between. Think the Backrooms meets Twin Peaks.
Created by Goblin Archives, Liminal Horror is a quick and easy game to pick up and play a one-shot or full campaign, but be prepared to reroll new characters as you go, as the stress fallout system twists characters the deeper into the mysteries they explore.
Bluebeard’s Bride
Our final suggestion is a game of feminine horror inspired by the legend of Bluebeard and his many brides. In Bluebeard’s Bride, players portray aspects of the feared killer’s latest bride’s psyche on the night of her wedding. Left alone in her new husband’s home, she explores her new home and has to decide if she trusts her groom, or believes the stories she has heard and opens the locked door she’s forbidden to enter.
Released by Magpie Games, Bluebeard’s Bride is a cerebral game about the feminine experience, gaslighting, and haunted houses. Players must work in tandem to explore the house and investigate the horrors they discover, all while determining if they want to believe in or betray Bluebeard.
But There are Thousands of Alternatives to D&D
These are just a few of the amazing horror TTRPGs you can play as an alternative to Dungeons and Dragons. No matter your tastes there is a game for you, so take a chance on a new system and see if you discover a new favorite!
Gehenna Gaming runs one-shots, campaigns, and actual plays every month online and at conventions across the country. Learn more about some of our favorite horror TTRPG alternatives to D&D, and where you can find us next!
