Maybe we have the order backwards because we have historical settings now and after the best modern-day TTRPGs.
All the RPGs, supplements and accessories in this list were published on DriveThruRPG in 2023 and classified by the publisher or author as historical. That might mean a historical setting rooted in reality or one woven with urban fantasy.
Best selling historical RPGs in 2023
- M20 Victorian Age Mage by Onyx Path Publishing.
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game by Monte Cook Games.
- Japan – Empire of Shadows: A Call of Cthulhu sourcebook for 1920s Imperial Japan by Chaosium.
- Whitehack Fourth Edition by WhitehackRPG.
- BLASTER Vol 05: Dead by Lead by Electi Studio.
- Monster of the Week: Codex of Worlds by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
- Adventure Crucible — Building Stronger Scenarios for any RPG by Tentacles Press.
- Trinity Continuum: Adventure! by Onyx Path Publishing.
- Weird Frontiers RPG Core Book 1 by Stiff Whiskers Press.
- Pendragon Starter Set by Chaosium.
- Old Bones – The Joseph A. McCullough Creator Zine by Joseph A. McCullough.
- Through the Breach RPG – From Shadows (Expansion Book) by Wyrd Miniatures.
- W20 The Apocalyptic Record by Onyx Path Publishing.
- Nephews in Peril (Kickstarter Edition) by The Gauntlet.
- Raiders of R’lyeh: From the Tideless Sea by Cipher Bureau.
- Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Serpent and the Sands (PDF) by Modiphius.
- Planegea 5E Standard Edition: The Star-Shaman’s Song of Planegea (Planegea) by Atlas Games.
- Old Bones, Issue 2 – The Joseph A. McCullough Creator Zine by Joseph A. McCullough.
- Al-Azif Unearthed: The Unraveling – A Classic-era Scenario for Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium.
- Brancalonia – The Empire Whacks Back by Acheron Games.
Congratulations go to Onyx Path Publishing and M20 Victorian Age Mage. The “M20” in the title is a shorthand for “Mage 20”, or the 20th Anniversary Edition of the reality-warping tabletop RPG.
The Victorian Age Mage rules are set when the Order of Reason rises to power, and the old Traditions falter, and, therefore, the rules of magic change.
The Order of Reason spreads its wings, and the world burns. We tell ourselves this is for Enlightenment. We tell ourselves this is for the greater good. We tell ourselves this is for humanity.
We lie to ourselves.
The great engines of the Empire are all-consuming beasts, heedless of anything but their own hunger — for riches, for lives, for land.
Everything falls before their advance.
Nations are ground to dust. Histories torn apart and set aflame. Treasures seized and their secrets plundered.
We will chain the world and all its magickal wonders. Who shall stop us?
2023 best sellers
Previously, we’ve looked at the best-selling;
Art credit: My Four Favourite Historical Historians by Pelycosaur24.
What do you think? Measured observations are welcome and you can leave them in the comment section below.
