Saturday 15th is Free RPG Day. This is a chance to pop into your local store and give them some support. To make such a visit worth your time, your local store might well be free RPG goodies in it for you thanks to a host of generous publishers.
This year the founders sold Free RPG Day to new owners.
Geek Native has been tracking the number of free RPGs available at DriveThruRPG, on each Free RPG Day, since 2014. There’s been more than a 100% increase in those five years.
There are 8, 948 free RPG products at DriveThruRPG and 1,579 at the DM’s Guild.
Not only is the 2019 total a raise from last year, it more than reverses the decline seen in 2018 and a new five-year record.
Most popular free RPGs
With thousands of products available, it can be hard to find the best ones. Your time, after all, is not free. Sometimes it makes sense to listen to the wisdom of the crowds and so here’s the current top ten of free RPGs on DriveThruRPG.
- Lightmaster Core Rulebook by Gurbintroll Games. Pay What You Want.
- Lightmaster Book of Tables by Gurbintroll Games. Pay What You Want.
- Symbaroum – Quick Start by Free League Publishing. Pay What You Want.
- Frontier Explorer – Issue 24 by Frontier Explorer. Pay What You Want.
- Monday Mutant 1: Junko by Outland Arts. Pay What You Want.
- Monday Mutant 2: Beaked-Slasho by Outland Arts. Pay What You Want.
- Ironsworn by Shawn Tomkin. Free.
- The Premiere of the King by Chaosium. Pay What You Want
- Expedition: Of Wyrms & Giants Booster by FabricateIO. Free.
- The Void Core PDF by WildFire. Pay What You Want.
Pay What You Want are counted as free RPGs as DriveThruRPG includes them in their figures. However, if you can afford to pay a little or have previously enjoyed a free ‘pay what you want’ from the same publisher, then your karmic balance may benefit if you find some cash.
Most popular free D&D downloads
There are 1,579 at the DM’s Guild which is up about 50% from the year before. DriveThruRPG also powers that platform so we can repeat the popularity search and discover the titles D&D fans are enjoying.
- Shaman Class (5e) by Dungeon Masters Guild. Pay What You Want.
- Totem of the Duck – Option for Totem Warrior Barbarians by Dungeon Masters Guild. Pay What You Want.
- Item Crafting Rules for 5e by Dungeon Masters Guild. Pay What You Want.
- I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Dungeon Masters Guild. Pay What You Want.
- Rise of the Necromancer by Dungeon Masters Guild. Pay What You Want.
- The Alchemist (5e Class w/ 4 Archetypes) by Dungeon Masters Guild. Free.
- Elemental Evil Player’s Companion (5e) by Wizards of the Coast. Free.
- A Chance Encounter by Dungeon Masters Guild. Pay What You Want.
- Discerning Merchant’s Price Guide
- D&D 5e Rules On A Page by Dungeon Masters Guild. Free.
Free RPG Day Sponsors
Despite the plethora of free RPGs online, there are lots of reasons to visit your local store – including exclusives that sponsors may not upload or make available later. None of this would be possible without the following sponsors.
Each retailer is given a Free RPG Day box, and in the list below you can see how rare these goodies might be per box.
Free RPG Day Platinum Sponors
- Goodman Games for providing 15 copies of DCC RPG Quickstart & Adventure
- Paizo for providing 15 copies of a Pathfinder RPG adventure, 15 copies of a Starfinder adventure and 15 copies of a Pathfinder ACG storybook
- Q-Workshop for 15 sets of Starfinder dice
Free RPG Day Gold Sponors
- R. Talsorian Games for 10 copies of the Witcher RPG Easy Mode
- Renegade Game Studios for 10 copies of Outbreak Undead 2E intro and 10 copies of a Kids on Bikes adventure
Free RPG Day Silver Sponors
- Chessex for 5 silver dice sets
- Green Ronin for 5 copies of the Threefold RPG QuickStart
- Khepera Publishing for 5 copies of the Mythic RPG QSR
Free RPG Day Bronze Sponor
- Seven Thebes for 3 copies of the Land of Myth 5E RPG
Free RPG Day Sample Sponors
- Campaign Games for 1 copy of the Forts & Frontiers Quickstart & Adventure
- Off World Designs for 1 FRD t-shirt
- SlugFest Games for 1 Red Dragon Inn Drink Card
- Steamforged Games for 1 copy of Dungeons & Doggies: Raiders of the Lost Bark
- Studio 9 Publishing for 1 copy of Treasure & Traps: The Adventure Story Game
- UltraPro for one D&D playmat
If that long list of goodies has persuaded you to get out and to your local store then this store locator might of help finding a retailer taking part.
Creative Commons credit: Trapped by Gislaine Avila.
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