Summary
Tabletop games are regarded as the progenitors of many gaming genres players have come to know and love today. WithoutDungeons And Dragonswe’d have no RPGs, withoutWarhammer,no strategy games. Video gaming owes much to its more communal predecessor.
With franchises such asWarhammerhaving multipleamazing video game adaptations, and video games likeHalogetting tabletop adaptations, it seems that the fusion of the two is only becoming more common. Meanwhile there are dozens of smaller tabletop franchises, and a few within already popular settings, that could be massive on their own merit. Here are just ten of them.
10Frostgrave
A Frozen Free For All
Set in the frozen city of Felstad, the former centre of some ancient empire. Warbands stalk the streets in search of magical treasure, lead by Wizards and battling both rival bands and the various monsters that stalk the snow covered streets. While the lore isn’t extensive, it is intriguing enough to get players invested.
EssentiallyFrostgravewould make the perfect setting for multiple genres of game. It could make for an interesting story driven RPG, a brutal dungeon delver, or even a new team based battle royale. There’s even the potential for a horror in there given the ancient empire’s dabbling in dark magic.
9Gorkamorka
Orks, Orks, Orks
Fans ofWarhammer 40,000will instantly recognise Gorkamorka as the wild and wacky spin-off that was partMad Maxand part religious war. Set on a world where Orks have crash landed and decimated the ecosystem, things have gotten a bit wacky.
Gorkamorka has a bit of everything Goblin revolutionaries, warring Ork tribes, humans that seem to have gotten the idea to mimic the Orks in some weird fashion, and mutants. Far from the moreserious strategy titlesin the franchise, this could be a hilarious romp in the vein of theBorderlandsfranchise.]
8A Song Of Ice And Fire
War, Politics, Fun.
With a new action video game adaptation ofGame Of Throneson the horizon, it would be a shame if game developers didn’t have a look at the already massive tabletop wargame set in the same universe. Something that’d easily translate to a strategy video game. With the beloved TV franchisebacking it, an adaptation would likely be a success.
TheSong Of Ice And Firetabletop game is a unique take on the genre, requiring players both manage what is going on in the battle, and the politics behind the lines. A video game adaptation would allow players to take command of the many forces from the books. Including subfactions not present in the show such as the Queensmen and Kingsmen that are at odds in Stannis Baratheon’s army, changing the course of wars through careful tactics and brutal politicking.
7Turnip28
Grimdark but weirder
A weird mix of the grimdark genre and Monty Python. InTurnip28the world is strangled by some kind of eldritch vegetable. What humans are left subsist off of this plant, causing them to hallucinate and mutate. All that’s left of civilization are a bunch of babbling, vegetable worshipping, nutters, marching to war in the same manner as Napoleon did a thousand years ago.
Turnip28is obviously a unique setting already but the game allows players to indulge in their creativity even further than most wargames. Being a miniature agnostic game means players really can create whatever they want. As for a video game adaptation, imagine a cross between Total War: Napoleon and Spore, or every cursed meme character in that usesElden Ring’sdeep customisationthrust into an eighteenth century war, it’d be hilarious.
6Starfinder
Magic And Aliens
The sister franchise to the successfulPathfinderseries.Starfindertakes place in the same universe, asPathfinder.While it adds new races and worlds it keeps a hard fantasy edge to everything, allowing players to play as traditional fantasy races alongside the new alien ones. Classes are revamped for the setting
This might be the easiest TTRPG to adapt. ThePathfinderfranchise already featuresa series of beloved CRPGs. What better way to widen an audience then to give them a whole new genre while keeping the setting for veteran players?
5Lancer
Who Doesn’t Love Mechs?
Earth becomes uninhabitable following ecological collapse, and humanity escapes to the stars. Thousands of years later mankind has spread among the stars. Players take on the role of mech pilots, duking it out or allying with everything from corporate agents to eldritch beings.
As a settingLancerfeels fresh. While mech based sci fi in tabletop gaming is nothing new, (BattletechpredatesWarhammer 40,000after all!)Lancertakes the concept and tries to turn it into something that would appeal to fans of bothDungeons And DragonsandArmored Core. It would make for an excellent RPG adaptation.
4Malifaux
Steampunk, Horror, And Gunslingers
Set on an alternate Earth run by magic,Malifauxcentres around the titular mysterious city only accessible through interdimensional portals known as breaches. A treasure trove of magical artefacts for a world quickly losing its magic, brave adventurers, authoritarian guild soldiers, and greed fuelled smugglers all journey to the mysterious city. It feels almost likesomething out ofBioshock.
A steampunk setting with everything from gothic horror to crime syndicates,Malifauxis a brilliantly crafted setting with tons to explore. Due to the nature of the setting it could really be adapted into anything, but something story driven would certainly be welcome given the rich and brutal world it presents.
3Warhammer The Horus Heresy
Warhammer 40,000’sorigin story
This one might be cheating slightly, as there was aHorus Heresymobile game set during the very first battle, and another based on the spin off board gameBetrayal At Calth.However a game focused on the wider setting has yet to be realised.The Horus Heresyis essentially whyWarhammer 40,000is so dark.
A game set in theHorus Heresywould need to be at scale. This was a time when the colossal Space Marine supersoldiers were cannon fodder, both sides unleashed dark age technology that could eviscerate worlds, and the mythical Primarchs battled each other in god-like duels. It’s probably best suited to a strategy but a brutalBattlefield One-esqueshooter would also be on the cards.
2Infinity
War Never Ends
Set in a future where mankind reached the stars prior to settling matters on Earth.Infinityimagines a world where cultures and nations from all over the world clash across space. Conglomerates of nations from Earth duke it out with renegade colonies, an AI that may be benevolent or ruling from the shadows, space nomads and alien civilisations.
With a setting so full of varied factions, potential narratives and awesome sci fi designs,Infinityneeds more recognition than it gets. It might not be as well known asWarhammerbut the setting alone should net it some interest from game devs.
1Trench Crusade
Behold A Pale Horse
Exploding on to the scene in late 2024 via Kickstarter.Trench Crusadehas taken the internet by storm since its arrival. Set in an alternate 1914, where hell has invaded Earth. Mankind now battles the eldritch forces of damnation and their mortal servants.Trench Crusadeis a mysterious, brutal mix of fantasy, alternate history, and some sci-fi sprinkled in for good measure. Soldiers die in the most horrific ways imaginable, in droves, all to buy humanity a little more time or bring about their destruction.
The game focuses on small warbands duking it out in no-man’s-land. They might be fighting over a holy shrine or stockpile of weapons. With carcasses of the smallest haemonculi to the largest blessed tanks littering the battlefield.Trench Crusadecould work on so many levels, from strategy to RPG. It’s a setting ripe for adaptation.
