Role-playing game

February 8th 2023

Indie Games Get the Spotlight During Zine Month

A beginners' guide to the many small games and ambitious TTRPG projects raising funds during February, plus some recommendations.

Games Linda Codega Feb 8

February 6th 2023

30 Games Built to Run Heists, Burglaries, and Bank Jobs

Sometimes you just want to play a bunch of lovable rogues stealing from people who deserve to have their valuables liberated.

Games Linda Codega Feb 6

January 31st 2023

The Gaming Shelf Gears Up for an Anti-Capitalist Apocalypse

Zine Month starts tomorrow, so now's the time to catch up on all the new and exciting games that released in January.

Games Linda Codega Jan 31

January 4th 2023

The Year Ahead in Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Tabletop games will surge in popularity as both large and small presses invest in new building new systems and finding new players.

Games Linda Codega Jan 4

December 13th 2022

Mega-Popular Board Game Gloomhaven Polymorphs Into an RPG

The success of the upcoming Backerkit for Cephalofair's role-playing game is all but assured.

Games Rob Bricken Dec 13

December 12th 2022

The 20 Best Tabletop Roleplaying Games of 2022

TTRPGs had a banner year, taking on every single genre in every single system—here are my favorites published this year.

Games Linda Codega Dec 12

November 21st 2022

Pick Up and Play at Your Next Game Night With These 10 Accessible TTRPGs

The co-founder and CEO of social gaming platform Role offers some of her favorite picks for an easy-to-explain campaign.

Games Elle Dwight Nov 21

October 4th 2022

The Gaming Shelf Enters Its Era of Silence

The first game from Shrike Tabletop is a tactical, ANTIFA-punk, post-climate disaster role-playing game.

Games Linda Codega Oct 4

August 29th 2022

16 Awesome Tabletop Role-Playing Game Soundtracks

Musical scores aren't just for movies and video games—give a listen to these albums and roll for initiative.

Games Linda Codega Aug 29

August 16th 2022

The Gaming Shelf Slips Into Memory and Magic

As Kickstarter's ZineQuest picks up, we're highlighting six crowdfunding games alongside our featured creator.

Games Linda Codega Aug 16

August 2nd 2022

The Gaming Shelf Celebrates the Triumphant Indie Groundbreaker Awards

This year's Indie Game Developer Network award winners are a frankly stellar group.

Games Linda Codega Aug 2

June 16th 2022

26 Tabletop Roleplaying Games by Queer Game Designers

Independent, weird, queer, and wonderful, these games lie at the intersection of experience and fantasy.

Games Linda Codega Jun 16

June 7th 2022

The Gaming Shelf Teeters at the Edge of the World

This edition features momatoes, winner of the 2022 Diana Jones Emerging Designer award, and a peek at her latest creation.

Games Linda Codega Jun 7

May 24th 2022

The Gaming Shelf Plunges Into the Apocalyptic Navathem’s End

Inside are fresh releases from indie designers, the DIE RPG, and news from across the gaming world.

Games Linda Codega May 24

April 26th 2022

Digital RPG Chrome Rides the Bleeding Edge of Cyber-Noir Gameplay

Role flexes its mechanical and digital muscles with its first all-digital TTRPG product, and our hands on gave us a hell of a time.

Games Linda Codega Apr 26

April 12th 2022

The Gaming Shelf Spotlights World Champ Game Co., New Releases, and More

Games from across the indie-sphere for metalheads, dinosaur kids, and those of us who made liberal use of our paper dolls.

Games Linda Codega Apr 12

November 3rd 2021

Baldur’s Gate 3 Is Helping Me Miss Tabletop D&D a Little Less

It's not quite the same, even in multiplayer, but Larian's addition to the beloved game franchise captures the heart of a TTRPG session.

Games James Whitbrook Nov 3

July 22nd 2021

Image: Katerina Ladon/Wizards of the Coast

D&D‘s Lead Rule Designer Explains Why Actual Play Has Influenced the Game

The latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons has grown to accommodate the kind of play experiences that have catapulted it to renewed popularity.

Games James Whitbrook Jul 22

June 22nd 2021

Screenshot: Nord Games / Screenshot: Double Critical / Image: Fantasy Flight Games / Image: WizKids

Marvel’s Villainous Adds Loki, New Skyrim Board Game Details, and More Gaming News

Plus, Dungeons & Dragons' Ghosts of Saltmarsh expansion gets its own board game.

Games Beth Elderkin Jun 22

March 9th 2021

Alien‘s In, Metal Gear‘s Out, and More of the Latest Gaming News

Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9’s column all about board games and tabletop roleplaying games. This week, there’s bad news for fans of Solid Snake, good news for the fans of Xenomorphs, and downright weird news for the final days of Kickstarter’s third RPG Zine Quest event. News and Releases Kickstarter VP Pulls Perfect RPG…

Games James Whitbrook Mar 9

Indie Games Get the Spotlight During Zine Month

30 Games Built to Run Heists, Burglaries, and Bank Jobs

The Gaming Shelf Gears Up for an Anti-Capitalist Apocalypse

The Year Ahead in Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Mega-Popular Board Game Gloomhaven Polymorphs Into an RPG

The 20 Best Tabletop Roleplaying Games of 2022

Pick Up and Play at Your Next Game Night With These 10 Accessible TTRPGs

The Gaming Shelf Enters Its Era of Silence

16 Awesome Tabletop Role-Playing Game Soundtracks

The Gaming Shelf Slips Into Memory and Magic

The Gaming Shelf Celebrates the Triumphant Indie Groundbreaker Awards

26 Tabletop Roleplaying Games by Queer Game Designers

The Gaming Shelf Teeters at the Edge of the World

The Gaming Shelf Plunges Into the Apocalyptic Navathem’s End

Digital RPG Chrome Rides the Bleeding Edge of Cyber-Noir Gameplay

The Gaming Shelf Spotlights World Champ Game Co., New Releases, and More

Baldur’s Gate 3 Is Helping Me Miss Tabletop D&D a Little Less

D&D‘s Lead Rule Designer Explains Why Actual Play Has Influenced the Game

Marvel’s Villainous Adds Loki, New Skyrim Board Game Details, and More Gaming News

Alien‘s In, Metal Gear‘s Out, and More of the Latest Gaming News

Ryan Coogler Is Shifting ‘Animorphs’ Into a Disney+ Show

No Fooling, ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Hit Theaters April 2027

I Regret to Inform You That the Artemis II Astronauts Are Having Lots of Screen Time

The First ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ Reactions Are Most Solid

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 Is Doing What You Hoped

Wearables Are Getting Very Messy

Trump Wants to Start Privatizing TSA in Latest Budget Proposal

Lost Warship From Battle of Copenhagen Found After 225 Years

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Let us help find what you are looking for...