# Best New School Revolution (NSR) TTRPGs

New School Revolution games combine old-school priorities with modern layout, procedures, tone, and design experiments.

## Guide

NSR TTRPGs are a good fit when your table wants dangerous exploration, fast rulings, player agency, and modern presentation without simply recreating older rulebooks. Start with Cairn 2e, Mausritter, Electric Bastionland, and ShadowDark.

For definitions and boundaries, read What Is NSR?. If you mainly care about low rules load, also browse rules-lite.

## Games

- [Into the Odd](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/intotheodd) - Rank #1006. Into the Odd immerses players in a gritty, industrial world filled with strange technology and eldritch horrors, where they must explore dangerous ruins in search of valuable artifacts. The game distinguishes itself with its streamlined rules, deadly combat system, and emphasis on quick decision-making, making it a thrilling and unpredictable experience for tabletop RPG enthusiasts.
- [Cairn 2e](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/cairn-2e) - Cairn 2e is a classless fantasy adventure RPG in the Into the Odd and Knave lineage. It uses simple saves, inventory-driven characters, and clear Warden procedures for dangerous exploration in strange woods, ruins, and wilderness routes.
- [In the Light of a Ghost Star](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/in-the-light-of-a-ghost-star) - In the Light of a Ghost Star is a rules-lite sci-fi RPG set on a frozen, abandoned Earth lit by a dead white dwarf. Scavengers from Martian cities brave ghosts, machines, and strange life to recover ancient treasures. With streamlined mechanics, inventory rationing, and a hex crawl, it emphasizes exploration and survival in a weird, post-human world.
- [Into the Dungeon: Revived](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/into-the-dungeon-revived) - Into the Dungeon: Revived is a rules‑lite OSR fantasy game using simple d20 saves and inventory‑driven resource play. Classless and low‑prep, it focuses on tense, survival‑minded dungeon and wilderness exploration with fast, lethal combat. Ideal for quick sessions, open tables, and sandboxes that reward caution and clever play.
- [Liminal Horror](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/liminal-horror) - Liminal Horror is a modern investigative horror RPG descended from Into the Odd and Cairn. Fast saves, Stress, and Fallout keep cases tense while the rules stay light enough for one-shots, short campaigns, and strange occult mysteries.
- [Primal Quest - Essentials](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/primal-quest) - Primal Quest – Essentials is a rules‑lite stone‑and‑sorcery RPG. Classless and fast to teach, it uses straightforward d20 tests with tight resource play to drive tense, survival‑forward exploration. Low‑prep and table‑ready, it’s ideal for gritty hexcrawls, emergent sandboxes, and convention one‑shots.
- [Runecairn](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/runecairn) - Runecairn immerses players in a rich world inspired by Norse mythology, where they must navigate treacherous lands filled with ancient magic and powerful beings. This tabletop RPG features a unique rune casting mechanic that drives the narrative and character development, challenging players to harness mystical forces and forge their own destinies in a world on the brink of chaos.
- [Troika!](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/troika) - Troika! is a fantastical tabletop RPG set in a bizarre and surreal world where players travel through the mystical Catlands in search of their destinies. With its unique character creation system involving randomly generated backgrounds and abilities, Troika! offers a whimsical and unpredictable journey filled with strange creatures, mysterious quests, and quirky adventures.
- [Vaults of Vaarn](https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/vaults-of-vaarn) - Vaults of Vaarn is an NSR science-fantasy RPG of crystalline deserts, ancient vaults, and strange civilizations surviving in the shadow of forgotten technologies.