Powered by the Apocalypse TTRPGs work best when the table wants fiction-first play with clear genre expectations. Start with Dungeon World if you want a fantasy bridge, or Root: The RPG if faction politics and woodland adventure are the draw.
For a wider editorial list, read Best Powered by the Apocalypse Games or compare this category with rules-lite and NSR games.
Monster of the Week fits powered by the apocalypse (pbta) because it uses PbtA-style moves, playbooks, and consequences to keep the fiction moving. Players collaborate to investigate mysterious events and battle sinister creatures.
Choose Apocalypse World for powered by the apocalypse (pbta) play when you want fiction-first move-based play. The award-winning and critically acclaimed game that launched the Powered by the Apocalypse school of rpg design.
Avatar Legends earns this tag by making PbtA procedures matter during play. Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game allows players to immerse themselves in the rich world of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "The Legend of Korra." This tabletop RPG...
Bluebeard's Bride belongs here when the table wants fiction-first move-based play, not just the label on the cover. An investigatory horror tabletop RPG based on the Bluebeard fairy tale.
Dungeon World fits powered by the apocalypse (pbta) because it uses PbtA-style moves, playbooks, and consequences to keep the fiction moving. A fantasy adventure RPG that brings Powered by the Apocalypse moves to dungeon crawls, quests, and dangerous journeys.
Alas for the Awful Sea fits powered by the apocalypse (pbta) because it uses PbtA-style moves, playbooks, and consequences to keep the fiction moving. A melancholy Powered by the Apocalypse game about fishing towns, old grief, and the pull of the supernatural sea.
Brindlewood Bay earns this tag by making PbtA procedures matter during play. A mystery-horror tabletop RPG about elderly amateur sleuths solving strange crimes in a cozy New England town while a darker occult conspiracy closes in around them.
Choose City of Judas for powered by the apocalypse (pbta) play when you want fiction-first move-based play. An indie RPG with an urban, spiritually charged frame that leans into pressure, loyalty, and character fallout.
Epyllion earns this tag by making PbtA procedures matter during play. A Powered by the Apocalypse game about young dragons protecting their world, their friendships, and the magic that holds their age together.
Choose Escape from Dino Island for powered by the apocalypse (pbta) play when you want fiction-first move-based play. A rules-lite survival adventure using Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics.
Fellowship belongs here when the table wants fiction-first move-based play, not just the label on the cover. A Powered by the Apocalypse fantasy RPG about a diverse party uniting against an overwhelming threat while sharing authority over the world they defend.
Legacy: Life Among the Ruins fits powered by the apocalypse (pbta) because it uses PbtA-style moves, playbooks, and consequences to keep the fiction moving. A post-apocalyptic generational RPG about communities, bloodlines, and the long consequences of what survivors build after collapse.
Legend in the Mist uses PbtA-style 2d6 consequence bands and fiction-first pressure, but replaces fixed moves with Mist Engine tags, statuses, and Power built from the scene.
Masks: A New Generation earns this tag by making PbtA procedures matter during play. Masks: A New Generation invites players into a vibrant world of teenage superheroes grappling with identity, legacy, and the challenges of growing up.
Monsterhearts belongs here when the table wants fiction-first move-based play, not just the label on the cover. Monsterhearts invites players into the tumultuous world of teenage desire and supernatural angst, where they embody powerful beings like vampires, werewolves, and witches...
Choose Night Witches for powered by the apocalypse (pbta) play when you want fiction-first move-based play. A Powered by the Apocalypse RPG about the all-female Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment in WWII.
Root: The RPG earns this tag by making PbtA procedures matter during play. The Woodland comes alive in this PBtA RPG based on the hit board game.
Choose Sagas of the Icelanders for powered by the apocalypse (pbta) play when you want fiction-first move-based play. A historical PbtA game about honor, household pressure, gendered roles, and social survival in medieval Iceland.
The Sprawl fits powered by the apocalypse (pbta) because it uses PbtA-style moves, playbooks, and consequences to keep the fiction moving. The Sprawl immerses players in a gritty, neon-lit cyberpunk world where they take on the roles of mercenaries navigating corporate intrigue and dangerous megacities.
The Warren belongs here when the table wants fiction-first move-based play, not just the label on the cover. A rules-lite survival RPG about intelligent rabbits facing a hostile world.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians earns this tag by making PbtA procedures matter during play. A romantic adventure RPG about messy feelings, dramatic conflict, and queer swashbuckling where emotional stakes matter as much as the sword fight.
Uncharted Worlds belongs here when the table wants fiction-first move-based play, not just the label on the cover. A space-opera PbtA game about crews, ships, jobs, and the trouble that follows people from world to world.
Choose Urban Shadows for powered by the apocalypse (pbta) play when you want fiction-first move-based play. Urban Shadows immerses players in the gritty underbelly of a modern city, where supernatural factions vie for power and influence amidst the struggles of human life.
Worlds in Peril fits powered by the apocalypse (pbta) because it uses PbtA-style moves, playbooks, and consequences to keep the fiction moving. A superhero PbtA game about custom powers, dramatic fallout, and trying to balance comic-book action with the lives behind the masks.