What's Hot in Indie TTRPGs 2021 - Year in Review

What's Hot in Indie TTRPGs 2021 - Year in Review

This is a compilation of opinions and data as to individual games and trends in the indie ttrpg space in 2021. It is based on the (nearly decade long running) Dragonmeet seminar of the same name, but adding additional data from crowdfunding and sales and further commentary after the seminar. It incorporates contributions from a variety of ttrpg designers and podcasters as to their thoughts on the games and trends that have stood out for them this year.  

Table of contents:

What’s Hot in Indie TTRPG contributors

>Indie TTRPGs played in 2021

>Indie TTRPG trends from 2021

>>Community & industry

>>>Discord

>>>Kickstarter on blockchain

>>>In-person gaming

>>>Growth of #RPGLATAM

>>>Non-D20 Media licensed ttrpgs

>>>Indie supplement licensing

>>>Cooperative marketing

>>>Organised labour

>>Trends in design

>>>Digital first ttrpgs

>>>Digital Tools

>>>RPGs built for online play

>>>Artefact wrecking

>>>Suspense, horror, uncertainty

>>>Imagined nostalgia, hauntology, hope

>>>Emergent mystery

>>>PbtA trends

>>>Hyperfocused design

>>>Twisting game engines

>>>Innovation in skirmish wargaming

>>>FKR

>Upcoming indie TTRPGs

TTRPG crowdfunding in 2021

>Top 15 TTRPGs by funding level

>TTRPGs kickstarted by month 2019/2020/2021

>TTRPGs kickstarter funding targets 2021

TTRPGs released in 2021

>TTRPGs released by webstore (DriveThruRPG & itch)

>TTRPGs ‘in a box’

>DriveThruRPG’s 2021 releases bestsellers

>itch.io’s 2021 releases bestsellers (as at end December 2021)