Whether or not you routinely fight the demon known as Scheduling to keep a regular roleplaying game campaign or board game night going, Halloween is a great time to gather some friends around a table and indulge in some spooky fun.
Once again, CGM has you covered if you need a little inspiration in this arena this spooky season. If you dare to scroll further, you’ll find a handful of recent or classic options for your consideration—with a slight bend toward options that aren’t explicitly, solely about Halloween itself per se, but rather more timeless options that can channel the right energy for October, while still being palatable all year round.
(And if you’re looking for even more roleplaying game suggestions for the Halloween season, check out our list of spooky RPGs from last year for more horror-inclined systems!)
Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (D&D 5.5e)
Within the broad world of Dungeons & Dragons, Halloween evokes two names: Strahd, and Ravenloft. The latter is essentially the horror-focused campaign setting for the game, a flexible plane (or group of planes) where Dungeon Masters can bring just about any spooky scenario to life for their players. It also functions as the broader backdrop of Curse of Strahd, one of the most well-beloved and infamous premade adventures in D&D‘s recent history.
This year Wizards of the Coast dedicated a whole “season” to updating the Domains of Dread with Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, an expansion for D&D‘s current 5.5 edition. The various Domains are laid out in detail, like Strahd’s Barovia, Dragonlance‘s Sithicus, or the folk-horror Tepest, the Domain of Nature, alongside guidance for DMs to make their own settings within Ravenloft.
In the process, parties gain access to new horror-themed subclasses, like the Reanimator Artificer, Phantom Rogue, or the Warlock’s Undead Patron; backgrounds, like Haunted Ones; and species, like Dhampirs. Even if you aren’t setting your Halloween adventures in Ravenloft, these character options may help you find the right touch of classic horror to bring to your tabletop. By the same token, DMs gain access to many terrifying beasts, a handful of magical items, and Dark Gifts—feats that can serve as rewards or consequences, at your discretion.
To enhance the tactile element of that Halloween one-shot, the physical Tarokka deck (a D&D analog to real-life tarot) can raise the stakes of fortune-telling scenes, or help add an element of randomness, while the Ravenloft Map Pack includes five 22″x30″ double-sided maps with spooky themes like a labratory, graveyard, or witch’s hovel.
Daggerheart: Hope & Fear
The ascending challenger to Dungeons & Dragons‘ tabletop RPG throne is Daggerheart from Darrington Press, Critical Role‘s own publishing company—and its first expansion, Daggerheart: Hope & Fear, has arrived just in time for Halloween with a fitting selection of new character options.
The core Daggerheart rulebook already includes a perfect horror setting in the “Age of Umbra” campaign frame (as seen on Critical Role’s miniseries of the same name). This new book, however, adds a new Domain of themes and abilities to add to characters. The Dread Domain focuses on “macabre magic” and fuels 2 of the 4 new classes: the Witch and the Warlock, both of which are great fits for a Halloween-themed one-shot or mini-arc, or at any other time of year where you want a touch of the spooky.
Daggerheart: Hope & Fear also brings a new Transformation mechanic that allows players to effectively transform into one of several dreadful monsters—Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts, or a Reanimated (as well as Shapeshifters or Demigods). You can now make a party that’s a veritable “Monster Mash” while hopping into one of the most promising new tabletop RPGs in recent memory.
Arkham Horror: The Board Game
For a more cardboard experience this Halloween, you might also consider Arkham Horror: The Board Game, a classic from Fantasy Flight Games. Taking inspiration from the weird fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, Arkham Horror casts 1-6 players as investigators in the shadowy city of Arkham, who must crack the mystery of what eldritch monstrosities lurk just at the edge of reality.
The game is currently in its Third Edition, but FFG’s prior edition is still just as compelling if you can find it instead. A plethora of scenarios adds incredible replayability with the base game alone, as well as a broad cast of playable characters—and that’s before getting into the additional expansions like Dead of Night or Under Dark Waves, which takes the cosmic horror beyond Arkham to coastal Massachusetts.
(Fantasy Flight Games has just announced Arkham Horror: Remastered, which may be something to keep in mind for next Halloween.)
Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons (+ Ravenloft)
Strahd and Ravenloft are big with Wizards of the Coast this year—so big that they’re reaching beyond D&D supplements to board games in partnership with other companies. Ravensburger released Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons as a cooperative reimagining of the D&D adventure experience, where 1-5 players work together to challenge iconic foes like a Red Dragon or Beholder, but they didn’t stop there.
With cover art that looks like it was made specifically for a Halloween party, Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft takes the reimagining a step farther with a standalone game focused on Barovia, Strahd’s Domain. Strahd is joined by three other villains/monsters, including Baba Lysaga, and all of the possible opponents offer different themes and puzzles. Regardless of the version, players have up to 5 D&D classes to choose from as they work to topple the fiends and save innocent NPCs.
Horrified offers a unique alternative to actually playing D&D, perhaps for older kids who are interested in the idea of D&D but not ready to play it, or just as an interesting fantasy-themed family game night idea around the Halloween season.
Hexbound: A Witchy Supplement for 5E
If you’re looking for a way to bring more of an indie spirit to your campaign, Pointy Hat Studios and Canadian publisher Hit Point Press have an intriguing option in Hexbound: A Witchy Supplement. Built for D&D 5E (but easily compatible with 5.5E), Hexbound offers up witch-themed subclasses for all of the game’s classes.
Yes, even martial classes like the Fighter can tap into some folk magic here. All share the common ground of “summoning spirits from the ethereal plane” to gain their powers. Some, like the Druid’s Circle of the Brew, draw on familiar conventions of witchhood like mixing concoctions in giant cauldrons. A Fighter can take the Witchblade subclass (not to be confused with the comic series) to summon spirits to their aid and enhance their signature weapon. Or, Wizards can take the Witchcraft subclass for the closest thing D&D may see to an actual Witch class, enhancing their spellcasting with the spirits of other wizards.
Backed with an impressive lore section, Hexbound also offers plenty of tools and tricks that may be suitable for a Halloween mini-arc, like three premade adventures, expanded Familiar options, new spells and magic items, and a menagerie of original monsters.
(Better yet for Canadian gamers: you can now find Hexbound and other Hit Point Press books at your nearest Indigo location, if you want to support brick-and-mortar.)
