(Image credit: Modiphius, Bethesda)
Dragon Age is far from the only series to have its own tabletop RPG. Check out my list of the coolest official and unofficial tabletop RPGs based on videogames for more, from Fallout to Elden Ring to Hollow Knight.
Did you know that all the way back in 2010, a year after Dragon Age: Origins came out, publisher Green Ronin released an official tabletop RPG in the setting? It’s flown a little under the radar, thanks to pretty sporadic support over the years, but it’s a pretty cool game—and with Dragon Age fever at its height right now, it’s a great time to get it on the table.
The good news is, you can do so for cheap. DriveThruRPG is having a 40% off sale on the whole range of PDFs for the game, including the rules and its modest range of supplements and adventures. The core book, which to be honest has pretty much everything you need, is just $17.97 / £13.82—at that price I think it’s worth picking up just to browse through, if you’re a fan of the setting.
When the game first launched, it was only based on Dragon Age: Origins, and the rules were split between multiple different sets—but this version of the core book, which came out in 2015, brings everything together in one comprehensive tome that features material from Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Inquisition. Naturally there’s no Veilguard content in there, but otherwise you’re covered. If you want more, the Faces of Thedas supplement goes further in-depth on the various iconic characters of the series, and there are extra adventures to be found in the Game Master’s Kit and Blood in Ferelden books.
If you do plan to pick up multiple items, it makes sense to just get the Complete Collection bundle, which effectively ups the discount to 60% off ($29.99 / £23.07 total) for the whole lot.
So what’s the game like? It feels a bit like old school D&D, in a way, with a simple class and levelling system and lots of classic adventuring, albeit with the dark fantasy atmosphere of Dragon Age past. Combat is livened up with ‘stunts’—basically when you roll well in a fight, you get points you can immediately spend to do cool stuff like disarm an opponent, find a weak point in their armour, or shift the initiative order in your favour. Beyond those robust core rules, the game’s dense with Dragon Age lore and original art—great for inspiring the GM, or just luxuriating in if you love Thedas.
Green Ronin has ceased supporting the game, and it never really got a lot of releases in the first place—but there’s actually more material available for it than there appears. That’s because the publisher ended up using pretty much the same core rules for another game, Fantasy Age, which has received a lot more ongoing support. Given that Dragon Age features all sorts of classic fantasy tropes, it’s easy to adapt Fantasy Age’s many adventures, monsters, and more to it, and keep Thedas alive that way.
I’m not sure how long this sale is going to last—the page only says “for a limited time”—so if you’re keen, probably best to snap it up fast. If you end up liking The Veilguard, you can craft your own spin-off adventures and keep the story going. If you hate it, you can make your own alternate Dragon Age sequel on the tabletop to replace it. There you go—finally, something to make everyone happy.
