Fabled Empire RPG — A Fairytale Fantasy Tabletop RPG

What Is Fabled Empire?

Fabled Empire is a cooperative role playing game set in Taleria - a kingdom where fairy tales come true... and are not nice. Talking animals hold grudges for aeons. Fairies never lie, but their truths can be lethal weapons and they know it. The dead have something to say. When your village runs out of luck there is only one thing between it and disaster: Your Fellowship.

Play Heroes. People who took a step out of their day to day lives to become part of something greater than themselves.

The Tone: Whimsydark

Sometimes it's homey, like having hot barley soup around the fire. Other times it's unsettling, such as when a fairy creditor shows up to dinner and demands payment of your firstborn child.

All beautiful gifts are entangled with some hooks, and the rot can always be found beneath the glimmering surface, the glamour is always convincing. Heroes meet everything with their highest level of seriousness.

The Princess Bride meets the Brothers Grimm. Over the Garden Wall meets The Dark Crystal. The Legend of Zelda if every character remembered what you did to them.

The Land of Taleria

There are enchanted forests that adjoin market squares. There are rivers that eat men whole without a second thought, and do not return them to their rightful owners. Fairy Courts hold grudges from before the first mortal wars even began.

Enchantment Is Real, and It Costs

Things actually enchant here. Witches make deals over cauldrons and pay it back; magic is going on in the background, and no matter what, you're going to be charged for everything that happens. Relics? Sure, you might find them. Just pay more than they want.

Wildlife With Opinions

They can talk, but many won't. Walking frogs with waistcoats are no stranger than their four-legged cousins in the pond. Some will help, and some are going to ruin your afternoon for funsies. A few of them remember things you shouldn't have inherited from your grandma.

Courts, Crowns, and Gossip

While the kingdoms of Taleria do not rely on marching armies at each other (which isn't quite the same thing as saying that those with power just sit back) monarchs are both warm and welcoming, and downright dangerous. All courts are abuzz with gossiping whispers and back-stabbings for ascension to the throne. Your Heroes are going to end up in it.

What Lurks Beneath

What is beyond the forest? The Underworld. A labyrinth of caves full of darker creatures and "older things". These entities capture intruders. Intruders beg for release, and these creatures always outdo them at that game. Mostly they just wait for a stupid one to come down.

What Makes It Different

Fairy-Tale Logic

Kindness rewards. Cruelty repays - at its worst time. Debts must be paid. Chances come in threes because life doesn't work on a rational scale, of course it doesn't. Names have power; choose carefully who you give yours to. The fox you fed protects your path tomorrow; the goblin you cheated grinds his revenge over generations.

Fiction-First Mechanics

What do you do? How you do it matters just as much! Smash down a door loudly and the guards will surely hear you. Pick that same lock slowly and you'll rip the whole thing out of the keyhole - quiet, yes - but permanent. The dice are transparent so you can see what you're rolling before you roll them with no "that's unfair" fights afterward.

Every Foe Is a Puzzle

These fairy tale beasts have a weakness, which can be found by reading up on the monsters ahead of time, watching how they fight in order to find weaknesses (or at least noticing when you've done something they weren't expecting), or trying random things. Maybe a troll will fear iron bells, maybe a shadow beast will disappear if it sees its own reflection. Curiosity wins more Scuffles here than sharp swords.

The Duel of Words

Sometimes there won't be any sword fights in your game. Parley is an intricate social battle where time works against you: Patience Trails erode as your characters bicker and Heartstrings can be played like musical instruments, with Pitfalls ready to twist one small mistake into a full catastrophe. Talk down a fairy queen or calm a ghostly mourner before the village gets dragged down by her.

Mechanical Inspirations

In terms of its mechanics, Fabled Empire has all of the elements of a medium weight game; i.e. it runs like a blend between Daggerheart, Dragonbaneand Land of Eem.If you've played any of those three, then you'll see the patterns. The things we have done with them are our own, but we would rather that you tell us if they hit.

Play a Hero

Create a Hero, based on fairy tale characters! Play-test 6 of the 12 Archetypes included in the core rule book.

• The Curious: You poke the lock, you taste the strange berries, and somehow you come back with a story.
• The Enchanted: Volatile magic you barely understand. It listens to you. Sometimes.
• The Gallant: Someone you love went missing. You've followed rumors across the kingdom ever since, and you won't stop.
• The Sequestered: Raised behind walls. The doors are open now.
• The Starcatcher: A thief with a bounty and a real talent for not getting caught. So far.
• The Untamed: Human by day. Something else by moonlight, and the beast is patient about it.

6 more Archetypes arrive with the full release.

The Playtest

Public Playtest version of the game is live. You can now get everything needed to run your first session!

• Complete rules: dice, Scuffles, social encounters, enchantment, survival.
• 6 fairy-tale Archetypes: build a Hero in 15 minutes.
• "The Whispering Ruins": a full introductory adventure.

Let us know! Did the dice feel ok? Were the rules easy to use in a cold start situation? We want to hear how it went, and we'd appreciate you telling us both what worked for you, and where things broke down.

Grab the playtest:

Questions About Fabled Empire

What is Fabled Empire?

Fabled Empire is a cooperative tabletop roleplaying game with fiction first and foremost, about 3-5 Heroes - normal people who stepped off the path at exactly the wrong moment in one particular kingdom, Taleria, where fairy tales are real, and have sharp teeth. Fabled Empires' free playtest release is now available.

Is Fabled Empire a tabletop RPG or a video game?

Fabled Empire is a roleplaying game played around a gaming table (or online) with your friends, some dice and no application nor virtual tabletop to pay for!

Is Fabled Empire free to play?

Yes, completely free. The playtest on Itch.io or DriveThruRPG includes the core rules, 6 fairytale Archetypes, and an introductory adventure, "The Whispering Ruins."

How many players does Fabled Empire need?

Three to five, plus whoever runs it. Heroes band together as a Fellowship, so the spotlight keeps moving rather than parking on one player all night.

What RPGs is Fabled Empire similar to?

Genre-wise, mechanically right up there with Daggerheart, Dragonbane, and Land of Eem: fiction-first, medium weight Mechanically. Tone-wise: The Princess Bride meets Brothers Grimm. One scene cozy and the next legitimately creepy.

Do I need experience with other tabletop RPGs to play Fabled Empire?

There isn't any. Dice are transparent, all bets are on the table before you roll, and building a Hero with one of the included Archetypes only takes about 15 minutes. Beginners should be able to jump in right away.

Where can I download the Fabled Empire playtest?

Itch.io or DriveThruRPG, free, download today! Run a session, tell us what worked for you, what did not.