In case you’ve been under a rock for the past few years, Dungeons & Dragons (or D&D) has picked up a new and younger audience who want to tell comfy stories inspired by games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing.

What if we told you that instead of trying to force D&D into doing your comfy stories, that there are more than a handful of existing systems ready for more social-heavy games?

Wanderhome

Vibes: Over the Garden Wall, Redwall, Mr. Frog and Mr. Toad.

Cute forest creatures doing cute forest things, what’s not to like? It’s a bit more whimsical than Redwall, painting a picture of scenes like frogs having an evening picnic, or a shepherd with a herd of bumblebees (bugs take on the role of animals in Wanderhome).

While Wanderhome is a comfy RPG, there’s plenty of room to tell stories with some friction. There’s esoteric woodland rituals, gods of the land, and good old fashioned interpersonal conflict for your group to get involved in.

You can check out Wanderhome here.

Masks: A New Generation

Vibes: Teen Titans, Invincible, X-Men Evolution

Masks: A New Generation is a game about archetypes. Archetypes in terms of power, but also archetypes in terms of narrative role. We have brutes, we have whimsical aliens, we have anti-heroes, reformed villains, etc.

The point in Masks is to be a superhero, but more than that you’re a young superhero trying to navigate messy friend groups and other real obligations. You can’t punch your way through anything, and in a world of superheroes and villains, crimefighting doesn’t always by the bills.

You can check out Masks here.

Golden Sky Stories

Vibes: Touhou Project, Non Non Biyori, Animal Crossing

Golden Sky Stories is a Japanese tabletop RPG where players take on the role of supernatural “henge”, animals who can take human form. As henge, players will explore their relationship with modern society and where they fit into the world.

Anyone familiar with the saccharine but also philosophical lessons in some of the more dramatic slice of life series will get the vibe that Golden Sky Stories is aiming for. As long as you’re with your friends and true to yourself, you can greet tomorrow with a smile.

You can check out Golden Sky Stories here.

Bubblegumshoe

Vibes: Nancy Drew, Fillmore, Hey Arnold

Bubblegumshoe is a streamlined version of the GUMSHOE system for noir mystery adventures. Lowering the stakes, Bubblegumshoe takes the mystery from grimy alleyways and smoke-filled lounges to the sidewalks and shopping malls of suburban America.

Not only are there mysteries to solve, but there’s also the typical high school drama with cliques and classes. Sometimes getting close to a suspect will mean trying to leverage whatever popularity you have.

You can check out Bubblegumshoe here.

Maid RPG

Vibes: Negima, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Mahoromatic

Maid RPG is exactly what it says on the tin. You get you and your best friends and you play cute anime maids getting into wacky adventures. Almost everything is on the table here for every moe anime cliche you can think of. Robot girls, devil girls, cat girls, clumsy girls, play your ideal waifu.

Honestly given the ecchi cliches that this game leans on, unless you’re REALLY comfortable with your friends, this one might be more fun online over text.

You can check out Maid RPG here.

Ultimately, you can play D&D or any other game however you want. You can run comfy adventures in Shadow of the Demon Lord, you can run a Call of Cthulhu style mystery in Bubblegumshoe if you really want. But the point is that you’re not stuck playing D&D just because it’s the most mainstream TTRPG out there.

If you’re not into comfy RPGs and looking to bring back that old school feel of action movies, dark fantasy, etc. Check out our sister list: 5 old school Tabletop RPGs so you can quit playing D&D.