Diving into a new game can feel like leaping into the unknown, especially when your wallet's whispering "think twice" in your ear. That’s why we’ve done the work and built up a list of five ways to check out new games without breaking the bank while also supporting the folks who make these games possible!
1. Bundle of Holding
Offering DRM-free bundles, the Bundle of Holding is a deals platform that regularly offers titles at steep discounts. Award-winning games such as Shadowrun, Numenera, and Blades in the Dark have been available in the past, and they’re regularly swapped out for different games, so it’s worth checking in regularly. They also offer a collection of Starter Packs on a permanent basis, including Delta Green, Old School Essentials, and Champions. Plus, their platform allows you to link your DriveThruRPG account and access all your purchases in one place. How convenient is that?
2. OneBookShelf
Speaking of DriveThruRPG, some of OneBookShelf’s storefronts have Deal of the Day sales, which, unsurprisingly, are daily sales on a random product in their store. Aside from DriveThruRPG — DriveThruFiction, DriveThruComics, and WargameVault all offer regular sales, so there’s almost always something worth considering. These stores also host a multitude of “Pay What You Want” titles, which you can often pick up for free or $1 (though we encourage you to toss a few coins to the creators if you can).
3. itch.io
While DriveThruRPG offers many traditionally published games, itch.io is ruled by indie gamers. In addition to their extensive indie video game library, itch.io has an impressive collection of tabletop RPGs, including hits such as Lancer, The Wildsea, and Beam Saber. Aside from a number of “Pay What You Want” games, many of the paid titles available on itch.io offer a limited number of “Community Copies'' which can be redeemed for free and are occasionally restocked by the creator. itch.io also regularly runs bundles and sales, with proceeds going to charities or humanitarian causes, so keep an eye out for those!
4. Humble Bundle
Similar, but unrelated to, the Bundle of Holding, Humble Bundle was one of the earlier storefronts offering regular steep bundles on games. Like itch.io, Humble Bundle originally catered primarily to video games, but now also runs regular bundle sales on books, which consistently features TTRPGs (at the time of writing, this includes Modiphious’ Fallout RPG, a third-party Pathfinder bundle from Kobold Press & Frog God Games, and a BattleTech fiction collection). Unlike the other bundle sites, Humble Bundle has tiers of products, so if you only want a certain portion, you can adjust your payment.
Humble Bundle is generally set up to donate a portion of your purchase to charity, and we highly recommend keeping in mind how your payment is divided up between the publisher, the charity, and Humble.
5. Free RPG Day
You’ll need to go outside for this one! 2024’s Free RPG Day is on June 22nd, and retailers around the globe will be offering free content from publishers such as Kobold Press, R. Talsorian Games, Paizo, Wizkids, and Free League!
Bonus: Local Library
“Wait, didn’t you say there were only going to be five items on this list?” Well, surprise! You get one more as a treat! Finally, we’re going to recommend the unsung heroes of inexpensive gaming, your local library. Libraries are great places to meet up, check out games, and even play them! At the cost of a library card (usually free), you can often not only borrow game books, but many libraries also have rooms you can book so you can quest on-site without having to clean your apartment! Getting a library card and borrowing books helps ensure that these community resources can be available in the future, and they often provide a great venue for your games when you don’t have the space.
So there you have it, adventurers – five (well, six!) ways to level up your game collection without leveling up your spending. Happy gaming!