Dungeons and Dragons has a big new book coming this winter that has yet to be announced. There are some signs that it might be Dark Sun, the post-apocalyptic D&D setting known for its darker themes, its desert world where survival is a struggle against the elements, and for containing controversial content like slavery.
I'm super interested to see WotC's new take on Dark Sun, but if you can't wait for that, here's a game that might appeal in the meantime. A fan has turned the cult classic Lo-Fi Games RPG Kenshi into a free, unofficial tabletop RPG which you can currently download from Itch.io.
In case you're not familiar with Kenshi, it's a sandbox RPG where you explore a vast post-apocalyptic desert world full of ninjas, slavers, cannibals, religious fanatics, and horrifying beak things. It's notable for its highly free-form gameplay, allowing you to be an adventurer exploring the wilderness; form an adventuring party, a thieves guild, or a band of merchants; or put down roots and start up a settlement. To my mind, this freedom baked into Kenshi's DNA makes it the perfect game to convert to TTRPG-dom.
Reddit user Sad_Ad_8491 has done just that, using the Crônicas RPG system as their basis, a Brazilian medieval RPG, which I can honestly say I've never heard of. A quick skim of the compact 41-page rules PDF reveals some interesting ideas. As well as the survival mechanics for thirst, infection, and hunger that you'd expect to see in setting like this, there's a persuasion/deception mechanic which is more like 'social combat' than a simple challenge roll.
The PDF covers character creation and the core resolution mechanics, rules for building settlements, a combat system, equipment lists, and several pages of monsters. There's definitely plenty of room for expansion - more gameable content like NPCs, adventure ideas, and specific locations would be nice. But it looks playable, and the important stuff, like rules for replacing your arms and legs with rusty, mechanical limbs, is all there.
While there's not tons of lore content, the game's Itch.io page sets the tone nicely. "This is not a world of happy endings. It's a world of hard choices, scarred bodies, and the constant question: "How far will you go to see another dawn?"
Okay, now I want to play Kenshi some more.