Tabletop RPGs and dice have a relationship more intertwined than dungeons do with dragons. The first ever TTRPG game you've ever played likely featured dice, and why wouldn't it? It's an easy and intuitive mechanic to communicate the whims of fate. Few things in life beat the dopamine hit of a Natural 20 against the Big Bad of the campaign. That said, dice isn't the only way to tell a story. From the Jenga towers of Dread to the vigil of Ten Candles, there's no shortage of unorthodox tabletop mechanics.
This upcoming TTRPG has one of the most fascinating TTRPG systems I've seen in a long time.
Realis is a fantasy TTRPG set around Realis, a massive planet surrounded by a thousand moons. From the get-go, the vibes are immaculate, a sci-fi fantasy epic written in creator Austin Walker's poetic style. In turn, that style informs the game's mechanics. Instead of DnD classes that rely on traditional stats, each character starts with broad Sentences, statements that define what they can do.
"I always beat my foes" or "I always sneak undetected," for example. Normally, these sentences will always come to pass for the characters. Things heat up when a foe contests your sentence with one of their own. Every Sentence starts with a +0, which is beaten by higher-leveled Sentences (to a maximum of +3).
So if you have a +0 "I always sneak undetected" going up against a seasoned city guard with a +1 "I always spot sneaks under cover of darkness," you would get caught. So how can Sentences get stronger? You can attempt to counter the opposing Sentence by limiting your sentence's scope, "weakening" it in certain situations but strengthening a specialty. This is where the narrative-forward approach shines, because instead of grinding away XP to make your character better, you actually react to the world around you.
Since the seasoned guard is a master at spotting thieves in the dark, you can change your sentence to a +1 "I always sneak undetected in disguise." You sneak into the palace not through the gutters, but the front gate, disguised as another guard. Of course, that locks your character into that "disguise" play style, and any counters you add later must align logically with the new sentence. So you can't just say " I always sneak undetected in disguise and kill with laser vision." For its lack of dice, Realis proves surprisingly complex.
And that's not even getting into the brilliant ways the system weaves Sentences into a grander campaign. There's so much more depth in the full rules, but needless to say, it all encourages wits and creativity over arbitrary mechanics. As a player who loves the storytelling aspect of TTRPGs above all, I'm in love with this game.
You can support Realis on Kickstarter here.
For more awesome TTRPG recommendations, check out our best tabletop RPGs 2026 guide. If you're looking to share a few Sentences about Realis, the Wargamer Discord is eager to listen.