Pubblicato il 15/10/2025
In recent years, the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) industry has experienced a near explosive growth in new releases. In 2024 alone, more than 5,000 new titles hit the shelves, including core books, expansions, and mini RPGs. But does this abundance equate to an era of innovation and quality, or is the market at risk of suffocating under the sheer volume of content?
One of the main criticisms directed at the current crop of RPG releases is the trend toward formulaic, derivative products. The so called “Borg phenomenon” is a prime example: after the success of the dark fantasy MÖRK BORG, a wave of titles emerged, CY_BORG, PIRATE BORG Borg of Pripyat, and countless other hacks and reskins using similar mechanical and aesthetic templates. Does this proliferation stifle creativity, or does it actually encourage the community to experiment and iterate on shared design languages?
True innovation is a risk, and, in today’s crowded landscape, it doesn’t always translate into visibility. Many designers point out that promoting a genuinely novel idea can be more demanding than creating one: with so many similar games flooding the market, even top quality products can struggle to be noticed. Still, the history of TTRPGs shows that originality can, and does, break through, especially in the indie space, where small creators cultivate bold ideas beyond commercial pressure.
This isn’t just a TTRPG problem: every creative industry moves through cycles of derivation and bursts of true originality. Today’s hyper productivity might actually be a fertile phase, with many aspiring designers learning the ropes before developing their own unique voices. The real challenge isn’t the sheer quantity of games produced, but rather how players and fans can discover truly novel projects amid the noise. In an oversaturated market, word of mouth, reviews, and the work of “content curators” are more important than ever. The community plays a critical role, not only supporting bold projects, but also surfacing and amplifying them. Only through active discovery, discussion, and sharing can truly original ideas avoid getting buried under algorithm driven trends or fleeting fads.
The tabletop RPG market isn’t dying under its own weight; on the contrary, it appears to be thriving in a state of creative chaos. For designers and players alike, the challenge is not to “produce less,” but to actively seek, highlight, and support those works that genuinely push boundaries. In the end, innovation always finds a way, though it often has to travel through a jungle of fleeting trends and familiar templates to be truly noticed.
Blog community, game design, game industry analysis, indie rpg, innovation, MÖRK BORG, originality, RPG market, saturation, tabletop RPG, TTRPG
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