Free RPG Day is an annual promotional event by the tabletop role-playing game industry. The event rules are fairly simple: participating publishers provide special free copies of games to participating game stores; the game store agrees to provide one free game to any person who requests a free game on Free RPG Day.
History Shannon Appelcline discussed the comic book Crisis in Raimiton (2004), which was "an 'Adventure Guide to D&D' that Wizards gave away on Free Comic Book Day '04. It told the story of gamers playing D&D, and then the story of the characters they created. Wizards' interest in the free giveaway foreshadowed the industry's interest in a free giveaway day of their own: Free RPG Day." Appelcline noted that for the game distributor Impressions Advertising & Marketing, their "most successful advertising program is one that continues today: Free RPG Day. Beginning in 2007, Impressions has every year coordinated the give-away of original RPG products in game stores across the country, resulting in considerable buzz and interest in those products — which is exactly what Impressions, an advertising and marketing company, was looking for."
Inspired by Free Comic Book Day, Free RPG Day was started in 2007. The event was coordinated worldwide by Impressions from 2007 until 2019 when Free RPG Day was acquired by the gaming retailer organization Gaming Days, which has coordinated the event since.
Appelcline noted that "Goodman Games' last stand against the dying d20 market was Free RPG Day 2007. Where most companies were offering up a single product of variable quality, Goodman contributed three different books to Free RPG Day, each one of them a top-quality production." Paizo Publishing previewed the new GameMastery Modules series with D0: Hollow's Last Hope (2007), which first appeared on June 23, 2007, as part of the initial Free RPG Day. Flying Buffalo assembled quick-start editions for Tunnels & Trolls for the 2007, 2008, and 2011 Free RPG Days. Margaret Weis Productions released the Castlemourn Cortex System Quickstart for the 2008 Free RPG Day but then shut down the game line. Green Ronin previewed their first new role-playing game, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying (2009), at Free RPG Day 2008. Troll Lord Games presented a "quick start" version of Castles & Crusades at each Free RPG Day from 2007–2011 to draw in new players, and Troll Lord also previewed their science fiction role-playing game StarSIEGE: Event Horizon at Free RPG Day 2008. Pinnacle Entertainment Group presented The Wild Hunt (2011) as a "Savage Worlds Test Drive" at the Free RPG Day 2011.
Shannon Appelcline outlined that Columbia Games published two adventures for Free RPG Days, Field of Daisies in 2008 and Dead Weight in 2010, but noted that "the latter product was more a teaser than anything. Stores only received one copy of the adventure when they purchased a box of Free RPG Day products; Columbia has since started selling the rest of the print run — and even admonished websites that reviewed Dead Weight as a 'free' release. More recently they produced a map of Hârn (2012) for Free RPG Day 2012."
Related events Germany's first event was February 2, 2013; it included 9 games. The German version of Free RPG Day is called Gratisrollenspieltag, also known as Gratis Rollenspieltag.
Participation The industry participants include the publishers of the participating games, the event organizer which coordinates delivery of the free product to the stores, and the brick-and-mortar store owners who agree to provide the free games to end users/gamers. Some publishers produce quick start adventures geared toward players unfamiliar with the game system or new to tabletop role-playing games in general. The games are distributed worldwide through participating stores.
The 1st annual Free RPG Day (June 23, 2007) The first annual event in 2007 featured quick start adventures from 16 different publishers: Call of Cthulhu (6th Edition) Quick Start Castles & Crusades (SIEGE Engine system) Quick Start Rules Castles & Crusades gazetteer "Imperial Town of Tell Qa" // Wilderlands of High Fantasy setting Changeling: The Lost Free Rules and Adventure "Dwelling in Darkness" The Chronicles of Ramlar adventure "Black Arrow Run" d20 System 3.5 Edition (Game Mastery series) adventure D0: Hollow's Last Hope // 1st level, Golarion setting - The prequel to the "D" (Dungeon) series modules. Vajra Enterprises In Dark Alleys adventure "Little Boy Lost" d20 System 3.5 Edition Bits of Magicka: Pocket Items - A list of twenty targets for pickpockets, plus the mundane or magical items they might be carrying. Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics / Dungeons & Dragons (3.5 Edition) adventure DCC #51.5: The Sinister Secret of Whiterock. Goodman Games Dungeons & Dragons (3.5 Edition) adventure "Wicked Fantasy Factory #0: Temple of Blood" // 1st level Wicked Fantasy Factory setting - A prequel to Wicked Fantasy Factory #1: Rumble in the Wizard’s Tower. The Wicked Fantasy Factory setting adds cinematic play rules to Dungeons & Dragons. Mongoose RuneQuest (MRQ) adventure "Fisticuffs at O'Leary's Place" - A short adventure for use with Mongoose Publishing's licensed version of RuneQuest. Mutants & Masterminds Beginner's Guide Septimus Quickstart (D6 System (2nd Edition)) - A teaser for a Science Fiction roleplaying game that was supposed to premiere in 2008. It was later cancelled by West End Games. Tunnels & Trolls solitaire adventure "Goblin Lake" Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay adventure "The Pig, the Witch and Her Lover" Xcrawl "Xcrawl - Dungeonbattle Brooklyn" - An adventure set in the Xcrawl universe, in which adventurers are modern-day athletes (X-crawlers) competing in dungeon obstacle courses to win loot on a televised gameshow.
The 2nd annual Free RPG Day (June 21, 2008) This event took place on June 21, 2008. The second annual event featured: Castlemourn Quickstart Castles & Crusades (SIEGE Engine system) Quick Start Rules 2008 and adventure "Dwarven Glory" // Castle Zagyg setting Cthulhu Live (3rd Edition) adventure "Murder at Miskatonic" d20 System 3.5 Edition (Game Mastery series) adventure D1.5: Revenge of the Kobold King // 5th level, Golarion setting - Sequel to D1: Crown of the Kobold King (2007). Dungeon Crawl Classics / Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) gazetteer "Punjar: The Tarnished Jewel" - details the decadent city of Punjar. Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) adventure "Treasure of Talon Pass". HârnMaster adventure "Field of Daisies". Heirs to Olympia Quickstart Rules Hollow Earth Expedition Free RPG Day Quickstart Rules & Adventure 2008 "Stranded in the Hollow Earth" Hunter: The Vigil Free Rules and Adventure Iron Heroes RPG (2nd Edition) adventure "Bloodwood" A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Quickstart Rules StarSIEGE: Event Horizon (SIEGE Engine system) Introductory Manual - Science-fiction and Cyberpunk roleplaying game. Trail of Cthulhu (GUMSHOE system) adventure "The Murderer of Thomas Fell" Traveller (Mongoose 1st Edition) Book 0: An Introduction to Traveller (Free RPG Day Quickstart Rules edition) - Mongoose Publishing's licensed update of GDW's Traveller. Uses Classic Traveller'''s 2D6 dice system. Tunnels & Trolls 5.5 Edition GM adventure "Take the Money"
The 3rd annual Free RPG Day (June 20, 2009) Games included in the third Free RPG Day event were: Pathfinder RPG "Bonus Bestiary" Paranoia RPG "A Citizen's Guide to Surviving Alpha Complex" Dragon Warriors Introductory Book Rogue Trader RPG (Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game) Quick Start Rules and adventure "Forsaken Bounty" Geist: The Sin-Eaters Free Quickstart Rules and adventure "The Return of Mr. Monster" Corporation RPG adventure "Grab the Cache" Hollow Earth Expedition Free RPG Day Quickstart Rules & Adventure 2009 "Kidnapped in the Hollow Earth." Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) adventures "Immortal Heroes" / "Hearts of Chaos" Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) "Khyber's Harvest" Sword and Sorcery Studios Free RPG Day 2009: PDF Adjunct Generic map set "The Ice Temple" (PDF) Arcana Evolved / Dungeons & Dragons (3.5 Edition); Lands of the Diamond Throne setting: magical items supplement "Items Evolved: Rituals" (PDF) Arcana Evolved: bestiary supplement "Mythical Monstrosities" (PDF) Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition); Feudal Lords setting: 9th level adventure "Oracle of Orcas" (PDF)
The 4th annual Free RPG Day (June 19, 2010) This event took place on June 19, 2010. Call of Cthulhu (6th Edition) adventure "Abomination of the Amazon" Castles & Crusades 2010 Quick Start Rules Deathwatch RPG (Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game) adventure "Final Sanction" (Sequence 1) - Things are not right on the planet of Landsholm... Dungeons & Dragons "Bloodsand Arena" Exalted (2nd Edition) basic rules and adventure "Under the Rose" HârnMaster (3rd Edition) basic rules and adventure "Dead Weight" Heroes Forever Free RPG Day Package - Shrinkwrapped package containing two booklets: a superhero miniatures rulebook and a basic adventure booklet "The Shelter". Hollow Earth Expedition Free RPG Day Adventure 2010: "A Nightmare at the Museum." (Ubiquity RPG Quickstart Rules) Legend of the Five Rings RPG adventure "Legacy of Disaster" Pathfinder adventure "Master of the Fallen Fortress" (1st level: Absalom) Prime Directive (Star Trek roleplaying game) adventure "The Dread Pirate Aldo" (both d20 Modern (Prime Directive d20 Modern) and GURPS (4th Edition) (GURPS Prime Directive) rules) Roll d-Infinity magazine (Issue #0: The Shape of Things to Come) - Sample issue of a new multi-platform role-playing game magazine.
The 5th annual Free RPG Day (June 18, 2011) Dice Tower Commemorative Dice For Store Owner Unique Elven-themed Dice All Flesh Must Be Eaten (Unisystem) Quickstart & Adventure Arcanis RPG Quickstart & Adventure Aspect Quickstart Adventure Black Crusade RPG (Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game) Quickstart and Adventure Castles & Crusades Quickstart and Adventure Settlers of Catan: Catanimal Variant rules - single page paper insert Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Quickstart Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) "Domain of Dread: Histhaven" - Supplement to the box set "The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond" DragonAge Quickstart Hollow Earth Expedition Free RPG Day Quickstart Rules & Adventure 2011 "Trapped in the Aircraft Graveyard." Pathfinder RPG adventure "We Be Goblins!" Prime Directive (Star Trek roleplaying game) adventure "Starship Aldo" (both d20 Modern & GURPS) Savage Worlds Quickstart & Adventure "The Wild Hunt" Stellar Horizons Quickstart Tunnels & Trolls solitaire adventure "Rescue Mission" and GM adventure "Riverboat Adventure" World of Darkness Quickstart X-treme Dungeon Mastery (XD20 System) campaign setting "Laser Squid Nemesis" - A setting in which the characters are sentient sealife who live in a modern technological aquatic world "with undersea cars, phones, and... well, lasers!"The 6th annual Free RPG Day (June 16, 2012) Games included in the sixth Free RPG Day event were:
Catalyst Game Labs BattleTech: A Time of War (1st Edition) / Shadowrun (5th Edition) Quick-Start Rules Flipbook (Battletech: A Time of War on one side, Shadowrun on the other side) Brass & Steel: A Game of Steampunk Adventure LARP Quick-Start Rules and adventure "The Case of the Croquet Mallet" Conspiracy X Introductory Game Kit and adventure "Convoy" Cosmic Patrol Roleplaying Game Quick-Start Rules and adventure "The Kahn Protocol" Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure "Dawn of the Scarlet Sun" Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition) adventure "Dead in the Eye" Dungeon Crawl Classics Free RPG Day 2012 adventures "The Jeweller That Dealt In Stardust" and "The Undulating Corruption" Hârnmaster Hârn Setting Material with World Map Castles & Crusades adventure "In Search of Adventure" Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure "Shadowsfall: The Temple of Orcus"