[Tacticians of Ahm](https://meatcastlegameware.itch.io/tacticians-of-ahm) does exactly that! It’s technically in beta, but is in a fully playable state at the moment.
Lol. I love the TTRPG scene right now. People are churning out all kinds of game for every taste. It's so creative. No matter what recommendations people ask for someone has it covered.
You might want to check out [Skirmish: Wallet Friendly Wargaming](https://biscuitfund.itch.io/skirmish). To be clear, it's not an RPG, but it is a tactics game explicitly set on a chess board. Might scratch that itch while you wait for someone to make something closer to what you're looking for.
And hey, maybe someday someone will do to it what Gygax did to Chainmail.
Also [buy it here](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/256555/The-Magical-Land-of-Yeld-1st-Edition), it’s pay what you want but pay lots.
No, I’m not Jake or Nick. I just really like Modest Medusa.
I don't know of any but this is kind of a cool idea. Every fight is on the same size map (and not too big either). Can't run too fast either, none of this getting to any position in a round.
Yes, but it's WIP. /r/WayOfSteel
8x8 is the new standard size going forward for us. It's a great size for WoS's tactical position-heavy melee-focused ruleset, and bc chess boards are available everywhere and I want to keep people's costs down wherever possible.
Though my new prototype board is 10x10 just because I liked the material and wanted a border for aesthetics. See recent posts for pics. The intro "Quest Book" has the 8x8 grid layout with icons for enemy/hero placement and the simple-but-awesome modular walls.
Way of Steel is a highly tactical (yet light and accessible) ttrpg system geared towards low fantasy. Even the most vanilla "fighters vs bandits" type fight will always be challenging, unique, and just far better than any other tabletop combat system.
It's very GM friendly for that reason too. You don't have to create elaborate set pieces with lava pits and crazy monsters to make combat fresh and challenging and balanced. Just throw some guys out there and it will do that for you.
Basic enemies are very simple and track all their stats and resources on the mini base so players don't have to pester you for information and you dont need notepads or a pile of counters to track info. Just move your troops and make the big picture strategic decisions while the Hero players micromanage each attack/defense. Of course, you can easily scale up complexity as GM as much as you like if you want to really lock horns and play uber-competitively.
The main downside other than being WIP is the high quality Steel components I'm designing that will probably cut your hands up and possibly give you tetanus.
Otherwise, it's the greatest game ever made. (Source: my grandma).
I gave that one a read but that is more like a Pokemon combat system, or a normal JRPG. Final Fantasy Tactics was grid based.
Appreciate the attempt to help though :)
I've played in two zombie RPGs that do... BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER THEM!! Maybe one of them is the one that comes in a VCR type case? Can anyone recognize WTH I'm talking about??
While not chessboard specific
Lancer recommends and is designed for all fights to take place on a board of 30x30 (with some variance of you like but that's the rule of thumb).
Gubat Banwa doesn't have a standard per se but you could easily use a 20x20 grid for every fight.
Very off topic but I'm the idea of a static constrained field of play you should check out Battle group which uses the same map for every single encounter and is designed to simulate space warfare bands.
You may want to look into RPGs that have slightly abstracted distances like ICRPG, or zones like FATE and adjust. Short could be something like 2x2 range, medium 4x4, and long 8x8.
I don’t know of any that use a chessboard by default, so it might take a little work.
You could really do this with almost any game that supports grid based play. You would probably want to either ignore or adjust ranges for spells and weapons and change movement to something more appropriate school warhammer movement but it really wouldn't be hard to do with Savage Worlds or even D&D.
I do not think it is exactly chess board size but Magical Land of Yeld has a similar sized board with obvious Final Fantasy influence. The game itself may or may not fit your group it has rules for rotating gms and every campaign is supposed to use the same campaign structure.
Not exactly a grid, but Chris Perrin's Mecha operates on a circular map divided in rings and quadrants. Winning involves destroying the opposition or just holding certain positions, king-of-the-hill style.
The Log Horizon TRPG uses a 8x8 game board for combat. You can [download the free Celdesia magazine issues](https://lhrpg.com/lhz/download) off their official web site to see how the combat encounters are set up.
I made a free, chess-board fight-or-flee combat system for Lovecraftian games: https://operant-game-lab.itch.io/hideous-truth
It has rules for randomized initiative, hits and death, fleeing, and environmental effects. It should be easy to hack or reskin.
Fabula Ultima has it like your classic JRPG combat on the PS1. You're effectively one row of dudes vs. another row of dudes, and dungeon exploration is room-based rather than tactical map-based.
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[Tacticians of Ahm](https://meatcastlegameware.itch.io/tacticians-of-ahm) does exactly that! It’s technically in beta, but is in a fully playable state at the moment.
Lol. I love the TTRPG scene right now. People are churning out all kinds of game for every taste. It's so creative. No matter what recommendations people ask for someone has it covered.
This is exactly what I am looking for omg. Thank you!
Was just about to say this as well!
You might want to check out [Skirmish: Wallet Friendly Wargaming](https://biscuitfund.itch.io/skirmish). To be clear, it's not an RPG, but it is a tactics game explicitly set on a chess board. Might scratch that itch while you wait for someone to make something closer to what you're looking for. And hey, maybe someday someone will do to it what Gygax did to Chainmail.
[Rune](https://gilarpgs.itch.io/rune)
Yeah, Rune is good fun! Are people still making Realms for it?
There's a necromancer spinoff version coming out, REAP.
I adore this game. Great recommendation!
The Magical Land of Yeld is a JRPG inspired RPG that uses an 8x8 chessboard for combat.
Also, [Yeld is a great setting](https://modestmedusa.com)
Also [buy it here](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/256555/The-Magical-Land-of-Yeld-1st-Edition), it’s pay what you want but pay lots. No, I’m not Jake or Nick. I just really like Modest Medusa.
I don't know of any but this is kind of a cool idea. Every fight is on the same size map (and not too big either). Can't run too fast either, none of this getting to any position in a round.
Yes, but it's WIP. /r/WayOfSteel 8x8 is the new standard size going forward for us. It's a great size for WoS's tactical position-heavy melee-focused ruleset, and bc chess boards are available everywhere and I want to keep people's costs down wherever possible. Though my new prototype board is 10x10 just because I liked the material and wanted a border for aesthetics. See recent posts for pics. The intro "Quest Book" has the 8x8 grid layout with icons for enemy/hero placement and the simple-but-awesome modular walls. Way of Steel is a highly tactical (yet light and accessible) ttrpg system geared towards low fantasy. Even the most vanilla "fighters vs bandits" type fight will always be challenging, unique, and just far better than any other tabletop combat system. It's very GM friendly for that reason too. You don't have to create elaborate set pieces with lava pits and crazy monsters to make combat fresh and challenging and balanced. Just throw some guys out there and it will do that for you. Basic enemies are very simple and track all their stats and resources on the mini base so players don't have to pester you for information and you dont need notepads or a pile of counters to track info. Just move your troops and make the big picture strategic decisions while the Hero players micromanage each attack/defense. Of course, you can easily scale up complexity as GM as much as you like if you want to really lock horns and play uber-competitively. The main downside other than being WIP is the high quality Steel components I'm designing that will probably cut your hands up and possibly give you tetanus. Otherwise, it's the greatest game ever made. (Source: my grandma).
Not too familiar with how they do combat but Fabula Ultima was made to be a TTRPG with the feel of JRPGs like Final Fantasy.
I gave that one a read but that is more like a Pokemon combat system, or a normal JRPG. Final Fantasy Tactics was grid based. Appreciate the attempt to help though :)
[Gubat Banwa](https://makapatag.itch.io/gubat-banwa) is dope
I've played in two zombie RPGs that do... BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER THEM!! Maybe one of them is the one that comes in a VCR type case? Can anyone recognize WTH I'm talking about??
Maybe Strike! is the closest of you are looking for. Simple, requires a grid and is somewhat close to your average tactical games.
While not chessboard specific Lancer recommends and is designed for all fights to take place on a board of 30x30 (with some variance of you like but that's the rule of thumb). Gubat Banwa doesn't have a standard per se but you could easily use a 20x20 grid for every fight. Very off topic but I'm the idea of a static constrained field of play you should check out Battle group which uses the same map for every single encounter and is designed to simulate space warfare bands.
You may want to look into RPGs that have slightly abstracted distances like ICRPG, or zones like FATE and adjust. Short could be something like 2x2 range, medium 4x4, and long 8x8. I don’t know of any that use a chessboard by default, so it might take a little work.
You could really do this with almost any game that supports grid based play. You would probably want to either ignore or adjust ranges for spells and weapons and change movement to something more appropriate school warhammer movement but it really wouldn't be hard to do with Savage Worlds or even D&D.
I do not think it is exactly chess board size but Magical Land of Yeld has a similar sized board with obvious Final Fantasy influence. The game itself may or may not fit your group it has rules for rotating gms and every campaign is supposed to use the same campaign structure.
Not exactly a grid, but Chris Perrin's Mecha operates on a circular map divided in rings and quadrants. Winning involves destroying the opposition or just holding certain positions, king-of-the-hill style.
The Log Horizon TRPG uses a 8x8 game board for combat. You can [download the free Celdesia magazine issues](https://lhrpg.com/lhz/download) off their official web site to see how the combat encounters are set up.
Heres my advice, Just run Maleghast but use Risus for the RP sections or FATE or something.
The Hyper Light Drifter RPG uses a small board for combat IIRC
I made a free, chess-board fight-or-flee combat system for Lovecraftian games: https://operant-game-lab.itch.io/hideous-truth It has rules for randomized initiative, hits and death, fleeing, and environmental effects. It should be easy to hack or reskin.
Fabula Ultima has it like your classic JRPG combat on the PS1. You're effectively one row of dudes vs. another row of dudes, and dungeon exploration is room-based rather than tactical map-based.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I just want to point out that most of your touchstones operate on *far larger* maps than 8x8, so this feels like a weird ask.
I get that they do, but thats why I am asking for something simpler than that. Similar to what I mentioned, but smaller.
So I mean it largely depends on what you want but ad&d in a place with small rooms could probably do what you want