Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most influential tabletop games ever made. The role-playing that participants could engage in was so riveting that an entirely new video game genre was birthed from its mechanics. Even JRPGs were inspired by D&D, with games like Final Fantasy using the core tenets of this tabletop RPG while incorporating some unique additions of their own.
Any D&D campaign requires a good Dungeon Master to really make things interesting, with a combination of boundless imagination and fair-but-tough challenges being key to the experience. Thankfully, with the following titles, DMs can focus more on creating complex scenarios instead of boggling their mind with combat mechanics and the like.
5 Divinity: Original Sin 2
The new wave of CRPGs in modern times has been nothing short of incredible, with these titles eliciting the same epic feelings as those of the past while having enough modern nuances to be approached by a new generation of gamers. No title personifies this more than Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is one of the greatest role-playing games ever made.
Not only does this game feature an excellent single-player mode that stretched on for more than a hundred hours, but it also has a Game Master mode as well! It's a robust campaign creator that will definitely make players feel like powerful DMs as they put their friends through the wringer.
4 Neverwinter Nights
BioWare is one of the most well-known and reputed RPG developers around right now, with the shift to action-focused gameplay working out pretty well for them. However, fans remember the golden era of the studio when they made a litany of amazing CRPGs, with Baldur's Gate being one of the many great gems they developed around this time. Another title developed by this studio in the 2000s that fans absolutely adore is Neverwinter Nights.
The campaign of this title was pretty riveting in its own right, even if the fantasy setting itself might be somewhat generic. Of course, the reason why it's mentioned on the list is that this game allowed players to take on the role of a DM. Given the immense modding support that still exists for both this title and its sequel, it's easy to see why becoming a DM is such a blast in these games.
3 Sword Coast Legends
It's a shame that Sword Coast Legends didn't make a massive impact in the industry, despite all the hype surrounding this D&D CRPG. It was released around a time when CRPGs were experiencing a second revival, and Sword Coast Legends was simply too basic and simple to stand toe-to-toe with the rest in the big leagues. As a result, the game slowly waned in popularity before becoming a relic of the past.
It's a shame since Sword Coast Legends was one of the few titles that allowed players to become a DM and create fairly interesting campaigns of their own. While this mode was also lacking in many ways, it was still a great way to spend time with friends, and it's a shame that all online functionalities of this game have been shut down.
2 Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is pretty much the poster child of underrated RPGs that its fans constantly talk about time and time again. However, there was another title released before this gem that many people didn't talk about, and that's Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption.
While this title isn't nearly as great as its sequel in terms of overall storytelling, people who are interested in the World of Darkness will certainly find something to like about this game. The game has a Storyteller Mode that lets players create their own campaigns, which is especially great given that fan servers of this game are still active. It's clear that the World of Darkness has many fans, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption serves as a great outlet for them to show their adoration towards this franchise and engage with others in custom-made plotlines.
1 Sleep Is Death
The idea of a player constructing the narrative while others participate in the story is a huge part of what made Sleep is Death an underground hit. The hilarity that ensued from the storyteller scrambling to try and accommodate the actions of the player made for a great time, with the hurried storytelling actually enhancing the narrative and making for a great time as opposed to talking away from the experience.
It's a two-player experience unlike anything on the market right now, with both DMs and players feeling the same level of urgency in the game. It's the unique structure of this game that makes Sleep is Death a must-have for Dungeon Masters who want to be challenged just as much as the player during a campaign.