Final Fantasy 14 gets its own tabletop RPG as MMOs and D&D collide

The newly announced Final Fantasy 14 TTRPG is exactly what it sounds like: an official tabletop RPG for the beloved MMO.

Square Enix unveiled the tabletop adaptation today. While its rules and tools sound vaguely Dungeons & Dragons-adjacent, the FF14 TTRPG has been pitched as a much lighter, shorter affair recommended for five players (a minimum of three) with an average playtime of two hours. 

"Step into the shoes of a heroic adventurer or assume the gamemaster's mantle, then cooperate to forge your own unique stories within the vast and exciting universe of Final Fantasy XIV," the game's website reads. 

A post from the MMO's Japanese Twitter (X) account adds (machine translated): "We are working hard to make it so that even those who have no experience with TTRPGs can enjoy it." 

The exact rules and structure of the game are still unknown, but we can glean a fair bit from what's included in the starter set. 

• A player book with "everything a new player needs to learn the ropes and rules of roleplaying games"
• A separate gamemaster book with "advice for budding gamemasters" that includes "three ready-to-run premade scenarios that tie in directly to Final Fantasy 14's main story" 
• Premade character sheets for a warrior, white mage, dragoon, and black mage, though we may well see more classes in-game
• 16 dice: 6 D20 and 10 D6 
• Encounter map, character tokens, and ability markers

It's interesting to see the FF14 TTRP pushing all-new scenarios as well as stories that echo the MMO's narrative. On top of a standard rule book, Square Enix has also cooked up a more advanced scenario and gamemaster guide with even more premade scenarios and "a wide variety of handy data that can help gamemasters craft their own stories and scenarios." 

It sounds like these two books may be sold separately from the starter set, but pricing and availability is still unclear. The starter set itself is available for pre-order for $59.99, and is listed for a May 2024 release. You can get another look at the materials in this photo taken from a Japan showcase:

KFC's Colonel Sanders is now canonically a black mage in Final Fantasy 14. For other TTRPGs, check out our list of the best tabletop RPGs.