Fan-made Sonic the Hedgehog tabletop games have something for everyone
In the days that followed Sonic the Hedgehog 3 came out, I diligently searched for the best Sonic-inspired tabletop games out there. And folks, I found them. Surprisingly, there isn’t an official Sonic the Hedgehog tabletop RPG (yet). Luckily, the fans are here to save the day. Through some diligent diving, I found two fan-made Sonic games, for two different types of players. Rings and running shoes And Sonic Tag-Team Heroes are at opposite ends of the tabletop gaming spectrum, but both will fill the annular hole in your heart – and most importantly, they’re both free.
For more tactically minded fans of the series: Sonic Tag-Team Heroes is a more traditional tabletop game with crunchy, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired grid-based combat to play out heroic boss battles. Players choose from one of four character types that determine their attributes: Speed, Flight, Strength and Technique – each follows the path of the main Sonic protagonists. The game itself uses dice pools consisting of d6s and d10s, with a range of associated skills. These include the expected Melee, Move, Sneak, Deceive, etc. that you’d expect from most attribute-based systems; but there are a few special abilities in there, like Spin, where your character curls into a ball to get through tight spaces or attack an enemy. The details of the game mechanics are not too complex, but are certainly suitable for more experienced gamers who want to break up the combat incentive.
If you want to play in the world of Sonic but focus more on the story than combat, Rings and running shoes is a Powered by the Apocalypse game set in the world of anthropomorphic hedgehogs and echidnas. Like all PbtA games (a system designed by Meguey and Vincent Baker) Rings and running shoes is designed for short two-hour sessions while allowing you to process all the emotional impact of your favorite Sonic comics, games and movies. Instead of a list of skills to choose from and assign points to, PbtA games work based on playbooks, a collection of moves and skills focused on certain archetypes. The game prioritizes two things: teamwork and doing cool things. One of the basic moves of the game is called Kick Butt, need I say more?
More than anything, I appreciate how Rings and running shoes prioritizes teaching new players what tabletop games are and how to play together to tell the best story possible. While the text is a bit dense, largely just printed in black on a white background with occasional original character art scattered throughout, there’s an accessibility to the language that doesn’t feel as intimidating as Sonic Tag-Team Heroes.
Whether you want to take part in the tactical fray of a Sonic battle, or just feel like a cool Hedgehog saving the day from Dr. Eggman, the fan communities surrounding the franchise are here to help. You can get both titles completely free at sonictth.com And ringsandrunningshoes.itch.io. While these games may not have the same design as professional, studio-made tabletop games, they have a lot of heart and enough foundation to get you started quickly.