Fairytale

Letter Writing TTRPGs

A letter writing or epistolary TTRPG uses letters between players as its medium. Many of them are like guided writing exercises, with prompts to help guide what events occur for you to write a letter about—but of course, the letter you receive influences the story just as much! These are two-player games (usually), without a GM or a single person controlling the narrative. Instead, players respond to each other's actions and writing, with game mechanics influencing what happens for you to act upon.

Some letter writing games are more mechanically driven, but I prefer to enjoy games that are a little mechanics-y and a lot prompts-y, so keep that in mind as you look through my recommendations! If you have a pal to play with, letter-writing games can be a ton of fun (and if you don't, maybe hit me up).

My Recommendations

I tend to enjoy games with loose rules and not a lot of tracking or mathematical crunch. Please keep that in mind as you peruse!

Anything marked with Free is available for free or pay-what-you-want!

Free Under Hill, Over Hill
Letters between a changeling and the person they replace.
Free You Never Told Me
Love letters between immortals.
Beyond Reach
Love letters between a mech and its pilot.
SIGNAL//r021
Regency high society, but it's mech pilots. This game has you design tarot cards as you play.
Free Ink From the Ashes
Letters in the post-apocalypse.
The Queen Returns
Honorable mention—one player writes letters, as this was conceptualized as a solo game, but the two player option has the game conclude with the recipient, a queen who has left the country in secret, finally coming to the letter writer in person.
Voyagers
Letters between interstellar civilizations—not individuals from them, but the civilizations themselves.
Your Friend in Witchcraft
A mentor teaches a student magic over letters, explorig growth, community, change, and leadership through prompts individualized for the chosen archetypes for each role.
Free Stay in Touch
Two queer friends exchange letters after the apocalypse.
Dead Letter Society
Tarot-driven vampiric pen pals.
The Almanac of Sanguine Paths
Tarot-driven lycanthropic pen pals.
Free Essays to Draw
Two knights in love exchange letters as they go on separate quests.