Hogwarts

A free tabletop roleplaying game that lets you create collaborative stories in the world of the Harry Potter books & films. The game uses simple rules, based on the Powered by the Apocalypse system, that let you get right to what’s fun about being a young witch or wizard at Hogwarts. Cast spells & brew potions, sneak around after curfew, play Quidditch, stand up for your friends & confound your rivals, and unravel mysteries in Hogwarts Castle. Learning the rules is easy & creating a character is quick, but the game supports long-term stories with lots of fun twists & turns. Everything you need to create your own Harry Potter story is in one 17-page PDF.

Game Type: 
Roleplaying Game
Powered by the Apocalypse
Crunch: 
3 - Mildly Crunchy
Players: 
3-6
GM?: 
Yes
Free?: 
Yes
Excerpt: 

MAKE YOUR MOVES
As the scene unfolds, you’ll follow three steps. First, you’ll tell everyone what’s happening and what the non-player characters say. Second, you’ll ask the main characters what they do. And third, the players will describe what their witches & wizards do and say what they say. Then you’ll go back to the first step. Sometimes something you or the players say will prompt a move. At that point, a player will roll to see what happens. Sometimes a player will fail a roll and you’ll have to play a Serious Consequence. Sometimes you’ll react to something a witch or wizard does by making one of your Narrator Moves. And sometimes you’ll make a Narrator Move to give the scene an extra nudge. You should avoid calling for the same move too often. Players don’t have to roll to cast a spell every time they wave their wand, for example. If a player knows a spell and wants to cast it quietly to avoid alerting a teacher, ask them to roll to hide & sneak. If they need to cast a spell quickly because there’s a dementor coming at them, ask them to them roll to stand in the face of danger. Think about the situation and get creative!

WRITE DOWN ANY MYSTERIES
As the scene ends, ask the group if they've come across any Mysteries. A Mystery is a question the main characters want to answer, like “Who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire?” or “Why was Snape walking with a limp?” Good Mystery questions ask who, what, when, where, why, or how. Anyone can suggest a Mystery at any time, though the end of a scene or session is best. When someone suggests a Mystery, write it down on your “STORY” sheet. Make sure everyone can see the “STORY” sheet! Most of your story will be about the main characters trying to answer the Mystery questions.