Animal RPGs

By: Culliope (Maryanne Cullinan)

Have you dreamed of being a fox with impeccable manners, a wise old badger leading her brood of loveable rapscallion orphans, or a brave finch warrior? There’s a whole genre of RPGs based on anthropomorphic animals ranging from very cozy to high fantasy.

The fun of playing this genre of RPG is that it forces you to be a bit more creative in your thinking and change your perspective. The life of a mole wizard is full of danger, but they’re not going to be killing dragons. Every stream becomes a life or death puzzle, every owl is a monster, and every mushroom is a possible shelter from the rain. Bees become trade partners, and short distances become unfathomably long treks. It’s a great way to get out of a rut and make what is boring as a human into a new fantasy world! Plus, it’s fun pretending to be a fussy aristocratic cat or a garrulous otter rogue!

If you are looking for a little more whimsy in your life or a new way to think about adventure, this genre might be the boost you are looking for in 2025.

Cozy Animal RPGs

Tired of killing gods? Movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service and games like Stardew Valley have proven that sometimes it’s fun to just relax and solve problems on a smaller scale. 

There are lots of cozy indie animal RPGs out there. Omotenashi is a sweet solo journaling game about making other people feel welcome at a top-notch getaway. Teatime Adventures has mysteries, animal-kin, and, of course, lots of tea. Wyrmlings lets you become an adorable young dragon going on adventures, a la My Little Pony.  Golden Sky Stories tips the idea of wild-shape on its head and lets you play as animals that can sometimes turn into humans. There are many other great little indie games in this genre.

As it says on the website, “Wanderhome is a pastoral fantasy role-playing game about traveling animal-folk, the world they inhabit, and the way the seasons change.” It is very mechanics-light and storytelling-heavy. If you are looking for an Animal Crossing-type feeling for groups of a variety of sizes, this is a great place to start. 

With cozy RPGs, even more so than adventure RPGs it is important to get everyone on the same page about the scope, style, and rating of the game before you start. It is difficult to enjoy telling small stories about tea if someone is trying to up the ante to include murder and arson. Challenge yourselves to keep it wholesome and enjoy being a little bit gentle!

Adventuring Animal RPGs

If you are looking for an RPG that has animal PCs but is more traditional in its storytelling and form, there are lots of adventuring-style RPGs as well.

If your group is die-hard DnD 5e fans, the Humblewood setting is a fun departure from the standard elves, halflings, and orcs of a typical DnD game. The ten new races included in this setting are primarily bird people and also include foxes, hedgehogs, and more.  If you love dogs, Pugmire is a fun setting that is also based on 5e mechanics, in a world without humans, where anthropomorphic dogs have inherited the earth.

Let’s not leave out our cat fans! Cats of Catthulu is a great little horror game for beginners, based on a pool of six-sided dice, and the mythos of Lovecraft! You play as cats who live in a universe much like our own, with human beings. However, these cats are trying to help the humans stop the end of the world at the hands of some spooky powers. 

Mouse Guard RPG is the game that got my daughter and her friends into playing RPGs. Based on the Burning Wheel System, it is high adventure on a small scale, as you play ranger-like mice who protect their community, deliver mail, explore, forage, and survive political intrigue and wars. It is based on the Mouse Guard comic series by David Petersen, which is incredibly beautifully drawn and is filled with all of the drama of any good fantasy series. The system is flexible enough to accommodate whimsy to grimdark. If you enjoyed the Redwall series, or just want to think about life from a very different perspective than your own, this is a great game. 

The Witch is Dead is a one-page RPG that is great for a one-shot or short campaign. You play as familiars of a witch who needs to get back at the witch hunter who killed her to revive their mistress. This game is really funny, and often gory as you play vindictive little beasts on a mission of revenge!

Our gameplay groups enjoy these types of anthropomorphic animal games because they force you to think differently, as you use resources, skills, and limitations different from the humanoid characters that we often play. There is an opportunity for a lot of laughs and whimsy with these types of games, but some depth of storytelling, too. It is a tough life out there for a small creature. Let your next adventure take you somewhere unexpected – the life of an animal.

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About the Author

Maryanne Cullinan is a middle school teacher, PhD student and Academic RPG Researcher. She multi classes as cleric/bard/cat herder. You can check out some of her work on http://www.culliopescauldron.com or say hello @culliope on Discord and Twitter.