TO BE OR NOT TO BE A VILLAIN is an Innovative Approach to Combining TTRPG with HAMLET

Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and beloved tragedies. To Be or Not to Be a Villain is a 5th Edition (or Zweihänder RPG) adventure inspired by this famous play and it looks incredible! First, I want to make it very clear that To Be or Not to Be a Villain uses the rules and mechanics of well-known tabletop RPGs, but as I’ve read through it (a free copy was provided for review), it feels more like its own game. You will need no less than 11 people to play this game: two Game Masters, and nine players. You will need two rooms with tables (one can be smaller than the other) or if you play online, a way to separate into two groups. I’m blown away by how much fun this sounds!

Take on the role of a lifetime as one of the nine nobles in this tabletop RPG retelling of Hamlet. In this adventure, players will cooperate and plot against one another for the throne of Denmark.

Experience the world of Hamlet like never before in this unique tabletop role-playing game.

For more than a century, Denmark has been at war with Norway. But after an uneasy ceasefire was brokered, old King Hamlet perished under mysterious circumstances. When a monarch dies without having officially named a successor, that leaves the kingdom to the noble council. And with it, their vote for whom shall inherit the throne. Become General Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Polonia, Ophelia, Laertes, Horatio, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, or even young prince Hamlet.

This book contains two adventures, one compatible with the fifth edition of the world’s oldest role-playing game and the other Powered by ZWEIHÄNDER RPG.

Some important notes are that players must use the pre-generated characters. To Be or Not to Be a Villain has not been designed to allow for custom player characters. However, this doesn’t mean that the game is the same every time. The people you play with will make different choices each time you play and shake things up. We all have that one friend that will always make chaotic decisions.

The inclusion of two GMs is a fascinating design choice, but as I’ve looked through it, it makes a lot of sense and keeps the game moving. During an act, players can spend Story Tokens to go act out a side scene with one of the GMs (deemed the Playwright, the GM running the main scenes is the Director) and possibly other characters. This is a very intriguing feature.

At the end of the game, who will rule Denmark? How will they rise to power? Players are able to make decisions throughout and we all know how that can go. Your game could become full of lies and treachery, it could become a bloodbath, or it could see the peaceful evolution of a democracy for Denmark. Who knows, and that’s what has me so excited!

There’s so much in To Be or Not to Be a Villain, that I can’t address even half of it here. If anything I’ve mentioned is even remotely intriguing to you, stop reading this and go buy it on DriveThruRPG (affiliate link) right now! The supplement comes from James Introcaso and Rudy Basso through Andrews McMeel Publishing.