The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Since 1986, there have been more than two dozen games in the series. Nintendo even developed Zelda Clue, chess, and Monopoly, but have yet to make any official tabletop role-playing game of the franchise. Fear not heroes, for if you ever wanted to explore Hyrule in a nonlinear fashion, there is The Legend of Zelda: Reclaim the Wild.
The fan-made TTRPG Reclaim the Wild is made by Elemental Knight and is as detailed as Zelda lore. It’s a 279 page book chock-full of information on how to build a character, craft equipment, and build a world for players to explore. It’s based off of Breath of the Wild and features many aspects carried over directly from the Switch game. It’s a way for fans and newcomers to mold their own stories in a familiar setting.
Tabletop RPGS provide so much freedom for both dungeon masters and players. It also takes inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons although instead of using the standard d20 system D&D players may be used to, Reclaim the Wild uses a unique 2d6 system to determine attacks and ability checks.
Players can choose to create a Gerudo, Goron, Hylian, Rito, Sheikah, and Zora and even some more obscure races such as a Deku, Demon, Fairy, Subrosian, Talking Animal, and Twili. Everything is presented in a nice and neat document making it easy to find. Even magic spells and effects are simple to understand. There isn’t as much confusion when determining the difference between D&Ds 15th level wizard having only eighth level spells. Characters use magic and, depending on the spell, can get the magic back during a fight or immediately after.
Reclaim the Wild has a rest system similar to D&D as well. Many effects, magical or otherwise, are restored after a short rest or extended rest. One such aspect is also songs, a mechanic featured heavily in the Legend of Zelda series. Characters can learn songs to help them solve puzzles or create a magical effect. For instance, Epona’s Song summons Epona in the games but it has been amplified to summon companions in the tabletop version. If a character has bonded with a companion they can play the song and call them to their location instantly.
Reclaim the Wild is a passionate project dedicated to the Zelda franchise. It’s a stunning example of the power of storytelling. The Zelda series has always inspired us to travel and adventure in our campervan. If you want to check out more of the free tabletop game and can be downloaded on the game’s website.
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