Bethesda licensing an Elder Scrolls tabletop RPG for 2026 caught almost everyone off guard. TES VI is still a rumor, but a Tamriel-branded pen-and-paper campaign is on the way. If you already run a group over voice chat once a fortnight, the actual production stack for a Tamriel game is the same one experienced GMs use for D&D and Pathfinder: a virtual tabletop, a note tool, a lore wiki, and something that rolls dice on a screen without flipping desks.
We tested seven apps that a Tamriel GM will lean on when the licensed system ships. The picks below cover the virtual tabletops most groups run today, the wiki tools that keep 400 NPCs straight, and the note editor that turns two years of session notes into something searchable. None assumes any specific TES system rules; every pick is system-agnostic and will fit whatever the licensed book turns out to be.
What to look for in a tabletop RPG companion setup
- System-agnostic support. The Elder Scrolls system is not out yet. Every tool here supports building a custom character sheet, custom rolls, and custom rules.
- Fog of war and dynamic lighting. Tamriel dungeons are dark and full of Falmer. Line-of-sight and darkvision handling belongs in the VTT, not in your head.
- Handout distribution. Notes, letters, and Aedra iconography move from GM screen to players cleanly.
- Sound and music cues. Ambient music per zone (Whiterun day, Blackreach night, Vvardenfell dust storm) sets tone fast.
- Persistent world building. Wikis and note apps outlast individual sessions. Campaigns run for years.
- Cross-platform. GMs on Windows, players on Mac and iPad. Nothing should require a Windows-only install for someone at the table.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundry VTT | Fully featured self-hosted VTT | Cross-platform | 30-day trial | About $50 one-time | 4.8 |
| Roll20 | Free browser VTT | Web | Free | About $10/mo Plus | 4.4 |
| Fantasy Grounds Unity | Rules-heavy campaign play | Windows, Mac | Free demo | About $4/mo Ultimate | 4.6 |
| Owlbear Rodeo | Lightweight tactical maps | Web | Free | About $10/mo Pro | 4.7 |
| Kanka | Campaign wiki | Web | Free | About $6/mo Premium | 4.5 |
| Obsidian | Local-first campaign notes | Cross-platform | Free personal | Free personal | 4.8 |
| World Anvil | Elaborate world-building | Web | Free | About $5/mo Journeyman | 4.5 |
The apps
1. Foundry VTT — Best fully featured self-hosted VTT
Foundry Virtual Tabletop is the modern reference VTT for serious tables. You buy the software once, host it locally on any desktop or a small VPS, and every player connects through a browser. Dynamic lighting, walls, sound, tokens, journal handouts, and macros are all first-class systems.
The system-agnostic core with the “Simple Worldbuilding” system will hold a Tamriel campaign the day the book ships. When a licensed community system appears (as one always does), it will drop into Foundry as a module.
Where it falls short: Setup is more involved than Roll20. Self-hosting means you own the reliability. Some players balk at browsers that connect through a non-standard port.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day trial for the GM
- Paid: About $50 one-time GM license, players are free
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux server; any modern browser client
Download: Foundry VTT
Bottom line: The default pick for GMs who plan to run a Tamriel game for years.
2. Roll20 — Best free browser VTT
Roll20 is the browser VTT most players have already used at least once. Free tier is generous enough to run a table indefinitely. Dynamic lighting is behind the paid tier now but the free experience covers character sheets, dice, tokens, and journals.
For a group that wants to try the Elder Scrolls system without any setup work, Roll20 is the shortest path from license purchase to session zero.
Where it falls short: Interface feels dated compared to Foundry and Owlbear. Dynamic lighting requires a paid tier. Performance on very large maps trails competitors.
Pricing:
- Free: Full character sheet builder, dice, journals
- Paid: About $10/mo Plus, about $15/mo Pro (dynamic lighting, extra features)
Platforms: Web browser (Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad)
Download: Roll20
Bottom line: The right pick when nobody at the table wants to install anything.
3. Fantasy Grounds Unity — Best rules-heavy campaign play
Fantasy Grounds Unity by SmiteWorks is the veteran of the VTT category and the one with the deepest rules automation for licensed systems. Once the Elder Scrolls system ships and gets a Fantasy Grounds ruleset, character sheets calculate armor rating, ability effects, and spell contests automatically.
The trade-off is a heavier client. Players install Fantasy Grounds Unity on their machines and connect over a peer-to-peer session.
Where it falls short: Interface is dense and takes practice. Licensed rulesets are the main draw, so early Tamriel play may run in Foundry or Roll20 first.
Pricing:
- Free: Demo, full functionality with the GM’s Ultimate license
- Paid: About $4/mo Ultimate GM license (players free), about $150 lifetime
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: Fantasy Grounds Unity
Bottom line: The right pick when the licensed ruleset is polished and you want the automation to do the heavy lifting.
4. Owlbear Rodeo — Best lightweight tactical maps
Owlbear Rodeo is the browser VTT that leaves the character sheet to another app and focuses on tactical maps. The interface is fast, mobile-friendly, and forgiving. Tokens, fog of war, and measurement tools are one-click.
For groups that run rules-light narrative sessions with occasional maps, Owlbear is the tool that adds tactical clarity without adding overhead. Pair it with Obsidian or Kanka for the rest.
Where it falls short: No character sheet or dice roller built in. Groups that want everything in one place look elsewhere.
Pricing:
- Free: Unlimited rooms, maps, and tokens
- Paid: About $10/mo Pro for dynamic fog and extensions
Platforms: Web browser (works on tablets and phones)
Download: Owlbear Rodeo
Bottom line: The obvious pick when maps matter and everything else lives in another tool.
5. Kanka — Best campaign wiki
Kanka is a web wiki built for tabletop campaigns. Characters, locations, journals, NPCs, factions, quests, and calendars each have dedicated templates with relationship graphs. A Tamriel game with three provinces, four factions, and 200 named NPCs stays legible.
The free tier supports one campaign of considerable size. Premium tiers unlock media hosting and multiple campaigns.
Where it falls short: Web-only. Players share the wiki via link; there is no per-player permissioning as fine-grained as some competitors.
Pricing:
- Free: One campaign, full features
- Paid: About $6/mo Premium, about $12/mo Wyvern
Platforms: Web browser
Download: Kanka
Bottom line: The right pick when the campaign has more than 50 named entities and you need to see the relationships.
6. Obsidian — Best local-first campaign notes
Obsidian is the Markdown note app that many GMs already use for daily notes. The graph view, the tagging system, and the plugin catalogue (initiative trackers, dice rollers, encounter builders) make it a full local-first campaign kit.
The Dice Roller and TTRPG Statblocks plugins cover most session-runtime needs. Notes live in a folder you own; nothing depends on a cloud service.
Where it falls short: No native multiplayer. Sharing is by publishing a static site or pushing to a git repo. Player access requires manual export.
Pricing:
- Free: Personal use, all core features
- Paid: About $8/mo Sync, about $16/mo Publish for shared sites
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Download: Obsidian
Bottom line: The right pick for the GM who wants everything on their machine and readable in ten years.
7. World Anvil — Best elaborate world-building
World Anvil is the world-building platform for GMs and authors who go deep. Timelines with parallel events, custom articles with templates, secrets that reveal on trigger, interactive maps, and a full pantheon of relationship types built for fantasy.
For a Tamriel campaign that wants to layer a homebrew province onto the existing lore, World Anvil is the tool that keeps the tree tidy.
Where it falls short: Overkill for a five-session one-shot. Some templates require paid tiers to use fully.
Pricing:
- Free: Reads, limited writes
- Paid: About $5/mo Journeyman, about $10/mo Master
Platforms: Web browser
Download: World Anvil
Bottom line: Pick this when the campaign’s world is a character in its own right.
How to pick the right one
- If the licensed Elder Scrolls system ships with modules for Foundry: Foundry VTT.
- If the group is casual and browser-only: Roll20 free or Owlbear Rodeo free.
- If the group wants automated rules resolution: Fantasy Grounds Unity once the ruleset lands.
- If the campaign has a heavy world-building side: Kanka or World Anvil, plus a VTT of choice.
- If notes are the biggest problem: Obsidian is where they belong.
Most tables end up with two picks: a VTT for the session, a note or wiki tool for the world between sessions.
FAQ
Is there an official Elder Scrolls tabletop RPG?
Bethesda has licensed an Elder Scrolls tabletop RPG for a 2026 release. The publisher and system details will roll out in the months leading up to launch. Until the book ships, GMs run Tamriel campaigns with system-agnostic tools or homebrew rules on top of existing systems.
Can I run a Tamriel campaign in Foundry or Roll20 today?
Yes. Both support custom character sheets and system-agnostic play. Community-made Elder Scrolls conversions for Savage Worlds, GURPS, and 5E have circulated for years and drop into either VTT with minor tweaks.
Which app is best for beginner GMs?
Roll20 for the shortest path to a first session. Owlbear Rodeo for a smoother modern UI. Obsidian for pre-session prep and notes. Foundry VTT is the strongest overall pick but takes an evening to set up.
Do these tools sync between sessions?
Foundry VTT, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and Owlbear Rodeo all persist state between sessions. Notes in Obsidian, Kanka, or World Anvil live in their own storage and are always up to date.
Is Foundry VTT worth $50 for a single campaign?
Yes for a campaign that runs longer than five sessions. The one-time cost beats most subscription VTT plans within a year, and the module catalogue keeps growing.
Can players join without paying?
On every tool on this list, only the GM pays. Players connect for free with a link, browser tab, or free account.
