Wanderhome - Starter Guide

What is Wanderhome?

Wanderhome is a pastoral fantasy roleplaying game designed by Jay Dragon and published by Possum Creek Games in 2021. It takes place in the Hæth - a world of animal-folk, rolling hills, quiet villages, and ancient roads. The world has survived a great war, and the game is not about fighting the next one. It is about traveling through what remains, finding small moments of rest, connection, and meaning along the way.

This is a cozy game. Not in a shallow sense, but in the way that a long walk with good company can feel meaningful without anyone needing to be a hero. If that sounds appealing, Wanderhome was made for you.

How does the system work?

Wanderhome uses no dice. Instead, it runs on the Belonging Outside Belonging framework - a token-based system designed for collaborative, GMless play. Every player has a playbook: a character archetype that defines who their traveler is and how they move through the world. Playbooks have two types of moves: things you can do to earn tokens, and things you can do by spending tokens. This creates a natural rhythm - you give to the story, and the story gives back.

There is no Game Master in Wanderhome. Every player shares responsibility for the world. The game provides Place cards - structured descriptions of locations the travelers pass through - with built-in characters, atmosphere, and hooks. The GM role is essentially distributed across the table and the materials themselves.

Characters also have Natures (personality traits that shape how they engage with the world) and wants - small, personal goals that drive them forward. The play loop is gentle: you arrive somewhere, you interact, you rest, you move on.

What do you need to start?

The core book is everything you need. It includes all the playbooks, Place cards, and rules. There is no separate GM screen or supplementary rulebook required. The book itself is a hardcover with beautiful illustrations - it is also available as a PDF.

Possum Creek Games offers a free Quickstart PDF on their website (itch.io), which gives you a solid preview of the system before committing to the full book. If you want to try before you buy, start there.

There is one notable expansion: A Warm Hearth, which adds new playbooks and places and focuses on more settled, domestic settings within the Hæth. It is a solid addition but not necessary for a first campaign.

Who is this game for?

Wanderhome works best for groups who want to tell slow, character-driven stories together. Players who enjoy improvisation, shared worldbuilding, and small emotional moments will find it deeply satisfying.

It is not a great fit for groups who want tactical combat, competitive play, or a traditional dungeon-crawling experience. There is no conflict resolution in the traditional RPG sense - the game explicitly does not support combat as a narrative tool. That is a deliberate design choice, not a limitation.

It is also genuinely GMless, which may feel unfamiliar. Groups with experience in collaborative storytelling games will adapt quickly. Complete beginners might need a session zero just to discuss expectations.

How does it differ from other systems?

Compared to Dungeons & Dragons, Wanderhome sits in a completely different design space. Where D&D is structured around challenge, advancement, and conflict resolution, Wanderhome is built around presence, rest, and connection. There are no stats to optimize, no enemies to defeat.

Compared to Ironsworn (another game often played solo or cooperatively), Wanderhome is softer in tone and has no risk/failure mechanics built in. Ironsworn creates tension through dice outcomes; Wanderhome creates tension through what characters want and what they are willing to give up.

Where do you begin?

Start with the Quickstart PDF to get a feel for the system and its tone. Then, if it resonates, pick up the core book and read the introduction and the playbook section first - before diving into the rules. Understanding who your traveler is will make the mechanics feel natural.

For your first session, use one of the pre-made Place cards from the book. Let the location do some of the heavy lifting. Focus on small scenes and let the conversation breathe.

External resources worth exploring: the Possum Creek Games itch.io page has community content and actual play references. The TTRPG community on Reddit (r/rpg and r/wanderhome) has useful actual play write-ups. There are also several actual play podcasts featuring Wanderhome if you want to hear the game in motion before running it yourself.

Recommended products

The Wanderhome core book is the obvious starting point - it is self-contained and beautifully made. If the group takes to it, A Warm Hearth is a worthwhile expansion for longer campaigns or groups who want more grounded, village-based play.