Tabletop Tavern Is a Roguelike RTS That Turns Your Local Pub Into a Warhammer Battlefield
There is something instantly charming about the idea of commanding a sprawling fantasy army on top of a tavern table.
Tabletop Tavern is a roguelike RTS that blends real time strategy battles with deckbuilder style progression, all framed as a miniature wargame unfolding inside a cozy medieval pub. It is the kind of pitch that immediately grabs strategy fans, especially those still searching for something to scratch that Total War itch.
Real Time Battles on a Miniature Battlefield
At its core, Tabletop Tavern is about positioning, timing, and synergy. Infantry, cavalry, and ranged units follow familiar rock paper scissors logic, but terrain plays a crucial role in shaping each fight. Swamps slow advances, forests offer cover, hills provide vantage points, and river crossings can turn into brutal chokepoints.
Form spear walls to counter heavy cavalry. Shield your archers from flanking maneuvers. Time your charges carefully to avoid wasting momentum. From smaller skirmishes to clashes featuring hundreds of units, each encounter pushes you to think tactically rather than simply overwhelm the enemy.
The tabletop presentation adds personality. Units move like animated miniatures brought to life, complete with bright green flocked terrain mats and oversized banners marking formations. It feels less grimdark apocalypse and more Saturday night wargaming session with friends.
A Roguelike Campaign With Endless Builds
Outside of battle, the roguelike structure takes over. Campaigns unfold across branching progression nodes in a style reminiscent of deckbuilding runs. Each playthrough offers new units to recruit, rare gear to discover, and upgrades that can permanently alter your strategy.
Scaling difficulty and random encounters ensure that no two runs feel exactly the same. Early choices matter. Do you invest in bolstering your frontline, gamble on powerful but fragile units, or recruit heroes that redefine how your army functions?
The promise here is infinite build potential, with dozens of heroes and factions to unlock over time.
Vikings, Orcs, Elves, and More
Factions are designed around distinct identities and playstyles. You can lead elite Viking infantry, command monstrous Orc trolls and giants, field agile Elven formations, rely on resilient Dwarven forces, or build balanced Human armies.
Each faction comes with heroes whose abilities shape how you construct your roster. Success is not just about stacking numbers. It is about synergy, understanding your faction’s strengths, and crafting an army that fits your approach to conquest.
Between battles, you manage your mercenaries, recover from losses, and make tough strategic calls that define the direction of your campaign.
A Promising Concept With Room to Grow
Right now, Tabletop Tavern feels like a strong concept still in active evolution. Some battles lack punch, and early encounters can feel similar before your roster expands. Charges do not always carry the impact you might expect, and units can occasionally behave in slightly unpredictable ways.
That said, the personality shines through. The framing of a tabletop session in a tavern, combined with roguelike progression and large scale RTS combat, gives it a unique identity in a space that rarely sees fresh competition.
It is also worth noting that the project comes from a solo developer, and there is already a Steam demo available for players curious to see how it plays in its current state. For strategy fans hungry for something a little different, this is one to keep an eye on.
