Although it can be fun to gather around a table -- either physical or digital -- to play Dungeons & Dragons with a group of friends, sometimes it just isn't possible. Scheduling conflicts aside, getting together a group large enough for a full campaign is a task in and of itself. Fortunately, there are plenty of RPGs similar to D&D that can be played with just a couple people or even solo.

Playing these games may also provide some ideas that can be applied to a future D&D campaign. Here are five RPGs worth checking out if you don't have enough people for a tabletop game.

Related: The Best Fantasy Tabletop RPGs (That Aren’t D&D)

Pandemic

While some people might not be inclined to play Pandemic while living through an actual pandemic, the gameplay itself is actually quite good. Pandemic is technically for two to four people, but it is possible to play alone by creating more than one character.

Pandemic is a cooperative game where players fight the game, rather than each other. It's a turn-based game with characters who have different abilities to help them cure and fight the various viruses across the world. Each turn, players can move four spaces and can do three actions. At the end of their turn, new cities and infections are revealed. Since players can’t control what happens or what cities get infected, each game will be different and exciting, even when playing alone.

Castle Panic

If you want something that is a bit more medieval or fantasy-based, but still strategic and fun to play solo, Castle Panic is great. Similar to Pandemic, this is a cooperative game that can be made competitive, but the main objective is to defend the castle. As a bonus, Castle Panic has guidelines for how to set up a solo game.

As enemies attack the castle from all sides, players use their turn to play cards and attack specific monsters in each zone, or repair damages to the castle. The remaining monsters on the board move forward one space closer to the castle, then the player draws out two monster tokens from the pile and rolls a six-sided dice to see which section of the board the monsters will come from. Because the game uses cards and dice, it's impossible to predict what will happen next -- much like in D&D.

Related: The Best Dungeons & Dragons Board Games

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Although The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn't a tabletop roleplay game, it's still a great RPG. The open-world shares several things in common with classic D&D campaigns. A player starts off at level one, with no weapons or equipment, but a clear quest: Defeat Ganon. There are sidequests and miniquests, as well. Players are free to explore wherever at their own pace.

Breath of the Wild is slightly different from RPGs like D&D in that players don't level up, per se, but keep collecting better equipment while also increasing their health and stamina.

Related: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - How to Get the Dark Link Armor Set

The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has an extremely detailed story and is more combat-focused. Different elixirs provide specific advantages against enemies and the player's sword can be anointed with various oils for damage. Although the story is more linear here than in an open-world game, that simply allows the player to experience a different narrative structure that is still similar to how some D&D campaigns are run.

There are also plenty of sidequests, which helps make The Witcher 3 feel even more like a TTRPG campaign.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim definitely fills that medieval fantasy vibe of D&D campaigns. This game is played in first-person, which makes it feel more immersive and allows players to dig deep into the story and campaign. Players can level up and develop their character class, from using magic to picking pockets to hacking and slashing.

These tabletop and video games provide great alternatives to Dungeons & Dragons, especially for solo players who want the experience but aren't able to get together a group of players. Each contains aspects similar to D&D campaigns, which will hopefully scratch the itch.

Keep reading: How to Play Tabletop Games While Social Distancing