The date change occurred because the original date coincided with the prerelease of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, the new Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond set (see "'Magic: The Gathering' 2023 Release Calendar"). Paul Alexander Butler of Gaming Days offered comment on the change of date. "We try our best every year to schedule Free RPG Day in a way that allows game stores to get the most out of the event," he said. "The recent announcement of a hotly anticipated prerelease event on the 17th meant that stores would have to make a choice about what to feature. We know what side the bread is buttered on for a lot of stores and we don’t want this celebration of RPGs to feel less than in any way."
Gaming Days, LLC. also released the list of games slated to be included in the 2023 FRPG Kit. These kits will contain around 36 unique items with roughly 180 items in the box total. Here are the contents, listed by publisher:
- 9th Level Games: Level 1: Indie RPG Anthology, Mazes Fantasy Roleplaying Introductory Module.
- Arcane Tinmen: Monsters Cards, Mini Adventure, Pocket RPG Guide.
- BCW: FRPG Day Branded Dice Bag and Tray.
- CMON: Zombicide: Chronicles
- Edge Studio: Adventures in Rokugan: Storm Eel's Rest
- Foam Brain: Mini Enamel Pin
- Free League Publishing: Dragonbane Quick Start
- Goodman Games: Piercing the Demon's Eye
- Hachette Boardgames & Gigamic: Critical-Foundation Episode 0
- Hymgho Dice: D20 Mystery Tin and Custom Potion Tube
- Loke Battlemats: Heist at the Museum
- Magpie Games: Root FRPGD 2023: Hacksaw Dell, Avatar FRPGD 2023: Movers & Shakers, Avatar Dice
- Modiphius Entertainment: Unnamed Product (TBA April 28), Achtung!Cthulhu - Operation Kindling
- Paizo, Inc.: Pathfinder RPG: A Few Flowers More, Starfinder RPG: Operation Seaside Park
- Pelgrane Press: Swords of the Serpentine: Losing Face
- Q-Workshop: Elvish Dice
- Renegade Game Studios: Vampire the Masquerade: A Taste of the Moon, Transformers and G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game: Cobra/Con Fusion
- Smirk & Dagger: Adventure Party: The Role-Playing Party Game
- Steamforged Games: Animal Adventures
- Van Ryder Games: Loup Garou
- Wet Ink Games: Heckin' Good Doggos
- Wizkids: D&D Onslaught: Never Split the Party, BONUS: Harengon Brigands, BONUS: Moonstone Wyrmlings, BONUS: Envoker & Illusionist, BONUS: Paint Kit - Hellwasp, BONUS: Paint Kit - Oni
Free RPG Day takes on special importance this year, with interest in the category at an all-time high, and many fans interested in looking at alternatives in the wake of Wizards of the Coast’s missteps in handling its planned changes to the Open Gaming License (see "WotC Folds: OGL 1.0A Abides").
