It’s the UK Games Expo weekend as small businesses venture to the NEC to meet brave gamers.
It’s part “we’ve been locked in for aaaages” but also part “we need to sell stuff to survive”, so while I’m cautious about infections, I wish everyone there all the best.
Timed with UKGE, there’s this competition to win a softcover copy of the Core RPG and timed with a Kickstarter another competition for Liches: Dance Macabre for 5e and Pathfinder.
There are virtual events too! Such as this Patreons-only RPG Publisher Spotlight vote to pick who gets a write-up and some extra exposure next month. It’s nearly next month.
I find social media comes to life when there are events on. In the news below, we’ll see people suggesting hashtags to clue shared content together around events to assist with discovery.
It’s an excellent idea and reminds me I really should plug the blog’s social media. You don’t need to come to Geek Native; Geek Native will come to your social platform, even Discord and Telegram.
Right, now on to the RPG news!
Win Big Dig | Liches: Dance Macabre for 5e and Pathfinder | GMD CORE RPG
RPG news from Geek Native
- GAMA will put $30,000 into supporting underrepresented communities in tabletop gaming.
- IDW will launch a new D&D comic book series with Eduardo Mello and Jim Zub with Mindbreaker.
- Wizards found time to promote the free to download, designed for kids, 5e The Little Astralnaut and the next in the MtG x Forgotten Realms crossover with From Cyan Depths.
- There’s signs of Wizards of the Coast and D&D franchise deals happening here in the UK with this t-shirt range from Zavvi and this one by ASOS.
- D&D isn’t the only RPG with tee-style; what about these ones from 9th Level Games and Justine Jones.
- Andrew Cosby, the Eureka co-creator, is writing (a) D&D TV series.
- The dieselpunk and paranormal setting of Carbon Grey confirmed for the D6MV system, which is West End Games’ traditional D6 modified by Magnetic Press Play.
- In time for UK Games Expo, Loke BattleMats announced three new product lines.
- To help support small traders and whisk up some more buzz, forthcoming RPG magazine Never Mind the Dice Rolls suggested the hashtag #SelfPromoTradeHall to use during UKGE.
- Geek Native talked to Grace Collins, a former US Department of Education games policy lead and team head of Verdant Isles: Teatime Adventures, a D&D supplement with a novel magic system.
- Geek Native also landed an exclusive preview and walkthrough of 5e’s Book of Many Heroes.
- Paizo released a free Players Guide for the new Adventure Path Strength of Thousands.
- Sorry to say, it was thumbs down in this Geek Native review for the Crom the Barbarian Gamebook.
- It’s much better news, although it took a play or two, with the newly released Stargate 5e RPG.
- AWW Games and Douglas Niles released the Survivalists Guide to Spelunking.
- SoulMuppet Publishing published their lo-fi music inspired Orbital Blues space western RPG.
- WizKids have a new range of D&D Icons of the Reams battle mats
- Massif Press released a free playtest of the anime-fantasy RPG ICON.
- PEG now has a comprehensive list of updates and new material for Savage Pathfinder.
- Fire Ruby Designs have their British old school vibe of Warlock! RPG in the Bundle of Holding.
- It’s big and rare with physical goodies; Starfinder RPG hits Humble Bundle.
- The DMs Guild also arranged this great 5e bundle to support No Kid Hungry.
Spotlight Grognardia Games
RPG news from around the web
- In very sad news, Moebius Adventure’s Brian Fitzpatrick has passed away.
- TSR Games (3) seems to have abandoned three graphical trademarks.
- Due to the global logistics crisis, the price of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons will go up this year.
- The old school D&D classics Thief’s Player Pack and Thief’s Screen (both for 2e) are now available as PDF scans on DriveThruRPG.
- Gizmodo wrote up D&D’s Lead Rule Designer Explains Why Actual Play Has Influenced the Game.
- Bell of Lost Souls wrote up the Hasbro earnings call highlighting that D&D: Digital Roleplaying Is In The Cards After WotC Leads Hasbro Stock Surge.
- Bell of Lost Souls also found time to compile Call Of Cthulhu Creator Faces Backlash After Transphobic Statements.
- SR 16 kicked off the Itch.io hosted Space Street Game Jam.
- Roleplay Geek had a good take on Why a Canonical D&D is the Only Way Forward for WotC.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Geek Dad’s Paul Benson wrote up a review of the Shadowy Silver Edition from Beadle & Grim’s Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
- Tabletop Gaming magazine reviewed Dune: Adventures in the Imperium.
- Angel’s Citadel reviewed the diceless sci-fi Bounty Hunter.
- Strange Assembly reviewed the Celtic British-themed fantasy Legends of Avallen.
- At RPG.net, John Wright reviewed Forbidden Lands.
- Rolling Boxcars reviewed Osprey’s occult Sigil & Shadow.
- Joining in, Reviews from R’lyeh also took a look at Sigil & Shadow.
- At EN World, Rob Wieland noted that Trinity Continuum reboots Aberrant for the better.
- Richard Jansen-Parkes took a look at the new Warhammer Fantasy Role Play The Horned Rat
- At Gnome Stew, Jared Rascher shared first impressions of the subscription flavour site dScryb.
- While, at What Do I know, Jared wrote up first impressions of Green Ronin’s The Lost Citadel 5 setting and also the Tales of Xadia: Cortex Prime digital tools.
- Egg Embry talked to Charles M. Ryan about Stealing Stories for the Devil.
- Grognardia Games published a multipart interview with Chaosium boss (part 1) Rick Meints (part 2).
RPG new releases
- Released on the same day it was announced Jodie Whittaker would step down from the role of Doctor next year and showrunner Chris Chibnall would leave, Cubicle 7 made the second edition of Doctor Who: The Roleplaying Game available.
- EN Publishing gave us the comedy RPG A.C.E. #1: The Awfully Cheerful Engine!.
- Steve Jackson Games released a game about sad lives and challenging times in Georgian London with GURPS Classic: Goblins.
- A Couple of Drakes published the magical girl RPG Disaster /Peace.
- A Name Your Own Price offering about the “spooky and uncanny” English town of Grimsbury gets its own Welcome to Grimsbury RPG.
- An early release in the new City of Mist Garage program is Kevin Carpenter’s King of the Ring.
- Games, Ink published a high a fantasy world locked in their own World War II with Lightning War.
- Monte Cook Games published the Cypher System and Voices of the Datasphere compatible Numenera RPG Vertices.
- You are a monkey on a space station in this free to download RPG from Graph Paper Robot called Space Monkeys on Danger Station.
- Kindred Spirits Productions published the Savage Worlds setting and alternative history of a third world war in Tango Unknown.
- Loverdrive published this clever take on noir and Lovecraftian horror with Lovecraft is Dead.
- Third Eye Games published a Pips World sourcebook. It’s Prehysterical, a Cavepeople RPG.
RPG bundle deals
- Pay nothing at all for Path to Adventure’s Free Map Friday – Map Pack Volume 2 bundle.
- Save $5.25 (34%) with this Gatekeepers Task Force bundle.
- Save $4.97 (17%) with The Dark Peak Gaming Systems’ Scrapper: Powered by 5e Complete bundle.
- Save $4.40 (16%) with Sneak Attack Press’ Abstract Dungeon mega bundle.
- Save $1.77 (9%) with The Hawk Wolf Network’s Now with more Adventure, it’s just another PDF bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Ben and the Genre Police asked whether meta-gaming was always bad.
- J.R. Zambrano reminded us of Top Secret: The Espionage RPG That Got TSR Raided By The FBI.
- The Alexandrian published part two of the helpful How to Prep a Module series and Whither Exploration? – The Invisible Pillar of 5th Edition.
- Roleplaying Tips shared Outsmart Your Players With 3-Step Villain Plans.
RPG Crowdfunding
You can see those Kickstarters and other crowdfunding campaigns that caught Geek Native’s attention over at Kickstarter watch. Here are some industry projects worth a mention;
- A neurodiverse and inexperienced player aid from Shaun Sunday has shattered campaign goals. It’s The 5E Player Screen 2.0.
- Bring your D&D and Pathfinder environments to life with 8Finity Cards: D&D Dungeonmaster Environment Tools.
- 10 good looking dice with matching boxes and art prints, one-shots and more with The Explorer’s Collection: by Homebrew Dice.
- River Reynolds is hoping to fund an immersive tabletop roleplaying of classic mayhem with Timelines: Super Human RPG Roleplaying Game.
- Austin Cushing is funding representation dice with Roll4ItDice Pride Dice – Our First Expansion.
- Halcyon Miniatures has funded a range of 30mm scale white-metal Feudal Guardsmen Miniatures.
- Niel Jackson has bicolour swirls, glitter and the right font to make Starfarer Sci-Fi Dice – Polyhedral RPG, D6 and D10 sets.
- Oksana Klingel has architecture for 3d printing to create a tabletop Stylized Magic World.
- Handmae RPG accessories with a mid-century modern aesthetic from Frank Lloyd Dice.
- Michael Epstein wants to make some stylish and durable gamer Shelfie Totes.
- Nonagon Three is working on an “any game, any platform” companion app called The Ultimate Games Master (UGM).
- Tomb Guardians is offering a Dark Elf city of over 250 STL Files for the Drow City of Llurth Dreir..
- Guillermo Buenfil has funded a ready to play Micro Dungeons for DnD – $1 USD.
- Jess Galena offers 100+ magical, low-powered and quirky items that will make players happy without breaking the game. It’s Grinderbin’s Mobile Market of Ridiculous Magic Items.
- Jim Wampler has smashed funding targets for the post-apocalyptic role playing megazine SCIENTIFIC BARBARIAN No.4 and 2021 Annual.
- LD3D is offering a module setting guide for all RPGs with The Travellers Guide to Prymordia.
- Whitehorn and Krakon Games have funded a set of re-mastered pint-sized Dungeon Companions.
- Mystical World Miniatures has raised thousands to bring to life Cthulhu Mythos – Great Old Ones: Dagon Idol & Cosmic Dice.
- Ola Andersson is offering STL files for 3d printed Nirmala Miniature Art -MiniMaps and Sewers.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
