It’s RPG news time, and I’m not here. I’m at Tabletop Scotland in Perth. Did you know Perth was the capital until 1437?
We’ve RPGs this week written a day early and on a timed release. I may have connected to the hotel room’s Wi-Fi and smuggled in new articles. It’s equally possible the technology fails; we’ll just have to see!
Here’s the RPG news summary of summaries.
- The Warhammer whispered setting, Tetsubo will finally see print
- Not everyone is sure about One D&D looking like an Unreal Engine
- Marvel will release the Marvel Multiverse Role-Play Game in the summer of 2023
- GAMA has elected new Directors
An experiment, if time allows, for Tabletop Scotland is to use Geek Native’s (in soft launch for ages) Discord server to report on the event virtually. I’ll take this chance to say, yes, we do have a Discord but, er, it’s still in soft launch. I’ve found that some readers like the RPG news announcement channels as a handy way to see what’s going on in the tabletop world without leaving their app. You’re welcome to do the same.
An alternative way to curate news from Geek Native is through Google Newsstand.
Now, let’s dive in with all that tabletop news;
Patron: Town Hall
RPG news from Geek Native
- Earl of Fife Games signs a deal with Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson to finally the near-legendary Tetsubo setting.
- Osprey published a clockpunk RPG written by a history professor and Russian intelligence advisor, Mark Galeotti, as Gran Meccanismo hits shelves.
- Dragon Turtle Games, maker of Carbon 2185, signs with Bancroft Publishing.
- Oops, it’s Unreal Engine, not Unity. Geek Native asks; What is a D&D playspace?
- Geek Native has permission to show some of the Tales from the Dungeon with Monsters on Kickstarter.
- The blog also has a guest post from Sneak Attack Press with Gifts from Dead Gods.
- Despite sizable public backlash, Apotheosis Studios will complete Battle of the Bards.
- In the busy Bundle of Holding, there are two deals on Dungeon Crawl Classics. If you’re quick, you can grab Warbirds too.
- Paizo and Humble have a big Pathfinder 2e deal to support ComicBook for Kids.
Spotlight: Izegrim Creations
RPG news from around the web
- Marvel announce Summer 2023 for the core rulebook release date for their Multiverse Role-Playing Game.
- GAMA elect Frank West of City of Games as the new President and other Officers for the Board of Directors.
- Good news with Steve Jackson Games’ announcement they’ll be Experimenting With International Crowdfunding Fulfillment.
- Cubicle 7 shares some insider knowledge on their forthcoming Soulbound Blackened Earth and Uncharted Journeys with Ancient Ruins.
- Move to Northern Ireland? Novelist Adena Halpern‘s husband Jonathan Goldstein took her to Northern Ireland to film the D&D movie, which brought on tears.
- Level Up Dice share an apology and a statement after making dice from old German tanks.
- Tribality’s Brandes Stoddard shares an Unearthed Arcana: Character Origins breakdown.
- Graham Smith of Rock Paper Shotgun covers Dungeons & Dragons is getting an official virtual tabletop powered by Unreal Engine.
- GameRant’s John Higgs writes up Everything We Know About the Next ‘Edition’ of Dungeons and Dragons.
- ScreenRant’s Scott Baird notes that D&D’s Spelljammer Brings Back A Dark Sun Mechanic.
- CG Magazine’s Editor Choice is One D&D’s 5 Most Exciting Prospects.
- Modiphius’s Christopher Bennett writes up creating Star Trek Adventure’s Better Days which is out now.
- Chaosium release a free quickstart for the 6th edition of Pendragon (PDF Link).
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Grognardia’s James shares a retrospective on Lone Wolf.
- Jared Rascher has first impressions on Arcadia issue 19, Achtung! Cthulhu’s Operation Snowstorm and D&D’s Unearthed Arcana: Character Options.
- Always busy, Jared also writes for Gnome Stew with a review of The Star-Shaman’s Song on Planegea.
- Reviews from R’lyeh reviews the 1978 Star Trek.
- Charles Dunwoody pens Pirates of the East Isles: A RuneQuest Review.
- The Roleplayers Chronicle reviews D&D’s Astral Adventurer’s Guide.
- Metro’s David Jenkins writes up Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson interview – 40 years of Fighting Fantasy.
- Dicebreaker and Callum Bains share ‘We wanted Star Trek in D&D’: Spelljammer creator Jeff Grubb on the origins of the cult-classic setting.
- Egg Embry talks to Connor Alexander about Coyote & Crow: Stories of the Free Lands.
- Roc Humet at WorldAnvil talks to Peter Chiykowski of the Deck of the Worlds on Let Random Generators Inspire You!.
RPG new releases
- Wicked Clever has published a story-focused game about playing as modern-day goblins pushing back against the rotten Faetriarchy. The price tag says it’s $50, reduced to $19.99 for Goblonia – Core Rulebook.
- Cubicle 7 release the adventuring guide for Warhammer Sea of Claws.
- NeonRot released a rules-light game about tracking monsters in the hot summer of 1995. It’s the Yōkai Hunters Club TTRPG.
- Dungeon Rogues have published a prep-free narrative storytelling game about spooky tales at the Campfire Club.
- The first expansion for the Crystallum game ads new factions and rules with the Operation Falling Star.
- Kodoku Addict are asking a Pay What You Want price for the solo RPG Roguelike Rogue Borg.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $55.97 (59%) with Black Scroll Games’ City of Tarok – Ruins bundle.
- Save $22.21 (52%) with the DMsGuild’s Voidfarer’s Guide to the Verse bundle.
- Save $9.88 (50%) with Ken Wickham’s Character Relationship Engine Expanded bundle.
- Save $7.59 (33%) with Bloodstone Press’ Amazons vs Valkyries Game Master’s bundle.
- Save $5.94 (31%) with the Chaosium Community Content Dark Ages of the Miskatonic Repository bundle.
- Save $4.89 (33%) with the DMsGuild’s Spelljammer Classes bundle.
- Save $3.99 (40%) with the DMsGuild’s The Tiddy Mun Trilogy bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Monya Relles writes for the Amherst Bulletin about Earth Matters: Role-playing games, storytelling and the fate of the earth.
- Dicebreaker’s Alex Meehan opines D&D’s return to Planescape could provide a great new purpose for the RPG’s moral alignment system.
- Sly Flourish shares tips on Running a Dungeon Crawl.
- Kate Tremaine takes us back to 10 90s TTRPG Trends We’re Glad Are Gone and also at CBR Brooke Thomas has the 10 Coolest Monsters In D&D 5e’s Spelljammer Setting.
- Claire Jackson isn’t sold on the Unreal Engine and WotC’s playspace plans, noting that The Next Big D&D Experience Looks Like A Video Game, And That’s A Problem.
- Ahead of the 2nd edition coming out, Refereeing and Reflection shares thoughts on An Old State Reforged, and States We Have Lost.
- Matthew Neagley pens Spelljammer: Comparing 5e to 2e.
- GameRant’s Emre Ok compiles the 10 Best Online Character Builders for 5e.
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;
- Jeff Martin has funded a tabletop game of demons, slackers and soul-crushing jobs in Hell, Inc.: The RPG.
- Absurdist Productions have funded a solo RPG where you become a monster. It’s Transformation.
- Daniel Miranda is a biology major crowdfunding a nature-filled adventure RPG called Tails of Winter.
- Aaron Russin has funded a co-op, no prep, PEACEMAKER – a quickdraw western RPG for two.
- Jeff Stevens has a 2 to 4 hour one-shot called Horror at Devil’s Run for 5E.
- Windows Down Game is in ZineQuest with help on bribing city officials in The Adventurer’s Guide to Political Lobbying.
- Vortex Studios combines STL terrain with adventures in D&D 5e Scenery: Greenest Town.
- Bloat Games video games inspired supplement gets a new version. Overworld – Tabletop RPG monster manual zine for DCC RPG.
- Sarissa Precision have funded full-colour printed MDF Full Colour Dice Towers.
- Cavmonster are stitching together a world from settings disappeared from other realms. It’s Multi-Realm, the lands between.
- Jamie Loft will release a small part of their mini backlog in OSM Presents- Mages & Monsters.
- Adventure 3D Printing are crowdfunding 5E, 3.5, Pathfinder Compatible Spell Tokens and Spell Points.
- Orcs Unlimited are taking part in ZineQuest in which you taste good to the alien bugs. It’s We Hunt Bugs: 2nd Edition.
- Rae Hī are ZineQuesting with a 3-4 hour D&D single-session to teach new players in A Strong Start!
- Shane Michael Ask wants you to solve a murder. Hello, My Name is Adam, and I Am Dead.
- A local gaming club (mine!) is crowdfunding a compendium of games and articles. Edinburgh Indie Gamers 🦄 #ZineQuest4
- Labmasu is offering a collection of non-Euclidean king-size Incubus Dice – solid and STL Lovecraft inspired dice.
- Monsterite combines Unique New Monster STLs With 5e D&D Ready Stat Block.
- Lettuce’s ZineQuest is for in-universe and player-facing CY_OPS /// a CY_BORG zine.
- Toa Tabletop is a Maori-owned studio offering murder mystery RPG tips in Line Of Enquiry – #Zinequest.
- Ivy Murphy invites you to play as a literal god in Origin Immortal: The TTRPG of the Gods (ZINE Edition).
- Emyco is funding a ZineQuest adventure Carin with Try The Beetle Milk.
- Derek Sotak will expand the supernatural seafaring adventure RPG set in William Hope Hodgson’s Sargasso Seas with Grey Seas Are Dreaming Of My Death: All Souls Lost.
- John Lemay has funded battle maps in a campaign called Yosemite: A 5E Park.
- Tech Adept Crafts has 3D printable STL files for terrain, RPG and wargames in a Pay What You Want, Medieval RPG Tavern.
- August McDaniel is a 3D designer with a successful campaign for tabletop Hot and Sandy Maps.
- Pacesetting Games & Simulations has a collection of 5e and B/X adventures in Tome of Quests: Volume One.
- Esper is running a conversion campaign. Labyrinthine Gardens | D&D Adventure + YouTube Series.
- Ch3rry Blossume has a compendium of 5e goodies in A Spirit’s Fervor: The Compendium of Godly Artifacts.
- Danger Bear is funding a prop for games featuring goblins, and A Bucket Has INFINITE Uses!
- Krystal Banner has hit goals for a set of kaleidoscopic Astrol-OG: The Dice.
- Cloud Puncher Games will shatter the CA$2 million mark with Project Ironside | A $399 Extendable Board Game Table.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.