Routinely Itemised: RPGs #187

So, busy year for RPG news! It’s not even halfway through January, and mass media has caught up.

Critical Role and Stranger Things took D&D mainstream, but Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast took D&D drama mainstream.

Here’s the RPG news summary-summary.

• Wizards of the Coast have backed down on some OGL terms but push on with change
• Dozens of publishers coordinate on OLG alternative deals such the TRY THIS RPG bundle
• Paizo will pay for ORC, a rival to OGL and share it with contributors
• MCDM, Kobold Press and others announce their own new core RPGs

A whole section on the OGL is carved out below, so you can dig deep or skip as your whims tickle.

If you’re unfamiliar with the drama, then the rules governing how third-party publishers include D&D’s 5e content will change. The initial draft upset many people, as did the idea the terms could change. Lawyers are arguing whether the OGL (Open Game License) can be replaced, and WotC has now offered to make fewer and more clear changes.

There’s been other news this week, too, but largely overshadowed. Except we see that Kickstarter is well and truly back to life after the festive break and there’s MAKE 100 offers included for those quick and bold enough to back.

Now, the RPG news!

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RPG news from Geek Native

• Savage Worlds is having a surge in interest, and the hardbacks have sold out, so Pinnacle has wisely pushed out a site to coordinate and sell third-party supplements with Savage Universe.
• The Basic RolePlaying Game from Chaosium is also having a surge in interest, so the Call of Cthulhu publisher has temporarily dropped the price.
• Monte Cook expanded the Cypher System Open License.
• Handiwork Games will Kickstart Wayne Reynbold’s RPG Saints.
• The Bundle of Holding is hosting the Quick Ass Game Systems deal as well as a collection of Non-OGL Fantasy RPGs.
• BoH also has a deal for Dungeons on Demand.

Spotlight: Catilus

OGL news from Geek Native and elsewhere

• Wizards of the Coast’s latest OGL response back down a bit but insists on change.
• Paizo is leading the charge against WotC, setting up ORC as a rival license that it’ll not own and saying it’ll go to court if WotC tries to deauthorise the OGL.
• Matt Colville and MCDM will launch their own OGL-free weird dice RPG system.
• Project Black Flag from Kobold Press is a core rules sans OGL.
• Things went from bad to worse for Hasbro when the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) weighed in.
• CBR covers D&D Beyond’s Account Management Page Crashes as Users Cancel En Masse.
• EN Publishing will release a third-party license for WOIN and wants to decouple Advanced 5e from OGL 5e.
• On Facebook, Pinnacle Entertainment Group revealed that they’ve sold out of all the printed Savage WOrlds Adventure Core Rule books already with a reprint in March due.
• Morrus writes up that Ex D&D Beyond Staffers Criticise Relationship With WotC.
• SmiteWorks, a WotC official partner, promise that if they ever lose their license with Hasbro, Fantasy Ground customers still get to keep everything.
• Privateer Press share thoughts on supporting creators and the future of the Iron Kingdoms RPG.
• Inkwell Ideas commit to their system-neutral roadmap but will push in with their Creature Decks printing.
• Parts Per Million, the solo RPG specialist, wrote a design diary on OGL 1.1 and I.
• Chaosium confirm they have joined ORC.
• Atlas Games confirm their support of ORC and are considering other RPG rules to release.
• Arc Dream publish a statement on Delta Green Without the OGL.
• Via Facebook, Pacesetter Games and Simulations confirm they have joined ORC.
• Esper Genesis won’t sign OGL 1.1 and suggest a single front to maintain the spirit of open gaming.
• Raging Swan Press suspect they’ll do more system-neutral and published their statement while still waiting for the official response.
• Bat in the Attic Games said it’s steady as she goes.
• Goodman Games also share an OGL comment and sum up with We think we will all be just fine.
• Leading the story, Linda Codega was one of the first to analyse Wizards breaking the OGL silence.
• Previously, Codega foreshadowed with Wizards of the Coast Cancels OGL Announcement After Online Ire.
• At The Guardian, Alaina Demopoulos notes ‘People are leaving the game’: Dungeons & Dragons fans revolt against new restrictions.
• Legal firm David Lizerbram & Associates gets into RPG IP law with D&D OGL Update?
• Law Insider is also interested and cover with Wizards of the Coast Open Game License.
• [Paywall] The FT digs in with Dungeons & Dragons & fear & loathing.
• [Bundle] Fat Goblin Games and a dozen publishers put together the TRY THIS RPG offer.
• James Maliszewski remembers T$R/They See Regularly in an article called Blast from the Past.

RPG news from around the web

• Returning from a bereavement hiatus, Mindjammer Press announce a Monsters! Monsters! powered RPG line The Lair of the Leopard Empresses.
• Role shared their first news of 2023 with the Creators Program and Broken Tales.
• Polygon and Nicole Carptender confirm that The Dungeons & Dragons TV show from the director of Red Notice is really happening.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• Reviews from R’lyeh look at the weird west We Deal in Lead, Free League’s quickstart for Dragonbane while tagging the Explorer’s Edition of Traveller as a Mongoose Misfire.
• Grognardia write up a retrospective on Quest for the Heartstone.
• Wargamer’s Mollie Russell gets a First look at Pathfinder: Rage of Elements sourcebook.
• Strange Assembly shares a review of Blade Runner.
• Gnome Stew also publishes a look at the Blade Runner RPG.
• In a thorough job, the Alexandrian releases part four of the Radiant Citadel review.

RPG new releases

• Stiff Whiskers Press has a busy week with Weird Frontiers RPG Core Book 1 and Weird Frontiers RPG Book 2 Magic Tome (and there’s a bundle if you want to go deep).
• Spectrum Games have published a short but nuanced and Nazi-smashing Four-Color Heroics Core Rulebook.
• Total Party Skills merges five books for Classic Horror Tabletop RPG.
• Ordo Octopia releases a classic storytelling system with Brains and Brawn RPG.
• Wyrmworks publish the full edition of Limitless Heroics: Including Characters with Disabilities, Mental Illness, and Neurodivergence in the Fifth Edition.
• Polyhedral Press release a Name Your Own Price Issue 0.

RPG bundle deals

• Save $107.99 66%) with the multi-publisher TRY THIS RPG bundle.
• Save $55.00 (35%) in Stiff Whiskers Press’ Weird Frontiers Core Book and Magic Tome bundle.
• Save $39.36 (44%) on FeralGamersInc’s OGL bundle.
• Save $32.50 (57%) in the Thought Police’s Thought Punks Open Source bundle.
• Save $26.21 (84%) with Explorer’s Guild Publishing OGL’s Revenge bundle.
• Save $13.75 (50%) with Three Sage Games’ Non-OGL 3SG bundle.
• Save $7.97 (44%) in the Nomadic Delirium Press Core Rulebook bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• RPG designer W.H. Arthur blogged for Geek Native about game jam culture and minimalist RPGs.
• A short list of sinister military ranks.
• ORC member Green Ronin shared The AGE System is a Map.
• Campaign Mastery note The Eyes Have It: Subliminal RPG Messages.
• New GameMaster Month reaches instalment four.

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;

• Fantasy Crown: an OSR inspired RPG from Gittoes Games offers “Fantasy Crown: an OSR inspired RPG”
• Mechanical Monsters: Clockworks & Cyborgs for 5E from Legendary Games raises funds for “Mechanical Monsters: Clockworks & Cyborgs for 5E”
• Winter and World Building RPG Combo from The Oracle submits “Winter and World Building RPG Combo”
• The Box of Delights – The Roleplaying Game (Make 100) from Jonathan Green raises funds for “The Box of Delights – The Roleplaying Game (Make 100)”
• Golden Tokens (D&D 5e Supplement) from Black Cube Games is working on “Golden Tokens (D&D 5e Supplement)”
• D&D Monsters & Crypts: Make 100 from Cryptic Creative offers “D&D Monsters & Crypts: Make 100”
• Make 100 / Dungeon Makers from FunDaMental Games introduces “Make 100 / Dungeon Makers”
• Adaptable Encounters – The Lance and Starship (5e & OSR) from Guillermo Buenfil proposes “Adaptable Encounters – The Lance and Starship (5e & OSR)”
• Level Up: A5E Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2022 from Morrus nominates “Level Up: A5E Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2022”
• Pay What You Want, Medieval RPG Town Set 2 from 3DP4U proposes “Pay What You Want, Medieval RPG Town Set 2”
• Curse of Camelot from Eric Smith is working on “Curse of Camelot”
• Cutthroats and Competition: A 5e Drop-and-Play Adventure from One-Eyed Werebear Gaming nominates “Cutthroats and Competition: A 5e Drop-and-Play Adventure”
• Saphyx Spectacular Spell Compendiums for 5e – Make100 from Awfully Queer Heroes raises funds for “Saphyx Spectacular Spell Compendiums for 5e – Make100”
• A Very First Heist from Dungeon Epics raises funds for “A Very First Heist”
• You Ask, I Write 2 – for all RPGs from Undiscovered Gems offers “You Ask, I Write 2 – for all RPGs”
• $1 Dollar one Shot – The Curse of King Culainn from One Dollar One Shots proposes “$1 Dollar one Shot – The Curse of King Culainn”
• A Fistful of Curiosities: Game Master’s Resource from Ben Meadows from Periapt Games introduces “A Fistful of Curiosities: Game Master’s Resource”
• Meanders: EGYPT from Kris McDermott offers “Meanders: EGYPT”
• Jungle Incursion Into the Lair of the Batmen from Ian McG raises funds for “Jungle Incursion Into the Lair of the Batmen”
• Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss from Venger Satanis offers “Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss”
• Yoon-Suin: The Purple Land, 2nd Edition from Noisms Games offers “Yoon-Suin: The Purple Land, 2nd Edition”
• GrymWyrd Tales – Volume 3 & 4 from STONEworks Gaming offers “GrymWyrd Tales – Volume 3 & 4”
• The Side Quest Chronicles: A Journey of Epic Adventure! from The Monster Directive suggests “The Side Quest Chronicles: A Journey of Epic Adventure!”
• Treasures of Ravenstead: RPG Coins, Dice, Tokens, and Runes from David Savedge offers “Treasures of Ravenstead: RPG Coins, Dice, Tokens, and Runes”
• Out of the Maw: The Eldritch Compendium for D&D 5E from Coven Games suggests “Out of the Maw: The Eldritch Compendium for D&D 5E”
• Book of Counted Objects from Sardon Magus crowdfunds “Book of Counted Objects”
• Black Pearl in a Crystalline Shell from Mauro Indini offers “Black Pearl in a Crystalline Shell”
• Hoofed Horrors from Justin Grant introduces “Hoofed Horrors”
• De/Fragmentation | Make 100 from Ryan Cagle proposes “De/Fragmentation | Make 100”
• Make 100: Fantasy RPG Scentsory Aids from Heather Jones pitches “Make 100: Fantasy RPG Scentsory Aids”
• Cyberpunk HARD RESET COLLECTION STL -1- from Luis Moreno submits “Cyberpunk HARD RESET COLLECTION STL -1-“
• Season 1: A Winter, Cold a 5e compatible adventure module from Bamatick offers “Season 1: A Winter, Cold a 5e compatible adventure module”
• Panthari: Starship Map & Miniatures from Ryan Wolfe proposes “Panthari: Starship Map & Miniatures”

Do you know of an RPG news source that I don’t? Let me know, or leave a comment below.