Drama? Here? There? Wizards of the Coast back down as Hasbro sheds 15% of employees.
Let’s dive into another week of busy RPG news with a summary of summaries.
- Wizards of the Coast have backed down all the way; OGL 1 stays
- Hasbro lays off 15% of employees and Eric Nyman, the President and COO, leaves with them
- “Lies, damned lies and TTRPG art”, Black Armada share their conflict with an artist
- Underground Oracle Publishing offers $239.66 of OGL 5e content for $25 with Visions of The Oracle: GM Options.
Once again, and I suspect for the very last time, this RPG news round-up has an easy-to-skip/find section for the OGL drama.
I remembered to update the Kickstarter heat charts this time. Sorry about last week, and you can see things levelling off. You can see that nearly 2:5 RPG or related Kickstarters are launched on Tuesday. Tuesday was always the most popular day, but the gap between it and Monday is increasing.
Is it wise?
Lastly, as we speed towards the second month of 2023, here’s a reminder to vote (if you can) in the RPG Publisher Spotlight.
Now, the RPG news!
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RPG news from Geek Native
- Fat Goblin Games release a TTRPG content rating system.
- Seigebreaker Games released a free to download Shattered Worlds Introduction Guide.
- Raven God Games did the same for the Reaver Quickstart.
- In the Bundle of Holding, there’s a mega deal on Advanced Adventures and a generous 0One Dungeons
- At Humble, Kobold Press and friends have a deal simply called RPG Worlds.
Spotlight: Catilus
OGL news from Geek Native and elsewhere
- Wizards of the Coast announced they will;
- Leave OGL untouched
- Publish the SRD 5.1 as a Creative Commons license
- Let you pick which you want to use
- Before that, the National Law Review weighed in with Not-So-Open Gaming License: Dungeons & Dragons Publisher Tries to Tighten Grip on Third-Party Content
- The OGL drama knocked into the Traveller license, upsetting Cepheus Engine third-party publishers and Mongoose Publishing swiftly engaged.
- Linda Codega talks to Matt Mercer and Marisha Ray and sums up with The Critical Role Cast Supports Independent Creators and New Systems.
- From the world of money, RealClear Markets asked Will Wizards of the Coasts’ Plan to Reduce Consumer Choice Pay Dividends?.
- The Angry GM has a guest post of Yet Another Lawyer’s Take on the OGL Draft.
- Indie RPG designer James Mishler Games will delete their entire range over the drama.
- Store owner and blogger Crossplanes cuts back on 5e to better promote indies.
- Store owner and blogger Scott Thorne also wrote OGL Version 1.2 still some concerns.
- TTRPG and LFG challenger Role Embraces ORC.
RPG news from around the web
- Hasbro’s President and COO Eric Nyman and 15% of the workforce are losing their jobs.
- The crowd-sourced The Awards included .dungeon, ARC: Doom, All Options and others.
- Paizo, leading the ORC charge, released their January schedule.
- EN Publishing shares the WOIN Starter Set playtest draft.
- Dicebreaker has a feature from Kamiab Ghorbanpour on Exploring Sword World, Japan’s answer to Dungeons & Dragons from the studio behind the Elden Ring tabletop RPG.
- Polygons’ Ana Diaz notes D&D’s next anthology, Keys from the Golden Vault, detailed with little fanfare online.
- Evil Genius Games teamed up with Neoludis for a French version of Everyday Heroes.
- Ultra Pro and Critical Role team up for branded gaming accessories.
- Black Armada go public with Lies, damned lies and TTRPG art – our experience with a dishonest “artist” .
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- The TTRPG Factory reviews City of Mist.
- James Maliszewski writes up a retrospective on the original Dave Arneson Blackmoor.
- Roleplayers Chronicle writes up Warhammer’s Wrath & Glory.
- MJR RPG looks into Vegence from Beyond for Call of Cthulhu.
- Again, so busy, Reviews from R’lyeh give us reviews into Night of the Bog Beast, Return to the Odd, Pitcrawler Quickstart Guide.
- Rob Wieland shares an EN World review on the Blade Runner Starter Set.
- Third Kingdom interviews watt about the Naussica-inspired Cloud Empress.
RPG new releases
- Two-Headed Game Master has released their OSR-styled Afterlife: Apocalypse Fantasy Role-Playing.
- Darkeyes Design has an RPG for dreamers and storytellers out in the shape of DreadLore Corebook (deluxe.
- Jayden King has hit the publish button on Back 2 BASICS – A 2d2 Roleplaying Blueprint.
- Misfit Studios and RPGObjects published the SWADE Darwin’s World: Nuclear Edition.
- Brittania Games Designs has a low-cost intro offer with Chivalry & Sorcery Basic Rules.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $214.66 (90%) with Underground Oracle Publishing’s Visions of The Oracle: GM Options for 5e bundle.
- Save $16 (13%) with Christian Eichhorn’s Mork Borg bundle.
- Save $13.03 (26%) with Robert Rankin’s The Eon Legacy System Master Collection and The Eon Legacy System Master Collection bundles.
- Save $7.31 (46%) with the Chaosium Community Content bundle The Edinburgh Files 1
- Save $6.00 (13%) with Christian Eichhorn’s Cy_Borg bundle.
- On Itch.io, Peach Garden Games and over 100 others contribute to the third year of Solo but not Alone.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Is D&D cool again? Heroes Inc will hope so as this nifty Character Building t-shirt launches.
- Book Riots’s Lucas Maxwell opines How Tabletop Roleplaying Games Can Improve Literacy.
- At New GameMaster Month, Charles Ryan writes up It’s Game Time! (And a bit about characters).
- At Bloody Disgusting, there’s the Dark Fantasy: The Horror History of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ .
- FASA shares insight into 1879’s other game influences.
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;
- SIS/TR: A Rare Geometry for Mothership RPG from Severed Books crowdfunds “SIS/TR is an interactive mini with randomized turret that acts as a deadly puzzle for your party”
- Exit Stage Left Role Playing System & Licence | XSLRP OGL from Jack Rosetree kickstarts “Wizards eat butts. An open game license for a tabletop role playing system as good as any other out there.”
- Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Code from Jesse submits “A different type of D+D adventure powered by artificial intelligence.”
- Dark Wizard Games: Fantasy Folder #1 – Dungeon Demon from Mark Taormino submits “RPG Folder used with OSRIC / 1E / 5E / D&D / DCC / Pathfinder / role-playing games or anyone who loves fantasy folders!”
- Tavern Brawler Roleplaying Miniature Set from Parasaurolophus offers “D&D or other table top roleplaying game miniatures with a lightweight twist. Fully rendered art pieces on small chipboard tokens.”
- Marco’s Market of Magical Merchandise – Make 100 from Philip Reed submits “A 40-page collection of d100 magic items and d100 rumors, written by Philip Reed. For use with many fantasy roleplaying games.”
- MACH from Nathaniel (Hunter) Bolton kickstarts “A new open system genre non-specific RPG system that offers a set of interchangeable rules.”
- 100 Wyrd Items from TGrejczik kickstarts “Strange, silly and spooky items for your RPG game: A Make 100 Project”
- DARKHEIM: The Viscountess of Blasphemy from Rocket Pig Games raises funds for “A legendary (5e) monster miniature for tabletop games (3d printable resin STL) and 5e compatible PDF.”
- Arcanus – The Tabletop RPG from Arcanus Publishing raises funds for “Arcanus is a exciting new genre neutral TTRPG, designed specifically to seamlessly migrate into any campaigning setting.”
- XENON – THE LED DICE from Antonio S suggests “A set of smart light-up dice, ready to take your D&D or tabletop game to the next level.”
- BRINK OF SHADOWS: A 5th Edition Compatible Adventure from Logan Gendron proposes “Root out the source of the missing villagers in this one-shot adventure for 2-5 players with level 1 characters.”
- Vast Grimm: Into Oblivion from Infinite Black kickstarts “A sci-fi horror RPG set in a dying universe // New splatterpunk adventures and expanded rules // Inspired and infected by Mörk Borg X_X”
- Constellation Volume 1: RPG Zine Anthology from Hit Point Press proposes “Featuring 12 exciting roleplaying game zines, packed with action, horror, and intimate emotional experiences.”
- DND Mystery Pins from 1985 LABS kickstarts “12 DND Themed Pins. One random pin in each bag.”
- AKO DICE IV from Kacha is working on “Dragon Dice Series from AKO Dice”
- Isometric content Add-Ons for MapForge map-making software from Battlegrounds Games, LLC crowdfunds “Developing great new content to better support isometric mapping in MapForge.”
- Starter Pack for your Homebrew Campaign from SaurischiaMaps pitches “30 beautiful Battlemaps each with an inspirational Short Story perfect for your own Fantasy Tabletop Campaign.”
- SHOTGLASS ADVENTURES: Two $1 One-Shots! from Laidback Dungeon Master offers “Two One-Page One-Shots for DnD 5e, OSR & Advanced / 1e, including full monster stats for 5e & OSR and grid and grid-less maps!”
- Blasting Off Again! A Team Rocket Inspired Zine from Five Points Games pitches “Play as Team Chill Grunts in the Kotatsu Region – making crime, stealing Genmon and Blasting Off Again when it all goes wrong!”
- Thematic Zone Play Collection 2 Tabletop Gaming Terrain from Mystic.Realm offers “3d Printable Fantasy Adventure Role Playing Scenery, Combat Zones & Story Telling assets, designed for small gaming areas STL Files”
- Hollow Book Dice Tower from Fyre&Ashe suggests “Dungeons and Dragons ready to go. This dice tower hides on your shelf until game night, then you’ll be the coolest person at the table”
- The Leprechaun’s Trap, a Celtic D&D 5e Adventure from Matthew David proposes “Help a leprechaun get his pot’ o gold back in this 3-act Celtic-Themed 70+ page D&D 5e adventure for 3-5 players.”
- EPIC: A Superhero Tabletop Role-Playing Game from Joel Velazquez pitches “Gather your friends, create your own comic book legend and become part of a superhero team in this brand new role-playing game!”
- Terror in Ravenswood 5E from Eric Bleney is working on “An epic adventure through the treacherous Mines of Ravenswood for characters level 1 to 3.”
- Treasure Chest Dice Box Storage: Make 100 from RC Craigo raises funds for “Store your favorite dice, miniatures, keepsakes or anything in a stylish treasure chest style storage box.”
Do you know of an RPG news source that I don’t? Let me know, or leave a comment below.
