Routinely Itemised: RPGs #248

March 15th is World Sleep Day; perhaps everything you’ve experienced is a dream! And on that note, here’s the summary of TTRPG news summaries!

• TTRPG publishers are offering a 97% discount on over $1,000 in RPG goodies because Owen KC Stephens is RAD and needs help.
• Daggerheart, the Critical Role game, is taking playtesters.
• Hasbro boss Chris Cocks is keen on AI and testing multiple ways to bring it to D&D.
• Cubicle 7’s first new IP in aaages, Broken Weave, is out.

Where are you with your TTRPG journey? Are you hot for D&D and seeing no point or opportunity to play something else? Ambeliant as long as it’s a good game? Keen for anything but D&D.

I guess my gaming habits are a bit like my eating habits in that I have favourites but I also like to sample new things, take risks, and listen to recommendations occasionally.

If you’re lucky enough to go then have fun at Gary Con XVI. That’s on again at Lake Geneva from March 21st to the 24th. I dare say there will be announcements! Penny Dragon Games are the Diamond sponsor, Wizards of the Coast, Evil Genius Games and Trouble Mused Studios are the Premier Partners, and there are 11 others.

How much would it cost to get a Geek Native logo on the site? Perhaps I should email and find out, but I’d just be a time waster and think we’ve enough of those in the world.

Speaking of which, on with the TTRPG news!

Now, on with the TTRPG news!

Support: Patron.

RPG news from Geek Native

• With much hype, Critical Role/Darrington Press’ Daggerheart opens for playtesting.
• Geek Native whisked up a video tour of The TTRPG celebs found in The Tomb of Gyzaengaxx.
• Wizards of the Coast have teamed up with a looking for group site, and Geek Native wonders what that means.

Spotlight: LunarShadow Designs

RPG news from around the web

• The Guardian (the mainstream newspaper with a great D&D name), Jordyn Beazley and Rafqa Touma give us Dungeons & Dragons at 50: the collaborative fantasy role-playing game that builds you up.
• The BBC catches on with Dungeons & Dragons ‘helps people with social anxiety’.
• GamesRadar’s George Martson pens Deadpool barges his way into Marvel’s tabletop RPG with his very own manual that’s also a comic book one-shot.
• It’ll cost £439 for Beadle & Grimm’s Platinum Edition for Vecna: Eve of Ruin (D&D).
• Bell of Lost Souls covers that The ‘Shin Megami Tensei’ RPG Gets An English Translation After 20 Years.
• Dicebreaker notes Can’t wait for the Discworld RPG? Become an Auditor of Reality in this free fan-made game.
• Egg, at EN World, covers Ink Bat To Publish D&D Co-Creator Dave Arneson’s Final RPG Project.
• Jeffrey Dohmn-Sanchez writes up Wizards of the Coast announces ‘Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary’ play series and Gama Expo 2024 news with ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Mini Dice Cups’ revealed.
• Handiwork Games have released an intro video for FiveEvil.
• BoLS covers The ‘Blade Runner RPG’s First Expansion, ‘Fiery Angels’, Lands April 2nd.
• Rob Wieland, on Forbes, has Sundered Isles Brings Solo Roleplaying To The Seven Seas.
• In non-fiction news, Bleeding Cool remind us that the D&D history book Of Dice and Men Is Receiving A New Edition For DF&D’s 50th.
• In computer game news, with coverage from Yardbarker, Disney Dreamlight Valley dev is making a Dungeons & Dragons game.
• In merch news and on AOL, there’s coverage that Lego Is Teasing a Dungeons and Dragons Crossover, Possibly New Minifigures.
• In tabletop game news, Dungeons & Dragons Coming to HeroClix.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

RPG new releases

• Cubicle 7 has published their brand new IP and RPG Broken Weave.
• EN Publishing has released a What’s OLD is NEW Starter Box (aka WOIN).
• Gallant Knight Games has the award-winning and minimalist super RPG levelled up with a new expansion in The H.O.M.E. Handbook.
• It’s a double-whammy from Necrotic Gnome with Old-School Essentials Adventure Anthology 1 and the sequel Adventure Anthology 2.
• Deeply Dapper Games has, complete with solo rules, given us Tombpunk: The Mausoleum Edition.
• Pelgrane Press has released Your Dead Eyes My Mirror.
• Hero Games releases Victorian Hero: Heroic Roleplaying in the Victorian Era.
• Storytellers Forge has published The Black Ballard TTRPG Setting and Campaign.
• Spherechild has a new universal TTRPG of multidimensional adventures and have published the core rulebook.
• Topix Media Lab has published The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying.

RPG bundle deals

• Save $1,080.99 and DO GOOD with this multi-publisher Owen KC Stephens is RAD bundle.
• Save $13.91 (58%) with Ken Tate and the DMsGuild’s Death and Bone Archetypes bundle.
• Save $6.60 (10%) on Rowan, Rook & Decard’s Everything Heart bundle.
• Save $1.44 (21%) in the DMsGuild’s Great Old Might Compendium: Spells and Classes bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• Ben and the Genre Police suggest that Friendship Is M…echanical.
• Brandon Zachary opines Dungeons & Dragons’ Canceled TV Show Plan Is Perfect For D&D’s New Series.
• Leyline Press’ Panayiotis has written A defence of ‘Mother May I’ in tabletop roleplaying games..
• At Dicebreaker, Alex Meehan wonders Is the next version of Dungeons & Dragons coming too late?.
• Ahead of D&D’s Vecna: Eve of Ruin, J.R. Zabrano shares An Adventurer’s Guide to Greyhawk.
• Mike at Sly Flourish offers insights on Running Investigations and Mysteries.
• Last week, we covered NASA launching The Lost Universe and this week LifeHacker writes up How to Play NASA’s First Tabletop RPG.
• Helpfully, and not just for TTRPG Kickstarters, crowdfunding site has written up Kickstarter Fees: A Comprehensive Guide for Creators.

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 mentioning;

• Clockwork Carnage: Quick-adventures for 5e D&D – $1 from Luna Publishing raises funds for “3 Clockwork Horror themed short adventures. Designed generic with 5e-compatibility in mind!”
• The Character Compendium: Over 200 D&D5e NPCs from Cathy Laverock suggests “From merchants to mercenaries, discover a treasure trove of NPCs to enrich your world!”
• The Witch: a One D&D 5E compatible class from PetDM submits “An original take on Witches, adapted for D&D. Compatible with 5E (2014 rulebook) and the One D&D (upcoming 2024 rulebook)”
• 3PAGE RPG from Rush Lilavivat proposes “The three-page table top role-playing game.”
• StoryBake from Dan Walter kickstarts “A TTRPG system about being a magical baker! With 10 unique Specializations and 8 pre-written adventures with inspired recipes!”
• Gary Gygax’s World Builders Archive from Stephen Chenault kickstarts “Level up your setting. The World Builder’s Toolkits will supplement your creative process and help you build stunning fantasy worlds.”
• D100: Mighty Meals from David Ferguson crowdfunds “Enhance your TTRPG experience with this glorious table of 100 Fantasy Meals to use in your Campaign.”
• Uncharted Territories: 1000+ Battle Maps for TTRPG from The Crazy Cartographer introduces “1000+ RPG maps await! For every new backer, we’ll add 1 additional map to the collection. Your search for battle maps ends here.”
• Big Empty Blue #1-2: Graphic Novels & DnD 5E Resources from Marco Antonio Piana offers “A vast Sci-Fantasy universe for all ages. Two graphic novels & 15+ DnD 5E resources! Dive into the Blue and get a FREE welcome bundle!”
• 7-in-1 Ring-Lit Dice for Tabletop Games from Apollo proposes “Our ring-shaped wooden disc fits the tabletop better, ensuring more stable dice rolls.”
• Pirates Rules! for 5E – 2€ from Nerdura Games pitches “Naval adventures for your D&D campaign”
• Pay What You Want, Medieval RPG Town Set 10 from 3DP4U submits “3D Printable STL Files, Terrain for Tabletop, Role Playing Games, Wargames and RPG. Medieval RPG Town Houses – Set 10”
• Master of Realms from The Master Forge proposes “Revolutionize Tabletop 3D Mapmaking: Detailed 2D/3D printed maps and VTT integration for extraordinary adventures!”
• Fantasy Cartography: 101+ Maps for TTRPGs, PNG & VTT Ready from Planarink Editions raises funds for “From DnD 5E and Pathfinder 2E to any medieval settings: Explore our unique Maps pack & Join a thriving player community!”
• Exhuming John Barleycorn from Jeffrey A. Regner proposes “A Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) compatible tabletop roleplaying scenario set in the Shudder Mountains.”
• Tower of the Devil Born Magister- an Adventure for Mork Borg from Crumbling Keep nominates “A 14 page adventure zine for Mork Borg with a hex crawl, random encounters, a dungeon, and a bevy of tables to use in any game.”
• Zander’s Guide to Zombie Hunting from T.A. Gray proposes “Hunt zombies and raise the dead in 5E Dungeons & Dragons. Includes new subclasses, an undead bestiary, spells, magic items and more.”
• “Blood on the Trail” £1 one shot for DnD 5e from Fables in Tables is working on “The road is a dangerous place. Out in the wilds, it’s only a matter of time before you have to circle the wagons and put up a fight.”
• Ghost Pirates of Marion Bay a 5E DND RPG Adventure Module from Zan’s Adventures offers “A hauntingly fun adventure.”
• A Catalogue of Consumables from Andrew Highton offers “A TTRPG resource to stock your cabinets with an array of wonderous and unique potions, poisons and remedies! All from just £1!”
• Echoes: The Dark Portal – Storytelling 3D Printable Scenery from 3DHexes is working on “3D Printable STL Files, Storytelling Terrain for Role Playing Games and Wargames.”
• BX Advanced Bestiary, Vol. 2 from Todd raises funds for “Covering monsters E through K in the second volume of this series.”
• Two-Hand Path from Mikey Hamm pitches “Draw power-ups right onto your mage’s hands in this solo roll-and-write dungeon crawler.”
• The Arcane Realms: Epic Fantasy Setting for 5e from Elowen Frost proposes “Experience the magic of “The Arcane Realms,” a setting for DnD 5e with new Monsters, Subclasses, Magic Items, Spells and much more.”
• Warrior Wizards: Half-Orc Chronicles from Dimi Mini introduces “3D Printable STL files with 72MM & 32MM Scale for RPG Games, Dungeons & Dragons, Tabletop Games, Board Games| Pin-Up Versions”
• Deck of Old-School Encounters Set Three, OSR RPG Cards from Philip Reed raises funds for “A third deck of 72 systemless encounter cards. Can be used with any edition of the classic ampersand RPG. Written by Philip Reed.”
• A Most Fearful Sacrifice 2nd Edition REPRINT! from Mark H. Walker introduces “One of Flying Pig Games most popular tabletop games gets another reprint.”
• The Cult Rises! from Aaron pitches “Establish a cult, protect the faithful, or purge the heretics with a new set of robed, multi-part miniatures for tabletop gaming.”
• Worldbuilding Oracle and Games from Ty Hulse nominates “Solo Journaling Games, Cooperative Games, Tables, Charts, and Information to help you build richer fantasy worlds.”
• Circle of Emberkin: The Salamandancer from Sylvan Arcanum nominates “A New Druid Subclass”
• Fantasy TTRPG Maps – Encounters maps (D&D, Pathfinder, OSR) from Miniatures by Ace submits “Battle maps for tabletop games. Great for D&D, Pathfinder, OSR or other fantasy RPGs.”
• Truth in Fables: Major Arcana System for 5e from Artificer Industries introduces “A custom illustrated deck of the Major Arcana from Tarot featuring mechanics for 5e games.”
• Arcanis Codex of Adventures, Vol II: The Fortress of Secrets from Henry Lopez crowdfunds “Codex of Adventures, vol. II: the Fortress of Secrets is a new mini-campaign and setting book for levels 4 – 9.”
• MasterUp: the Ultimate Toolkit for Live Game Storytelling! from Andrea Baldini nominates “MasterUp is the new frontier of live RPG, combining physical & digital tools to enhance the game mastery and the players’ engagement.”
• Plane: Teleporter Operator Simulator, a solo journaling RPG. from Alin Walker raises funds for “Plane is a wholesome solo journaling RPG where, in a world of endless possibilities, you are but a humble teleporter operator.”
• Pre-Terra : Legacy of the Guardians from Geist Theory Studio for Ludic Diversity offers “Innovate your role-playing experience with Pre-Terra’s game pieces and mobile app support. A 5-player journey for supremacy.”
• Dragonbane: Personalized Heroes (Pregens) Edition from Mr. Dragonbane submits “Let me roll up a personalized hero for you to use in one of your Dragonbane games.”
• Flavor Text Adventures from Flavor Text Adventures submits “Monster-cooking Recipes, and 5e content for your dinner and gaming tables.”
• DnD 5E One Shots of Tesharya Vol 1 – The Legend Begins from Tales & Taverns offers “One Shots on the continent of Tesharya. Join this new and ambitious campaign module concept starting from its first volume. Level 1-3.”
• Breath of Life: The Beguiler from Orphaned Bookworm Productions LLC proposes “A 1-20 tricky spellcasting class for Pathfinder 1st and 2nd edition and 5e compatible TTRPGs”
• 4 Frontier Outposts for any fantasy RPG system from The Oracle nominates “Packed with inspiration for the creative games master to take and use in their games”
• The Side Quest from ConnorC raises funds for “A book filled with quests for you to drag and drop into your own campaigns or run as one shots. From levels 1 to 15!”

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