It’s been a busy D&D week! And it’s Origins Game Fair so perhaps why others are keeping their heads down?
Here’s the TTRPG summary of summaries!
- You can pre-order the D&D 2024 books, and sites like Roll20 have bonus offers.
- Origins Game Fair is on.
- It’s been quiet on Kickstarter (a Christmas-like Heat low in our tracker).
- EN World’s Morrus has asked whether Evil Genius Games might be breaking their blockchain promise.
- Saturday is Free RPG Day
In the dim and distant past, this blogger ran a tabletop RPG club at school for years. Tomorrow, I’m heading off to a 30th-anniversary reunion! Who else did TTRPGs at school?
Every week, I track launches in the tabletop games section of Kickstarter for the Kickstarter Heat calculation. This week, the figures are really low, perhaps due to the rapid approach of D&D 2024 and the Origins Game Fair.
What’s really on my mind for the Kickstarter Heat project is whether I should track some of the other platforms, like GameFound and BackerKit. It’ll be a big ask, but would it also provide big value?
On with the news!
Support: Patreon.
RPG news from Geek Native
- Yep! The D&D 2024 hype is building, and you can get a Roll20 bonus if you pre-order the set.
- somanyrobotsshared tips on how to Run a searfaring campaign like a breeze.
- Geek Native took a look at the stunning art in Queerz.
- We also took a quick look at the equally quick-to-play Quick Quest solo RPG.
- Bronwen wrote up the DMsGuild bundle Vecna: Eve of Ruin DMs Checklist.
- On a blaze, Bronwen also had the Humble deal for Maps Extravaganza Revisited.
- Whereas, I did the traditional bullet points for Metamorphosis Alpha and the Esper Genesis.
Spotlight: Ganesha Games
RPG news from around the web
- Tomorrow is Free RPG Day, and at EN World Egg Embry has written a guide.
- Watchful Morrus asks Is Evil Genius Games Doubling Down On NFTs & Blockchain?.
- ICv2 notes Wizards of the Coast announces more ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ 50th anniversary play series events.
- Perhaps channelling some Skyrim flashbacks at GamesRadar, Abigail Shannon writes up New D&D core rulebooks finally give your player character a house.
- Henry St Leger argues New D&D Player’s Handbook flips character creation on its head.
- ComicBook’s Christian Hoffer gives us Dungeons & Dragons Shows Off Redesigned Tiamat.
- Rob at Forbes has An Official First Look At The Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Core Rulebooks.
- At ScreenRant, Ben Brosofsky goes with Greyhawk Is Coming Back To D&D In A Major Way, But With A Big Caveat.
- At Warhammer, Timothy Linward picks Retro DnD world Greyhawk returns in new Dungeon Master’s Guide.
- Roleplayers Chronicle shares the news that Modiphius to Publish Ubisoft’s Heroes of Might & Magic® Tabletop RPG.
- Chaosium announced that Lands of RuneQuest: Dragon Pass will be available in October.
- Pink News’ Amelia Hansford writes up Trailblazing trans politician Zooey Zephyr uses Dungeons & Dragons to explore gender and politics
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- bOiNG bUiNG’s Gareth Branwyn opines Neon Skies, a standout cyberpunk TTRPG worth your attention.
- Destructoid’s Eleanor Hingley reviewed Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
- MJR RPG reviews Servants of the Lake.
- ScreenRant says The Making Of Original Dungeons & Dragons 1970-1977 Review: A Must-Have For D&D Historians.
- Flames Rising pens Dive Deep into D&D’s Origin with The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons 1970-1977.
- Tribality also joins in with a The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 review.
- Technical RPG has a review of D&D’s Spelljammer Adventures in Space.
- Reviews from R’lyeh takes a look at the Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2024.
- Bell of Lost Souls shares Pendragon 6E’s First Campaign – ‘The Grey Knight’ – Is Huge.
- At TableTop Games Blog, Oliver Kinne reviewed UK Games Expo and included links to other reviews, but none of Geek Native’s coverage. :(
- Jared Rascher shares a review of Fantasy Age 2e’s Return to the Valley of Whispering Titans and first impressions of Coyote & Crow’s Creep.
- CBR has a review for foodies with Dungeonmeister: The Deck of Many Drinks Adds Fun & Flavor To Your Game.
- TheRatHole.ca has a designer interview with Bran Lavgine.
- Polygon’s Charlie Hall interviewed the team in Warhammer 40K meets D&D in new series starring former Games Workshop presenters.
RPG new releases
- Play as a classic monster fighting the real evils of this world in Black Lantern’s MANSTERS.
- Jackdaw Roleplaying Games goes back to a mythical 17th-century with Wraiths of Wessex.
- Brittannia Game Designs has published their d100 Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook One.
- SideQuests released Horror Stories for Fifth Edition.
- Renegade Game Studios has released the Essence20 My Little Pony Roleplaying Game Story of the Seasons Adventure & Sourcebook.
- Adam Brown has released Darker Futures: System Agnostic Generators for Cyberpunk and Tech Future Roleplaying.
- Chaotic Cartography released the d10 sci-fi Awoken RPG Handbook.
- Darklight has published the Year Zero Engine-powered Eldritch: An Otherworldly RPG.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $14.95 (30%) in Valeur RPG’s Wanderer’s Guide to Merchants & Magic PDF + Roll20 bundle.
- Save $4.73 (36%) with Nuelow Games’ Blue Beetle Trilogy bundle.
- Save $4.00 (40%) in the Chaosium CC bundle Lost and Found for PDF and Roll20.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Isabel Ramirez took Southwark News Inside the only Dungeons and Dragons-themed-pub in south London.
- Chant at Rowan, Rook, and Decard penned Writing DIE scenarios part 1: Preparation.
- Vincent Baker shares In Brief, the Problem of RPG Design.
- Deeper in the Game wrote up Informed vs Uninformed Tools.
- At What Do I Know? Jared Rascher puts together a Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing roundup.
- Puerto Rico tops the tables in Technical RPG’s How Popular is Dungeons and Dragons in your Country Compared to Others? 2024 Update.
- Games Workshop released new Warhammer merch, including plushies, and shops like Just Geek have them already.
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;
- Kobold Quest: From Ashes to Empire from Amarik pitches “A Dungeons and Dragons 5e, Pathfinder, and OSR campaign where you play as kobolds”
- DCC Adventure: Pirates of the Goblin River from Matt Funk nominates “Legends of Lohre folklore-based roleplay for DCC delivers its most action-packed adventure module yet with Pirates of the Goblin River.”
- Gary’s Appendix: Issue 6 – Dragons! from Jeffrey Jones submits “A Zine for Old School Essentials and the OSR”
- Fabled Empire: A D&D 5E Fairytale Fantasy Setting Supplement from Nat Handsome Games pitches “200+ Pages of Monsters, Villains, Denizens, Magic Items, Spells, Player Options, and more! Tell your own DnD 5th Edition fairytales.”
- Endless Adventures: A Treasure Trove of Random Encounters from Steven Chabotte proposes “A Compendium of Adventure Seeds for Every Terrain – Usable in any Tabletop Role Playing Game”
- Classic DUNGEON Adventures (sort of) from Unusual Adventures crowdfunds “Enter the zany world of the absurd and the unusual, where the escapades are as hilariously twisted as a goblin’s logic”
- WERDHOLE – modular terrain with props | STL FILES from Tialja Design raises funds for “Dungeon Tiles for Dungeon ´s and Dragons | modular RPG terrain |28-32mm Scale | 3D printable STL FILES! Scatter Props”
- Now That You’re Dead – The Roleplaying Game from Eric Bloat is working on “Inspired by The Shining, The Sixth Sense, Odd Thomas, and X-Files.”
- Dungeon Tile System: Arrowslits & Cornerstones from Mario Barbati kickstarts “Additional tiles for the rest of us!”
- Techromancer: A Pamphlet Adventure for Mothership from Crumbling Keep introduces “A horrific science fantasy adventure for the Mothership RPG, with a time tracker, audio clips, and a severed head that won’t shut up.”
- Riches of Ravenstead: RPG Coins, Dice, and Treasures from David Savedge raises funds for “A collection of handcrafted fine pewter, brass, and iron treasures for role playing games!”
- Vermilium: Blood Hunt from Ben Giles proposes “A collection of bloody adventures for the Savage Worlds setting, Vermilium”
- OTHALA’S FORTUNE from Space Delirium pitches “Rune Dice Set”
- Fantasy Cartography Vol. 2: 100+ Maps for TTRPGs – JPG & VTT from Planarink Editions raises funds for “Designed for DnD 5E / D&D 2E, Pathfinder, CoC or any medieval settings: Explore our unique 3D Map pack // Printed maps available!”
- Bizarre Kingdoms for Savage Worlds from Travis Legge kickstarts “A Setting Expansion for Odysseys & Overlords Second Edition and SWADE Fantasy”
- MAPS FOR FANTASY RPGs Workbook 2 – Softcover Book of Maps! from Laidback Dungeon Master introduces “Workbook with hand-drawn, full color maps! Write notes & stock YOUR dungeons, on YOUR shelf! DnD 5e OSR OSE D&D Pathfinder Runequest”
- Manifest: Kith and Kin | American Cryptids & Campfire Tales from J.R.L. Glenn proposes “Take your Fantasy TTRPG Westward as a Bigfoot, Mothman, and more! Manifest Setting Guide: Vol 1 – D&D 5E and Pathfinder 2E Compatible.”
- The Sunken Galleon – A D&D 5e Underwater Adventure! from DiceQuest crowdfunds “Take on the role of deep divers as you explore the depths of the ocean floor in this DnD One-Shot Adventure.”
- Wings of Dread: A 5E Dragon-Slaying Adventure from Eric Bleney kickstarts “A dangerous quest to defeat a black dragon and save a kingdom from fiery ruin.”
- Additional Development for TileForge software from Battlegrounds Games, LLC crowdfunds “Help fund the development of new features to make this software more robust and allow the app to achieve its true potential”
- The Wych Elm from Mountainland Games pitches “A TTRPG one-shot written for 5e and Shadowdark. Explore the mystery of Bella and the Wych Elm.”
- ShadowSpark Dungeon Encounter Cards from Philip Reed suggests “A deck of 50 encounter cards for the Shadowdark roleplaying game.”
- d12 Monthly Annual (Year One) from Russell Allert submits “All original 8 Issues of My Dungeons & Dragons Zine, d12 Monthly, in One Book”
- Touchscreen Digital TableTop with Custom VTT Software from Mark Simon offers “Turn any table into the ultimate game table!”
- Oddfeld’s Guide to the Thornwood – DnD 5E Supplement from Dungeons, Drive-inns, and Dice raises funds for “A comprehensive guide to the unique flora and fauna of the Thornwood and the people who call it home.”
- Plug & Play Dungeons for RPGs – $1 USD from Goblin’s Hoard is working on “An essential addition to any GM’s dungeon collection, suitable for D&D 5e, Pathfinder, OSR, and various other TTRPG systems!”
- Smacked Down: The Art of Death from John Kero is working on “A Death Match supplement for Smacked Down featuring John Wayne Murdoch, Shlak, Dr. Redacted, and more!”
- Hit Success Dice Compatible With d6 Systems from Rook Robot crowdfunds “A fun way to speed up your games that use six sided dice systems. Compatible with many d6 systems including Warhammer.”
- Penny Dreadfuls: Disturbance at Lockwood Asylum from Luna Publishing nominates “The second full length 5e module from Luna Publishing! Explore the grounds of a terrifying insane asylum in this horror-themed module.”
- Adventurers Ledger – D&D 5th Edition Quest Log from Dungeon Designs raises funds for “A custom journal to track the adventure of all your characters. From the good and bad, to all the DM infuriating moments.”
- Chronicles of Azure Bay – A Whimsical Pirate Setting For D&D from Dominic M. pitches “A pirate-themed campaign hub for fantasy TTRPGS: Easy adventures, a full region to explore, new items, battlemaps, and 60+ SideQuests!”
- Starship Scavengers: Firebird Down from The Grinning Frog crowdfunds “An action packed solo RPG adventure for our Starship Scavengers rules”
Do you know of an RPG news source that we don’t? Let us know, or leave a comment below.
