A busy week! Yours truly is just back from a special screening of Dan da dan, is in an Ingress Shards battle tomorrow and then the charity Kilt Walk to raise money for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.
See! RPGs are escapism! Now on with the summary of escapism!
- Save well over $900 and do good with the TTRPGs for Accessible Gaming Charity bundle.
- Chaosium, who took over the line a while back, has published a free 7th Sea quickstart called Long Live the Prince!
- D&D/Hasbro boss Chris Cocks says all his friends have embraced AI in D&D.
- There’s a battle of words on how/why Gen Con refused to renew the Writers Symposium committee.
- Geek Native has some more tours and exclusives from Tabletop Scotland.
All being well, the podcast will be on Saturday.
Google has closed their podcast service and migrated to YouTube. We’ve followed and you can now listen to the highlights show there. You’ll be one of the few as I’m not sure YouTube is a natural podcast host.
The Social Media page is a handy way to keep track of some of our antics. TikTok, for example, gets occasional use and this week I ate a Mimic for revenge.
Support: Patreon.
RPG news from Geek Native
- It’s a Tabletop Scotland scoop as we find out the next Rivers of London title is Jimmy’s Last Dance.
- On theme, Bronwen notes Haggis 11: TTRPG zinemaker created this 2-page scenario specifically for Tabletop Scotland 2024.
- There’s more from TTS as Bronwen shares a one-shot review of Neon City Overdrive.
- Surprising no one, except apparently the owners, the nu-TSR-linked Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum closes.
- The Bundle of Holding as a deal on the Root RPG.
Spotlight: Tin Star Games
RPG news from around the web
- The granddaughter of the original D&D TV show theme composer will release music that was previously thought to have been lost.
- Hasbro boss, ex-WotC boss, Chris Cocks says the company will use AI for production and that all his friends use it for D&D.
- EN World first used the word “cancelled” and then moved to the still dramatic D&D Player’s Handbook PayPal Orders Suffer Processing Issues.
- E.D.E Bell, the author and programming lead for Gen Con Writers Symposium, outlined grievances and concerns with the way the whole committee was dismissed. Erik Scott de Bie, author and game designer, has had mixed responses to his attempt to dig into the problems. There are questions about how funds have been used and whether the convention is pushing back against proactive diversity.
- Chaosium has published the Shortlist for the $10000 BRP Design Challenge.
- Modiphius have announced and will Kickstarter a new Discworld RPG.
- Free League Publishing confirmed October for the The Electric State RPG.
- Greycastle Press has made public an early version of a database of solo and duet tabletop RPGs. It’s The Tiny Table Index.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Aaron T. Huss reviews Wizards of the Coast – The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons 1970-1977.
- James Maliszewski shared a Retrospective on Boot Hill’s Ballots & Bullets.
- Reviews from R’lyeh stare into the Shadows of Atlantis, catch up with the second edition of the Adventures in Space Doctor Who RPG.
RPG new releases
- Chaosium has published a free 7th Sea quickstart called Long Live the Prince!
- Mi Angell has published a Wild West solo RPG called Esorting the Elite.
- Open Ended Games has released their Against the Darkmaster Game Master’s Guide.
- Caronte has released a campaign for Against the Darkmaster called Once Upon a Time in the Quest.
- Throughtcrime Games released (okay, a few weeks ago) the second edition of Community Radio.
- Pay What You Want for Critical Kit’s horror/western Death Valley.
- Total Party Skills has released their LGBT-themed horror Girls Gone Vampire Cyclopedia.
- Paladinworks Games has published a 5e campaign setting called Coldforged.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $953 (98%) with the Itch.io hosted TTRPGs for Accessible Gaming Charity bundle.
- Save $17.94 (50%) in Hexplore Publishing’s Big Bundle.
- Save $14.95 (56%) with the DMsGuild’s Abimelech’s Subclass Compendium II – I Own The Library! bundle.
- Save $11.20 (40%) in A4 Play’s Companions for 5e bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- In a Tabletop Scotland write-up, I muse on Folklore in fantasy RPGs? Over, under or inappropriately used?.
- Bronwen gets personal and ponders Are newbies welcome at Tabletop Scotland? POV from a first-timer
- Inspiration and old news at the same time as I suggest a possible Session -1.
- Paizo introduces/highlights authors who worked on Year 5 of the Pathfinder Society with the Year of Unfettered Exploration.
- The Alexandria writes up Ptolus: Running the Campaign – Distributing Chaos Lorebooks.
- On Flames Rising, Monica Valentinelli penned Celebrating D&D’s 50th at Game Hole Con XI.
- In RPG adjacent news, EN Publishing’s first non-TTRPG game, one designed by Marc Kenobi, Split the Hoard is now on Tabletopia.
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;
- A Meeting With a Stranger: Tabletop Setting & Campaign from Barry suggests “Compatible with Dungeons and Dragons 5e. This dense world is filled with hundreds of new enemy types, bosses, and NPC’s.”
- Dungeonrunner : Fantasy SOLO dungeon dive card game from James Eisert crowdfunds “Stand-Alone decks for the Dungeonrunner Fantasy Solitaire card game! You DO NOT need previous decks to play!”
- Pocket Watch Case with Bronze Dice Set Perfect for RPG, DnD from mythicmindwork kickstarts “Our pocket watch case, featuring a Cthulhu design, includes a set of seven dice”
- Your Hero’s History from Jerry Joe Seltzer suggests “Build a backstory from your character’s proficiencies for D&D 2024 & 5e”
- Altar Craft: Arcane Tools for Witchcraft RPG Games and Magic from David Savedge proposes “A Collection of Handcrafted Pewter Runes, Wands, and Magical Artifacts for Magic and Games!”
- D&D 5e: The Eye of the Storm (Short Adventure) from Chaotic Neutral Visionary crowdfunds “A D&D 5e adventure where heroes must battle ancient forces in a temple consumed by storms.”
- A Clash of Horns: A 5e one shot quest from Ardann Creative offers “Break the siege upon a merchant town”
- ALCHEMIST’S ANNEX- A ‘Compatible with Mörk Borg’ Expansion from Zach R offers “20 new monsters, 80 new arcane catastrophes, 64 new unheroic feats, 20+ new powers, new alternate and optional rules, and more.”
- Overworld Omnibus for 5e and DCC RPG – TTRPG Monster Manual from Eric Bloat suggests “Inspired by retro video games. Collects Overworld, Nightworld, Pipeworld, Roboworld, and Space Station M into an 8.5″x11″ Hardcover”
- The Dice Bag Expansion Project 2 from Alice introduces “Storage bag for dice, coins, tokens, tiles, gems and crystals with a personalised design To help expand our business”
- Big n’ Squishy Foam D20’s & Designer Dice Sets from Dicebound submits “Bring some whimsy to your table with our Big n’ Squishy Foam D20’s and our brand new dice designs!”
- Reaver: Sword & Sorcery Role-Playing Game from Joseph Salvador crowdfunds “Merging a unique die-chain mechanic with a deadly ancient-world setting to bring you heroic adventure with more grit and less gonzo!”
- Constellations’ Descend: AQUARIUS – A DnD 5E Adventure! from Stars Aligned offers “A D&D 5e adventure that integrates Zodiac Signs and their powers in Celestial Items and introduces unique Zodiac Sign Mechanics!”
- Trailblazer from Cedric Ennis nominates “A Sci-Fi/Western Table Top Roleplaying Game Set in Space.”
- Deck of More Ensorcelled Weapons, for 5e RPG Campaigns from Philip Reed kickstarts “A set of 50 weapon cards for use with 5e fantasy games. May be used on its own, or combined with the first set!”
- Dice Relics | Dice, Hand-made Dice Boxes ＆ Printable Towers from Mata’s Miniature Wonder submits “Relic dice, hand painted dice boxes with surprises, and dice towers! Printable stl and painted physical available!”
- A Haunting in the Bailiwick – A 5E Halloween adventure from De Mammoet Codex introduces “A TTRPG Halloween adventure based on Dutch legends and customs”
- Terra Incognita – Retro 80s Fantasy Style RPG from Andrew Frinkle raises funds for “A Pulp Fantasy 5E Mod with Dark Magic and Futuristic Technology: a mashup of 80s fantasy cartoons, comics, games, and RPGs!”
- The Amazing Universe: Super Hero TTRPG Campaign Setting from Louis Porter Jr. proposes “The Superhero Campaign Setting for the 3rd edition of the Mutants and Masterminds Superhero TTRPG game”
- ⚡ A Hill to Die On: A 5E+ Adventure from One-Eyed Werebear Gaming crowdfunds “With resources scarce and the clock ticking, every decision could mean the difference between victory and the end of the world 💀”
- SIDEQUEST Annual Year 3 from Icarus Games crowdfunds “Another Year of Best-Selling 5e Content Available in Print for the First Time”
- Wild Imaginary West RPG // with Boylei Hobby Time from Rune Foundry submits “Hunt monsters in the Wild Imaginary West using grit, mechs, traps, and more. From the world of skilled crafter Boylei Hobby Time.”
- Dice Coins Reborn – for D&D 5e, Pathfinder, & Fantasy RPG’s. from Goliath Coins crowdfunds “An evolution of dice and coins that offers a more immersive gaming experience! Original Dice Coins reborn with a base unit & new size.”
- Root: The Roleplaying Game—Ruins and Rolls from Magpie Games crowdfunds “Root: The Roleplaying Game returns with a new supplement—Ruins & Expeditions—and new faction inclusion dice from Fanroll!”
- Dark Dice: Unnatural Horrors for 5th Edition from Travis Vengroff proposes “Terrifying Monsters, Horror-Themed Adventure, Dark Magic Items, Expanded Sanity Rules, and the True Necromancer Class!”
- The Bandit Queen: A 5e Adventure from Professor Bleen submits “A customizable swashbuckling adventure, with charming brigands, a dastardly villain, and a fiery finale! Includes a bonus adventure!”
- The Rise of Vaporia – A Dieselpunk D&D 5E campaign from Professor Dudley Proose pitches “DnD homebrew supplement for new adventurers from levels 1 to 5. Perfect for TTRPG lovers and Steampunk & DieselPunk afficionados!”
- The Court of Tatterdemalion A universal supplement for 5e from Black Lodrac submits “Uncover a unique criminal guild! 100+ pages of NPCs, maps, and scenario. Enrich your urban adventures with distinctive locations.”
- Randomica: d100 Trinket Tables from WereRabbit Press introduces “A series of 500+ unique trinket tables for multiple settings. Works with 5E, 2024, and any other TTRPG!”
- 3D Printable Dice Towers and Castle from The Clover Leaves raises funds for “3D Printable Fantasy Dice Tower STLs for Board Games & Tabletop RPGs. Expertly Optimized for Support-Free 3D Printing on FDM Printers.”
- Alien Sanctuary – A Sci-fi Tabletop Eco Tycoon Game from Toby Lancaster crowdfunds “A print and play, roll and write, solo player game from Toby Lancaster the designer of 2D6 Dungeon”
- The Carnival of Forgotten Smiles: A 5E-compatible One-Shot from Crits & Crafts proposes “Uncover the dark secrets behind a mysterious carnival in this thrilling one-shot for 5E.”
- Golden Age of Piracy: 1718 from Compass Games pitches “Set sail for adventure as a legendary pirate captain in this solitaire, tactical-level sandbox game by Joe Carter.”
- 5 Hand-Drawn Maps for TTRPGs from Artifex Worlds submits “Drawn and coloured with pens, paper and markers. One is well-known: Cragmaw Hideout, and the others are all original designs.”
- The Soulforged and The Enchained – DnD 5.5e/5e Class Modules from Zach submits “Unleash Legendary Power: The Soulforged and The Enchained Homebrew Classes for Dungeons and Dragons 5.5e (5e compatible).”
- The Forests Of Illusion: A Mysterious Race For Power For 5e from Mizo Games is working on “Enter the mists, face the illusions and race to claim the power of the cosmic dragon before reality fades away.”
- WINGS OF VALOUR from Mitchell Tierney pitches “World War I Solo Role-Playing Game”
- Fabled Beginnings: A Fiery Wish from Fabled Adventurers Extraordinaire Games offers “D&D 5E High-level play for low-level parties, starring the Plane of Fire”
- 3D Printable Dice Towers – Halloween Special from Fantasy3DTabletop crowdfunds “3D Printable Fantasy/Halloween Dice Towers for Board Games and Tabletop RPGs. Optimized for Support-free 3D Printing on FDM Printers.”
- Wilderness Hex-A-Day Calendar and Workbook from Todd kickstarts “A system agnostic daily calendar, each day with a unique wilderness hex to add to your game.”
- TinyCon.Events – The Tiny but Mighty TTRPG Events Manager. from Digital Gnomes,LLC proposes “Organize and discover game meetups or cons effortlessly. Tailored for gamers, from casual meetups to epic con weekends.”
- CHAINSAW from Driftwood Archives kickstarts “A rules light, art heavy TTRPG inspired by horror movies and slasher franchises. Based on Mörk Borg.”
- D100 NPC Lists from Jason DM raises funds for “100 NPCs for your RPG games.”
Do you know of an RPG news source that we don’t? Let us know, or leave a comment below.
