Routinely Itemised: RPGs #296

It’s Friday! Treat yourself and that might well mean supporting a local food business and an indie publisher with your patronage. :)

Here’s the summary of TTRPG news summaries;

• Netflix picked up the abandoned D&D TV show.
• Chaosium released QuestWorlds
• Jared Rascher has stopped writing RPG reviews
• A collective of TTRPG publishers support Queer Love.

Last Saturday, despite being out at a convention, we managed to get the Audio EXP podcast up. Boldly, we’re trying the same again this Saturday! This week, there’s the charity Capital Sci-Fi Con in Edinburgh out at the o2.

We can’t promise, but we can be bullish.

Oh, if you’re feeling in the mood for some doom and gloom, then Geek Native now has an abandoned ring emulator.

On with this week’s news!

Spotlight: Dunderdagar.

RPG news from Geek Native

• Following last week’s surprising news, I talked to Jared Rascher about his decision to stop writing RPG reviews.
• Geek Native published an interview with Derek Kean the new over of ANVL.
• Demiplane released their next big update with the Cyberpunk RED character tools.
• With Astraelith’s expert guidance, we have a guide on how to play LichLight Imprints’ The Archivium.
• Geek Native picked up John R Mullaney’s illustrations for the Alien RPG Evolved Edition.
• Evil Hat Productions are playtesting an official Blades in the Dark supplement that advances the timeline 100 years. It’s Blades ’68 and free.
• We have a wee art gallery from Black Lantern Production’s success Immortals RPG.
• Geek Native posted the cover reveal of Household’s Winter Never Ends.
• The Bundle of Holding has an offer on Triple Ace Games’ League of Adventures.
• On Humble, there’s a mixed media bundle for Pathfinder Kingmaker.
• Numerous TTRPG publishers bandied together for Queer Love.

Support: Patreon

RPG news from around the web

• Collider was one of the many news sites to note that Live-Action’ Dungeons & Dragons’ Series Is Resurrected at Netflix After Paramount+ Cancellation.
• Rob Heinsoo announces little demons two weeks of 13th Age 2E page spreads.
• Christian Hoffer notes that Dungeons & Dragons Dumps Disclaimers From Book Credits Page.
• Goodman Games announces that Registration Now Open for DCC Indie Creator Summit!.
• Wizards of the Coast are hiring a D&D Worldbuilder.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• Reviews from R’lyeh writes up The Breach.
• Throat Punch Games has a ring side report of CthulhuTech: The Shadow War Quick-Start Rules (V2).
• The TTRPG Factory has a guest review on Boomstick.
• James Maliszewski reviews Gary Gygax’s Dangerous Journeys.
• Nerdarchy reviews The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons.
• Ill Met by Morrslieb reviewed Deft Steps Light Fingers (WFRP 4e).
• PC Gamers’ Robin Valentine looks at Legend in the Mist with This tabletop RPG has one of the cleverest ways of teaching you the rules I’ve ever seen—and it’s inspired by a D&D set from over 40 years ago.
• For New Gamemaster Month, Kobold Press interviewed Livi Rose.
• At EN World, Christian Hoffer has the Jeremy Crawford Interview: The Monster Manual and More.

RPG new releases

• Chaosium has released its setting-agnostic rules engine, QuestWorlds.
• Rowan, Rook & Decard have published a campaign for Heart: The City Beneath with Dagger in the Heart.
• Acheron Games has released two supplements for Brancalonia;
  • Spaghetti Fantasy Bestiary.
  • Furious Lands and Other Dirty Jobs.
• Shadomain releases the Cypher System-powered Hint.
• Mathieu Atallah publishes the cyberpunk TTRPG Montreapolis.
• Moon Lodge Games has released the psychedelic sword and sandal RPG The Golden Age of Khares.
• Darrin Drader Designs has published the 2nd edition of Reign of Discordia.
• Land of the Blind has released their pulp fantasy TTRPG Vagabond.
• Super Blood Moon Studios has published a quickstart guide for Realms of Elghrune

RPG bundle deals

• Save $70.36 (80%) in the DMsGuild’s CZRPG 5 Years bundle.
• Save $67.48 (90%) in Kobold Press’ Deep Magic Volume 1 (Roll20 + PDF) bundle.
• Save $14.95 (25%) with the DMsGuild’s Greyhawk Campaign Guide print upgrade bundle.
• Save $1.98 (20%) with the DMsGuild’s Blood on the Trail PDF and Roll20 bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• Minerva at Rowan, Rook & Decard shared the Voidheart Symphony blog The Big Picture.
• The Alexandrian discusses the campaign Ptolus and Running Darkness.

RPG Crowdfunding

You can find the Kickstarter campaigns that have caught Geek Native’s attention at Kickstarter watch. Here are some noteworthy industry projects to mention:

• DAMN—A D6 War Game & TTRPG from D.B. Spitzer kickstarts “A D6 WAR GAME of endless battles, bizarre beasts, nightmare-fueled vehicles, and strange soldiers”
• Chronicles of the Finite State Machine from Krystal Jackson raises funds for “Survive and explore a cyberpunk future in this mini solo tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) zine.”
• Streetlights & Shadows and The Maltese Falcon Adventure from Tabletops and Tentacles crowdfunds “The ZineQuest edition of the film noir detective roleplaying game and a solo case file based on the Maltese Falcon!”
• Famous By Our Swords from Eoin McCormack pitches “Developing a tabletop RPG lite skirmish game with its own low fantasy high stakes setting.”
• MAXIMALISM – One-Shot to Save the Universe from Ross submits “A rules-light art-heavy RPG zine of god-frogs, sorcerers, & multiversal chaos.”
• Lords of the Pit 5E Adventure: Cacophony on Wings of Night from Enemy Line Publishing nominates “A 48-page 5E-compatible adventure into a frozen volcano to recover a sentient musical instrument, prevent an eruption, and save a town!”
• Castle of the Veiled Queen from Nerd Sirens nominates “Beyond Corny Groń – Other Paths vol. I – an adventure module zine”
• Driftwood from Aeon Cub offers “A solo post-apocalyptic journaling ttrpg about meeting survivors and getting to the end of a road.”
• Lineages of the Long White Cloud, Volume 2 from Kelly Whyte proposes “A 5e supplement based on Aotearoa New Zealand’s wildlife”
• TROUBLESHOOTER from Brian is working on “Do Crimes, Destroy the Corpostate!”
• Askew – 1990s Slacker Subculture & Supernatural TTRPG from Eric Bloat crowdfunds “Just because they save you, doesn’t mean they like you!”
• 🛡️ INITIATIVE: An RPG-Inspired To-Do List from Marc Copes crowdfunds “✅ Level up your habits ✅ Attack your tasks ✅ Live your own campaign!”
• Sad Hotdog Man: Space “Oddyssey” (Zine Quest 2025) from Woody Arnold crowdfunds “We’re taking the Sad Hotdog Man and all our quirky characters from their comic zine world into your favorite 5e compatible game.”
• A Song For A Serpent King – a solo journalling RPG from Ella Lim suggests “Travel across the causeway and sing your song to the Serpent King to lull him to sleep. #ZineQuest”
• Growing Thylacine: A Pamphlet Zine TTRPG from Pidj Sorensen is working on “The cloned Thylacine embodiment game contained in a risograph gate-fold zine. A ZineMonth project.”
• Tales from the Dungeon: Deadly Dungeons! from Skylar Simmons raises funds for “The ninth issue of Tales from the Dungeon, a RPG zine compatible with your favorite RPG #ZineQuest”
• MIMIC DICE TOWER – STL FILES – 3D PRINTABLE from TANIA submits “3D PRINTABLE- DICE TOWERS FOR BOARD GAMES – RPG – WAR GAMES – STL FILES – TABLETOP – DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS – MIMIC – 3D Printing on FDM”
• Cat-acomb adventurer dice from Oammararak Suchimonsri submits “The brave cat adventure around the dungeon.”
• Bowels of the Forest: A 5e Horror Adventure from Ava’s Adventures nominates “In this dnd adventure, players are tasked with rescuing a child, Rosa Greene, who went missing in the grim Gulmilin Woods. Ai-Free.”
• Gallery of Puzzles & Traps for Dungeons & Dragons 5e from Ready to Play introduces “A collection of 20 encounters of puzzles and traps for the 5th edition of D&D.”
• The Lost Opus of the Lich Bard: A Shadowdark Adventure Zine from Arbitrio Games submits “Are you brave enough to destroy the song that killed thousands…or just bold enough to loot their remains?”
• Deck for Dungeons & Dragons 5e or Old School Essentials RPGs from P. House Games crowdfunds “Cryptid-themed RPG Bestiary Deck”
• Maximum Mayhem: Phantom of the Scarlet Heart + 30 FREE PDFS from Mark Taormino is working on “A SOFTCOVER + PDF Module for Levels 5-8 AD&D 1E or OSR RPGS! SHIPS IN MARCH 2025! You Also Get ALL 30+ OF OUR OTHER PDFS for FREE!”
• FoldPlay: The premium folding gaming table from Rapcom submits “A designed gaming table crafted from premium materials, featuring numerous extras and enhanced functionality. Made in Slovenia, Europe”
• Avon By The Sea – A 321RPG Zine from John McGuire submits “A seaside horror adventure for 321RPG: Kids face vampires in a storm-ravaged town with streamlined, cinematic gameplay.”
• Lost Phantosmia from KeganExe raises funds for “Lost Phantosmia is a dark & fragrant system neutral dungeon for your favorite old school style roleplaying games.”
• Games for an Ordinary Life — A poetic art zine of tiny games from Jacob Wolf Lefton kickstarts “A collection of short, sweet and dangerous games written during the 36-Word RPG Jam in January 2025 and some custom artwork.”
• Wizard Sea Chronicles: Volume 2 from Christophor Rick & Magnetic Spaghetti raises funds for “The next system agnostic piece of the Wizard Sea region. This time the focus is Lakeside, on the northern coast of the sea.”
• Jekyll or Hyde, A Gothic Horror D&D 5e Adventure from Laurie kickstarts “Embrace or Escape the Monster Within in this Gothic Horror Adventure for D&D 5e”
• Monster Pamphlets Reprint: Issues 1-7 from Arlin proposes “Monsters! Art! Zines! A collection of original Risograph printed Monster Zines for fantasy tabletop roleplaying games.”
• A Perfect Rock from Deep Dark Games offers “A planet-building adventure TTRPG. Explore the stars, make planets from rocks, and find a place to call home.”
• Tales from Talanya from Jennifer & Madeline introduces “A social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and tabletop roleplaying game made by educators for educators.”
• Pookie Vampire Dice Set from Brother Ming Games crowdfunds “Gemstone dice sets and coffin dice boxes inspired by everyone’s favorite D&D vampire.”
• Pocketfold Adventures from Adventures Await is working on “A collection of playable stories in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure books.”
• Bibi’s Stolen Hearts Club: Romanceable NPC & 100 Quests! from Quill’s Tiny Quests submits “Prepare to get your heart stolen by a new catfolk romanceable character, story hooks, and 100+ thieves’ guild quests!”
• THE SINGULARITY WILL HAPPEN IN LESS THAN A YEAR from Sixpence Games raises funds for “A game of community just before the end of the world, inspired by The Quiet Year”
• Solarcrawl | OSR Exploration in a Fantastic Space Age from Galen Pejeau submits “An orbital-fantasy, hexcrawling tabletop roleplaying game, compatible with many OSR systems”
• Bramble Heart – Woodland Encounters 01 | STLs + 5e Rules from Kraken Games Lab introduces “3D Printable Miniatures + 5E Compatible Monster Stat Sheets for RPG & Tabletop Gaming! Download the FREE Mini at krakengameslab.com”
• Lands of Occult: Sites of the Old Gods V.1 from Redal Velis suggests “Explore a world of occult terrains with this collection of high-resolution, super detailed battle maps for TTRPGs, wargames and more!”
• Against Time and Death from Nick Bate pitches “A duet storytelling game about a forbidden relationship between two elite operatives on opposite sides of a multiversal time war.”
• Enamel Pin Bestiary from Morgan Hubbart kickstarts “17 Pins to choose from of legendary Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop RPG hard enamel pins, each featuring a D20 and mythical creatures!”
• Silver Age: A Mark of the Odd Game of Werewolves from R. Rook Studio crowdfunds “A tabletop RPG of bad moons, small towns, monstrous heroes, and sacred metals.”
• Tail-End Charlie from Alex White introduces “A solo game about the risky lives of tail-gunners in Bomber Command”
• Fabula Solo from Peter Rudin-Burgess suggests “Solo Roleplaying Rules compatible with Fabula Ultima RPG”
• Salt the Earth from Quinn Blackwell kickstarts “An RPG zine where survival is carved into flesh, written in blood & paid for with your last breath.”
• DARK GIFT from Alexei Vella nominates “A Cooperative Game of Vile Necromantic Intent Inspired by Cave Evil, Mörk Borg & Forbidden Psalm.”
• ARSENAL 7: Tabletop Gaming Hoodie with Secret Pockets from Spindle Collective nominates “MADE IN USA | 8 Time Creator | Padded Elbows | Paracord | True Unisex Fit | D&D | War Gaming | Card Gaming | Fantasy | 6 Colors”
• Tourist Hole from Mike Martens kickstarts “The quick-play RPG of fateful roadtrips.”
• “It’s What My Character Would Do”: The TTRPG from Shana Rosenberg crowdfunds “A TTRPG one shot for #ZineQuest about being awful for funsies and investigating meta concepts on the side”
• Heavy Metal Monster Manual! from greedygorgonpress submits “100 Hard Rockin’ Monsters for 5E DnD! Bring the metal to your battles!”
• Feasts and Fortune! from Zen Locke raises funds for “A short OSR dungeon crawl for your favorite fantasy TTRPG. Loosely inspired by a popular anime.”
• SIX THRONES OF BONE from Gallant Knight Games crowdfunds “A solo RPG of paladins hunting down and slaying the Necromancers who ruined your world.”
• Just Cause Universe: A Prowlers & Paragons TTRPG worldbook from Local Hero Press submits “An official supplement for the Prowlers & Paragons TTRPG system, based upon Ian Thomas Healy’s Just Cause Universe novels.”
• The World Well (And Friends) from Steve Darlington pitches “Not one but three incredible zines. Build worlds. Fight the robot wars. Be a tiny doggy.”
• Orc-Astra from Tremor Mezes raises funds for “A grotesque role-playing game about scorned outcasts who dance, rage, and defy their fate.”
• Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature – Delver 17 and Runes 6 from James Floyd Kelly proposes “Delver and Runes – Two Zines for GMs and Players of OSR Fantasy RPGs”
• Epic Props: The Adventurer’s Tomes from Mojibake kickstarts “3D STL Printable Tomes – Stylish Storage Solutions for Every Adventurer! Multicolor printing files included!”
• Loop Unlimited – A Fantasy Gonzo Setting – #ZineQuest from Waku Waku Press submits “Loop Unlimited: Your money right now, your whole afterlife to reimburse your loan!”
• Disposable Future (Zinequest) from Joshua LH Burnett raises funds for “A Cyberpunk RPG Marked by the Odd”
• AMBR Cards™ for Teaching & Learning D&D Combat from AAW Games offers “AMBR Cards™ for Teaching & Learning D&D Combat”
• 100 Unique Stores and Businesses for D&D 5e! from Paws for Effect suggests “A DnD 5e supplement featuring a wide variety of stores and businesses, ready to drop into any campaign!”
• Monster Miniatures: Folio of Fiends Vol V from Rocket Pig Games kickstarts “The fifth installment of creature collections for tabletop gaming & dungeon crawl adventures! Always .stl format for your 3D printer.”
• The Deck of Wild Twists – 100 Narrative Plot Twists from Kickgames submits “Unexpected Betrayals, Cosmic Shenanigans, and Reality-Bending Surprises—100 Story Twists to Keep Your Players on Their Toes!”
• Mimic Dice Mug Sip’n’Roll Tower from SunnyAndAppleProd crowdfunds “Don’t Get Mimicked, Get Mugged (by Awesome Dice Rolls)!”
• Brews of Wonder: 50 Potions for Every Adventure 5e/ONE D&D from DM-FLYNN introduces “From Healing to Havoc: Potions for Every Tabletop Hero”
• EMPYREAN The Hyperfantasy RPG from Hyperfantasy Handbooks introduces “Experience a role playing setting/system that fuses Dungeons and Dragons 3E, Pathfinder 1E, and the d20 Multiverse for Any Adventure!”
• OSR D&D Modules – Bundle of 5 Zines | Zine Quest 2025 from Fish Fish Collective crowdfunds “5 distinct adventures filled with exciting dungeons, magical items, and spooky encounters. Zine Quest 2025.”
• Neon City Blues from Eric Brunsell offers “Cybernoir, Carved from Brindlewood”
• CATCH ME IF YOU CANT: The Secret Language of Thieves… from Gametee raises funds for “… And how you may learn to speak it. A Thieves’ Cant supplement Ideal for TTRPG Players and Game Masters. System Agnostic!”
• ENTER NEUROCHATEAU! from Yakamo nominates “An old-school TTRPG depthcrawl zine centered around exploring the metaphysical manifestation of the primordial Ruby Dragon’s mind.”
• Heartbeat Highschool ♥ from Onslaught Six pitches “Solo Journaling Dating Simulation Roleplaying Game #Zinequest”
• Project Omega: a survival RPG from Mormis Games raises funds for “Join the agents of Project Omega and face the threats of the Universe in this quick, d10 based, roll under sci-fi RPG”
• City of a Thousand Gods from Justin Spath, Space Daddy Games is working on “Zine Quest! A resource for fantasy role-playing games for the City of a Thousand Gods. Absolutely Divine!”
• Kal-Arath: Twin Sun Sutra from Castle Grief nominates “Return to the world of Kal-Arath! An action-packed zine of swords, sorcery and high adventure.”
• Reducks from Luke Earl crowdfunds “You are duck, a time travelling duck, with some string and bread in a choose your own adventure filled with existential dread”
• A Blight Upon Sombreval from Cryptic Codex proposes “A dark, medieval fantasy adventure and horror scenario for classic and old-school role-playing games.”
• Regnum Solis from Mulciber Games is working on “The first role-playing game set in Medieval Sicily.”
• Béton Brut from Stratagemma kickstarts “A solo Story-Rpg about a new home and the need to take care of our own life. Before it’s too late.”
• Cute Creatures Compendium 2, by Catilus from Catilus kickstarts “More Adorable Critters for Dungeons and Dragons 5E – Stat Blocks, Lore, Illustrations for Each Creature, and More”
• The Twilight Bazaar from Gerry pitches “A Collection of 100 Mystical, Wandering Magic Shops for Your Campaign”
• Until Death Do Us Part ~ A Gothic Romance Mystery Adventure from Midnight Tower proposes “A 5e Gothic Romance and Mystery Adventure Inspired by Bram Stoker (DnD/RPG)”

Do you know of any RPG news sources we might not know? If so, please let us know or leave a comment below.