RPG news in bullet-point lists and easy to scan sections. If that’s what you want, then you’re in the right place.
And it’s good to have you here.
It’s also good to say thanks. Thank you to Geek Native’s Patrons. There’s a gift coming your way! Digital copies of The Neverending Story inspired Good Strong Hands will be emailed over at the start of the month. Not a Patron yet? It’s not too late to join in and take part.
It is getting close to the end of the month. This means the final days of voting for the Patron-powered RPG Publisher Spotlight. Here are the publishers in contention;
As you’ll see in the RPG news summary below, it’s not calmed down at all. Lots of news to go over, and PC Gamer just published and deleted (before I could read it) an article saying that the “Future of D&D is Being Played Out on Twitch Today”. I wonder if that’s an embargo that nearly slipped, clickbait or something else?
Remember, you can always chuck me tips via the contact page. If it’s about a Kickstarter, then read this first.
Right, now on to the RPG news!
Win Big Dig | The Tower of Fools
RPG news from Geek Native
- There were rules for Great Wyrm patrons on the DMs Guild within moments of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, but The Warlock – The Great Wyrm acknowledges some lucky timing.
- It wasn’t all Fizban at D&D Live; we also got plenty on The Wild Beyond the Witchlight.
- Some of the Strixhaven news wasn’t very well received, with fans mixed over the decision to dump controversial subclasses from it.
- The D&D and Magic: The Gathering crossover pushed on with another free adventure. It’s Deepest Night.
- Wizards of the Coast even found time to promote third-party content such as The Sanctum of Pain, a free adventure.
- All this hard work pays off, as D&D topped the bestseller charts and Cyberpunkk RED moved into 2nd place.
- Critical Role aren’t to be outdone and announced a second edition of the Tal’Dorei campaign setting with Tal’Dorei Reborn.
- Remember West End Games? Imagine if their D6 System was applied to Call of Cthulhu. What’s what well-funded new RPG studio Magentic Press Play will be doing, but only after they launch the Carbon Grey RPG.
- Another significant new player is ex-Privateer Press CEO and ex-Wizards of the Coast VP Bob Watts new company Trans Atlantis Games.
- Son of Oak Game Studios announced a third-party creators program with City of Mist Garage.
- Geek Native interviewed Xavid about the Kickstarter Dreampunk RPG.
- I also talked to Josh Rosing about making combat in D&D better and the Kickstarter Injuries & Vile Deeds.
- Paizo announced a new Starfinder playtest for The Evolutionist class.
- You’ve missed it now, but D&D’s first setting Blackmoor was a Deal of the Day.
- You’ve not missed this. Chainmail, the forerunner of D&D, is now available as a softcover from DriveThruRPG. The PDFs are in the Christmas in July sale.
- Ulisses Spiele has been sharing previews of Fading Suns: New Frontiers.
- Handiwork Games and Nightfall Games announced a new and bleak 5e setting called Harrowvale.
- The collector’s edition looks amazing for the new Doctor Who 2e RPG.
- Cubicle 7 will be bringing out Space Hulk rules for Wrath & Glory, the Warhammer 40K RPG, in a supplement called Redacted Records.
- At Geek Native, Charles used Mythos World to review Down Darker Trails.
- The “collaborative PvP” storytelling RPG Radial Commune works really well.
- Geek Native was swift out of the games with a review of Matt Colville and MCDM’s Kingdoms & Warfare.
- The UK Government cut financial support for tabletop companies and others trying to get to foreign tradeshows.
- Itch is hosting a popular One-Page RPG jam and today is the second only Creators Day.
- In bundles, there’s a load of Evil Hat’s Fate in the Bundle of Holding.
- Meanwhile, Humble Bundle has a great deal of 13th Age goodies.
Spotlight Grognardia Games
RPG news from around the web
- After announcing a 5e version of Victoriana, Cubicle 7 has revealed the steampunk front cover.
- A free D&D gaming event is happening right now at San Diego Comic-Con@Home, and you sign up and join in here.
- Chaosium put Reign of Terror on Roll20 for mythos horrors during the French Revolution.
- Modiphius is taking pre-orders on Homeworld: Revelations RPG.
- Alex Meehan covers Wickerpunk with an article Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade writer launches a dark fantasy supplement for D&D.
- The Ulisses Spiele Fading Suns teasers continue with the Myrkwyrm Explorer and Deckplan.
- Ulisses Spiele also published the free FoundryVTT adventure Hostel Takeover.
- Benjamin Abbott notes on GamesRadar+ that Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos basically brings Hogwarts and college life to Dungeons & Dragons.
- EN World wrote up the news of Beadle & Grimm’s Platinum and Silver Editions of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight.
- Lukasz Furnmaniak at CBR shared How a Fan-Made Compendium Brings Final Fantasy XIV to Dungeons & Dragons.
- At Nerdist, Sarah Loch wrote the unusual story of How Dungeons & Dragons Helped Me Escape a Cult.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- The Chaos Grenade reviewed the occult horror of Sigil & Shadow.
- Jeremy Buxman reviewed AD&D’s space opera Overlords of Dimension 25.
- Gundobad Games did part 2 of their Savage Pathfinder review.
- Linda H. Codega at Dicebreaker notes that The Green Knight RPG turns the standout fantasy film into a familiar adventure lifted by clever gameplay.
- Rolling Box Cars reviewed Bill Edmunds’ The Bone Age and R.J. Thompson’s End Times.
- Nerds on Earth shared thoughts on Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse.
- Geek Tyrant’s Tommy Williams looked at Kingdoms & Warfare, noting how it could Grow the Scope of your Dungeons & Dragons Game
- Roleplayers Chronicle reviewed Dune: Adventures in the Imperium.
- At EN World, Charles Dunwoody noted that War is Hell in a review of Wrath & Glory’s Bloody Gates and On the Wings of Valkyries.
- Technical RPG looked at Nord Games’ Spectacular Settlements.
- Reviews from R’lyeh visited Petersen’s Fantasy Fears I.
- Dom at Signals from Delta Pavoni shared first thoughts on BX Mars.
- In a big roundup, Geek Dad’s Robin Brooks wrote up ‘AoS: Soulbound’ Why I’m Excited About the Mortal Realms..
- Egg Embry interviewed Infinite Black’s Brian Colin about the Mork Borg sci-fi Vast Grimm.
- Egg also talked to non-other than Chaosium’s Rick Meints.
- Throat Punch Games interviewed Matthew Yarro about Druids: Secrets of the Primal Circle.
- At Polygon, Chase Carter interviewed Grant Howitt in a piece called Honey Heist and the legacy of the one-page RPG.
RPG new releases
- Discounted from $75 to $20, Troll Lord Games published the Castles & Crusades sci-fi The Starship Warden.
- Adrian Lumm released an RPG about warriors and survivalists harnessing memories and magic in Reminders.
- Onyx Path released M20 Technocracy Reloaded.
- Stuart Watkinson’s dark and evil RPG asks What’s so rotten about zombies defending an ancient temple?
- Chaosium published the hardcover of Pulp Cthulhu.
- One Plus Exp published an OSR game in which you’re a small appliance in a big world. It’s I, Toaster.
- Wyatt Trull et al published Van Richten’s Treatise on Lycanthropy.
- The Gauntlet released the wuxia melodrama Hearts of Wulin.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $228.52 (45%) with Tiger Paw Press’ TPP Bundle.
- Save $39.85 (50%) with Nomadic Delirium Press’ The Complete Ephemeris bundle.
- Save $24.73 (43%) with MmpApps’ 2021 Christmas in July Maps bundle.
- Save $14.99 (51%) with this DMs Guild 850+ Art Layout Paper Assets bundle.
- Save $12.68 (50%) with this DMs Guild Eberron Adventures bundle.
- Save $9.95 (33%) with Double Proficiency’s Globetrotter’s Guides 5-in-1 Deal bundle.
- Save $7.58 (43%) with this DMs Guild Holidanger Monster bundle.
- Save $4.03 (27%) with Map Alchemitss’ 13 Fantasy battle-maps for Roll20 and Printing bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Need a life-sized Wand of Orcus on your gaming den wall? In your bedroom? You can have it.
- Need infinite goblins? Have them too!
- Writing about gaming life, the Gen Con blog talks about their charity partners in a post called Games Help us Through the Worst of Times and Reflect the Best of Them.
- J.R. Zambrano argues Hey, I’m Sorry, but 4th Edition Was Great.
- Straightforward and useful, Hack and Slash shared On Ecology, Cyclops.
- Kevin Victor Rae at Tribality penned Using Monsters Beyond Their Stat Blocks: Oozes.
- Flayrah visited ‘Savage Species’: that time Wizards of the Coast called furries a bunch of jackasses.
- Campaign Mastery looked into Grit in RPGs: Separating Plausibility from Realism.
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;
- The Moongrel has a dynamic game filled with dungeons, monsters and dead heroes you might sacrifice. Welcome to the Dungeons Of Draggmar – Print & Play.
- Evan Carothers is working on double-sided designs to protect your table and make your gaming experience look cool with DungeonMats [Wave 2]: Neoprene Mats for RPG & War Gaming.
- James Floyd Kelly is funding a magazine for Old-School Essentials Referees called Delver: Resources for the Random-Rolling Referee.
- Logan Gendron is also working on some beautiful game mats in a series called LITTLE WORLDS: Sword & Sorcery.
- Black Oak Workshop has tens of thousands of dollars pledged in the runaway success that is the Dragon Polyhedral Sets.
- Caroline Hobbs and Less Than Three Games have an RPG about a Detective and their Hat, which the Kickstarter community likes. It’s a funding success for Fedora Noir.
- The system-neutral RPG magazine The Oracle Issue 13 – Floating Islands returns.
- VI Games are making 5e Condition Cards and Tokens by artist Phil Stone!
- Dyskami Publishing has a set of tri-stat offerings with Pixies, Wyrms, Demonicity – Three Mini Role-Playing Games.
- Morrus and EN Publishing are back with murder, conspiracy and secrets. It’s ZEITGEIST: Death of the Author — An Adventure For D&D 5E.
- Xacur is taking pledges of just $1 for The Tiny Tome of Dragons.
- Ragnarookies Studio has landed a Kickstarter success with a 5e supplement based on Norse folklore and mythology. Explore The old halls of north.
- Matthew Yarro is winning support for a 5e compendium of player options and GM resources. It’s Druids: Secrets of the Primal Circle.
- Battlefield Press is closing in on success with a campaign to return the classic RPG and in Savage Worlds Adventure Edition rules with Bloodshadows: Chronicles of Guf.
- Eli Royall is raising funds for a fan made 5e setting. The project is The World of Dragons.
- Black Blossom Games are working on technology to bring your board games and RPGs to life called Evoker.
- Cameron Wright wants you to embark on an epic quest to save the Dragon Homeland in Dragon Keepers 5e: Unlocking The Wheel of Darkness.
- Westfalia Publishing has smashed goals for a collection of 32mm scale minis sculpted by Boris Woloszyn. It’s True Monsters.
- Kevin Rahman has a game inspired by Mork Borg with In the footsteps of the Mad Wizard: Forbidden Psalm Expansion.
- NevernotDM has fifty creatures inspired by Celtic folklore and designed for 5e in Professor Gilroy’s Guide to Fey.
- David Savedge has forged a fantasy tavern game that has some unique crafted brass and pewter pieces. It’s the Stags and Reivers: A Tabletop RPG Game of Chance.
- Chamomile is back with another success in the “12 Kickstarters in 12 months” project. This time it’s about enriching 5e wilderness with Celawyn’s Guide to Wilderness and Fey.
- Raymond Seymour is working on a choose-your-own-adventure gamebook called The Dragons Tears: Embers Fate.
- Go Left Productions is funding an original themed, fast-paced, sci-fi with Galaxies- The Game.
- Necromancer Games seem to be living up to their name with a 5e adventure about an ancient evil. It’s Necropolis: An Epic Adventure in the Desert Sands.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
