It’s the end of the week, it’s mid-way through the month, approaching the end of the year, and here in the North, we’re so very close to the Solstice.
Soon the light will push back against the dark.
For the last few years, and again this year, Geek Native has been able to share league tables of top selling and published this year products at DriveThruRPG. It is always controversial due to classification discussions but, hopefully, interesting nevertheless. We’ve made some progress with them this week.
- The other best selling fantasy RPGs,
- The best selling family RPGs,
- The best selling historical RPGs and
- The best selling horror RPGs.
The big news this week might not be that Wizard of the Coast seemed to preemptively strike TSR with a law case (Han Solo moment) but a whopping $3,000,000,000 deal for a board game company. Asmodee is lined-up to be bought by a vast holding company of computer games.
So, with that said, let’s get exploring this week’s RPG news.
Win: Strixhaven on Roll20
RPG news from Geek Native
- In that tussle between TSR and Wizards of the Coast, the direction of travel is clear. TSR droppped their case (but kept the Indiegogo running) and it turns out WotC had hit back first.
- It’s that time of the year and we have got the The other best selling fantasy RPGs, family RPGs, historical RPGs and horror RPGs.
- Asmodee, which is the parent company of RPG publisher Edge Studio, will be sold for €2.75bn.
- Wizards of the Coast have pleaded with people to read and try and understand the latest D&D errata.
- Goodman Games designs a distribution deal with Shinobi 27 for Angels, Daemons & Beings Between.
- Highmoon Press products aren’t being destroyed after all after a rescue Lightspress Media deal.
- Free League Publishing and Demiplane announce the Free League Nexus.
- Hot Topic sells a Critical Role lap desk design that might use a background borrowed from anime art.
- Nevyn Homes published the SRD for Gun&Slinger’s Marked&Made system.
- Geek Native was able to publish a day 1 review of the Root RPG.
- Loke Battle Mats share their 2022 release schedule.
- Geek Native shares the unofficial Discworld RPG and its 24-hour long soundtrack. It’s A One In a Million Chance at Adventure.
- Geek Native also reviewed the indie RPG Legacy of the Soul Flame.
- Outland announces the retail pre-order for the Hopeless, Maine RPG.
- The Bundle of Holding has a discount deal for the otherwise $99 Invisible Sun RPG.
- Humble has an updated version of the Cyberpunk TTRPG deal.
Spotlight Forgotten Adventures
RPG news from around the web
- Critical Role’s Darrington Press Guild confirmed the January 18th launch date for the Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting.
- Wizards of the Coast published a whole set of D&D errata.
- Green Ronin Publishing announced The Expanse for the Foundry VTT.
- Cubicle 7 announced Wrath & Glory for the Foundry VTT.
- D&D Beyond released the free for all users Encounters beta.
- Wargamer wrote up Age of Sigmar: Soulbound RPG adds new tools to roleplay as orruks and grots.
- As noted by Christian Hoffer, Dungeons & Dragons Gives Guidance on New Strixhaven Spell.
- Roc Humet wrote up This is the Best of World Anvil 2021.
- Roll20 listed Cyberpunk RED for pre-order.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Age of Dusk returns with a follow up to the Maze of the Blue Medusa review.
- Beyond Fomalhaut reviews The Merciless Merchants’ The Well.
- Jared Racher shares first impressions of Vault of Magic and Beastheart and Monstrous Companions
- At Gnome Stew, Jared also reviewed The Between.
- Dicebreaker shared D&D 5E – Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos review – studies and sorcery in MTG’s magical school.
- Tribality offered The Beastheart – An MCDM Class For D&D 5e – Breakdown Part 1.
- Seed of Worlds reviewed The Dungeon Dozen.
- Ben Reece penned a Starfinder Tech Revolution Review.
- James Maliszewski published a retrospective on City of the Gods.
- Reviews from R’lyeh looked at The Isle of Dread, Talisman Adventures and Leyline Press’ Salvage Union quickstart..
- Polygon’s Charlie Hall said Root: The Roleplaying Game is a delightfully blank slate, ready for adventure.
- Jonathan Hicks wrote up ‘Adventure Presents’ from Rebellion Unplugged.
- Roleplayers Chronicle reviewed Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.
- Angel’s Citadel reviewed the Everway Silver Anniversary Edition.
- WotC’s Yawning Portal shined the spotlight on admin Greg Marks.
- Dicebreaker’s Chase Carter talked to Fandom Tabletop’s Bart Vickers on ‘What pain do we want to experience?’: Fandom Tabletop address community license backlash.
RPG new releases
- Aleksandra Brokman released an RPG where players are witches in a remote village. It’s Wise Women.
- Seffner Games launch the first issue of the new old school RPG magazine Dungeon Sage.
- Independence Games explored through a wormhole and to the Cepheus Engine powered Clement Sector Third Edition.
- Catalyst Games Lab hit the go-live button for Shadowrun: Anarchy 2050.
- Dragon Turtle Games published the Carbon 2185 cyberpunk Cities Sourcebook.
- Ripley Caldwell released the Mork Borg Monkey Murder Manor.
- There’s a new Professor Elemental adventure with Escape from Elemental Manor!
- C. Michael Hall gave us a rules-light RPG of 1950s sci-fi with This Defiant Earth.
- Autarch has a silver best seller with the release of the 496-paged superhero RPG Ascendant.
- Sine Nomine Publishing released Distant Lights: Creating Borderworld Outposts.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $129.78 (70%) on a huge Gallant Knight Games Brian Fitzpatrick / Moebius Adventures bundle.
- Save $27.18 (78%) with The Eldritch Tome Games’ Beer Money Borg bundle.
- Save $17.72 (49%) with FSpace Publications’ Xmas 2021 bundle.
- Save $14.96 (30%) with Axian Spice’s Lands of Legends PDF Holiday bundle.
- Save $14.95 (50%) with the DMsGuild’s Creatures of the Forgotten Realms bundle.
- Save $14.05 (59%) with the DMsGuild’s Wilderness Encounters bundle – 6 Core Terrains bundle.
- Save $9.01 (41%) with Nectar of the Gods’ 5e bundle.
- Save €7.98 (39%) with Northern Realms’ Grim Noir Christmas Special bundle.
- Save $7.40 (10%) with Troll Lord Games’ Players Handbook 8 1 bundle.
- Save $7.20 (37%) with Dark Raptor Press’ Story Seeds vol 2: 11 – 20 bundle.
- Save $6.50 (25%) with Sword’s Edge Publishing’s Sword Noir 2E Collection.
- Save $5 (10%) with Magpie Games’ Root: The Roleplaying Game bundle.
- Save $3.97 (25%) with the DMsGuild’s Witchlight Adventure Bundle – Fantasy Grounds deal.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Geek Native takes a look at the current highest-rated Strixhaven titles on the DMsGuild.
- Charles Dunwoody wraps this part of the series with Warhammer World Building: Build Your Own Empire.
- Need a last minute RPG-centric gift? Here’s gift cards you can buy and send online.
- The Geek Initiative published their candidates for Best Tabletop Role-Playing Games of 2021.
- Natalie Lindner wrote up Unusual Pathfinder Monsters To Surprise Parties With.
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;
- Global Daily is putting newspapers (remember those) in RPG Dice Sealing Big News of Global daily.
- Handcrafted Super Mini Crystal Dice 8mm Collection With Sharp Edges from Florida.
- Black Oak Workshop has made funding goals for Kitty-Clacks – The Second Litter!
- Gaudreau Steve offers 40+ Digital Fantasy Battle-Maps for 5th edition, Roll20 +
- Jeremy Hart Illos has a new edition of the monster manual zine Creature Feature Quarterly Vol. 3 -for- THE BLACK HACK.
- Josiah Vuttill is funding a guide to animal companions in D&D 5e with the Capmon Handbook.
- Steve Jackson Games and Warehouse 23 are funding downloadable The Fantasy Trip: Foes – Printable STL Miniatures for RPGs.
- Eric Matthews is funding part one of the 5e Tomb of the Nyarlathotep series called The Piper of Stonebluff.
- Percy has put messy wires in Resin dice-Core of contemporary art.
- Daniel Urdzik is funding more space and improvements to the physical area of Your Turn – The Make It Bigger and Better Expansion
- Frank Symons has a complete adventure on offer with A 5E “GM-Friendly” Adventure – Prison Escape from Hell.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
