Welcome to the end of the week! Gosh, the last time we spoke it was Friday the 13th and doesn’t that feel like a lifetime ago?
Just me? Oh well!
In that lifetime, good things have happened, and the RPG Publisher Spotlight with Sixel Publishing is live.
The RPG news, in summary, this week;
- DriveThruRPG suspends a TSR author after Nazi allegations were made
- Paizo has a new President
- Hasbro battles investors
- Monte Cook Games celebrates 10 years
- StartPlaying raised $6.5 million for GMs
See, a lot can happen in a week!
Just a heads up, DriveThruRPG is having a technical ‘mare as this article goes live and the newsletter goes out. Hopefully, by the time you’re clicking on links, the site will be back. Itch is fine. It’s worth, I think, checking out the bundle deals this week as there are some heavy discounts.
Now, let’s get on with the RPG news round-up!
RPG news from Geek Native
- No Nazis. DriveThruRPG suspends TSR4 author Dave Johnson.
- Paizo Publishing has a new big cheese! TSR Jim Butler becomes President as Jeff Alvarez steps down.
- Geek Native has several previews of the expansion to the horror Backwater; Backroads: City of the Arch.
- There’s also a large art gallery to showcase the world and horrors of Arora: Age of Desolation.
- Goodman Games announce the first 5e for Lankmar with Magic and Monsters.
- There’s something wrong with the titles and/or covers for the official D&D graphic novels.
- Parable Games take the plunge and go full time.
- For the first time, the previously limited and still rather expensive Star Trek Adventures Tricorder edition goes digital.
- UltraPro are talking about Spelljammer’s Realmspace with these heavy metal dice.
- Monte Cook Games have published their Cypher System The Origin.
- Knight Owl has a free to download Solo Rules for The Scourge of the Scorn Lords.
- There’s a free to download demo and a Gamefound campaign for the RPG from Trans creators about transformation called To Change.
- Morrus has released a free to play/read Lifepath RPG.
- AshyFeetGames have released a free to download quickstart for the steampunk anime RPG Shibuyan Knights.
- At the Bundle of Holding, Monte Cook Games are holding a 10th-anniversary celebration and so there’s The Cypher System megabundle and Ptolus Cypher.
- Save women and $1,000? Itch has an impressive TTRPGs for Reproductive Rights bundle.
Spotlight: Sixel Publishing
RPG news from around the web
- WotC share an update on the wriggles around Monsters of the Multiverse.
- What’s the latest with the Hasbro battles?
- Barron’s covers the story with The Battle Over Hasbro Now Focuses on the Board.
- BusinessWire carries the PR for Hasbro Completes Acquisition of D&D Beyond from Fandom.
- Also, Hasbro Appoints Najuma Atkinson as Chief People Officer.
- Clearly a weapon of choice, there’s also a PR there for Hasbro Board of Directors Issues Letter to Shareholders.
- Dicebreaker notes that Dark Souls RPG previews plan to create a line of boss, NPC and player miniatures.
- WizKids will release D&D Cartoon-inspired minis.
- Chaosium appoints a full-time VTT developer. Say hello to Ariel Swicki.
- It’s Bleeding Cool news as the Looking For Group site StartPlaying secures $6.5m in seed funding.
- Paizo reveal plans for UK Games Expo.
- Dicebreaker’s Alex Meehan covers that while UKGE won’t, Gen Con will ask for masks and proof of vaccination.
- Bell of Lost Souls wants to push notifications to your browser (just, no!) but also ‘Acquisitions Inc.’ & ‘Lost Mine Of Phandelver’ Free On D&D Beyond.
- Roll20 sum up their recent and planned product updates.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Timed nicely with the bundle offer (see above), The Alexandrian reviews Ptolus – City of Adventure.
- The Other Side continues the Traveller season with reviews of T4 Marc Miller’s 1996 Traveller, Traveller20, the 1987 MegaTraveller and the 1993 Traveller: The New Era.
- OSR D.R.E.A.D. looks at Warpstar.
- At EN World, Charles takes a look at Fateforge.
- Rob Wieland looks at Death in Space and Ruins of Symbaroum for 5e.
- ScreenRant’s Austin King pens Ruins Of Symbaroum 5e Review: An Immersive & Impressive Fantasy RPG.
- Jared Rascher reviews Operation Marseille for Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20.
- The TTRPG Factory takes a look at the unusual Overlight RPG.
- Seed of Worlds publishes a thoughtful review of the 1995 AD&D Dungeon Master Guide.
- At Gnome Stew, Jared shares thoughts on G.I. Joe.
- Egg Embry interviews Malcolm Sheppard and Troy Hewitt about the Modern AGE Cyberpunk Splice.
- Dice Geeks interview Dave Scott about that surprise mega-license d20/5e mashup Everyday Heroes.
- Charles Dunwoody also talks to Dave Scott and with a Kong: Skull Island focus.
RPG new releases
- Welcome to the Retroverse with Laser & Liches (beta) of Game Master’s Beats.
- Make it gay, on Itch, Evil Hat release Advanced Lovers & Lesbians.
- Ulisses Spiele takes advantage of the new Foundry VTT and DTRPG deal with Torg Eternity keys and The Dark Eye.
- Thought you’d missed the chance? Forbidden Planet has Deluxe Hardcovers of Kids on Bikes: Role Playing Game.
- Forbidden Planet also has the physical copies of Dungeons & Dragons: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space: Campaign Collection (Adventure, Setting, Monster Book, Map & DM Screen).
- Mraston has released a JRPG inspired 2d6 RPG called Travail Saga.
- Splinterverse has released Swarms of the Multiverse. Hide the biscuits.
- Steamforged Games has taken the Kickstarter hit Animal Adventures: Secrets of Gullet Cove to digital retail.
- Sojourn publishing released the dungeon-crawling, fantastical and dangerous RPG Sojourn.
- Jesse Quesenbery published planar dragons and Sploren Garrick’s Handbook to the Planes.
- Catalyst Game Labs has published the core character rulebook Shadowrun: Sixth World Companion.
- Dias Ex Machina Games has released the Affinity supplements;
RPG bundle deals
- Save $77.29 (79%) with the DMsGuild’s Fantasy Grounds Ultimate Draconomicon bundle.
- Save $73.64 (80%) with the DMsGuild’s Fantasy Grounds Class Collective bundle.
- Save $42.45 (48%) with the DMsGuild’s Characters and Trinkets Mega-Bundle.
- Save $36.47 (24%) with Double Proficiency’s Wayfarer’s Deck ALL-in-1 Print Deal bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Joshua Raynack wrote up How to Make Your 5th Edition Combat Iconic.
- Cavegirl’s Game Stuff shares thoughts on Chaos Warriors.
- Kobold Press give us 89 Colorful Kennings and a Tavern Generator.
- Referring and Reflection writes up Thoughts On Putting a Star Trek Campaign To Rest.
- GameRant’s Jared Carvalho opines How Dungeons and Dragons 6E Could Improve 5E’s Barbarian Class.
- Roc Humet shares Play D&D Online: 5 Tips to Play Digitally.
- Handiwork release Beowulf merch through Redbubble.
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;
- Goodman Games has thousands of backers for Original Adventures Reincarnated #7: Dark Tower.
- Christopher Baker is offering a set of Fortune Dice Series III: An RPG Session Accessory.
- Italian cartography with Øone’s Blueprints: Hand-Drawn Maps.
- Joel Kreisseman has different methods for star travel for your consideration in Stardrives: A Starfinder Compatible Shipbuilding Toolkit.
- Levarsa Stuidos has funded Postapocalyptic Clans – 3d printable miniatures.
- Cursed Forge Miniatures has smashed goals for stat blocks, a short story and Kednar tribes – Fantasy rpg miniature set.
- Christian Eichhorn suggests you can join or eradicate The CVLT of the Hadron Lamb | A CY_BORG Adventure.
- James Eisert has a stand-alone deck for Dungeonrunner: Fantasy SOLO dungeon delve card game.
- Bloat Games has a great looking a retro-video game vibe in Nightworld – Tabletop RPG Monster Manual Zines.
- Philip Reed, the Kickstarter hero, needs no help with Fathomless Despair, a third-party work for Mörk Borg.
- Boar Warrior Studios has STL files for gaming improving Game Tokens and Markers.
- Caledonia Miniatures, who don’t seem to be Scottish at all, have smashed target for their City of Lasthaven 3D Printable STL Files & Bonus $1+ STL.
- Jim Pinto and PostworldGames is offering advice through A Good Book for Bad GMs and a Book of GM Inspiration.
- Meet the Roll Off System with Mystic Days: A Gritty Skill Based Medieval Fantasy RPG.
- Tony Rowland is funding a fantasy game about post-apocalyptic horror with The Realm of Gaian Enoch – Starter Edition.
- Ziggurat 3D Studio has funded 3d files for TTRPGs, wargames and scenes with The Meriadès and the zombie family.
- Kraken Dice have set a large goal but are progressing with a steady pace towards it for Cutting Words: Literary Inspired Sharp Edge 14pc Dice Sets.
- Rissell Phillips took less than an hour to fund the steampunk campaign for RISUS with The Epiphany Club and the Great Library of Alexandria.
- Multiverse has 3d files for terrain in an Ancient Starport.
- Tim van Dalen is offering up a Freebone Value adventure of mystery and demons with Murder in the Shielding Peaks.
- Planet X and Levi Combs wave the lure of high-octane spells in Vulgar Display of Magic: Weird Fantasy for Your OSR RPGs.
- Goliath Coins return with more detailed metal D&D inspired A Thunder of Dragon Coins.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
