It’s RPG news time and the end of August. What a busy month! It should never happen again, as Kickstarter has promised to put ZineQuest back where it started, not to coordinate with GenCon again.
What are the big shapes for this week?
- Fandom has left the tabletop RPG space, selling Cortex on the way out
- At a record-breaking Tabletop Scotland, Onyx Path talked about their new RPG ‘The World Below’
- Some fans have grave concerns about how a race of monkey-like aliens has racist connotations in Spelljammer
- Role launched a virtual market to compete with Roll20 and D&D Beyond
- There’s a D&D Webtoon on the way
It’s also the first week of September, so Patreons can vote for a publisher to appear in the Spotlight. The candidates are;
The winner for this month was Battleaxes and Brimstone.
Not only has it been busy these last few weeks, but there have been gremlins too. Tonight the site seems especially slow; sorry about that. For the last week, there’s been no newsletter, but with the help of MailPoet, we finally got to the bottom of the problem. Dire gremlins! Well, database corruption. It should now be sorted.
Now, let’s dive in with all that tabletop news;
Patron: Town Hall
RPG news from Geek Native
- While Onyx Path talked to Tabletop Scotland, scribbling madly meant that Geek Native could share some early insight on the publisher’s new RPG, The World Below.
- Fandom gets out of tabletop RPG as Dire Wolf buys Cortex and the Dragon Price RPG.
- The VTT/Playspace battle stays hot as Role launches its market.
- Paizo has expanded its 2023 publishing slate.
- The first ever Japanese Mork Borg supplement has become so popular on Kickstarter that there’s now demand for an English version of Nobunaga’s Black Castle.
- It’s well over 150-pages long, translated from Japanese and entirely free. On DriveThruRPG, you can download Challenge Dungeon RPG.
- The Bundle of Holding as a deal with Green Ronin for True20 and a flash sale on MageGate.
- There are no prizes for guessing the die or price tag for the free to download d12 Role Playing Game.
- Humble has a software bundle to interest GMs, DMs and worldbuilders with Maps Spectacular.
Spotlight: Battleaxes and Brimstone
RPG news from around the web
- Christian Hoffer brings the exciting news that Dungeons & Dragons is getting a Webtoon.
- Industry expert Scott Throne’s Rolling for Initiative column is Some Thoughts on One D&D.
- UltraPro has revealed RPG accessories for D&D Dragonlance.
- Roll20 reveal they’ve raised $50,000, matched that and therefore donated $100,000 to Code2040.
- [Racism trigger warning] Concerns have been raised over Wizards of the Coast’s handling of Hadozee in Spelljammer.
- Tabletop Scotland returns with a boom after the pandemic lockdown and 20% up on 2019 figures. Tabletop Scotland 2023 is on the cards.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Beth Rimmels writes up the D&D Campaign Case: Terrain.
- SuperJump’s Cat Webling has a One D&D: A Breakdown and Review of the New Dungeons and Dragons.
- Halfway Station 3.0 reviews Zombicide Chronicles’ Field Guide and Mission Compendium.
- Reviews from R’lyeh looks into the Mork Morg fanzine Strange Citizens of the City.
- Rob Wieland reviews the 40th Anniversary Call of Cthulhu Starter Set.
- Signals from Delta Pavonis writes up first impressions of The Magonium Mine Murders for OSE.
RPG new releases
- Design Ministries has released a new edition of Fragged Empire and a 2nd ed Setting Guide.
- Six Planes Games has released the Daemonologie: Field Guide.
- Brickslinger Games has released the vampire serial killers of Sleepless Nights.
- John Stancil has published a solo Eberron D&D adventure called the Kaarver Estate.
- Weaponized Ink fulfils a Kickstarter-backed game with the release of the alternative Dracula RPG The Hammer and The Stake.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $25.60 (46%) with Stygian Fox’s The Field of Night bundle.
- Save $11.50 (34%) with Goblin Archives’ Liminal Horror bundle.
- Save $4.50 (30%) with the DMsGuild’s Ravenloft Classic Conversions bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Wargamers’ Mollie Russell posts D&D Strahd von Zarovich 5e guide.
- Osprey has published Gran Meccanismo and these free illustrated pre-genned characters.
- At D&D Beyond, Michael J Karr writes Prestidigitation: How This Flexible Cantrip Works.
- Kobold Press’ Greg Marks shares Reach for the Stars: Quick Space Adventures.
- J.R> Zambrano asks what is on many people’s minds with Now That Everyone’s Gone 5E, Will’ One D&D’ Mean Another D20 Bust?
- The Alexandrian shares Random Worldbuilding: Fast & Furious Homebrewing.
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 Traveler’s Guide to the City of Intrigue from Chamomile Has A Project pitches A’ zine size 5e supplement of fancy soirees, dirty assassination, and magical experiments gone awry.
- Starlight Arcana: A 5e Astral Supplement & Campaign from Constantine “Kelfecil” Christakis pitches Explore the stars with the monumental 500+ pages tome for DnD 5e. An unmatched amount of content for both Players and Game Masters.
- When the Witch Is Away from Grand Time Games pitches A whimsical, system-neutral witch’s house to explore. It’s enormous inside, containing dozens of areas, NPCs, and items!
- Road of Tin – A #Zinequest TTRPG [REBOOTED] from Loughka Benumea pitches Design and play as conscious machines finding their way to the Silicon EDEN in the aftermath of the end of the world.
- Daily Dread – A Cyber Dystopian TTRPG #Zinequest from Grumpy Bear Stuff pitches Play as a Broken Wing, a citizen of a dystopian future, and survive the Reforms of the Authority of Freedom!
- The Abhorrent Six + Babalon’s Hangover from Stein Hansen pitches A third-party Frontier Scum adventure + THE third-party Bestiary for Mörk Borg.
- HERO’S JOURNEY COLLECTION 3-ARRIVAL AT THE CARAVANSERAI(STL) from Luis Moreno pitches Figures and buildings of the Caravanserai. STL files to print on your board and RPG games
- The 2023 Gaming Calendar from Scott King pitches The 10th annual board gaming calendar from Scott King.
- Hex of the Hag Queen: A 5e campaign setting for D&D from David Parker pitches In a world where a Hag fooled the Divine, treachery becomes a tool for power and control. Who can you trust along your journey?
- Meanders 5 RPG Maps: GOTHIC CITY Part 2 from Kris McDermott pitches 52+ RPG Map Expansions for the Gothic City Modular, Digital, Battlemap Series + Bonus Map Set + Tokens + Stretch Goals
- Contemplation 2, a zine of Character and Personal Discovery from Undiscovered Gems pitches Innovative questions that unlock the secrets and depths of a character; whether that’s an RPG character or your own!
- Aarlstrom’s Magical Wand Shop #Zinequest from Spiel Knights pitches A storied collection of wands for aspiring wizards, witches, storytellers, and gamers [D&D 5E ready].
- Eorlina’s Esoterica: Strange Afflictions from DeafMangoes pitches A zine/supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 5E. #ZineQuest4
- Asian Monsters for DnD 5E, Pathfinder 1E, & Pathfinder 2E from Legendary Games pitches Legendary monsters from China, Japan, India, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, & more for 5E, PF1 & PF2 with full VTT support!
- BIO-TERRAIN Spore Wall Alien Tabletop RPG .STL File Set from RedRum Gaming pitches A defensive nest/barrier for your tabletop wargaming! Aos, D and D, Malifaux, and more! .STL PAY WHAT YOU WANT set!
- Dragonborn Adventure STL Pack from Zyxyl3d pitches A number of Dragonborn miniatures to use in your tabletop adventures!
- ILLFROST – A 5TH EDITION CAMPAIGN SETTING from Illusionary Press pitches content from Jonathan Roberts, a cartographer for Game of Thrones.
- Atlas of the Planes from Marcin Wójcik pitches Endless Adventures in the Infinite Multiverse
- Book of Riddles Complete Edition for Role-Playing Games from DenisS pitches New tomes are here! A book full of logic puzzles and tricky riddles. Take your Role-Playing Game campaign to the next level!
- The Fall of Mith: Complete from Tim P. GMing pitches A complete 5E campaign made from five previously successful Kickstarters for The Fall of Mith. (Also, free demo.)
- The Inn Folk – The Adventurer’s Rest from Midlam Miniatures pitches A set of 9 Inn Folk in 28mm scale for all your fantasy games set in Inns, Taverns and Pubs!
- The Mutant Marshes from WilhelMiniatures pitches A collection of body horror terrain pieces for your strange and moody tabletop games.
- Alkralha’s Chronicle of Creatures from TJ Faulkner pitches A comprehensive compendium of homebrew races, creatures and mechanics that can be used in the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition system.
- Eldritch: The Book of Madness – Deluxe Edition from BlackVault pitches A beautifully written 300+ page book of monsters, cults, and profane magic. For DMs only!
- Medieval Modern – A neo-medieval worldbuilding RPG Zine! from Cody pitches In this RPG zine, we show you how to create a neo-medieval world for your setting
- Hexagram #10, an Old-School RPG Zine for The Fantasy Trip from Warehouse 23 pitches A retro-style collection of articles for Steve Jackson’s “The Fantasy Trip” roleplaying game.
- Bullets & Bleedthroughs – Books of Before & Now – A 5E RPG from Outland Games pitches Welcome to the world of the Now, an unforgiving place, settled by survivors from the dead world of Before.
- Desert Hold of the Dawnfish – An OSR Adventure from Lloyd Metcalf pitches An OSR / OSE compatible adventure based in Swords & Wizardry from Fehu Games
- Golden Dungeon EP 3-“Go to Hell” from Black Cube Games pitches The third episode of a continues D&D 5e adventure for level 3. This dnd story contains maps, characters, and items.
- Cirque du Nocturne: Killer Clowns – a 5E #ZineQuest4 Zine from Cirque du Nocturne pitches A zine featuring a dozen new Killer Clown and Dark Carnival-themed monsters for 5E! Plus, a new playable race: The Telestēs Mime!
- Spawn Point: RAW Mechanics + Zombie Apocalypse + Ukraine from Greg Stefaniuk pitches Spawn Point is a tabletop Role-Playing Game designed to simply and effectively quantify any genre and environment.
- Gelatinous Cube Jelly Soap from Cassi Pohlhammer pitches Gelatinous Cube soaps are handmade vegan jelly soaps that jiggle just like the classic RPG monster and hold sets of dice.
- Feudal Legacy from J.W. McRae pitches As a lifelong gamer; I set out to create the game that I’ve always wanted to play: Feudal Legacy.
- Memoirs of a Hunter from Chase Call pitches A solo-journaling zine about hunters and the creatures they must track down.
- Menagerie of Adventures #2: Five D&D 5E Adventures from William Murakami-Brundage pitches A collection of five D&D 5E adventures.
- Curious Cryptids from Gelatinous Cubicles pitches A short and sweet collection of cryptids with rich lore, original statistics, and unique plot hooks for your campaign.
- World Of Dragons 2: STL Files For Home Printing from Print My Minis pitches A collection of Dragon STL files for printing at home!
- Level Up: Magic Items (Dungeons and Dragons 5e) from Scythe Games pitches New magic items to bring tons of great emotion to the table. Let’s level up your next session.
- Rultmoork from AAW Games pitches Deluxe DnD 5e adventure. Brave Rultmoork and bring life back to the land!
- TIME SCAPE – A CY_Borg Module Inspired by Terminator from Josh Dunham pitches Come with me if you want to die… A module compatible with CY_Borg//Mork Borg
- Zeradina: Dawn in the Marshlands: A Muddy Drink from Sam Gaskins pitches An adventure for 5E that includes unique creatures, items, NPCs, and a deity from our pantheon to add to your own world and adventures.
- MCCLXV: Evesham from Past Adventures pitches An “any-system” resource for tabletop role-playing games set in medieval 13th-century England.
- Ice & Dice Tabletop Gaming Convention 2023 from Ice & Dice Gaming Convention pitches Indie games, small press, 3rd party RPG products and games-focused in Cincinnati, OH. Home of World of Darkness Dark Reunion 2023!
- Madness in the Mansion from Declan Gray pitches Ready to use one-shot compatible with 5e
- Swordtember 2020 and 2021: Sixty Magic Weapons for 5e from Attention Deficit and Dragons pitches Magic items for 5e based off of the 2020 prompt with art based off my items and art provided by artists using the 2021 prompt.
- Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets Zine #2: The Tulpa Book from Steven “bät” Hill pitches Beyond the blog and into perilous lands.
- Xanemir’s Deck of Many Things from Helena Gray pitches The deck you all know and love expanded to 54 cards, designed by the God of Chaos and Trickery himself.
- Riddlehouse Vol. 2 (5E) from Anthony Qualkinbush pitches A collection of twisted adventures, monsters, magic, and more for your favourite roleplaying game.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
