That’s a success. You’ve rolled nat 20 on your Friday RPG news summary column. Welcome to Routinely Itemised.
Let’s dig into the super summery first;
- D&D has a new boss, and Dan Rawson is digital first.
- D&D and LEGO are offering life-time sales commission for D&D’s 50th birthday
- Essen Spiel is on, and the launch of Fabula Ultima has taken the ‘TTJRPG’ to the top of DTRPG’s sales charts.
- RPG historian Ben Riggs writes up the $5,000 TSR (original) paid for The Forgotten Realms.
Dapper Rabbit Games won the RPG Publisher Spotlight poll from Patrons.
Since we didn’t explode the internet by having two bullet point lists in this intro summary. This month’s RPG Publisher Spotlight candidates are;
Site supporters can vote for November’s candidates on Patron.
Now, let’s dive in with all that tabletop news! Spot all the Halloween creep!
Competition: Chaos Curios Candles
RPG news from Geek Native
- WotC has a new D&D boss, Dan Rawson, a digital and eCommerce leader. They also have a slow cooker.
- Fancy earning money each time someone buys the D&D LEGO set you designed? You can with the 50 years of D&D competition.
- Also, in a busy D&D week, we now know there will be two Honour Among Thieves prequel books.
- Wizards of the Coasts’ privacy policy is criticised.
- Launched in Essen Spiel this week, now DriveThruRPG’s hottest game is the ‘TTJPG’ Fabula Ultima. Geek Native noticed the free to download quickstart a few days earlier.
- Sadly, the 3 Minute RPG Kickstarter was cancelled after a death in the team.
- GG Games released a free to download overview of their 1d10 System.
- Paul Gregorwich published a Pay What You Want for 5e Monster Harvesting.
- Goob the Goblin released a free to download Improved Space Combat & Custom Spelljammers.
- In bundles, over at Humble and RPG-ish there’s a Tolkien deal of books to inspire and inform.
- Meanwhile, the Bundle of Holding is supporting NaNoWriMo efforts with Gamer Tools for Authors and a flash sale for Monsters and Other Childish Things.
Spotlight: Dapper Rabbit Games
RPG news from around the web
- Marvel has published their own Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Explained!.
- Pazio has announced six new May 2023 Pathfinder and Starfinder products.
- Wargamer looks at the evidence and asks Is D&D headed for a Netflix-style subscription model?.
- Studio Agate is trying something new with a loyalty program for crowdfunding projects.
- Role, the challenger platform, now supports the Fallout RPG.
- Unusually, business site Racontuer opines Roll for initiative: how Dungeons & Dragons could benefit your business.
- The NDSMC Observer covers ‘One D&D’ makes things more complicated.
- Christian Hoffer at ComicBook (autoplay video warning) noticed that Dungeons & Dragons Wants to Make Miniatures With Your Face On It.
- Rob Keyes and ScreenRant has the exclusive with 4 New Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics Revealed!.
- GAMA announces the Origins Awards Return for 2022.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- CNET and James Bricknell share New Dungeons & Dragons Starter Kit Now Available, Brings Low-Cost Adventuring to Beginners.
- Meanwhile, the UK’s red top The Daily Mirror has penned Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter Set Review: A fantastic introduction to Dungeons and Dragons.
- Strange Assembly also have reviewed the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set – Dragons of Stormwreck Isle.
- Gundobad Games has reviewed the NPC Index: Spellcasters.
- Jared Rasher shares first impressions on Unearthed Arcana: Expert Classes, Part Three – Classes and Subclasses.
- Throat Punch Games has written up thoughts on Heroes of Cerulea.
- Garrett Crowe at 20Radio explores Star Trek Adventures with Mumurs From the Q Continuum Array of Tales.
- Awful Good Games digs into Dungeons & Delvers 2nd Editio: Skills.
- Grognardia pens a retrospective on D&D’s The Northern Reaches.
- Bell of Lost Souls notes ‘Achtung! Cthulhu’s Newest Campaign Takes You ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ .
- The TTRPG Factory reviews Himbs of Myth & Mettle.
- On RPG.net, Lord of War reviews Battlelord of the 23rd Century’s Rusty Medals.
- Mixed Signals reviews Spelljammer: Sea of Sorrows and AEG’s Undead.
- Tribality sums up with Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter Set: Released Today & Mini-Review.
- Geek Girl Authority catches up with Shelly Mazzanoble.
- At EN World, Egg interviews PJ Coffey and Adam Donovan to talk ‘One if by land, two if by sea, three if by air’.
RPG new releases
- Mannifest Games has released the free, flexible, universal, unconventional, creative, and card-based FUK! The System.
- Need Games releases their TTJPG Fabula Ultima.
- CMON expand their RPG range with an adventure for Broken Compass through Voyages Extraordinaires and Jolly Roger.
- Handiwork Games has combined all the Beowulf adventures with new material for BEOWULF: The Trials of the Twin Seas.
- Terry Crew has published a superhero comic book RPG with Way of a Hero.
- Ken Wickham has released the helpful Creating Power Systems for RPG Gamemasters.
- Sleepy Sasquatch Games has introduced the solo (and co-op) sci-fi RPG GLIDE.
- Even Footing Games grows their Babies and Broadswords family with Crawl of Cthulhu.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $29.85 (50%) with the DMsGuild’s Monster Weakness bundle.
- Save $9.00 (35%) with ndp design’s Horror Bundle.
- Save $6.00 (38%) with Spiel Knights’ One Page Dungeon Contest bundle.
- Save $3.00 (21%) with Severed Books’ Caver bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Minki Kim and Nine Heavens Press introduced readers to the Korean Bulgasari.
- Charles continues his Year Zero worldbuilding series with The One Ring Vampires.
- In a guest post, Jared Mullicane talks about improv in RPGs.
- Ben Riggs digs into the $5,000 TSR paid Ed Greenwood for The Forgotten Realms.
- Dicegeeks helpfully round up their Best solo tabletop RPGs.
- Osprey Publishing and Mark Galeotti talk about technology and social development in Gran Meccanismo – In Florence’s Shadows.
- Loke Battle Maps’ Matt Henderson guest posted for OBS with Getting the Best out of VTT Maps.
- Scott Baird has written up One D&D: Every Spell That Has Changed Schools.
- Michael Tresca asks Who invented the ice dragon?
- At Goodman Games, James Maliszewski asks of the D&D co-inventor Who in the World is Dave Arneson?.
- Enricoh Alfonzo at Glitched shares their D&D A Newbies Experience.
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;
- CovenAunts from Vivid Worlds kickstarts “A witchy little ttrpg about doing magic, drinking wine and dealing with family.”
- Ulysses: Starship Map & Miniature from Ryan Wolfe proposes “Deckplan poster and cast resin miniature for Starfinder & other sci-fi RPGs; a survey vessel composed of two integrated ships.”
- 1000 RPG Character portrait from Laurent.L proposes “Put a face to your characters and NPC! Thousand of illustrations of elves, dwarves, humans, demons, orcs, and more!”
- Wandering Dungeons from The Monster Directive crowdfunds “Have your dungeons come alive with a set of 8 separate dungeons (levels 1-4 and 5-10) culminating in a single megadungeon.”
- Shipwrecked Shenanigans from Sarah McWilliams raises funds for “A Game for Fun People!”
- Breach: A TTRPG Adventure from Sara McLean suggests “A horror themed TTRPG that is beginner friendly and designed with replayability in mind.”
- Season of the Lich: Echoes from NocturnalDemise pitches “Join in on this 2-6 player quest management/party builder board game with a hidden betrayer mechanic.”
- KingLess City – Epic Miniatures in a Dark Fantasy World from Miniaturesblueprint proposes “Premium & High quality printable STL miniatures, available in 32mm and 75mm, for Tabletop, Roleplaying games, or just to Paint !”
- Skelly Tokens: Themed Tokens for Magic the Gathering Players from Skelly Packs kickstarts “Make your games a little extra spooky with these unique tokens from Skelly Packs!”
- Creepy Creature, Double Feature. from Red Oaks Creative proposes “Two spooky RPGs for Halloween. Ghostly goings on in “Old School Ghosts” & monster madness in “Punklins”. Do you dare to play?”
- Medieval, Tales from Europe from Tales For Gamers Publishing proposes “A realistic and historical D&D 5e setting in the Middle Ages”
- Rūgzieme: An Evocative 5e Low-Fantasy Setting & Adventure from Ardann Creative pitches “An engaging and evocative adventure book, paired with a richly detailed and grounded source book.”
- Tallith’s Guide To Fantastical Fungi – D&D 5e Supplement from Kate Silver pitches “Tallith’s Guide to Fantastical Fungi features over 50 fully illustrated magical mushrooms to add some fun to your D&D 5e games!”
- Campaign City Supers for Savage Worlds from Pete Ruttman crowdfunds “A super set of spandexy adventures written for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition and Super Powers Companion.”
- Must Be a Dragon, a masterless RPG of explorers and dragons from Sushi Role kickstarts “A masterless tabletop role-playing game set in the 1800s Europe where dragons exist, and your purpose is to find them!”
- Trials of the Bell Witch from Doc’s Mad Lab Games pitches “Book 1 of the Bountiful Sorrows Series”
- Deck of Many Things – The Colours of Magic! from Linda Brouwer raises funds for “A legendary item, compatible with all D&D and Pathfinder games! Twenty-two fully illustrated cards in a deluxe box or velvet pouch.”
- Bugbears and Borderlands from Rod Waibel kickstarts “A truly basic version of the 5e ruleset.”
- Twelve Deaths Til Deepest Night (2-Person Horror TTRPG) from Andy Hand suggests “You’ve died under suspicious circumstances. You’ve been given a chance to solve your murder from the realm between life & death.”
- Keys and Treasure Chests from Diego Pisa Artworks suggests “Add the magic of special treasure chests and their keys to your games! For use with DnD 5E, Pathfinder, and other Fantasy RPGs.”
- Deluxe D20 Staff of Critical Hits from Enstaved suggests “A high-quality, modular, collectable staff that will save you from Nat 1’s! Forged in glass-infused polypropylene & DM tears.”
- Into the Wilds Battlemap Books from Tom Cartos raises funds for “A series of 6 customisable biome themed TTRPG battlemap books to bring your games to life!”
- You Meet In A Tavern, You Die In A Dungeon from Ursidice crowdfunds “A procedural dungeon-crawling RPG where all the Dungeoneers are destined to die.”
- Pocket Book Adventures: A “Point & Write” Dungeon Crawler from Grumpy Spider Games kickstarts “Grab loot, solve puzzles, and defeat powerful enemies in this pocket-sized dungeon crawler that only needs a pencil to play!”
- The Valley Out of Time for S&W DCC MCC Part 5&6 FINAL! from Skeeter Green kickstarts “The Valley Out of Time is a series of ‘zine-sized adventures borrowing heavily from classic dinosaur art, books, and movies.”
- Retro Dice Gen.2 from Orcansee Game Works raises funds for “8 unique styles of 7 segment display font dice – available in 7pc rpg configurations”
- Ancient Black Dragon & 3-D Printable RPG Terrain STLs from Mangy Goblin Games pitches “Pre-supported, non-supported, and high-res files for this fearsome fantasy foe, its horde, and horrifying allies! Halloween Edition 🎃”
- Micro Dungeons Halloween Edition 2022 from Guillermo Buenfil raises funds for “Micro Dungeon Crawling adventures with Halloween themes for 5e D&D (5th edition Dungeons and Dragons TTRPG)”
- Fear of the Unknown – Zero Prep Horror Mystery Roleplaying from Sixpence Games crowdfunds “Every game is a horror film. Solve mysteries, encounter horrors, face peril, and see how that changes you as a person.”
- Apocalypse from Alan Tucker proposes “The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Ending the World”
- Veranthea Codex: Grethadnis (for D&D 5E and Level Up: A5E) from Mike Myler proposes “100 NPCs and more in a medieval fantasy realm where war looms amidst a technological renaissance and the shadows of tyrants!”
- One if by land, two if by sea, three if by air from PJ Coffey suggests “High Octane Adventuring for Fifth Edition and Advanced Fifth Edition! Easy to use vehicle rules and tokens for your games! Oct 4th!”
- PORKIN’ THE VOID from Yog’du Games kickstarts “A shameful reimagining of Mörk Borg in which players take on the roles of spacefaring humanoid pigs!”
- MARY SHELLEY’S DREAM from RAPSODA GAMES raises funds for “Mary Shelley’s dream is a Horror Roll & Write in which you will try to create a Creature like Doctor Victor Frankenstein did”
- Fey Earth from Bramble Heart Games offers “A world of magic and folklore set in an alternate 19th century Earth where the Fey live alongside humanity”
- FinalHorizon Core Rulebook + Sandbox Module! from DiceKnightGames crowdfunds “An epic science fiction tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) with a light ruleset and deep mechanics…”
- Black Paper Moon from Vincent Baker crowdfunds “A rules light tabletop RPG, where dark themes mix with mystical powers and whimsy. Core gameplay involves a “Die Tower.””
- Abandoned Mine from CrowDesign3D kickstarts “High quality detailed 3D Printable STL Files, Diorama/Terrain/Basing Bits for RPG, Tabletop and Wargames. 28-32 mm scale.”
- I will draw your D&D or any other RPGs groups or characters. from Sébastien Dardenne suggests “Your own Dungeons & Dragons; Pathfinder, D and D 5e, Warhammer, White Wolf, Shadowrun, or any other RPG character illustration.”
- MAPS FOR FANTASY RPGs 6 – ROYALTY FREE MAPS from Laidback Dungeon Master pitches “Royalty-Free Maps in Multiple Formats for Use in Commercial or Non-Commercial Print & Digital Projects – 5e DnD, Pathfinder, CoC”
- Better Backgrounds 5e from Chamomile Has A Project raises funds for “Finally, something to spend your hit dice on”
- Endure The Dark – The Occult (€1) from XploringMap raises funds for “5 fantasy Dungeon battle Maps for your tabletop RPG with mini random adventure. Usable on virtual tabletop platforms and physically.”
- Grimoire of the Grave – The Ultimate 5E Guide to Undead from 2CGaming pitches “Undead PCs, NPCs, monsters, world building, and more – Everything there is to know about undeath in 5th Edition!”
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
