Routinely Itemised: RPGs #175

It’s an RPG news summary, and I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve got the coming week off.

I’ll be at Scotland Loves Anime, an animation festival which had to find a new home at the last minute when the energy crisis killed the indie theatre hosting the event.

Enough about my RL-drama and on with the RPG bullets of bullets!

So, let’s summarise the summary of new stuff first!

• D&D has a new boss as Ray Winninger leaves WotC.
• Roll20 Con is on, announcing charity partners and licenses.
• Dicebreaker has announced a new tabletop awards offering.
• Halloween is an excellent time for RPG bundles, but may I draw your attention to Help Gale Eff Cancer.
• Cowboy Bepop and Monty Python RPGs launch side-by-side on Kickstarter.

There are a few more things to highlight, such as the RPG Publisher Spotlight piece with Dapper Rabbit Games.

The Babies and Broadswords competition for Crawl of Cthulhu is yours for the taking. It’s hard to get tabletop gamers into competitions, and when I don’t advertise the giveaway, as I haven’t here, the entries are low. You’ll likely have about a 1/10 chance of winning.

Now, let’s dive in with all that tabletop news! (and more bullet points!)

Competition: Chaos Curios Candles | Horizon Zero Dawn: Peach Momoko Poster Portfolio

RPG news from Geek Native

• The D&D boss is an ex-boss, leaving Digital Dan in charge as Ray Winninger leaves WotC.
• D&D are coming to London to promote the Honour Among Thieves movie, and there’s more than a whiff of new D&D content.
• More D&D news? Yes, this time, it’s all sticky and challenging.
• The Cowboy Bebop Kickstarter is open, but there’s also a free-to-download QuickStart.
• Another freebie is the impressive 280-page and still-free The Calling Starter Set.
• The Bundle of Holding has two GURPS offers, including GURPS Horror.

Spotlight: Dapper Rabbit Games

RPG news from around the web

• Modiphius announce their first-ever Achtung! Cthulhu event Winter of Fear.
• Dicebreaker announces their Tabletop Awards.
• Roll20 share their 2022 Licensing Announcements.
• Roll20 also announce charity and shirt partner Roll vs Evil. It’s not cheap getting to the UK, but it is a good cause.
• Dicebreaker’s Matt Jarvis covers Kamen Rider-inspired Japanese tabletop RPG Convictor Drive is getting an English release.
• Loke BattleMaps announce the show the insides of the Box of Adventure: RPG Maps & Tokens.
• ICv2 note that Andrews McMeel announces ‘Zweiahnder Fantasy Horror RPG: Starter Kit’.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• Reviews from R’lyeh looks at HandyMap’s Buildings & Structures and The One Ring’s Ruins of the Lost Realm.
• Mollie Russell opines DnD Dragons of Stormwreck Isle review – a bright beginning.
• Mixed Signals reviews Undead.
• Chase Carter suggests the Cowboy Bebop RPG is a fawning but promising tabletop adaptation of the anime – quickstart preview.
• Egg Embry reviews the quickstart to Witch: Fated Souls 2e.
• Andrew Peregrine takes a look at the newly published Gem and Eyes RPG Studio’s The Midnight World.
• Grognardia shares an retrospective on Pool of Radiance.
• The TTRPG Factory looks Into the Odd.
• At The Gaming Gang, Sami Yuhas reviews They Came From Beyond the Grave – Heroes in a World of Horror! and The Haunting of Abbeyham Priory.
• PopGeeks look at the 5e Rule of Chaos.
• The Other Side look at the The Dark Eye.
• Wargamer reviews Free League’s Vaesen: Mythic Britain and Ireland.
• Throat Punch Games writes up a preview of The Golden Age of Khares.
• Geek Girl Authority gets a Tavern Talk with Greg Tito and the superstar Ginny Di.
• Charles Dunwoody talks to Zach Cox about Best Left Buried.

RPG new releases

• SuperTry is live with their card-based RPG of mercenaries and pop stars in a game called Space Kings.
• Free League and Andrew Gaska have published the Alien RPG Heart of Darkness.
• Pelgrane Press’ latest Gumshoe One-2-One system setting is Alteregomania.
• Gem and Eye RPG Studios have hit copper best-seller already with the horror tabletop The Midnight World.
• Nameless Designer has published a game about treasure hunters called Heroes of Adventure.
• Keller O’Leary has released the rules-light urban fantasy Doctors & Demons.
• The Black Orifice gives us the sci-fi Eternus.
• Chaos League has published the one-shot First THey Came.
• Silver Lantern Games are live with their Fate-powered steampunk Cloudrunner: Fate of the Skies.
• Drinking Horn Games hits release on the solo rules for Terrors and Tommyguns.
• Modiphius invite you to explore an alien treasure vault with Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Operation Fallen Star.

RPG bundle deals

• Save $58.07 (75%) with Heroic Maps’ Halloween 2022 Monsters bundle.
• Save $14.33 (80%) on Knightmap’s Halloween Battle Map bundle.
• Save $13.00 (62%) with the Chaosium community The Bloody Wystdovja Halloween bundle.
• (Breaking DTRPG’s percentage system) – Save $9.50 (%100) with The Red Room’s Wretched Quickstarts bundle.
• Save $7.84 (24%) with the DMsGuild’s Halloween Bundle 2022.
• Save $5.50 (25%) and Help Gale Eff Cancer.
• Save $4.72 (30%) with Saga the Game’s Halloween bundle.
• Save $3.99 (22%) on the DMsGuild’s Monsters Hunters Pocketbook to Ravenloft bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• Have fun as the GM; Ben’s Genre Police talk Self-Centred Design.
• Teacher Michael Low has a Kickstarter to promote and found time to write up Teaching literacy through games.
• At Mixed Signals, Seth discusses 5 ways to run RPG warfare.
• Forbes shares a Beginner’s Guide to Vampire: The Masquerade 5e.
• DiceGeeks share their Best GMless Tabletop RPGs.
• The Vermont Cynic admits Dungeons & Dragons slays students’ stress.
• Mike at Sly Flourish writes up Reach Satisfying Campaign Conclusions.

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;

• Lex Arcana – ‘Britannia’ and ‘Mysteries of the Empire II’ from Quality Games submits “The Roman RPG and setting that blends history, mythology and legend, expands with two new titles! Roleplaying in Ancient Rome!”
• Noval’s Cabinet of Curios: Expanding 5e Like Never Before from Dichotomy Games raises funds for “In the first 5e supplement from Dichotomy Games, dig through Noval’s Cabinet of Curios to find something you never would have expected!”
• Plants Nowhere to be Found – Hardcover edition from Trent Holbrook nominates “A magical book of mystifying plants, full of artwork and mysterious texts.”
• Polyhedral Dice Advent-ure Calendars 8 & 10 from Black Oak Workshop raises funds for “Satisfy your sense of adventure and love of dice with one of our fun countdown calendars! 55 all new custom polyhedral dice await you!”
• The Gas Station TTRPG source book from Neet Games kickstarts “68 page softback magazine style book”
• RPG Map Pack 2 The Land of the Dead from Adventure Squared suggests “A collection of 10 more maps to use with your favourite TTRPG. Complete with encounters, traps and treasure. In PDF and JPEG formats.”
• Double Double – Want some cheesy DnD ? from Desiree Stovall offers “Giving out a full set of dice to thank you.”
• Masters, Minions and Tactics: a 5th Edition Supplement from Jetpack7 kickstarts “A revised & expanded version of Masters and Minions, featuring new Masters and a focus on tactics. Made for GMs by GMs!”
• Portals of Atarien from Safehold crowdfunds “Unique high-quality Portals. 41 STL files, 3D printable for DnD, Tabletop, Wargames or just Miniature Painting.”
• Creature Feature Quarterly Vol. 11 -for use with- OSE from Jeremy Hart Illos pitches “16 monsters for use with Old School Essentials. Lots of lore + Adventure seeds. Paper minis. VTT tokens. #DnD #OldSchoolEssentials #OSR”
• Secrets of the Golden Throne from Open Ended Games submits “A supplement and a campaign for Against the Darkmaster, the Epic Fantasy tabletop RPG”
• Fearsome Wilderness: The Roleplaying Game from Geektopia Games proposes “Stranded on a mysterious woodland planet full of fearsome critters from North American folklore, you feel you’re somehow being watched.”
• Rule of Chaos – Demonic 5E from Rule of Chaos introduces “Ever wanted to play demons in 5E?
  We bring you an exciting way to play powerful demons of all shapes and sizes with fun new challenges!”
• LUCKY FOR NONE from Beyond Cataclysm Games proposes “A comedy-horror game for solo journalling & group play. Comes with a spooky 13 sided dice!”
• Wandering Dungeons II from The Monster Directive raises funds for “Have your dungeons come alive in part II with a set of 8 separate dungeons (levels 1-4 and 5-10) culminating in a single megadungeon.”
• World of Nimmervale – Sharks Clans vs. Sea Tortles Clans from Anthony Castillo – Wundervale Games CEO offers “An extensive set of detailed 3D printable miniatures for tabletop gaming. Includes DnD5E ready stats and more.”
• The Dread of Night from Joseph Fredrick Richardson submits “A new, combat-oriented Powered by the Apocalypse system, written as a love letter to various Dark Fantasy titles.”
• The Wolves of Langston: A 5e Murder Mystery Solo Adventure from Obvious Mimic kickstarts “Embark on a DnD solo adventure that you play with any 5e character. Be the hero of a story where your choices have consequences.”
• Adversary from Benjamin Drury crowdfunds “A narrative, deck-building tabletop RPG about the Final Battle”
• The Deck of Useful Things: NPC Edition! from Lisa Hall crowdfunds “A 5e compatible deck of diverse character cards that you can use to fill your favorite tabletop role-playing game worlds!”
• Beautiful Display Cabinets for Miniatures and more from Artis Opus introduces “Bring your hobby to life with Artis Opus Display Cabinets – hand-crafted, wall-hanging or free-standing, modular, infinitely flexible.”
• You Nameless SCUM from Rinaldo Agostini crowdfunds “A quick and brutal gamebook, inspired by MÖRK BORG.”
• Simple Superheroes #1: The Experiment RPG adventure from Joshua John Kitz submits “New Carthage part 1—a supervillain seeking revenge, an experiment sabotaged, your heroes caught in the middle.”
• Chaos and Magic from Chaos and Magic nominates “The Tabletop RPG that will let you explore the amazing world of Chaos and Magic with a unique original system and setting.”
• Corrupted Flesh: 5e, 3e & STF RPG Campaign from Black and White Media raises funds for “An unprecedented role-play centric gothic horror sandbox style TTRPG campaign.”
• The Willowdale Horror: $1 Holiday Adventure for DnD5e from Applewhite Games offers “A Creepy Holiday TTRPG Adventure for DnD5e ONLY $1!”
• Home: The Haunted House Map Building RPG from Wet Ink Games kickstarts “Some Doors Should Never Be Opened”
• Starsworn: Write Stories Through Play! from Michael Low introduces “A story-telling adventure game that teaches reading, writing, and collaboration for all ages!”
• Gnomes of Greenwood: 5e Campaign Book & Miniatures (Canceled) from Dragon’s Forge Miniatures submits “The gnomes are coming! 5e compatible RPG campaign book & fantasy miniatures for your tabletop roleplaying games. Resin minis and STLs.”
• In Golden Flame Act 1 from Avery Stone raises funds for “A Campaign for Lancer”
• WIZARDS LAB: Resin Dice with Spellbook Rolling Box from Wizards Lab suggests “Beautiful and readable hand-crafted dice with your very own Spellbook rolling and storage box”
• 3Dice Series 6 – Elevate Your Gaming Experience from 3Dice pitches “Our Polyhedral, D6 Dice Sets and Singles will outshine your opponents.”
• HexaCube Dice Company Returns: Let’s Make Some Oddlings! from James submits “The second KS will raise money to make fair, symmetrical and comfortable odd outcome dice, along with new colors of standard HexaCubes.”
• Jair’s Home: Post Apocalyptic Sourcebook and Miniatures (Canceled) from ELECTI STUDIO is working on “Resin Printed, 28 mm scale, Mutant Miniatures for RPG and Wargames.”
• Phone Home – Wasteland radio station and restricted area from Pharaoh’s Workshop raises funds for “3d printable tabletop terrain STL files for post apocalyptic, scifi and modern wargaming and RPG”
• Curated Fantasy Stock Art from The Grinning Frog is working on “For all tabletop RPGs. Home and commercial use licence included”
• Cultists of the Old Ones – Heroic 28mm pewter miniatures from Atomico introduces “This is a set of 10 hand sculpted miniatures cast in pewter. These cultists make a great addition to any fantasy miniature or rpg game.”
• 10 Secret Rooms and Encounters Zine for DnD5e from Crow Heart Roleplay Resources raises funds for “Ten Highly Detailed, Hand Drawn Battle Mats with Descriptions and Encounters”

If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.