Routinely Itemised: RPGs #188

Whelp! It’s been another week, and imagine if you could no longer stand the mention of acronyms like ‘D&D’, ‘5e’ or ‘OGL’?

Let’s dive in with the RPG news summary of summaries.

• Wizards of the Coast have backed down on some OGL terms but push on with change (same first bullet as last week)
• Free League will release two OGLs
• ORC, a rival OGL, is up to 1,500 publishers
• Several RPG publishers have announced SRDs or/and OGLs of their own
• By Night Studios has a new CEO

Once again, and I suspect not for the last time, this RPG news round-up has an easy-to-skip/find the first section on OGL stories.

Do we mistreat animals in RPGs? Do we mistreat artists? Catilus is interviewed this week in the RPG Publisher Spotlight.

Geek Native’s RPG Publisher Spotlight, as supported by Patreons, is all about getting some publicity on other publishers and feels proudly relevant this month. The February candidates are currently listed on the Spotlight page.

Now, the RPG news!

Support: Patreon

RPG news from Geek Native

• How bad is it for D&D? One survey says that One in Ten D&D players won’t ever play again.
• Modiphius launch a third-party publisher program with 2d20 World Builders.
• Free League get serious and release two different OGLs.
• In protest at WotC’s OGL efforts, Studio Agate makes the whole Fateforge RPG set Pay What You Want.
• ORC members Darrin Drader and Rod Waibel announce Project Phoenix, an open-source RPG.
• A system to turn your digital battle maps into controllable projector scenes, Infinite Realms readies for launch.
• A few of the old OGL 1.1 edits happened silently.
• Nwyve have released a free download for Denizen! The Magonian Edition.
• At the Bundle of Holding, there are deals on the duet RPG Beowulf and some Alternatives to D&D

Spotlight: Catilus

OGL news from Geek Native and elsewhere

There’s been a scary amount of mainstream news, forum chatter and Discord heat about the OGL updates. There’s been too much rumour. In this section, I’m not recapping it all but sharing a wide range of stories, each with different slants and focus.

• The post from D&D’s Executive Producer Kyle Brink which restarts the Conversation About the OGL with Wizards.
• Helping a busy blogger out, Robert Marriner-Dodds guests a news piece with Wizards of the Coast backtrack on OGL 1.1.
• Money site, The Motley Fool get to the share-moving point with A Big Change Could Be Coming for Hasbro: Should Investors Worry?.
• Kobold Press stick to their principles and shares more info on Project Black Flag.
• Shawn Tomkin expands the Ironsworn Creative Commons license.
• Via Mastodon, Lumpley Games announce an Apocalypse World SRD.
• Necrotic Gnome also offers up An Update on Old-School Essentials and the OGL.
• At Sportskeeda, Paizo shares more insight in “The birth of the ORC license was driven by OGL 1.1” – Paizo’s Jim Butler discusses ORC, OGL 1.1, and more.
• GamesRadar’s Benjamin Abbott has EU tabletop RPG devs form union after D&D OGL drama, vowing to “protect the creators of the sector” .
• ICv2 covers one of the OGL drama’s latest problems with D&D Beyond Addresses Misinformation Swirling Around OGL 1.1 Leak Controversy.
• Mongoose will introduce a new Traveller Open Content programme (and are looking at ORC).
• Evil Genius Games announces a Path Forward – Beyond OGL.
• Dias Ex Machina shared their stance on OGL 1.2, want more on inclusive messaging but see no issue moving forward with the proposal.
• Izegrim announces the Bugbear&Borderlands OPEN License Agreement.
• Wargamer’s Matt Bassil helpfully sums up All the DnD rules Wizards plans to add to Creative Commons.
• David McGrogan of Noisms Games pens On the OGL and ‘Expressing Your Fandom’.
• Screen Rant’s Ben Brosofsky suggests Mörk Borg & Other RPG Systems That Make Good D&D 5e Alternatives.
• Morrus investigates So WHY Didn’t The OGL Contain The Word ‘Irrevocable’?.
• With their RPG 1879 in mind, FASA also publish thoughts on the OGL drama.
• At Forbes, Nicholas Gordon scribes Hasbro tried to take back control over how people reimagine Dungeons and Dragons. A weeks-long fan backlash made it do a 180.
• At Polygon, Charlie Hall sums up with D&D leadership issues a fresh apology, details next steps to update the OGL.
• Kyle Orland at Ars Technica reminds us that D&D maker still wants to revoke earlier versions of “open” gaming license.
• Games Radar has the Dark Souls RPG dev on D&D licensing controversy: “The revolt has already begun”.
• Game Rant points out that Former Wizards of the Coast Vice President Starts Petition to Save Dungeons and Dragons.
• Inverse notes that Legends of Vox Machina will continue – even if Dungeons and Dragons doesn’t .
• VG247 pens Baldur’s Gate 3 will not be affected by DnD licensing changes.
• Designer Paul Hughes covers The issues that need to be fixed with WOTC’s proposed OGL replacements.
• Legal and TTRPG blogger Robert E. Bodine helpfully writes up The OGL and the Problem with Patents and asks Who’s the Bad Guy?

RPG news from around the web

• Dicetale Games will release two Blood and Doom primers instead of a quickstart and release under an Open Game License.
• Sean Nittner at Evil Hat Games lines up what 2023 might have in store with projects underway.
• EN Publishing announces a What’s OLD is NEW Starter Set.
• Samantha Nelson at Polygon notes D&D 5th edition comes to a close in 2023 against a backdrop of fan anger.
• At Dextero, Jessica Fibly ponders Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could change D&D forever.
• It’s been jam-packed for many publishers, and Cubicle 7 shares everything they released in 2022.
• Together, Goodman Games, Humble, and DCC buyers raised more than $10,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
• Role introduces new audio features.
• By Night Studios has a new CEO and introduces Daphne by Facebook video chat.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• The TTRPG Factory reviews Cy_Borg.
• Grognardia marches on with a retrospective on Greyhawk.
• Nerds on Earth write up their views on Starfinder Interstellar Species.
• Decolonize’s Seher opines The Test Of High Sorcery Is Great For Beginners And Veterans Of D&D Alike.
• MRJ RPG reviews Japanese Call of Cthulhu scenario Erich!.
• Roleplayers Chronicle reviews Dragonlance’s Warriors of Krynn.
• Reviews from R’lyeh writes up the classic 1982 Star Trek: The Role-Playing Game, the much newer Vast Grimm quickstart and Animal Adventures: Secrets of Gullet Cove.
• Julia Roth interviews DM Dennis Robinson.

RPG new releases

• Will Phillips is up to playtest 3 for the (still) Name Your Own Price Hexingtide: Minimalist Monsterous Roleplaying.
• William Rotor has launched a range of rules and supplements for an RPG set in a factory built around the sun. There’s the;
  • Dyson Sphere RPG.
  • Free Dyson Sphere Quickstart.
  • PWYW Dyson Sphere: Replication.
  • Free Dyson Sphere Architect’s Guide.
• Kobold Press release the OGL-enabled Zobeck: Clockwork City.
• Gallant Knight Games and Fari Games publish under CC-BY (aka a Creative Commons license) rules-light SYMA.
• Original Frontiers publish the low-cost Bushido Spirit – Core Rules and Setting.
• Daniel Lehto AB has published Äventyr – the Family Friendly Roleplaying Game (Quickstart).
• Philip Vijoen has kindly released a Pay What You Want Dungeons & Dragons as a Therapeutic and Learning Tool.
• In hardback, EDGE Publishing’s retail version of Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion: Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook is on sale.

RPG bundle deals

• Save $81.88 (60%) with Fishwife Games with the Any System Space, $29.11 (40%) on the Any System Fantasy and $6.26 (35%) with the Any System Cyberpunk bundles.
• Save $17.99 (90%)in Skirmisher Publishing’s New Year, New Thing bundle.
• Save $3.99 (29%) with Earthbound Games’ Country Road Z VTT bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• Ben and the Genre Police suggest GMs must Evolve or die.
• New Gamemaster Month continues with Charles Ryan’s Dressing Things Up a Bit.
• Dot Esports talks tabletop RPG (hmm, I wonder why…) with The 8 best alternatives to DnD Beyond.
• Book Riot returns to tabletop gaming with Find the best RPG dice rollers online.
• At Forbes, Doctor Lance Eliot invites discussion with Role Playing Via Generative AI ChatGPT Conjures Up Mental Health Questions, Stirring AI Ethics And AI Law Scrutiny.

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;

• Ruination Pilgrimage from Donn Stroud nominates “A Panic Engine RPG of Medieval Horror with demons, pestilence, knights, priests, saints’ relics, angels, and Ruination or Redemption!”
• Architects of the Deep: Battlemaps from Dren Productions Games is working on “Huge collection of digital battlemaps to use for all your fantasy TTRPGs. All for only $5!”
• FÖRK BORG: A Feast and Famine Book compatible with MÖRK BORG from Reverse Ettin Games introduces “A veritable cornucopia of allegedly edible & food-related content for MÖRK BORG. New MONSTERS, CLASSES, ITEMS, & short adventures, too!”
• The Red Lantern: Cthulhu Mythos RPG Module from Applewhite Games raises funds for “Can you maintain your sanity and outlive the nightmares which lurk at the edges? Find out in this Cthulhu Mythos RPG Module!”
• TTRPG Tokens from DnD Campaign Planner crowdfunds “Elevate your tabletop gaming with our durable, high-quality acrylic tokens! First 72hrs backers: Free Adult Blue Dragon Token!”
• Make 100: Handmade Custom Origami Dragon Dice from Blue Crystal Atelier offers “Make 100 unique handmade sharpedge dice with origami dragons.”
• The Superhero Project, digital maps and assets. from Gaudreau Steve kickstarts “Modern maps and tokens for rpg tabletop games.”
• 1000 RPG Monsters & Pets illustrations! from Laurent.L crowdfunds “High-quality illustrations of monsters & Pets for personal or commercial use for all your needs!”
• D&Tea: A Great Infusion of RPGs and Tea from D&Tea raises funds for “You demanded more flavours, you’re going to love what we’ve been blending.”
• Deep Magic 2: Spellcaster’s Emporium for 5th Edition Games from Kobold Press is working on “Heed power’s call! New spells and new styles of magic, plus entirely new classes, downtime activities, familiars, and much more for 5E!”
• Elfland: Beyond The Fields We Know (DCC RPG) from Stefan Surratt pitches “A zine, 2 full adventures, pamphlet funnel, & sew-on patch focused taking your game to Elfland in Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCCRPG)”
• Einherjar from MORRIGAN GAMES submits “An epic RPG campaign in the Norse realms, 5E compatible.”
• The Fury of the Northmen from Jess Nevins is working on “The Fury of the Northmen is a 5e-compatible roleplaying game set during the Viking invasion of England in 865-871 C.E.”
• Make 100 Bastards from Adam STATION pitches “Give me a song, & I’ll give you a custom class for your RPG games (Bastards and others).”
• Mimic Dice – The Founding from Mimic Dice suggests “Great Dice, Great Price, Mimic Boxes, with just a touch of world domination… Every backer gets a free Carl.”
• Solo Space Opera with Cepheus from Peter Rudin-Burgess crowdfunds “Solo Roleplaying with Cepheus Deluxe”
• Purgatory Reprint | A Mörk Borg Supplement from Christian Eichhorn is working on “A collection of classes, skills, encounters, and a hex-crawl adventure!”
• Vastral’s Guide to Magical Oddities 3 from The Grinning Frog introduces “Unique magic items including backstory, reputation, power changes based on condition, repair details, locations and full stats.”
• Dokayo Jungle Panic! from Sabrina Lynn raises funds for “An immersive storytelling co-op table top RPG. Dokayo, where an ancient curse is terrorizing the people of this small jungle town.”
• Game dice + Sale |STL 28 32MM| from Rstzzxx is working on “Cheap sale of all STL models for Printing Tabletop Games RPG projects Game dice 3D”
• Handy Hubs: versatile locations for use with any TTRPG! from DeepDark Designs Ltd offers “Stunning digital, VTT, and print-&-play floorplans for use with D&D, Pathfinder, and any other fantasy tabletop roleplaying game”
• Dungeon Dives from Anthony Qualkinbush kickstarts “Explore the depths of danger and adventure with Dungeon Dives – 5 ready-to-use, fully detailed dungeon crawls.”
• STRANGERS – NPCs & Adventures for your TTRPG from Laura MCL crowdfunds “A book of unique NPCs each with their own quest for your party of adventurers to solve.”
• Krillos Guide: For the Adventuring Artisan from Island of Bees introduces “An illustrated Tabletop RPG Supplement and Comedic Journal”
• OP Inspired Jolly Roger D6 Dice from AKingNamedCory introduces “16mm D6 dice inspired by Jolly Rogers featured in One Piece anime/manga. Aimed at TCG/TTG players, especially the new One Piece TCG.”
• Nicomeiden’s Tower: A Dungeon RPG Adventure from MW Lewis crowdfunds “A map to Nicomeidan’s Tower has appeared. Can you obtain this powerful wizard’s ancient spell book? Do you believe your lying eyes?”
• Rose Whip Dice – Hollow Metal Polyhedral RPG Dice Set from OniDice pitches “A unique collection of Rose Whip inspired dice for role-playing needs”
• Quantum Black Bleeding Edges from Quantum Black Games kickstarts “The 3rd Quantum Black rule book. It opens new options for the GM, introduces a new magic system, and adds monster families.”
• €1 One Shot: Huck Lynan’s Sinker from Ardann Creative is working on “A 5e Compatible Play-Space with 7 Quest Hooks”
• Simple Townsfolk – Modular NPC’s STL Pack from Infernal Miniatures pitches “Townsfolk and civilian themed STL megapack for 3d printing. Highly modular and backward compatible with my last project. 32/28mm scale.”
• Dungeoncaster, Story-Driven Fantasy TTRPG Ruleset from Christopher Grey pitches “Open Source Ruleset for Swords and Sorcery Roleplaying Games”
• Cthulhu and the Deities – Lovecraftian monsters from Oscar Becerra suggests “PNP Monster cards for RPG campaings and coloring book from the lovecraftian universe”
• DnD 5e Monthly One Shots Vol 1- Dangers of the Forest! from Adventure Ripples nominates “A monthly installment of D&D 5e Adventure thematic One-Shots that will upgrade your Campaign and keep your players on edge!”
• Fantasy RPG Airship from Tech Adept Crafts offers “3D Printable STL Files, Terrain for Tabletop, Role Playing Games, Wargames and RPG”

Do you know of an RPG news source that I don’t? Let me know, or leave a comment below.