We made it through April’s Fools, although I did think the news about Phil Reed stepping down from Steve Jackson Games might have been!
So, that bundle of RPG news summaries!
- Meredith Placko takes over from Phil Reed as Steve Jackson Games CEO
- Wizards of the Coast’s D&D summit was rocky, and One D&D dropped as a brand
- Chaosium release Basic Roleplaying with an ORC license.
- Project Black Flag is now Tales of the Valiant.
- Christian Mehrstam’s Whitehack Fourth Edition is out.
- Samurai Sheepdog are offering $150 off in the 2022 Annual Collection2022 Annual Collection.
And since it’s the first RI of the month, there’s the RPG Publisher Spotlight to write about.
The winner for April is High Level Games.
Geek Native Patrons can vote here for one of the following May candidates;
If you have got a nomination, then get in touch.
Now, I wonder how many weeks it’s been since D&D drama.
On with the RPG news!
Support: Patron.
RPG news from Geek Native
- I’m not sure the ORC license is in its final form, but Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying system ORC-edition is out.
- Project Black Flag enters its final form (or brand, at least) as Kobold Press reveal Tales of the Valiant.
- The new CEO at Steve Jackson Games is Meredith Placko has Phil Reed steps down.
- Goodman Games has published the official and DC-powered Dying Earth RPG.
- At the Bundle of Holding, there’s a flash sale on the horror Shiver bundle and a longer bundle offer on third-party products for Mork Borg.
- Meanwhile, at Humble, there’s a comic book gathering with Return to the World of Dungeons & Dragons.
Spotlight: High Level Games
RPG news from around the web
- Wizards of the Coast’s attempt to turn around D&D creator opinion did not go as planned. Some angles;
- Daniel Kwan was virtually there and wrote up Thoughts from a D&D Creator Summit Virtual Attendee.
- From Tabletop Gaming News: D&D Creator Summit Plagued by Controversy and Technical Issues.
- From GameRant: Dungeons and Dragons Creator Summit Turned Into a Roast of Wizards of the Coast.
- However, there are some big news (headlines) from the event;
- Reason’s Robby Soave makes the case on Is Dungeons & Dragons Eliminating’ Inherently Racist’ Half-Elves, Half-Orcs?.
- Christian Hoffer counters half-elves are staying; Dungeons & Dragons Clarifies Plans for Half-Elves and Mixed Parentages in One D&D. (Annoying autoplay videos)
- GameRant’s Eric Law concludes Dungeons and Dragons is Giving Up the One D&D Name.
- Iconic publication The New Yorker digs into The Magic and Melancholy of Dungeons & Dragons.
- Joseph Kime at GGRecon notes that Dungeons & Dragons directors are ready for a sequel.
- Screen Rant’s Carrie Lambertsen offers a summary with DnD’s VTT: Everything You Need To Know About One D&D’s Virtual Tabletop.
- R. Talsorian Games announces the next book for Cyberpunk RED is the faction and NPC guide Danger Gal Dossier.
- And Edge will finally publish its Twilight Imperium RPG.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Jared Rascher reviews the RPG of queer disco and cosmic horror Moonlight on Roseville Beach.
- Reviews from R’lyeh stays true with a look at Corsairs versus Cthulhu.
- At Bleeding Cool, Rich Johnston curates an autobiographical offering on When Jim Zub Was Going To Turn Down Writing Dungeons & Dragons.
- On EN World, Egg Embry interviews RiotMinds’ Theodore Bergqvist in From Selling Trudvang To Into The Wild (5E).
- Charles Dunwoody found time to talk Raiders of R’lyeh with Quentin Bauer.
- On Tavern Talk Thursday, Julia Roth talked with Steve Trinkl.
- The Mary Sue’s Julia Glassman gets a great interview with ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Directors on the Masochism of Bringing D&D to the Screen.
RPG new releases
- Whitehack has a silver best seller already with Christian Mehrstam’s Whitehack Fourth Edition.
- Evil Genius Games has expanded the cinematic adventures for their Everyday Heroes system with Pacific Rim.
- Roll20 has the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Core Rulebook Bundle.
- Free to download and from Mats is the light d20 Leap Engine’s Leap Guide.
- Indie publisher, Dr Mike Desing of Splintered Realms Publishing, has released a revised edition of the lost cost core rules Hack’D & Slash’D .
- The Gauntlet releases the Brindlewood Bay-based game of analogue horror with Public Access.
- Name your own price for Wym Lawson’s submission to the Queer Games Bundle 2023 at Itch is Case Closed: A Cold Case RPG.
- Filed under both physical and “I might buy this” is the hardback, and Ben Aaronvitch and Lynne Hardy signed Rivers of London RPG.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $150 (71%) with Samurai Sheepdog’s 2022 Annual Collection.
- Save $11.98 (40%) with the DMsGuild’s The Illuminated bundle.
- Save $3.59 (20%) with ShadeSide Entertainment’s Realm of Shade 2022 bundle.
- Save $3.49 (28%) in the Chaosium community content The Bayou bundle.
- Save $2.98 (25%) in the DMsGuild’s Feywild: Folklore bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- In D&D, which are taller? Halflings or Gnomes? Here’s a fan-made size chart.
- Valid for me, and how many of your friends are metal heads? Louder’s Chris Chantler gets into “When you get communities with a common enemy, you’re in this together”: why heavy metal loves Dungeons & Dragons.
- At Softonic, Randy Meeks writes Beyond dragons and dungeons: Discover new worlds with these RPGs for beginners.
- At CBC, Michelle Villagracia puts together Experts share ways to enhance your Dungeons & Dragons gatherings — online and in-person.
- Science site Phys ORG and Dr Jesse Olsen explain Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for the workplace.
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;
- Roll for Romance: A D&D Date Night from Joanna Mazurkiewicz raises funds for “A role-playing adventure module inspired by Jane Austen for a couple to play together.”
- The Unseelie Saga from Heather Osborne pitches “A trio of RPG adventures where Players take the roles of darkly magical Fae whose actions will decide the fate of the Winter Court”
- The Lost World of Tar’khal from Blayke Humphrey raises funds for “A supplemental legacy campaign for 5e. Inclusive, diverse, dynamic, and built to grow with you!”
- D6 Useless Trinkets for Fantasy RPG’s from Samuel Steele nominates “6 pieces of utterly useless and unimportant trinkets to ‘reward’ players in almost any fantasy RPG setting…”
- The Adventurer’s Handbook from Daniel Jeffs offers “Everything you need to run your very first Dungeons&Dragons module. Stripped back, simplified, super fun and with help at every step.”
- Peripsol, Fantasy RolePlaying Game System Phase 1; Startup from Jeremy raises funds for “Start a journey in the heart of an epic Fantasy / Steampunk world, Complete PDF Core rule book for Game Masters and players”
- Beyond Dread Portals from Newt Newport offers “A Fantasy Table Top Roleplaying game of Multi-Dimensional World Travelling”
- Pilgrimage of the Penitent: a MÖRK BORG Module + Compendium from Nick Ribera nominates “Driven by the promise of absolution, a small group of sinners embarks on a journey at the end of days in this Module and Compendium.”
- Thimbleton Inksquire’s Runic Compendium from Runic Press kickstarts “Tap into the heart of the Weave, and access power and peril beyond that of mere spells.”
- The Saltreach Isles Zine 1: Zilaram from Gold Mountain Games is working on “Start exploring the island of Oscana with this zine! Including rules for 5E, PF2, and Mork Borg!”
- Weather Dice for D&D 5e from Gyld proposes “Roll weather conditions in D&D 5e without looking up the rules. One roll, no charts.”
- ZineCrate Extravaganza! from Sci-Fi Epics submits “Two boxes designed to hold your treasured zines. || Over 50 horror/sci-fi/fantasy zines on offer. || Enormous value!”
- Gobl-Inn Uprising – Battle maps! from The Gobl-Inn pitches “Quality Dungeon and Battle maps to use for your fantasy Tabletop Game, compatible with systems such as 5th edition D&D and Pathfinder!”
- High Quality Double-Sided Tabs for Your 5e Player’s Handbook from Sharktopus Games suggests “These tabs help you quickly and easily find the information you want in your player’s handbook”
- Anyaral – The Twilight Traveller Issue 11 from World of Twilight raises funds for “Printing the latest issue of the Twilight Traveller!”
- Season 2: Scaramouch Tango a 5e compatible adventure module from Bamatick pitches “Bamatick makes roleplaying game adventure modules for popular and esoteric RPGs”
- Host: A Two-Player Micro TTRPG from Ravensridge Press suggests “A duet, card-based TTRPG from the perspective of a parasite and the host it inhabits.”
- Minacious-Midway: A Dare-Luck Club Adventure Trilogy from Louis Hoefer submits “3 RPG adventures that place your misfit adolescents amid the wonders and mystery of a local theme park!”
- Ragnarök Begins – Miniatures for Tabletop RPG – STL files from Ralphy pitches “Ragnarök Begins – Miniatures for Tabletop RPG – STL files”
- 5E Tables the busy DM from Matt Evans is working on “d50 tables for a range of different scenarios to keep your play moving and keep your players engaged.”
- FOLK HORRORS 2 by Ana Polanšćak from Andrew May introduces “A new collection of miniatures for tabletop gaming.”
- The Great Mushi Forest; an add-on TTRPG adventure (5e & pf2) from RedHead Games introduces “Are you ready for a magical add-on adventure in your tabletop RPG?”
- Triverse’s Travelling Tomes: One Last Great DND 5E Expansion from Triverse submits “We present to you a sizable compilation of many new DND5E compatible content including classes, subclasses, mechanics, races and more!”
- Architects of the Deep: Adventurers for Hire from Dren Productions Games suggests “A magazine featuring Notice Boards and 8 one-shot adventures to go with them!”
- Reign of the Sundered Idol from CroWares introduces “Travel through a magically scarred world in this 5th edition supplement. Content ready for players and dungeon masters alike.”
- The Game Masters Grimoire: 100 Dungeon Entrances from The Monster Directive pitches “Unlock the door for your players with 100 Dungeon Entrances”
- Potions and Herbalists III: Mixing Sheets from Diego Pisa Artworks pitches “Mix ingredients, make potions!!! For use with fantasy RPGs such as DnD 5E, Pathfinder, and OSR.”
- 2d20 Core Solo from Peter Rudin-Burgess offers “A set of solo roleplaying tools keyed to any of the 2d20 games systems.”
- To Save A Kingdom—An Adventure Path for 5E & Level Up: A5E from Morrus proposes “To Slay a Dragon, To Stake a Vampire, and To Smite a Fiend comprise this 400-page hardcover adventure path trilogy!”
- Grizelda’s Cursed Curiosities – 5E Ghost Hunting Adventures from T.A. Gray offers “A collection of ghost-themed adventures for 5E from the creators of Grizelda’s Guide to Ghost Hunting. What mysteries will you unravel?”
- The book of villainy: Leaders, DND 5e supplement from Hosein kickstarts “A brutal experience, in which you face 5 villains of magnificent power, who run the world from the shadows. (D&D 5E supplement)”
- The Codex of Crime from Evil Pigeon Games introduces “A DnD 5e supplement to fill your games with crime and criminals! Gangs, subclasses, magic items and more.”
- Sunset Badlands: A Western Punk Adventure from Archangel Design nominates “A Wild West and Weird Western Fantasy punk STL Tabletop Terrain Set for 3D printing – 28 mm to 32 mm Miniature Wargaming and RPGs”
- RPG Adventure Shorts by Fehu Games for Swords & Wizardry from Lloyd Metcalf pitches “Double short, single session adventures for Swords & Wizardry from Fehu Games. Quick Kicks are back!”
- Post Apocalyptic Game Tiles from LingSter Games submits “Custom made tiles fit for a Post Apocalyptic Game World.”
- The Palace of 1001 Rooms, The Depths of Kur from Michael Grayson S kickstarts “A fully illustrated, D&D rules semi-agnostic, 5e & Pf2E compatible, OSR mega-dungeon RPG of unprecedented scale.”
- Emerging Mysteries of the Green Keep from Eric Lizotte introduces “A universal role playing adventure to inject new life into your gaming sessions.”
- Dungeon Epics Adventure Compendium from Dungeon Epics offers “Five stand-alone 5e oneshots building an overarching story to piece together an ancient artifact.”
- RPG Ceremonies, Monstrous Mothers and Wild Children from The Oracle is working on “Two periodicals full of rich, detailed fantasy RPG content suitable for all game systems, 100pgs content”
- Mall Kids 2023 from Matthew Gravelyn introduces “Mall Kids is back with a whole new zine full of new experiences, weird malls, and cool kids.”
- The Traveler’s Guide to the Dwarven Undercities from Chamomile Has A Project introduces “A 5e sourcebook of besieged dwarves, including a new region of the Creative Commons Weskven setting”
- Portents of the Degloved Hand for MÖRK BORG from Exalted Funeral submits “MÖRK BORG Omen Sacrifice Deck”
- Stone Trove from Dana McDonald proposes “Build incredible landscapes with this huge collection of printable rock .stl files.”
- Tabletop Gaming Bundle. Fun stuff to print and use from Luke submits “Tiles, Fences, Walls, Opening Gates and doors, and other fun stuff.”
- Historical Fantasy: Visual Compendium for RPGs Settings – #1 from Joy Games Interactive #2 submits “Abarcative collection of concept designs featuring fantasy characters from different cultures from the 14th to 16th centuries.”
Do you know of an RPG news source that we don’t? Let us know, or leave a comment below.
