Routinely Itemised: RPGs #220

A normal and Routinely Itemised summary of RPG news? Yes! The impossibility of normality is a treasure.

Let’s kick off the news with the summary of summaries;

• A first-edition Monster Manual may have just been sold for $26,678.00.
• The Savage Worlds Discord Community have done it again and it is SWAGtember v: The Bundle Strikes Back.
• Chaosium and Asmodee have teamed up; but for Call of Cthulhu novels
• Luke Gygax will bring back his father’s Castle Zagyg

While this is a totally regular RPG news column, it is also the first of the month, which means a new RPG Publisher Spotlight. The winner for September is Coyote & Crow.

Awesome Patrons can vote for October in this private poll and from the following candidates;

• Escape Plan Games
• Scoundrel Game Labs
• Calibourne Studio
• Misfit Studios
• Nomadic Delirium Press

Support: Patron.

RPG news from Geek Native

• How weird is your dice collection? Beyond Cataclysm Games bought every d13 in the world for a solo RPG.
• Geek Native had the first look at the settings of the upcoming Sanction RPG engine.
• In big local RPG news, and perhaps one even for national and international trendspotters, Tabletop Scotland quits Perth and moves to Edinburgh.
• We looked into the free-to-download sample of Fiona Shades Stories’ Adventure College Student Handbook.
• RPG publisher The Basic Expert has a Kickstarter lined up for an OSR-style game called Macuahuitl. 
• Handiwork Games announces a Creative Commons License for the Trouble Engine.
• It’s only a project name, but Cody Pondsmith’s next RPG is Blue Moon.
• In the Bundle of Holding, there’s an OSR The Nightmares Underneath offer and a comic book/RPG combo of Atomic Robo.
• In Humble, there’s a Goodman Games DCC megabundle.

Spotlight: Coyote & Crow

RPG news from around the web

• The BBC talks to Nich Angell in ‘Colostle’ illustrator finds success with imaginary world
• EN World covers Luke Gygax Brings Back Gary Gygax’s Castle Zagyg.
• Asmodee’s Aconyte Books teams up with Chaosium for novels set in Regency Cthulhu and Cthulhu by Gaslight.
• Joey Paur wrote up Matthew Lillard Launches New DUNGEONS & DRAGONS-Inspired Bourbon and Comedy Series.
• Polygon’s Charlie Hall pens the excellent Starfield owes its existence to Traveller, one of the first tabletop RPGs.
• GamesRadar has an Exclusive first look at the Moria expansion for Lord of the Rings RPG and D&D.
• Christian Hoffer at ComicBook catches that The Magnus Archives TTRPG Crowdfunding Campaign Set to Clear $1,000,000 in Two Days.
• Matt McElroy follows the news that Paizo unveils playtest for two new classes.
• In merch and convention news, Paizo Partners with Pegasus Publishing to Bring You T-Shirt Designs for Dragon Con.
• Edge Studio preview the Legend of the Five Rings supplement Tomb of Iuchiban.
• On Forbes (one free read burn), Rob Wieland notes Podcasts are the New Hotness in Tabletop Games.
• An eBay auction for a 1977 first-print TSR AD&D Monster Manual ended with $26,678.00 as the winning bid.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• Reviews from R’lyeh looks into the DCC Shadow of Beakmen.
• Rob Wieland, on EN World, explores The Hollers And Haunts Of Old Gods Of Appalachia RPG.
• BlogCritics reviews Star Trek Aventures: Captain’s Log.
• The Escapist notes Dungeons & Dragons’ Glory of the Giants Book Adds Depth, Already Had Height.
• Grognardia shares a retrospective on Dungeons & Dragons’s Immortal Rules.
• On RPG.net, Miss Atomic Bomb has a review of Cubicle 7’s Archives of the Empire Volume 1.
• Messages from the Far Havens writes up the Genesys RPG Twilight Imperium Embers of the Imperium.
• Ynas Midgard’s RPG blog has a review on Four Against Darkness
• Roleplayers Chronicle reviews Solar Studio’s Redsky.
• Strange Assembly reviews Bigby Presents Glory of the Giants and The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons.
• TheRatHole interviews David F Chapman of Cubicle 7.
• Gaming Trend has Jeremy Crawford talks Planescape, the multiverse, and next year’s rules revisions.

RPG new releases

• Dream Realm Storytellers have cooked up a 5e setting with brutal combat and gastronomy in Silverplate.
• MediaStream Press published over 400 pages of Modern Era 5e in The Demon Age – Campaign and Setting Urban Fantasy Horror.
• Privateer Press expanded their 5e Iron Kingdoms RPG with the sourcebooks Scoundrel’s Guide to the Scharde Islands and Nightmare Empire.
• Sine Nomine Publishing has a free version of Cities Without Number and the 5/5 rated deluxe edition.
• Stellagama Publishing hit release on the second edition of Barbaric!
• Finally, Vârcolac Press released the Kickstarted The ORPHEUS Protocol.
• Tubby & Coo’s Book Shop give us monsters from Louisiana myth and legend with Carnival of Creatures.
• Scoundrel Game Labs publishes their Savage Worlds-powered Grizelda’s Guide to Ghost Hunting.
• Traris Games hit release on the TRG core rulebook.
• ELH publish through Modiphius’ community content program the solo RPG Titanic Triumph Origins
• Onyx Publishing releases Lauren Roy’s Scion: The Library
• Wizards of the Coast have DriveThruRPG released the Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set, Acquisitions Incorporated and the Lost Mine of Phandelver for Roll20 VTT
• Jason Vey and Elf Lair Games published Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age Role Playing Game
• Rising Phoenix Games has set a $1.00 price tag on their 1-page RPG Blood & Grit.
• It’s free, and the fifth playtest for Project Black Flag: Cleric.
• Historian Ben Riggs’ has their Slaying The Dragon: A Secret History Of Dungeons & Dragons on pre-order.
• Also, in physical RPG releases, there are listings for
  • Renegade Game Studios’ G.I. Joe: Roleplaying Game: Cobra Codex Sourcebook (Hardcover)
  • Doctor Who: Doctors & Daleks: Player Guide (Hardcover)
  • Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log: Solo RPG: Discovery Edition (Hardcover)
  • Star Trek Adventures: Campaign Guide: Star Trek: Lower Decks (Hardcover)
  • Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log: Solo RPG: Deep Space 9 Edition (Hardcover)
  • Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log: Solo RPG: The Next Generation Edition (Hardcover)
  • Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log: Solo RPG: The Original Series Edition (Hardcover)
  • Dungeons & Dragons: The Deck Of Many Things (Alternate Cover)

RPG bundle deals

• Save $70.88 (70%) in the Savage Worlds Discord Community’s SWAGtember v: The Bundle Strikes Back bundle.
• Save $42.20 (67%) in the DMSlash’s Everything – 2500 Sales Celebration bundle.
• Save $14.70 (34%) with the DMsGuild’s Sci-Fi and Futuristic bundle.
• Save $8.99 (20%) in the Chaosium The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic | Roll20 VTT + PDF bundle.
• Save $5.48 (20%) in the OPP community content Impreium All Books bundle.
• Save $2.50 (8%) with Elf Lair Games’ Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age Complete Game bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• Alex J. Coyne dove into the debate with The “Dice” Debate Has Got to Die.
• Morrus and team EN World shared helpful data on what freelance writing rates are. There’s more detail on the full post but one angle is;
  • Big companies (like WoTC) pay an average of $0.17, but most jobs pay $0.12 a word
  • Large companies (have offices) pay an average of $0.10, and 60% of jobs do
  • Medium companies (have staff) pay on average $0.08 but the most common value was $0.10 with 22% paying that
  • Small companies (have one or two staff) pay a mean rate of $0.07 and a mode of $0.05
  • Single (just one person) pay an average of $0.09 and a mode of $0.10
• George Chrysostomou considers that Marvel’s RPG Could Inspire Other Major Franchises To Follow Suit.
• Lewis Pulsipher makes the case for Single RPG Conventions.
• DungeonSolvers have penned their Comprehensive Guide to D&D Classes.
• Mars Garrett on Bell of Lost Souls shares a good read on The Satanic Panic: Beyond Dungeons & Dragons.
• Rebekah Krum at CBR gets into How TTRPGs Became A Platform For Officially Supported Fanfiction.
• Also, on CBR, Kitty Leggett reminds us How D&D Grew Out of Historical Wargames.
• On Roll20, Jayme Boucher invites us to Enter the Marvel Multiverse.
• In Australia, ABC catches up with How Dungeons and Dragons is helping neurodivergent kids be themselves.
• GamingTrend’s Eric Deutsch writes up Indie TTRPGs at Gen Con—Systems you might have missed and up-and-comers.

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 mentioning;

• Song of Sirens from Dragon’s Archive Publishing crowdfunds “A Fantasy-Inspired World War I & II Naval Tabletop Roleplaying Game.”
• MAPS FOR FANTASY RPGs 8 – ROYALTY FREE MAPS from Laidback Dungeon Master raises funds for “Hand Drawn, Royalty-Free, Multiple Format Maps to Use in Commercial / Non-Commercial Print & Digital Projects – 5e DnD, Pathfinder, CoC”
• SWORD IN THE ABYSS from Team Harvest submits “Delve into the depths of the Abyss in a classless tactical tabletop role-playing game.”
• Moria™ – Through the Doors of Durin for The One Ring™ RPG from Free League nominates “An epic campaign module delving into the depths of Khazad-dûm, for The One Ring™ RPG and The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying (5E)”
• Mini Dice Crypts and Gravestone Dice from Cryptic Creative pitches “A small Dice Crypt for your small Dice.”
• Dungeon Helper Dice: Character Creator from Petulant Pudgies proposes “These dice let a Dungeon Master instantly create an NPC in one quick roll for D&D (Dungeons and Dragons)!”
• Pocket Sci-Fi: A Cyborg Adventure from Ali proposes “Escape the Prison Planet of the Synth in this new space-themed dice crawler inspired by classic adventure games.”
• Epic Realms Vol 2: 50+ Maps for DnD, Pathfinder, and More from Adventurica nominates “50+ High-Quality Digital Fantasy Battle-Maps for any Tabletop RPG (D&D, 5E, Pathfinder, OSR, Roll20). A large variety of themes.”
• SagaBorn Creature Compendium 1.5 Edition from Michael Bielaczyc suggests “Ninty-seven monsters and beings for your Sagaborn 1.5e Game!”
• D&D 5e Gamebook Collections from Oscar Mateos Clavero pitches “Conversion, translation & restyling old best gamebooks to D&D 5e design. (First, only Warlock of Firetop Mountain & Citadel of Chaos)”
• Puzzles & Perils from Professor Bill suggests “A Book of Riddles for Fantasy Role-Playing Games”
• Weapons of Legend 5E from Jeff Stevens crowdfunds “Wondrous Magical Weapons for 5E”
• Objective Control Tabletop Game Aids from Chris kickstarts “High-quality affordable objective markers, terrain footprints and game aids for tabletop gaming.”
• Ethereal Echoes: a 5e adventure series of dark fantasy from Dungeonaid pitches “A town of lament, a widow’s grief, a lost relic. Keep faith, adventurer, for there are worse things than ghosts wandering these woods.”
• Shadows of Enigma: One Shot Adventure from Joanna Mazurkiewicz kickstarts “A Romantic Mystery Adventure Inspired by The Court of Monte Christo for Fifth Edition (DnD/Fantasy RPG)”
• The curse of Ozidius from Enchanters of the Realm introduces “Enchanters of the Realm open EZD6 game system one shot.”
• Halloween Special – The Night of the Cookie Demon from The Flying Goblin introduces “A 5e Halloween-themed adventure to scare the crap out of your players. DM guide, unique monsters, pumpkin map and a bag of fear.”
• Meteor Tales: Age of Grit RPG from Spiral Lane Productions kickstarts “Dive into a captivating Tabletop RPG, featuring cinematic combat and addictive gameplay! Old-School aesthetics, New amazing Mechanics!”
• Chuck Derwin: On The Nature of Wetlands – A DM Supplement from Joe Gibbins crowdfunds “A DM Supplement for use in wilderness exploration to create a lively and full world”
• D100 Magical Rumours for Fantasy TTPG’s from Samuel Steele pitches “100 pieces of magical gossip to add interest and intrigue to any fantasy tabletop RPG. Just roll a dice and see what you hear…”
• DAWN from Joel Vreugdenhil raises funds for “A Shonen inspired TTRPG”
• Old Sword Repository: Swordtember 2022 from Attention Deficit and Dragons raises funds for “Magic items for Fifth Edition by Nathan Doyle”
• Paper Legends #1 By NEET Games from Neet Games kickstarts “over 500 paper minis”
• RiverCityCon Board Game & RPG Convention from Greg Franseth and Chris Grzywacz is working on “First Year of our weekend long Board Game and RPG convention in Louisville KY.”
• Cover Stories Series 1: Quick Adventures for DCC & MCC RPGs from Louis Hoefer nominates “A selection of three, 6-panel adventures to “cover” gaps between your campaign runs.”
• Old Town Saga 5E from M.T. Black nominates “Match wits with a legendary criminal in this adventure for the world’s favorite roleplaying game!”
• LITTLE WORLDS DICE: Sharp Edge Inclusion DnD TTRPG Dice Sets from Deny Trudel offers “Crafted with precision, our stunning 3D-effect dice feature intricate images embedded in the resin, bringing your RPG to life!”
• NPC Descriptions, Maps and D100 Tables For Your TTRPG Games! from Snowy’s Maps kickstarts “Includes 50+ system agnostic NPC descriptions with themed maps, and D100 random tables for NPCs, shops, and more! (DnD, Pathfinder,D&D)”
• Feud – Shape thy fate from Dade crowdfunds “A one-page Print and Play epic clash between two houses fighting for the throne.”
• Omni 2 – Modular Storage Case from FantasyDesigns proposes “3D Printable Modular Storage Cases for Miniatures, Board Games, Collectibles and More!”
• Tombpunk RPG: The Mausoleum Edition from Octopress Publishing offers “The rules-light, high-adventure roleplaying game system rises from its tomb with all new art, lore, and more!”
• D66 Curious Magical Chests from Azukail Games pitches “36 magical chests suitable for fantasy TTRPGs, especially OSR.”
• Hypercorps 2099: Cyberpunk Superheroes for the WOIN RPG from Mike Myler raises funds for “Shred digital in the Hypernet, raid high-tech skyscrapers, star in Murderball games, and generally try to make a few bytecoins in 2099!”
• Ars Mechanica – Dawn of a New Age – 5 E supplement from Gearwheel Grimoires suggests “Bring your party to the Dawn of a New Age in this amazing steampunk D&D supplement for any fan of TTRPG like DnD and else!”
• SideQuests: The Print Collection – Easy Adventures For 5E from Dominic M. introduces “SideQuests Vol. I and II fully reimagined for print! 10 easy Fifth Edition D&D adventures designed to fit in to any fantasy campaign.”
• AVA – Gaming Table for Small Spaces from Anders J. Dissing nominates “Designed for modern homes. Danish design, Danish Production, Danish Wood – Ash, Oak, Maple or Red Elm. 70x47x29inch / 180x120x74,5cm”
• Davian’s Treatise of Peoples – NPC Book for DnD 5e from Penny Dragon Games pitches “Your one-stop-shop for DnD 5e NPCs. A dragon’s hoard of new stat blocks, backgrounds, magic items, adventure, and more!”
• Pay What You Want, Medieval RPG Town Set 6 from 3DP4U crowdfunds “3D Printable STL Files, Terrain for Tabletop, Role Playing Games, Wargames and RPG. Medieval RPG Town Houses – Set 06”
• Midnight Mayhem: Ultimate Crime Spree from Leopard Print Press is working on “A 5E Thieves Guild Adventure! Use clever planning, deception, or brute force to rob a city!”
• Atmospheric Map Library for TTRPGs with 50+ Maps from FugitiveHedgehog offers “50+ Ready-to-play Battlemaps set up for your VTT, including descriptions, sound effects and interactive elements.”
• Castles of Aragon from Polterdice pitches “Shape the land of Aragon as you please in this print and play, roll and write board game.”
• A Fairly Odd Tale from Jonathan Sullivan suggests “A fantasy adventure compatible with DCC or 5e”
• Sci-Fi Plot Hooks – A Concept Cards Deck from Stephen Coffey kickstarts “A deck of playing cards that double as inspiration tools for Sci-Fi GMs and storytellers.”
• THE BOOK OF DRAGONS! from Good Ideas… proposes “a useful tool x masters and role-players: a compendium with 6 dragons and all the information you need to enrich your gaming experience”
• Champions of the Goblin Market from Matt Funk introduces “A 0-Level Folklore-Inspired Funnel Adventure Compatible with Dungeon Crawl Classics!”
• 100 One-Page Side Quests for D&D 5e! from Paws for Effect offers “Embark on Daring Adventures: A Compilation of 100+ Page-Sized Side Quests for Your DnD 5e Campaign!”

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