Heatwaves and Loch Ness this week as Geek Native ventures again into a TTRPG news round-up. Headlines from around the web all in a handy and bullet point scan format. Who said bullet points are just for the dread PowerPoint?
Let’s kick off the news with the summary of summaries;
- Pelgrane Press will release Trail of Cthulhu 2e.
- Black Lantern announce the political and dark humour Mansters.
- Geek Native tried to grill Tabletop Scotland.
- There are pre-orders and freebies for Assassin’s Creed TTRPG.
- Without using Kickstarter, Monte Cook Games’ The Magnus Archives TTRPG smashes a million.
- Waifu, monsters and, most of all – airships – make this a record-breaking Kickstarter week.
Geek Native tracks Kickstarter projects, and this week was shaping up to be robust with many high-ask campaigns launched (and funding). Then, Gamebreaker’s Gambit asked for about $1.5m for an airship supplement.
Not that the airships stopped the waifu doing well.
It’s been another busy week at Geek Native HQ, with yours truly up to Loch Ness and back again in a day in the baking heat. Did I see Nessie? No, but I did see an angry swan. A similar CR?
There have been a few exclusives this week with Mansters to Tabletop Scotland, so do linger.
Rightyo, let’s roll with the RPG news!
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RPG news from Geek Native
- In an exclusive, Geek Native got an early look at the dark political comedy RPG Mansters.
- I also got to speak to Dave Wright about the future of the convention Tabletop Scotland.
- Kevin Crawford did his usual good deed with a deluxe and a free to download release for the cyberpunk RPG Cities Without Number.
- CMON takes pre-orders on the Assassin’s Creed TTRPG and brings the free preview to DriveThruRPG.
- Wizards of the Coast push on with free D&D 5.5e Arcana Unearthed playtests.
- Pelgrane Press announce Trail of Cthulhu 2e.
- The Bundle of Holding has the largest ever Delta Green offer and one for handouts and assets.
Spotlight: Coyote & Crow
RPG news from around the web
- The Marshall Project steps up with “When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row” noting that For men awaiting execution in Texas, illicit games of Dungeons & Dragons became a lifeline..
- Paizo announces that Pathfinder and Starfinder Society Now on Foundry VTT!.
- MORK BORG’s Johan Nohr will go full time on RPG design and illustration next month with The Abyss Inc.
- NicheGamer covers Dungeons and Dragons reveals its first canonically autistic character.
- Linda Codega writes up The Gaming Shelf Hunts for Hellwhales on the Sea of Death.
- Darrington Press lets us know that Tal’Dorei Reborn on Demiplane & Updated Rulebook for Queen by Midnight!.
- Dicebreaker covers the pre-Kickstarter Society of Rafa trades heroes’ journeys for community healing in a Jewish RPG world of spirits and medicine as well as Infinite Revolution.
- Mollie Russell at Wargamer writes up Glass Cannon Podcast returns with new Pathfinder campaign.
- It’s a $1m crowdfunder not in Kickstarter, and Monte Cook Games shares a sample with A Guest for Mr. Cypher: Cypher System Rules and The Magnus Archives.
- ComicBook notices that Popeye the Sailor Is a TTRPG Player.
- RPG designer Monica Valentinelli has launched a store called Raven and Toad Studio.
- In quirky news, a bat flew into the headquarters of All Rolled Up. Not usual for England.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- At Bloody Disgusting, Aaron Boehm opines ‘You’re in Space and Everything’s Fucked’ Review – Gore-Drenched RPG Stands Out from the Crowd
- Jared Rascher takes a look at Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelist, Part 1 as well as part two.
- James Maliszewski offers up a retrospective on Timemaster.
- Nerds of Earth reviews Pathfinder Rage Of Elements For Pathfinder 2nd Edition and Lost Omens Highhelm.
- Dawn Dalton writes up Pathfinder: Lost Omens Highhelm.
- MJR RPG shares Three Requests Review – Call of Cthulhu (Bibliothek 13).
- In the Bell of Lost Souls, Meaghan Colleran’s indie RPG Spotlights ‘Mouse Guard’ Is Fantasy RPG At It’s Best… And Tiniest.
- Geeks of Doom review Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants.
- Seed of Worlds reviews Historica Arcanum – The City of Crescent.
- Angel’s Citadel reviews sci-fi Western The Calling.
- AIPT Comics notes ‘Marvel Multiverse RPG Core Rulebook’: Your next marvellous adventure begins here.
- GamesRadar also weigh in with Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game review: “A fun, engaging dive into the world and continuity of Marvel Comics”.
- At EN World, Egg Embry talks to Craig Campbell on the Capstone to the CAPERS RPGs.
- The Tuscan Sentinel offers up Taking 20 with Luke Gygax: Son of Dungeons & Dragons creator talks about father’s legacy.
RPG new releases
- You need the Savage World core rules but Pinnacle have released the first ever campaign boxed set for Rifts with Rifts® for Savage Worlds: Terror on the Dark Frontier.
- PEG also offer up Rifts for Savage Worlds: Land of a Thousand Islands, Rifts for Savage Worlds: Poster Map of South America and Rifts for Savage Worlds Figure Flats – Set 2.
- Gallant Knight Games have a perfect 5/5 star review rating for the Swords of Meropis: And the Wretched Blood of the Undying Witchgod.
- Lone Colossus Games releases the all-ages Wyrmlings RPG.
- A Game of Nerds (Agon) gives us the Arcana Familia Extended Edition.
- The Magi-Knights Project publish their Magi-Knights Awakening Core Rulebook.
- Chaosium offers up the Miskatonc Respository’s The Phthonus Cabinet – Roll20 Scenario for Call of Cthulhu.
- Son of Oak Game Studio publish the QUEERZ! TTRPG – Creator Guide.
- Modiphius release their Star Trek: The Animated Series Supplemental Guide.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $38.70 (56%) with Son of Oak Game Studio’s QUEERZ! Adventure Bundle.
- Save $20.05 (61%) in the Sundered Vault’s September Sale Bundle – Battlelund Complete Collection.
- Save $18.10 (67%) with Skirmisher Publishing’s Horror Settings bundle.
- Save $15.97 (50%) in the DMsGuild’s 600+ Page 4 Book Bundle.
- Save $6.94 (35%) with the Chaosium community content The Phthonus Cabinet – Deluxe bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- This mimic dice box / dice tray is hecka good!
- Tuko’s Simon Ayub pens Firbolg names with meanings for your Dungeons & Dragons characters.
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;
- Grandmas gaming goodies present: Hidden Gem handmade Dice from Grandmas Gaming Goodies submits “Handmade dice the way grandma made them”
- Light up sci-fi scenery STLs for 3d printing from CYBERMECH STUDIOS introduces “Models designed for light up your tabletop scenery. Stls for 3d printing.”
- Mystic Days: Caldwell Edition from Mystic Days introduces “A Lethal OSR Fantasy RPG with exponentially faster combat!”
- City of God: Demon Investigation TTRPG (Digital Release) from Spilled Ink Studios nominates “City of God is a new horror investigation game set in the religious Dark Ages of Western Europe.”
- Rise of the Eldritch: Adventures in Kadathport from SideQuest20 suggests “System-Neutral TTRPG Encounters, Hooks, Battle Maps, Tokens, Add-Ons, and Impending Doom! Hail Cthulhu!”
- Airship Adventure Ahoy! from Gamebreaker’s Gambit LLC submits “A role-playing adventure module featuring an airship greater and grander than any previously available fully-mapped airship”
- World Canvas : A World Building TTRPG from Triskel-Fox Studios proposes “A Table-Top RPG focused on building and customizing the worlds you play within.”
- DnD 5e One Shots of Ethelon Vol 5 – Secrets and Skeletons! from Adventure Ripples is working on “D&D 5e adventures about solving murders that will upgrade your Campaign and keep your players on edge!”
- Monolith D20 – A Giant 85mm Resin D20 DND RPG Dice from SmokyCreation raises funds for “Unleash epic moments with each roll, and make every game a legendary adventure”
- Sand Fighter Scrolls from Anthony David suggests “Part 1 of the Deserts of Low Force 5e D&D Campaign”
- The Folk from Harrowthorpe – RPG Adventure for 5e D&D from JVC Parry suggests “A pulp horror adventure for D&D 5th edition, filled with mystery and the uncanny. Will you uncover the secret of Harrowthorpe?”
- Shadows Over Lake Geneva: Modern RPG Adventures for D&D 5E from Erik Garland & Heidi Gygax introduces “The Beast of Bray Road & A Sanguine Horror. Lovecraftian style D&D mysteries set in a monster & arcana filled 1948 Lake Geneva, WI.”
- Fantasy Sidequest & NPC Decks from Inkwell Ideas introduces “System neutral tabletop RPG Sidequest Decks (every card is a mini-adventure) and NPC Decks (each card is a character)”
- MONSTROUS from Cloud Curio offers “The Game Manager’s go-to reference for telling better TTRPG stories through monsters.”
- Waifu RPG: The Complete Waifu Handbook from Loading Crew Crafts introduces “The Ultimate RPG Book for Weebs. Compatible with 5e, Pathfinder 1, and Pathfinder 2e”
- Cryptid Creeks from Hatchlings nominates “Stop a curse with the help of nature spirits in this tabletop RPG inspired by Gravity Falls.”
- Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns for 5th Edition D&D TOV from Kobold Press pitches “Rule your realm! Build and grow kingdoms for your campaign, with toolkits for realms, noble families, and campaign planning.”
- Under Ashen Skies from Alex T. nominates “A solo roleplaying game of horror, despair and self-discovery.”
- Tome of Transcendence: An Evolutive Spellbook for D&D 5E from DM Backpack introduces “Get an exhaustive collection of spells from 1€ only for Adventurers & Dungeon Masters for DnD and other TTRPG !”
- Daisy Series RPG Dice Set from Daisy Series proposes “The daisies are like blossoming within the dice, with vibrant and captivating petals, vividly lifelike.”
- Outsourced: The Luko Fin Corp Deception for Mothership 1E from Marco Serrano submits “You were sent to die, but survived. Your loyalty was programmed, but you know too much. Survive, assimilate or escape. Solo rules incl.”
- FRONTIER SCUM from Games Omnivorous is working on “Brace yourselves for TIDES OF ROT, a splattercrawl adventure in the format of a LP vinyl, and a new print run of the RULEBOOK.”
- Rock’n’Roll Dice Set by Milityr’s Workshop from Milityr’s Workshop submits “A fully 3d printed dice set, ready to embark with you on any adventure to uncharted lands.”
- Witchdoctor Class for 5E/ToV (ORC) from Quest Gaming, LLC submits “The Witchdoctor Class is being re-vamped for our Inquisitor’s Orders product line, and re-released for 5E and ToV under SRD5.1CC/ORC”
- The Night of Crows Halloween Setting (Limited Edition) from BlackVault suggests “Trick or Treat! A 48-page setting containing a Halloween-themed adventure that can be run over one or several nights.”
- Castles & Crusades Codex Infernum & Codex Exaltum from Stephen Chenault crowdfunds “Monsters! Unhallowed creatures from the planes most wretched to holy beings of the planes of bliss!”
- Cottages & Cerberus (new system + PF2E/5e support) from glynnp nominates “A new monster hunting cottage core TTRPG system with PF2 & 5E compatible bestiary.”
- Era: The Empowered 5th Anniversary – Superhero Tabletop RPG from Shades of Vengeance raises funds for “Discover a super-powered world of gods and heroes, in the Definitive Edition of the critically-acclaimed TTRPG, and get new expansions!”
- Populated Hexes Monthly Issue 26 from Todd suggests “The Psionics Issue, Part II”
- Spiders & Sourdough from Mountainland Games introduces “A TTRPG one-shot for multiple game systems including D&D 5e, D&D 3rd Ed, Pathfinder 1 and 2, Shadowdark, and Tales of the Valiant.”
- WW2 5e from Chamomile Has A Project pitches “Classes, NPC statblocks, and rules for WW2 guns, tanks, and planes, all 5e-compatible”
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse Fifth Edition for Fantasy Grounds from SmiteWorks offers “An exciting new ruleset for the Fantasy Grounds Unity virtual tabletop (VTT) within the World of Darkness setting,”
- 101 NPCs from Evil Pigeon Games introduces “A Zine with over 100 unique NPCs for your Role Playing Games!”
- Dragons of the Elements- A Dice Advent Calendar from Christabel proposes “Themed dice and dragons in an advent calendar”
- Secrets of Sacred Mountain – the adventure from Tony Garcia nominates “New adventure campaign book for the Dystopian Dawn RPG system”
Do you know of an RPG news source that we don’t? Let us know, or leave a comment below.
