Routinely Itemised: RPGs #236

It’s a big weekend. Are you ready? This blogger is not, but he’s used to that feeling!

In the RPG news summary of summaries, I think we’ll see AI stuff.

• WotC updated its AI policy after an artist was falsely accused of using AI.
• Nightfall Games had to remove art from the Terminator 2 RPG after an artist falsely denied using AI.
• Nightfall also confirmed Maggot Machine (minus their S5S system).
• Green Ronin has landed the Valiant Adventures Roleplaying Game.
• The Stranger Things team rules out fans’ D&D theory.

Glancing at the calendar, I think it’s safe to say that the Geek Native schedule should be unchanged. If I fall into a food coma (a feat I shall attempt) then that statement will prove to be a lie.

That same calendar tells me Boxing Day is coming up, and that’s the typical cue for sales here in the UK. We’ve started a megathread to include Winter Sales, even though this sale season isn’t as sexy as Prime Day or Black Friday. Perhaps, though, this last chance for retailers means it’s still a good hunting season for shoppers.

If you’re at a loose end this festive break, then check out Geek Native’s socials, even our soft-launch-forever Discord for distractions. Sometimes, you see, we talk!

Rightyo, let’s roll with the festive RPG news!

Support: Patrons.

RPG news from Geek Native

• Which new RPGs and supplements have had a good 2023? Once again, thanks to OBS/Roll20, we have the charts. So far;
  • The best selling fantasy RPGs published in 2023.
  • The best selling sci-fi RPGs published in 2023.
  • The best selling horror RPGs published in 2023.
  • The best selling modern RPGs published in 2023.
• We have the news that Nightfall won’t use S5S for their newly (confirmed) Maggot Machine.
• Chaosium forge a free and quick start intro to the Rivers of London RPG from the solo adventure The Domestic.
• Modiphius have a December freebie with the Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 quickstart pack.
• Prompt service dScryb launches the soundboard Opus in beta.
• Geek Native takes a quick look at the Pay What You Want Take5 system.
• We also take a quick look at another Pay What You Want with the Birds & Boroughs quickstart.
• In bundles and at the Bundle of Holding, Monte Cook Games has two Numenera deals and Kobold Press has tips and essays in Kobold Guides.

Spotlight: DR Games

RPG news from around the web

• YouTuber and game designer Taron Pounds (Indestructoboy) accused an artist of selling WoTC AI art, and as EN World covers, the claims were false. Taron has apologised.
• In the wake of the AI claims, WotC has updated their AI statement and requires artists not to use the tools.
• Nightfall Games catch a freelance artist trying to pass off and get paid for AI-generated art in the Terminator 2 RPG.
• Green Ronin has a new RPG coming, and it’s a comic book franchise deal to make the Valiant Adventures Roleplaying Game.
• Bleeding Cool has Free League Publishing Partners Up With MyMiniFactory & Titan Forge.
• Mehera Bonner at Cosmopolitan writes that the Duffer Brothers Debunk ‘Stranger Things’ Dungeons & Dragons Theory.
• At Chaosium, Michael O’Brien puts together Saint’s Peak and other indie Call of Cthulhu releases to round off 2023.

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• Gundobad Games reviews the Soulbound RPG’s Ulfenkarn: City at the Edge of Death.
• Jared Rascher shares first impressions on Worlds Beyond Number Witch Class Playtest (for 5e). Jared also gives us a review of Star Trek Adventures’ Children of the Wolf.
• At the Gaming Gang, Sami Yuhas pens Shocking!!! Alone Against the Static Reviewed.
• At ScreenRant, Caitlin Tyrrell talks to Jasmine Bhullar about Matthew Lillard, Dimension 20, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!
• At Forbes, Rob Wieland has Monét X Change And Jujubee Discuss The Dungeons & Drag Queens Journey.

RPG new releases

• Reality Cheque has released the 2nd edition of Tales from the Floating Vagabond, an RPG described as Douglas Adams meets Terry Pratchett.
• Recommended for mature audiences and Pay What You Want, Two Little Mice have released a quickstart for an RPG of dreams and corruption with Memento Mori.
• Rowan, Rook & Decard have released Conspiracy Handbook: A Spire Sourcebook.
• Mongoose has published the Traveller adventure Wrath of the Ancients.
• Red Panda Publishing combines PDFs of a one-shot, stat blocks, VTT files and STL designs in their Tarasque bundle.
• MCDM release the Roll20 edition on DTRPG of Where Evil Lives.
• Wizards of the Coast release their Roll20 version of Tyranny of Dragons through the DMsGuild.
• In physical releases;
  • Forbidden Planet notes that the Old-Schools Essentials: Classic Game Set and the Advanced Expansion Set are due for release on Dec 25th.
  • Diamond has this (exclusive) $200 Demilich Dice Holder.

RPG bundle deals

• Save $70.90 (83%) with Alluria Publishing’s Stand Alone Christmas bundle.
• Save $47.41 (83%) with the All Frontier Gaming RPG Products bundle.
• Save $39 (59%) in the Demons & Dungeoneers Gamebook’s 2023 Christmas Package.
• Save $14.99 (25%) with MCDM’s Politics Pillar bundle.
• Save $8.98 (23%) with the MCDM 5e Class bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• Ben and the genre police share RPG tips about player agency.
• Bill Ward posted a retrospective on ten years of Goodman Games yearbooks.
• In an RPG.net thread, Josh explains how Call of Cthulhu took over the RPG scene in Japan.
• In time for the holidays, on Sly Flourish, Josh Storey shares On dragons, dungeons, and dinner parties.
• DMiurgy shares lengthy thoughts on Godbound and asks whether it’s OSR or not.
• Meaghan Colleran pens an indie RPG spotlight with ‘Lasers & Feelings’ Are All You Need To Explore Space.
• At CBR, Sonny Giordano has tips for homebrewing towncraft.
• On Polygon, Tasha Robinson has 5 great no-prep tabletop RPGs under $20.

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;

• Ace Dice Set [Handmade] from MicroToys introduces “The tiny ace card inside the dice.”
• Deck of Old-School Encounters, Systemless Fantasy RPG Cards from Philip Reed introduces “A 72-card deck of random encounter cards for use with classic fantasy RPGs. Works with many editions of the classic ampersand game!”
• OSE The Tower of Sovergauth / OSE La Torre di Sovergauth from DiegoZap pitches “A 64-page module for Old School systems / Un modulo di 64 pagine per i sistemi Old School”
• The Crystal Dragon: 3D Printable Roaring Roleplaying Boss from Play Conveyor introduces “An unforgettable boss that articulates, roars and rolls – JUST LAUNCHED TODAY”
• The Cha’alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss from Venger Satanis nominates “Hold my tentacle as I show you how to design your own campaign setting based on my experiences with creating Cha’alt.”
• The Hall is Dead from Arron Kluz raises funds for “Explore a tabletop rpg with modular customizable classes in a fantasy world on the brink of a steampunk revolution.”
• Snowblind – DnD 5e Adventure & STL Files from Story Forge pitches “Discover a world where snow conceals ancient alien secrets in this adventure for D&D 5e, featuring exclusive printable STL files!”
• Savage Gladiators from Graham Bottley offers “The Roman Arena comes to Savage Worlds!”
• Butterflies & Friends Embroidered Dice Bags from Black Oak Workshop nominates “Welcome Spring with our beautiful lineup of Butterfly dice bags and a colorful assortment of dice to accompany them!”
• Paths of Power: d666 powers for MÖRK BORG from Dungeon Pop nominates “Uncover the mysteries of magic with 18 new magical traditions and 216 dark and twisted powers.”
• PROJECT: Dungeonmania from SeaBreeze Games submits “We make great maps so you don’t have to.”
• cyan starlight from Adept Icarus raises funds for “lonely scifi solo roleplaying”
• Monster M.O. – card-based AI for RPG foes from Derick William Dalton offers “Modus operandi flowcharts to spark battle strategy and weave new plot threads.”

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