Wowzers, is it the weekend already? Here’s the RPG news summary of summaries to kick us off.
- Jennell Jaquays has passed away.
- Troika is now free.
- New Year, New Game sale is now on.
- Atlas Games announce a new Ars Magica.
- Solo But Not Alone 4 is raising money for mental health.
How’s your start to the new year been? Team Geek Native and the RPG industry have been waking up. There’s a ZineQuest on the way, and the media packs for Kickstarters are coming thick and fast. “Waking up” isn’t the same as “awake”, though, and despite being an inRL fanatic, it’s not felt like too much of a chore to keep tabs on everything.
I’m pleased with how Geek Native’s Threads is going, but BlueSky is doing even better. Are you on either or have you given up with the fragmentation of social media?
Of course, we’ve been on Mastodon for a while.
Alternatively, ye olde fashioned newsletter by email might suit.
Lastly, since we’re talking about where you can get Geek Native news, let me also take the chance to say again that I do want to hear about sites to get RPG news. Please leave suggestions in the comments below, especially if they have RSS feeds.
Buckle up for the full Routinely Itemised RPG news experience!
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RPG news from Geek Native
- Atlas Games returns to Ars Magica with plans to print a new Ars Magica Definitive Edition.
- Geek Native noticed Calvin and Hobbes inspired CALViN RPG.
- We asked and answered (after clarity from the publisher) whether, with Chronicles of Light, Ravensburger would enter the RPG market.
- In the Bundle of Holding, there’s the cyberpunk Sprawl and the return of the Black Scrolls.
- At Humble, there’s a big deal on the dangerous Call of Cthulhu.
Spotlight: Bloat Games
RPG news from around the web
- Sadly, the D&D and Quake designer Jennell Jaquays has passed away. Geek Native has seen so much outpouring of grief that Jennell’s impact on the hobby is clear. Here are a scant few of the comments we’ve seen from Ali Shitler at NME, Morrus and an excellent article from Jared Rascher on her legacy.
- You can now get the weird and very popular fantasy RPG Troika! free from TroikaRPG.com.
- Goodman Games announces they are Crowdfunding Roll20 for DCC RPG.
- Wizards of the Coast invited fans into the Scyers Guild but then upset people by only then announcing it was exclusive to the USA.
- ICv2 confirms that the journal and GM screen D&D: The Book of Concealment is heading to stores, as will Penguin Random House’s A Long Rest for Little Monsters!
- Paizo confirms Retail and Convention partners for the new PaizoCon@ Initiative.
- The “New Year, New Game” sale is on at:
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Reviews from R’lyeh gets into Cheating Death and A Banker’s Folly.
- At RPG.net, Lev Lafayette reviews Mongoose’s RuneQuest Empires.
- Aaron T. Huss reviews the D&D The Deck of Many Things.
- Throat Punch Games pens a ring side report on Striker.
- Refereeing and Reflection shares a set of reviews of Supplement Supplemental!
- At EN World, Charles Dunwoody interviews Nils Hintz about The Walking Dead Universe RPG.
RPG new releases
- Paper Plane Games publishes their lean, mean and indie TLD RPG.
- Parts Per Million has released a playtest edition of the Guide RPG.
- JDStirling has a Wild West sci-fi set post-apocalypse with Mutation.
- Arcana Games has released an Anniversary Edition for Arkadia – The Greek Setting for 5e.
- Fari RPGs publishes the Breathless Renegades and Guided by Firelights-powered Firelights.
- Kobold Press’s Deep Magic gets its DTRPG listing for the Roll20 VTT.
- Evil Genius Games’ Pacific Rim Cinematic Adventure gets its DTRPG listing for the FoundryVTT.
- Monte Cook Games announces preorders for print and PDF for Rest and Redemption.
- Also, in print, there’s D&D Adventurer #21 as well as #22, plus #23.
RPG bundle deals
- Solo But Not Alone 4 offers $479 worth of RPGs for $10, with the mental health charity Take This benefiting from each sale.
- Save $15 (23%) with Flawless Walrus Souls of Drevland 5e subclass supplement bundle.
- Save $5.98 (50%) with the DMsGuild’s In Search of Dragons bundle.
- Save $2.17 (24%) with the DMsGuild’s Solo Adventures in the Underdark bundle.
- Save $1.99 (17%) with Green Ronin’s Mutants and Masterminds Astonishing Adventures: Menance on Mystery Mountain and Whatever Happened to Next-Gen bundles.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- If you want to store your gaming dice in scary style there’s now this Demilich.
- Charles looks at worldbuilding in Troika.
- Goblin Punch argues that You’re Doing Demons All Wrong.
- Likely in response to last week’s drama, Alphastream asks Can You Predict the Golden Age of RPGs?.
- At Sly Flourish, Mike suggests you Bathe Your World in Lore.
- At Gnome Stew, Walt Ciechanowski pens The Crusty Old Gnome: Agency for Game Masters.
- At Campaign Mastery, Mike Bourke publishes a new TORG article with The Mists of Fear Orrosh Revisited 1.
- Knight at the Opera writes up part two of Capsule Games: Player 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;
- SoarDice D20 – The 125mm Giant Bounce DnD Dice! from SoarDice kickstarts “5m+ Bounce | Waterproof | Buoyant Design | Stress Relief | Toss & Catch Fun | Outdoor Game |Vibrant Mood Boost | Functional Decor”
- Venom Mist Dice – A Handmade 50mm Large D20 DND Dice from Moonmares Games is working on “Becomes a journey through a toxic haze, revealing the delicate balance of danger and opportunity.”
- The Magical Land of Yeld: 2nd Edition from Nick and Jake kickstarts “The new edition of the all-ages fantasy TTRPG!”
- Dice and Dies CaRdPG (Solo RPG with cards) Print and play. from Rija kickstarts “Print and Play RPG Urban Fantasy book with 300+ cards spanning over 100 pages delivered in weekly installments.”
- AdventureCon 2024 from AdventureCon by Meeple Academy suggests “Come on an awesome adventure and enjoy 3 days of Tabletop Gaming in beautiful Northwest Arkansas!”
- Make 100: 100 Ways (Gaming Story Seeds) from Fox and Boar Games proposes “Story Seeds to Get Your Adventure Going!”
- The Feast of Hunger: A Chilling 5e One-Shot from Kian Collectives kickstarts “Vora the Devourer invites you to her feast… Can you resist the hunger growing within you?”
- HârnWorld: Republic of Tharda from Columbia Games is working on “Continuing a series of Hardcover editions of the Kingdoms of Hârn.”
- From the Burrow Volume 1: The Wilds from Mowse Brews proposes “A small book full of 5th Edition Encounters and Magic Items!”
- Tarrgon- The Dragon War- Campain Book from Nathan is working on “Dnd Campain Book 3 Boss Enconters 1 world map multiple custome maps 5 unique magic items”
- Lords of the Pit – The Hell Drummer 5E Sub-Class Guide from Inverse Press proposes “Take your Bard to the metal edge with this Warlock-infused sub-class guide that includes new features, spells, magic items & monsters.”
- Godly Boons & Divine Favors from SideQuest20 is working on “A Deck of Forgotten Gods & Divine Boons for D&D5E. Engage in a Unique Prayer System, Roll the Dice, and Witness the Gods’ Response!”
- DEMON SLAYER: Become the Hunter. Compatible with MÖRK BORG from Theatre Macabre submits “Choose your elemental power, forge your Sword, and fight the darkness that grips at the world! + Intro Adventure Omen of The Blood God!”
- Creature Companion: Shadowdark Edition from Appendix N Entertainment submits “A Bestiary for Shadowdark”
- DnD 5e One Shots of Ethelon Vol 7 – Epic Stories of the Past from Adventure Ripples introduces “4 world-changing D&D 5e adventures that threaten to change Ethelon forever!”
- Populated Hexes Monthly Issue 30 from Todd introduces “A monthly ‘zine written for Old School Essentials.”
- Beyond the BBEG: Medium Evil Nemeses for D&D 5E from NarrativeBlueprinting offers “More Than Minions, Less Than Masters: The Art of Medium Evil in D&D”
- SAGAS: Setting And Genre Agnostic System from Okayest DM nominates “A rules-lite TTRPG focused on character creation, intense and fast combat, and complete worldbuilding freedom.”
- Town Builder from Steven Chabotte nominates “50+ Unique Drop-in Businesses and Trades for your TTRPG”
- Drop In Boss Battles and Encounters from Leopard Print Press pitches “A 5e supplement with 20 unique boss fights and encounters for levels 1-20. Stat blocks, mechanics, maps, and item rewards galore!”
- MIMIDUNGEON – The OpenLOCK Modular Dungeon Set with MIMICS! from Galandir’s Pit kickstarts “STL for 3D Printing & Top notch Physical prints for D&D, wargames, tabletop and any TTRPG like Pathfinder, Cthulhu, Vampire, DnD…”
- Make 100 NPC Cards from Josh Heath nominates “Ever needed an NPC quick for your fantasy TTRPG game? This deck will include 100 NPCs you can randomly pull and use immediately.”
- D/D/D/D, a Pamphlet Adventure for Mork Borg from Crumbling Keep suggests “The Den of the Degenerate Dirt Diggers is a pamphlet adventure for Mork Borg with art by Mustafa Bekir.”
- 5E (SRD) RPG Stock Art Illustrations in OSR Style / Make 100 from Tara Quinn submits “Original fantasy artwork. For use in books, tabletop game material or elsewhere. Permissively licensed for personal and commercial use.”
- 20 Talking Treasures – D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e from Matthew J. Hanson raises funds for “Twenty magic items with minds of their own. From a courageous shield, to a demon prince bound in a mask.”
- D20 Heroes – STL files for 3D printing – D&D miniatures from Minitaurus is working on “12 files for resin 3D printing (SLA printer required)”
- TimeTrek: Dinodystopia! – A D&D 5e One Shot Adventure! from DiceQuest offers “Roar into the Past, Rumble with Raptors, and Reassemble Reality! A DnD One-Shot about time travel to the Prehistoric Age!”
- Additional development for MapForge map-making app for RPGs from Battlegrounds Games, LLC submits “Help fund brand new features that will improve the app’s functionality and ease-of-use”
- ARCANAMON – Magical Monster Companions For DnD 5E from Kit and Kappa Games offers “Collect, train, and battle monsters for Fifth Edition D&D, with magical creatures that level up as you do!”
- Skægarslund from Christopher Bünte submits “A hand-drawn Viking village for your TTRPG”
- Prehistoric Perils: A Dinosaur Bestiary from Mike Lafferty offers “For Valor Knights & Monsters are our Heroes TTRPGs”
- KILL ENGN from hed0rah pitches “KILL ENGINE is a CY_BORG compatible supplement for building and fighting large mech vehicles in the world of CY.”
- Aberrations Of The Bottomless Crypts – RPG Scenario from Michele Toscan raises funds for “A system-neutral (5E) scenario set in a Bologna of twisted horror based on events and characters from historical Italy with notes.”
- 25+ Forest Encounter Battlemaps (D&D, Pathfinder, OSR) from Silver Compass Maps offers “Simple, easy-to-use forest maps that cover common encounters in your campaign. Designed for any TTRPG – DnD, OSR, AD&D, & Pathfinder.”
- Pyramids of Power, an Ancient Egyptian D&D 5e adventure from Matthew David pitches “Embark on an Epic Journey Through Ancient Egyptian Mysteries and Divine Conflict!”
- Gamer Nation Con 9: The Fellowship of the Gamers from GMChris nominates “Support and attend the 9th annual GamerNation Con – the “biggest little gaming Con in the world!””
- Dragon Carnival: A £1 One Shot for DnD 5e from Fables in Tables proposes “To celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon here is a session zero One Shot set at a carnival – jam packed with mini games.”
- Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #8: Funhouse of the Puppet Jester from Mark Taormino raises funds for “A 32 page SOFTCOVER + PDF RPG Module for Levels 5-10 AD&D 1E / 5E, OSRIC or OSR role-playing games and it is 75% READY TO PRINT & SHIP!”
- Make 100 – A Catalogue of Relics of Power from Tabletop Journeys introduces “From the Desk of the Most High Cleric, Arthur Thel-am-Rajai, noted traveler & scholar, comes a list of magic items built for your table”
- Game Master and Writer’s Guide to Creating Magic Schools from Ty Hulse raises funds for “Delve into hollowed halls of magical learning, and intrigue filled halls, in this guide to creating magic school campaign settings.”
Do you know of an RPG news source that we don’t? Let us know, or leave a comment below.
