The vibrant and innovative tabletop roleplaying game scene in New Zealand (Aotearoa) is gearing up for its annual celebration as the fourth KiwiRPG Week kicks off on June 15th. The week-long event promises a showcase of new and established TTRPGs, exciting livestreams, and a deep dive into the creativity of Kiwi designers, including a special focus on Te Ao Māori perspectives in gaming.
Running for seven days, the event invites the global TTRPG community to discover the unique flavour of games emerging from New Zealand. This year, KiwiRPG Week coincides with the celebration of Matariki, the Māori new year, with the entire event framed by a ceremonial opening and closing karakia (prayer).
A Week of Livestreams on Twitch
Every day of the week, the KiwiRPG Twitch channel will feature a different Kiwi-designed game. For those in different time zones, all streams will be available as video-on-demand. Here’s a look at the schedule:
- Sunday, June 15th | 6:30 pm NZT (6:30 am UTC): The week begins with an official opening and karakia, followed by a family-friendly session of d12GO in Night Knights, run by designer Brad Zimmerman himself.
- Monday, June 16th | 6:00 pm NZT (6:00 am UTC): Prepare for an epic adventure with the globally recognised, Kiwi-born megahit, Monster of the Week.
- Tuesday, June 17th | 6:30 pm NZT (6:30 am UTC): A crossover of cyberpunk proportions sees the popular game The Sprawl meet the world of Shadowrun, with The Sprawl’s designer, Hamish Cameron, joining the game.
- Wednesday, June 18th | 6:00 pm NZT (6:00 am UTC): Experience worldbuilding from a Māori perspective with the new game Whakawhitinga, led by its designer, Riwhi Kenny.
- Thursday, June 19th | 7:00 pm NZT (7:00 am UTC): The team from the Diceratops live show takes on Odyssey Aquatica, a game of oceanographic adventure from the creator of the hit game Deathmatch Island.
- Friday, June 20th | 2:00 pm NZT (2:00 am UTC): Be among the first to see Seasons of Magic, one of the winning entries in Chaosium’s BRP design competition, in its debut livestream, run by designer Sam Robson.
- Saturday, June 21st | 1:00 pm NZT (1:00 am UTC): The week culminates in “The Great Monster Make Off,” a unique Monster of the Week gameshow with the game’s designer, Michael Sands, as the taskmaster, followed by a closing ceremony.
New Launches and Exciting Content
Beyond the livestreams, KiwiRPG Week is packed with new releases and resources. A major highlight is the launch of the KiwiRPG Library, a comprehensive online repository and index of Kiwi-created TTRPG content. Powered by Lore Library, this resource is already live with hundreds of classified works.
Gamers can also look forward to a host of new games and supplements, including:
- Lineages of the Long White Cloud for 5E
- The worldbuilding game Whakawhitinga
- A solo game about the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Na te Puhipi
- The Chaosium BRP contest-winner, Seasons of Magic
- A Trophy Dark incursion titled Thus Spake Agathis
- FiveEvil: Fiendish 5E Horror, an innovative horror reimagining of 5E
The celebration also extends to new podcasts and shows, such as the narrative-heavy D&D podcast Fury of the Small, featuring Taskmaster NZ’s Brynley Stent, and The One Shot Show, an RPG discussion podcast with The Traitors NZ’s Mark Mockridge.
For those looking to expand their game collections, brilliant bundles of Kiwi-designed games will be available all week on DriveThruRPG and itch.io.
Who are KiwiRPG?
KiwiRPG / Kēmu Whakatau O Aotearoa is the association for professional and semi-professional TTRPG creatives in New Zealand. The community, united under the #KiwiRPG hashtag, comprises a diverse range of talent, including designers, writers, podcasters, and streamers. Much like the country’s acclaimed film and literary scenes, the TTRPG output from Aotearoa is rich and varied, producing everything from global blockbusters to quirky indie gems. The KiwiRPG roster boasts titles like Monster of the Week, Deathmatch Island, and The Sprawl, alongside popular actual plays like Dungeons & Comedians and Dice Legenz.
For all the details on this week’s events, visit the official KiwiRPG Week 2025 page.
