The responsibility of writing today’s summary stopped me from staying out longer in the sun at the Scottish Street Food Awards. My waistline and wallet thank this week’s RPG news.
Speaking of which, let’s begin with summaries of summaries.
- Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford “unretired” together to join Darrington Press. Ivan Van Norman left Darrington Press.
- Jess Lanzillo and Todd Kenreck left Wizards of the Coast as Hasbro sheds 3% of its employees.
- Power Word Resist is a tabletop game event to, well, resit.
- Saturday is Free RPG Day, and publishers are being generous!
- Quebec’s language laws are a nightmare for game shops.
- Warhammer: The Old World is out(ish).
- There’s a KiwiRPG Week bundle before the event wraps.
Gosh. I was worried that it would be a light week… It’s been such a frantic week in the world of tabletop RPGs that Wednesday feels like a month ago.
I’ve booked my RPGs for Tabletop Scotland. Bronwen is about to get married and is too distracted to think.
On with the news!
Spotlight: Diane Ramic.
RPG news from Geek Native
- I wondered about Daggerheart creative team problems as Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford join Darrington Press.
- In layoff news, Todd Kenreck left Wizards of the Coast.
- In departure news, Jess Lanzillo left Wizards of the Coast.
- Also, Ivan Van Norman left Darrington Press.
- In Quebec, store owners have a potential TPK due to French language laws.
- Will the next wave of RPG creators pay a higher price as Patreon changes its pricing?
- With all this going on… Power Word Resist in Indianapolis.
- A new AI-heavy D&D tool launched, leading me to wonder whether CharGen is the sort of thing WotC wants.
- Dark Horse (owned by a Hasbro rival) and Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro) teamed up for the comic book series Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks.
- RPG related, as I spoke (on video!) to < ahref=”https://www.geeknative.com/173867/rifts-promise-of-power-reforged-interview-with-kevin-siembieda-and-sean-owen-roberson/”>Sean Owen Roberson and Kevin Siembieda about Rifts Promise of Power.
- At the Bundle of Holding, there’s acid fantasy and more with the Troika Warehouse, and flirt with Poe-esque dangers in Raven.
- In Humble, you can soak up Monsters, Traps, & DM Tricks.
- Lastly, at Fandom’s Fanatical, there’s a Scarred Lands 5e deal.
Support: Patreon
RPG news from around the web
- At Rascal, Chase writes that New York-based Tabletop Workers United win a union contract after prolonged battle.
- We’ve read about all the people leaving Wizards of the Coast, and Morrus went and got the bigger story. About 150 have left as 3% Of Hasbro’s Workforce Laid Off.
- Sad news as the co-writer of Monster Manual 2 and Oriental Adventures François Froideval passes away.
- The Los Angeles Times covers Why Dungeons & Dragons storytelling duo signed with Critical Role.
- At Polygon, Francesco Cacciatore opines D&D faces a real rival in Critical Role as a true TTRPG showdown begins.
- Paste Magazine has An Exclusive Preview of the New Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Book Dragon Delves and ComicBook has Dragon Delves Preview: A Dungeon for Every Kind of Dragon.
- The “incredible” D&D Potatoe Head Beholder has an Origins Fair 2025 exclusive.
- Dread Central has an exclusive monster reveal in Folk Horror Comes To Dungeons & Dragons in ‘The Crooked Moon’!.
- Jayme Boucher announces that Roll20 Makes the Foreground Layer Official.
- TechRaptor writes up EN Publishing’s Level-Up Pets & Sidekicks TTRPG Supplements Brings Enhanced Companions to D&D.
- ICv2 notes Halloween is coming and that New Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying Starter Set.
- Via Rascal, Jean Luc Lariviere-Lacombe declares Get Razed, a Dirtbags! TTRPG content jam with cash prizes.
- The Rascal announcement service also took Wythe Marschall’s Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying.
- DriveThruComics now has Cyberpunk RED titles.
Free RPG Day
- Saturday is Free RPG Day, and while I’ve been trying to note what publishers are doing, Egg has gone and put together a great list on EN World.
- There are now 13, 879 free RPGs and supplements on DriveThruRPG.
- Goodman Games announced The Dying Light of Castle Whiterock.
- Modiphius is running a Free RPG Day 2025 page with sales and (one presumes) some freebies later.
- 9th Level Games will publish their latest Level 1 Anthology.
- Chaosium will offer their a Basic Roleplaying quickstart.
- Of course, you can find the official site at FreeRPGDay.com.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Ill Met by Morrslieb shares first impressions with Warhammer: The Old World RPG is here! and Wargammer says Warhammer the Old World RPG first look – grim, perilous, and deliciously tense. (Buy it)
- On Reddit, RedAchon1 has shared their Sunless Citadel (5e) review.
- Reviews from R’lyeh has written up SoloDark, Achtung Cthulhu’s Forest of Fear, The Adventure of the Phantom Bell and the SLA Industries Progress Reports – Codified: Zero to Five.
- Grognardia has reviewed Gamma World.
- Dice Monkey shares the light and dark side of Galactic & Going Rogue 2e: Games of Hope and Sacrifice.
- Throat Punch Games has a ring side report of Twice the Steel.
- Rob Wieland has a quick chat on Hacking Blades In The Dark With John Harper And Deep Cuts.
RPG new releases
- Cubicle 7 has a best seller already with Warhammer: the Old World Roleplaying Game, Player’s Guide.
- Sons of the Singularity publishes a second edition of a Cthulhu RPG that China burned with The Sasson Files.
- Blackoath releases Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse.
- John Stancil has published Shrimp the Roleplaying Game.
- Bardic_Mischief has released Shadowgulch – Campaign Guide.
- The Black Orifice has unleashed the Dread City Core Rulebook.
- The DMsGuild has the Succubus: The Complete Guide for 5E.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $36.94 (71%) with Kelly Whyte et al’s KiwiRPG Week 2025 bundle. Note, KiwiRPG Week is almost over!
- Save $16.95 (20%) in Lucky Dice Games’ Campaign Settings bundle.
- Save $12.98 (50%) on Lester Smith Games’ D13 RPG Solo Play bundle.
- Save $11.48 (72%) with Thaloranth Publishing’s Legends of Thaloranth: Super Solo Bundle.
- Save $10.75 (30%) through Art of the Genre’s World War Horror The Scandinavian Campaign bundle.
- Save $2.48 (62%) in Keith D’Edinburgh’s Flashpoint – Fantasy Bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Charles Dunwoody gave us his look at the World of Killers.
- Michael Tresca pens at EN World RPG Evolution: Eat, Kill, Love.
- DungeonSolver’s James Griffin has compiled Master Your D&D Maps with Inkarnate: A Beginner-Friendly Guide.
- At Gnome Stew, J.T. Evans shares the Collaborative Storytelling Loop.
- At Sly Flourish, Mike offers Organizing your RPG prep notes.
- Expert but retired reviewer Jared Rascher composes How Do You Solve a Problem Like Reviewing.
- Kindly weirdly, Sean Migalla goes with I Finally Understand Why D&D Players Still Use Older Editions.
RPG Crowdfunding
There’s more! You can catch up with the Kickstarter campaign we’ve written up in more detail at Kickstarter watch. Here are some noteworthy industry projects to mention:
- The Rune Hunter’s Sketchbook: 100+ 5e Enemies from Arcane Canvas nominates “A lost journal from a famous monster hunter, and a unique rune system to capture their souls.”
- Scrap Hunting from Telluswargames introduces “Printable STL files for tabletop RPG and wargames”
- Baphy’s Bless’d Baubles by Roll the Goat Dice from Lane Simpson introduces “Hand crafted in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Baphy’s Bless’d Baubles are “One of a Kind” 7 Piece Polyhedral Dice Sets that benefit charity!”
- From Spare Room to Storefront: Help Build Our Shop from Hammerline submits “One person. One dream. Three years of work. Help us launch the UK’s first dedicated 3D printed wargaming shop”
- AD&D The Bite of the Hyena / Il Morso della Iena from DiegoZap pitches “A 40 A4 pages adventure module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and all the Old School systems, for expert level groups (3-4)”
- D&D – Pagan Revenants: Monsters of Old Blood and Earth 5E from Mystic Forge Press submits “A D&D 5E bestiary of ancient, cursed monsters drawn from dark pagan myth and inspired by folklore, ancestral curses.”
- Gothic Dice Sanctum from Bartosz Wozny suggests “Highly detailed Gothic Fantasy Dice Tower STL and Physical Print. Ideal for tabletop and RPG gaming sessions.”
- Fuck Me’ 2.0 | Sharp Edge Dice Sets from Only Crits introduces “The second Only Crits Fuck Dice Kickstarter. Turn your Natural 1 into a Natural ‘Fuck Me’ and your Natural 20 into a Natural ‘Fuck You'”
- Maps for TTRPGs – Steam & Arcana from RealmCrafters proposes “High-Resolution Steampunk & Magical-Industrial Battle Maps for Every Tabletop and VTT System (e.g., D&D, Pathfinder) – Grid & Gridless”
- Dragon Gods & Friends Dice & Art from Anthony Christou is working on “Enamel Pins, Hand-painted Large Wooden Dice, D6 Wooden Dice sets, and tapestries of the animals of the Luminous Ages series.”
- Monsters of the Month: Malevolent Revenants from Ben Meadows from Periapt Games is working on “Giant tomb guardians, carrion monks, shapeshifting desert ghuls, and more dangerous undead creatures for D&D 5e!”
- Brancalonia 5E: Complete Knave, Grand Theft Market & Saints from Acheron Books crowdfunds “The one&only Spaghetti Fantasy 5E setting, winner of 4 Ennie Awards, is back with new books! A perfect starting point for newcomers!”
- Legendary Loot: Evolving Magic for 5E from Steven Chabotte introduces “100 Magical Weapons, Armor, and Items That Evolve as Your Characters Rise in Power”
- Dragonix’s Deadly Denizens III (A D&D 5e Bestiary) from Dragonix kickstarts “From the author of DM’s Guild’s Monster Manual Expanded series comes the third volume of the Deadly Denizens series!”
- Unique dice set in resin 2 from LunaDice introduces “Exclusive d6 dice set casted in resin for collectors, board and tabletop game enthusiasts.”
- RPG Maps – 408 Western RPG Maps for Cowboys & Outlaws from LFirefly pitches “High-quality Western maps with immersive encounters for gunslingers, outlaws, and frontier explorers.”
- Adaptable Encounters: Thrones & Tombs (5e D&D) from Ready to Play crowdfunds “A selection of ready-to-play DND encounters set in fantastic castles and ancient ruins, ready to add to your GM toolbox”
- Arcane Catastrophes: Expansion Deck for MÖRK BORG. from Chris Lawson pitches “An illustrated 52 card deck of Arcane Catastrophes compatible with MÖRK BORG.”
- The Death & Pottery Collection from Anna Blackwell pitches “A collection of 4 creative RPG zines loosely themed around death”
- Treasures from the Dark – for the Shadowdark RPG from Jeff Stevens offers “Magic weapons and items, including creations that increase in power! Designed for use with Shadowdark RPG. OSR / 5E D&D Compatible.”
- Freaky Fellows – 32+ unique companions – DnD 5e compatible from Secrets of Alexandria suggests “70+ PDF pages with complex and unique pets, familiars, mounts and companions for your next Dungeons and Dragons 5e or other RPG session”
- Mythic Revolutions TT RPG from HyperCosmos Team nominates “A brand new TTRPG where you are the hero of history’s greatest uprisings! Join any Historical Revolution with Mythic Revolutions’ PHB!”
- 5e – 100 New Adventure Traps: “Trap Theory Codex” from Elven Foundry kickstarts “A collection of ingenious traps, magical snares, and perilous puzzles, punish recklessness, and protect forgotten secrets.”
- DaggerHeart – Vowmarked: Monsters of Power and Ruin from HeartSworn Chronicles pitches “Creatures forged in blood, bond, and broken covenant.”
- Land of Eem: Beginners RPG for Kids + Underlands Expansion from Exalted Funeral suggests “Dungeoneer Adventures Beginners RPG—an easy, fun, family game—plus The Underlands Sandbox, a brand new setting for Land of Eem.”
- Demeter/Hestia Class-ified – 2 D&D Original Classes! from DiceQuest is working on “Two DnD 5e Classes Inspired by the Gods of Greek Mythology: Demeter and Hestia.”
- Stellar Ring – The Portable Magnetic D20 Dice Ring from Astranova submits “A delicate ring-shaped D20 die made of brass. Stress-relieving play, Quick dice rolling, it ignites grand stories at your fingertips!”
- Lands of Sci-Fi: Deep Space V.1 from Redal Velis is working on “Embark on a journey to deep space with this collection of high-resolution, super detailed battle maps//tokens for TTRPGs. No Watermark!”
- Lethal Fantasy TTRPG from Lethal Fantasy Games LLC suggests “A dynamic thrill ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat!”
- Skull Dice Pendant – Wearable DND Dice from Magic Games crowdfunds “A Compact and Stylish Accessory with Hidden Dice Storage for Your DnD Sessions”
- The Personalised Dice Bag Project from Alice introduces “Create a personalised dice bag just for you!”
- 101 Curses and Cursed NPCs from Evil Pigeon Games submits “A TTRPG supplement full of curses and cursed NPCs to torment your players!”
- Unclean from Christian Eichhorn introduces “Bergen Chrypt + Monsters! + Sinners Omnibus for Mörk Borg!”
- 100 Magic Items for Pets from Tales from the Crit crowdfunds “A collection of 100 magical items for your pets, mounts, and familiars, crafted in a 5E+ supplement to elevate your loyal companions!”
- First Encounter: Rules-Lite RPG from Fire & Fable Studios suggests “Join a brave group of Creaturefolk in a struggle to overcome the most vile of fantasy villains – Level one Adventurers!”
- NEPTUNE CALLING from Mitchell Tierney introduces “A double-sized cosmic horror, noir thriller, and Sci-fi Adventure One-person role-playing game.”
- Fate: A Tarot-Inspired Character Creation System For TTRPGs from Side Quest Games proposes “Fate is a tarot-inspired character creation system for a group of 1-5 players, which naturally builds intertwined characters.”
- Eventures – D100 Events: On the Road from The Moonlit Mill pitches “An exciting & unique collection of 100 Events to drop into your adventure – For D&D 5e and other Tabletop Roleplaying Games.”
- Encounters & Maps for D&D 5E – QUEST Vol 1. from Jason DM pitches “Encounters with NPCs, creatures, magic items, huge maps and more for DND”
- Riddles & Mysteries: 100 Enigmas for RPG Adventurers from Riccardo Pancani kickstarts “A PDF book to challenge your player at your table. Usable in all type offantasy setting”
- Pilgrims of the Empire’s End: a 5e supplement from Dungeon Hussars proposes “A Dune and Ottoman inspired setting for 5e. Attempt to save the grand Empire, explore new mystical character options and monsters”
- DIY Item Cards, Systemless Fantasy RPG Cards by Philip Reed from Philip Reed suggests “Three decks of cards, each ready for customization. Includes form-fillable PDF versions so that you may make the cards your own.”
- Blood Sun Reborn: D&D 5e from Kickgames offers “Journey the Aztec Underworld with your spirit guide from the lost city of Xitlalyan to the 9 levels of hell; gods, demons & myth await.”
Do you know of any RPG news sources we might not know? If so please let us know or leave a comment below.
