Bronwen got married, did I tell you that? There was a black cake that spread its umbral touch, a bee and a castle. Now, here’s the RPG news summaries of summaries!
On with the news!
- The Diamond fallout continues, with Green Ronin launching a desperate legal GoFundMe and Diamond on the verge.
- Dungeons & Dragons has a new boss (in control of everything)
- Ex-D&D VP Jess Lanzillo is now the Creative Director at the World of Darkness
- Daniel D. Fox announced Nocturne.
- Free League Publishing is doing new Starter Sets for The One Ring/Lord of the Rings.
We’ve also been trying to cover Big Heckin’ Four-Day Prime Day, which was its usual feast for tabletop board gamers but a bit of a damp dud for TTRPG fans. However, we did add some flickering flame 🔥 emoji code to the usual megathreads, which grew as the lists did.
Yeah, it’s not cool to support Amazon (writer friends debate this one hotly), but we also did an ‘Anyone But Amazon’ thread.
Spotlight: Empyreal Media Productions.
RPG news from Geek Native
- Things are pretty bleak thanks to the liquidation of Diamond, and Dynamite is in danger.
- Wizards of the Coast makes big changes and brings in a new D&D boss.
- Ex-Wizards of the Coast VP Jess Lanzillo is now the Creative Director at the World of Darkness.
- We have an interview on Warhammer: The Old World with Cubicle 7’s Dominic McDowall and Padraig Murphy.
- We also talked to Midnight Tower, that’s Tove and Erik, about the Adventurer’s Guide to Eastern Farraway.
- Daniel D. Fox has announced the gothic horror of Nocturne.
- Risky legal fallout and upset fans, Porcupine Publishing makes a Bear Grylls TTRPG in which Holly Willoughby is kidnapped.
- Free League has announced new The One Ring and The Lord of the Rings Starter Sets.
- Steamforged Games has two new Epic Encounters on the way.
- Cartographer Alex Drummond has announced he’s secretly been working on a computer game.
- In the Bundle of Holding, there’s a good offer on the English language version of The Dark Eye and a giant GURPS three-parter.
- We’re disappointed by the lack of TTRPGs in Big Heckin’ Four-Day Prime Day but we made a list of discounted games anyway.
Support: Patreon
RPG news from around the web
- Remember last week’s horror story about dead Diamond claiming warehouses of unsold merch? Green Ronin has a GoFundMe to raise a Critical Legal Defence.
- The University of Cincinnati shares New Dungeons & Dragons ethics seminar takes flight.
- Wargamer notes that Free League’s achingly cool DnD rival Dragonbane reveals SICK new miniatures.
- Well Watch Games has a new charity, “Feeding America. Forever” virtual token pack on DriveThruRPG.
- Modiphius announce the launch of their Achtung! Cthulhu Horrors of the Secret War.
- The Licensing.Biz of ToyWorld covers Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Side Tavern to celebrate LA Premiere.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Polygon’s Francesco Cacciatore tries Dungeon Crawl Classics and admits After 8 years of playing D&D nonstop, I’ve finally tried its biggest alternative.
- Beth Rimmels shares a thoughtful deep dive into D&D: Dragon Delves.
- Chris de Hoog at CGM Magazine pens Daggerheart Makes A Bold Claim To The TTRPG Crown.
- Rolling Boxcars reviews the Call of Cthulhu adventure Madness at Geneva Lake.
- At The Tavern, Jimmi Wazere shares 6 Games that nail What Rules-Lite TTRPGs Should Be and reviews Chariot of the Gods for Alien RPG.
- Reviews from R’lyeh looks at the Free RPG Day releases of Wires in the Woods, Root: Laurel’s Canopy Quickstart, In the Beast’s Wake, SHIFT: Basic Rules, Starfinder’s Battle For NovaRush, A Great Offering, Piage 1348 Quickdeath as well as The Last Cyclade.
- The Kind GM reviews Forgotten Fate (despite the cover art).
- Geek Girl Authority Dive Into Adventure with Wizards of the Coast’s DRAGON DELVES.
- Wargamer notes that at just 112 pages, DnD’s next book is more of a booklet.
- Throat Punch Games has a ring side report on Savvy & Swagger.
RPG new releases
- Monte Cook Games has published the cyberpunk guide Neon Rain.
- Chaosium has released a new Rivers of London adventure with In Liberty’s Shadow.
- Sly Flourish has released City of Arches.
- Trent Seltzer has published The Rusty Game Master’s Guide.
- DCovey publishes a game set in war-torn 15th-century France with Liber Divinorum Operum.
- Brother Dice release Make Believe: A Children’s Fantasy RPG.
- Planetary Penguin Games has published Maintenance of Ships: Second Edition.
- GamerDadsCloset has a parody RPG of swagger called Macho Mayhem.
- Ede Sol Games has released a Savage Worlds sci-fi called Han Cluster.
- Interrobang has a pay-what-you-want RPG out in Age of Blood & Iron: Lite Edition.
- Quest Ludica has a solo superhero adventure released called Cape & Crisis.
- In physical and at game stores, there are Wizards of the Coast with pre/orders on;
RPG bundle deals
- Save $27.93 (30%) with Ede Sol Games’ Han Cluster – All In! bundle.
- Save $8.98 (26%) in WyrdFall Press’ Gears Arms & Armor-Print & PDF bundle.
- Save $4.94 (20%) in Lightspress’ The Folk Horror Collection.
- Save $2.49 (50%) with C.M. Arnold’s Cthulhu by Gaslight Double Feature bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- In a guest article, Alexander Atoz wrote How to make combat more interesting.
- James Maliszewski looks into the origins of tabletop RPGs with From the Brontës to Braunstein.
- At Kobold Press, there’s Design Diary with Wolfgang Baur, designer on Labyrinth Worldbook, part 2.
- Dungeon & Dragons Fanatics shares How to Run 1-On-1 DnD Adventures Using “Dragon Delves” New Rules.
- J.T. Evans on Gnome Stew has notes on Starting a fresh group.
- Brian Suskind, at Kobold, also has Advice for new GMs.
- Monte Cook shares a Cypher Design Diary and asks What’s in a Genre?.
- The Angry GM answers Making Players Like Your World.
- The RPG Gazette has notes on Managing Player Expectations: Aligning Your Table’s Vision for a Campaign.
- Roleplaying Tips publishes My 2-Stage Prep System And How I’m Ready For EVERY Session.
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:
- Tomb of the Cursed Dead from Scott W raises funds for “A Shadowdark dungeon crawl for any level of party. The Tomb asks, what will you sacrifice to survive when death is not the end.”
- DnD 5E Adventures of Tesharya Vol 3 – Echoes of War from Tales & Taverns is working on “Four new DnD 5E adventures for level 5 characters. Join now the third installment of the epic Tesharya modular campaign!”
- Goblin City Part One: Goblin Guard from Rossysculpts suggests “Two goblin guard miniatures cast in resin and a mini artbook pdf.”
- Evil Beyond the Hill from Jester Knight Games submits “Can your villagers resist the darkness that threatens your homes and land?”
- Clockwork Insanity : A Solo Steampunk Print and Play Game from Ewan Lister crowdfunds “In this Steampunk themed print and play card game can you journey through the levels of the asylum to escape? The clock is ticking…”
- The Crystalline Guide To Endless Specialization: TTRPG Boost from Ethan Herfurth nominates “Break crystals, unlock power and have fun with this expansion for any TTRPG!”
- Night is For Nightmares; a 5th edition murder mystery! from Weseley suggests “A homebrewed campaign based around a surprising murder of Baxter Cornelius, the richest man in Yexteria!”
- Tales of a Murder Hobo from Tabletop Outfitter suggests “5E GM Resource and One Shot Adventure for Murder Hobos and/or Heroes”
- Boundless City from Mario Barbati proposes “Craft Your Epic Fantasy Cities!”
- THE RETCHED TROPICS – A TTRPG Micro-Setting Zine from The Church of Doom introduces “A sulfur-retching jungle riddled with fuming volcanoes, boiling rivers, and acidic bogs that’ll melt your players’ faces off! 🔥🌋🔥”
- The Enchanted Quill Books & Quests from Morgan Walstad pitches “A magical new independent bookstore and TTRPG event space coming to North Branch, MN!”
- Fae Realms: The Courts of Annwyn & Vaelthyr Rogue Subclass from Dan Sprietzer raises funds for “Unmask the intrigue, secrets, and power struggles at the heart of the Fae Courts.”
- Sapphire Seas for Shadowdark RPG: Level 1-10 Adventure from William Murakami-Brundage pitches “Explore Phoenician-inspired isles, recover long-lost treasure, fight mythic battles, and sail the seas in this level 1-10 campaign.”
- Endless Dungeon: Modular 3D Hex Maps For DnD from Hexworld suggests “Build 3D dungeons in seconds! Customise with themed assets, hide secrets with lids, endless layouts. Physical & Digital rewards await!”
- Roulette Dice 3.0 – The Final Roulette Upgrade from MinZerTRPG pitches “7-in-1 Dice | Click&Roll | Release&Result | Precision Reading | Full Zinc Alloy Housing | Balanced and Fair | Pocket Size”
- Satanic Panic Zine – from Eric Bloat raises funds for “Why parents in the 1980s lost their fuckin’ minds over D&D”
- The Mirror Mansion: A Ghostly 5E Adventure from SeaBreeze Games nominates “Explore a crumbling dimension, discover ghost-repelling artifacts, and fight or parley with the spectral residents of the Mansion!”
- ENDLESS GRINDSET from Occupied Hex Games crowdfunds “Take on a deadly tower full of terrible monsters and rad magic in this roguelike tabletop role-playing game.”
- 🪷Witch’s Herbs 5E from A4 Play proposes “A Folklore-Inspired Herb Compendium”
- Roll & Devour: The Mimic Dice Tower STL [Pay What You Want] from ElChicoNeo! pitches “3D printable STL Dice Tower for board and tabletops games.”
- 360 Western Battle Maps for TTRPGs from Agnieszka Polanowska is working on “Bring Your Wild West Adventures to Life! , Explore Towns, Mines, Forts, Camps & Ruined Locales, 360 Rpg Maps for Vtt and TTRPGs”
- Righteous Vow 3: A RPG Zine for Old School Gaming from Crawl Club Publishing submits “140-page, oversized zine packed with monsters, magic, & mercenaries, and compatible with Shadowdark RPG!”
- Wondrous Songbirds: Magical Pets for 5e Adventures from Dark Eagle Games is working on “Enchant your game with tiny magical birds that bring enchanted effects—cantrip powers, clever tricks, and more!”
- 100 Damned Items – Digital Item Cards for D&D from One Dragon Coin_Companion crowdfunds “100 Digital Magic Cards for D&D 5e: powerful, but cursed items. Choose wisely… or pay the price., D&d 5ed”
- STARTER PACK: 5 x 5e Adventures & More for $2! from Laidback Dungeon Master pitches “Laidback DM’s STARTER PACK contains 5 adventures for DnD 5e, Dragonbane, Old School Essentials, OSR games + maps + posters + bookmarks!”
- THE ASHES OF THE GODS: A D&D 5e Adventure Setting from Moonlit Forge crowdfunds “A Dark Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic RPG Setting – Unleash Godly Fragments, Explore Unstable Magic, and Shape New Mythic Powers in a Shatte”
- The Argent Pact [DnD 5E] from Tentacle Games submits “A complete merchant guild with lore, a new class, thematic subclasses, unique magic items and feats, and a great plug’n’play questline!”
- Populated Hexes Monthly Issue 48 from Todd introduces “Four Full Years of Gaming Content!”
- Grim Dark Dilemmas: A Hunger Below from Gerrit nominates “A starving town. A buried god. What will you feed? A Grim Dark story where every choice has a cost, and none of them feel right.”
- Lair of the Storm Giant: A location for D&D 5E + Pathfinder from Douglas Sun offers “Your party agrees to clean out a storm giant’s basement only to find a bunch of monsters and other oddities down there!”
- Shadows of the Star Knights for Shadowdark from Small Mount Studios raises funds for “A Shadowdark RPG setting guide for adventures in a far-away galaxy!”
- Paper Apps™ LABYRINTH from Tom Brinton pitches “A randomly generated notebook game. Fight enemies, collect treasure, and escape from a FULLY 3D dungeon!”
- Arcane Lock from Amarik submits “Riddles, Puzzles, and Challenges for D&D, Daggerheart, Shadowdark, Pathfinder, and other TTRPGs.”
- The Hero Society – A Mutation Driven Superpowered TTRPG from Ash Briggs crowdfunds “A mutation-based superhero RPG where you choose your evolution, survive the Surge, and search for answers to ancient secrets.”
- Echoes of the Mist: A Compendium of Magical Potions for 5e from Robert James suggests “Potions That Whisper Back Instant, lore-filled magic for any campaign – designed to boost player immersion, with zero prep required.”
- Dungeon Babies! from Ian suggests “A collection of superbly stylized DND baby monsters. Suitable for resin printing!”
- Fandomonium Dice Advent Calendar 2025 from Robert Melrose suggests “The 2025 edition of the Fandomonium dice advent calendar. New Designs, Additional Options, More Dice!!”
- Gaming Notebook Dice Tray- Pixel Art Fabric Covered Journal from BoardGameSolutions is working on “An A5 Notebook with a Dice Rolling Tray built into the cover, ideal for D&D RPG Players, Solo Board Gamers, Family Game night and more!”
- TWISTED RUST: Solo Expansion – The Forge Trail – TTRPG from Satellite Zero is working on “We’re back! A Solo Choose-Your-Own-Path Campaign for TWISTED RUST!”
- Fantasy Tokens: Beasts & Monstrosities from Grim Press nominates “Get bestial tokens with a consistent style & border. Great for Print & Play or use on Virtual Tabletops. D&D, Pathfinder, TTRPGs.”
- Pirate Small Party Sets – Cutthroats and Skeletons from Severed Books crowdfunds “The Ennie nominated Small Party is a growing series of wood minis that are durable, portable, and full color.”
Do you know of any RPG news sources we might not know? If so, please let us know or leave a comment below.
