Good evening. Bronwen is off in Glasgow watching Gary Numan, and I’m here getting to review this week’s most exciting TTRPG news.
- Pay if you can. Don’t if you can’t. It’s a generous indie charity bundle for Accessibility in TTRPGS!
- Chaosium dominate the news with
- their first IP in years and Time Without Tide
- a free quick start with Age of Vikings
- Paizo changes their license deal with the Archives of Nethys
Oops! This is attempt two to publish Friday the 17th Routinely Itemised. It’s now Saturday morning, and I’m here investigating a 404 error page? What happened? I don’t know. Fortunately, it looks like not much has been lost, and I don’t have to rewrite the whole column!
Phew.
If you’re tracking Geek Native’s Kickstarter metrics, you’ll see we’ve had a boom this week. That’s because of ‘Side Quest’, a Kickstarter project to help get some RPG supplements extra coverage and a coordinated launch campaign.
On with the TTRPG news!
Spotlight: Menagerie Press.
RPG news from Geek Native
- What do you do if your actual play was signed up for the (now cancelled) D&D Expo? It’s Your Role gets cheerful.
- Save money. It’s Christmas in July for gamers.
- It’s upset people. Paizo takes the license from Archives of Nethys.
- We talk to Snowy / Lois Brewer about the Tome of Monsters.
- Can you work with GitHub? If so, City_Net is a free Cyberpunk VTT.
- Need Games’ Fabula Ultima release a Demiplane.
- We’re gearing up for Nathan Baldes’ City os Espers.
- We’ve got solo RPG tips from Black Armada.
- In crowdfunding, we write up the Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster and the post-apocalyptic Embers of Humanity.
- There’s a Bundle of Holding deal on the dangerous Torchbearer 2e, Oldskull Generators
Support: Patreon.
RPG news from around the web
- Wargamer covers Chaosium’s first original TTRPG in 30 years is a game of fallen moons, monstrous mutants, tactical battle, and impeccable puns.
- The Guardian writes up D&D players raise millions in real-life campaign against ‘corporate elite’.
- Checking in with Rascal, there’s news about Finland Recognizes Roleplaying As Living Heritage And Culture Worth Preserving.
- The team at Polygon covers Warframe is showing love to tabletop games with this ‘legally distinct’ RPG.
- Finimize notes that Hasbro’s Q2 Hinges On Wizards Of The Coast.
- The folks at ComicBook.com discuss Every D&D Class Getting A New Subclass In Arcana Unleashed, Including One You Won’t Expect.
- Vice’s Denny Connolly pens Dungeons and Dragons Reveals 9 New Magical Faction Backgrounds and Origin Feats.
- Lizzie Magnolia has opinions worth noting about Deathbringers’ marketing and sales pitch.
- You can read about ICv2: ‘Planet of the Apes RPG: Solo Play Rulebook’ Deets over on ICv2.
- Darrington Press announce Daggerheart at San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
- WotC announce the D&D Tower for Gen Con.
- The folks at Dungeons and Dragons Fanatics deliver a breakdown of Beadle & Grimm’s Unveils New Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall Platinum Edition Box Set.
- GameSpace clocks that D&D Fans Can Soon Cook Like Adventurers With Two New Official Cookbooks.
- EN World’s Morrus shares thoughts on D&D General Fiends & Foes is a D&D lore book of beasts, villains, and monstrosities from across the planes.
- Cincinnati UC News wrote up Rolling with it: Dungeons & Dragons & the University Honors Program.
- NME’s Ali Shutler rightly notes that Gerard Way pauses My Chemical Romance’s Wembley Stadium show to talk about ‘Baldur’s Gate’.
Support: Fight the Algorithm.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- The RPG Gazette reviews the Pendragon Starter Set.
- Take On Rules thinks Back to Powered by the Apocalypse.
- TechRaptor gives a review of Hamel’s House of Oddities.
- Over at The Kind DM, the team reviews The Hangman’s Due.
- If you’re looking for a review on Seven-Part Pack, Timothy Linward has you covered over at Wargamer.
- The folks at Ill Met by Morrslieb take a closer look at Warhammer Companion.
- TTRPG Fantatics review Pathfinder Lost Omens High Seas.
- Prismatic Wasteland reviews A Book of Beasts.
- 2d6 Stingbats reviews When the Shimmer Fades.
- Magnolia Keep reviews Dawn of the Orcs.
- Screen Rant looks into Twilight Sword.
- Idraluna Archives reviews He Ain’t Gonna Jump No More.
- Over at Reviews from R’lyeh, the team reviews Sironomandidi, Lost Library and The One Ring’s Realm of the Three Rings.
- Iron & Ink shared a playtest review of Laumry’s Shadowdark Theseus is Dead.
RPG new releases
- Chaosium has hit publish on the free Age of Vikings Quickstart.
- A Couple of Drakes released HEDGE – Dark Fairytale RPG.
- Mongoose has hit publish on The Deep and the Dark | Roll20 VTT.
- Available now is Greywood Publishing’s QUERP Modern Core Rules and Fantasy Gamesmaster’s Companion – Revised Edition.
- We now have Goblin Archives’ Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition.
- WatcherDM released the 5-star rated Blood Prairie Game Master’s Guide.
- Lucky Dice Games released The Old Tales Are Hungry: Ten Dark Folk Horror Adventures for 5e.
- Silver Wyrm Games published 20XX: Handbook for the Recently Deceased.
- Oranges and Olives has published THE BITTER HARVEST: 80 Cursed Elixirs: A 5e Dark Mediterranean Compendium of Potions, Penance, and Power.
- Tedankhamen has unveiled NUNA RPG Quickstart.
- Dark Dice Adventures has hit publish on 5-star rated What the Dead Carried.
- The Third Place released The Trolling Engine.
- Available now is Grey Wolf Writes’ Stonebridge : A Fantasy Game Setting.
- We now have Reaper Miniatures, Inc’s Dungeon Dwellers Roleplaying Game: Character Sheet for free.
- Open Sesame Games has hit publish on the 5-star rated Ecryme: The Player’s Guide.
- In physical releases and pre-releases, we have;
RPG bundle deals
- Save $106 (100%!) with Indie charity bundle for Accessibility in TTRPGS!.
- Save $10 (17%) in Old Oak Games’ Beyond the Woods: Irish Inspired Fantasy Setting for 5e bundle.
- Save $10 (33%) with the Arcverse’s DM Essentials: Fighters bundle.
- Save $5.00 (14%) with Need Games’ pre-order on Fabula Ultima Atlas Natural Fantasy | PDF+Nexus.
- Save $1.05 (35%) in Infinite Initiative’s Cheese Goblins bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- The Angry GM writes up Mental Models in Roleplaying Games: They’re Not Bullshit.
- To Be Resolved investigates Fight or Flight, Tense Decisions in Tabletop RPGs.
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:
- Fright at the Museum by Andrew Misisco is currently raising funds for “A Prehistoric Adventure Zine for the Subterranean Fightin’ Freaks RPG”
- Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature – Delver 21 and Runes 11 from James Floyd Kelly seeks funding for “Delver and Runes – Two Zines for GMs and Players of OSR Fantasy RPGs”
- Harmony, a very cozy TTRPG is a project by Fabled Adventurers Extraordinaire Games that invites players to explore “A game of cooperation and personal growth.”
- Breath of Life – The Artificer (Pathfinder 1st Edition) from Orphaned Bookworm Productions LLC shares “A 1-20 magic-item-focused class for Pathfinder 1st edition”
- Gary’s Appendix: Issue 11 (Goblins!) by Jeffrey Jones is currently raising funds for “Articles and creature entries by a menagerie of designers for OSE and the wider OSR.”
- D100 Crime Events – Lists for 5E by Laura MCL is currently raising funds for “Which Crime event will you choose!”
- The Ritual: A Sapphic, Tarot-Based Solo TTRPG by Questward Press is offering “AKA “The Shadow Mommy Project,” originally created for Fistful of Crits’ Romantasy TTRPG Jam!”
- The Forbidden Schools of Magic- D&D 5e by Ana the halfling is currently raising funds for “A 5E-Compatible TTRPG Campaign Setting & GM Toolkit for Dark Arcane Academies”
- The Book of Many Books is a project by New Heart Games that is described as “A fantasy TTRPG supplement containing 100 books that work as items.”
- Osteum Dice: Skeletal Anatomy Metal Dice Set by Art.D.dice is currently raising funds for “Solid metal skeletal dice with detailed carved motifs, inlaid engraved numbers, expertly balanced for steady fair rolls.”
- Taios’ Library of Everything – DnD 5e Player Options Book! from 5e Family is nominating “A father & son passion project bringing new player options to the 2024 rules.”
- Postmarked Peril – Envelope-Sized Pirate Borg Adventures from Creature Curation offers “3 inter-connected Pirate Borg compatible adventures with player-facing maps on one side and GM information on the other.”
- DarkSpace Ship Catalogue – Volume 2 by DMing the World Press is now live, described as “12 Designs, 20+ Ships for use with DarkSpace and Shadowdark.”
- The Vharos Run | DarkSpace RPG is a project by Midgar Press LLC that is described as “The Vharos Run is a Lv 2 DarkSpace brochure fold one-shot for SideQuest. An escort mission, crystal mysteries, and starfighter combat.”
- Beneath Sacred Ground: A Zine for Lies By Omission from Chain Assembly is working on “The Church of San Antonius sat upon a field of wind swept grasses for over 1400 years. The secrets beneath its stone are much older.”
- WyrmCodex: The Dragon-Forged DM Screen from WyrmCodex shares “Open it. Behold a command center. Close it. A dragon on your shelf.”
- Pirate Borg: Fantastic Figureheads…And Where to Find Them from ThisEffinGm offers “A trifold of fun! 20 Figurehead Ship Relics and an Adventure Scenario for the World’s Worst Pirate RPG!”
- The Shadowed Cathedral of St. Orsolya from Gregory Harris proposes “Horror and Intrigue for MÖRK BORG / A 16-page scenario zine by Gregory Harris”
- Righteous Violence! from Crawl Club Publishing brings us “A Pirate Borg Compatible Double Feature with new adventures written by Bill Harvat and Erica Lowe-Tarpley”
- The Blacklight of San Morro | Pirate Borg is a project by Steve Gibbs that is “When the black beacon burns, the drowned remember the way. A one-session trifold adventure for Pirate Borg.”
- The Fingertip Isles – for the ShadowDark RPG by Jeff Stevens is a new roleplaying games project for “A brief region setting Designed for use with ShadowDark RPG. PDF, Print-on-Demand, and Foundry VTT options.”
- Pirate Borg: Freebooting Bookmarks is a project by Snapback Game Studios that promises “Table-laden, high-utility, double-sided bookmarks for the World’s Worst Pirate RPG!”
- Shadowdark Triple Feature by Joseph R. Lewis is now live, described as “Three one-shot adventure zines by Joseph R. Lewis”
- Dark Kingdom Koreana: Dragon’s Wake from Dave Thaumavore proposes “An A5 zine that brings naval combat into 1590s East Asia. Compatible with Pirate Borg.”
- Pirate Borg:Admiral Mara Veil’s Field Guide to Bad Decisions from Mosey is pitching “A Pirate Borg Zine about Smuggling, Booze, Drugs, Contraband and all around FAFO.”
- Delivered! A Solo Journaling RPG Card Deck is a project by Rage Kage Games that looks at “Deliver parcels across the galaxy with ease using the Delivered! A Solo Journaling RPG custom playing card deck.”
- PIRATE BORG: Rise of the Kelp Lords by Madness Heart Games is now live, described as “A Trio of Tri-folds: Adventure, Bestiary, & Player Class!”
- Avenge the White Mare – an Adventure for Shadowdark RPG from Michael Putlack has introduced “The first Attack the Light zine! Features amazing hand-carved reduction print art. Are you ready to face the imposing Sárkány dragon?”
- Damp, Dark Doom: A Sodden Delve for Use With Shadowdark RPG from Jesse Winter is crowdfunding “A high-stakes pamphlet adventure for Shadowdark RPG”
- The 5th Element 2 from LunaDice is working on “A unique set of dice based on the film The 5th Element”
- RPG Trap & Spell Dice/Dungeon Dice is a project by Mythica Gaming that invites players to explore “Randomly create traps, spells and dungeons for your RPG campaign.”
- Zombie Survivor RPG – A Solo RPG Game is a project by Crow Heart Roleplay Resources that promises “Zombie Survivor RPG is a solo roleplaying game set in a modern-day, post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies.”
- Hope vs Fear: Dual Dice Towers – Dreams vs Nightmares by Fantasy3DTabletop is offering “3D Printable Dual Fantasy Dice Towers for D&D, Daggerheart & More. Optimized for FDM printing, with Single-Color and Multi-Color files.”
- SOLO RPG • Alone Against… The Death Lords of Daemonrot is a project by Outland Games that is described as “A solo RPG adventure… where even your pledge level is a fate-filled decision…”
- Saixar’s Spell Markers for D&D Miniatures by Saixar Collectibles is an upcoming supplement for “3D Printable Spell Markers for Tabletop RPGs like D&D 5e. Thematic STL files to track spells and effects.”
- RealmMaker: Frontier Wilds from YOUNGHO SON is nominating “Trading posts, ancient tree lairs, dungeons, ruined shrines and wilderness scatter terrain for 28–32mm for Tabletop RPG”
- The Living City: Velmoris, A Complete City For D&D 5E by Pars is now live, described as “A Complete Dark Fantasy City, More than 200 Pages of 60 Interactive Buildings Filled with NPCs, Shops & Quests for 5E and TTRPGs.”
- The Oni Bureau, 5e is a project by Anthony David that is “Tokyo, 1926. The Dead are not always gone. Some things do not want to leave. The Bureau keep the truth contained…mostly.”
- THE BOUNTY BOARD: grimdark bounty toolkit quests for TTRPGS is a project by strange arcade that is “A collection of system netural bounty quests with hand drawn maps: compatable with mork borg shadowdark 5E and other ttrpgs.”
- Fourthmarches RPG by Adam Christopher Boyd is an upcoming supplement for “A weird-fantasy open-table game of exploration and rediscovery”
- Familiars & Companions for D&D 5e – The Familiar Forge by Adventurica is offering “A DnD 5e collection of unique magic items designed for familiars, companions, and those who share a bond with them.”
- Astromythos: Lair of the Spider Lord for Foundry VTT [D&D5E] is a project by Hod Publishing that features “A cosmic dark fantasy 5E adventure from the Astromythos series, adapted as a ready-to-run Foundry VTT module”
- 50 STL Bases for DnD and Wargames 4 from MikleJane seeks funding for “STL bases for your wargame, rpg games, miniature, DnD and sculpting adventures”
- NPC Vault 1, The Wicked: 20 Thematic D&D BBEGs, DnD 2024 is a project by Bradley Horton that features “20+ Thematic Villains for DnD & Other TTRPGs, with Secrets, Plans, Minions, and Lairs. D&D 5E Big Bad Evil Guys”
- Steg-O-Spire. A 3D Printable Dino theme Dice Tower-Lamp STL. is a project by MYTHIC LAYERS STUDIO LLC that is described as “A 3D printable stegosaurus inspired Dice Tower which doubles as Lamp.”
- Gardenia’s Compendium of Character Customization is a project by Piper Rush that invites players to explore “A supplementary sourcebook with new lineages, subclasses, backgrounds, weapons, and wondrous items for D&D 5e (2014).”
- The Cursed Realm: Dark Fantasy Terrain is a project by MiniArtCreations that is described as “3D Printable buildings for Your RPGs, Dioramas, and Wargames”
- The Black Box: A Mothership RPG Adventure from Jane Beswick-Wright offers “An intrapsychological extraction mission”
- Old Wild Western Rush: Complete Edition by CHIYOKO YOSHIDA is an upcoming supplement for “3D Printable Old West Terrain for Tabletop RPGs, Wargames & Miniatures”
- Cults of the Cthulhu Mythos is a project by Robert James that is described as “60 Zero-Prep Cults for D&D 5E and Lovecraftian Investigation RPG. Every cult hides a conspiracy waiting to awaken, a secret to uncover,”
- Cryptids of the North — A Folk-Horror Bestiary, Vol. I by Gabriel Arjona The5thPlayer is touted as “59 Adversaries, Tier 1–4 — Daggerheart™ Compatible. Explore a world of Pan-American folklore and danger. 59 American Cryptids”
[What’s this chart? We use Kickstarter Heat to measure how busy the crowdfunding season is.]
Do you know of any RPG news sources we might not know? If so, please let us know or leave a comment below.
