Routinely Itemised: RPG #381

It’s October, the spooky month and here in Scotland that means two or three pagan festivals.

Today’s summary of RPG news summaries are:

• White Wolf has parted ways with Renegade.
• Wizards of the Coast have parted ways with LaTia Jacquise and hired Celeste Conowitch (ex-Kobold) and Erin Roberts.
• Dungeon Crawl Classics will get a comic book.
• SmiteWorks/Fantasy Grounds has bought Eldritch Foundry
• Iron Studios will release an impressive Tarrasque (statue).

Slithy Tove Games is the RPG Spotlight honouree for October. Congratulations! You can read the interview with Red Ruin Publishing now.

Patrons can vote for one of the following candidates for the November honour.

• B.J. Keeton
• Arcane Brewery
• Rock Clan Productions
• Gamingbrew
• Seidmann Games

Not yet a patron? You can still nominate publishers or creators for the Spotlight through this new form!

On with the TTRPG news!

Spotlight: Slithy Tove Games.

RPG news from Geek Native

• We published the interview with Simon Barns and Red Ruin Publishing.
• In time for Lucca, we also had an interview with SIXMOREVODKA’s Marko Djurdjevic.
• SmiteWorks, which runs the VTT Fantasy Grounds, bought and will integrate Eldritch Foundry.
• White Wolf finally said bye to Renegade Games, though Renegade did it better.
• I reviewed the game of kin and craft with Rivers of Awen.
• I also took a look at The Isle Beyond the Mist from the World of Styria.
• More reviews? Yes, and one for Pixxele’s Vault of the Sun: Cycles of Rebellion.
• It’s not from WotC, but it is Dungeon N Dookie bog paper.
• In time for Halloween, Philip Reed released the Shadowdark Spooky Shadows.
• Bronwen wrote up the Roll20 Token Maker.
• Sirius Dice and Wizards of the Coast are selling Disability Pride dice.
• In crowdfunding, we looked at Nobunga’s Black Castle, took a pre-launch look at Raccoon Sky Pirates and a behind-the-scenes look at Ashfall Chronicles’ Glass Choir: Namar.
• In bundles, we have a Bundle of Holding offer on Heavy Gear 4e.
• Oh yeeaaaah! We finally launched an RPG Spotlight nominations page. Use it.

Support: Patreon.

RPG news from around the web

• If you are looking for monsters, Iron Studios has pre-orders on a model Tarrasque – Dungeons and Dragons.
• Writing for EN World, Christian Hoffer weighs in on LaTia Jacquise let go from Wizards of the Coast.
• Polygon gives us Critical Role’s Daggerheart lets players ‘steer the ship,’ lead designers explain.
• Also, over at Polygon, you can dive into Critical Role opens up about how its players get paid if they ‘die.
• Bleeding Cool’s Gavin Sheehan spotlights Beadle & Grimm’s Launches New Skullduggery 5E Companion Campaign.
• Writing for WPR, Rob Ferrett spotlights Dragon Days festival highlights Lake Geneva’s Dungeons & Dragons connection.
• The Curt Simcox at RPG covers The GATEWAY RPG tabletop system now has an Android Player/GM Companion App.
• Rascal carries Fragged Aeternum 2 – A Gothic Horror RPG Where The PCs Are Immortals In An Endless City! and Between Earth And Sky: The Roleplaying Game.
• TTRPG Fanatics’ Jason Volk writes up All Upcoming Pathfinder 2E Books for 2026 and 2027, Paizo Opens Pathfinder and Starfinder Society to Fan-Made Content, and Keith Baker Reveals New “Ecto-Punk Noir” Daggerheart Setting.
• The team at Dungeons and Dragons Fanatics delivers a breakdown of New Illustrated Map Book Brings Back D&D’s Most Iconic Dungeons and D&D Teases Creepy New ‘Project Lamordia’ Ravenloft Adventure.
• Writing for Vice, Denny Connolly writes about Dungeons and Dragons Adds Collection of Scary Maps and Monsters in New Drop.
• EN World has an excellent piece by Christian Hoffer on Celeste Conowitch hired by Wizards of the Coast as Senior Game Developer for Dungeons & Dragons.
• Bedir, at EN World, spotlights Wizards Hires Erin Roberts as Game Designer for D&D.
• Tabletop Sentinel reminds us about Dungeon Crawl Classics Is Coming to Comics.
• Over at TTRPG Insider, you can dive into Patreon Features Top TTRPG Creators in Documentary Short.
• Over on EN World, Morrus writes up Renegade renews Hasbro license for Transformers, GI Joe, and more; loses Vampire license to White Wolf.
• Monte Cook Games has an excellent piece by Charles Ryan on Announcing Big Upgrades to the Cypher Character Builder.
• The team at Sortira Paris weighs in on Wyrd: the Tabletop Role-playing Festival at Cité Fertile in Pantin.

Support: Fight the Algorithm

RPG reviews and interviews from around the web

• TTRPG Fanatics has published a review of Age of Vikings Companion by Jason Volk.
• Guy Eats Food, at Burn After Running, reviews Age of Vikings Companion.
• Checking in with Ill Met by Morrslieb, there’s a new review of Tome of Corruption.
• Reviews from R’lyeh examines Saga of the Rat King, The Crooked House, Legend in the Mist Demo Game, and Wraithborn.
• Over at The RPG Gazette, the team reviews Cosmere RPG Stormlight Archive Starter set.
• Mollie Russell interviews as Critical Role’s Luis Carazo tells us why you should play more than just D&D for Wargamer.

RPG new releases

• AntiMatter Games brings us Uncharted Realms RPG – Core Rulebook.
• Skydawn Game Studios published Phantasy Star Tabletop RPG: The Search for Luveno.
• Available now is Dieku Games’ Bug Busters Core Book.
• New from Jet Black RLSH Publishing Games is Bring Your Own Character : Core Rulebook.
• New from Cursed20 Games is Scalemail Core Rulebook and the free to download quickstart.
• Youngdale Productions brings us Sand Dunes and Sabers RPG.
• New from The Arcverse is Nova City Heroes: First Light — Founders Edition.
• Zenith Comics has released VALOROUS – Heroic Fantasy Roleplaying.
• In physical (and I might buy this), Forbidden Planet has dry-erase boards in a Gelatinous Cube.

RPG bundle deals

• Save $6.94 (39%) with the Cosmere® RPG | Mistborn® Scenarios Cross-Platform bundle from Brotherwise Games.
• Save $5.68 (22%) in Schwalb Entertainment’s Orc Wars Complete bundle.
• Save $2.50 (25%) in Mythurgy’s Horror Bestiaries bundle.

RPG ideas, tips and discoveries

• The RPG Gazette has published a piece on The OSR as Applied epistemology.
• Grognardia opines on Dave Arneson and a New Kind of Game.
• For Vice, Denny Connolly writes about Dungeons and Dragons: World of Warcraft – Can You Have a Cross-Faction Party?.
• Modiphius gives us Free Resources for Star Trek™ Adventures.
• The Alexandrian details a Random GM Tip.
• Birdmilkcafe helps out with We Dream of Another World.
• The team at Sly Flourish spotlights Just Use Bears.

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 Loreweaver 2: Deluxe Magnetic GM Screens from Magen Elizabeth Dean Bain offers “Immersive, fully magnetic & dry-erasable GM screens built to organize your game and bring your world to life!”
• Cinderella Smile by Richard Kelly is now live, described as “Stop the wedding, save the kingdom. TTRPG.”
• Tales of the Assemblance is a project by Tom Astbury that looks at “A new fantasy roleplaying game”
• R3TCON: Canon & Continuity for Creators is a project by Wayne Pearson that is “Local software for writers, TTRPG creators and game developers that tracks canon and flags proven continuity conflicts.”
• Mire of the Dead – One-shot, Encounters, & Maps for D&D 5E from Jason DM kickstarts “An action one-shot adventure fully compatible with D&D 5e, built and tested for 4 players at 4th-level.”
• Legend of the Moose Lords: A Family RPG Adventure by Eldritch Runes Games is an upcoming supplement for “A whimsical, beginner-friendly tabletop RPG where kids and grown-ups become heroes, battle ridiculous monsters, explore a magical land!”
• Mysteries & Myths: Volume 2 – A Compendium of 1000+ Rumours by Samuel Steele is touted as “Over 1000 rumours for any fantasy setting, and with every backer we’re adding more!”
• 🔥 FIRE & ICE: DRAGON MOUNTAIN DICE ❄️ from Desiree Stovall is launching “A MOUNTAIN INSIDE EVERY DIE. Handmade Resin Dice • Fire & Ice • Dragon Collection”
• Ashes of the Unnamed Gods: A Game of Relics and Ruin from Atru is developing “Atru’s new Table Top RPG project written by Isle Ansuz, edited by Sarah Nova, with art by Polypodiophyta Art.”
• Tony Sindelar presents: Tag O’Keene’s Final Rest from Tony Sindelar brings us “A spooky adventure by Tony Sindelar from the Total Party Kill actual play podcast.”
• Maps for TTRPGs – Triton & Merfolk Kingdoms is a project by RealmCrafters that is described as “300+ Triton & Merfolk Battlemaps for Every Tabletop and VTT System (e.g., DnD, Pathfinder), Plus Commercial Use Included!”
• Scavenger’s Guide to Bones by Diego Pisa Artworks is currently raising funds for “Bones, claws, fur and substances to spice up your games. For use with fantasy RPGs such as DnD 5E, Pathfinder, and OSR.”
• Bastet/Sobek Class-ified – 2 D&D Original Classes! from DiceQuest proposes “Two DnD 5e Classes Inspired by the Gods of Egyptian Mythology: Bastet and Sobek.”
• The Blackwood Estate – A Horror inspired oneshot adventure by strange arcade is a new roleplaying games project for “a 1 to 2 session long horror one shot for Halloween.”
• Seven Days to Crown a King: A WAYPOINT Solo Adventure is a project by Waypoint RPG that is described as “Win four of seven seals through bargaining, evidence, night operations, and optional combat in a 320-section solo political fantasy.”
• GOBLIN: 6-in-1 Magnetic Rotating Metal Dice is a project by Mythic Roll Foundry that is “6-in-1 Magnetic Rotating Metal RPG Dice | Fidget-Friendly | Pocket-Sized | EDC-Ready | Clip It to Your Bag & Go”
• NPCFolk: The Inn – 3D Printable NPC Miniatures for TTRPGs from aMini3DWorld is launching “Bring your tavern to life with characterful 28/32mm Scale NPCs for every encounter, story and unexpected night at the inn.”
• Jack Tallow Invites You to Die by Dark Eagle Games is a new roleplaying games project for “One night to prepare. At dawn, a demented fey lord comes to kill one of you. Explore, bargain, and stack the odds in this 5e One-shot.”
• Halloween Legends Subclasses & Monsters for DnD 5e / 5.5e from Fool’s Hand Studio introduces “Two subclasses and five monsters inspired by Halloween folklore and the horrors that awaken on the darkest night of the year.”
• Word Dungeon Two by Joe Shimwell is offering “More wordy adventures in the Word Dungeon universe. Three brand new maps: Rumpledonk’s Ruins, Dragon’s Castle and A Day at the Zoo.”
• Easy Almanac: Your adventures deserve to be remembered. is a project by Easy Almanac that is described as “The D&D campaign manager for your whole table. Turn session notes into a searchable record of NPCs, places, and quests.”
• Lavender Hack RPG: Grindcore Edition — Book #1 (Core Rules) by Phillip Lewis is touted as “You are not limited by your imagination. You are limited by crushing levels of debt.”
• Medieval & Fantasy Tabletop Essentials: 1,000+ STL Models by 3D_FORTRESS_ is touted as “1,000+++ 28-32 mm STL models of medieval & fantasy terrain, props, bases & architecture for D&D, RPGs, and epic wargame battlefiel!”
• Artefact Dice by Artefact Games is touted as “The iconic polyhedral dice set. Reimagined.”
• OCEANIC REALMS — 270 + Fantasy Battle Maps for TTRPGs from Alex1805Kings is nominating “Tropical Islands, Pirate Havens, Sunken Cities & Underwater Kingdoms, Rpg Maps for TTRPGs — VTT & Print”
• DARK REACH: The Roleplaying Game from Simon Taylor seeks funding for “The rules-lite, narrative retro sci-fi game of finding fame, fortune and your fate amongst unknown stars.”
• Hogswallow – 10th Anniversary Edition is a project by Robert Turk that is “Our original abstract storytelling deck, now updated and improved!”
• DnD 5e: Divinium a Magic System Overhaul | The Cinder Kings is a project by Evan Mackay that is described as “Divinium changes the D&D magic system into Cultivation, with 21 Madra Types, Sects/Factions, and Sacred Beasts! (And now Cinder Kings!)”
• Vampire: The Masquerade & Dice Envy – Metal d10 Collection by Dice Envy is currently raising funds for “Cast your gaze upon these officially licensed stained-glass inspired metal dice for the Vampire: The Masquerade TTRPG”
• Raccoon Sky Pirates Classic is a project by Chrys Sellers that features “A raucous game of chaos and trash. Play raccoons raiding the suburbs in a janky flying ship forever on the verge of exploding.”
• Witchcrafting with Salem: A wand-building zine by Ben Farrow is touted as “Join Salem, and build your very own wand in this slow-paced game that encourages exploration and crafting.”
• The Forest Of Fright: Quick Portal Gamebooks 2 from James Aukett is nominating “Forming part of James Aukett’s Q-PORTAL GAMEBOOKS series, this will be the second book of his Quick Portal Gamebooks chronology.”
• Reva’s Guide To Spectacular Sea Life – D&D 5e Supplement by Kate Silver is an upcoming supplement for “Reva’s Guide features 80 pages of fully illustrated magical sea life, for your Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition games!”
• Aliens and Heroes by Graham Bottley is an upcoming supplement for “Three RPG books for Advanced Fighting Fantasy and Savage Worlds”
• Curseborne Covenant from Richard Thomas is launching “The next tier of play for the Curseborne tabletop roleplaying game.”
• Echoes From Beyond (Solo RPG Gamebook) is a project by Mark Lain that features “An epic gamebook collaboration between two highly-acclaimed series: DESTINY’S ROLE GAMEBOOKS and LITERALLY IMMERSIVE GAMEBOOKS”
• The Decay: Survival Horror Roleplaying from Matthew Nevers offers “A tabletop roleplaying game of weird horror and the struggle to survive it.”
• Red Death Party: A Horror One-Shot Adventure For Daggerheart by Paolo Davolio is offering “Dance with the dead and party with the plagued with this adventure for Daggerheart TTRPG, inspired by the works of E.A. Poe.”
• Dragonbane: The Black Sails from Dunderdagar proposes “Lo, an adventure for the Dragonbane TTRPG, from Dunderdagar.”
• Kralha: Rage of Monsters is a project by TJ Faulkner that looks at “An entirely new tabletop roleplaying game set in Kralha!”
• Lords of the Dungeon: A Roll & Build Print and Play Game by Keepers of Fun is currently raising funds for “Draft dice, build rooms, and become the richest lord in the dungeon. Probably the only roll-and-write with Random Production mechanism!”
• The Dark Knocking Trilogy: A 5E and 321RPG Adventure from John McGuire is pitching “Three flip-book adventures: 321RPG on one side, 5E on the other.”
• Nicodan’s Appendix of Additions & Augmentations by Daniel de Anda Fast is touted as “A fresh, cinematic way to experience the world’s greatest role playing game.”
• 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 5.5E by Mythos Chronicles is offering “A compendium of magical items inspired by worldwide legends and myths”
• Dungeons of Numera is a project by David Waldman that features “A Sudoku inspired dungeon delver roll and write game.”
• Baba Yaga’s Trial — a micro-RPG is a project by Michael Anthony DeAnda that features “Baba Yaga plans Vasilisa’s trial; there are lessons she must learn to unlock the secrets of her doll.”
• The Nightwatch Lighthouse D&D 5.5e is a project by David that is described as “A lighthouse gone dark, cultists and monsters hidden in the shadows. The party has a BIG choice to make. A D&D 5.5e adventure zine”
• Where Mercy Draws Blood: A Horror 5e Mini-Campaign from Yellowbyte Workshop is working on “A tropical-horror mystery adventure where finding the truth does not promise a happy ending. For four characters of levels 5th to 7th.”
• Atrapos: A Roleplaying Game of Odyssey from SoulMuppet Publishing is crowdfunding “A doomed mythic fantasy roleplaying game of defying fate in an epic world of Gods and heroes.”
• Conan by Monolith: Tales of Tortage and Zamora by Monolith Board Games SARL is an upcoming supplement for “Sword, Sorcery, and two ways to live the legend, new adventures and massive reprint!”
• The Book of Meme Spells- A D&D 5E Supplement is a project by Chezaidan that invites players to explore “A comedic D&D 5E supplement magazine full of meme spells, awesome subclasses and unique monsters.”
• A Compendium of Custom Species by Luke Russell is currently raising funds for “A Digital PDF of Custom Species, Tiny Characters, Cantrips & Feats that is Compatible with Fifth Edition”
• Familiars & Companions for D&D 5e – Monstrosities is a project by Adventurica that promises “A DnD 5E Selection of Monstrosity Companions—Each with Unique Ways to Summon and Befriend. Plus, a Grand Collection of 340+ Familiars!”
• Cursed Hunters TTRPG by Aulos games (Theo Ronsin) is offering “Expect no hope, Hunter. A solo & small-group gothic RPG — hunt the Abominations, survive the DarkWaters, walk the edge of the Marches.”
• The Dwarves by Markus Heitz – The Roleplaying Game by Squink is an upcoming supplement for “Become part of the epic adventures of the novel series”
• Distant Worlds: Adventure Zines for Shadowdark & Aetherdark is a project by Micah that is “Shadowdark adventures in a world warped by prophecy, against the cruel rulers of the astral spires, and among shipwrecks in the aether.”
• Starship Scavengers: Ghosts of Voidspire from The Grinning Frog proposes “Explore a lost asteroid metropolis in the milestone 10th Starship Scavengers solo RPG adventure.”
• How To Tame A Dragon: A DnD Compendium for 5e & 5.5e from NarrativeBlueprinting is pitching “Tame wild dragons, raise hatchlings to adulthood, and build a lasting bond through adventures together in 5e and 5.5e.”
• Guildstew is a project by Aetherian Studios that is described as “Your friendly TTRPG companion.”
• OSR The Tooth of Knath / Il Dente di Knath by DiegoZap is touted as “A 140 pages adventures module for all the Old School systems (D&D, AD&D, OSE etc), for expert level groups (3-5)”
• Meet the Hatchlings – Limited Edition Pins from the Future! from houseofpins has introduced “Meet the Hatchlings – Legends. Four limited edition soft enamel pins. Meet Dragularr, Eboracuus, Magnuss, and Mythraelle.”
• Bonfire Bestiary: Tools to Bring Your Monsters to Life from Stone Fish Games proposes “Easy-to-use, multidimensional monsters for your 5.5e and HackMaster XXV games”
• Fortress of the Goblin King from Todd Jeffcoat shares “A short adventure for Shadowdark RPG”
• 5E Short Adventure: Tower of Cinders by Elven Foundry is now live, described as “A Horror Expedition Across Mount Erghal”
• 101+ Bases & Dark Fantasy Basing Bits – 3D Printable STL is a project by MikleJane that looks at “Modular 3D-printable basing bits and 101+ scenic bases for 28–32mm miniatures, wargames, RPGs and dioramas.”
• The Herbal Journal Part 2: Olga’s Almanac of Ores by Sarsen Games is touted as “A DnD 5e supplement full of homebrew Ores & Minerals, each with unique harvesting mechanics, lore details and forging buffs.”
• Masked Paws from Grimwood Games is nominating “Masked Paws is a fast, cinematic team tabletop RPG where you play animal superheroes protecting a living city full of danger”
• The SoulChaser Universe Core Sourcebook by Jason A. Anderson by Starrider Entertainment is an upcoming supplement for “(Early supporters wiIl receive a free Faerie Metal “Jean Archer #2″ bookmark!)”
• Chromatic Shadows Core Rules by Matrix Ghost Games is now live, described as “A Complete D6 Occult Cyberpunk RPG”
• The Portal Witch, a Kids RPG Primed by Cortex is a project by Miriam Robern that is “World-Hopping, Magical-Costumed, Do-Gooder Kids”
• Broomtilting: Full Moon Jousting for Witches is a project by Mike Lafferty that invites players to explore “A zine RPG about witches on brooms, three hundred feet up, settling a grudge”
• Rope Walkers – Midnight Walkers Expansion is a project by Curry that looks at “After a full day of ROPE WALKING, the MIDNIGHT WALKERS are now coming out of the shadows… But fear not, on the rope, we’re all friends!”
• FARK is a project by Haragames that invites players to explore “TRUST DIES FIRST”
• Cold Eyes: A Grim Pirate Tale by Ardann Creative is an upcoming supplement for “Sail the High Seas of the Aelius Empire on a quest of self discovery and vengeance”
• A Rotten Harvest: A Spooky D&D 5E One-Shot is a project by Crits & Crafts that is described as “A Halloween-themed one-shot adventure for D&D 5E, low-level and ready to play in a single session.”
• HAUNTED HOUSE: A Halloween One-Shot TTRPG Adventure is a project by Tina Glasneck that invites players to explore “Costumes. Candy. Real monsters. 🎃 Enter for just $1 on Day 1.”
• Season of the Witch: A Brand New 5e Character Class from Matt Ringel presents “Something Wicked is Brewing. Craft your own witch character with this unique 5e compatible ttrpg class zine!”
• Fishmongers: Physical & STL Miniatures with 5e Bestiary by MudskipperStudios is currently raising funds for “14 unique miniatures, 5e Bestiary, and One Shot Adventure from the depths for your next TTRPG adventure, wargame, or painting project.”

[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.