Happy Samhain! The 12 Masks of Halloween are over for the year. I put more effort into this than before, imagining how the masks would work at parties, LARPing, or even behind the GM Screen.
Today’s summary of RPG news summaries are:
- D&D will be officially late to release their World of Warcraft game in America; Dan Ayoub, the boss of D&D, has been promoted.
- The Immortal Universe (Anne Rice) and Sword World TTRPGs are smashing crowdfunding totals.
- We’re going to get a Hellraiser TTRPG (obscure fact: Girdy’s PC is called the Lament Configuration).
- There’s a Re-Animator 13 Omens license.
- Atlas Games has stopped B2C shipping to Europe.
Are we approaching 50,000 dead adventurers? Yes, but I don’t think it’ll happen for a few weeks. As of this writing, the tally is 45,804. Because I’m strange, I created Wyrm Watch.
We might not check in on Wyrm Watch every Friday, but this shared experience at least gives us a talking point each week. Hey, did you see the fox cub? That sort of thing.
I published a big correction on the site this week. I updated the Hasbro filing Christmas Eve layoff story to say all employees had been given the chance to move to Boston. What went wrong? In the original article, I cited my source, the American WPRI newspaper. They got it wrong, updated their article and added their regrets. I updated ours.
Despite best efforts, updates and corrections happen (I’m only human in a world of AI), and to be transparent about these changes, we maintain a log.
On with the TTRPG news!
Spotlight: Slithy Tove Games.
RPG news from Geek Native
- RIP BioWare. I investigated the impact the studio had on TTRPGs.
- Geek Native covered Immortal Universe RPG: Renegade details Interview with the Vampire rules ahead of BackerKit launch.
- We reported on Wizards of the Coast confirms shipping delays for D&D: World of Warcraft launch.
- Geek Native investigated Atlas Games halts direct-to-consumer sales to the EU and Brazil as PPWR rules bite.
- In our Tabletop Junkie interview, we scooped the new TTRPG sections.
- We had a scoop with SLA Industries 2nd Edition expands with Karma and Stormer rules.
- In crowdfunding we looked at Spectaculars and Dusk City Outlaws: Scratchpad Publishing relaunches acclaimed box sets, Kingdoms of Ink: Hand-carved rubber stamps for tabletop roleplaying game world maps.
- In bundle news, Go pro or die trying: Goodman Games’ Xcrawl RPG hits fanatical, Modiphius’ Cohors Cthulhu and Pelgrane’s Yellow King RPG.
Support: Patreon.
RPG news from around the web
- Checking in with Tabletop Sentinel, Angus investigates Hellraiser RPG Announced, with The One Ring Designer Francesco Nepitello at the Helm.
- Over at EN World, Christian Hoffer covers Paizo licenses Re-Animator for 13 Omens.
- Christian Hoffer also sleuthsWizards of the Coast retains Fisher Phillips, a union avoidance firm; vote will take place on November 10th.
- Christopher Hutton examines D&D Head Dan Ayoub to Oversee Wizards of the Coast for TTPG Insider.
- Graham Walmsley delivers a breakdown of Award-winning video game Heaven’s Vault gets TTRPG over at Rascal.
- Jeffrey Dohm-Sanchez delivers a breakdown of New ‘Vaesen – Nordic Horror RPG’ Campaign Book Hits Preorder over at ICv2.
- ICv2 also has the news Cubicle 7’s ‘Warhammer – The Old World RPG: Starter Set is heading to retail..
- Over at R Talsorian Games, Rob Barefoot covers A Double Threat of Free Halloween DLC! Cyberpunk & Shadow Scar’s Releases Are Here.
- Over at Rascal, ttrp.gg covers Delver’s Digest: A horror TTRPG anthology with six one-shots by Indian authors.
- Francesco Cacciatore at Polygon writes up Japan’s biggest RPG Sword World crowdfunding raises over $2 million in a day.
- Writing for Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics, Jason Volk reports on FanRoll Heads Into the Mists With New Oversized D&D Ravenloft D20.
- Checking in with Screenrant, Faith Roswell investigates Netflix’s New Dungeons & Dragons Series Is Making TV History.
- Checking in with Sortira Paris, there’s news about Dungeons & Dragons in Paris: the interactive drag show where the audience decides the story.
Support: Fight the Algorithm
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Gary Collinson at Flickering Myth reviews the Dungeons & Dragons comic book.
- Four Letters at Random’s Steve Hatherley examines Cold City 2e.
- Zekil at Ill Met By Morrslieb reviews Death’s Dark Shadow.
- Writing for Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics, Jason Volk shares a review of The Legend of Drizzt Dark Elf Trilogy Collector’s Edition.
- Reviews from R’lyeh covers Blank Canvas and Handiwork Games’ FiveEvil.
- At EN World, Beth Rimmers interviews James Wyatt, the man behind D&D Warcraft.
- At Rascal, Thomas Manuel interviews the team behind Between Earth And Sky Series.
RPG new releases
- KR1 Publishing has published Tale RPG: Core Rulebook.
- Available now is The Yellow Hand’s Simulacrum – A Cyberpunk Espionage Game.
- New from Broken Rat Games is Delve 3rd edition – Ruins of Windtorn Manor.
- Nick Munro Turner has published Rogue Octopus Escapes 2nd Edition.
- HoloGrounds has a multi-product Roll20 deal for Halloween with Undead Animated Tokens Bundle.
- Paizo are still republishing goodies at DriveThruRPG such as titles like Pathfinder Adventure Path: Abomination Vaults | Roll20 VTT.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $50.42 (69%) with Cthulhu Reborn’s Cthulhu Eternal Holding Deluxe bundle.
- Save $2.18 (20%) in the DMsGuild’s Calimra’s Halloween Horror Theme Collection bundle.
- Save $2 (4%) with Darrin Drader Designs’ Daring & Dread The Roleplaying Game bundle.
- Dungeon Masters Guild has bundled The FREAK.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Since it’s Halloween, we wrote up From Anno Dracula to Fevre Dream: Great vampire novels still begging for tabletop RPGs.
- Writing for B/X Blackrazor, JB reports on Being A “Good” Player.
- Serban Ionita explores Why D&D Has So Many Rules for Fighting and So Few for Everything Else for The RPG Gazette.
- Josh Storey examines What Death Teaches Us About Systems for Gnome Stew.
- Patchwork Paladin gives us Timelines and Events: Prepping an Investigation.
- The team at To Be Resolved covers Making a Character You’ll Enjoy Playing.
- Checking in with Burn After Running, Guy investigates We Need to Talk About Safety Tools.
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:
- Bläckfisk Publishing presents FLOWERS WITHERED ON THE STEM – Vampire Family Drama TTRPG. The pitch: “A story game about vampires and their monstrous nature, but more importantly about the blood ties that bind them together.”
- Petmon TTRPG is a Kickstarter project by K Arroyo billed as “The Diceless, ‘Digimon Inspired’ TTRPG.”
- Stranger Comics kickstarts NIOBE: A World Divided #1 + NIOBE & DURA Hardcover. The pitch: “Deluxe Fantasy Omnibus Graphic Novel + New Niobe manga comic with D&D TTRPG. The source material for Niobe Anime short film.”
- Nskane Comics proposes Towers and Tiaras – the playable D&D comic book. The pitch: “Why do only wizards get to live in towers and learn cool spells? With over 40 pages of the half DND campaign, half comic book.”
- Maps of Tellest, Volume 3: 50+ more maps for TTRPGs from Mike DeAngelo has launched on Kickstarter, pitching “50+ High-Quality Digital Fantasy Battlemaps for Tabletop RPGs (D&D, Pathfinder, Roll20, and Beyond).”
- Ink and peril pt2: 10X agnostic one page mini adventures from strange arcade has launched on Kickstarter, summarised as “A digital PDF collection of 10X 1 page system neutral, drop in adventures. Fully compatible with shadowdark mork borg and 5e and more.”
- Bekah June is developing Undead Game series, pitching “A TTRG series of zombie survival games – Undead: Year One, Undead: Year 1888, and Undead: Year 2350.”
- Erik Jorgensen presents DARKER TIMES: Fallen Knights – A DnD 5e Zine. The pitch: “A zine for those who like their adventures more dangerous and fun (TTRPG | Fantasy | OSR).”
- Torchlight Candles: Scents of Adventure from Vagabonds Refuge has launched on Kickstarter, promising “Atmospheric handmade candles that bring your stories to life.”
- Tentacles Of The Void is a Kickstarter project by Hammerforge Chronicles touted as “Tentacles of the Void is our new solo adventure gamebook: a tense, claustrophobic thriller set aboard a dying ship in deep space.”
- Bryan O’Doherty proposes Caverns of Ungol Dâr Nuin. The pitch: “A High Level Adventure for your OSR Setting.”
- TRISPIN shares TriSpin : An Effortless Rotating Desktop Organizer—Stackable. The pitch: “Magnetic Rotating Mechanism | Multi-Purpose Desktop Storage | Adjustable Dividers | Magnetic Memo Board | Dice Tray |Tabletop Companion.”
- Joshua Rauscher brings us Project Majestic-12: TTRPG of Supernatural Horror, pitching “A D100 tabletop roleplaying game of the supernatural and government conspiracy under the ORC license.”
- Hall of the Runelord: a Delve for Shadowdark RPG is a Kickstarter project by William Beers summarised as “Rumors of a great treasure beneath the shattered hall of a long-dead dwarven runelord lures delvers into the dark, dangerous depths.”
- Tim Gonzalez seeks funding for Beacon: Koronil, summarised as “A Halloween-themed supplement for the Beacon TTRPG, filled with a brand new reflection and player content.”
- William Murakami-Brundage brings us Blood River: Five Zines for Shadowfinder and Shadowdark RPG, summarised as “Brave Blood River. Face corrupt mermen, Ur-giants, and vile fey in this RPG river crawl. Glory awaits you. 100% Shadowdark compatible.”
- Michael Medaglia is pitching The Snake Pit – A Vampire One-Shot Scenario, billed as “A system-neutral crime thriller one-shot for your favorite vampire TTRPG.”
- Elf Prince of the Grey Grove – OSRIC Adventure from Karla Adder is funding now, described as “Adventure in an enchanted forest to rescue the Elf Prince from his sorcerous captor! This RPG adventure will be for OSRIC 3.0.”
- Mike Rieman is developing Too Many Ghosts: A Solo Haunted Renovation TTRPG, billed as “Haunted houses don’t design themselves. Time to roll up your proverbial sleeves and help these rascals out.”
- Into the Night: A Goth-Punk City Monster RPG from Death And The Werewolf steps up to crowdfund, with the pitch: “Back from the dead and all you want is a slice of pizza and for all these slayers to piss off.”
- Smitha Nagar is developing Mindpaths: A TTRPG of Human Creativity in the Face of AI, summarised as “A game of creativity and collaboration with ghibliesque artwork, an original dicepool system, and unique, magical lore.”
- Spirit World, a Setting Toolkit for Avatar Legends: The RPG from Magpie Games is now live, summarised as “The award-winning tabletop RPG Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game returns with new rules for the Spirit World, spirits, and more.”
- The Hamlet of Villago – A 0-Level Gauntlet for Shadowdark is a Kickstarter project by WyrdFall Press pitching “A lethal OSR funnel for 4-6 players. Flee the mines, battle the dino-men, reach the wizard’s tower, and win back your humanity.”
- Demidirge: Frontiers of Fear – Boxed Set is a Kickstarter project by Shane Walshe pitching “A Corrosive TTRPG Campaign Setting for Old School Essentials.”
- Sneaky Book of Monsters – D&D, Pathfinder, and Savage Worlds from Matthew J. Hanson has gone live, billed as “Over 100 monsters. Drakes, hags, golems, goblins, zombies and more.”
- Jeff Mueller @ Jerd Productions is pitching Dragonspine Chronicles – Volumes 2 & 3, touted as “Two Shadowdark adventures (for levels 3 & 4) tuned for one-shot, or convention, play.”
- Rock & Roar! Once Bitten – OSR Classic Rock Monsters is a Kickstarter project by Inkwell Ideas pitching “Bestiary of 50+ more creatures born from the neon haze and killer riffs of classic rock/metal/more. Shadowdark & Old-School Essentials.”
- Keep It Lit: A virtual table top for old-school RPGs is a Kickstarter project by Allan Douglas — Darkscape Studios described as “This project adds support for Hex Crawls, Procedural Dungeon Generation, and old-school player and monster token packs.”
- Cool Nerd Mark introduces Cool Nerd Adventures: The Spooky Ones. The pitch: “Four adventures inspired by classic black and white monster movies. For levels 5-8, compatible with D&D 5.5e.”
- Eric at Do Your Worst Games proposes NinjaDark: Five Strange Adventures | for Shadowdark RPG. The pitch: “Five complete, unconventional mini-adventures on double-sided A5 cards, set in a haunted Japanese-inspired world.”
- The Firmament – Tarot TTRPG of Divinity and Desperation is a Kickstarter project by Foresight Studio summarised as “Read tarot and wield heavenly power to prevent ravenous humans from breaking into heaven.”
- Mike Lafferty proposes THE DIRGECALL DRIFT. The pitch: “A salvage-horror adventure for 5e. The dead are still transmitting.”
- The RPG Mythologist kickstarts The Odyssey for 5E: The Monsters of Homer’s Epic. The pitch: “Homer’s Odyssey comes to 5E: text-accurate monsters, from Polyphemus and Scylla to the Sirens and the shades of the dead.”
- Knight Vision Creative is pitching Creed’s Codex: Vault of Aeonian Wisdom 5E/5.5E DND, summarised as “An epic adventure taking characters from level 1-10, with a completely overhauled Ranger class and more character options.”
- Warchief Gaming presents Auroboros: Dissension. The pitch: “Dissension is a full-length 5E campaign from Chris Metzen and Warchief Gaming, releasing with Worldbook: Lawbrand (Revised Edition).”
- WoodMaster Smart System: Portable RPG Gaming Station from WoodMaster Gaming is rallying backers, pitching “Dice tower, tray and vault in one compact wood system, Handmade in Italy — everything you need at the table, wherever you play.”
- Michael Webb kickstarts The Dire Truck Stop – An Xcrawl Classics Zine. The pitch: “A level 1 Xcrawl Classics zine! Battle dire wolves, solve the riddle, fuel the truck, and escape the deadliest pit stop.”
- Drawlab is running a campaign for Legendary Metal Coins season 9, pitching “Legendary Metal Coins are back with brand new designs for high quality metal coins for gaming. More than 200 unique thematic coins.”
- ShadowDrifters: Classless Adventurers from Guillem Cazorla has launched on Kickstarter, inviting backers to: “Build ShadowDark compatible characters with decks of class cards — including rules for single, dual, or multiclass heroes.”
- Star Anvil Studios introduces THE SECRET WORLD TTRPG: EUROPE. The pitch: “SAVAGE WORLDS and 5E.”
- Brutal Beginners – DnD meets Wildlife Conservation support is a Kickstarter project by Secrets of Alexandria summarised as “24 Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) 5.5e Player Characters: All 12 Classes, Male & Female, Levels 1, 3 & 5 – 72 Profiles + STL Miniatures.”
- Echoes of the 1920s: Battle Maps is a Kickstarter project by Agnieszka Polanowska making the call: “Explore 1920s America through detailed TTRPG battle maps of cities, mansions, factories, ports, railways, countryside, and more.”
- Aelthyr – Dragon Realms: Veil of Crowns Dice is a Kickstarter project by Aelthyr billed as “Five dragon courts. Thirty-five named dice. One archive for the table.”
- Aether Objects shares RPG Field Kit: Everyday Carry Dice & Tabletop Gear. The pitch: “Built for travel, ready to roll wherever you play.”
- Seas of Infinity from Rui Albino is funding now, described as “A New Level of Fantasy Tabletop Role-Playing.”
- BLOC MASS: Second Edition is a Kickstarter project by Tremor Mezes pitching “A game of fiendish horrors behind the Iron Curtain, now refined by two years of play, and finally in Hungarian, too.”
- Jorrit Schlüter shares RPG Adventure Stamps: Interiors Set. The pitch: “3D-printable stamps & tools set to quickly create playable TTRPG adventures, including maps & tokens for characters, monsters & more.”
- James Floyd Kelly has launched Airlock 003: Random-Rolled Resources for Wardens & Players, summarised as “Zine and Scenario Brochures for the Mothership RPG.”
- The Rules Lawyer Ltd shares The Manufactory: World of Dyer. The pitch: “A D&D 5/5.5E Sourcebook and Adventure from The Rules Lawyer.”
- Eldritch Runes Games brings us Eldritch Runes: Beneath the Waves of the Windreath Wold, summarised as “A 5E compatible coastal sandbox adventure of commercial rivalry, buried shame, and industrious undead. Suitable for level 3 characters.”
- Nobile Press introduces Pro Patria Mori: High Seas. The pitch: “A tabletop roleplaying game set on a u-boat in the last days of World War 1.”
- Crimson Crows Studio shares Wytch County Rapsody & The Delightful Dead. The pitch: “A Witchstarter Double Feature RPG Zine Campaign! Between Two Worlds RPG Zines vol. 01.”
- Witches’ Path—Curiosities and Other Strange Happenings (RPG) is a Kickstarter project by Natasha pitching “A cozy mystery TTRPG. A collection of supernatural and mundane mysteries, curious magic, and untold secrets.”
- Rollable D20 Dice Jewelry for All Your DnD Classes is a Kickstarter project by Kraymer Art described as “Full jewelry collections for your DnD class: Rings, bracelets, earrings, and D20 necklaces you can roll.”
- Prophet of the Fae – One-shot, Encounters, & Maps for D&D 5E from Jason DM is funding now, promising “An action one-shot adventure fully compatible with D&D 5e.”
[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.
