It’s Friday the 13th! It’ll be a dramatic day for some of us. For Geek Native, this will be the last Routinely Itemised written from the docks of Leith.
Yours truly is on the move. A physical change of address, a new apartment in less than ideal circumstances, and a new start will mean some disruption to the Geek Native RPG news coverage over the next few days.
And hopefully not longer than that. Apologies, though, if you’ve dropped in a Kickstarter or review request and I’ve not got back to you. Wait a few days and try again.
It turns out that large libraries of RPG hardbacks are among the worst things to move. Boxes and shipments are also a theme in this week’s news, as logistics is once again a thorny issue for the industry.
There’s a spot of convention news this week with Gen Con deciding that bio-health is still a wise idea. As a reminder, please recommend inclusions for the geeky convention calendar.
Right, now on to that promised RPG news!
Win The Hand of the Sun King | GMD CORE RPG
RPG news from Geek Native
- Modiphius are busy with their Star Trek RPG with a new campaign setting and a cosplay-worthy Tricorder edition.
- The Witcher TTRPG expands, adding in Werebbubb, Gnome and Vran characters with A Book of Tales.
- Cubicle 7 has confirmed that Soulbound, the Age of Sigmar RPG, will keep pace with the new wargame Age of Sigmar plot.
- The Irish publisher also made Doctor Who and the Einstein Engine a free to download adventure for the newly released second edition of the Doctor Who RPG.
- For Friday 13th, Pelgrane Press made the 13th Age quickstart download free.
- Legendary Games removed their Far East product line from sale over sensitivity concerns but are back with a large, diverse team and Latin American Monsters.
- Japanese publisher Madaraushi is to crowdfund an anime for the Cthulhu-inspired tabletop RPG To the Mountains of Madness.
- Magnetic Press Play have made a free quickstart available for the Carbon Grey RPG.
- Geek Native reviewed the horror RPG Shiver.
- The Tabletop Gaming Magazine has launched the Tabletop Gaming Awards.
- Meanwhile, the Indie Game Developer Network announced the Indie Groundbreaker Award nominees for 2021.
- D&D kicked off the official Adventurers League season with the horror-themed Ravenloft: Mist Hunters.
- Geek Native spoke to Mike Kennedy and Andrew Gaska about Carbon Grey, MVD6 and MPP’s plans.
- You can now pre-order the official Dungeons & Dragons Annual for 2022.
- Free League made official Mutant: Year Zero and Tales from the Loop core modules available for FoundryVTT.
- Paizo’s Ron Lundeen joins Grimmerspace.
- On the Bundle of Holding, there are two Doctor Who bundles and two Delta Green bundles.
- Over at Humble Bundle, Modiphius has a Mutant Chronicles deal.
Spotlight Trash Mob Minis
RPG news from around the web
These freight costs are tearing into already-thin margins for many publishers, and some publishers are being forced to make decisions between shipping now and losing money, or holding inventory at the factory – and losing money. If there is such a thing as win-win options in game publishing (or for any small businesses who rely on global trade), we’re now as far from those options as we can get.”
- Steve Jackson Games’ Phil Reed made it clear, “Global shipping is a nightmare“.
- Gen Con Mandates masks after all.
- Scott Thorne shared some retailer insights on the acquisition of Flying Buffalo.
- WizKids will do a sprue-minis for D&D after all with a separate Frameworks line.
- WizKids also released this Kidrobot plushy line.
- WotC has a new D&D survey out, with no glitches or drama this time.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- Antonios S reviewed Chaosium’s Glorantha The Red Book of Magic.
- Jared Rascher reviewed the Doctor Who: RPG second edition and The Star-Shaman’s song of Planegea.
- Bones of Contention reviewed Castle of Mirrors.
- Sami Yuhas reviewed Pathfinder’s adventure Dinner at Lionlodge.
- Beyond Fomalhaut reviewed the 2021 The Pit.
- Reviews from R’lyeh took a look at Shadow of Mogg.
- Thilo Graf reviewed the 16-page In Vino Gigantus.
- On Reddit, Mesmer Gnome wrote up a length review of Iron Kingdoms: Requiem.
RPG new releases
- Kobold Press’s 210-page adventure for 5e Scarlet Citadel is out.
- Rose Bailey and Fantasy Heartbreaker released a second edition of the Elric of Meinibone inspired Bright & Terrible.
- Laika Small Press released a game of expeditions and delving Into the Glowlands.
- Guy Sclanders’ diceless and action economy Bounty Hunter TTRPG is on DriveThruRPG.
- Awkward Turtle has released a “found footage” style RPG supplement with Not a Place of Honor.
- In time for the 25th anniversary, Arc Dream has published Delta Green Evidence Kit: The Labyrinth.
- Star Bear Games published their RPG of bug knights with Umbra.
- Crit Academy have released their 5e archetype Ranger: Bladedancer.
- Tab Creations published the Shadows over Sol campaign and sourcebook Jovian Whispers.
- For Torg Eternity, Jay Rutley released The Storm Knights’ Guide to The Cursed.
- Ash Kreider published their TTRPG about queer romance, found family and healing with Our Traveling Home.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $52.54 (72%) with the DMs Guild’s Community Classes bundle.
- Save $43.56 (40%) with Animated Dungeon Map’s 2020-2021 Cybermaps Exclusives FullHD bundle.
- Save $12.45 (33%) with Stygian Fox’s The Casebook of Hudson & Brand bundle.
- Save $7 (32%) with the Lazy Litches Loot Cthulhu bundle.
- Save $3.49 (32%) with Tibor Szilagyi’s “One Shot” DM bundle.
- Save $3 (33%) with the Generic Floorplans Envoy & Convoy bundle from Hinterland Mapview.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Charles continues his Warhammer world building with The Empire of the Old World.
- Megan Pusey to a level-headed look at Taming the Black Dog with Dungeons & Dragons.
- A Distant Chime looked into The Principles of RPG Narration.
- At Forbes, Rob Wieland opined Now Is A Great Time To Get Into The Starfinder Role-Playing Game.
- At Gnome Stew, Jack Peachey wrote up Devils and Demons – How GMs Can Use Fiendish Entities in Their Games.
- J.R. Zambrano offered help with How to Build a Party With Three or Fewer Players.
RPG Crowdfunding
You can see those Kickstarters and other crowdfunding campaigns that caught Geek Native’s attention over at Kickstarter watch. Here are some industry projects worth a mention;
- Tony Go has smashed goals with an enhanced Deep Space D-6: The Long Way Home RPG Gamebook 2nd Edition.
- Feanor Forge is offering more than 90 STL minis, terrain and busts in A Troll’s Tale.
- Runeforge Studios has STL files and/or physical products with six unique different The Goblin Tribes of Keiremoor.
- Dynal Greene is funding a steampunk fantasy inspired by Skies of Arcadia and Guns of Icarus with Cloudrunner: Fate of the Skies – Steampunk Fantasy RPG.
- Deck & Dice Games want to upgrade your critial hits. It’s The Dice of Death & Dismemberment.
- RiotMinds has a Classsic Dungeon Crawl offering in Ruin Masters – Bestiary.
- RPG Magazine with system-neutral (and therefore 5e compatible) content. It’s The Oracle Issue 14 – Venetia, City of Masks.
- Henry Lopez wrote for the Arcanis Campaign Setting but the Codex of the Mind – A Complete Psionics System for 5E can be converted.
- Howard Tayler has brought Tracy & Curtis Hickman’s cure for the common game to Kickstarter with XDM: X-treme Dungeon Mastery, 2nd Edition.
- EN Publishing has 6 more settlements. Over the Next Hill 2: 6 Plug-In Settlements for your 5E Game.
- Blue Fox Gamebooks & RPG is offering a branching narrative book set 15 years before the story of Innsmouth: The Stolen Child – A Lovecraft Gamebook.
- Chris G. Williams wonders whether you’ll survive after being cast out to die in the cold night. KINLESS – A Mörk Borg Solo Viking Adventure.
- Iko has a 28-page full-colour zine for Troika! called Broken Luck.
- White Light Media have physical and STL minis on offer with Fantasy & SciFi Minotaurs Miniatures and Much More!.
- Planet X Games and Levi Combs has funded a rules-light retro sci-fi RPG in RAYGUNS & ROBUTS.
- C. Aaron Kreader has easily funded a 2nd level DCC/MCC adventure and supplements with The Towers of Dr. Xill & The Years Between.
- Sean Aaberg is offering werido art, dark fantasy and an RPG with DUNGEON DEGENERATES: HAND OF DOOM FOURTH PRINTING.
- Claudia Rodriguez offers STL files in 32mm for RPGs, board games and wargames with Infernal Siege & Gaming Terrain.
- Dark-Platypus Studio has pre-supported and optimised designs and files for Slimes!.
- Rebel Minis have 4 new and limited edition Cthulhu’s Miskatonic University School Enamel Pins 2nd Year.
- Patrick Stuart has smashed funding goals for an old school D&D scenario called Demon-Bone Sarcophagus.
- Appendix N Entertainment has an Old-School Essentials set of reprints for The Return of Octhorrorfest and Hidden Hand of the Horla!
- ENnie-gold cartographer Glynn Seal has locale A5 cards with HandyMaps Dungeons, Caves & Strange Locales for Game Masters
- Chronicle Cards offers decks, resin dice and printable minis in the Chronicle Cards II – More Universal RPG Content!
- Peter Regan and Square Hex are on Kickstarter to reprint The Black Hack Second Edition – Redux
- Craig Bogart has a gothic horror campaign in The Council of Bones 5e Adventure.
- Vergilius Games is funding a mystery with Amnion River – A Dark Mystery Visual Novel.
- Juan Lerma has funded Chibi Monsters D&D 3D Files STL + Memorama
- Brittani Bartnik is offering a set of maps and one-shots with a harvest theme. It’s the Eldendale Harvest.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.