Behind the scenes, it’s been an important week for the RPG industry. Paizo staff have a Union, thanks to freelancer pressure.
It might be hard for those outside the USA to understand the impact or even the big deal, but it is there. It’s too early to see what the impact is, whether people will buy games differently (only buying from publishers with Unions, for example), whether there are more tussles ahead or whether GAMA et al. (who have only just now restructured) consider how/whether to engage with Unions.
Those are all new conversations, though.
It’s also good news with Asmodee’s Edge Studio finally getting a website, confirming L5R and Star Wars RPG, while also ramping up their DriveThruRPG efforts.
It’s bad news as Astral Tabletop, the virtual tabletop, enters a stasis, with DriveThruRPG owners taking over and the founder leaving.
Also, bad news, as the Degenesis RPG calls quits and suspends development.
Now, let’s get cracking with all this RPG news.
RPG news from Geek Native
- At the start of the week we were told Paizo had ground to a halt, with no games coming due to an unofficial strike but with the Union now recognised the way ahead looks clearer.
- We knew this already, but now it’s been pinky promised; there’s more Star Wars RPG.
- Astral Tabletop continues, but all development on it has stopped, the founder retired and OneBookShelf has taken over.
- Dark fantasy Tribe 8 will be released by Dream Pod 9 as a Forged in the Dark Game. It’s Tribes in the Dark.
- Sadly, the Degenesis RPG will be discontinued.
- Metal Weave Games released and made available for free the Hyper Light Drifter basic rules.
- You can download free 3D digital props for your horror or Call of Cthulhu Masks of Nyarlathotep scenario.
- Winners have been announced for the 2021 One Page Dungeon Contest.
- Geek Native talked to ex-Bioware designer Brent Knowles about future plans for Raiders of the Serpent Sea.
- Geek Native has a generous preview of CZRPG’s Amazing Encounters & Places, Vol 1 (5e).
- You can grab the whole Noir line in the Deadlands Noir bundle.
- Warhammer 1e is available in digital for the first time, with the starter set costing less than a buck in the Humble Bundle Warhammer deal.
Spotlight Grim & Perilous Studios
RPG news from around the web
- Chaosium have announced the 40th Anniversary Keeper Tips, coming for Halloween, Cults of Cthulhu and the $99 Limited Edition Leatherette Keeper Rulebook.
- Rowan, Rook and Decard have delayed the DIE RPG Kickstarter.
- Privateer Press put together a preview digest of Iron Kingdoms to support their Kickstarter.
- ScreenRant covers D&D Tabletop RPG Map Maker Black Box Has Cyberpunk & Viking Themes.
- Wired notes Tabletop RPG Workers Say Their Jobs Are No Fantasy (free sub needed).
- Modiphius shared more insight on their Star Trek Adventures Tricorder Collector’s Box Set.
- D&D Beyond released the free D&D adventure The White Dragons Hunt.
- The Traveller Core Rulebook update for 2022 is now live for ebook download and pre-order print.
RPG reviews and interviews from around the web
- CBR’s Brand Lang notes D&D Debuts Drastic Redesign of the Deep Dragon in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.
- Christian Hoffer at ComicBook opines Dungeons & Dragons: Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Sets a New Bar for 5E Books.
- At Mashable, Amanda Yeo adds ‘Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons’ puts the dragons back in ‘Dungeons and Dragons’.
- Then, Strange Assembly also gave us a Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons review.
- Jared Rascher reviews Minsc and Boo’s Journal of Villainy.
- Roleplayers Chronicle reviews the Conan Waves Stained Crimson.
- Reviews from R’lyeth looks at Puppy Love for Tales from the Loop and RuneQuest’s The Red Book of Magic.
- Dicebreaker talks to Mana Project founder Michele Paroli in Cowboy Bebop RPG lead designer on the anime adaptation’s ‘jazzy’ gameplay and satisfying cynical fans.
- Snarf Zagyg took the time to review Jon Peterson’s Game Wizards.
- Angel’s Citadel reviews the doom RPG ARC.
- RPG Research penned a Labyrinth Adventure Game RPG Review.
- On EN World, Egg Embry interviews Pete Petrusha and Mitchelle Wallace about CHEW.
- Flames Rising talks to artist Diana Sousa about Red Opera’s Tarot deck.
RPG new releases
- Arcanomicon has published a 5e supplement with over 200 new playable races in Tales of Arcana 5e Race Guide.
- Ian Tassin has published a new RPG with over 500,000 character classes. It’s the $15 Apotheosis Core Rulebook.
- Secrets of the Masquerade give us wine and blood in many flavours with Bordeaux by Night – 5th Edition.
- Cubicle 7 released the creepy horror scenario for Warhammer Fantasy which is a Feast of Blood.
- Green Ronin published the Modern AGE Mastery Guide.
- Rolepress has a zine of Jarls and warriors. It’s Fate Plus Vikings.
- BRW Games published 200 new monsters for OSR campaigns in the Book of Lost Beasts.
- The First Hungarian d20 Society published a new RPG for picaresque fantasy in an alternative-world Switzerland. It’s the Helvéczia: Picaresque RPG.
RPG bundle deals
- Save $41.43 (50%) with the DM Guild’s Ultimate Encounters bundle.
- Save $29.70 (75%) with Alluria Publishing’s Happy Halloween bundle.
- Save $9.96 (25%) with the DM Guild’s Dragons of Myth and Legend bundle.
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- Gorgeous and handcrafted wooden trackers for D&D character classes.
- Team Everhearth Inn wrote up the best D&D 5e one-shots for a terrifying Halloween game night.
- The Alexandrian dug into history with Forgotten Realms: Arveiaturace, the White Wyrm.
- Taptix have updates for the Game Master’s Toolkit iOS app.
- Campaign Mastery’s 1000th post is 25 Campaign Milestones and their impact.
- Frylock’s Geekery on Monstrous PCs in 1st edition AD&D.
- Gnome Stew and J.T. Evans wrote Side Quests that Matter.
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;
- Safe and Sound want to keep your magnetically-based minis safe and do so stylishly. They’re raising money for Magnetic Boxes 2.0.
- Themed STL files for tabletop gamers and painters. Jamie Korte’s runs the Farm of Horrors! – 3D printable miniatures
- C.A. Taylor is funding player and GM options for 5e with unique races, classes and new systems in The Ainorian Compendium.
- Cosmondo has STL files for D&D and other adventures and a clever idea. It’s Wizards & Beasts: Combine and Ride Any Wizard On Each Beast.
- Five Point Games has funded a city setting with The Worst Generation: A Masks: A New Generation Supplement
- Weave the Tale is an actual play podcast that starts with six retired heroes opening a tavern together. The show is Stone Soup for the Adventuring Soul – Season One.
- Turtlebun has funded an RPG worldbuilding game about ill-fated kingdoms and the people who live there with Questlandia RPG – Updated and expanded.
- Weird Works returns to the Kickstarter with their medieval-style competition adventure with the Tournament of Pigs – a 5E / DCC RPG Boxed Set (RELAUNCH).
- Lindorm Dice have more than 1,000 backers for their Sea Shanty Dice Collection.
- Atlas Games have a success on their hands with Planegea: The Prehistoric 5th Edition Campaign Setting.
- Jeff Stevens is funding a book of NPCs in the Potbellied Kobold’s Guide to Villains & Lairs for 5E.
- Dan Cross is writing a versatile and epic game suitable for campaigns and one-shots. It’s the Eldritch RPG 2nd Edition.
- Joel Hines has funded a temple-mine dungeon crawl for the horror sci-fi Mothership RPG. It’s Abilities Considered Unnatural.
- Douglas Sun has a Pathfinder 2e (with some 5e) collection of wilderness scenes. It’s the Book of Hidden Paths: Random Encounters for Pathfinder RPG
- Battleground Games are rasing money for More Modern Day genre mapping content for MapForge software.
- Mason Miniatures has funded a collecction of “dark miniatures” in Abyss Dwellers.
- Realmwarp Media have a low magic, and arcanepunk setting in the middle of the earth called Cities of Myth (5e): Agartha Unchained.
- FASA have smashed targets for Earthdawn 4th Ed: Vasgothia and Champion’s Challenge Vol 2.
- Kobold Press will breach the $100,000 line for the Book of Ebon Tides: 5th Edition enters the Plane of Shadow!
- Luna Publishing has a horror-themed adventure called The Dollmaker | Adventure Module for D&D 5E.
- Diego Pisa Artowks have funded Fillable Item Cards!
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.