It’s Gen Con Online weekend and even as I write this over 5,000 people are watching an actual play of Star Trek Adventures.
It’s a reminder to me, not just how weird 2020 has been, but of how much roleplaying has changed in the last few years.
Not all games and publishers enjoy such a high profile, though. That’s why every month Geek Native runs the RPG Publisher Spotlight where patrons can vote for an indie publisher or creator for the site to promote.
In July, indie publisher Tomas Herbertson is the centre of the spotlight’s attention, and we talk about GMless games and the indie scene.
As you might expect for a Gen Con news roundup; there’s no shortage of new releases and product announcements this week. There’s also good news with Joe Manganiello, Omaze and Dungeons & Dragons raising $608,000 for charity.
And now, on with the RPG news!
RPG news from Geek Native
- Adam Koebel resigns from the Dune: Adventures in the Imperium RPG.
- The Dragon Prince Netflix series is getting its own Cortex powered tabletop RPG.
- The Curse of Strahd is getting a re-release and revamp.
- Is there a HeroQuest vs HeroQuest trademark squabble brewing?
- Paizo begins playtesting new rules for Starfinder.
- Paizo has also announced a project with deluxe bookmakers Beadle & Grimm.
- The 2020 Indie Groundbreaker Awards winners are announced.
- Free League Publishing and partners have announced the Kickstarter date for Twilight: 2000 4th edition.
- UK Games Expo has announced the UKGE Awards shortlist for 2020.
- Kobold Press is giving away digital copies of the 5e adventure Wrath of the Bramble King.
- The entire The Dying Earth RPG series is in The Bundle of Holding.
- And in Humble Bundle, you’ll be able to find Star Trek Adventures RPG.
- Keith Baker releases Exploring Eberron.
- Chaosium Publish Does Love Forgive?
- Arc Dream Publishing releases the Delta Green supplement The Labyrinth.
- Artist Echo Chernik has a Gen Con exclusive with this limited edition Swarm print.
- Geek Native look at a look at another attempt to decouple race and culture in D&D with An Elf and an Orc Had a Little Baby.
RPG news from around the web
- Free League have confirmed that Destroyer of Worlds for the Alien RPG will launch alongside Starter Set on September 8.
- The Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming goes to Black Excellence in Gaming.
- Over at d20 Radio, Egg Embry interviews Jason Holmgren of Sanguine Games about Usagi Yojimbo and Ironclaw.
- Malcolm Sheppard shared some more about what makes Green Ronin’s forthcoming Sword Chronicle RPG different.
- Onyx Path Publishing released Pirates of Pugmire.
- Osprey Publishing put up the second designer blog entry for Those Dark Places RPG.
- Savage Worlds character sheets are now on Roll20.
- R. Talsorian Games has launched The Big GenCon Witcher Sale!.
- Thorsteinn Mar at The Yawning Portal reviewed Vaesen the Nordic horror roleplaying game.
- Joe Manganiello has tweeted that his Omaze and Dungeons & Dragons charity contest Raised $608,000.
- Paizo shared the Starfinder Encounter Escaping Gravity.
- Cubicle 7 published Welcome to the Old World – Warhammer Fantasy Role-play Explained and reveal Death on the Reik Companion art.
- Pinnacle Entertainment Group will release ‘Rifts for Savage Worlds Adventure Boxed Set’ to gaming stores in August.
- Comic Book.com notes Pathfinder 2E Announces Secrets of Magic Rulebook, Will Add Magus and Summoner Classes Next Year.
- Goodman Games have published Original Adventures Reincarnated #4: The Lost City
RPG ideas, tips and discoveries
- J.R. Zambrano of Bell of Lost Souls walks his through the hidden storyline that runs through D&D’s official adventures.
- Sly Flourish put together this helpful 1d100 Forgotten Realm Factions table.
- Rob Bricken of Gizmodo shares Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Azure Bonds.
- J.A. Valeur of Eventyr offers up How To Make Great Encounters.
- Draconick wrote up Top 5 Considerations for a New Campaign.
- Merric mused over Fundamentals of Adventure Design.
- Evil Hat co-founder Rob Donoghue thought about The Cost of Magic.
- Scroll for Initiative shared Creating Awesome Characters.
- Over at Talking10, Neal asked What Are Your Character’s Superstitions?
- Christian Hoffer offers up Dungeons & Dragons: Building Exploration Roles for Your Campaign.
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;
- Arcane Goods has a Kickstarter to make 5E adventuring – Arcana Notebook.
- Ulisses Spiele is on Game On Tabletop with The Dark Eye – Gods of Aventuria.
- Sabrina has a project to make Dragons Breath, scented D&D dice.
- Gunter Schlueter is raising money for The Mandibarchian Student: campus adventures for your RPGs.
- Dane Asmund is funding a 2nd edition of the time travel RPG Zoetrope.
- Laidback Dungeon Master has 6 new one-shot adventures for D&D and OSR games with Gravis Town Blues.
- Warehouse 23 is crowdfunding The Fantasy Trip: Hexagram #5 and Ardonirane.
- Kevin Glusing has made the funding target for the D&D 5e and Pathfinder Lands of Theia.
- Two new races for D&D 5e and Pathfinder from Diego Pisa Artworks with Save Hashtakaar!
- Battlegrounds Games are raising money to add hex crawl styles to MapForge.
- GMD Online is funding CORE RPG: Vehicles & Mounts Guide.
If there’s a source or news you think is worth monitoring, please get in touch or leave a comment below.