Bert Ballast

The Cthulhu Awakens FAQ, Version 0.5

5 years ago Bert Ballast

As we recently announced, we’re making a new standalone AGE System game, Cthulhu Awakens, which will start crowdfunding over at Kickstarter on February 15, 2022. Go here to sign up for alerts. But one of the challenges of the press release format is that we have just a page to present a mixture of high level information, distinctive zingers, and necessary clarifications. That’s why this FAQ exists! A variation of it will probably find a home in the FAQ of the Kickstarter itself, after launch. That’s why this is version 0.5.What Is Cthulhu Awakens About, Anyway?Cthulhu Awakens is about roleplaying in the Weird Century, a span running from the 1920s to the present that features increasing influence from bizarre, terrifying forces. The greatest of these are the Outsiders: Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and other entities who exist within both our own realm and the Unseen Dimensions that make the invisible majority of existence. The ancient Earth was a battleground between competing alien colonists from across time and space, and past participants such as the Yithians and Mi-Go still operate from the shadows—along with secret societies of the dead, sorcerers, and even human operatives from other universes called demimondes. Cthulhu Awakens treats the Mythos as components of a century-spanning setting for open-ended roleplaying.Is It a Supplement or What?Cthulhu Awakens is a standalone original roleplaying game using the Adventure Game Engine, containing the full rules for play. It’ll be a hardcover in the 270-300+ page range.Is It a Licensed Game?Cthulhu Awakens expands upon elements of the Cthulhu Mythos found in the public domain and uses Green Ronin’s own AGE System, so there was no need to license anything.What is the AGE System?Originally designed for the licensed Dragon Age roleplaying game, AGE is short for the Adventure Game Engine. All AGE games use standard six-sided dice (d6s) for everything. One die—called the Stunt Die or Drama Die in various AGE games—is visually distinctive. To do something, roll 3d6 + bonuses to meet or beat a target number. If any of the two dice match, the number on the distinctive die becomes stunt points that can be spent on special effects ranging from a cutting remark to a powerful blow in combat.What AGE Games are Cthulhu Awakens Compatible With?The other AGE games Green Ronin currently have in print are Fantasy AGE, Modern AGE, Blue Rose, as well as the licensed roleplaying games for The Expanse, and Dragon Age. Fantasy AGE and Modern AGE have optional settings, while the others have specific ones. Cthulhu Awakens is at least partly compatible with elements of all these games, particularly Modern AGE, as the game began life as a supplement for that line. Many elements can be introduced with no changes at all. This is why some Modern AGE offerings will be included in the Kickstarter. However, Cthulhu Awakens does do a few things differently, and has a substantial number of original systems—and some of them work well with Modern AGE, too.What Level of Realism or Modern AGE “Mode” Does Cthulhu Awakens Use?Folks who know Modern AGE know the game has three “Modes,” or preset rules options, based on the degree of “realism” groups want to use in their games. Cthulhu Awakens’ pre-set Mode is a combination of Modern AGE’s Gritty and Pulpy, in that your character’s Health doesn’t go up over time, but sometimes, you can grit your teeth and bear getting stabbed—but not shot.Cthulhu Awakens also includes an option for more heroic characters called Fortune that makes protagonists tougher and luckier. Fortune was originally designed for The Expanse RPG but works well for more action-focused Cthulhu Awakens campaigns.How and Why Does Cthulhu Awakens Deal with Lovecraft Being a Racist?H.P. Lovecraft was a white supremacist whose racism was notable even in his time, as attested to by letters from his own friends. Our position is that anything in Mythos sources that reinforce these elements are lies or errors as far as the setting of Cthulhu Awakens is concerned. Standing against that kind of discrimination is morally obligatory, and it leads to more interesting possibilities than treating Lovecraft’s work as “canon.” In general communication we’ve had to emphasize this both because of Lovecraft’s notorious reputation and to ward off various people with terrible opinions, not to congratulate ourselves for not following the example set by a long-dead racist. Cthulhu Awakens isn’t a purist game and was designed from the basic position that as important to the Mythos as he was, it doesn’t belong to him anymore. He’s dead. It belongs to all of us now.Aren’t There Already a Bunch of Mythos Games Out There?There are! And lots of them are fantastic. Some of them emphasize investigation. Others are essentially a tribute to the works of Lovecraft’s circle, the era they take place in, and their approach to the Weird Tale, and many bake a cycle of discovery, horror, and loss into the mechanics, essentially framing the basic story ahead of time. Cthulhu Awakens takes a more open-ended approach; we provide deep support for the Weird Century period, but ultimately encourage you to tell whatever stories you wish. Plus of course, we wanted to express our own fandom and run our own games using the AGE System, which we rather like.Is there “Madness?” “Magic?”No—well, there’s Alienation, and eldritch workings (oh, and separate psychic powers too). They’re not quite the same as what you might expect.Early in design and development we decided that not only was delineating the relationship between the sort of “literary madness” seen in the stories and mental illness not a great idea for Cthulhu Awakens, but that we also wanted to reexamine what it means exactly when exposure to the Mythos alters consciousness. Alienation is about adapting to the alien rules of the Mythos. Since these are incompatible with ordinary human thinking, which takes place in three dimensions plus time and interacts with a fraction of the universe—the reflexive dream of Azathoth, say some—Alienation produces undesirable effects, but it also leads to bursts of inspiration. With Enlightenment comes Terror.Eldritch workings are neither science nor sorcery—and both. Workings can be learned, but they’re not things you just put on a character sheet. Given the right text to work from and the ability to understand it, anyone can cast an eldritch working without using up any spaces for other powers and abilities. These are mighty, reality-twisting procedures that require specific components and methods, but they offer everything from immortality to the ability to create spacecraft—or call beings who should not be called.Why Are You Using Kickstarter?So, with all of the controversy over Kickstarter’s interest in the blockchain, why continue to work with them? The question is a reasonable one, and in ordinary circumstances we’d love to explore other options and find sources for crowdfunding that are more mindful of environmental impact.The past couple of years are not ordinary circumstances. The truth of the matter is we don’t have that kind of luxury right now. Kickstarter’s market share is such that, if we want this game to reach the widest possible audience and do as well as it can, there aren’t any suitable alternatives—at least, not yet—for this particular project. We’re focused on doing the best we can with the tools we have, while we explore all possible options for connecting our community of players with our games. In any event, Cthulhu Awakens will be up for general sale after we conclude the Kickstarter. For starters, you’ll be able to back the campaign as a late pledge on BackerKit. The finished print book will be available from our online store, game stores, and bookstores, and you’ll be able to get the PDF from our online store and DriveThruRPG. You will have options, in other words, if you don’t want to use Kickstarter.How Finished Is It? When’s It Coming Out?As of this time of writing, Cthulhu Awakens’ core book has been through final drafts and two rounds of development, and it is currently going through a final round of development before it enters editing, to better incorporate some internal innovations in the AGE System. The Kickstarter begins on February 15th. The game will be coming out in the fourth Quarter of this year, 2022.After writing and designing games as a freelancer from 2000 on, Malcolm Sheppard is pleased to join Green Ronin as developer at large: the one who works on any number of games, from the Adventure Gaming Engine to Ork! Malcolm’s experience before Green Ronin includes Exalted, Mage: The Ascension, Onyx Path’s Chronicles of Darkness and Scion lines, as well as Shadowrun and Eclipse Phase. Outside game design, Malcolm’s worked in community development and education, and as a professional historical re-enactor, where he gave large metal swords to children. (They were blunt!) Malcolm lives in semi-rural Ontario, Canada.

8 tabletop RPGs to play after finishing The Expanse

5 years ago Bert Ballast

After six years, 62 episodes and two different networks, The Expanse came to a close earlier this month. The television show adapted from the novel series of the same name became a favourite of science fiction fans who extolled its well-realised world, strong character development and bent towards hard – if often speculative – science.

It’s also fairly common knowledge that the two authors behind the pseudonymous James S. A. Corey – Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham – originally planned for their version of a near-future solar system to be the setting of a roleplaying game before it became an award-winning collection of books. Green Ronin brought that dream to fruition when the publisher successfully Kickstarted The Expanse RPG in July 2018, using its Modern AGE system to replicate the danger and down time of life aboard a spaceship.

Those who have watched the crew of the Rocinante, alongside compatriots Drummer, Draper and Avasarala, finish their adventure will probably be left with a lot of emotions and ideas that could be channeled into a tabletop campaign. The official Expanse RPG has been positively reviewed and warmly received by fans, but it’s the obvious answer. In the spirit of broadening horizons, here are eight more tabletop RPGs to scratch that spacefaring itch for those brave enough to travel through the rings.

1. Scum & Villainy
Become the wretched hive.

The beating heart of The Expanse is the small but tightly-knitted crew of the Rocinante, striving to do some good in a system that too often sees them as a political and military tool. They have been called mercenaries, pirates and – sometimes – heroes, something the group playing Scum & Villainy will share in common. Published by Evil Hat and designed by Stras Acimovic and John LeBoeuf-Little, this Forged in the Dark game is all about pulling down hard jobs in the name of survival.

Scum & Villainy takes advantage of Blades in the Dark’s action focus while also giving players a shared ship to create, live in and expand as they progress through a story set on the edges of society. The book contains plenty of pre-defined factions but can easily be scaled down to a single solar system and filled with OPA, Martian and Earther groups pulling on the tangled web of interplanetary connections.

Buy Scum & Villainy on Evil Hat’s webstore.

Stars Without Number

Big Empty; tiny details.

Those tables that enjoy the level of detail The Expanse gives its planets but want to break free from the known climates of the Sol System should give Kevin Crawford’s Stars Without Number a spin. The OSR-inspired rulebook contains everything a prospective crew needs to pilot a ship into dense combat, discover alien flora and fauna on new planets or wrestle with factions in high-stakes politics.

The free version will provide plenty to chew on, while purchasing the full RPG details mechs, transhumanism and space magic – well beyond the source material’s remit, but perhaps you want to see Amos develop some psionic abilities in the back half of his life. Just how much is possible to detail can make Stars Without Numbers a daunting task to begin, but the possibility space is about as vast as the big empty for those brave enough to seek it out.

Buy Stars Without Number on DriveThruRPG.

Coriolis

Fun in the sun’s orbit.

Free League has a couple of series focused in space at this point, and while the Alien RPG leans a bit too haunted-house horror for this list, Coriolis is a much better fit. The core setting focuses on a cluster of star systems and the conflict broiling between two dominant factions. The traditional colonists of the First Come movement and the imperialist Zenithians cleave just close enough to the fraught cold war between Earth and Mars in The Expanse to deliver some tasty narrative parallels.

Like other Free League games, Coriolis uses the in-house Year Zero engine, which supports skill-based challenges and fiction forward decision making where players only need to roll a collection of six-sided dice. If watching the Rocinante adeptly walk the tense tightrope between factions excited you, the world of Coriolis might be worth checking out.

Buy Coriolis on Free League’s website.

Traveller 2nd Edition (Mongoose)

Old-school orbiting.

Traveller is an old name in the tabletop RPG space, having existed in some form since Game Designers’ Workshop published what’s now referred to as Traveller Classic in 1977. The collection of little black books has found a new audience in recent years who are all too pleased with the granularity of detail and breadth of play options. Though I haven’t had the chance to experience it on the table, the communities on Reddit and Discord have collected plenty of resources to ease the burden of jumping in.

Accounts describe a band of scoundrels smuggling drugs to galactic nobles, a hardscrabble team of xenobiologists attempting to protect the first signs of alien life in the sector and everything in between. The framing might be vague, but that’s a powerful tool for the imaginative table.

Buy Traveller 2nd Edition on Mongoose’s website.

Mothership

Spooks in space.

The showrunners of The Expanse established early on their ability to translate the physical limitations of space as a source of tension and drama. The show’s most nail-biting scenes often hinge on a busted CO2 filter or the fact that wounds don’t heal well in zero-gravity. And while The Expanse uses horror as one of many storytelling tools, Tuesday Knight Games’ Mothership leans in all the way, to satisfying effect.

Players suit up as the crew of a ship handling the dirtiest gruntwork on the rough edges of known space, which just so happens to host any number of nameless horrors. Overcoming the obstacles Mothership throws out might sound easy, except for the mounting Panic and Stress always threatening to overwhelm player characters. If you wished the protomolecule hulks did more stalking and murdering, this game will deliver in spades.

Buy Mothership on Tuesday Knight Game’s website.

Ironsworn: Starforged

A tribe of one.

Shawn Tomkin’s followup to perhaps the most popular solo RPG system, Ironsworn, throws its setting far into the future and lightyears away from the Sol system. Starforged is deliberately designed to support one or two players without a facilitator so that adventuring doesn’t have to wait for several schedules to perfectly align. Using a sophisticated system of oracles – tables for randomly deciding events, features, details and more, a single pilot can burn hard into the dark and discover plenty of other worlds.

The Expanse certainly dissuades being on one’s own, but Starforged takes place in a system where humanity’s forebears have spread out and factionalised a new home. There will always be an asteroid-bound station or terrestrial port to rest one’s boots, but the welcoming committee can’t be guaranteed as friendly.

Pre-order Ironsworn: Starforged on the game’s website.

The Wretched

Embrace oblivion.

Speaking of being alone, solo journaling RPG The Wretched revels in the experience and centers itself on the individual will to survive. Think of Naomi Nagata’s desperate bargain in season five or the ill-fated flight of Epstein’s modified drive. Living in space means accepting the possibility of dying absolutely alone, and The Wretched is one of the best playable constructions of that scenario.

Designed by Loot the Room’s Chris Bissette, the game uses a Jenga tower to represent the cascading failure of spaceship systems and a deck of cards to prompt a narrative of confronting disaster, understanding its cause and then struggling to survive the aftermath. Something haunts the edges of the player character’s wrecked ship, and they must triage their doomed vessel until rescue arrives.

Buy The Wretched on Itch.io.

Space Between Stars

Family is what you make of it.

Much like The Expanse, I want to end this list on a hopeful note. The show is constantly centered on themes of family and how it affects its members – the Rocinante is the clearest example, but we also see Drummer’s crew of polycule pirates endure cruel hardships as war engulfs them. Collaborative RPG Space Between Stars ruminates on these bonds, putting players into the pressurised suits of one vessel’s crew whose connections transcend mere coworkers.

Throughout sessions structured to feel like episodic television, players will deepen their understanding of characters through interactions with shipmates. Job titles are a fine start, but what does it mean to be the James Holden for someone else’s Amos Burton? Captain, friend, ex-lover, moral keystone and more complicate a journey through fantastical star systems but cleaves so close to the emotional foundation that will keep The Expanse enduring well past its finale.

Buy Space Between Stars on Itch.io.

D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set Releases Today

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Dungeons & Dragons fans can now level up their libraries with the D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set – available everywhere starting today!The Rules Expansion Gift Set provides fans and those that love them one convenient purchase that will give players and DMs everything they need beyond the core rulebooks to explore a multiverse of options in the world’s greatest roleplaying game. The Gift Set contains new and revised printings of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything as well as a new volume – Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Those three books plus a Dungeon Master’s Screen are all contained in a beautiful slipcase.Monsters of the Multiverse is a comprehensive resource for players and Dungeon Masters alike, containing more than 30 updated player character races and a massive bestiary with more than 250 redesigned monsters and stat blocks, all for use in any D&D world. Monsters of the Multiverse will first debut in the D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set and will be available everywhere, including via digital partners, as a standalone on May 17, 2022. MotM is available for pre-order now!An alternate cover version of the Rules Expansion Gift Set with a distinctive design and soft-touch treatment is available exclusively through game stores.

D&D: Make Your Own Monsters With ‘Tome Of Beasts 3’ Kickstarter

5 years ago Bert Ballast

The Tome of Beasts 3 Kickstarter is live! More than 400 monsters lurk in Kobold Press’ final Tome of Beasts.

The Tome of Beasts is one of the best series of manuals full of monsters for 5th Edition. Kobold Press routinely knocks it out of the park with their 5E books. And the Tome of Beasts are home to some legendary monsters. If you want more powerful threats or unique monsters that will give your party pause, they’re all worth checking out.
Especially the final volume in the series, Tome of Beasts 3, Kickstarting now. That’s right, the Tome of Beasts 3 Kickstarter is live. And with it, you have the chance to snag a copy of the book– and even design your own monster.

The Tome of Beasts 3 will bring more than 400 new monsters to 5th Edition D&D. As it’s already more than 400% funded on Kickstarter, it’s merely a question of how many stretch goals can backers unlock? There’s a month left in the Tome of Beasts 3 Kickstarter, but here’s what we know so far:
Tome of Beasts 3 – Kickstarter

The Tome of Beasts III will bring 400 new monsters to 5th edition, from ghost knight templars to riptide drakes as well as foul new fiends, challenging aberrations, and so much more. Not to mention: all Tome of Beasts III  Kickstarter backers at the $29 level and up can submit an original monster design for possible publication.
In addition to the Tome of Beasts III hardcover and PDFs, this Kickstarter will fund the creation of 16 or more beautiful monster minis, four VTT editions for digital play, an exclusive engraved 7-dice set, and a ready-to-play Tome of Beasts III Lairs hardcover of fast, furious encounters and short adventures–so you can get these beasts on the table to play, fast!

Tome of Beasts 3 has a broad range of monsters. You’ll find cannon fodder, minibosses, and major villains littering the book. The Ghost Knight Templar, for instance, is a pretty harrowing threat. But you’ll find even more in the monster preview.
Tome of Beasts Kickstarter Stretch Goals

Of course, the real gold here are the stretch goals. In addition to the Tome itself, you can get your hands on miniatures for many of the monsters in the book. Here’s just a sampling.
And on top of that, the first several stretch goals have been unlocked, meaning there will be even more monsters even more minis, and monster lairs added to the book.
At press time the Tome of Beasts 3 Kickstarter had raised a quarter of a million, so those remaining stretch goals aren’t long for this world. Also, every backer who backs at the $29 level or higher has a chance to submit their own monster design to be published in the book. Want to know more?
Back the Tome of Beasts 3 on Kickstarter
Happy Adventuring!

'D&D' Fan-Favorites Minsc & Boo Return to 'Baldur's Gate'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

IDW Publishing previewed Dungeons & Dragons: Best of Minsc & Boo, a new comic book, for release in April 13, 2022.  
Minsc the ranger and his space hamster companion Boo are back at it again in another Jim Zub-written comic prelude to the Baldur’s Gate III video game(see “‘Baldur’s Gate III’ Prequel Comics”). In this story, the duo have been in stasis for a number of decades to awaken in a new and different Baldur’s Gate world. There, they go off on an adventure to smite evil and for Boo to attack as many enemy eyeballs as he can!This 100-page book showcases art by Max Dunbar, Nelson Daniel, Dean Kotz, and Francesco Mortarino with a cover by Jamie Biggie. It will retail for $5.99 upon release.
Click on Gallery below for full-size images!

'ALIEN RPG' Delves Into a 'Heart of Darkness'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Free League Publishing announced ALIEN RPG: Heart of Darkness, a new standalone RPG adventure, for release into retail in summer 2022.
This standalone adventure is a conclusion to the Draconis Strain Saga that started in Chariot of the Gods (see “‘ALIEN Roleplaying Game’ Supplemental Products”). The new adventure comes as a boxed set that supports three to five players and their Game Mother. It includes maps, cards, handouts, and pre-generated characters, but the ALIEN RPG Core Rulebook or ALIEN Starter Set is required to use this adventure.ALIEN RPG: Heart of Darkness will retail for $29.99.

11 January–24 January 2022: Vox Machina Incoming

5 years ago Bert Ballast

This week: Critical Role’s The Legend of Vox Machina reveals its all-star cast; D&D teases coming changes in Monsters of the Multiverse; and an RPG about a pivotal moment in queer history.

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Industry

EN World makes its predictions for 2022 trends.

WIRED looks at accessibility concerns in the design of RPG books.

TOR remembers the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon.

New & Upcoming

Critical Role drops a trailer and reveals its cast in advance of the premiere of The Legend of Vox Machina this Friday.

The cast video got me very hyped for the show, but I was also weirdly inspired by Stephanie Beatriz on playing Kima: “Playing a badass is an internal thing. It is about the space that you’ve decided that you take up.” Words to take into the week. — Amy

Forbes looks at D&D’s upcoming Monsters of the Multiverse (arriving in the Rules Expansion Gift Set this week, and as a standalone book in May). The book promises to update a lot of the game’s rules, paving the way towards D&D’s next… do we call it an edition? Gizmodo talks with Jeremy Crawford about the way that player races are evolving.

20-year old MMORPG, RuneScape, is getting a tabletop RPG adaptation.

A board game adaptation of alt-80s RPG, Tales from the Loop, will launch next month.

Bundles & Deals

Bundle of Holding is offering a bundle of Mörk Borg-compatible books, two bundles of Palladium books, and a bundle of One-Roll Engine books.

A bundle of solo games on Itch.io is raising funds for suicide prevention charity, Jasper’s Game Day.

Humbe Bundle is offering three different bundles of 3D-printable miniatures and terrain.

Crowdfunding

ZineQuest Postponed to August

Kickstarter has postponed its annual ZineQuest promotion of zine-sized RPGs until August. The news comes soon after (and we don’t doubt, because of) recent controversy surrounding the platform’s promises to move to the blockchain. A new independent promotion, ZineMonth, promises to promote zines released or funding in February.

Noteworthy New Products

Tome of Beasts 3: The third volume in a series of monsters for 5e, by Kobold Press. So far this project has raised $250,000 from 3,000 backers. Ends February 24th

I think the most fantastical thing I can find about this project is the implication that this is the “final” monster manual that Kobold Press will be publishing for 5e. — James

Ah, but the next one will be for 5.5! — Amy

Mimics, An Unnecessary Work: A book of ideas for mimics in D&D and similar games, by Philip Reed (Strange Citizens of the City, a Third-Party Mörk Borg Book, The Book of Collected Rumors, for use with Fantasy RPGs). So far this project has raised $26,000 from 1,400 backers. Ends January 27th

Across a Thousand Dead Worlds: A horror space exploration game, by Alex T. So far this project has raised €55,000 ($63,000) from 1,200 backers. Ends January 31st

Sci-Fi horror has definitely been seeing a boost recently, sparked by the success of Mothership. This project is certainly ambitious, purporting to support all game styles, from solitaire play to more traditional group role-play. Time will tell how successful it will be in doing so. — James

Lore of the Traditions: An expansion for Tradition Mages in Mage 20th Anniversary Edition, by Onyx Path. So far this project has raised $93,000) from 1,00 backers. Ends February 17th

Adorabilis: A pocket-sized storytelling game about goblins, by Tim Devine. So far this project has raised $25,000 from 1,000 backers. Ends February 4th

An interesting attempt to produce a family-friendly story game that blurs the lines between card-game and RPG. Seems like a pretty focused project, and cute. — James

5e

Ida’s Guide to Worlds Beyond our Own: Drakul’s Game!: An occult-themed campaign and a set of player options, by Balatro — January 27th

Orrinyath’s Guide to Dragons: A zine-sized guide to fighting against and playing as dragons, by Chamomile Has A Project (Harlequin’s Guide to Cities and Poison, Kessler’s Guide to Dungeons, Cora’s Guide to Dinosaurs) — February 1st

Apocalypse in a Box: Undead Unicorn Invasion: A zine supplement about a zombie unicorn apocalypse, by Evil Pigeon Games (The Night Market, The Flotsam Fair, The City Attractions Package) — February 5th

Cheap Thrills: A set of 5 Penny Dreadful-ish mini-adventures, by Luna Publishing (Memento Mori: D&D 5E Victorian Gothic Campaign Setting, The Dollmaker | Adventure Module for D&D 5E) — February 8th

Soulmist: A dark fantasy setting for 5e, by Black Lantern Productions — February 9th

OSR & Retro

Using Dead Things — Birthing Living Things: Crafting and animal husbandry rules for Mörk Borg, by Tyler Lindsey — January 28th

Forbidden Psalm — Regicide: A third-party campaign for the Forbidden Psalm wargame, inspired by Mörk Borg, by Rinaldo Agostini (Grave Matters, a new skeletal expansion for Mörk Borg) — February 5th

Pamphlet Islands: A collection of hex-crawl islands for OSR games, available in English and Italian, by Danilo Moretti — February 6th

The Folio: Retro Classics, Ice on the Water Trilogy: A retro adventure for AD&D and 5e, by Scott Taylor (The Complete Folio Black Label, The Complete Curse of Roslof Keep Campaign, Folio #28 The Howling Dungeon Gaming Adventure!) — February 9th

Apocrypha, A collection of new rules for Mörk Borg, by Christian Eichhorn (The Temple of the Kraken God | A Mörk Borg Adventure, Purgatory | A Mörk Borg Supplement, Bone Heart Crusaders) — February 12th

Given that they’re using the head of a pig in the marketing of this project, it is unforgivable to me that they didn’t call it Aporkrypha. — James

Mörk Borg Compatible Core Reference Cards: A collection of item reference cards for Mörk Borg, by newyear Studios (The Box of Shadows: A Mörk Borg scenario set in Grift) — February 14th

Nativity in Black: A black-metal anti-nativity story for Mörk Borg, by Josh Dunham — February 17th

Other & Generic Fantasy

Vulcania — Beyond the Storm TTRPG: A supplement and setting for the Vulcania steampunk RPG, by GearGames (Vulcania — a Steampunk Role-playing Game) — February 3rd

Storygames & Experimental

Stonewall 1969 — A war story RPG: A single-session RPG about the Stonewall Riot, by Asterisco Edizioni — February 17th

In a week absolutely dominated by D&D and OSR, this project stands out quite prominently. I’ve heard from friends who have been involved in playtesting, that this game has been in development for years, and there seems to be genuine excitement about it finally getting a crowdfunding project. It also seems like a genuinely novel approach to exploring a difficult subject. Unquestionably the project of the week for me. — James

This update was made possible by Keenan Collett, Robert Carnel, and the rest of our Patreon supporters.

D&D: ‘Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters Of The Multiverse’– First Impressions

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Check out the future of D&D in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, here are our first impressions of the brand new book.

The Rules Expansion Gift Set has a lot to offer, but Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse is the standout new star. The newest book is full of updated player races and monsters. Here are our first impressions of Monsters of the Multiverse.

Right out of the gate, I want to highlight that we got our hands on the deluxe edition of the set and it’s absolutely worth it. These are some of the prettiest D&D books you’ll ever have in your collection. Photographs don’t really do them justice.
The pages and covers have such a wonderful texture to them. My partner, who has played one session of D&D in her life, took one look at the book and immediately had to flip through it looking at the art.
She didn’t put it down until she had gotten to the Y’s. I imagine the experience will be the same for a lot of you out there. These books are gorgeous.
But I’ve been ruined by years of playing D&D. It does things to a person. So instead of appreciating how beautiful the book was or looking at the monster, I immediately started going through the rules to see what was different.
And lemme tell you, a lot has changed. In Monsters of the Multiverse you get a sense of the future of D&D, and it looks pretty good.
Monsters of the Multiverse– First Impressions

Let’s start with the basics. This book contains 33 player races and 252 monsters all gathered in one place. Most of them have updated rules and stat blocks. Some, like the more recent Fairy and Harengon, are reprints, but they’re all gathered up in one easy book.
But the ones that are different are, by and large, better. Think of it as updated rules for your favorite monsters (outside of the Monster Manual) and you’ve got the right idea.
And overall, the new changes are great. You might have read about how D&D is changing the way they’re handling spellcasting monsters. In Monsters of the Multiverse, that change is on full display.

Spellcasting monsters have the Spellcasting action that they use to cast spells just like a regular spellcaster. But many of them also have spell attacks. In some cases, this replaces an attack/combat spell. Blue Abishai, for instance, lose the ability to cast Chain Lightning, but instead gain an action called Lightning Strike.
Lightning Strike is a ranged spell attack that deals 8d8 lightning damage to one target. And as a multiattack, they can make up to three of those per turn. That’s in addition to their suite of spells. So there’s a bit of a tradeoff.
But a Blue Abishai can, if it hits all three times, deal 24d8 to a single target. That’s pretty spicy. Add in something like its Greater Invisbility and you’ve got the potential for crits thanks to an omnipresent advantage from being invisible.
You have to know that, though. Which is one of the stumbling blocks of the book. The designers wanted to have a better path for monsters to make sure they’re living up to their CR. And by and large they succeed.
But if you don’t know what every part of a monster can do, it’s harder to spot synergies. There’s no suggested tactics. But that’s a small quibble. And again these are only our first impressions of Monsters of the Multiverse.
Okay, Okay– But What About The Races?

But if you’re reading this, the most interesting thing is probably the changes to player races. When the book was first announced and some of the changes leaked– there was a hue and cry about the changes to lore.
It’s true, some of the features like Cunning Artisan have been removed (rip Lizardfolk turning dragon bones into axes). But by and large, the way these new races play feels like how they should have been.
Genasi, in particular, are standout stars. They were always just kind of bleh before. But in Monsters of the Multiverse they get a distinct identity. Genasi delve more into the idea that they’re elemental humanoids.
Air Genasi move faster and can cast levitate and feather fall. Earth Genasi can cast Blade Ward. But better, they can cast it as a Bonus Action up to their proficiency bonus times per day, so you actually might use it. They feel distinct is what I’m saying.

So too do most of the new races. Even Goblins, who have been changed to be Fey, fit. I thought it might be weird to think of goblins as fey creatures. But they talk about how Goblins were once servant of the Queen of Air and Darkness, and it makes sense. But even then, they’re still servants of Maglubiyet, who conquered their gods and enlisted them as soldiers.
The lore as you know it is still there. And this book isn’t full of stuff– but I don’t know that it’s meant to be. It’s a very workhorse tome. It’s got 252 monster statblocks to cram in alongside 33 races.
Even so, there’s still snippets of lore, but it feels like this is meant to help give you a start. It’s almost like having the 4E Tools version of the monsters, if that makes sense.
But reading through all of this, you get a sense of what the future holds for D&D.
Glimpsing the Future in Monsters of the Multiverse

And the future looks a little more distinct. Monsters feel like they play by their own rules a little more. I think that D&D benefits from that. One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly through the books is that monsters feel a little swingier.
Multiattacks overall seem to be better. And, to my delight, spellcasting monsters frequently get spellcasting folded into a multiattack. A Drow Shadowblade, for instance, can cast Darkness as well as make three attacks with its Shadow Blade (swapping out one for a hand crossbow atatck).
A Hydroloth can replace one of its two attacks with a use of spellcasting.
Monsters with spells feel like they’ll be easier to run, too. They get spell attacks that can’t be countered outright. Which is great. The way you’re meant to use the spell attacks is pretty intuitive as well. It feels like the “next evolution” of D&D is going to be pretty easy to slide right into.
It’s feeling more like 5.5 than 6th Edition. But who can say, really.
Final Thoughts
So based on our Monsters of the Multiverse first impressions, is the book worth picking up? Here’s where it gets tricky. I think it’s absolutely worth having and will be an incredible addition to any gamer’s arsenal. I think it’ll feel so much easier to play with this stuff.
But I don’t know that it’s worth dropping $170 if you already own a copy of Xanathar’s Guide and Tasha’s Cauldron. If you don’t what are you doing, get this gift set. They’re absolutely all worth it.
Otherwise, if you want to wait, May 17th isn’t that far away. I definitely recommend adding this to your D&D collection though. It feels like a necessary and welcome upgrade.
Happy Adventuring!

The Workshop – Sentinels of the Multiverse Definitive Edition Initial Review

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Author’s Note: Sorry in advance mobile users. This is going to be an image heavy post. Further apologies for any quality issues from my phone’s camera. 
Today was a good day – after several days of playing cat and mouse with the FedEx delivery driver, I got my Kickstarter copy of the Sentinels of the Multiverse Definitive Edition from Greater Than Games. When I first saw this Kickstarter I was a little bit hesitant – after all, I had put a lot of money into the original game, buying all of the major expansions and most of the individual mini-expansions as well (most of them twice over after I lost access to the originals), and now they wanted me to buy another version of the game? But, the longer I thought about it and read the reasons behind the changes and saw some of what they were bringing to the table, the more I thought “you’ll kick yourself if you don’t get into this at the ground level.” And after getting my copy and tearing into it this evening, I’m really glad I did.

When they say “Definitive Edition” what they mean is they are taking the lessons they have learned since first releasing the game over 10 years ago and using them to create the best version of the game they could, the version they wanted to release from the beginning. Streamlined and expanded rules, clearer and cleaner text, and consistent art throughout their releases is their stated goal going forward and at least from this release, they’ve delivered. The new core box set includes twelve heroes including members of The Freedom Five (and Unity) as well as the six members of the Prime Wardens plus a variant “first appearance” card for each of them, six villains (but keep reading for more on that), and six environment decks. One of the biggest things I noticed immediately was a complete overhaul of the complexity and difficulty numbers for both heroes and villains. Whereas hero decks were rated between a 1 and 3 in terms of complexity and villain decks from a 1 to 4 in terms of difficulty, both of them are now rated on a scale of 1 to 10, allowing for more granularity between decks, especially as more sets get released in the future. Nearly every complexity is represented in this release on the heroes side, from Ra’s complexity 1 deck to the Argent Adept’s complexity of 10. Furthermore, the environment decks are now rated in terms of their overall level of “peril” helping players further refine the overall difficulty and challenge of their individual play experience.
Cards that have effects that take place or trigger during certain parts of a turn are now better called out on the individual cards. A number of new keywords and rule terms have been added into the cards such as the ability to “bury” a card at the bottom of a deck or “salvage” an item from a discard pile. Furthermore, certain key terms within decks have been completely erased from the game – for example, no longer does Tachyon have to worry about counting “burst” cards in her trash pile. I’ve only had a chance to play with a few of the decks so far, but I’m really excited to dig into the rest of them and see what makes them tick, and maybe even break them down here over the coming months. Below are several side-by-side shots of some cards from The Wraith and Legacy’s deck as they appear in the Definitive Edition versus the original releases so you can see the changes in art and even some of the rules changes.

The cards themselves are nice and solid cardstock and the art direction is absolutely fantastic. They’ve really dialed in on the “silver age style” that the game draws so much of its inspiration from and the new cards have been a joy to look at. Furthermore, the new card dividers have a very nice decklist on the back as well as a quick reference to their complexity or difficulty. And no longer do we have multiple villain cards – instead everything is displayed on a 5 1/8 x 3 1/2 inch card that contains all the setup and rules for running that villain. Likewise, the heroes now boast slightly oversized 4 7/8 x 2 3/4 inch cards  to help set them apart from the rest of the deck. And finally, the environment cards are printed in landscape instead of portrait to help differentiate them at a glance. Again, you can see the differences in both the hero cards and villain cards between the definitive edition and the original release.

They’ve even added something of a “campaign mode” to the base game through “events” and “critical events” which are major events and story arcs that come from the pages of the comic universe that Greater Than Games has created over the last decade. By defeating these villains with new challenges and twists involved. Successfully completing the event allows the heroes to add it to their “collection,” giving them powerful abilities that they can use in future events. More challenging events will allow the heroes to bring more of their collection to the game to assist them. And “critical events” are even more difficult scenarios to really challenge veteran players. The game includes 6 events and 6 critical events, each of them using one of the included villain decks. And while each of these events suggests certain heroes and environments be present in the game, they can be taken on by any group of heroes in any environment. I’m excited to see where they continue to take and evolve this idea in future releases.

At the end of the day, the game plays exactly as you remember, just maybe a bit more smoothly with these new and clarified rules. This is a great evolution for those who are familiar with the previous release. But more importantly, this is a perfect jumping on point for people brand new to the game. They’ve already teased their next release, likely titled Rook City Renegades likely coming to Kickstarter later this year featuring the silhouettes of Setback and Expatriette. (And the purple spray paint that marks the title makes me think we might see another fan favorite, even though he’s not based in Rook City – fingers crossed.)
If you’re interested in picking up this game as soon as possible (and I hope you are), you should still be preorder it from the Kickstarter page.
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Ben EricksonContributing Writer for d20 Radio

Dungeons & Dragons meets Rugrats in tabletop RPG Babies and Broadswords

5 years ago Bert Ballast

A new RPG is offering a different perspective on D&D-style fantasy by putting players in the nappies of adventuring babies.

Babies and Broadswords is billed by lead creator Jason Cassidy as the halfway point between Dungeons & Dragons and babies’-eye cartoon Rugrats, with players swapping wizards and warriors for six adorable classes including Barbabyians, Warwocks, Sneaky Pants, Thortherers and Punchy Kickers. Quirks introduce character traits such as temper tantrums or a fondness for literally throwing their toys out of the pram.

The RPG swaps D&D’s classic 20-sided die for a d6, with just three key stats to track: adventurousness, cuteness and precociousness. Characters’ unique abilities – granted by their class – perks and stuff found on their travels can help boost dice rolls, adding bonuses to overcome whatever challenges are in their way. If they fail, the young adventurers suffer nothing more serious than ouchies, grumps and tummy aches, eventually being forced to take a time out if they need a rest.

Players will explore Lady Chastity’s Home for Unwanted Children and Other Errors in Judgement, an orphanage that’s home to nurses and janitors, as well as more fantastical beings such as ghosts and monsters. A bestiary included in the core rulebook features more than 20 creatures and NPCs designed for kid-friendly encounters.

Replacing the dungeon master is Babies and Broadswords’ sitter, who handles what the game charmingly calls the “Big Kid Rules” and runs each session. Two premade campaign modules are included in the book. Gameplay is designed to be rules-light and suitable for players not that much older than the characters, focusing more on narrative than complexity.

Babies and Broadswords is the debut release from publisher Even Footing Games, which released a digital version of the book earlier this month on DriveThruRPG.

Fall Guys Monopoly board features an actual obstacle course

5 years ago Bert Ballast

A new edition of Monopoly based on the popular video game Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout has been released.
Featuring imagery from the multiplayer video game about navigating obstacle courses, Monopoly: Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout Edition sees two to four players attempting to earn as much currency as possible. Whilst the original version of the family board game has players gathering money, Fall Guys Monopoly challenges players to collect as much of the video game’s purple kudos currency as possible, whether by charging rent or by getting lucky with the game’s various board events.
Players will need to make their way around the board in order to purchase properties, or rounds, all while attempting to avoid landing on any spaces owned by their opponents. Alongside the potential rent traps, players will also want to dodge the various obstacles that will appear across the board whenever a player activates them. At the start of every player’s turn they roll the knockout die, with the result determining what random event will happen. Random events in Fall Guys Monopoly can be things like collecting more kudos, moving other players and activating certain obstacles.
We’ve teamed up with @Hasbro to bring you FALL GUYS MONOPOLYwith REAL OBSTACLESthat you can LITERALLY USEyou can ACTUALLY YEET other playerslink (US available now, rest of the world soon™️ : https://t.co/01s7CzMRb7 pic.twitter.com/gVziFzhETN— Fall Guys (Not Santa) 👑 (@FallGuysGame) January 24, 2022
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Obstacles in the video game board game include the likes of the beloved Big Yeetus – an enormous hammer that knocks player pieces over – the moving wall and see-saw style obstacles that can launch player’s pieces across the board. Making it past Go will grant players a coveted crown, with each one collected granting the player 10,000 kudo points at the end of the game. Whichever player has the most kudos points is named the winner.
Monopoly: Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout Edition is set to be released by Hasbro, a board game publishing giant – which owns several tabletop gaming studios including Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast – that is responsible for releasing various editions of Monopoly, as well as other classic games like Cluedo/Clue and Yahtzee.

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout is a video game that has players competing against each other in a series of online rounds, whose goals can vary from navigating a simple obstacle course to working with a team of other players to collect the most eggs. At the end of each round, whichever players did not fulfill the requirements in time are knocked out of the game, with all successful players continuing until the final round where only one player can win. Mediatonic is the developer behind Fall Guys, with Epic Games – the studio behind Fortnite – being the game’s publisher.
Monopoly: Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout Edition is available now for a retail release price of $27 (£23).

Add Dimension to Your Encounters!

5 years ago Bert Ballast

There’s just something about an epic horde of enemies on the table that brings the sense of danger to the scene. For over a decade, Paizo has partnered with the hobby leader WizKids/NECA in bringing characters and foes to life in three dimensions. With iconic sets of heroes and villains, the Builder Set series of Goblins and Undead, and sets tied to key Adventure Paths and regions of Golarion, the Pathfinder Battles line of prepainted collectible miniatures are a fast way for Game Masters to being the world to life on the tabletop.

Paizo maintains a stock of available sets in their booster format, each containing a randomized selection of figures tied to a theme or adventure. GMs and players alike can also subscribe to highly anticipated upcoming sets such as The Mwangi Expanse, with its premium figures: the inquisitive yet enigmatic Adult Cloud Dragon; Dimari-Diji, the Final Tree of the Elder World who remembers the fall of the Starstone; and the dread river predator and devourer of heroes, the Mamlambo.

For those times that you need the perfect figure to challenge your party in your own homebrew adventure, we also offer an extensive selection of single miniatures. Whether you’re looking for Knights of Lastwall soldiers to round out that epic defense, hordes of goblins or kobolds to harass your players, or the perfect animal companion or form for your druid’s wild shape, you’ll find the best selection here.

Whether you’re looking to expand your already-legendary selection of figures for the next epic encounter or looking to start a collection of figures to supplement your play, The Golem’s Got It!

Steamforged Announces 'Runescape' for Tabletop

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Based on the MMORPG by Jagex Ltd. Steamforged announced that they have inked a deal with Jagex Ltd. to bring Runescape to the tabletop as a board game and a TTRPG.
Runescape is one of the longest running MMORPGs. It was released in January of 2001 by Jagex, and was recognized at one point by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest and most-updated free MMORPG. The two Steamforged games will be based on the Runescape and Old School Runescape worlds, and make their debut in 2022. The board game will be offered up via a Kickstarter campaign, but the TTRPG will head straight into retail stores.
The board game will take one to five players through a quest-based campaign revolving around the lore of Gielinor. Players will get to build their own characters, upgrade equipment, and explore Gielinor. The TTRPG will come as a hardcover rulebook that contains all the rules needed to run game sessions and campaigns. This core book will also be compatible with 5E.
Steamforged Games also recently unleashed Skullbreaker Champion Expansion, for Godtear miniatures game (see “the Dragon Slayer”).

D&D Monster Spotlight: Githyanki

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Today we visit everyone’s favorite astral carpetbaggers, traders, and doodle dandies…the Yankees of Gith. Oops, wait– the D&D Githyanki.

That’s right friends. This time we’re boarding an astral barge and setting out into the great silvery void between planes as we go in search of the only beings who routinely wield swords so sharp they can cut your soul from your body without going through all that fleshy business in between and the originators of one of the iconic multiclass types of all times. This week we put the Githyanki in the spotlight.

Here is a Githyanki making friends with a Mind Flayer.
Who are the Githyanki?
Githyanki are a race of astral raiders. Imbued with psionic power, and carrying their famed silver-swords, the Githyanki have worked their way into D&D legend. They predate the game itself–first appearing in a 1977 novel by George R. R. Martin before he became known for writing that world-famous series we’ve all silently agreed to never speak of again.

I mean to be fair, it is a pretty cool concept…
They originally appeared as a long-dead race in his novel The Dying Light, where they are a nearly-extinct race, only mentioned in passing. But a young Charles Stross (who also created the Slaad) takes the name and runs with it, publishing them in White Dwarf #12, where they were subsequently collected into the Fiend Folio.

Into…onto…same difference.
And what’s not to love about the Githyanki? They’re a race of “evil humanoids” who were conquered by the Illithid milennia ago. In secret, they built up their strength under the guidance of their supreme leader, Gith. They throw off the Mind Flayers’ yoke, but it is a bloody, violent rebellion that earns them a reputation for being powerful psionicists and and deadly fighters. After all, they’re the ones who defeated the mind flayers.
They then escape to the astral plane, where they set up shop in great astral fortresses. From there, they launch raids against their former oppressors as well as humans. And they worship an incredibly powerful Lich Queen (rumored to be 24th level). They have most of their hallmarks in this edition including the famed silver swords, which have a 20% chance to kill a target if used astrally. More impactful though, is the breakdown of how Githyanki are encountered–a great number of them are fighter/magic users called ‘gish.’ So iconic was this combo that multiclass fighter/wizards (or really any kind of spellcaster who also fights in melee) are called gish builds today.
First Edition

As you can see, they’re pretty tough. Most would be fighters or magic users of some kind, with a smaller number advancing as gish or taking on some other specialization. That’s one of the neat things about the Githyanki–they come with so much detail. Charles Stross knows who they are–and as a result, their character is so clear. The design of the monster comes with built-in narrative mechanics that make it easy to know where they fit in the game, and how you could use them in your own campaign.

Second Edition

Second Edition D&D Githyanki get some of that sweet ’90s comic art. This one in particular is a Psylocke fan. But aside from the art “upgrade” the Githyanki aren’t too different from their earlier counterparts. At least until Planescape…

That setting did so much for D&D–and the Githyanki are no different. Through Planescape we get a much better idea of who the Githyanki are, and what their goals are. And not just combat ones either, they detail the life of “farmer” Githyanki and talk about the craft of Githyanki artisans. They were given a more restrained look, truly reflecting their nature as astral sailors and raiders.

Third Edition
Ah, 3rd edition. The reason that most Githyanki are still influential on the game today. Not because they were wildly different in 3rd edition- the Githyanki began ahead of the curve with the amount of detail. But because the gish build really rose to popularity in this edition. It made sense too–multiclassing was the easiest it had ever been.
You didn’t have to abide by the archaic restrictions from earlier editions–everyone was using the same set of rules. All you did was decide, “hey, I’m taking my next level as a wizard” or whatever, and it was done. From there, the rest is history. Ppeople will always strive to build a better mousetrap- and with the gish, there was a sense of trying to figure out how to keep the most of everything from each of the classes. Whether it was spacing out your fighter levels so that you could keep your base attack bonus high, or picking up some terribly unbalanced prestige class from one of the later supplements to try and get a few more levels of spell progression…
I think it’s fair to say, without the D&D Githyanki you wouldn’t see classes like the Eldritch Knight or the Bladesinger or the Spellsword. Even the Arcane Rogue owes its existence to the gish. Funnily enough in 3rd Edition, they are at their least psionic, with good old spells and spell-like abilities filling in for actual psychic powers. Which, don’t get me wrong, still effective.

Fourth Edition

Then along came 4th Edition. It’s funny–since their inception the D&D Githyanki were always encountered in varieties. Whether running into gish or anti-paladin Githyanki, they had their own unique way of fighting. So no two encounters with the Githyanki were ever the same. They were perhaps one of the most 4th Edition monsters to ever come out of 4th Edition.
They were meant for the variety of 4E. Seeing how they were split into sniper types, fighters, and those who wielded psychic power, it just makes sense to include at least one variety of Githyanki capable of doing all those things. And so they did, with one group of Githyanki able to fill out the requirements for any party of adventurers. They had strikers, leaders, and artillery–and that’s just in the monster manual by itself.

Fifth Edition

Finally we come to 5th Edition Githyanki. They return a little bit to their 2nd Edition roots- which is to say they lose the variety of attacks granted to them through 4th Edition’s power-based system. Though the Githyanki are still fairly versatile as far as monsters go. The Silver sword’s effectiveness has changed, and their psionics are spells (which is fine). So they’re a lot more streamlined and easy to use.
But that’s how the Githyanki have always been. They came into D&D with a great deal of heft to them. They had rules that supported the narrative elements to their design- so whether you just wanted something flexible to challenge your PCs, or you wanted to dig into the vaguely sci-fi/fantasy backstory of the Githyanki and their astral fleets, you could.
Still… no mention of the Githyanki would be complete without at least drawing attention to their mortal enemies. No, not the mind flayers. Their other mortal enemies… those who spurn Gith, the Githzerai…

If ever there were opposing forces in the D&D world- these two races are at once similar to each other, but details on their feud will have to wait until next time, adventurers.
Until then, make sure your silver cord doesn’t get tangled up in anything–you wouldn’t want to accidentally trip our guests…

D&D: ‘Tal’Dorei Reborn’– The Five Best Magic Items From ‘Critical Role’s’ New Book

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Tal’Dorei Reborn‘s magical items abound– the book is chock full of ’em. It’s enough to make a dragon envious. These are our favorites.

Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn is an absolute treasure trove of magic items. While the new subclasses might be appealing to some players. The one thing that everyone will love is the Magic Items. To me, this is where the book really sings. If you’ve watched an episode of Critical Role, you know that Matt Mercer loves his magic items.
And that love is on display here. Tal’Dorei’s magic items range from simple common items, twenty-three in all. And that’s not counting the powerful Vestiges of Divergence. Here are our favorite magic items from Tal’Dorei.
Cataclysm Bolts

These magical steel crossbow bolts are found in sets of ten. Each bolt thrums with magical power, and when fired, the bolts unleash one of four different magical attacks. Every single one of them is exciting, and usually best when fired in a target-rich environment.
Raven’s Slumber

This is the ultimate in terms of magic item shenanigans. It is a magical crystal that is capable of trapping someone in a pocket dimension. You can either touch someone willingly to spirit them away from wherever you are, to a place where evil cannot touch them.
Or you can make an improvised melee or ranged attack against a creature and if they fail a DC 10 Wisdom Save, they become trapped in the crystal. So already this is pretty great.
Except there’s more. You can also use this crystal to instantly recover an animal companion, tamed beast, or familiar into the crystal when it falls to 0 hit points within 100 feet of the crystal. So what you thought was a phantom zone prison is actually a Pokéball.
Stormrider Boots

Stormrider Boots are some of my favorite magic boots because they give you a very thematic boost for such a short time. For one round, as part of your movement, you can give yourself a fast flying speed, deal lightning damage to any hostile creature you move near (once per turn) and opponents making opportunity attacks on you do so at disadvantage.
So you can charge in and deal a bunch of damage and still have all your attacks. Perfect for a fighter/swashbuckler of any kind.
Earthboard

Reading through Tal’Dorei Reborn you get the feeling that some of these magic items would be right at home in an animated series. And this is one of them.
Earthboards are slabs of rock that are actually skateboards. Rules for these include grabbing sick air if you hit a ramp (and the ability to knock everyone prone if you land), as well as a burrowing speed that allows you to tunnel through earth or solid rock.
It’s an elemental skateboard.
Skysail

Which is why the Skysail is also one of the best of the Tal’Dorei magic items. This magical set of wings are basically a sky surfboard. You can glide through the air at a speed of 60 feet, with the only caveat that you must descend at least 10 feet by the end of each of your turns. However, you can ALSO cast the fly spell on yourself for a minute.
So not only can you glide, you can give yourself 1 minute worth of fly to go up up up before you glide back down. It’s basically Avatar Aang’s windbending staff.
Happy Adventuring!

RuneScape Will Be Getting Made Into A Tabletop RPG

5 years ago Bert Ballast

During the London Toy Fair, Jagex revealed they have partnered with Steamfoged Games to create a TTRPG for RuneScape. According to the announcement, the company will create both a board game and a TTRPG core book, both inspired by the video game. They’ll be doing crowdfunding for it on Kickstarter with plans to release both of them sometime in 2022. The plan is to give faithful adaptations into both genres as they will utilize adventures, characters, and locations from the 21-year history of the franchise. The board game will have 1-5 players venture out on quest-based campaigns through Gielinor in an intricate system that combines elements from the video game into the gameplay. While the TTRPG will have an illustrated hardback core book containing rules for players to run an adventure where they can build their own characters, explore Gielinor, and create unique quests. We have a couple of quotes from both companies about the news today as we now wait to see what both will look like.Credit: Jagex
“After more than 21 years of being exclusively available digitally, it’s extremely exciting to be collaborating with Steamforged to create and deliver new RuneScape role-playing adventures to tabletop gamers,” said Phil Mansell, CEO of Jagex. “By launching the board game via a crowdfunding platform, Steamforged is mirroring our approach of involving the RuneScape communities in taking the game to tabletop. Given Steamforged’s experience and expertise in transforming video game experiences to tabletop, I’m sure that both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape players will be excited to get their hands on the planned miniatures to create their own adventures with other ‘Scapers and board gamers”.
“Steamforged are honoured to be partnering with Jagex and together use our wealth of experience in adapting video games to bring one of the most popular online role-player games to tabletop,” said Mat Hart, Creative Director and CCO of Steamforged. “The rich RuneScape universe will translate beautifully to board and tabletop games, and using a crowdfunding platform and other dedicated community spaces will let us engage directly with fans of RuneScape and Old School RuneScape throughout development. Ready your rune armour, put on your party hat, and get ready to roll!”
.pw-in-article{overflow:hidden;height:250px;}Posted in: Games, Jagex, Runescape, Steamforged, Tabletop | Tagged: Jagex, runescape, SteamForged GamesEnjoyed this? Please share on social media!
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Yu-Gi-Oh! or Yu-Gi-No!? We test our TCG monster knowledge on the Dicebreaker Podcast!

5 years ago Bert Ballast

It’s time to p-p-p-p-podcast! Matt challenges Liv and Meehan to tell their Yu-Gi-Oh! from their Yu-Gi-No! in this week’s utterly preposterous segment.

We’ve also been playing the new 7 Wonders game, the punishing Ghost Stories, the bluff-tastic Perudo (or is it’s Liar’s Dice?), classic Yahtzee and the darkly hilarious Blood Bowl.

There’s a new Dungeons & Dragons book to discuss, as well as a new WWII deckbuilder in the Undaunted series.

That’s all before we answer your questions on avoiding combat in TRPGs, our wishlist for D&D monsters, returning to a game only to find it’s not what you remember, and our favourite hot sauces!

You can listen to the latest Dicebreaker Podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. Add the podcast’s RSS feed to your player of choice, if you prefer something else.

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Join us live every Friday from 2pm GMT to play along with the weekly game, ask questions and tell us what you’ve been playing! We can be found at our video home over on youtube.com/dicebreaker.
If you’ve got a question for the team – or your own suggestion for a Yu-Gi-Oh! monster – you can email contact@dicebreaker.com, tweet us @joindicebreaker or leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
Games (and other stuff) discussed:

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Blood Bowl
Yahtzee
Dungeons & Dragons 5E: Monsters of the Multiverse
Undaunted: Stalingrad
Perudo/Liar’s Dice
Descent: Legends of the Dark
7 Wonders Architects
Ghost Stories
Forewarned
Red Dead Online
Jaipur
Men at Work
Clank!
Monster Hunter

RPG: Dune – Sand And Dust Brings Arrakis To Your Table

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Arrakis. Dune. Desert planet. Not one drop of water falls there– now you can visit in Sand & Dust: The Arrakis Sourcebook.

Whether you read that first line in the whispery voice of Kyle MacLachlan or the whispery voice of Timothée Chalamet, Arrakis is a planet unlike any other. This vast, desert world is the only known source of the spice, Melange. It extends life, expands consciousness, and is the only thing that makes the Universe possible.

And in the new Dune RPG, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, you have a chance to visit the fabled planet. A new sourcebook, Sand & Dust: The Arrakis Sourcebook, available now in PDF and print.
Sand & Dust: The Arrakis Sourcebook – $42

This is a pre-order expected to ship in Mid-February 2022. 
ARRAKIS: SOURCE OF THE SPICE.In the backwaters of the vast Imperium of humanity lies the hostile desert world of Arrakis. It is a deadly place, where no drop of rain falls and the people live a sparse existence in the baking cities of the northern pole. But Arrakis is the most important planet in the entire universe, for it is only here that you can find the spice melange.
The spice is everything. To some, it is a way to extend life, to others a way to see into the future. It is the key to wealth and power in the Imperium, and many of the noble Houses will stop at nothing to control it in any way they can. The cities of Arrakeen and Carthag are full of agents and spies, all looking to gain advantage for their faction, and ready to kill to maintain the power of their masters. Will Arrakis be the place your characters prove the power of their House, or will their blood be spilled on the unforgiving sands?
This sourcebook for the Dune: Adventures in the Imperium roleplaying game, takes you to the desert world of Arrakis and explores the secrets of the spice. Visit the hidden sietches of the Fremen to learn the mysteries of their culture. Walk without rhythm in the great deserts and perhaps see one of the incredible sandworms. Trade secrets with spies and agents in the bustling marketplace of Arrakeen or the alleys of Carthag. Arrakis is a planet of mysteries and danger, and those who underestimate it never leave.
Contents
Sand and Dust: The Arrakis Sourcebook contains: 

A 156 page US letter size high quality sewn hardback packed with full colour art. 
An overview of the planet Arrakis, known as Dune, its history and features.
Detail on the mysterious desert Fremen, and their many secrets.
A host of new options for Fremen player characters, including new archetypes, talents and rules for riding the great sandworms.
An in-depth look at spice harvesting and those who try to smuggle and stockpile it secretly.
The secrets of spice revealed, including new spice related talents and abilities.
A gazetteer of the cities of Carthag and Arrakeen, including their layout, noteworthy landmarks, and what life is like for the people of each city.
Expanded notes on creating your own campaigns on Arrakis, including a host of new NPCs, scenario hooks and story seeds.
New campaign options as smugglers, Fremen or merchants instead of agents of a noble House.
A complete adventure ‘The water must flow’ that involves the player characters in a deadly plot during a water shortage on Arrakis.
A digital copy of this book will be provided.

Dune © Legendary. Dune: Adventures in the Imperium is an officially sub-licensed property from Gale Force Nine, a Battlefront Group Company.

Tome of Beasts 3: Now Live on Kickstarter

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Challenge, delight, and terrify your layers with over 400 monsters!

Tome of Beasts 3 brings over 400 monsters to your 5th Edition campaigns and one-shots. Find a worthy foe for your plucky adventurers to face. Creatures from every environment swarm forth from this tome of chaos and mayhem.

Tome of Beasts 3 Lairs will challenge heroes with adventures for levels 1 through 11. These encounters are brought to you by the imaginations of Sarah Madsen, Jeff Lee, Kelly Pawlik, Basheer Ghouse, Richard Green, Mike Welham, and more!

Back today!

Classic MMO RuneScape is getting a board game and tabletop RPG

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Long-running PC MMORPG RuneScape is being adapted into a board game and tabletop RPG.

The popular online multiplayer game, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and has also seen a release on mobile, will be turned into a board game and TRPG by Steamforged, the tabletop publisher behind adaptations of video games including Dark Souls, Resident Evil, Horizon Zero Dawn and Monster Hunter World.

According to the announcement from Steamforged and RuneScape developer Jagex, the tabletop games will be inspired by RuneScape’s fantasy world of Gielinor and its various regions, with quests and characters from its two-decade history making an appearance. The upcoming board game and tabletop RPG mark the first time that RuneScape has been adapted into a physical game.

The RuneScape board game will include tabletop adaptations of quest lines from the MMORPG, which players will be able to tackle in a party of up to five players or alone in a solo mode. A series of miniatures is planned for the release.

Along the way, there will be the chance to craft and upgrade bits of gear, and improve characters’ skills – which can then be used in various tests during adventures. Other gameplay elements mentioned include cooking recipes, interacting with the NPC inhabitants of Gielinor and completing side quests separate to the main campaign.

Meanwhile, the RuneScape tabletop RPG will let players run their own campaigns, including rules for character creation, advice on creating quests set in the world and background information on Gielinor. As well as featuring its own rules, the RuneScape RPG book will be fully compatible with Dungeons & Dragons 5E, Steamforged confirmed.

Two versions of RuneScape currently exist: Old School RuneScape, which preserves the look and feel of the MMO’s earlier incarnations, and the modernised RuneScape 3. A teaser image for the tabletop games includes both the RuneScape logo and the logo for Old School RuneScape.

The RuneScape board game will launch on Kickstarter later this year, with the upcoming RPG’s hardback core rulebook skipping crowdfunding to arrive directly in stores sometime in 2022.

Portal Games Licenses 'Batman' Characters from Warner Bros. Consumer Products

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Portal Games has landed a license from Warner Bros. Consumer Products to use Batman characters in their tabletop games set in the DC Universe.
The core of this licensing deal revolves around Portal Games adding one of the most beloved comic book detectives and his nemeses to their award-winning line of Detective board games (see “‘Detective: Season One'”). This immersive board game experience almost perfectly complements the essence of the Batman brand as well as DC’s storylines from Detective Comics.”While many games fight like Batman, our games will challenge you to think like Batman,” said Ignacy Trzewiczek, CEO and lead writer/designer of the game series. “Every fan has dreamed of what it’d be like to stalk the Gotham City streets and solve crimes alongside the world’s greatest detective, so working with WBCP and DC on our own line of Detective cases in this iconic universe has been a dream come true for everyone involved.”
The Batman-branded line of Detective games will release in 2022 with Batman: Everybody Lies. In this game, players take on the roles of four key investigators: Warren Spacey, Vicki Vale, Harvey Bullock, or Catwoman. They work together to unravel a series of mysterious events and thwart the villains responsible for them.  It will retail for $50 and is expected to come out this summer.

How to make an RPG character you won't get bored of

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Carrying on with a video format we started last week on the subject of the problem with combat in RPGs, this week we’re chatting on the subject of character creation and, more specifically, character longevity. If you’ve been playing RPGs for a fairly long time, you’re bound to have run into this issue before, you, your party and GM find yourselves knee-deep into a campaign and you just can’t seem to muster the energy to play your character because they’re just plain boring to you now.
If you keep falling into the trap of making a character that doesn’t quite live up to your expectations, – i.e. enthralling you over the course of a campaign spanning several years – we have a few suggestions on how you can build your character in a way that doesn’t leave you just praying for a Big Bad to show up and take them down.
Myself and Dicebreaker’s Head of Video Wheels dive into our tips on how to make an RPG character that will stand the test of time in this video. From in-game connections, avoiding gimmicks and even some examples of how we came to dislike our own characters, struggling roleplayers should find this video quite helpful. Whether you’re playing D&D, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu or any other RPG, these tips are bound to translate.

D&D: Tal’Dorei Blood Magic– A Wizard So Creepy Everyone Will Think You’re A Warlock

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Tal’Dorei Blood Magic is a new Wizard Subclass all about using your life force to deplete the life force of others.

Blood magic is a tried and true staple of fantasy fiction. And there’s something intensely fascinating about it. We all have blood. And when you start calling it “life essence” or “vitality” then the world takes on a dark new twist. There’s something inherently foreboding about it in a visceral way. Which is the point.

Blood Magic’s been around since before the days when Conan walked the jeweled shores of Aquilonia. But even his villains, like Xaltotun knew that blood fuels sorcery. In some fantasy stories, having someone use another’s blood to fuel their own power is a quick way to convey “this person is evil.” In Tal’Dorei, however, things are a little bit more grey.
Wizards who learn the tradition of blood magic aren’t inherently evil. But the practice is considered taboo in many societies. Though, if they knew what the class actually did, they might have another story altogether. Because Blood Magic in Tal’dorei isn’t about using someone else’s blood. It’s about using your own. We’re taking a look at the Blood Magic Wizard out of Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn to find out why.
The New Subclass in a Nutshell

If you are a Wizard who practices Blood Magic in Tal’Dorei, then you will be losing a lot of hit points. That’s just how it goes. But you want to, because whenever you’re below your maximum hit points, you can use your own body as an arcane focus.
Finally, an answer to having your hands full. This will of course be fantastic for Wizards who manage to learn to use Heavy Armor and Shields, as they can now wield a weapon in the other hand (if they’re hurt). Blood mages gain this power from a feature called Blood Channeling which is the 2nd level class feature.
However, the real nuts and bolts of Blood Channeling is that it lets you compensate for expensive material components with a much more renewable resource than gold. Hit points.
Specifically you can forego a costly material component by taking 1d10 points of necrotic damage per 50gp (minimum of 1d10). Which is great because now you can start to use those expensive spells a little more often.
At 2nd level you also get an ability called Sanguine Burst which lets you intensify a spell. That is, you can reroll a number of the damage dice on a spell (up to your intelligence modifier) but you’ll take damage equal to the spell’s level if you do so.
Lots Of Magic, Loss Of Blood

And that’s about what you’ll be doing for most of your career as a Wizard using Blood Magic. At higher levels, you get features that let you do more things with your own blood. When you hit 6th level, you get Bond of Mutual Suffering which allows you to use your reaction (and blood) to damage an attacker. This is probably one of the better abilities of the subclass.
When you’re hit, you can use your reaction to force your attacker to suffer the damage they’ve caused to you. However, the ability is specific in that it’s “the damage you took” which implies it’s after any resistances. So you’ll want to stock up on temporary hit points.
At 10th level you gain the Glyph of Hemorrhaging which lets you pretend like you’re a Warlock or Ranger. This one’s interesting, in that it’s an effect you can layer on whenever you damage a creature with a spell. You curse your target for 1 minute, and they take extra necrotic damage whenever they’re hit by an attack.
It’s basically Hex or Hunter’s Mark or any of those other features. But the target gets a save against it at the end of each of its turns. If you managed to get Hex or Hunter’s Mark, it’s another d6 you can stack on, though.
Blood is thicker than Magic

At 14th level, Blood Magic reveals the secrets to empowering your own blood. With Thicker than Water you learn to empower your blood with arcane vigor–which lets you regain extra hit points whenever you would be healed via a magical effect or spell. And while concentrating you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
All in all, this one feels like the features are a little out of order. Glyph of Hemorrhaging sounds exciting, but you have to wait until 10th level to get it. And it’s not as good as features you could gain by taking a level of Warlock, Ranger, or by taking Magic Initiate.
Similarly, Thicker than Water feels great, but by the time you have it, you’re a 14th level Wizard. Still, it does feel like it’d be fun to play. And these make for fantastic NPC abilities too.
What do you think of the Blood Magic Wizard?

Astral Projections – Dog-Bears and Bear-Dogs! Oh my! (Genesys)

5 years ago Bert Ballast

The Bear-Dog A. ingens

Your friendly neighborhood Xenobiologist just got back from a jaunt to the Miocene epoch, with The Doctor. (Pretty harrowing, but at least no Daleks showed up.) While there, we came across these two most impressive predators, the Bear-Dogs and the Dog-Bears. Yes, they have physical and behavioral characteristics of both modern species.
The Roaring Earth website describes the Bear-Dogs as “dog-like animals that behaved a bit like bears” and Dog-Bears as, “…the complete opposite: bear-like animals that behaved a bit like dogs.”Some species of both these (not closely-related) Families are ginormous. Others are only the size of foxes or chihuahuas, however. It’s probably only the 1,000lb/600kg species that are a threat to PCs adventuring in the past or on other worlds. Like the Bear-Dog Amphicyon ingens, (pictured above) a half-ton creature larger than a polar bear. The largest of the Dog-Bears, the genus Hemicyon (pictured below) was more grizzly-sized, as well as a hypercarnivore (diet of over 70% meat), not an omnivore like modern bears.

BEAR-DOG [Nemesis]Prehistoric predator
The Bear-Dog A. ingens
CharacteristicsBrawn 5Agility 3Intellect 1Cunning 3Willpower 1Presence 2
SkillsAthletics 3Brawl 4Perception 3
Ability: Silhouette 2
Talent: Adversary 1
Soak: 5 Defense (m/r): 1/0 Strain Threshold: 15 Wound Threshold: 20
Equipment: Powerful Jaws (Brawl, Engaged, Crit 3, Damage 7, Pierce 1, Vicious 1); Foreclaws (Brawl, Engaged, Critical 3, Damage 6, Pierce 1)

DOG-BEAR [Rival]Prehistoric predator
Dog-bear, depicted in Smithsonian mural
CharacteristicsBrawn 4Agility 4Intellect 1Cunning 3Willpower 1Presence 2
SkillsAthletics 3Brawl 4Perception 3
Abilities: Silhouette 2, Pack Hunter (Add Boost to combat checks when hunting with at least one other Dog-Bear)
Talent: Adversary 1
Soak: 4 Defense (m/r): 1/0 Strain Threshold: 15
Equipment: Powerful Jaws (Brawl, Engaged, Crit 3, Damage 7, Pierce 1, Vicious 1); Foreclaws (Brawl, Engaged, Critical 3, Damage 6, Pierce 1)
Design & Play Notes: For those as interested in all the biology details as I am: Bear-Dogs are part of the Family Amphicyonidae and Dog-Bears are usually (because, yes, even biologists argue sometimes) placed in the Sub-family Hemicyoninae of the Family Ursidae (along with the modern bears).
But don’t worry! Both the Amphicyonidae and Hemicyoninae have been extinct on Earth for millions of years. But what if, you ask, there’s a Time-Travel or a Jurassic Park type plot? Or the campaign is set in a pulp/supers/fantasy world with the “lost prehistoric island/enclave/valley” trope? Or the GM of your favorite SF/space opera game* loves these stats? Okay, now you may feel free to worry all you want to! Or, you can look on the bright side – one of these might be the Animal Companion of your PC’s dreams.*No changes needed to use with FFG’s Star Wars RPG lines!
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Linda WhitsonContributing Writer & Copy Editor at D20 Radio

7 best Forged in the Dark RPGs to play after Blades in the Dark

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Blades in the Dark is the gritty, atmospheric RPG by John Harper that can be summarised as a Victorian heist game with ghosts. The idea of the game centres on a plucky, often troubled (and troublesome) group of PC ne’er do wells that have come together as a crew. Said crew performs scores to acquire coin, reputation, turf and ultimately to accomplish a number of goals ranging from simply ‘not die horrible deaths’ to ‘become the strongest gang in this district’.

Best Forged in the Dark RPGs

But for some people, there’s something missing from Blades in the Dark. Maybe they’re just not into the Victorian setting. Maybe they want something with a bit more combat, or a bit less combat. Or maybe they’re simply looking for something similar, but new, to play after dozens of hours in the original.

If that’s you, here’s a list of other great Forged in the Dark RPGs to play after Blades in the Dark.

1. U’Duasha

Add a bit of MENA flavour to your blades in the dark with an Iruvian campaign

U’Duasha is the capital of Uruvia, a setting inspired by the Middle East, Northern Africa and West Asia. Image: Evil Hat Productions

Only released in the Special Edition of the original print of Blades in the Dark, the U’Duasha expansion moves the setting to U’Duasha, the capital of Iruvia – a land loosely based on the cultures of the Middle East, Northern Africa and West Asia. No longer are you in a city plagued by ghosts, because a giant ever-burning well of fire sucks all the spirits of the dead into it. No, in U’Duasha every citizen is just a pawn for the political machinations of the demons who rule the city.

With new city factions such as the golem-like Gualim and the I’Yalim, who are the justiciars of the realm, as well as new gang factions like the A’Tahim and Hadrakin – there are plenty of new people and groups to influence and be influenced by your characters’ crew.

Combined with Johnstone Metzger’s wonderful Iruvian playbooks you could create a very nice, distinctly less Euro-centric, Blades campaign. If your group has any interest in being Viziers, Janissaries or Rakshasas in an Arabian-like city of demons and political intrigue, then the U’Duasha expansion is a great choice. Your biggest issue will be finding a copy of the Special Edition – failing that, Metzger’s Iruvian expansion should have enough to get you rolling.

Blades in the Dark’s Special Edition is currently out of print, but you can download Johnstone Metzger’s Iruvian expansion for free.

2. Band of Blades

Time to git gud with the Dark Souls of Forged in the Dark RPGs

If Blades in the Dark isn’t dark enough for you, Band of Blades steps up the grim atmosphere and punishing difficulty. Image: Evil Hat Productions

Is Blades in the Dark too political, too bright and cheery, or maybe just too easy? If so then you probably have a very forgiving GM – but, more importantly Band of Blades might be right up your alley. Unlike the original game, Band of Blades is set in a medieval fantasy realm where the players take on the roles of leaders of an elite mercenary brigade known as The Legion on their way to what may be their brave last stand after suffering a major defeat at the Cinder King’s hands.

Band of Blades is not for the faint of heart. As brutal as Blades in the Dark can be sometimes, it is still built on the idea of wanting to see the players succeed. Band of Blades is not. Band of Blades wants to see you fail and crawl under the table to weep at your inadequacies. It is the Soulsborne of Forged in the Dark RPGs.

If you don’t mind constantly changing characters (usually because of death, maiming or exhaustion from the last mission) and like the grimdark medieval atmosphere, then BoB’s your uncle – Band of Blades could be what you’re looking for.

Buy Band of Blades on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

3. Scum & Villainy

“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

Scum & Villainy draws heavily from Star Wars, giving a new sci-fi coat of paint to the Forged in the Dark engine. Image: Evil Hat Productions

You all know where the title comes from – when old Obi-Wan is first introducing Luke Skywalker to the settlement of Mos Eisley. Basically taking the Victorian grim-punk setting of Doskvol and turning it into a space opera, Scum & Villainy exchanges a crew of criminals for an actual spaceship crew. Rather than playing a group of scoundrels like the Cutter, Spider and Leech, the players are thrust into the roles of space adventurers: mechanics, pilots and stitches.

To give you an idea of how the setting is different from the original game; while Blades in the Dark draws a lot of inspiration from the show Peaky Blinders, the video game Dishonored and the Italian Job, Scum & Villainy takes its cues from the Star Wars films, space-western series Firefly and sci-fi anime such as Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star.

If you just want something like Blades but in a space opera setting, Scum & Villainy is the Forged in the Dark RPG for you. It essentially plays the same, using a very similar form of the gameplay mechanics.

Buy Scum & Villainy on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

4. Blades Against Darkness

Mix one helping of D&D into your Forged in the Dark RPG and find out that good is BAD

Blades Against Darkness sticks close to the Forged in the Dark gameplay, but relocates the action to dungeons and tombs. Image: Dylan Green

Maybe you still want the grimy Victorian ghost-punk setting of Doskvol or the medieval atmosphere of Band of Blades, but you’re coming from a big D&D binge or you’re just in a dungeon-crawler, ‘shoot-and-loot’ kind of mood. Try Blades Against Darkness, which takes the Forged in the Dark system and buries it underground in a dungeon-crawling RPG.

Like most Forged in the Dark RPGs, if you’ve played Blades in the Dark you know how to play. The difference is that now you’re brave adventurers out to gather loot, rather than scoundrels. The game’s acronym isn’t BAD for no reason – in this game you’re a bunch of badass tomb raiders killing ancient monsters and stealing buried goods.

One really neat feature of the system is the way it handles training in downtime. For those who haven’t played Blades before, during the downtime phase one of your possible actions is ‘Training’ which gives you one or two experience points. In Blades Against Darkness you instead have to tell a story – the training action has been replaced by ‘Reveal Something’, which urges you to “describe a scene that tells us something about your character that fills in details or answers questions” in order to mark extra experience for your character.

If you’re after a fun dungeon-looting experience using the Forged in the Dark system, then don’t let the acronym fool you – Blades Against Darkness isn’t BAD at all.

Download Blades Against Darkness for free from the Blades in the Dark community site.

5. Leviathan Song

Everyone else is still singing them, right?

Leviathan Song focuses on the seafaring elements of Blades in the Dark. Image: The Destruction of Leviathan by Gustave Doré (1865)

In all your games of Blades in the Dark, have you wondered what it would be like to be a Leviathan Hunter? The indomitable whalers of the setting – except that instead of whales they hunt gigantic demonic beasts in an ink-blank ocean while being constantly harassed by ghosts, demons and a cataclysmic environment. Or, y’know, maybe you just never got over the sea shanty trend from last year and want a reason to sing them during your next gaming session?

Well, learn the words to Process Man, Drunken Sailor and the Wellerman – and maybe Hoist Up the Thing by The Longest Johns, just for good measure. With Leviathan Song you get a system where, instead of being a crew of scoundrels in a walled-in city, you are a crew of sailors harvesting ectoplasm from gigantic oceanic demons.

You can have the players’ crew of characters be a united group of officers controlling the ship, or even have them as lesser sailors aboard the vessel with NPCs taking up the roles of Captain, Masters and the lowest-ranking junior sailors known colloquially as Chum.

Even if you don’t want to go for a full campaign of leviathan hunting, it can open up a fun interim to your Blades campaign to have your crew escape the city for a while aboard a vessel for some brutal adventures on the high – and very dark – seas in the search of Moby Drikath, the serpentine creature covered in metallic plates that spawns ferocious house-sized crustaceans. And yes – there is, of course, a leviathan-generating table that will give you ample beasts to hunt with just a few dice rolls.

If none of that sold you on the game, it comes with four Leviathan Hunter shanties to sing – plus a space to write your own.

Download Leviathan Song for free via the Blades in the Dark website.

6. Vigilantes

If Batman was a poor Victorian gangster… you would be Batman

Vigilantes lets players swap their criminal characters for crime-busters, and adds some new ideas to the Forged in the Dark system to boot. Image: Grandfailure/PJ66431470

Maybe you really enjoy the setting of Doskvol, but you’re a goody two-shoes who doesn’t want to play as a criminal – or maybe you just really want to be a Victorian version of Batman. Either way, the Vigilantes expansion for Blades in the Dark might be the answer for you.

As a vigilante you won’t be doing things to gather money, like robbing banks or smuggling escaped prisoners out of the city. Instead, you will be trying to thwart the various gangs of the city from doing those things. You aren’t necessarily fighting alongside the local gendarmerie, the Bluecoats – because if you succeed then it just makes them look bad. And likely corrupt, because there’s a very good chance the bigger gangs are paying the city watch to protect them.

Vigilantes come with some neat bonuses, such as being able to spend reputation on extra downtime activities – something most crews can only do by spending coin. The Vigilante crewbook can also give GMs great ideas to enliven your setting by including some guidance on turning the city into more of a living, breathing atmosphere.

Even if you don’t feel like playing Victorian Batman (but why wouldn’t you?), the Vigilantes supplement can improve a regular game of Blades with ease.

Download Vigilantes for free from designer Sean Nittner’s website.

7. Flame Without Shadow

If you’re tired of being scoundrels, why not try being corrupt Bobbies instead?

Flame Without Shadow sticks to Blades in the Dark’s setting of Doskvol, but introduces new playbooks, crews and other gameplay options for players. Image: John Harper/Evil Hat Productions

Flame Without Shadow retains Blades in the Dark’s setting of Doskvol, bringing three new playbooks – Bluecoat, Inspector and Spirit Warden Initiate – along with two new crews: Imperial Mandates for the Bluecoats, and Inspectors and Imperatives for the Spirit Wardens. In each of these you play as a special operations force of either the City Watch or the Wardens, trying to root out rebels, criminal organisations and heretics.

FWS also includes guidance on an even more interesting choice: playing as Bluecoats. It suggests revamping a Bravos crew and just using the Bluecoat and Inspector playbooks as guidance and ideas. This opens the opportunity for an interesting campaign of fighting against the criminal organisations as cops – good or bad, since the city watch is often called the worst gang in the city.

While FWS itself is somewhat one-note – well, two-note, with both Mandate and Imperative campaigns available – it does give ample ideas for ‘law gang’ playthroughs. Combine some of the features of the Mandate, Bluecoat and Inspector playbooks, plus a hack of the Bravo and Vigilante crew setups, and you’ve got a pretty good gritty cop campaign on your hands. Likewise, if your last run at a Cult crew was a little too lackadaisical for you, a group of Spirit Wardens gives a whole new way to play.

Download Flame Without Shadow for free via the Blades in the Dark website.

Resist Cthulhu in punk rock inspired RPG, No Future, available at 50% off next month

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Fight against Cthulhu and the state in the punk rock inspired RPG No Future, which will be available at a 50% discount next month.
Separated into two issues, No Future is an RPG zine – or a small-scale roleplaying game, often created as a result of a game jam event – set during the UK punk music scene of the 1970s. A period of social, political and economic upheaval, the 1970s gave rise to a roster of punk bands, such as The Clash and The Buzzcocks, who would become the foundation of the music genre for decades to come. No Future combines the anti-establishment and intense nature of ‘70s punk music with the ominous rise of an otherworldly threat, by having players face-off against Cthulhu-esque enemies.
Designed for two to six players, the rules-light RPG uses the Cthulhu Dark gameplay system created by Graham Walmsley and published by Pelgrane Press, which is designed to provide a more straightforward version of something like Trail of Cthulhu. No Future features two separate scenarios, both of which are centred around the 1970s UK punk scene being invaded by unknowable entities.

In No Future issue number 1, The Five Techniques, the players take the roles of members of a punk band who are travelling to Northern Island for a funeral of one of their previous band-members. In memory of their deceased friend, the players are set to play a gig in his home-town, however, strange goings-on nearby disrupt their plans. The Buried Queen awakens, stirring up even more conflict between the British Forces and the IRA Paramilitary – an organisation that sought the independence of Northern Ireland from the UK – and forcing each remaining band member to suffer through their own personal nightmares. Alongside the campaign scenario, players will also gain access to an original punk song composed and recorded for the RPG, called Eyes Wide Open.
The second issue for No Future is entitled Career Opportunities and has players turning up for a gig they’re planning to play in North London. Situated at an old house, the player characters discover that their venue was once the site of sinister experiments in indoctrinating young minds into becoming ‘productive’ members of British society. After meeting with their fellow punk bands and friends, the player characters explore their venue’s disturbing past, play their gig and suddenly find themselves pursued by the government as the new victims of their indoctrination scheme.

As well as the two scenarios outlined above, players can gain access to a supplementary rules collection designed to help them create and roleplay their characters called Creating Your Punk.
No Future was co-designed by Tom McGrenery and Josh O’Connor, with the zine being published by Pent-Up Press. Throughout next month, the No Future zine will be set at a 50% discount on DriveThruRPG for an unofficial event called Zine Month, which is set to take place during the time that Kickstarter’s Zinequest would usually have happened, before it was delayed to August 2022.

Rolling for Initiative — Wizards of the Coast's Supply Chain Delay and 'D&D' Release Plan

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Rolling for Initiative is a weekly column by Scott Thorne, PhD, owner of Castle Perilous Games & Books in Carbondale, Illinois and instructor in marketing at Southeast Missouri State University.  This week, Thorne looks at Wizards of the Coast’s delayed release of Magic: The Gathering’s Unfinity and their decision to offer Dungeons & Dragon’s Monsters of the Multiverse as a standalone product. This week, Wizards of the Coast announced that Unfinity would get pushed back to the second half of 2022 due to supply chain issues (see “Pushes Back ‘Magic’s’ ‘Unfinity'”).  Most retailers are likely pretty happy with this as the Magic calendar was getting just a wee bit crowded with three sets releasing within the space of three months.  The battle for the Magic players’ hard-earned cash had gotten just a little bit tight, leaving me wondering if it is supply chain problems or WotC taking another look at its release schedule and thinking that the company has piled just a bit too much Magic here.Streets of New Capenna and Commander Legends’ Battle for Baldur’s Gate are releasing at about the same time (see “2022 ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Standard Sets”), and WotC may have decided that Unfinity was the set that would most benefit from a later release date, giving WotC more time to promote it.  The industry has seen enough supply chain issues that no one will bat an eye at WotC’s moving the set to a later date, and as I noted earlier, most retailers are happy to have the release schedule spread out. As it is, we are seeing the release of both Commander Collection Black and Double Feature (see “‘Innistrad: Double Feature'”) on January 28. Quantities on both are limited and stores receive an allocated number of them.  Stores can cut product from their order, but can’t adjust their quantities of product upward.  I haven’t heard any store saying they would decline their allocation of Commander Collection Black, but I’ve heard several stores say they didn’t plan to take their full allocation of Double Feature.  If stores still have large quantities of Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow on hand, cutting back on Double Feature makes sense, since there are no new cards in the set, just special treatments of selected cards from the two prior sets meshed into one.  With the emphasis WotC has put on Set and Collector boosters over the past couple of years, I do find it interesting that Double Feature will only release as a draft booster set. In the meantime, on the WotC RPG front, the D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set releases January 25 (see “‘D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set'”).  D&D players can buy this set now for $160 to get the Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse or wait until May 17 to get a copy of Monsters of the Multiverse without buying the gift set (see “Monsters of the Multiverse'”).  Since the gift set will have new covers, completists will likely want a copy to go along with their copies of the previous versions.  I would also not be surprised to see stores breaking open copies of the gift sets to sell the books individually. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything still sell steadily months after their release so opening copies of the gift sets to sell the individual copies makes sense, especially as our store has seen surprisingly low interest in the D&D Rules Expansion Gift Sets, likely because of the price.  Breaking open the sets makes sense, as most stores don’t want too many gift sets sitting around on the shelves and the individual books sell well on their own.What do you think?  Leave a comment or email castleperilousgames@gmail.com.The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.

40K Chapter Approved, D&D Does Emo, Jean Grey Cosplay, Imperial TIE/SF, LotR Worries

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Check out 40K’s new Chapter Approved rules shakeups, D&D’s new College of Tragedy, Jean Grey Cosplay, the TIE/SF, and some Amazon LotR concerns.

D&D: The College Of Tragedy Makes Being Emo Intensely Powerful
What if you could wield sorrow itself to make your party better? Here’s why the new College of Tragedy subclass will lead the black parade.
‘Wheel of Time’ Should Have You Worried About Amazon’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’
Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is the second major fantasy adaptation from Amazon. Wheel of Time‘s mistakes have people worried.
Warhammer 40K: T’au ‘Prototype Systems’ Pack A Punch
The T’au have some powerful Prototype Systems in the new codex. Get ready to start blasting away!
Cosplay: Marvel’s Jean Grey Calls Back to 90s X-Men Nostalgia
She’s one of the most powerful mutants in the galaxy- we burn for these Jean Grey Cosplays!
MTG: Two More Kamigawa Leaks – Dragons AND Ninjas
Two new leaks for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty have surfaced, and they’ll have you wondering: dragons? AND ninjas? In THIS economy?
D&D Beyond Announces ‘Monsters Of The Multiverse’ Won’t Overwrite Existing Content
In a dev update earlier this week, D&D Beyond clarified how they’ll be approaching Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.
Warhammer 40K: Chapter Approved 2022 – What You Need To Know
We’ve got a look at the Chapter Approved 2022 and this next season is going to be a wild one for Matched Play.
Star Wars: That Time Disney Had To Create A Whole New Ship Because JJ Abrams Forgot How TIE’s Worked- The TIE/SF Breakdown
What do you mean TIE Fighters only have one seat and no life support? But my “plot”! Fine, make a new ship.

D&D Accessories: Let’s Critically Fail With These Nat One Accessories

5 years ago Bert Ballast

We’ve all encountered the dreaded nat one, but these D&D accessories will help us all laugh about our critical failures a bit more.

No matter how good your character sheet is or how high your ability score modifiers are, sooner or later you’ll encounter the dreaded natural one. Lurking behind every well planned move or cleaver lie is the immediate failure of a nat one. And often, we’re not even mad about it. Nat ones are surprisingly fun. Can it be gutting to have a good idea thwarted by a bad roll? Sure! But sometimes it can be hilarious and this week’s accessories want you to lean into the humor a bit more.
You’ve Been Wrong Before

Sometime I love about a nat one is how it can make your character inept about even the most simple of tasks. Is this a room? It probably is. But everything is so weird these days, who can tell anymore? This piece of wall part will add a little comedy to whichever room you do your tabletop gaming in and look like absolute nonsense to anyone who hasn’t played D&D. Win/Win!

Guess I’ll Die

This is one of those things many of us have actually said at the table. The “Guess I’ll Die ¯_(ツ)_/¯” meme is synonymous with the resigned acceptance of failure that you need for D&D, and the keychain lets you take that nat one resignation everywhere you go. And anyway, it’s pretty likely you (and your character) won’t actually die. Probably.

Bonus Action Sticker

Let’s all come together for a group “oof” with another thing we’ve all probably heard at the table at least once. Sometimes the nat one gets you, but it’s okay. Just have your level nineteen barbarian do a quick weep in the corner and get back to the action. It’s statistically unlikely that you’ll critically fail for a second time in a row. This holo sticker will look great on whatever notebook or tablet you bring to your D&D sessions, and if nothing else it will always give you a back-up plan when you aren’t sure what to do with your bonus action.

Failed Stealth Shirt

This shirt reminds me of camo shirts that said, “You can’t see me,” and were very popular when I was in high school. Except we can see you, you failed your stealth check! Sometimes the paladin with all of their clinky armor and their disadvantages succeeds on the stealth check while the rogue gets a nat one because they stepped on a duck or something. Sure, your party was trying to avoid that fight. But the situation was hilarious and isn’t that what really matters?

You’ve Seen Doors Before

I love when a character fails at something that they’re supposed to be good at. But something I love more is when a character fails a the obvious. Is this a door? usually you recognize them, but that nat one has you wondering. Surely there isn’t anything else to see in this room, so let’s examine the door a bit more.
Do you have any nat one inspired D&D Accessories? Have any of our picks made it onto your wish list? What’s your funniest critical failure story? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!

Warhammer 40K Next Week – Here Come The T’au

5 years ago Bert Ballast

The T’au Empire is here for the Greater Good. And they’ve brought a new codex and tons of minis with them.

Do you like railguns and railgun accessories? Then you are going to love next weekend, when the T’au arrive in full force. Whether you’re looking to snag a new codex, a new combat patrol, or just the characters getting new miniatures, this weekend is for you.

First up, the T’au Codex. As you might expect, it’s crammed full of everything you need to play as T’au. It would be weird if it wasn’t. Notably there are rule to start your own sphere of expansion using the Crusade rules, though, which sounds pretty exciting.

Darkstrider is back with a brand new mini. This “maverick” sub-commander has refused promotion to stay a Pathfinder, making him one of a few characters outside of a crisis suit. He does have a suite of scanning drones and will make nearby units hit hard.

Also you can get your hands on the Ethereal from the Start Collecting box without having to Start Collecting now. Available individually, this Ethereal will help your army stay together when the enemies get close in.

Speaking of boxed sets though. There’s also a new Combat Patrol box set. You get everything you need to start a T’au army right here. 10 Fire Warriors, 3 stealth suits, an Ethereal, some special weapons platforms, shield drones, and a Ghostkeel to round things out. It’s a great jumping off point for building the force you want.
All this, next week!

D&D: An Adventurer’s Guide To Strahd

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Strahd von Zarovich is the brooding Darklord of Barovia. But who is he, really? And why does this well-dressed dracula feel so cursed? Let’s find out.

“I am ancient, I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I am not dead. Nor am I alive. I am undead, forever.”
So it reads in the Tome of Strahd, a book that details the life of the dark prince of Barovia. Adventurers who have crossed through the mists of Ravenloft and found themselves in the shadowed lands of Barovia will doubtless be familiar with the brooding figure that rules the land.

But who was Strahd? And why is he so tormented? Let’s find out.

In his life, Strahd was a prince and conquerer, a regal figure who settled the valley of Barovia. There, he would be cursed forever, transformed into a twisted creature who can only survive by feeding off of the blood of the living. Depending on whom you speak to, Strahd is the first Vampire, transformed by the Dark Powers of Ravenloft.

As the story goes, Strahd slew his brother, Sergei von Zarovich, in order to take his wife, Tatyana, with whom he had fallen madly in love. Some say that this jealous act was enough to damn him, others say that the elder von Zarovich had made a pact with Dark Powers for immortality. Either way, after the murder of Sergei von Zarovich, his wife Tatyana took her own life, and Strahd was turned into a vampire.

This dark act was enough to sweep the entire valley of Barovia into the Mists of Ravenloft where it now resides, with Strahd its ruler and its prisoner. Now his existence is torment as he spends his life looking for the soul of Tatyana, whom he believes will one day be reincarnated in Barovia, so that they may once again be reunited.
Strahd is a powerful vampire, more capable than most. Like all vampires, Strahd can change his shape, using an action to polymorph into a bat, a wolf, or a cloud of mist (which is immune to all nonmagical damage). He uses this ability to stalk the lands of Barovia.

His vampiric regeneration protects him from most harm, but where Strahd differs from most vampires is the magic he’s learned over his many years as a creature of the night. Strahd, in addition to being a vampire, is a 9th-level wizard and can cast spells that allow him to render his enemies unconscious, turn himself invisible, and if need be fireball anyone and anything that gets in his way.
The Darklord of Barovia is a shadow on the land, but he longs to be reunited with his lost love. Wary adventurers may be able to exploit his most burning desire, but be warned–he was willing to murder before, now that he is an immortal monster, there’s no telling to what lengths Strahd might go to once again be with the love of his life.
Or what he might do if he finds out what Tatyana truly thinks of him…

D&D: An Adventurer’s Guide To Baldur’s Gate

5 years ago Bert Ballast

In the shadow of Amn, you’ll find the largest metropolis on the Sword Coast. Home to gods and heroes, welcome to Baldur’s Gate.

Baldur’s Gate is one of the largest cities in Faerun. It’s the New York City to Waterdeep’s Toronto. Instead of a big, friendly city Baldur’s Gate has an aura of Law & Order held almost to a breaking point. It’s been the site of gods warring, chosen ones ascending, and more.  Let’s take a look at the grand city of Baldur’s Gate.

Situated in the greater Western Heartlands along the Sword Coast, is a prosperous merchant city: Baldur’s Gate. It is influential. It is tightly patrolled. And it seethes with roiling possibility for heroes willing to brave it.
Baldur’s Gate can be found south of Waterdeep, along the well-traveled Coast Way road. It’s nestled on a stretch of poor soil, but that matters very little. The natural bay of the north bank of the river Chionthar helps give it lifeblood. Baldur’s Gate has a distinct crescent moon shape that wraps around its great harbor.
But that’s just the shape of the city. What is its texture?
The People of Baldur’s Gate

Baldur’s Gate is a city of heroes and gods and monsters. It is a wealthy city that has prospered over the years. And nobles and commoners alike come to the city hoping to taste the fruits of prosperity. Especially with a mercenary company like the Flaming Fists to protect its inhabitants.
Of course, the city is home to other individuals as well. Less-scrupulous types like pirates, smugglers, and landlords could be found in Baldur’s Gate. It is said that everyone has a scheme in the Gate. The archer, Coran, once compared the city to a viper’s nest. And the comparison is not unfair. Through the years, Baldur’s Gate has been home to some fairly significant events that shaped the fate of Faerun.
And through it all, the Baldurians carried on with their own affairs. Even when gods warred in the streets, Baldur’s Gate was still turning away. This is a fact that Baldurians take pride in. Baldur’s Gate is a place for anyone, rich, poor, humanoid or not.
Baldur’s Gate Through The Ages

It wasn’t always this way. Baldur’s Gate was originally founded as a well-hidden meeting place for pirates and scavengers. These brigands would use lights to trick ships into running aground along the foggy coast and would loot their victims before disappearing up into the Gray Harbor.
Until a man called Balduran arrived. Balduran was a legendary seafaring hero who traveled the world. He came from beyond the elven isle of Evermeet bearing vast wealth. Seeking the shelter of the Gray Harbor, Balduran hid the vast majority of his wealth before setting off on another voyage, never to return.
Which is how a bunch of local farmers managed to take over in Balduran’s stead. They co-opted construction of a wall, and used the wealth of Balduran to expand the city. Through the years it saw spurts of expansion, taxation, rebellions against taxation, and so on. But in the 14th Century, Baldur’s Gate stands out in for the war of the Bhaalspawn.
Bhaal-Dur’s Gate

Bhaal was a god of murder. He was also a god who planned for his eventual defeat. And in the wake of Bhaal’s murder at the hands of a mortal named Cyric, his divinity was scattered. But Bhaal prepared for his death and had sired many children with the goal that one of his offspring would eventually rise to power and slay the others, paving the way for his return.
In 1368 DR, Sarevok Anchev came onto the scene. He attempted to start a war between Baldur’s Gate ad Amn. It sort of worked–in that war was declared on the Bhaalspawn. Fortunately one hero stepped up and was able to defeat Sarevok (and later a wizard named Jon Irenicus who also threatened the town.)
Baldur’s Gate has been through a lot over the years. Including a recent attack by mind flayers. But still, it endures. And the people of Baldur’s Gate know that you can always find a deal in Baldur’s Gate.
Happy Adventuring

D&D Beyond Announces ‘Monsters Of The Multiverse’ Won’t Overwrite Existing Content

5 years ago Bert Ballast

In a dev update earlier this week, D&D Beyond clarified how they’ll be approaching Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.

Folks worried about how Mordenkainen’s Monsters of the Multiverse will interact with digital-only D&D books (like those on D&D Beyond) got their questions answered earlier this week. In a Dev Update, Joe Starr answered the community’s questions. And most of the community’s questions were about how Monsters of the Multiverse would be implemented on D&D Beyond.

The worry seems to be that existing monsters and PC races would be overwritten with no chance to use the old versions. While I’m not sure why you’d want to in the case of old monsters, it is a valid concern. Here’s what Starr had to say:

The big question that people have for us specifically around Monsters of the Multiverse is “Will this replace my previously purchased content?” It will not. This will absolutely not replace your previously purchased at D&D Beyond.

We are currently working through with Wizard on the approach, you know, the nuts and bolts approach for making that work. Wizards of the Coast has asked us that they would like to take the lead on message around this book, we’re allowing them that, but we did wanna make sure that you all understood that your stuff is not gonna get replaced, you’re not gonna lose anything when this book is released. So, wanted to put that rumor, that concern, to bed. Lots more details to come on Monsters of the Multiverse, but that’s a big one we really wanted to get across in the mean time.

Happy Adventuring

MTG: Two More Kamigawa Leaks – Dragons AND Ninjas

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Two new leaks for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty have surfaced, and they’ll have you wondering: dragons? AND ninjas? In THIS economy?

Two more Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty leaks to round out your weekend. This time we’ve got a look at both kinds of cards featured in the set: Ninjas AND Dragons. And while that sounds like a very interesting RPG, it’s actually just two new cards. First up, another dragon that has set people to wondering what’s up with all the dragons?

Junji, the Midnight Sky is a legendary Dragon Spirit. Much like the Dragon Spirits of the previous Kamigawa cycle, Junji is 5/5 and has flying and menace. You also get some pretty good rider effects, and all this for only five mana. In the words of the great Bixby Snyder:

Now let’s take a look at the ninja.

Here we have the Thousand-Faced Shadow. This human ninja also has flying, which seems to be a theme here. And when you ninjutsu the Thousand-Faced Shadow into a fight you get to copy another attacking creature, which makes this one interesting.
Because you’ll want to have a board you’re attacking from in order to make the most out of it. Sadly (or thankfully, depending on how you look at it), you can’t ninjutsu copy a Thousand-Faced Shadow token into infinite copies of itself, since it has to enter the battlefield from your hand.
As always, take any leak with a grain of salt, though most of these have proved accurate so far

Join Us Today for Moons and Magic in Paizo LIVE!

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Paizo LIVE is our near-monthly, 2-hour live Twitch show featuring the Paizo staff and guests talking about upcoming Pathfinder and Starfinder releases. Join us for Episode 8 of Paizo LIVE today from 4 to 6 p.m. Pacific. Catch past episodes on YouTube.

Join us as we proudly present… your dinner. No, wait, that’s another show. I mean our January Releases!

Here are the featured products and scheduled guests:

Developer Thurston Hillman, Developer Mike Kimmel, and Editor K. Tessa Newton: Starfinder Bounty #1: The Cantina Job, Starfinder Society Scenario #4-13: Hard Reset, Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-09: The Secluded Siege, and Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-08: Foundation’s Price

Developer Patrick Renie, Development Manager Ron Lundeen, Author Stephanie Lundeen, and Editor K. Tessa Newton: Pathfinder Adventure Path #175: Broken Tusk Moon (Quest for the Frozen Flame 1 of 3)

Senior Developer John Compton, Thurston Hillman, and Ron Lundeen: Starfinder Galactic Magic

We’ve a lot of art to show. And don’t miss those Paizo LIVE Spoilers!

Have questions for the guests? Ask them here! Then we’ll see you on today for Paizo LIVE!

Adventures Ahead!

Aaron Shanks,Marketing and Media Manager

twitch.tv/officialpaizo!

GW, Warhammer, 40K & Fantasy Minis Trivia Challenge

5 years ago Bert Ballast

It’s Friday! Kick-off your weekend with this retro challenge for the old-schoolers out there.
What ancient Games Workshop, 40K, and Warhammer minis are these? 

Everyone loves a trivia challenge, and Games Workshop has been cranking them out since the 1970s. Over the decade’s GW has been making miniatures for everything from Dungeons & Dragons, to Star Trek, Judge Dredd, Lord of the Rings, to all the flavors of Warhammer, and too many others to count.  So take a minute to go over some samples from the days of yore, and see if you can figure out:

What System is is from?
What Miniature is it?
What Year did it come out?

Oh yeah, most importantly… HAVE FUN!

~Let’s see who the minis loremaster really is.  Have a great weekend everybody!
Last week’s minis (L to R): Eldar (40K-RT), SFD Space Robots, Sanctioned Psyker (40K-RT)

Outside the Box– January 21st

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Welcome back to another issue of Outside the Box, this week with news from Knight Models, GCT Studios, Artel W Miniatures, Para Bellum Wargames, Perry Miniatures and more! Knight Models published a new teaser picture:– > More Knight Models News
New Bushido miniatures are available from GCT Studios: – > More GCT Studios News
Artel W Miniatures presents a new preview: – > More Artel W Miniatures News
New miniatures for the Hundred Kingdoms are now available from Para Bellum Wargames:– > More Para Bellum Wargames News
Wargames Atlantic now accepts pre-orders for new plastic sets: – > More Wargames Atlantic News
New Epic Battles Waterloo miniatures have been announced by Warlord Games:– > More Warlord Games News
Hardcore Miniatures presents a new Battlebeast: – > More Hardcore Miniatures News
New ACW and War of the Triple Alliance sets have been released by Perry Miniatures: – > More Perry Miniatures News 
And Rubicon Models presents new preview pictures: – > More Rubicon Models News
And here are the new Kickstarter campaigns:
Bob Mack 3D – Soviet Vehicles of the Cold War, 3D Print STL FilesAngry Griffin – 3D Printable STLs Stone Town Terrain Pay What You Want!Red Dog Minis – Titanhammer Railgun TurretMojibake – Pantheon Vol.1: LORE OF THE NILE Part 2 | 3D STL tabletopsWilhelMiniatures – Tunnels & TerrorsFlying Pig Games – Old School Tactical Vol I NOT-A-REPRINT 2nd EditionLittle Dragon Miniatures – Portals Pack STL filesMichael Richardson – Fantasy House 3D Printable STL Files Pay What You WantChronicle Cards – Dragon Dice #2 OxalisAW Miniatures – 28mm French & Indian War Mounted French InfantryFantasy Designs – Fantasy House Pay What You Wanteliede_3D – Prehistoric Life 3D Printable MiniaturesTerrain Factory – Hex Colony 2nd kickAxis Prime – Pirate Sam Board Game Dice TowerKing Virr Designs – Sci-Fi Wargaming Royal Guard Army Warriors STL MiniaturesSteve Anna – Element Benders Molinponchik – medieval architectureEslo Terrain – Modular 3D printable city blocks for Wargames with OpenLOCKLaidback Dungeon Master – MAPS FOR FANTASY RPGs 3 ROYALTY FREE MAPSarthur – The Adventurer’s RPG Tiles Modular Cave TilesBoardGameTables – Bags and Playmats for Board GamesInbreak – Extra-large optical diceDiego Martinez – Fantasy Theory Band RPGKoval Liudmila – Swamp Manor! 3d printable Stl files. Pay What you want!Cross Lances – Big Green OnesDan’s Dungeons – MAPS! MAPS! MAPS!Roll4ItDice – Pearled Pride DiceTaylor Wargaming Publications – Mourir Pour l’IndochineBloody Sword Miniatures – Anime Dungeons: amazing miniatures and terrain!Neobrutal – Make 100 : Neobrutal ChessmenValkyrie RPG – Hexed A collection of sharp edged diceEC3D Designs – Oblieg’s Gallery of Grave Goods Printable gaming propsCompass Games – The Third World WarandCool Mini or Not – Marvel Zombies A Zombicide Game
And if you want to stay up to date, head over to the Tabletop Fix!

5 Amazing DnD Artists and How to Commission Them

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Today we have a guest post from The Everhearth Inn profiling some artists available for commissions.The world is brimming with wonderful outlets for artists and DnD has become one of them, allowing creatives around the world to share the same passion for roleplaying, worldbuilding, and storytelling.Crafty Dungeon Masters:1. Design beautiful landscapes for their players to explore.2. Invent heart-wrenching storylines that have shed more than a few tears.3. Create a safe space for the shy and the bold alike.Building a character in DnD allows players to tap into their creative side and unleash their imagination – so it’s no wonder that there’s an unmatchable joy that comes when we see our dreams come to reality.All thanks to DnD artists.As WotC publishes more and more official content, each player starts building their shiny hoard: one of dice, miniatures, and custom character commissions.1.       Roselle ManlunasPortfolio: Roselle M (@roezellart)Prices and Commission Info: Roezell Art – PostsContact Details: Roezell Art Roselle Manlunas is an illustrator, painter, crafter, and animator who has a wide range of commission styles. From gorgeous, full-color party spreads that are watched over by an ever-powerful DM, to complex and detailed character designs: Roselle is a DnD artist who keeps a can-do attitude and a careful eye for detail.2.       Christina KritikouPortfolio: ArtStation – Christina KritikouPrices and Commission Info: Quoted to order.Contact Details: Catilus | FacebookChristina Kritikou specializes in whimsical sketches intended to guide any budding player’s thoughts to life. Her quote-to-order system allows you to utilize your budget by requesting (or subtracting) extra details. She has a highly engaged following on Facebook and is an incredibly active presence in our community – making her a great DnD artist to approach for a commission.3.       Burak Z ÇiçekPortfolio: Burak ÇiçekPrices and Commission Info: burakzcicek@gmail.comContact Details: Burak Çiçek (@burakzcicek)Burak Çiçek is a meticulous DnD artist with incredible control over his work, allowing him to create complex results that commissioners love. He regularly completes high-end art for authors, DMs, and players alike – and his praise is sung all over the internet.4.       GrundalukPortfolio: grundalugPrices and Commission Info: Quoted to order.Contact Details: Morgan (@grundalug)If you are a DM with a vengeance, Grundaluk is an amazing option for custom-building a big bad boss. His gruesome art preference makes him well-suited for a full range of monsters, whether that be from the books or your imagination. His DnD art makes for an epic addition to any final battle and will have your players trembling in their boots as you laugh maniacally.5.       Olga SiegelPortfolio: Olga SiegelPrices and Commission Info: OlgasiegelContact Details: olgasiegelOlga Siegel is a highly rated DnD artist on Fiverr who carefully guides commissioners through the briefing process and guarantees satisfaction. She works off reference images as well as intensive descriptions and makes sure to include every last request when sending through the final result – one that looks like it’s hopped right out of a book.About The Author:A writer from The Everhearth Inn kindly pulled together this wonderful feature on DnD artists.The owners of Everhearth are a tight-knit roleplaying group who have faced many seemingly impossible encounters. Between them, they publish Dungeons and Dragons Guides, Fantasy News, and Cookbook Recipes for Games Night. Fill your mind with insightful and creative DnD content from their Library Resources.

Hexcrawl across sand and sea with a pair of bookless RPG settings geared towards exploration

5 years ago Bert Ballast

It’s commonplace within tabletop RPGs to assume settings and worlds are contained to books – bound pages full of descriptions and tables, maps and illustrations that a group uses to realize the world around their play. A new Kickstarter campaign from small press outfit Games Omnivorous breaks that mold by crowdfunding two detailed settings entirely composed of punch-out hexagonal pieces.

Undying Sands and Bottled Sea both use what Games Omnivorous calls its Hex-n-Screen format, distilling the two environments into easily stored components that emphasize evocative art and adventure hooks over depth of detail and granularity. The Portuguese publisher is bringing back the ENnie-nominated Undying Sands for a second print run alongside the brand-new Bottled Sea setting.

Instead of flipping through pages, groups draw one tile out of the bag at a time and place it on the table. If it’s the first tile of the campaign, the adventure begins there. Otherwise, it expands the map and provides new areas to explore and investigate. The accompanying GM screen will have prompts and bits of information about each square, which the facilitator can use to guide roleplay.

The Bottled Sea takes inspiration from – most evidently – Waterworld and the classic science fiction novel A Canticle for Leibowitz for its alternate dimension of endless waves studded with the wreckage and flotsam of those unlucky enough to be pulled through via wormholes. A society has formed amidst the detritus and temporal refugees, settling into four factions competing for the Harborage’s limited resources.

Undying Sands portrays a different kind of wasteland, as the civilisation at the center of the desert has been rotting from the inside for centuries. Its social structure and architecture echoes Jodorowsky’s Dune and the Mad Max series, pitting the sandblasted survivors outside the Great City against the politically cannibalistic scions within the ancient walls.

Both settings will contain a number of cardboard hex tiles (40 in Bottled Sea, 30 in Undying Sands) and storage bag, a corresponding GM screen and a poster depicting a major dungeon structure groups can discover and plumb in the course of their journeys. The act of drawing a piece out and immediately contemplating the ramifications on the world and the characters a group has already met is exciting, and it’s one less bit of fuss that game runner’s can turn over to their players.

The team behind this concept consists of Adriana Oliveira & Andre Novoa – founders of Games Omnivorous – illustrator Kevin Cannon, graphic design pair lina&nando, editor Brian Yaksha and Mausritter’s Isaac Williams consulting. The project managed to hit its funding goal within the first hour and is currently pushing towards €15,000 ($17,000/£17,000).

The Kickstarter campaign for Undying Sands and Bottled Sea will run through February 9th, and backers can secure a physical copy of each setting for €35 ($40/£40), each. Fulfillment is expected to begin in June of this year.

Fallout Friday January 2022

5 years ago Bert Ballast

By Jon Webb
Welcome Wastelanders once more to #FalloutFriday. The earth has again completed another rotation around the sun, days are getting longer and there is once more some light in the mornings, which means more hobby time for us all.
3D Printing Releases
2022 kicks off with another round of 3D printing STLs, once again themed around everyone’s favourite theme park, Nuka World. The January releases feature six stand alone sets that can be added to your tables. 
The focus is on Dry Rock Gulch but several of the sets were intended to pull double duty, so if you want to feature some oozing Stingwing nests (wouldn’t it be nice to have something to live in them hey…) or the various graveyards and cemeteries of downtown Boston, it’s worth picking up the sets that catch your eye (or else a money saving bundle of all six) and get your printers warming up.

Next month will see a second set of Dry Rock Gulch themed terrain to really make your tables sing and don’t forget to check out all the awesome files already available for more details and vehicles to dress your tables.
https://www.modiphius.net/collections/fallout-wasteland-warfare/fallout_3d-print?sort_by=created-descending
Next week I’ll be announcing a new terrain competition. This will include categories for 3D print, scratch built, resin and mixed entries so no one should feel at a disadvantage and you can focus on terrain done your way. Keep an eye out for more soon.
Scenarios
For those of you who have been following #FalloutFriday since its inception, you may remember we used to feature monthly scenarios. For various technical reasons these fell by the wayside, but we’ve recently added some new games to try out on our downloads page.
Intended to accompany recent releases, these should be of interest to any New Vegas fans. Featuring crashed Vertibirds, Super Mutant radio stations and a cash grab in a casino, anyone looking for some unusual one shot adventures should check them out.
We’ve also added the three part Saugus Ironworks campaign to the same location for those who missed out on the original organised play pack. This linked campaign lets you fight through the Ironworks and fans of Fallout 4 may spot some easter eggs hidden in the shadows.
All the scenarios are available for free from the new home for Wasteland Warfare downloads. https://www.modiphius.net/pages/fallout-downloads
Community Round Up
As ever we end with a run down of some of the community efforts that have caught my eye. To make life easier and ensure I don’t miss anything, please feel free to email jon.webb@modiphius.com with photos and links to anything you are happy to see featured in the #FalloutFriday round ups. Include the # in the email title so I know what it’s about. 
Kicking off with terrain, Levi Roper has been making great use of several of our recent STL releases, mixing them with some scratch built items to make a fantastic Starlight Drive to play over. I’d recommend scrapping any rad barrels in the pond before adding your purifiers, no one wants glowing settlers.

Meanwhile, both Marc Tippler and Aleksy have printed and painted the Pick R Up truck. Marc has gone for the classic Cherry Red look, though the rust and lack of tyres makes me think this one has seen some miles… the red paint work still really punches through nonetheless. 

Aleksy’s version has seen even more years, with some spectacular dust and debris and just the right amount of rust and paint peeling.

December’s Community Champion Corey has been working away on his FDM printed Nuka World terrain and it looks like battle has been joined to secure the remnants of the park.  Once again mixing our STL products with some scratch build and purchased elements makes for a thematic and exciting table to play over. 

Several of you Wastelanders have been hitting the tables and getting in some games. 
Greg Joynson’s Brotherhood of Steel have been exploring the ruins of downtown Boston and seem to have stirred up a camp of Super Mutants.  Another great mix of bought and custom terrain really sets this one off, all brilliantly painted and rendered.

Rainer Statistiker is back with another great battle shot. It looks like some pesky Raiders have come to steal the food and resources the long suffering Settlers have fought to secure.

Over on YouTube, Ryan Rumbolt is back with a series of videos based around the New Vegas campaign. Check them out here on the Wargames News Radio channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WarGamesNewsRadio/videos

To round us out for the month, here are a few paint jobs that grabbed me.
Elfallouther on Instagram has wrapped up a Vertibird for their Enclave officers to travel in style. I’m not sure we should be encouraging their nefarious machinations, but at least they will now look good doing whatever it is they are doing…

In the Twitterverse (sphere, meta? I can’t keep up any more) @JoleiiRacoon has painted up a pair of Securitron Enforcers, looking to bring law and order to the dusty streets of New Vegas. Great work picking out the details of the face plates and missile pods and the addition of a couple of desert clumps really sets off the bases. 

Pawel Galas (Gal0n on Instagram) has cooked up a tasty looking Mirelurk Hunter in the Albino color scheme. Are any Wastelanders brave enough to take it on to put in their pots, I wonder?

Also over on Instagram, Mikey @thelonepainter has been painting up a storm , with Enclave, Brotherhood of Steel, Survivors, Robots and more. This Sole Survivor and Dogmeat leapt out with their punchy colour schemes but do visit the feed to see more top work. 

Rounding out the month is a look back to a classic model from way back in Wave 1. The imposing Super Mutant Behemoth. Daniel Takai has really bought out the definition of the muscles on this hulking brute, with a great skin tone and impressive contrast. 

Wrap-up
Don’t forget to come back next week when we’ll be catching up with our next Community Champion Julian Jeratsch. Julian should be pretty familiar to anyone who follows us each month and we’ll be talking to him about his awesome conversions and thematic bases and where he gets his inspiration from. Till next month, Wastelanders.
Jon. 

Deep Magic: Pestilent Magic Style

5 years ago Bert Ballast

In the spirit of Deep Magic, your caster can now explore the putrid and primal terror of plague and pestilence: the pestilent magic style. Over the course of the nine posts in this feature, this new style will be outlined with new spells, magic items, and class options for the cleric, paladin, and warlock. Will you stand steadfast against specters of affliction that corrupt the living? Or will you take power from contamination and plague all who oppose you?

Pestilent Magic Style

Pestilence is an age-old threat to civilizations young and old. Rumors of plague bear a special kind of terror, carried on the black wings of ravens and the bloody claws of rats. Practitioners of this pestilent magic delve into this primal fear, seeing it as far more than an accidental miasma or wayward curse. At its most evolved, pestilence is an avatar of suffering and corruption, manifesting in the bodies of its victims like a malignant spirit. Some pestilent practitioners would repel disease like a demonic incursion, exorcising pestilent entities or taking them unto themselves, but others welcome it, becoming hosts to terrible afflictions they spread without care.

Pestilent Magic Spell Lists

Traditionally, clerics and paladins form the bulwark of casters defending against plagues, but both divine and arcane magic help spread corruption and disease. The line blurs further between these traditions when a caster takes an interest in the tainted potential within the concepts of disease and vermin, whether to combat or embrace them. As such, all spellcasting classes have at least some access to pestilent magic, but clerics and warlocks have the most potential in this style.

Bard Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)illusion of health (illusion)plague marks (necromancy)pocketful of posies (abjuration)

1st Levelmalaise (illusion)

2nd Levelblindness/deafness (necromancy)stench of rotDM (necromancy)

4th Leveldead man walking (necromancy)death toll (necromancy)

Cleric Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)memento moriDM (necromancy)panacea (abjuration)

1st Leveldetect poison and disease (divination)malaise (illusion)plague doctor’s call (divination)

2nd Levelblindness/deafness (necromancy)conjure vermin (conjuration)plaguebearerDM(abjuration)poisonous fleshDM(transmutation)stench of rotDM (necromancy)

3rd Levelplague walk (necromancy)seeping deathDM (necromancy)

4th Levelaura of filth (necromancy)create plague zombie (necromancy)dead man walking (necromancy)death toll (necromancy)

5th Levelcontagion(necromancy)insect plague(conjuration)reverse contagion (evocation)

6th Levelharm (necromancy)plague hysteria (necromancy)

7th Leveldefile healing (necromancy)

Druid Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)memento moriDM (necromancy)panacea (abjuration)pocketful of posies (abjuration)

1st Leveldetect poison and disease (divination)

2nd Levelconjure vermin (conjuration)stench of rotDM (necromancy)

3rd Levelcloak of verminDM (conjuration)seeping deathDM (necromancy)

4th Levelblight(necromancy)giant insect(transmutation)

5th Levelcontagion (necromancy)insect plague (conjuration)

Paladin Pestilent Spells

1st Leveldetect poison and disease (divination)plague doctor’s calling (divination)

5th Levelreverse contagion (evocation)

Ranger Pestilent Spells

1st Leveldetect poison and disease (divination)

2nd Levelconjure vermin (conjuration)poisonous fleshDM(transmutation)stench of rotDM (necromancy)

Sorcerer Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)memento moriDM(necromancy)

1st Levelray of sickness(necromancy)

2nd Levelblindness/deafness(necromancy)conjure vermin (conjuration)stench of rotDM(necromancy)

3rd Levelplague walk (necromancy)purge (necromancy)

4th Levelblight(necromancy)death toll (necromancy)

5th Levelinsect plague(conjuration)

Warlock Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)illusion of health (illusion)memento moriDM (necromancy)plague marks (necromancy)

1st Levelmalaise (illusion)

2nd LevelplaguebearerDM (abjuration)poisonous fleshDM (transmutation)stench of rotDM (necromancy)

3rd Levelcloak of verminDM (conjuration)plague walk (necromancy)purge (necromancy)seeping deathDM (necromancy)

4th Levelaura of filth (necromancy)blight (necromancy)

5th Levelcontingency boils (necromancy)

6th Levelplague hysteria (necromancy)

7th Leveldefile healingDM (necromancy)

Wizard Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)illusion of health (illusion)memento moriDM (necromancy)plague marks (necromancy)

1st Levelmalaise (illusion)ray of sickness(necromancy)

2nd Levelblindness/deafness(necromancy)conjure vermin (conjuration)plaguebearerDM (abjuration)

3rd Levelpurge (necromancy)

4th Levelblight(necromancy)create plague zombie (necromancy)death toll (necromancy)

DM See Deep Magic

Other spells will be detailed in later blog posts as part of this magic style.

Random Disease Table

The list of nonmagical diseases below is not exhaustive but expands options for diseases to use with contagion, at the GM’s discretion, or to determine options for to-be-detailed class options and pestilent magic spells.

d10Disease1Blinding Sickness (as contagion spell)2Filth Fever (as contagion spell)3Flesh Rot (as contagion spell)4Mindfire (as contagion spell)5Seizure (as contagion spell)6Slimy Doom (as contagion spell)7Cackle Fever8Sewer Plague9Sight Rot10Rotten Pox (see below)

Rotten Pox. This disease is mostly carried by mice, rats, and other small vermin and inflicted through bites. When a humanoid creature is bitten by these vermin or exposed to the open sores of a victim of rotten pox, they must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected.

It takes 1d6 days for rotten pox to manifest in an infected creature. When symptoms begin, the infected creature gains a level of exhaustion from malaise and fever and then develops black, oozing sores on their body. A creature visibly infected with rotten pox suffers disadvantage on all Charisma-based checks and saving throws and can no longer regain hit points except by magical means. The creature’s hit point maximum decreases by 5 (1d10) every 24 hours. If the infected creature’s hit point maximum drops to 0 as a result of this disease, the creature dies.

Toy Vault Announces New 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal' Puzzles

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Toy Vault, Inc. announced new Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal puzzles as well as the return of the LabyrinthMini Worm Plush, which will hit retail stores in 2022.
The Labyrinth puzzle features iconic characters from the movie, including David Bowie’s Goblin King Jareth, Hoggle, and others. The Dark Crystal: The Conjunction puzzle depicts classic characters from the 1982 movie as illustrated by Michael Allred. These 1000-piece puzzles are officially-licensed products via Jim Henson Company.
Alongside the puzzles, the Labyrinth Mini Worm Plush will return to stores. The Worm is one of the more beloved inhabitants of the maze, who has a signature Cockney accent and a red scarf. This plush will retail for $19.99.
Toy Vault, Inc. released new Pathfinder Puzzles last year (see “‘Pathfinder Puzzles'”).
Click on Gallery below for full-size images!

The Hundred Kingdoms' Reinforcements Ride Toward 'Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Para Bellum announced the Neophyte, Mounted Squires, and Tactical Retinue miniatures sets, for Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings miniatures game, will hit retail in February.
Each of these new sets reinforce The Hundred Kingdoms’ armies with new blood. The Neophyte is a command unit that boosts their infantry of the Militia and the Men-at-Arms, while the Tactical Retinue units fly the banners and allow customization options for the Hundred Kingdoms’ characters. The Mounted Squires are light cavalry that crash through enemy lines on horseback. These units will all enhance the agile play-style of The Hundred Kingdoms factions, helping craft its gameplay identity on the tabletop.Last year, Para Bellum added an undead faction to Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings (see ” ‘Conquest'”).
Click on Gallery below for full-size images!

Tidbits From the Q Continuum Consequences of a Crew

5 years ago Bert Ballast

In Star Trek Adventures, when a player attempts a roll, and a d20 comes up a natural 20, bad things happen. These bad things are called Complications.
Now, the player can still succeed on his roll. It isn’t an instant fail like in many d20 games. It’s more like having more Threat than Advantages at the end of a dice roll in Edge of the Empire. The roll succeeds or fails on its own merits, but something else, related to the skill attempt, happens.
I’m a big fan of taking away the crew’s toys on the ship. Roll a 20 while attempting to scan a system? The scanners short out. Roll a 20 firing the phasers? Phasers short out. You get it. I fall back on these because it’s easy to figure out what needs to be done to eliminate the Complication. The broken part of the ship needs to be fixed. Suddenly, the Engineer character gets to be the hero after taking a back seat to the crew members involved with diplomacy and combat for hours on end.
When a Complication is rolled, it becomes a scene Trait that lasts until the crew can eliminate it. Getting rid of a Complication requires a Difficulty 2 task roll. This isn’t the easiest thing to roll, but it appears to be a baseline of difficulty for rolls in Star Trek Adventures. And why shouldn’t a moderate difficulty roll be the baseline? The characters in this game aren’t start-up adventurers. They’re the best of Starfleet at the top of their game. We’ll talk about consequences of that in a future article.
What kind of Complications can we do in Combat or physical scenes? Twisting an ankle. Breaking a bone. In the Next Generation era these injuries won’t take a character out of action for more than a couple of moments, thanks to breakthroughs in healing. It makes sense that a Difficulty 2 Medicine roll would be sufficient for treating this injury, given what we see from the source material.
My favorite kinds of Complications occur during the diplomacy scenes. Especially if there’s a language barrier for some reason. Create Complications of Misunderstood Meaning to sow doubt amongst the alien diplomats about whether they want to have anything to do with the Federation. Have a character who’s a lady’s man like Captain Kirk? Create a Complication like Realized this Man Slept With My Wife. Bring in character backstories and personalities… so that the characters have to answer for their actions.
An important thing about assigning a Complication is making sure there’s a way to remove it… and even more importantly that there’s a way for a character to shine when doing so. Let’s take the Realized This Man Slept With My Wife Complication. There are many paths to take to remove this Complication. Using Command, a more diplomatic route is taken to ease ill feelings. Fitness can be used to resolve the matter in a good old-fashioned fist fight. Use that primal urge of men to beat their problems out of one another and then be good spirited towards one another afterward. Reason can be used to use logic to explain away the circumstances of the infidelity or create reasons why it should be disregarded. Presence is a fun one. That’s putting on a huge smile and trying to make up… or intimidating the diplomat and making him feel ashamed for bringing personal feelings into diplomatic business. Daring can involve making a threat to do something rash if things don’t calm down. Ordering the weapons to be brought online is a Daring move when used in a diplomatic way. Insight can be used to look within and empathize with the diplomat, understanding how he feels and feeling horrible this situation happened.
Let’s not forget about Disciplines. Conn is a difficult one. Changing the subject to admire the diplomat’s ship and talk about its capabilities might work for a ship jockey like Tom Paris. Medicine isn’t just fixing broken bones. It’s also the skill for psychiatry. Getting into the diplomat’s head and talking about his frustration knowing about this affair can get the diplomat to get past the incident.
From this Complication that could halt all negotiations, we have ways using all the Attributes and some of the Disciplines to remove the Complication, making it a very effective Complication. With Conn, we have a way for the Conn officer to resolve it. With Medicine, we have a way for the Counselor to get involved. The offending party on the crew has a wide amount of tactics to try to weasel out of this unfortunate situation
When assigning a Complication, don’t think just how you’re going to put a roadblock in the crew’s way, but think of how you can get a wide variety of the crew to get a moment in the spotlight as they step up to resolve the Complication.
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Dungeons & Dragons’ creative campaigns are making up for its boring sourcebooks

5 years ago Bert Ballast

A new sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5E called Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse was revealed earlier this week. I have to say, I was entirely uninspired by it. Essentially a compilation of existing D&D content – mainly playable species to choose from and monsters to fight – Monsters of the Multiverse does nothing to ignite my excitement for the roleplaying game, which is sometimes hard enough to do considering that D&D 5E is far from my favourite RPG.
Nevertheless, I’ve always found Dungeons & Dragons’ sourcebooks to be more interesting than its campaign books, mostly because they provide the tools dungeon masters and players need to construct their own storylines, rather than just laying out a set path. D&D is just a better game when DMs and players are free to interpret and use it however they want, rather than having to follow the rules and scenarios to the letter. However, in the past couple of years, I’ve found myself increasingly getting less excited about the sourcebook releases and more invested in the fantasy RPG’s campaign books.
A large part of this is that it feels like the sourcebook side of Dungeons & Dragons has recently been on autopilot, with the last few releases focusing on either catalogue-style collections, in the vein of the recent Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, or based on an existing setting. While sourcebooks like Volo’s Guide to Monsters are certainly useful in many situations, such as when players want to create a character using a species not featured in the Player’s Handbook, they’re not something I want to just sit down and read in an evening – they’re better served as reference material that’s perhaps opened a couple of times during a campaign.

Sourcebooks that are set in existing settings or worlds, such as any of the Magic: The Gathering-adjacent books, or books that build upon settings introduced elsewhere, feel creatively stale. I’m not familiar with the Theros or Strixhaven card sets released for Magic: The Gathering, so I don’t exactly have any fan investment in seeing D&D sourcebooks set in those worlds. I’d honestly rather Wizards of the Coast published more sourcebooks based in original settings. Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the sourcebook set in the world of actual play series Critical Role, felt like something that would be popular at the time of its release, but wouldn’t be one that players would come back to in the future.
Rime of the Frostmaiden felt like a new kind of horror, one where players were fighting against terrifying odds.
Otherwise, we’ve had sourcebooks that have gone back to settings introduced in other Dungeons & Dragons books – such as last year’s Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, which revitalised the world previously introduced in the classic Curse of Strahd campaign. These are probably the sourcebooks I have the least issue with, besides those that focus on an entirely original setting, as they can provide fresh insight into a setting that players might have experienced tangentially.
In lieu of these uninspiring sourcebook releases, it feels like the campaign book side of Dungeons & Dragons 5E has been stepping in to pick up the creative slack. Whereas the recent D&D 5E sourcebooks have introduced one or two interesting changes over the last few years – such as removing set ability score increases for specific playable species and removing species alignments – the RPG’s campaign books have been exploring all sorts of exciting avenues.

The most recent D&D sourcebook – Monsters of the Multiverse – is yet another catalogue-style release. Image: Wizards of the Coast.

2020’s Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden might not have offered anything new when it comes to setting, but it presented DMs and players with a campaign that had a distinct atmosphere and tone of survival horror. D&D content has touched on horror in the past with the likes of Tomb of Annihilation and Curse of Strahd, but Rime of the Frostmaiden felt like a new kind of horror. One where players were fighting against terrifying odds, where the goal wasn’t to provide another power fantasy but a narrative about coming to terms with the possibility of failure.
I’d rather D&D 5E books focus on exploring new settings not affiliated with any outside brands.
Similarly, last year’s Wild Beyond the Witchlight enabled players to explore the realm of the Feywilds, which has always had so much potential because it feels like DMs can get away with concocting almost anything, regardless of how strange it might be. Though many DMs have been providing players with ways of navigating scenarios without the need for violence, this was also the first official Dungeons & Dragons book to actively promote non-combat methods for overcoming obstacles and engaging with potential enemies.
With the upcoming release of the latest campaign book, Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, I’m hoping that this side of Dungeons & Dragons doesn’t begin slipping into creative stagnation as well. I’m not 100% sure whether the storyline for the book will be based on any existing narrative from the actual play’s second campaign, with players set to explore the continent of Marquet – the main location of Critical Role’s current campaign – in search of a champion. This could be an opportunity for fans and players alike to experience an entirely fresh story within the world created by Matthew Mercer.

When it comes down to it though, I’d rather D&D 5E books focus on exploring new settings not affiliated with any outside brands, or those that players and DMs have become overly familiar with. If a sourcebook does return to an older setting – which it looks like it will, according to an announcement made at last year’s D&D Celebration – I’d prefer it feature a perspective we might not have seen before or new gameplay mechanics that allow players to approach the RPG differently, rather than just another set of subclasses and more creatures to stab.
While retrospective changes like the Vistani people in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft being re-written to removal harmful Romani stereotypes, as well as the minor alterations to playable species in character creation, are a step in the right direction, I wish D&D 5E would take more risks than just releasing yet another catalogue sourcebook.

D&D: The College Of Tragedy Makes Being Emo Intensely Powerful

5 years ago Bert Ballast

What if you could wield sorrow itself to make your party better? Here’s why the new College of Tragedy subclass will lead the black parade.

Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn is the beefy new book that takes you headlong into the world of Exandria, specifically the continent of Tal’dorei. It’s an awesome new campaign setting, complete with four brand-new subclasses and five returning favorites.
Today we’re looking at the Bard that exists for all you fans of My Chemical Romance. If you are looking for a Bard that can wake you up inside, you’ll want to look no further than my favorite new subclass, the College of Tragedy Bard.
So wake up, grab a brush, put on a little makeup as we dive into the new Bard.
What is the College of Tragedy?
The College of Tragedy is, in a nutshell, a support-focused Bard subclass that excels at manipulating die rolls. Basically they make the party hit harder and they do it by messing with fate. How you ask? Like most Bard Colleges, their mechanics revolve around using your Bardic Inspiration.
Level 3

At Level 3, the biggest feature is Sorrowful Fate. This is the core mechanic of the class. By “exploiting a foe’s peril” the Bard instills deep feelings of sorrow and doom. Mechanically, this means you can spend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to change a saving throw from whatever it is to Charisma instead.
This is a powerful move, because most monsters aren’t great at Charisma. You can use this to make monsters more vulnerable to your party’s magic. But on top of that you also deal psychic damage equal to whatever you roll on the Inspiration die.
If it dies anywhere up to a minute afterwards? This ability causes it to utter darkly poetic final words. Sure you can only use this ability once per rest, but it’s a powerful way to shut things down.
You also get Poetry In Misery, a nice little ribbon feature that will on occasion be very useful. It lets you regain Bardic Inspiration whenever you or an ally nearby rolls a 1 on a d20, which won’t come up often, but it’ll take the sting out of failure a bit.
Level 6

At 6th level, you get another two abilities that play into the theme. Tale of Hubris is the one your DM will flinch from reflexively, and it is going to make this Bard a Barbarian’s best friend. Here’s why:
“When a creature scores a critical hit against you or an ally within 60 feet of you that you can see, you can use your reaction and expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to target the attacking creature and evoke the story of their downfall. For 1 minute or until the target suffers a critical hit, any weapon attack against the target scores a critical hit on a roll of 18-20.”
It’s really not as powerful as you think. Tale of Hubris will only come up every so often and only benefits one roll, which is about what a Bardic Inspiration does. But it’s very nice.
You also get Impending Misfortune, which lets you gain a +10 bonus to one attack roll or saving throw–but at the cost that your next attack roll or saving throw takes a -10 penalty. Unless you take a rest first.
Level 14
Level 14 is the capstone for the College of Tragedy subclass. With Nimbus of Pathos, you can empower a willing creature with tragic heroism, which gives you a brief, tragic burst of incredible power.
You get a +4 bonus to AC, advantage on attacks and saves, and you deal extra damage–however attacks against you are critical hits on an 18-20. And you immediately drop to 0 hit points after a minute. But by level 14, that’s no problem at all.
And that’s the College of Tragedy Subclass

Wizards of the Coast Pushes Back 'Magic's' 'Unfinity'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Wizards of the Coast has pushed back the release of the Unfinity set, for Magic: The Gathering, due to ongoing supply chain issues.
Unfinity, the latest Un-set, was set to release on April 1, 2022 (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’ ‘D&D’ and ‘Masters’ Sets”). The supply chain problems were specific to the Unfinity product line, thus WotC opted to push the set’s release off till the second half of 2022. Additionally, Unfinity promos will no longer ship with retailers’ Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty marketing kits, and will be sent out closer to Unfinity’s actual release date.For more information on future releases of Magic products, check out ICv2’s 2022 calendar (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’ Release Calendar For 2022/2023”).

Archon Studio Announces New Dragon for 'Dungeons and Lasers'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Archon Studio announced the  Dragon of Schmargonrog and Torture Chambers kits, for Dungeons and Lasers, which will release on January 25, 2022.
The Dragon of Schmargonrog comes as an multipart plastic (HIPS) model on sprues, which builds a sculpt of a dragon standing on a lava flow. This miniature stands 6.2″ tall and sits on a 50 mm base. It will retail for $29.00.The Torture Chambers adds a grim module to a Dungeons and Lasers fantasy terrain set (see “‘Fantasy Starter Set'”). This module walls and floors are compatible with 30 mm gridded tabletop systems, and comes on sprues. It will retail for $25.00.
Click on Gallery below for full-size images!

Stonewall 1969 – A War Story is an RPG about the history of LGBTQIA+ rights

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Tell stories in the run-up to the historical riots that made LGBTQIA+ rights heard in Stonewall 1969 – A War Story, an upcoming roleplaying game.
Stonewall 1969 is set in the lead up to the Stonewall Riots, an event that saw members of the LGBTQIA+ community in 1960s New York revolt against police violence and oppression. During 1969, the NYPD invaded the Stonewall Inn – a gay bar in Greenwich Village – and proceeded to harass and attack the people inside, due to rampant discrimination against LGBTQIA+. In response to the raid, the club-goers and other members of the community fought back against the police department’s attacks, resulting in riots that lasted for days and a historical event that changed the stage for the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights.
A queer tabletop RPG that enables the players to explore the run-up to the event, Stonewall 1969 has players immersing themselves in the time-period, which includes the game using language that is no longer used to describe members of the LGBTQIA+ community. From a pool of 14 different characters, players will be able to choose their character and guide them through the world of the LGBTQIA+ scene in 1960s New York. Each character in Stonewall 1969 has their own identities and questions that will determine their relationship with the others, as well as what kind of themes players can expect to explore. Queer identities aren’t the only factors considered in Stonewall 1969, with intersectional ideas of social class, gender identity and race also included.

At the beginning of the game, every character is introduced as being ‘ill’, meaning that they have been forced to hide their identities and true selves due to oppression from the police system, government, society and other oppressive organisations. Over the course of the game, players will attempt to move their characters towards a state of being ‘healed’ – when characters are aware of who they truly are and are ready to fight to affirm their right to exist – or ‘healing’, meaning that though they aren’t prepared to fully dedicate their life to the fight they will never go back to being ‘ill’ again.
Over the course of a prologue, five acts and an epilogue, the players will explore the historical context of the period and encounter various conflicts that can push their characters into action or further repression. As a GM-less RPG, players will use background and story cards, as well as scene cards, to push the narrative forward and provide catalysts for change. In the final stages of the game, players will decide what the consequences of the riots were for their characters and how they chose to live their lives afterwards.
Stonewall 1969 – A War Story was created by a diverse team of people – many of whom identify as LGBTQIA+ – such as author and game designer Stefano Burchi, project manager Marta Palvarini, the artists at Studio Caraba, which is a collective that seeks to provide stories with better representation, main artist Michela Da Sacco and character artist Sonia Grossi.

Asterisco Edizioni, an independent Italian publisher that’s committed to supporting the work of marginalised groups, is set to release Stonewall 1969 – A War Story, with an English language version also available.
A Kickstarter campaign for Stonewall 1969 – A War Story is live until February 17th, with a pledge of €55 (£46/$62) getting backers a physical version of the RPG in November. Alternatively, backers can pledge €18 (£15/$20) to get a digital print-and-play version.

Battle Royal and PUBG inspired this horror sci-fi tabletop RPG

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Fight for survival in a dystopian future world where people are made to hunt one another in the upcoming tabletop roleplaying game, The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station.

Inspired by the likes of 2000 Japanese thriller Battle Royal – a film in which a class of school children are forced to fight one another in an arena – The Hunger Games, a series of young adult novels about a dystopian USA in which children from different class backgrounds must battle for the amusement of the rich elite, and the multiplayer video game PUBG, which challenges teams of players to be the last one standing on in an ever-decreasing map, The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station presents a science-fiction setting where victims find themselves in a bloody tourist attraction.

After a routine two weeks of cryosleep, the players in The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station are awoken in a destination they don’t recognise, in the custody of people they don’t know. During the horror RPG, the player characters become pawns in the twisted games played by the owners of the space station they’re trapped inside, forced to participate in a gladiatorial arena that could end in everyone’s demise – unless they can find a way out. With several rival factions present on the station, the player characters might be able to gain favour and get off the wretched station.
The sci-fi roleplaying game uses the Mothership gameplay system, which sees players taking on different roles within their team, with each role having certain proficiencies unique to them. Whenever a player character attempts to perform an action, they must roll a d100 to see whether they fumble with anything. As the situation worsens and the characters find themselves in more desperate situations, the likelihood of them making mistakes is increased and the tension heightens.

The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station was written by Christian Sorell, whose previous tabletop RPG releases include several expansions designed to be used with the dark fantasy RPG Mörk Borg – such as a new class called the pallid jailor and a fungal character called Papa Mush – alongside a solo roleplaying game called Lay Me Down. Editing for The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station was done by Vi Huntsman, with artwork for the RPG from Roque Romero.
A Kickstarter campaign for The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station is set to launch as part of the Zimo 2022 event on February 1st, with pledge amounts yet to be confirmed.

IDW's G.I. Joe and Transformers Licenses to Conclude at End of Year

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Two of IDW Publishing’s Hasbro licenses, G.I. Joe and Transformers, will conclude at the end of 2022, the company told ICv2 this evening.  IDW will continue publishing comics based on both licenses throughout the year, and its licenses for two other Hasbro properties, My Little Pony and Dungeons & Dragons comics, will continue.
“At the end of 2022, IDW will bid a fond farewell to the publication of G.I. JOE and Transformers comic books and graphic novels,” the company said in a statement. “We’re exceedingly proud of our stewardship of these titles – 17 years with the Robots in Disguise and 14 years with A Real American Hero – and thank the legion of fans for their unwavering support, month in and month out. We’re also eternally grateful to every one of the talented creators who helped bring these characters to four-color life through our comics.”The monthly Transformers and Transformers: Beast Wars series will come to an end during the summer, but IDW still has more content in the pipeline. “With these two stories coming to a close, that paves the way for two new miniseries events which longtime Transformers fans will never see coming!” the publisher said in its statement. “IDW will also publish a variety of special one-shot projects spotlighting heroes and villains from across Transformers history.”
G.I. Joe will conclude with issue #300, and IDW will move forward with G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures, which was announced last year (see “IDW Launching Two New Series Based on Hasbro Properties”). “[T]hroughout the year, we will have a handful of special hush-hush projects planned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of everyone’s favorite daring, highly trained, special mission force,” the company said.
The statement concluded with news about two other Hasbro licenses: “For readers of our My Little Pony and Dungeons & Dragons comics, never fear! IDW will continue its wonderful working partnership with Hasbro on these projects, and we encourage fans to stay tuned to IDW’s social media for huge new project news in February and March relating to those titles!”
IDW’s license to publish all-ages Marvel comics ended at the end of 2021, and Dark Horse acquired the rights to publish Star Wars comics for young readers, which IDW had been publishing, beginning this spring (see “Dark Horse to Publish All-Ages Star Wars Comics and Graphic Novels”).

January Scenario Previews

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Hello, Starfinders!

It’s January, and that means it’s a new month, a new year, and new… lessons? That’s right! We’re sending a team of rookie Starfinders back for more training in our next scenario!

When a simulated training mission becomes infected by the Data Scourge, the PCs are trapped in Guidance’s corrupted, rapidly deteriorating systems. To save Guidance, the PCs must counter the virus from inside the digital realm and escape before the system shuts down completely. Starfinder Society Scenario #4-13: Hard Reset is a scenario for levels 1–4, written by Joseph Blomquist.

Want to unravel the mystery of the Data Scourge? This is the adventure for you!

Stay safe in there, Starfinders! I’m not sure how long we’ve got until… Wait, is that howling I hear…?

(I’m sure it will be fine…)

Jessica CatalanStarfinder Society Developer

Illustration by Alexander Ngo, A snarling green fragmenting digital hound.

This month is quite a perilous one for Pathfinder Society’s Inner Sea lodges! You might say we’re looking to shatter a sanctuary or two. In other words, both of our new Pathfinder Society scenarios this month are part of the Year of Shattered Sanctuaries metaplot!

Our first adventure takes the PCs to the port city of Sedeq in southern Qadira. The Pathfinder Society had previously sent a group of agents to take up residence in their brand new Sedeq lodge, but the agents never arrived!

I’m extremely excited for you to learn what awaits the PCs when they go to investigate the lodge. I think GMs and players alike are going to enjoy the excellent mix of roleplaying, combat, puzzles, and memorable characters in this adventure.

I hope you enjoy Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-08: Foundation’s Price, written by Letterio Mammoliti. This adventure for levels 1–4 is the first scenario in a two-part metaplot arc taking place in Qadira.

Left to right: Safa a djinni vizier by Felipe Fornitani and Po’ogaat a grippli monk by Tom Ventre

In our second adventure for January, the PCs are part of an elite task force sent to the beleaguered and besieged Pathfinder lodge in Sothis, Osirion, known as the Sandswept Hall. Undead have been surging up from somewhere in the lodge’s basement, and it’s up to the PCs to undertake dangerous missions and strike back at the army of the dead. Seriously, if you asked me how many undead are in this adventure, I’d be hard pressed to come up with an answer. I lost count.

There are so many undead in Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-09: The Secluded Siege, written by Lysle Kapp. This adventure for levels 5–8 is the first scenario in a two-part metaplot arc taking place in Osirion.

Explore! Report! Cooperate! Have fun stopping the castle from being stormed!

Mike KimmelPathfinder Society Developer

Modiphius Will Release Two New 'Dune RPG' Dice Sets

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Modiphius Entertainment will release two new Dune RPG Dice Sets and a Fallout RPG GM’s Toolkit into retail on February 1, 2022.
Roleplayers can now show their House pride by rolling with these new dice sets for the Dune RPG (see “‘Dune’ RPG”). They come in Atreides or Harkonnen-colored sets, and each set comes with five D20 dice. They will retail for $19.99 each. The Fallout RPG GM’s Toolkit comes with everything a GM would need to bring the Wasteland to life. It includes a GM booklet with tips and tables as well as maps for the Commonwealth, Wasteland, and Downtown post-nuclear Boston. The kit also has character sheet pads, and die-cut Nuka Cola tokens. This product will retail for $30.00.

'Simon's Cat' Stalks the Tabletop

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Polish game publisher MDR is launching a trio of games based on the web cartoon Simon’s Cat.  The games will be available to retailers in the U.S. starting next week through Impressions.
All three games feature artwork from Simon’s Cat creator Simon Tofield, drawn from the artist’s YouTube series of animated shorts.  They feature simple game mechanics based on reaction time and are suitable for ages 5 and up.  Players watch as cards are reviled, and score points by recognizing card combinations and quickly calling out “Simon’s Cat” when the cat appears.  The three titles are:

Simon’s Cat – Dinner Date, in which the players try to help the cat hunt up snacks.
Simon’s Cat – Lunch Time, where the players are trying to find hidden treats.
Simon’s Cat – Total Mess, that has players trying to find things the cat knocked over.

All three games are designed for 2 to 8 players, ages 5 and up, and take about 10 minutes to play.  They are sold separately, with an MSRP of $15.99 each.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Tennant, Payton, Day, Hale & More Join Cast

5 years ago Bert Ballast

With Amazon Prime Video & Critical Role’s highly-anticipated The Legend of Vox Machina set to hit the streaming service on January 28, viewers were in for an excellent surprise when the series was given the spotlight during today’s “Fanimation Week” event from Amazon’s Fanology). Along with the core Critical Role cast, the series sees some major talent coming aboard for some animated adventuring- names like Stephanie Beatriz, David Tennant, Tony Hale, Khary Payton, Mason Alexander Park, and many, many more (as you’re about to see).Image: Screencap
In the final part of their behind-the-scenes documentary series, the Critical Role team introduces viewers to the extended cast lending their voices to The Legend of Vox Machina– here’s a look:

The guest stars include Beatriz as Lady Kima, Hale as Sir Fince, Tennant as General Krieg, Dominic Monaghan as Archibald Desnay, Stephen Root as Professor Anders, Gina Torres as Keeper Yennen, Felicia Day as Captain of Emon, and Indira Varma as Lady Allura Vysoren. Okay, now take a deep breath because that’s not all. The animated series also boasts Anjali Bhimani as Head Cleric, Eugene Byrd as Jarrett, Esmé Creed-Miles as Cassandra de Rolo, Darin De Paul as Kerrion Stonefell, Grey Griffin as Delilah Briarwood, Bobby Hall (aka rapper Logic) as Palace Guard, Kelly Hu as Dr. Anna Ripley, Sunil Malhotra as Gilmore, Rory McCann as Duke Vedmire, Max Mittelman as Desmond, Khary Payton as Sovereign Uriel Tal’Dorei, Mason Alexander Park as the Tavern Keeper, Stacey Raymond as Bryn, and Tracie Thoms as the Everlight.

Based on the beloved characters and adventures of Critical Role’s first live-streamed tabletop role-playing game (RPG) campaign, The Legend of Vox Machina is an animated fantasy-adventure series for adults that follows Vox Machina, a band of misfits with a fondness for boozing and brawling. In a desperate attempt to pay off their mounting bar tab, these unlikely heroes end up on a quest to save the realm of Exandria from dark magical forces. From a sinister necromancer to a powerful curse, the group confronts a variety of obstacles that not only test their skills but also the strength of their bond.
Critical Role founders and cast members Laura Bailey (The Last of Us: Part II), Taliesin Jaffe (Final Fantasy XIV), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), Marisha Ray (Final Fantasy XV), Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Travis Willingham (Marvel’s Avengers) star. The Legend of Vox Machina is a production of Amazon Studios, Critical Role, and Titmouse for Amazon Prime Video. The Critical Role cast also serves as executive producers alongside Brandon Auman (Star Wars: Resistance) and Chris Prynoski (Metalocalypse).
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D&D: The Five Best Sorcerer Subclasses

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Sorcerers are fonts of power…unlimited power–as long as they’ve got the spell slots. Here are the five best Sorcerer subclasses.

Sorcerers are a mainstay of D&D and have been since 3rd edition. They’re the beautiful disaster person’s answer to the erudite Wizard. Where the Wizard “thinks about their problems” and “makes good life decisions,” Sorcerers rely on their Charisma to get them through.
This is why there are a lot of good-looking casters who aren’t very bright in D&D. Nevertheless, Sorcerers are a fantastic magic-using class. They have one of the best spell lists in the game. And the right subclass can take you over the top.

With an array of Origins that give you arcane powers from a variety of places, which one should you pick? Fret no more. Here are the five best Sorcerer subclasses in 5th Edition.
Draconic Bloodline

Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers are the OG Sorcerer. They’re also one of the better ones out there. They represent a good bar for what makes a good Sorcerer.
They get effectively a free, always on Mage Armor and one extra hit point per level of Sorcerer. And at higher levels, they get to play with elemental energies. Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers can add extra damage to certain spells and you can become resistant to damage if you need to.
DB Sorcerers take a while to get going, but eventually gain dragon wings and a frightful presence, which is very nice if your game goes that far.
Shadow Sorcerer

Shadow sorcerers are all about playing with the darkness. To wit, at 1st level you gain long darkvision, and at 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast a Darkness that you (and you alone) can see through.
But what really makes this one of the five best Sorcerer subclasses, is its ability to summon a Hound of Ill Omen for a paltry number of sorcery points. Whenever it’s near a target, you can use it to instantly impose disadvantage on an enemy. You effectively gain Heightened Spell metamagic, but better, and it lasts longer for about the same cost in sorcery points.
Along side all of this, you get to be a creepy shadow mage. What’s not to love about that? Find some shadows and broooooood.
Divine Soul

Divine Soul Sorcerers really kick Sorcerers into high gear. While the other subclasses are good, this one is the start of Sorcerers being great. It also highlights what Sorcerers need more than anything else: more spells known.
Divine Soul lets you expand your spell selection. You get an extra 1st level spell known and you can level that spell up with the Cleric spell list as you go. Your sorcerer can pick up Aid or Spirit Guardians or the like, which really changes the way they play the game. Honestly the rest of the subclass almost doesn’t matter–and even though they’re a little lackluster in terms of features, it’s still one of the top five.
Aberrant Mind

Tasha’s Cauldron shows how D&D is changing. And nowhere is the growth curve as apparent as it is in the Sorcerer subclasses. Introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the Aberrant Mind is one of the top two Sorcerer subclasses. And again, the best thing about it is that it gets about twice the number of spells that any other Sorcerer (except Clockwork Soul) would have.

The biggest thing about this is you get ten extra spells known. It’s like Domain Spells for Clerics, but you can instead swap them out as you level up. And you can pick a divination or enchantment spell from the Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard lists as you do. This really opens up not just the list of options you have to pick from but your total spell repertoire.
And that would be enough to put it head and shoulders above the others. Except you also get some pretty cool abilities. Like Psionic Sorcery, which lets you cast spells with the power of your mind (Sorcery Points), without needing to spend components ever. Making those spells immune to countering, and cheap if they require expensive components.
Clockwork Soul

The Clockwork Soul is the other Sorcerer sitting at the top of the tree. And much like the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, it’s all down to the fact that it gets ten extra spells. Except the list is limited to abjuration or transmutation spells from the Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard list. You get Aid, Wall of Force, Summon Construct–some of the best spells for their level out there.
But then on top of that, you get features that you’ll use way more often. You gain the ability to cancel advantage or disadvantage, which you can use offensively against your enemies or defensively to help your friends (or you).
And at 6th level, you can start to reduce damage that comes in for Sorcery points. With the right spells and features, you can out-tank your Fighter in terms of hit point damage. Again though, all that really matters are the spells here.
What are your picks for the best D&D Sorcerer Subclass? Let us know in the comments!

Wanderhome studio’s next game dumps Kickstarter to crowdfund on Indiegogo

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Possum Creek Games, the indie design studio behind Wanderhome, Sleepaway and Wickedness announced it will no longer use Kickstarter due to its interest in researching and funding blockchain technology. Instead, the upcoming Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast will be hosted on Indiegogo with a campaign launching March 22nd.
Announced last year (but in the works since before Wanderhome was published), Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast combines the low-stakes drama of slice-of-life storytelling with a more structured roleplay experience where the establishment’s six residents and workers are fixed, existing characters. Groups will instead choose to embody members of the cast – from the Knight-turned-frog cook Parish to Hey Kid, an abandoned devil-child with verve to spare and a penchant for disaster.
Possum Creek Games originally planned to follow in the footsteps of Wanderhome and launch its next game on Kickstarter. Wanderhome earned over $300,000 in crowdfunding and has enjoyed massive popularity and critical acclaim relative to the indie tabletop scene. Those plans changed when Kickstarter announced in December of last year that it planned to develop an open-source protocol built on the blockchain and eventually migrate its entire website there sometime in 2022.
Fuck Kickstarteror; why we’re making the scariest choice possum creek has ever had to make.(PLEASE READ THE WHOLE ANNOUNCEMENT!)— jay Dragon knows stuff (@jdragsky) January 20, 2022
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“Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast is the first large TTRPG on Indiegogo (so obviously this is a huge risk we’re very nervous about) but we’re hoping to forge a new path forward for TTRPG creators so they aren’t depending on a union-busting anti-creator corporation,” Possum Creek wrote in a press release.
Designer and Possum Creek Games founder Jay Dragon explained the decisions in a recent Twitter thread, breaking down the fears and risks involved with leaving Kickstarter’s massive and well-established shadow while still cutting the legs out from under the team’s efforts. Indiegogo reportedly contacted Possum Creek directly in early January with the possibility of moving the game to their site – making it one of the first and biggest upcoming tabletop RPGs on a platform more familiar with board games.
Dragon said in the thread that Indiegogo presented “an anti-crypto stance, anti-fraud protections, commitments to green tech and creators”, which cut against the rumours they had heard in the past. Dragon was also pleasantly surprised to speak with a real person, something they claim Kickstarter never provided even as Possum Creek told the company it was formally and indefinitely leaving.

The move away from Kickstarter, even to another corporate solution, is not without cost. “We’ve estimated we’re going to have to work 30% harder at marketing to compensate for the loss of Kickstarter, and the thought of all that is scary and uncertain,” Dragon said on Twitter. “We are lucky, as a small press with an established audience, that we can even take this risk and hop to IGG. Many other folks can’t make that decision, [and] our choice is not an excuse to attack other creators.”
Dragon wraps up by explaining that Indiegogo may not be the final home for Possum Creek projects in the future, but Kickstarter’s ubiquity insulates it from criticism not backed by action. Planning a crowdfunding campaign requires a lot of work and time, so the tabletop community might see more high-profile projects migrating away from Kickstarter as 2022 continues.
“Possum Creek has an emotional responsibility to help make the world a better place, and this switch is part of that. It might feel weird at first, but sometimes the best path can feel scary and new. We hope you’ll come with us,” Dragon said.

'North Africa: Mid-war Forces' Muster for 'Flames of War'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Battlefront Miniatures and Gale Force Nine will release the North Africa:  Mid-war Forces book for the Flames of War tabletop miniatures game.  The British Crusader Armoured Squadron is also on its way.
North Africa:  Mid-war Forces offers updated army lists for the main protagonists in the Western Desert and Mediterranean theaters, including German, Italian, British, and American forces.  The army lists include armored, mechanized, infantry, and airborne forces and feature elite specialists such as British Commandos and American Rangers.  In addition, the book has detailed histories of the units involved in the conflict and painting guides to help players develop and paint their armies as well as color photos of painted models.MSRP is $50.00.
The British Crusader Armoured Squadron provides a full British North African fighting force.  This all-plastic model kit includes 15 tanks, 4 armored cars, and 4 25 pdr guns along with a complete “Start Here” rulebook, decals, and unit cards.  MSRP is $110.00.  All models supplied unpainted.  Assembly required.
Click Gallery below to see images from the book and models from the kit.
Gale Force Nine will also soon release an expansion for its Dune board game (see “Galeforce Nine Announces ‘Dune:  A Game of Conquest, Diplomacy & Betrayal’ House Expansion”) and a new Doctor Who board game (see “Gale Force Nine Will Release ‘Doctor Who:  Don’t Blink’ into U.S. Retail

Green Ronin’s new RPG Cthulhu Awakens will attempt to transcend cosmic horror’s baked-in bigotry

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Seattle-based outfit Green Ronin Publishing announced Jan 19th that it is developing a tabletop RPG steeped in the cosmic horror Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft – but without all the racism and other social evils the author tended to truck into his fiction. Cthulhu Awakens heads to Kickstarter on February 15th.

Green Ronin is the publisher behind RPG adaptations of both The Expanse and Dragon Age, along with a fantasy and modern setting built around its in-house Adventure Game Engine, or AGE. Essentially, skills and challenges are assigned a target number, and players must meet or exceed that target by rolling two six-sided dice. If they roll doubles, a third d6 provides a resource for pulling off feats beyond normal capabilities – and looking cool while doing it.

Cthulhu Awakens will also make use of the AGE system as it explores what’s being called “the Weird Century” between the 1920s and the present day. Groups will be able to set their games anywhere along this timeline and experience an alternate reality rife with ancient threats from the darkest corners of space.

The tabletop space is no stranger to games centered around Cthulhu and Lovecraft’s Mythos. Green Ronin is aiming to differentiate itself by actively curtailing the 20th century author’s widely documented bigotry – much of which inspired and influenced his prolific fiction. The publisher claims Cthulhu Awakens will be a more “inclusive setting” with “distinct visions of the Mythos that provides a new springboard for Cosmic Horror roleplaying”, according to the announcement post.

“The Cthulhu Mythos is one of the pillars of modern roleplaying,” said Green Ronin Publishing president Chris Pramas. “So with the success of Modern AGE it was only natural we explore it, but we wanted to make sure we had the right team and a distinct, inclusive direction for the game.”

The design and writing team includes Sharang Biswas, David Castro, Elizabeth Chaipraditkul, Hiromi Cota, H.D. Ingham, Khaldoun Khelil, Danielle Lauzon, Ian Lemke, Monte Lin, Jack Norris, and Malcolm Sheppard. Many of these members have extensive experience designing for tabletop RPGs with dozens of credits between them. Green Ronin did not detail how they would achieve their attempt on a Cthulhu Mythos with modern sensibilities, so it remains to be seen if the gathered talent can realize the company’s goal.

The Kickstarter campaign for Cthulhu Awakens will go live on February 15th in order to fund a hardcover core rulebook with more than 270 full-colour pages. Green Ronin currently expects the RPG to fulfill by the end of 2022 but did not commit to an exact date in the announcement.

Japanime Games Places 'Tokyo Sidekick' on Preorder

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Japanime Games has placed Tokyo Sidekick, a cooperative card game inspired by comics and Japanese pop culture, on preorder. This product is scheduled to release on March 2022.
Tokyo Sidekick is set in a world where Variant Humans exist and heroes need to fight to save the city. Players control a hero and sidekick that have their backgrounds and special abilities, and they must send them out into the city to battle new villains. The heroes and sidekicks will unlock new items and abilities as they level up. When the Heroes defeat two Villains, two Supervillains, and the final boss they win the game.The game is for two to four players, ages 12 and up, and plays in 45-60 minutes. It will retail for $64.95.
There will also be a Big Eyes, Small Mouth supplement based around the Tokyo Sidekick card game. It contains RPG stats for 20 characters from the game, and will retail for $9.99. 
Japanime Games will also release Momiji, a set collection game, into retail stores (see “‘Momiji'”).

D&D: Another Dragon Book Spotted On The Horizon ‘The Game Master’s Book Of Legendary Dragons’

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Spotted on Amazon, The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons promises epic encounters from some interesting names.

A new 5th Edition book has been spotted on Amazon! The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons takes aim at dragons. And while this is a D&D book, it’s not published by Wizards of the Coast.
This dragon doesn’t fit neatly into one of the extant categories, but we still wouldn’t want to fight it
Legendary Dragons appears on Amazon, where it identifies itself as a book for “5th Edition RPG adventures.” Which makes it clear this is another OGL publication.
But it seems a number of designers from WotC past and present are involved—as well as Luke Gygax, founder of GaryCon and D&D luminary in his own right. Other authors include Dan Dillon, a game designer at WotC and Kobold Press alum, as well as James J. Haeck, whose name you’ll recognize from Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn.
The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons has no small amount of playful ribbing—or shots fired, depending—about the state of Dragons in a game that ends with ‘& Dragons’. On the book’s Amazon description, you’ll find statements like:
“Even with the benefit of high-profile gaming supplements, they’ve become generic monsters”
Which is absolutely true. Dragons need a bit of love and spit and polish. Especially in 5th Edition D&D. Which is why I’m excited to see what this book has to offer. Of course, we’ll have to wait until September to find out. But that does mean more D&D books to delve into this year.
The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons – $29.99

Game Masters and players alike are familiar with dragons and the threat they present in the world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying game. They’ve become so well-known, however, that some might say the magic has worn off them a bit. Even with the benefit of high-profile gaming supplements, they’ve become generic monsters, making the dragons in “Dungeons & Dragons” a shadow of their former imposing selves.
In The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons, readers will find more than two dozen truly epic beasts, each of which comes with a complete backstory, a history, motivations, lair actions, legendary combat actions and more. These creatures are designed to be a worthy focus to any campaign, whether as a mind-blowing BBEG for a unforgettable, high-level climax, or as a motivating force that runs in the background of a lower level adventure.
Game Masters will also find new dragon-kin, wyverns, drakes, kobolds and dragon races, plus new dragon-related organizations, skills, classes and magic, including dragon riders, dragon hunters, enhanced spells, aerial combat and airship options, dragon cults, magic items and more.
The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons will provide endless ideas for Game Masters and countless hours of epic-level fun for adventurers willing to test their mettle against the baddest beasts the game has to offer.
The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons is due out in September. We’re excited to see dragon cults. If there’s one thing D&D needs, it’s more Dragon Cults.
Happy Adventuring!

MACE 25 – MORE Attendee Reactions To North Carolina’s Legendary Tabletop Gaming Convention

5 years ago Bert Ballast

At d20 Radio, I talked about my experience as a publisher attending MACE 25, November 12 to 14, 2021 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, North Carolina. At EN World, I spoke with the show’s owner as well as Jodi and Clint Black of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and Carolina Game Tables, and Christina Stiles of Christina Stiles Presents and Misfit Studios (who I’ve interested here about her work on Rogue Mage RPG and JordanCon), getting their perspective. Unfortunately, I ran out of space to share the thoughts of MACE charity raffle organizer, Benjamin Burton, two-time ENnie nominee, Robert H. Hudson Jr, and author, Randall Hayes. Thus, I’m including what they thought of MACE 25 here.
Professional Do Gooder, Benjamin Burton, helped to organize MACE 25’s charity raffle as well as many others. He shares his impressions of MACE 25, in general.
“I thought MACE went very well this year. I’d have liked to of seen more masks being worn, but that was beyond anyone’s control. I had a blast gaming and seeing old friends.
“Compared to previous years? Well I’ve been coming for almost 20 years, and this felt like MACE to me. I remember the smaller years in High Point, [North Carolina], so MACE has never been about numbers to me. There were things missing this year, but it was still a good time.
“MACE intentionally stays a small con. It’s got a personal feel, and I see the same people every year even if I don’t know everyone’s name. You can fit in better with the little hidden gem cons easier sometimes. I love the big cons, but I feel like MACE is my home con.”
As to the charity raffle, what Benjamin accomplished impressed me. With attendance of 425 to 475 fans (down from 2019’s 710 pre-Covid numbers), they managed to break prior records and reach $3,000.
“This was our 4th year doing the raffle. Previously we’d done tournaments for various games to raise money for different non-profits. This year was our most successful by a fair bit. We seem to get better at this every time, and people come to know and expect us now. We get messages leading up to MACE from total strangers about the raffle and donations of loot all weekend. Veterans Bridge Home has been the recipient of our efforts twice now, I suspect that’ll be the case next year too.”
Robert H. Hudson Jr, two-time ENnie nominee and frequent freelancer at Misfit Studios and elsewhere, gave his perspective on the con. First, how did it compare with prior MACEs?
“I think it compared favorably. Every game I was a part of made all of my players (from the GM side of the table) and fellow players (from the player side) had fun; and the convention ran like clockwork. You can’t ask for better than that!”
And your overall impression of the 25th anniversary show?
“I loved it! There were fewer people of course, that was to be expected given the current Covid issues, but it was incredible to finally be able to see old friends, make new ones, and game with them/run games for them after almost two years. Ron [McClung] and Jeff [Smith, the co-organizers of MACE] worked themselves ragged to try and make it a special event, not just because it was the 25th anniversary, but because it was the first return to conventioning for so many people, and they succeeded.
“There were fewer games on the schedule this year than any previous year owing to Covid, but that had a bright side in that I saw a lot of new faces at my table when I ran, and got to game with some new people and new GMs when I wasn’t running.
“I was pleased to see the veteran’s charity raffle back again, having been afraid that they wouldn’t make it after the Covid-skip. There are a lot of veterans among the gaming community (myself among them) and any opportunity for our community to reach out and help our brothers and sisters is always appreciated, especially one so cleverly and expertly designed to appeal to the convention-goers.
“There’s really nothing like MACE in my experience. The games are the thing, and they’re always varied and great; and Ron and Jeff are always working 150% to make it a success – but the real sell for MACE is the people. They all love the same thing – the gaming – and they’re all there, young and old, from just around the corner and three states away, GM and player alike, to share that mutual love with one another.”
Randall Hayes*, former neuroscience researcher, former college professor, and now writer/entrepreneur, with an “in-person game teaching service called Dice for Hire as a side hustle,” attended and shared what he enjoys about the show.
“I’ve been to MACE at least half a dozen times. It’s my favorite small game convention because they run such a tight ship. There are lots of games, and relatively few of them are canceled at the last minute. It happened to me twice this year out of about seven sessions, once on Friday because a board game tutor was late (he texted an apology), and the other was Sunday afternoon, which is almost to be expected. Complaints are taken seriously, and there’s normally a good variety of games. I wish there had been more narrative games this time, but they’re somewhat out of fashion right now. There’s more detail (with a few pictures) in this issue of my newsletter, Doctor Eclectic.”
*Because Randall Hayes’ resume is largely outside of tabletop RPG, I’m sharing bits of it here.
“I’ve done a couple of different blogs over the past ten years, and a podcast, links to which are available at my Substack. I’ve recently published science articles with magazines like PaAbnormal, Utopia Science Fiction, and a previous column at The Intergalactic Medicine Show. Fiction has appeared in Lackington’s Magazine and a couple of anthologies, Mohs 5.5 Mars and American Dread from Muddy Paw Press.
“I did some creative writing as a student, but my professional authorial journey started with technical articles in research journals, which were not that much fun to write. There were silly traditions like writing in third-person, passive voice: ‘Experiments were performed.’ As though simply saying that you were objective made it true. That was the culture, though. Then I started doing volunteer science journalism on the radio for KPFT, the Pacifica station in Houston. That led to an evolution podcast and eventually to submitting science articles to SF magazines.
“I’ve never written for game magazines, though I did quite a few in-character adventure logs for a long-running OSRIC campaign set in and around a published indie mega-dungeon.”
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.
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Survive a brutal campaign for Mörk Borg inspired miniatures game

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Attempt to survive the brutality of Forbidden Psalm: Regicide, a campaign for the miniatures game inspired by tabletop RPG Mörk Borg.
Designed for the miniatures agnostic game – meaning that players are free to use whatever miniatures they have to hand – Forbidden Psalm, Regicide is a campaign that focuses upon the conquest of The Forgotten King, a skeletal monarch whose hunger for renown feeds his marching armies of undead. As a warband of stragglers, the players control the only people left to stand against The Forgotten King’s skeleton soldiers, as long as they can put their own differences aside and band together.
With the incoming threat of necromantic hordes, the famine spread by The Forgotten King and the dwindling food supplies growing ever more scarce, things are looking pretty desperate for the players’ warbands. Whilst the skeletal armies under the control of their enemy don’t need food to sustain themselves, the remaining humans do – meaning that players need to keep their people fed somehow. Along their journeys, the players will sometimes attract ‘useless mouths’ who will join their warbands for protection and food, but cannot fight alongside the others, forcing players to keep them alive or watch them perish.

As the players’ warbands travel from location to location, they have a chance to come across random events that can prove both beneficial or dangerous. Scenarios involving the undead armies of The Forgotten King – as well as any victims who happen to have a grudge against the warbands – will have players moving their miniatures across a battlefield, attacking enemies and taking cover. Should any of their miniatures fall under the undead state, then players will need to be wary of what can occur when a once-ally comes back to life.
In Regicide, players can choose to either work together in a co-op game mode, or against one another as rival warbands who want all the remaining resources and the glory to themselves – the miniatures campaign can also be played solo. Across the entire campaign, players will witness their warbands either withstanding the dreadful might of The Forgotten King, or will otherwise fall to their enemies’ swords or their own hunger.
Forbidden Psalm: Regicide was created by Rinaldo Agostini, a game designer who has previously released several expansions for the RPG Mörk Borg such as Grave Matters – an expansion themed around the undead – and a dungeon expansion called Black Stump.

The original Forbidden Psalm game was created by Kevin Rahman and is entirely compatible with Mörk Borg, with players able to use the rules for the miniatures game with a playthrough of the RPG or the other way around. In Forbidden Psalm, players use a collection of their own miniatures to complete a campaign made up of eight sessions, mixing and matching whichever weapons, spells, flaws and feats from Mörk Borg or Forbidden Psalm as they please.
The Kickstarter campaign for Forbidden Psalm: Regicide is live until February 5th, with a pledge of €16 (£14/$18) getting bakers a physical copy of the rulebook in August. Otherwise, a digital version of the book is available for a pledge of €7 (£6/$7).

Play as adorable goblin bakers and hamster wranglers in this storytelling game

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Play an upcoming board game featuring adorable goblin characters that fits entirely inside a mint tin box.
A storytelling game about the adventures of small goblin-like creatures, Adorablins has players making decisions, fighting off enemies and getting into trouble. Inspired by the Powered by the Apocalypse gameplay system – which has been used to create tabletop roleplaying games such as Avatar Legends and Monster Hearts – Adorablins has players choosing a character card, which will determine the attributes of their adorablin, and a companion that will accompany them throughout the adventure.
Potential playable characters in Adorablins include a baker, a wrangler that looks like it’s riding a hamster and a fixer character with an enormous bandaid. These adorablins can take along companions like Wormy the worm, Shroomy the mushroom and Roly & Poly the woodlice duo. Each companion character has their own special ability that players can implement throughout the game. Should a player ever receive the aid of their companion, they will have to flip its card over and feed it a snack if they want their help again.

Once players have chosen their adorablin characters and companions, they walk through a portal and begin their adventure. One person in the group then takes on the role of the narrator who is there to set the scene and keep the story moving. The narrator will have some cards containing prompts they can use to start the story off, before using the player’s feedback and decisions to continue the narrative. Any time a player wants their character to do something that could go wrong, they must roll a d6, with the result determining the outcome of the action that the narrator must relay to the players.
Snacks can be used to turn a less desirable outcome into a more positive one, as well as remove any unwanted conditions that playable characters and companions might have picked up during a battle or encounter. Once players have reached and overcome the climax of their adventure, they return back to the world of the adorablins and take a well earned rest.
Adorablins was co-created by Kristin and Tim Devine, with artwork by Amber Seger and graphic design by Jon Merchant.

Dice Up Games – the co-publishers of The North Sea Epilogues, an RPG spin-off from the north sea trilogy of board games – and Letiman Games, the studio behind the Questlings RPG designed by Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall creator Banana Chan, are the co-publishers of Adorablins.
The Kickstarter campaign for Adorablins is live until February 4th, with a pledge of $14 (£11) getting backers a physical copy of the game in September. Alternatively, a digital version of the game is available for a pledge of $9 (£7).

We Played A Total War: Warhammer 3 Demo And It’s Daemonically Delicious

5 years ago Bert Ballast

We got our hands on the Chaos Undivided/Cathay demo and played around with the build-a-daemon prince. Plus we talked to the devs!

By now you’ve probably seen the Chaos Undivided trailer for Total War: Warhammer 3. On the off chance you haven’t, here it is, watch it, it’s amazing.

That looks amazing. And from personal experience, I can say the game plays pretty fantastically too. We had a chance to test out an early build of the game, thanks to Creative Assembly. If you want to know in general what we thought, here’s our first impressions:

But we also had a chance to talk with the developers about the process of making the game, the changes they hoped to see, and what the future holds for Total War: Warhammer 3.
Talking to the Devs
We had a chance to speak to Jim Whitson (Lead Battle Designer) and Mark Sinclair (Lead Campaign Designer) at Creative Assembly. And right away the first thing that cropped up was how strong the narrative in this game is. Both in terms of the plot–which twists the campaign into new territory for Total War–and the way you play the game.
Specifically they spoke about building your own Daemon Prince. As you might imagine, that was one of the standout hits for many people at the preview event, and Sinclair explained:
“We wanted to bring in RPG elements. Games like Skyrim and Diablo where you’ve got this long campaign that you build your own character on captivate us. And we wanted to bring that to [Total War: Warhammer 3].”
And you get the chance to in spades. This image encapsulates only a small fraction of what the game has to offer.

As you build your own Daemon Prince you’ll be able to select from the parts of the four different Chaos gods or from “Undivided” and you really do get to customize what you do. Each option not only unlocks new body parts–so you might have Nurgle Wings and a Tzeentchy beak–but new units as well. On every playthrough, you could have a radically different style of game.
Replayability

Replayability was one of the main things the devs were looking at. Especially since the game has such an epic scale. As Whitson put it:
“You could be playing for hundreds of hours in a campaign, and we want to constantly provide you with new challenges, new interesting stuff to tinker with, and challenges within the short term, the medium term, the long term, just to keep constantly refreshing the player’s palette.”
Sinclair remarked on just how wide the buffet of options are:
“You can play all the races, but even just as the Daemon Prince, there are so many ways to customize your game. I love starting out as Slaanesh but that plays so different from Nurgle. My favorite is always whatever I’m currently playing.”
Which honestly says a lot for the game. All the major factions are in, including the new Cathay and Kislev factions, which haven’t existed before in Warhammer Fantasy. Creative Assembly had a unique perspective on the two as part of the development cycle, working with Games Workshop closely to nab that “tabletop feel” for the game.

This game is so rich, and so chunky you could play it for hours. We did. We spent so much time browsing through the tech trees and making plans for future turns that when the demo access period came to an end we couldn’t stop thinking about it.
That’s what makes this game feel so sticky. It’ll stay with you long past the point when you should have gone to bed.
Total War: Warhammer III is due out Feb. 17th, 2022

Kickstarter Round-Up: Fantasy Warrior STLs, Sci-Fi RPG Adventures, and More

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Come check out this week’s batch of Kickstarter and crowdfunding highlights!

The Willing Sleepers: Betrayal – STL

Welcome to our new 3d printing adventure! We are 3DBreed Miniatures and our new Kickstarter campaign starts now! The Willing of the Sleepers BETRAYAL is a collection of 32mm multipart fantasy armies created to be printed at home in a resin printer such as Anycubic Photon or Elegoo Mars. They are ideal to be adapted to any RPG or Wargame.
The Willing of the Sleepers is our first multipart model project in a fantasy setting. In this first wave of models “Betrayal”, design two armies, The Empire of Katharos and Vanu tribes.
Pledges start at $46 for all files.

Expedition to Chimpanzor Island – 5e

There are rumors circulating around Captain Polkin’s Port of vast riches hidden in the jungle of Chimpanzor Island. Captain Polkin is on the hunt for brave adventurers to venture into the depths of the island using new information he has come across regarding the treasure’s whereabouts. A share of the loot is on offer to those who make it back alive from this perilous expedition.
This adventure supplement for a party of level 4-6 characters features the adventure, a map and setting, new monsters, new weapons, digital downloads, and more.
(This week’s featured image is from this campaign.)
Pledges start at $10 for a PDF.

Caves & Creeps – Resin Minis

Tunnels & Terrors is a collection of hand-sculpted fantasy monster miniatures. They can be used for any miniatures tabletop game and will bring something unique to your Wargames or Roleplaying experience. They are also fun to paint and perfect for collectors.
In September last year, I ran my first Kickstarter Campaign called Caves & Creeps, which featured a collection of hand-sculpted fantasy characters cast in resin. This is the second season of the same setting, but this time it is all about monsters. I wanted to shed a light on some of the horrible terrors that dwell deep within the tunnels that the brave adventurers explore. 
Pledges start at $14 for a beholder mini.

Across a Thousand Dead Worlds

Across a Thousand Dead Worlds is a new horror space exploration tabletop roleplaying game that can be enjoyed as a single player experience, or in a group of up to five players, with or without a Game Master – by Blackoath Entertainment!
 You’ll create your Deep Diver, using a free-form character creation system, and begin your journey across the galaxy where you’ll discover abandoned research facilities, explore scientific outposts, and traverse other dilapidated sites in search for ancient alien technology. 
Pledges start at $18 for a PDF.

CoLab

Jump into the shared competitive laboratory of CoLab, to build your own engine of potions, monsters, and devices. Build your own pool of resource dice or utilize what others leave behind to build your creations as the lab expands with more opportunities. Send minions, collect dice, and build your collection to best your competition and become the most renowned scientist in CoLab!
Pledges start at $45 for the core edition.

Tabletop Witchcraft

My name is David Savedge and I am a blacksmith and game designer. I have a studio and blacksmith’s shop on my farm, Ravenstead. When I’m not working on the farm or smithing, I’m thinking about games and gaming. I love classic tabletop role-playing games. I’m excited to share my new project with you!
I wanted to bring another unique and magical project to the gaming table or altar that involved some serious blacksmithing and pewter work!
Pledges start at $14 for a Celestial Coin.

~Which Of These Campaigns Caught Your Attention?

Let’s Play D&D With Moon Knight

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Before he gets too recognizable, let’s figure out how to sneak Moon Knight into your next Dungeons and Dragons adventure.

If you haven’t seen the Moon Knight trailer by now, open up a new tab right now and watch it. No really, my sheet will still be right here waiting. We’re on the same page? Good. I’m honestly blown away by how good this looks.
Moon Knight is one of those obscure characters that even Marvel fans squint at because ooo boy, it sure does feel like they’re reaching now. But pretty soon, even the most casual fans will be pretty familiar with Moon Knight.
So if you’re looking for an opportunity to sneak him into your next D&D campaign without your DM noticing immediately, your chance is quickly running out. In light of that, let’s make Moon Knight for D&D really quick.
Moon Knight
“I am legally distinct from Batman!”

There are a lot of ways to go about creating this character. You could just make a Batman sheet and call it a day. You could lean hard into him being a normal rogue punch-guy with a very specific schtick. I decided to take Moon Knight in a slightly different direction though with a Monk/Warlock hybrid.
There are two things that make Moon Knight Moon Knight as opposed to any other character. His mostly-magicless fighting style, and the fact that his powers come from a god. In this case Khonshu the Egyptian moon god.
For his fighting style, Rogue would have worked, but I wanted to give him a little more ability to punch his way through problems than that. And Monks are so good at punching and moving quickly and punching again.
To nod at his god connection, I briefly considered Paladin or possibly Cleric, but both incorporate a little too much magic and healing. Those don’t fit with Moon Knight, his magic is limited almost to having a patron. And you know who has patrons.

His abilities fell in pretty nicely and easily from there. I picked Kensei monks because of his affinity for weapons, and chose those moon shaped blades for his dedicated weapon. I assume they will be at least partially throwing weapons since he often has throwing blades and the crescent is just part of the aesthetic.
He has a slew of other weapons that he can chose from as well. But if you’re playing a Monk, I’d bet you’ll be relying on your dedicated weapon and multi-punches unless a specific situation should arise.
Finally, he does have a little magic. It wasn’t something that I loved putting on his sheet, but magic is a reality of Warlocks… and at least none of it is Lay on Hands. Expeditious Retreat is the spell I feel most strongly about on there. He’s not exactly teleporting away, but he is pretty good at sneaking around and I thought that would highlight this.

How would you make Moon Knight for Dungeons and Dragons? Are you looking forward to watching the series when it comes to Disney+? What movie, show, comic, or game should I make a character from next? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!

Cosplay: Terra and Kefka’s Epic Final Fantasy VI Dance Battle

5 years ago Bert Ballast

In the epic dance to save humanity, who will win? We’re solving the mystery with these Terra and Kefka Cosplays.

Final Fantasy VI (also known as Final Fantasy III if you’re a fellow heathen from the USA), is one of the most revered games in the Final Fantasy franchise. It is a haunting story of man versus magic, the search for power versus the desperate desire to love and live. This week, we are swooning over these Terra and Kefka Cosplays.Terra and Kefka Cosplays by Maria Deneve and Joona d’Art
In the 1994 game, released to the Super Nintendo, Terra is a mysterious woman with a connection to magic that is even more elusive in its origins. The game’s story follows her journey of self discovery, gaining allies as she tries desperately to discover who she is and where she fits into the world. In her way is Kefka, the evil sorcerer bent on a path of world destruction.
Terra and Kefka Cosplays by Kostyaxix and Rodelwort
At every turn in the game, Kefka’s evil machinations reveal themselves, full of overblown drama and the creepiest in-game laugh to ever come out of Square Enix. Seriously, it’s terrifying:
[embedded content]
If that laugh doesn’t give you nightmares, I don’t know what will. Also, they were so popular that they take to the screen again in the Dissidia game, a fighting game with elements of RPG that brings new life to these characters. And naturally, Kefka just wants to DANCE.
Terra and Kefka Cosplays by Yuna Kairi Cosplay and Alex.Schtein_Cosplay
The Final Fantasy franchise has some of the most loved characters to cosplay. But, Terra and Kefka are no exception. We’ve featured Cloud and Tifa, Jesse and Biggs… And now it’s time for Terra and Kefka to have their dance. We hope you enjoy these Final Fantasy VI cosplays!
Terra and Kefka concept art
Terra and Kefka Cosplays by Yuna Kairi Cosplay and Alex.Schtein_Cosplay
“A mysterious young woman, controlled by the Empire, and born with the gift of magic…”

 “What am I feeling? What’s going on? Please… tell me. Who am I? Who!?”-Terra 

“Her very existence strikes fear into her own heart.”-Ramuh
Terra and Kefka Cosplays by Maria Deneve and Joona d’Art

“Funny, isn’t it… I was used by the Empire… even had my thoughts ripped from me… But here I am cooperating with the ‘enemy’…”-Terra 

 “I’m the product of a human and an Esper… Will I ever be able to love someone?”-Terra 

 “I don’t know why these kids need me. But they’ve made me feel things I’ve never felt before. The moment I sensed this, I lost my will to fight. I can honestly say I don’t know what’s going on inside of me… And the more I try to understand it, the less inclined I am to fight.”-Terra 

“Nothing can beat the music of hundreds of voices screaming in unison.”-Kefka

 “Hate hate hate HATE!”-Kefka

 “I will exterminate everyone and everything.” -Kefka
Terra and Kefka Cosplays by Kostyaxix and Rodelwort

 “People will keep rebuilding the things you take away from them!”-Terra“Then I will destroy these too. Why do people rebuild things that they know are going to be destroyed? Why do people cling to life when they know they can’t live forever? Think how meaningless each of your lives is!”-Kefka

” “It’s not the net result of one’s life that’s important… the day to day concerns, the personal victories, and the celebration of life… and love! It’s enough if people are able to experience the joy that each day can bring!”-Terra

“And have you found your ‘joy’, in this nearly dead world of ours?”-Kefka

“”Yes. I know what love is…!”-Terra

“You may as well be the dirt on the bottom of my boots, or the dirt stuck to the bottom of that dirt.”

“I will destroy everything! I will create a monument to non-existence!”
~Join us next week for more Cosplay Coverage~
Have a Cosplay question you would like Mayhem’s Muse to answer? Know a Cosplayer you’d like to see featured? Send an email here!
Learn more about Mayhem’s Muse

Business 3×3: David Wheeler at Dragon's Lair

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Winning with a Diverse Product Line, Being Proud of What you Sell, Firing Toxic Customers, and MoreIn Business 3×3, a business retailer or executive will share their experience with three things they’ve done right, three things they’ve done wrong, and what else they’ve learned along the way. In this month’s installment, we talk to a comics and games retailer with 35 years of experience, who credits a diverse product line, being proud of what you sell, firing toxic customers, and other lessons with helping him build a five-store franchise operation.
If you want to get to a point where you’re franchising comic and game stores…hey, don’t discount farming as a way in.
“At 13, I was given a cow of my own, per family tradition,” says David Wheeler.
Wheeler grew up on a farm and became accustomed to the hard labor inherent there. And maybe farming didn’t lead directly to the Dragon’s Lair stores, but stints as a youngster working at two other comic/game stores, Capital Comic Company and Phoenix Books in Austin, Tex., did.
In 1986, while still a student at the University of Texas, Wheeler watched Capital and Phoenix close. He saw an opportunity.
“They had their own clientele and their own communities that were separate and distinct from each other,” Wheeler recalls. “I had been working at those stores, so I had a connection to those customers, those communities. I felt I could take those connections and establish my own store.”
Wheeler rolled the dice and opened Dragon’s Lair in Austin. He has since converted his ownership to a franchise operation, with four stores currently under the banner in Texas, and a fifth coming soon in Columbus, Ohio. Along the way, he’s learned a lot, starting with community…
THE GOODWork on Building Community“Everything that we sell can be found cheaper online,” Wheeler says. “What we’re selling is the in-store experience, the in-store immediacy, having products on hand, and the community we build.”
Dragon’s Lair’s website has a “customer safety and comfort” notation right on the main page, and Wheeler casts his net as wide as possible.
“I connect to my customers, and try to help them connect to each other,” he says. “We have also worked hard to make this a safe space where all communities can come in and feel welcome. We participate in pride parades; we work to make the stores a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Dragon’s Lair stores have organized cosplayers to go to children’s hospitals to give away comics to kids, and more. It’s all part of reaching out, and making a connection.
“What we do with so many back issues that essentially lose their value after six months after they’ve been replaced by a trade paperback is donate those to libraries, schools, and so on,” Wheeler says. “It goes to a good cause, and we’re not keeping an essentially unsellable item around.”
Listen to Your CustomersWheeler had some fits and starts—more on that in a bit—when it comes to product mix. But he’s learned to keep his ear to the ground.
“If someone tells us they want us to bring something in that excites them, we listen to them,” Wheeler says. “Back in the ’90s, when a friend of mine told me about a neat card game that he had played and that we should bring some in, I did, which is why we carried Magic: The Gathering from its earliest days.”
Wheeler is even happy to listen to his customers when it comes to food, and Pocky is now a Dragon’s Lair staple.
“We’ve used our customers to guide us into lots of good, diversified departments,” he says. “As long as it’s stuck to our core brand of being a comic book-game-sci-fi-pop culture store, we take a look at something if our customers ask for it.”
Get Rid of Back IssuesWheeler knows this is a double-edged sword, and many stores thrive with back issues. But…it’s not for him. The eyes-snapped-open moment happened when he ran some numbers, and the math smacked him in the face: Back issues were taking up about 30% of his floor space and generating 3% of his revenue.
“Over time, as we got more into games, manga, anime, and more, comics became a smaller and smaller part of our business,” he says. “Essentially, I sold out my back issues, replaced them with gaming tables, and because back issue comics are so supply- and time-intensive, I improved by bottom line by quite a bit.”
Dragon’s Lair typically builds blind-bag back-issue packs after six months, and of course, there’s always the children’s hospitals, libraries, and more.
“It gets these books into the hands of new people who can now love and appreciate them,” Wheeler says.
THE BADDon’t Come In Under-CapitalizedThat first Dragon’s Lair store in 1986? Started on $10,000, which Wheeler quickly found was not enough to make a go of it.
“It worked for me, sort of, because I was attending the university, living in the store,” he says. “But if you do not have enough operating capital to work your store, any adversity can sink you.”
Wheeler almost sank.
“I really wanted to be a bookstore,” he recalls. “So I put a lot of my funds into buying fantasy and science fiction paperbacks without gauging whether or not my customers would appreciate this. If you’re opening a store on only $10,000, you really can’t afford to put a large amount of your money into a department that’s not going to perform.”
Wheeler calls his paperback trial “a point of despair,” but was eventually able to pull out with an additional $7000 loan from his mom, the same place where the first money came in.
“And I dumped the department and learned the lesson that you have to learn what your customers want rather than force them to like what you like,” he says.
Get Yourself Educated, or Get Experts“As a store owner, you are a jack of all trades,” Wheeler says. “But there are a lot of people who have a lot more knowledge than you do, and you have to pay them for their knowledge to help you increase the value of your store.”
Wheeler is a big believer in finding the right realtors, accountants, lawyers, or any professionals who can do their job better than you, so that you can do your job even better.
“I was very ill-educated for my profession when I started,” he says. “And when I opened my store, I certainly didn’t have the money to hire experts. What I’ve learned is that it’s best to pay experts.”
Watch That Money CloselyAs if undercapitalization and a paperback book dead-end weren’t enough at the start, Wheeler had other problems as well.
“I did not have good systems in place for tracking money,” he says. “I had someone taking money from the till, and it took me far too long to know that was happening. That’s always depressing. It’s frustrating and sad.”
Wheeler learned a hard lesson, and now always has proper controls in place.
AND WHAT ELSE?“Back in the old days, in the ’70s and ’80s, being a geek was not respected like it is today. Computer science is a widely respected career path now. But if you take a look back at movies like War Games, being a geek was looked down upon. Loving comics, loving games…you were almost seen as a social pariah. So one of the things I wanted to do was create a store where people could feel proud about the things they loved, and find other people to interact with.”
“This may seem like a weird digression, but if you look at my logo, you will see that the dragon curled around his comic book boxes is a proud dragon. He is proud of his hoard. This is the attitude I wanted to share with my customers—they should be proud of what they love.”
“When Capital closed and Phoenix closed, I walked up to my girlfriend in the library and said, ‘How much do you think it would cost to open a comic and game store?’ and I walked away before she could answer.”
“I mean ‘living at the store’ literally. The store was an original house that someone had added a single-wide to the front of, and I was also leasing to a watch shop that was in the same building. It had a kitchen, it had several bedrooms, one of which was connected by a walkway to a shed that had been added prior. But it was not a lot of rent, and I was able to sleep there and study and have a large enough bedroom and that sort of thing. But I lived there. My brothers lived there in a separate room at one point, because we were all attending UT.”
“I’m traveling to Columbus to spend a month up there to help Phil Siewert open his store. He took the plunge and signed up for a franchise store in October 2020, during the pandemic, knowing it would take longer to open his store. Here, almost 18 months later, we’re finally getting his store open.”
“Currently, the initial franchise fee is $24,000. That will be increasing. There’s also a monthly marketing percentage. For that amount of money, I help consult on location, leasing, there’s a large amount of training, these days largely online and Zoom meetings. We train on the background of marketing, the background of the industry. Basically, we can take people with no retail experience in comics and games, and whereas we can’t give you three years of experience immediately, my goal is to give you three years of knowledge by the time you open your store.”
“In addition to online training, we also bring people in to do 20 to 30 days at one of the existing stores, training them how to run the operation, interacting with customers, how to use the computer systems, merchandising, back-office, HR, all those things.”
“I’ll talk to people about ‘using location as advertising.’ I want people to have stores that are easy to access from surrounding roads. I want them to have good visibility from road frontages. Access is important. You want to be on the side of the street where people are driving when they’re returning home from work. It makes it easier for them to come in, casually stop at your store.”
“We’ve actually been able to negotiate leases, get some substantial tenant improvements put into leases. It’s really nice to have landlords pay to build out your store for you. I try to provide a lot of support for our franchisees.”
“I tell my franchisees that in invisible letters over their store are the words ‘diversity is life.’ When Magic: The Gathering sales soared and when D&D 3.0 did so well, I took the money that I made from that and used it to diversify what I offer. That’s how when Fallen Empires, for example, came out and the market crashed, a lot of stores couldn’t pay their bills. So ‘diversity is life’ means that when one department in the store crashes, you still have the other departments to shore you up. Diversify your stores.”
“I require franchisees to have a sufficient war chest to open the store. I require my franchisees to use about 2/3 of their initial amount of money to open their store; buy fixtures and inventory and etc., but they have another 1/3 as operating capital.”
“Be willing to fire customers. If you have a customer who is rude to your employees, they do not have a right to be there. It is perfectly fine to take someone who is demeaning your employees and say, ‘Thank you very much for coming in, I appreciate your business over the years, but I am afraid you are no longer welcome here.’ That’s a conversation I’ve had to have a few times. It’s better to do that than to have those negative people in your community.”
Click Gallery below for store photos!

D&D: Five Reasons Spears Are Better Than Swords

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Choosing a weapon isn’t always easy. But if you’re playing D&D and it’s spears vs. swords, the superior choice is clear.

Powerful Fighters swinging swords as they charge into battle might be an iconic image from throughout the history of Dungeons & Dragons.

But if you’re picking a sword as your adventurer’s weapon, you’re making the wrong choice. Sure, in a vacuum a longsword does 1d8/1d10 vs. a spear’s 1d6/1d8, the kind of dice you roll is really only part of the battle. The rest of the battle is knowing. And the one thing you should know is that spears are the best weapon you can pick. Why? Here’s five reasons spears are better than swords.
A Spear Has Range

With a longsword you’re bound to whatever enemy you can reach. Spears, in D&D, have a 20-60ft. range. Thanks to their thrown property, when you have a spear you’re always ready to reach out and hit someone. And because they’re thrown, you can deal your strength bonus to damage as well. A longsword can’t do that. Speaking of which…
A Spear Can Give You A Bonus Attack

With a spear, you also have access to one of the best feats in the game. While your longsword is struggling to deal 4.5 points of damage per round, the spear is giving you an extra one to two attacks per round. And if you’re a human, possibly even as early as 1st level. With a spear you can use Polearm Mastery, one of the best melee feats in the game. It gives you an extra bonus action attack that does 1d4 damage and it lets you make an attack of opportunity against a creature that enters your reach. This means you can potentially attack someone three times in quick succession.
Spears Play Well With Fighting Styles

And a spear plays well with just about every fighting style. Are you a duelist? You can wield a spear in one hand. Fighting with two weapons? You can use your spear in one hand. Need your hands full? You can wield a spear in both hands to benefit from great weapon fighting.
Spears Looks Cooler

This one’s pretty obvious. Every fight that’s ever happened would be much cooler if a spear was involved.
Spears Can Be Used Outside Of Combat Too

When you’re not in a fight, a sword is basically useless. But a spear? That can catch you game for dinner, can be used as a prybar, you can throw it into a tree and use it as a point to climb up off of.
Spears vs. swords? Please. There’s no end of uses for a spear. That’s why they’re the best weapon in any game.
Happy Adventuring

Wizards of the Coast Will Release 'D&D Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Wizards of the Coast will release D&D Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse into retail, as a solo rulebook offering, on May 17, 2022.
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse was first announced as part of the D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set that will be coming to stores on January 25 (see “‘D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set'”). WotC will now offer this book on its own, so that players who already own the other books in the Gift Set can purchase Monsters of the Multiverse without having to buy the entire Gift Set to get the new book. This book collects all the information about D&D’s setting-agnostic races into a single book, and includes monster lore from all over the D&D multiverse.The book will retail for $49.95 upon release.

Protected: Green Ronin Publishing Announces Cthulhu Awakens RPG Kickstarter

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Troy Hewitt lives in Seattle, WA, and is a 20-year veteran of online community management and digital communications in the world of video games. At Green Ronin Publishing, he works on a host of special projects, including digital communications and engagement events across the entire Green Ronin Publishing catalogue. Have an event you’d like to share or an opportunity for Green Ronin Publishing staff to connect with your community? Drop us a line at LetsPlay@greenronin.com.

‘The Quiet Year’ is the RPG Your One Friend Won’t Shut Up About– Back In Stock!

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Hi, it’s me. I’m that friend. The Quiet Year is back in stock, and you don’t want to miss it. Here’s why.

The Quiet Year by Avery Alder is one of those RPGs that everyone should play at least once. It’s such a simple thing at first glance. A small game that encapsulates a year. A single, solitary year before the Frost Shepherds return and the game ends.

But in that year, in 52 cards, there’s a world waiting to be discovered. You’ll draw a map with your friends. Perhaps you’ll survive the Winter. Or find a world you want to explore more.
My first brush with the game was on Friends at the Table at the start of the Marielda arc. But even if you’ve seen the game played a dozen times, there’s so much more depth to be discovered. The Quiet Year is worth exploring.
The game is played with 52 cards, so you could use playing cards, but right now you can get an incredible set of oversized game cards and the booklet and everything. And you should, while it’s back in stock. Everyone should play it once, and this is your chance to dive in with both feet.
The Quiet Year – $51.82

The Quiet Year is a map game. You define the struggles of a community living after the collapse of civilization, and attempt to build something good within their quiet year. Every decision and every action is set against a backdrop of dwindling time and rising concern.
The game is played using a deck of cards – each of the 52 cards corresponds to a week during the quiet year. Each card triggers certain events – bringing bad news, good omens, project delays and sudden changes in luck. At the end of the quiet year, the Frost Shepherds will come, ending the game.
For 2-4 players, 3-4 hours.
What’s in the bag?
This beautiful game comes in a small burlap bag. You’ll receive a forty-page booklet, a deck of oversized game cards (3.25″ x 5″, just like the booklet), a turn summary card, six small dice, and twenty Contempt Tokens (shaped like weathered skulls). This set also comes with the PDF.
Need a discount?
If you are living in poverty and cannot afford the game at its full price, you can use the discount code “affordable” to save 30% on the total price before shipping.
Happy Adventuring!

Dungeon Tables: Random Encounters in the Forests

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Dark forests have filled fairy tales and folk stories for generations—and for good reason. The trees hide all sorts of terrors and wonders, and only the bravest folks delve where they’re thickest. This installment of Dungeon Tables lists friends and foes alike, all found within the pines and oaks of old forests. The provided table ranges in a wide spread of difficulties, so some results may be easy while others deadly. Feel free to use this as inspiration or to tweak, modify, and supplement it to your heart’s content.

Forests

2d20Encounter2High-pitched cries of alarm and sounds of smashing wood catch the characters attention. If they investigate, they find a chuhaister (see Creature Codex), destroying a diminutive village, while 4d6 sprites fly in the air around the creature, attempting to force it back with their tiny weapons.31d6 millitaurs (see Tome of Beasts) surge from the undergrowth. The characters have crossed into their territory, but the millitaurs only fight them if necessary and are friendly if the PCs treat them with respect.41d6 nyctli (75%) or 1d4 nyctli swarms (25%) (see Tome of Beasts 2) erupt from the shadows and swarm the party.5Two bear cubs come tumbling out from between the trees and are startled to see the party. As they flee, their mother black bear charges.6A huge tree stands in the forest, burnt and hollowed-out, as if struck by lightning. An old woman sits beside the tree and smiles in welcome as the party approaches. The woman is an ala (see Tome of Beasts)in human form, and she is pleased at the site of such delicious-looking individuals.7A curious flithidir (see Tome of Beasts 2), following the party in bird form.8A savager (see Tome of Beasts), barreling through the trees.9A cry for help rises from the branches above. A mage is trapped, wrapped in a thick cocoon of silk. He has no memory of how he got there. A few minutes later, the chelicerae (see Tome of Beasts) returns and attacks the party, targeting the magic users first.10A hungry chameleon hydra (see Tome of Beasts 2) hides in the thick branches above.112d4 awakened shrubs with 1d4 twig blights, moving through the trees.12A nichny (see Tome of Beasts) stalks the characters through the forest.13A spider drake (see Creature Codex) lurks in the dark branches above. As the party passes beneath it, it releases its Poison Breath and then attacks. Its silk-wrapped horde is hidden in a shallow cave within eyesight of the ambush.141d4 wereboars, being generally unpleasant and aggressive.151d4 dancing foliage (see Tome of Beasts 2), moving amid the trees and tending to the plants.16At first glance, the party may mistake this small red, dragon-like creature for a pseudodragon. As it approaches, however, they may make a DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Insight) check; on a success, they realize the creature is a crimson drake (see Tome of Beasts) before it attacks.17A friendly pseudodragon, looking for some company for a while.181d4 wood wards (see Tome of Beasts 2), shambling through the forest.19A pine doom (see Tome of Beasts 2) observes the characters and attacks if they harm the forest in any way.20A terrifying elophar (see Creature Codex) barrels through the trees toward the party.21A colláis (see Tome of Beasts 2) stalks the woods around a small woodland village.22A helpful ghillie dubh (see Tome of Beasts 2), looking to guide the party out of danger.231d4 jaculi (see Tome of Beasts) dive out of the trees at the party, targeting the shiniest and most valuable items worn or carried by the characters. As soon as they acquire the items, they flee back into the trees with their captured treasure and return to their hordes.24A green knight of the woods (50%) (see Creature Codex) or a thornheart guardian (see Tome of Beasts 2).25A passel of 4d4 wild boar. They are territorial and easily startled.26A warm and welcoming hut waits amid the trees. If the characters enter the hut, they find a fire burning in the hearth and enough beds for all of them. The hut is an elaborate illusion woven by an azeban (see Creature Codex), which sneaks in to paw through the characters belongings while they are sleeping.27A tree skinner (see Tome of Beasts 2), delighting in causing destruction.282d4 will-o’-wisps accompanied by a green hag.29An alchemical skunk (see Tome of Beasts 2), foraging for food.30A wampus cat (see Tome of Beasts) in humanoid form, lingering beside a small woodland river.31A figure flickers in and out of view as it glides toward the party. The deathwisp (see Tome of Beasts) raises its weapon and attacks.32A green dragon wyrmling, angry at the party invading its territory.33A giant frilled lizard (see Tome of Beasts 2), sunning on a fallen tree.34A forest drake (see Creature Codex) lumbers through the woods, breathing fire into the underbrush.35A group of 2d4 lymarien (see Tome of Beasts 2), roosting in the trees around a thicket. Within the thicket is a tiny fawn, curled up, awaiting its parent’s return.36An owlbear out hunting.371d4 forest marauders (see Tome of Beasts) come screaming out of the trees to attack the party.38An aniwye (see Tome of Beasts 2) in ogre form, lumbering through the trees.39A large shadow passes overhead as a Derendian moth abomination (see Tome of Beasts 2) swoops to attack.40Cackling and shrieking echoes amidst the trees as Baba Yaga (see Creature Codex) flies her mortar and pestle through the forest. If she spots the characters, roll a d10: on a 1–5, she is in a friendly mood; on a result of 6–10, her iron teeth (see Creature Codex) have temporarily left her, and she is feeling foul and capricious.

'Vampire the Masquerade Blood Feud – The Mega Board Game' Heads to Retail

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Everything Epic Games will release Vampire the Masquerade Blood Feud – The Mega Board Game into retail on February 1, 2022.
Blood Feud was first unveiled in 2019 when Everything Epic announced a deal to create the game with Paradox Interactive’s White Wolf Entertainment  (see ” ‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood Feud'”). It is a Mega Board Game, which is a game a type of large-scale simulation tabletop game that can occur across multiple play areas and can contain elements of RPGs, tabletop games, LARPs, and war games. Blood Feud is a hybrid game that can support dozens of players, revolves around players commanding their faction in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe, and can take about two hours to play a game session.The retail edition will carry an MSRP of $199.99.

CMON Launches 'Marvel Zombies' Board Game and Expansions on Kickstarter

5 years ago Bert Ballast

CMON launched its Marvel Zombies miniatures board games and expansion on Kickstarter. The campaign is already fully-funded at $3.48 million with 13,211 backers ($263 a backer), and is expected to be fulfilled by June 2023.
Marvel Zombies is a cooperative board game that harnesses the core mechanics of the Zombicide game series to bring the classic Marvel story arc to the tabletop. In the base game, players can take on the roles of Zombie Heroes and go gnaw on bystanders to complete their objectives. They will also battle living superheroes as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents.The Marvel Zombies X-Men Resistance core box allows players to use the living superheroes to battle the undead heroes and save the bystanders. As they rescue bystanders, the heroes will gain their assistance to stand against the Zombie heroes. There is also a Galactus the Devourer expansion available that adds both Silver Surfer and Galactus to the mix. This expansion features a Galactus model with an interchangeable head to turn him into Zombie Galactus.
This game is for one to six players. As of the publication of this article, there is no word on a retail release.
CMON will also release a Stark Starter Set and Lannister Starter Set, for A Song of Fire and Ice: Tabletop Miniatures Game, into retail (see “‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ Starter Sets into Retail “).

Rogue Review – BTA-NR2 Y-Wing

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Welcome to Rogue Squadron, pilot! In this series, we will be looking at the ships you can fly in Fantasy Flight Games X-Wing miniatures game. We’ll take a look at a chassis and what makes it unique along with some upgrades and squadron combos. Strap in and get ready to fly.

Lock S-Foils in Attack Position
Yet another Y-Wing. Also, more copy/paste of Rebel ships directly into Resistance paint. Sigh.
But moving on, these feel different from the previous versions, which fit their nature as an updated design. The standard chassis ability, Intuitive Interface, makes all your Y-Wings able to link into a white calculate action. Depending on the upgrades they take, they can do this after Boosting (Engine Upgrade), Barrel Rolling (Expert Handling), Locking (Targeting Computer), Reinforce (Angled Deflectors) or Evade (Debris Gambit). You can tailor your build to suit your needs, or take a couple, as most of these cost only a few points. Many of the pilots come with double modification slots if you want to load up.
It’s a shame the ability doesn’t trigger off abilities added from Turrets as being able to rotate and then get a calculate would be excellent. It is also interesting that Illicit upgrades are included, yet there are not currently any Illicits that add actions to your action bar. The downside to this flexibility is that, of your standard actions, all but Focus are red. This allows you to take most of those other upgrades, but leaves you in a bad spot if you don’t.
Beyond the standard ability, these Y-Wings also come with a configuration that lets them play more akin to their original version. Wartime Loadout gives them more shields, white lock, reload, a torpedo and missile slots. They also gain uncancellable crits for munitions fired in bullseye arc. This makes advanced and standard proton torpedoes appealing. Get that bullseye shot and you’re getting a free crit through. Unfortunately, it is standardized and takes up the modification slot as well.
One interesting thing about the BTA-NR2 Y-Wing is that it comes in a set of two. While this doubles the price, it somehow feels better to pay that price for two ships rather than half the price for one. I also like to at least get two of every new small, so with this I wasn’t tempted to cheap out and just get one. If this is a good practice or a scummy move is hard to say.

Red Five Standing By
The BTA-NR2 Y-Wing comes out of the box with eight unique pilots and two generics across. That’s double the standard fare which fits that you get two of them in the box. 

Zorii Bliss (I5) – After a ship at range 1 performs an action during its Perform Action step, if that action is on your action bar, you may spend 1 Charge to perform that action, treating it as red.

Even more free actions for Zorii.
Important to note, her ability triggers off any ship, no restrictions for friendly for enemy.
R4 Astromech is going to be popular for her, allowing her to clear that stress from the red action she took. At I5, she will likely be stressed before she maneuvers after getting the free action, allowing her to take two actions but not end the round stressed.
She is a good candidate for Wartime Loadout, as it gives her white Lock and allows her to get full double mods anytime a ship near her takes one of those first.
She trades her second modification slot for an illicit slot.

Teza Nasz (I4) – While a friendly ship at range 0-2 performs an attack, if the defender has a ship friendly to the attacker in each of its side arcs, the attacker may reroll 1 attack die.

Bah. Another word salad ability that grants rerolls to allies.
The precondition isn’t as bad as it first seems. First, it works out to range 2, which is necessary to ever trigger given the two ships need to be on opposite sides of a target.
Second, it does work on herself. If she has a buddy flanking her target, she gets a free reroll.
The ship on the opposite side, doesn’t need to be within range two for Teza to give herself a reroll. In fact, they could both be at range 3 to the target, effectively range 6 to each other.
She pairs well with a flanking ace to help trigger her ability, which she can pass to the main group that flies with her.

Wilsa Teshlo (I4) – After you perform an attack, if the defender was dealt a faceup damage card, the defender gains 1 strain token unless it chooses 1 non-recurring Charge from 1 of its equipped upgrades and loses that Charge.

This is an interesting ability. Giving out strain, after landing a crit, adds insult to injury. The fact the target can choose to lose a Charge gives them a choice to make. Lose a Charge, which you can’t get back, but might be worthless if you get shot at again while strained.
She is a good candidate for Wartime Loadout as she can use the uncancelable crit from bullseye to trigger her ability.
Her ability does not need to be built around, but it is a nice bonus.

Shasa Zaro (I3) – After you defend, you may choose a friendly ship in your Aft side at range 0-2 and 1 of your green tokens. If you do, that ship gains a matching token.

Shasa will want to tempt your opponent to shoot her. If they do, she hands out free tokens to her allies.
She has to still have a token after defending, encouraging her not to use it, but she doesn’t lose the token. If she’s the subject of focus fire, her allies could get loaded up with tokens.
Reinforce is a green token that doesn’t get spent on defense. Angled Deflectors has a lot of potential for her.

Lega Fossang (I3) – While you perform a primary or Turret attack, you may reroll 1 attack die for each friendly device or calculating friendly ship in the attack arc.

The device component to her ability won’t come up very often but calculating friendly ships are becoming common place for the Resistance.
Doesn’t work on ordnance attacks, encouraging her to stick with the standard loadout. Her ability also necessitates her fellow Y-Wings being able to calculate.

New Republic Patrol (I3) – None

This generic comes with a talent slot and at only one point more than Spice Runner.

C’ai Threnali (I2) – After you fully execute a maneuver, if you moved through a friendly ship, you may perform an Evade action.

The same ability as in the X-Wing.
Works well as a leap frog ability. Hop ahead to be the primary target with the evade as an extra bonus.
Could end up taking three actions in a round.

Aftab Ackbar (I2) – After you execute a red basic maneuver or perform a red action, if you have exactly 1 stress token, you may gain 1 strain token to remove that stress token.

Trading stress for strain isn’t a bad deal for a Y-Wing. With only one defense die, it is probably not avoiding much damage.
He could pile on the strain indefinitely if he takes red maneuvers, then takes a red action, avoiding any stress with defense die.
Another good candidate for Wartime Loadout as he doesn’t need to take upgrades to cancel out his red actions.
Pattern Analyzer is a great upgrade for him. Take a red maneuver, get a free action from Pattern, clear the stress and get a regular action.

Kijimi Spice Runner (I2) – None

Your cheapest generic.
Unlike many ships, the difference between them and the NR Patrol isn’t just a Talent slot and initiative. These come with illicit slots if you want to engage in more seedy builds.

Corus Kapellim (I1) – Before you engage, you may choose 1 ship in your firing arc at range 0-1. If you do, transfer 1 green token from that ship to yourself.

Thief! If Corus can get into range one of his target, he can steal any defense tokens they have left. Even better if it’s a focus token he can then use on the offense.
At I1, his ability will have limited utility, as most ships will have already used their tokens.
He can use the ability on any ship, it doesn’t need to be his target. This can be handy when he bumps, and needs to steal a focus from an ally.
The only other named pilot with an illicit slot.

All Wings Report In
How many BTA-NR2 Y-Wings do you need? One box of two is probably all you need, though they are priced so you could take a list of up to six, and decent lists of five.

Anti-Stress Squad

Aftab Ackbar (Y-Wing)

Daredevil
Watchful Astromech
Dorsal Turret
Pattern Analyzer
Engine Upgrade

Cova Nell (Resistance Transport)

Heroic
Leia Organa

Jarek Yaeger (Fireball)

Heroic
Kaz’s Fireball
Coaxium Hyperfuel

Nien Nunb (X-Wing)

Heroic
Pattern Analyzer
Integrated S-foils

This list doesn’t care about stress. Baby Ackbar turns all the stress he earns from actions and basic maneuvers to strain. With his upgrades, after taking a red maneuver he gets an action from pattern analyzer, then turns his stress to strain so he still gets his regular action. If he decides to rotate, he’ll also get a calculate action on top of it. With all that strain, he will get shot a lot. But they aren’t shooting at anyone else.
Cova wants to take red maneuvers, of which she has plenty, for her bonus die. With Leia she won’t stress herself doing so. Jarek won’t be taking many actions, but if he picks Damaged Engine with Kaz’s Fireball, he can SLAM behind his target in the first engagement, still get to fire and have full access to all his maneuvers even when stressed. Nien Nunb can pull off similar shenanigans as Ackbar, using Pattern Analyzer and ditching his stress as long as he remains close to his target.

Five Fives

Zorii Bliss (Y-Wing)

R4 Astromech
Dorsal Turret
Engine Upgrade

Jarek Yaeger (Fireball)

Kaz’s Fireball

Zizi Tlo (A-Wing)

Starbird Slash

Tallissan Lintra (A-Wing)

Starbird Slash

L’ulo L’ampar (A-Wing)

Starbird Slash

The Resistance has a multitude of cheap I5 pilots, allowing them to field five of them at once. All the ships are only two die attacks but three are A-Wings, which are always a pain to kill. Zorii can also prove amazingly frustrating despite being in a Y-Wing. With her ability, if an A-Wing takes an action nearby she can get a pre-move action, stressing herself. With R4 astromech she has a lot of maneuvers available to clear that stress. Then she gets her regular action. If she boosts, she can then get a Calculate. This makes her effective in arc dodging in a Y-Wing. Her turret opens up even more doors for her as she can end up to the side of a target and still shoot.

Resistance Swarm

Teza Nasz (Y-Wing)

Dorsal Turret
Watchful Astromech
Engine Upgrade

6x Colossus Station Mechanic (Fireball)

Teza is the Resistance’s version of Howlrunner, but better. Her free rerolls work out to range two, making it much easier to grant. It does have a precondition of needing to bracket your target. This makes a swarm of Fireballs the perfect group to fly with her. They are cheap, meaning you can get six of them. Plus, their ability to SLAM allows any of them to flit about to get a ship on the opposite side of your target.

Y-Wings: The Next Generation

Lega Fossang (Y-Wing)

Expert Handling
Ion Turret
Ferrosphere Paint
Watchful Astromech
Engine Upgrade
Angled Deflectors

Shasa Zaro (Y-Wing)

Ion Turret
Ferrosphere Paint
Watchful Astromech
Engine Upgrade
Angled Deflectors

2x New Republic Patrol (Y-Wing)

Expert Handling
Ion Turret
Ferrosphere Paint
Watchful Astromech
Engine Upgrade
Angled Deflectors

Normally, loading your ships up with a bunch of upgrades is a good way to waste a bunch of points. Due to Intuitive Controls, Y-Wings just might be greater than the sum of their parts. With this squad, you have ships that can Boost, Barrel Roll, or Reinforce and then also Calculate, all while remaining stress free. They can also rotate and end up with a token if they don’t mind a stress. With Ferrosphere Paint, they also either mess with your opponents plans to get Locks or pass our stress tokens. Ion turrets are typical fair for Y-Wings but gain a bit more value with these ships.
Lega can really shine with so many of his squadmates able to gain calculate tokens. Shasa can mess with targeting priority. If she can position herself in the sights of a high initiative ship, she can pass her reinforce token to another friendly ship that might be the more tempting target for other ships.

Corus Swarm

Corus Kapellim (Y-Wing)

Dorsal Turret
Automated Targeting Priority
Watchful Astromech
Engine Upgrade
Deadman’s Switch

Zizi Tlo (A-Wing)

Swarm Tactics
Juke
Ferrosphere Paint

Tallissan Lintra (A-Wing)

Swarm Tactics
Juke
Ferrosphere Paint

L’ulo L’ampar (A-Wing)

Swarm Tactics
Juke
Ferrosphere Paint

This list aims to capitalize on Corus’ ability to steal green tokens. At I1, it’s a so-so ability. At I5, with the rest of the squad fielding Juke, it has some power. All the A-Wings have Swarm Tactics so any of them can remain near Corus to pass I5. Then he shoots first, stealing your target’s token. This lets the A-Wings hit harder with their Juke attack.
There are a lot of unnecessary upgrades, particularly Ferrosphere Paint, which were thrown in to fill out the points.

Love Triangle

Zorii Bliss (Y-Wing)

Expert Handling
Dorsal Turret
Primed Thrusters
R4 Astromech
Wartime Loadout
Proton Torpedo

Poe Dameron (X-Wing)

Backwards Tailslide
R4 Astromech
Primed Thrusters
Overdrive Thrusters
Integrated S-Foils
Black One
Underslung Blaster

Finn

Heroic
C-3P0
Automated Targeting Priority

This isn’t a great list. Let’s acknowledge that. There are too many upgrades and too few ships. But it’s fun. Finn moves first, coordinates Poe, who uses his ability for double actions, also giving Zori the same action with her ability. Then they both take blue maneuvers and clear their stress, allowing them to take a new action during their regular action phase. Once the group spreads out to engage, they lose some of the cohesion but each can still operate alone.

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D&D: Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn – First Impressions

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn reimagines and updates the world of Exandria with new subclasses and more. Here’s our first impressions.

It’s been a while since I’ve held a tome this beefy. Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn leaves a weighty first impression in every sense of the word. TDR is an update to and expansion of the previous Tal’dorei book, and it’s like something out of another era of gaming.
It comes with a big fantasy map. The book has loads of adventure hooks and hundreds of pages full of points of interest, towns, monsters, and more. TDR explores the rough edges and nooks and shadows of Matt Mercer’s vividly detailed world of Exandria.

It calls to mind the latter days of 3.5 edition, when a new campaign setting book unlocked wonders. And while this world is familiar to many, it still seems to hold secrets. The writing gives you a sense of the mythic feel and tone of Exandria.
It doesn’t reinvent the fantasy genre–but it’s not trying to. The setting was Mercer’s love letter to the fantasy novels and games that inspired him. And the book is Mercer and co-authors James Haeck and Hannah Rose’s expansion on that.
Sure, the world is filled with many expected things: a once-powerful empire that grew too far too fast and fell. A calamitous war of the gods that resulted in a time during which there were many troubles. The gods warred and that was the Calamity. Only it wasn’t as long ago as you think. And the aftereffects are still being felt through the world.
The Identity of Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn

That’s where the book begins. Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn does so much more than just retread old ground though. It’s an expansion to the world critters know and love. In the first section of the book you’ll find a guide to the history of Exandria, and then a drilling down into the details of the world. But what really stood out to me is how much work Mercer, Haeck, and Rose have put into carving out a distinct identity for Exandria.
This book isn’t published by Wizards of the Coast. It’s published under the 5E OGL–printed right there as the last page in the book. Which means that it has to carve out its own identity. For instance, instead of Genasi and Golaiths we get Ashari and Stoneborn or Half-Giants. Here’s where we see Critical Role establishing its own identity. Which, with an animated series in the works, it needs to.
Gone are the names of the Pantheon. You won’t find reference to Asmodeus or Bane or Lolth. Instead you’ll find the Lord of Hells, the Strife Emperor, and the Spider Queen. Even Vecna, whom Vox Machina defeated at the end of Campaign 1 isn’t mentioned by name. Here he’s The Whispered One.

But these changes, this distinction, is a huge boon for Exandria’s identity. Everything becomes so much more distinct when you have to make it your own. D&D’s Genasi are very specific, and they have kind of been left to languish.
But Exandria’s Ashari have their own distinct identity. They’re not just people tied to the elemental planes. They have their own cultures, their own abilities, and their own culture. Which is represented by a host of new things from backgrounds to magic items and more.
It’s where some of the best stuff in Tal’dorei can be found. This book is at its best when it’s playing in the massive sandbox Mercer and co. built.
Subclasses In Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn

Okay, enough about what the book does. Let’s get to the good stuff. Fans and players have been hungry for the new subclasses so let’s get right to those first. We’ll go in depth with each of these in another article, but here’s an overview of every new subclass in the book:

Barbarian Path of the Juggernaut – Push enemies around and smash objects with unstoppable force
Bard College of Tragedy – Emo bards that support the party in surprisingly strong ways, including expanded threat ranges and changes to enemy saves
Blood Domain Cleric – Use the power of blood to creepily bond with or control your friends and enemies
Moon Domain Cleric – Use the power of the moons to do magic better
Druid Circle of the Blighted – Use the power of pollution and toxic magic to be a better bear
Monk Way of the Cobalt Soul – As seen in Campaign 2, this subclass embodies the idea of knowing thy enemies and thyself
Paladin Oath of the Open Sea – As seen in Campaign 2, this subclass is for Paladins who decide a pirate’s life is for them
Runechild – Use your magic to charge up runes and store spell energy for later
Wizard School of Blood Magic – Use Blood Magic to do creepy blood things and more damage

There’s a lot here. In fact there’s a lot for players to love about the book.
Player Options in Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn

There are new magic items, new feats, new backgrounds. There’s a lot for players to dig into here. Even if you’re not interested in playing one of the new subclasses, there’s still a lot to enjoy.
And, flipping through the book, it’s hard not to find something to be excited about. Whether it’s a powerful Vestige of Divergence–weapons that level up with you–or a common item like a skyboard, there’s just a lot that looks interesting to play with here.
Final Thoughts

Mercer, Haeck, and Rose put their love of the game into this work, and it shows. Mercer’s “homebrew” classes have been criticized before for balance. And while that may be an issue here, everything feels like something a player would want to try, or that a GM would want to run.
There’s a feat called Vital Sacrifice that lets you store up damage that you can do later to an enemy (and yourself). Or how about a mechanic for creating magical runes that you can use later? Or empowering your magic sword?
There are exciting new monsters to play with. You can find Mercer’s house rules aggregated here. It all feels like what Mercer and co. want D&D to be. This is a glimpse at how they play and what they love. TDR feels like it was written by people who play D&D for people who play D&D. Definitely worth checking out.
Happy Adventuring

RPG Game Design, GMing, Steampunk with Jake Paul

5 years ago Bert Ballast

RPG game designer, Jake Paul, joins me on the podcast today. We dive into the story of how Jake came to work for Parlor Gaming. We discuss the Tephra Steampunk RPG and some of Parlor’s other RPGs. Also, Jake walks us through his game design philosophy and how he uses d12s and d20s. We talk about running RPGs and Jake shares his game master secrets.

Parlor Gaming and Jake Paul Links

To learn more about Jake, Parlor Gaming, and the Tephra Steampunk RPG, check out the links below.

After Critical Role's Vox Machina, what other RPGs deserve an animated series? It's the Dicebreaker Podcast!

5 years ago Bert Ballast

On the latest Dicebreaker Podcast, Matt and Meehan are joined by roving news reporter Chase Carter to discuss the recent Tabletop Simulator debacle, the sudden disappearance of Pandemic (sorry, not that one) and the next game from the creator of Kemet!

There’s also time for more reports from our ongoing rivalry in Root, Meehan’s time Terraforming Mars, Chase’s MTG Cubes and more.

Finally, we consider which RPGs would make the best animated series after watching the new trailer for Critical Role’s upcoming Vox Machina show.

Listen to the Dicebreaker Podcast each week on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. You can also find the podcast’s RSS feed right here.

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You can catch the team in person every Friday from 2pm GMT as we record the podcast live over on our YouTube channel. Join the chat to let us know what you’re playing, play along with the weekly segment and ask us anything you want!
If you have a question for the team, we’d love to hear from you! You can email contact@dicebreaker.com, tweet us @joindicebreaker or leave a comment below. We read every message, pick the best questions each week and answer all we can.
Games (and other stuff) discussed:

Root
Terraforming Mars
Tabletop Simulator
Pandemic
Yucatan
Zine Month 2022
Vox Machina
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
Blades in the Dark
Forewarned
Queer Eye
The Lost Daughter
Root: The RPG
That Time You Killed Me
Magic: The Gathering
The Expanse

Free League Launches 'Urban Operations'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Free League Publishing has announced Urban Operations, the first expansion set for its Twilight:  2000 roleplaying game.  This boxed expansion set will release in Q3.
Urban Operations offers new rules and guidelines for playing in post-apocalypse cities.  Inspired by and expanding upon the Free City of Krakow module from the 1984 edition of the game, this set is designed as a universal guide for adventures in any city.  In addition to a detailed exploration of Krakow and the Swedish city of Karlsborg, it includes new factions, new scenario sites, and adventure hooks. Alongside the book of scenarios and new rules, the boxed set comes with city maps, scenario site maps, modular battle maps featuring urban environments, and new encounter cards tailored to city encounters.  MSRP has not been announced.
Click Gallery below to see sample artwork from the set.
Free League launched its new edition of Twilight:  2000 last year following a successful Kickstarter campaign that attracted 5,424,755 Swedish Krona (about $619,941) from 8,073 backers (an average of about $76.79 per backer) in September 2020 (see “Free League Plans New Edition of ‘Twilight 2000’”).
Last month, the company expanded its Vaesen RPG to include the myths of Britain and Ireland (see “Free League Announces New ‘Vaesen RPG’ Setting Book”).

D&D BREAKING – Mordenkainen’s Monsters Of The Multiverse Standalone Release Date, New Monster, And More

5 years ago Bert Ballast

WotC previewed Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse today, including a look at the standalone release.

Wizards of the Coast gave a press briefing earlier, previewing Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. The new book, which contains 250 monsters and 33 playable races is a big update for D&D.

In Monsters of the Multiverse, we get our first glimpse of what the future hold for D&D. The book is being released as part of a gift set on January 25th. The Rules Expansion Gift Set gathers together Monsters of the Multiverse plus Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. It will retail for $170. But if you happen to already have the other two books–the good news is Monsters of the Multiverse will be available as a standalone book.
You can pre-order it now on D&D Beyond for only $49.99. But you’ll have to wait until May to unlock your purchase though. As the official standalone release date is May 17th.

Changes To Player Races
The press briefing was also a chance to talk in broader terms about the future of D&D. It was a peek behind the curtains of the game’s design. In the briefing, Crawford explained that there were two directions: game design and balance alongside storytelling potential.
From a design standpoint, the new book is focused on rebalancing the existing races while keeping them open to different “player stories.”
If you’ve seen the big list of spoilers, you’ll know that features like cunning artisan or elven weapon training have been by and large excised from the game. Part of the reasoning for this is the design team stepping back from the “all elves know longswords” kind of thinking. But this has left many people wondering what would replace those features.

Challenge Rating Changes
According to Crawford, they don’t want to create limitations or barriers to player imagination. This means that the idea of a player race is a lot more streamlined in the future. Monsters also get a big overhaul. As Crawford told Gizmodo:
“We’ve gotten pretty consistent feedback since the core books in 2014 that a number of our high CR monsters felt a bit too weak, like they were punching below their challenge rating.”

And while Monsters of the Multiverse won’t overhaul the CR system entirely, it looks like a lot of monsters, especially higher CR monsters are getting some buffs:
“Part of this work was also us changing how these monsters earn their challenge rating. In those previous books, the monsters did hit their challenge ratings, but we used a different method to hit it. In the past, all a monster had to do was have a set of combat options that, if the DM chose that right set, the monster was that challenge rating. Here’s the issue with that approach: if the DM doesn’t happen to pick that golden path, a number of those monsters then fall out of their challenge rating.
In Monsters of the Multiverse, we’ve changed the approach. We’ve now made it so that each of the monsters has multiple choice sequences that lead to the same CR. And so what that’s going to do is give groups who never fought the optimal version of the monster [a challenge that feels] way more powerful… We also did protect their non-combat options, so it is possible for a monster to not be as threatening as its CR may suggest, but we made it clearer to the DM when they are taking that path. The DM will be able to make a more informed choice.”
Crawford also teased a new monster, the Dolphin Delighter–which sounds less menacing than Dolphin Devilgalive.

The Dolphin Delighter is a fae dolphin that has telepathy and teleportation.
The Rules Expansion Gift Set is out January 25th, 2022

Device vs Equipment

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Devising the Difference Between Devices and EquipmentHello heroes! Thank you for popping by the Round Table for one of my posts, grab a snack and settle in. I wanted to take a crack at answering one of the questions I see most often from the M&M community. That question being, “How do you differentiate between Devices and Equipment?” It’s a fair question, especially with the difference in Power Point cost between the two, and one that I feel every GM has a different answer for. This isn’t a bad thing, because more often than not if someone asks me is this a Device or is it Equipment my answer is, “It depends.” In the following post, I’m going to share some of my rules of thumb for telling the difference and offer some advice for when it inevitably crops up at your table.Basic Rule of ThumbWhen trying to decide if a player can purchase a certain gadget with Power Points or Equipment Points, I start by asking myself if that item is able to be bought in an appropriate store almost anywhere in the setting. If this item is something that everyday people use in their profession (from laptops to 9mm handguns) then it should be Equipment in terms of the rules. Equipment is often mass produced and lacking in unique characteristics. The setting of your game can have an impact on this basic rule of thumb. If your M&M campaign is set in deep space 3,000 years from now it’s going to have different items that can be considered equipment. A laser rifle is probably a Device if your game is set in 1986 but that same weapon with the same stats could be standard issue for soldiers in 3576 making it Equipment in my opinion. One thing you have to do as Gamemaster is sit down and world-build some of the standard technology in your setting. Usually, if I’m setting a game in a place or time wildly different from present day, I’ll create a uniform list of different weapons, items, and armor that I consider to be Equipment which I share with my players. It also bears noting if the heroes’ mundane tools of the trade—for example swingline launchers, motif-inspired boomerangs, smoke bombs, body armor, and fancy wrist mounted computers—are provided by the same benefactor, consider making it Equipment instead of a Device. We’ll go over this idea a little more in depth later.This is my Rifle, There are Many Like it, but This One is MineOnce you’ve determined the availability of a given item, the next thing to ask the player is, “How unique is your version of the item?” If their hero has an assault rifle with a laser sight and a recoil stock, it’s probably still in the realm of Equipment. However, if that gun is only usable by someone who is worthy and has tendon-seeking buzzsaw bullets it’s more likely to be a Device. Keep an eye out for the unique features the player hopes to bring to the object and let that guide your decision between Equipment and Devices.Disposable?Another thing I advise GMs to look out for is how easy it is to destroy a specific item. Equipment is meant to be disposable. You can smash Equipment with impunity and not even give the player a Hero Point for the inconvenience! This cavalier attitude is due in part to the points they saved during character creation and in part due to how easily Equipment can be replaced. Devices, however, should be treated with more care as it’s possible the destruction or removal of that Device can rob a player of a large percentage of what makes their character viable. Always give a player a Hero Point if you decide their battlesuit has run out of power or they have used the last of their awesome trick arrows. This leads into my last point.How Integral is this Tool to the Character Concept?This is the highest-level question I ask myself and the player when deciding if something is Equipment or a Device. Heroes need tools at different levels depending on concept and archetype. A Green Lantern ring, for example, is an object that is uniform and handed out by the same benefactor as a mentioned earlier, but it is 90% of what makes that character a superhero in pure mechanics terms. As such I would consider it to be a Device and charge the full Power Point cost it incurs. I would do the same thing to a gadgeteer or a character flying around in a mech suit. Characters who use their tools as peripherals to their core concept, such as a Crime Fighter, are at the other end of this spectrum. They will have a lot more Equipment than Devices, because most of what they do, mechanically speaking, doesn’t rely on their gear. There will be some gray areas, such as Archer characters, and there’s no reason you can’t declare some of their tech to be Equipment and some to be Devices. An Archer might have standard broadhead arrows, swing line arrows, and explosive arrows as Equipment while statting up their acid arrows, disintegration arrows, and the good old boxing glove arrow as Devices.As I said at the beginning of this post, the answer to what is Equipment versus what is a Device, depends. That is the most succinct way to explain the difference. Now that you know to look for that basic rule of thumb, the features of the object, it’s disposability, and its importance to the character you’ll be able to trust your gut the next time this question comes up. And if there’s anything I know about M&M Gamemasters, it’s that you have a lot of guts. Thank you for reading and have a great day!Alexander Thomas is an author, game designer, content creator, dog lover, karaoke enthusiast, and all around nerd. You may know him from his work as a Mutants & Masterminds assistant developer for Green Ronin Publishing. He is also the author of the Titan City Chronicles novel series, as well as the executive producer of the Untold Stories Project. Visit alexanderwrites.com to follow all of his shenanigans.

From ‘Blade Runner’ To ‘Bebop’, 2022 Is Full Of Licensed RPGs

5 years ago Bert Ballast

With games like Avatar Legends and a Blade Runner RPG in the works, 2022 is going to be full of familiar worlds.

Copyright law in the United States is a labyrinthine mess from which there is no escaping. All so that the Mouse can eventually own everything. It’s only a matter of time before two media companies own everything. In the meantime, everyone is scrambling to expand their fictional universes in as many directions as possible.
Nowhere is far enough. That battlestation has hyperdrives.
Back in the early days of the internet, this was called Transmedia. Nowadays it’s just business as usual. Every fictional series that does even remotely well gets a series of graphic novels, animated reboot, or live-action reimagining. And that includes roleplaying games.
Now, licensed settings are nothing new to RPGs. RPGs and existing fictional worlds have come together many times–and often with astounding results. West End Games’ Star Wars RPG carved out the expanded universe as we know it. Everything from Twi’leks to Bacta owes its existence to the original RPG books. Even today these books are used in current projects.
And then of course there’s the Indiana Jones RPG. It was so bad that remaining copies were destroyed and a scrap of it remains as the “most prestigious” award in RPG. Until they lost it.

The point is licensed works and RPGs can be a mixed bag. And with 2022 full of them, here’s what we have to look forward to.
Avatar Legends

Avatar Legends broke records for successful tabletop RPGs on Kickstarter. They came within spitting distance of Critical Role’s animated series Kickstarter. The RPG based on Avatar: the Last Airbender and Avatar: Legend of Korra will take you inside a world of four nations, depending on when you play. Using the Powered by the Apocalypse framework, the Avatar RPG promises action, animal companions, and the destruction of every cabbage cart you come across.
Magpie Games is excited to bring you Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game, the officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra! With over a decade of roleplaying design and publishing expertise, Magpie Games has created an innovative system that brings the world of the Four Nations to life in a tabletop roleplaying game that captures the heart of the Avatar franchise: balance, heroism, and the power of friendship.
Blade Runner the RPG

This is the BLADE RUNNER roleplaying game – a neon-noir wonderland that’ll take your breath away. One way or another. An evocative world of conflicts and contrasts that dares to ask the hard questions and investigate the powers of empathy, the poisons of fear, and the burdens of being human during inhumane times. An iconic and unforgiving playground of endless possibilities that picks you up, slaps you in the face, and tells you to wake up.
Time to live. Or time to die.
Then there’s the Blade Runner RPG, which builds on Free League’s Year Zero Engine. You can see that system in action in games like Tales from the Loop or Alien. It looks promising for the setting, though the devil is in the details. Especially in a setting so nuanced and flavorful. No one’s been able to agree on how get it right in seven different versions of the original movie.

The official Blade Runner RPG will propel players into the streets of Los Angeles as Blade Runners with unique specialties, personalities – and memories.
The core game and its line of expansions will push the boundaries of investigative gameplay in tabletop RPGs, giving players a range of tools to solve an array of cases far beyond retiring Replicants. Beyond the core casework, the RPG will both in setting and mechanics showcase key themes of Blade Runner – sci-fi action, corporate intrigue, existential character drama, and moral conflict – that challenge players to question your friends, empathize with your enemies, and explore the poisons and perseverance of hope and humanity during such inhumane times.
Cowboy Bebop the RPG
Hey remember when Cowboy Bebop’s live action anime adaptation was a thing? The Cowboy Bebop RPG has little enough to do with that. The game uses a new engine to give players control of bounty hunters in a space full of jazz, adventures, and weird Italian clown-villains.

Mana Project Studio and Don’t Panic Games, in partnership with Sunrise, are proud to introduce to you Cowboy Bebop, the Role-Playing Game: the official tabletop role-playing game of one of the most beloved anime of all time!
In Cowboy Bebop: The Role-Playing Game, players will live through their own stories of bounty hunters in space, in a jazzy universe blending Western, Film Noir, and buddy cop movies, accompanied by one of the best anime soundtracks in history.
The game will be designed by the award-winning Italian authors Fumble, who won the prestigious Italian Game of the Year award in 2020 for Not The End. It will reach Kickstarter in 2022 and hopefully hit shelves by the end of the year. Its initial launch will feature English, French and Italian languages.
Dark Souls the RPG

Not many details about this one, other than that it exists and is en route for 2022. You can sign up for a mailing list to learn more. All we really know is that the trailer features the full set of polyhedral gaming dice, including a bonfire-themed d20.
“Roll your dice beside the bonfire and link the flame. Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game is coming. If you, too, would like to learn what lies in the heart of Lothric, add your name to the ranks of the Unkindled! https://hubs.la/Q0113Ltb0“
Lupin the 3rd

Yet another classic anime with an RPG coming up. Originally intended for the 50th anniversary, there’s been little about the RPG other than a blurb about its engine:
The game will be published under Magnetic’s gaming imprint, Magnetic Press Play, and will utilize their unique “Magnetic Variant (D6MV)” ruleset built upon the classic D6 System made popular by West End Games with their original Star Wars and Ghostbusters RPGs.
And a release in 2022.
And that’s just scratching the surface!

Dungeons & Dragons: Monsters Of The Multiverse Announced

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Wizards of the Coast has announced a new rule book coming to Dungeons & Dragons as we’re getting Monsters Of The Multiverse. The book will be giving DM’s and players alike access to a ton of new monsters, many of which have only been available in specific adventures being special creatures to find or encounters to have, as well as many who are either making their first appearance in a book like this or that have been unearthed from previous editions of the game. The book will serve as another companion piece to the several ruleset books that have come out for 5th Edition. The book is also getting released as part of a Rules Expansion Gift Set, which will include two of the game’s most popular ruleset books: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Which will be released in two different versions that you can see below, a standard look and an alternative white version.Due to the way the pandemic has shaped up and how printing schedules have been messed up, the gift sets (which include the new book) will actually come out first in hobby stores, select retailers, and online on January 25th, 2022. The singular edition of MotM will be released on May 17th, 2022, which you can pre-order now at the link above.
Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Monsters of the Multiverse is a comprehensive resource for players and Dungeon Masters alike, containing over 30 updated player character races from various sources including Volo’s Guide to Monsters, The Tortle Package, and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. Also included is a massive bestiary with over 250 redesigned monsters and stat blocks, all for use in any D&D world.

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Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Expansion Gift Set
Expanded Rules. Expanded Foes. Expanded Adventure! The D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set is a perfect addition for the Dungeon Masters and D&D players in your life (or yourself, of course) who want to level up their libraries beyond the core rulebooks. The set contains new printings of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and a new volume, Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, which collects and revises tons of D&D material released since the launch of fifth edition into one convenient tome. Those three books plus a Dungeon Master’s Screen are all contained in a beautiful slipcase. The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Expansion Gift Set will be available on store shelves starting on January 25, 2022, with standard covers by Grzegorz Rutkowski (Monsters of the Multiverse, DM’s Screen and slipcase), Magali Villeneuve (Tasha’s), and Jason Rainville (Xanathar’s) featuring a shiny foil treatment.  The new alternate covers, designed by Joy Ang, feature a distinctive design and soft-touch finish and are available exclusively in game stores.

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D&D 5E expansion bundle provides DMs with a next step from Starter Set

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Dungeon masters can take the next step from the Dungeons & Dragons 5E Starter Set with a new expansion bundle for the roleplaying game.
The D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set includes a dungeon master’s screen, as well as updated versions of two existing sourcebooks for D&D 5E – Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything – and a brand new book released for the fantasy RPG entitled Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.
The versions of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything will feature several tweaks implemented by D&D publisher – Wizards of the Coast – such as the removal of suggested alignments for monsters, non-player characters and playable species, and the changes made to stat bonuses for species – with new shiny foil covers for the books created by Magali Villeneuve (Tasha’s) and Jason Rainville (Xanathar’s). Alternative covers for each sourcebook – created illustrations by Joy Ang – will also be available.

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything was originally released in 2017 and provides dungeon masters and players with information not included in the Player’s Handbook or Dungeon Master’s Guide, including a collection of 25 subclasses – such as the horizon walker for rangers or circle of dreams for druids – a selection of new spells and various tools to help DMs plan and run their campaigns.
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything was released in 2020 and contains a catalogue of additional subclasses, playable species, spells and never before seen lore surrounding the character of Tasha, or Iggwilv, a powerful wizard in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Besides giving players and DMs a more nuanced depiction of the previously evil wizard, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced the notion that players could create their characters without using species ability score increases that made certain species appear better at certain attributes than others.

Monsters of the Multiverse is a brand new sourcebook for D&D 5E that offers DMs and Players with a collection of 33 playable species – most of which have been featured in previously releases sourcebooks – as well as a bestiary of over 250 monsters, most of which have been included in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes and Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Perhaps the most unique aspect of Monsters of the Multiverse is that its entries are designed to be used in any Dungeons & Dragons setting, including those created by dungeon masters, with any traits specific to a particular universe being removed.
The D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set – which was originally intended to be released last December, but was delayed due to supply chain issues – is set to be released on January 25th, with the alternative version being only available in-stores.

New Metallic Dragon Descends Upon 'D&D Icons of the Realm'

5 years ago Bert Ballast

WizKids revealed D&D Icons of the Realms: Adult Bronze Dragon, a new metallic dragon miniature, for release into retail in April.
As part of a continuation of the metallic dragon series of figures (see “‘D&D Icons of the Realms’ Goes For the Gold (Dragon)”), the Adult Bronze Dragon is sculpted with highly detailed features and painted with premium paints. Bronze dragons generally live in coastal regions, and have webbed feet for swimming. These creatures show an interest in warfare, and are apt to ally themselves with characters fighting for a good cause.D&D Icons of the Realms: Adult Bronze Dragon will retail for $99.99.
Click on Gallery below for full-size images!

Monsters of the Multiverse compiles 33 playable D&D 5E species into a single sourcebook

5 years ago Bert Ballast

A brand new sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5E, one that compiles 33 playable species, is coming this spring.
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse is an upcoming sourcebook for D&D 5E that features various species options for players to choose from when creating their characters, alongside a bestiary containing over 250 different monsters for players to encounter in their games. There are no entirely new playable species found in Monsters of the Multiverse, instead, the sourcebook is a compilation of species from past sourcebooks such as Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes and Eberron: Rising from the Last War.

According to the sourcebook’s lead designer, Jeremy Crawford, the playable species found in Monsters of the Multiverse – which includes the humanoid tortoise-like species, Tortles, in print for the first time – have all been rebalanced to make them feel more powerful, as some species had previously felt weaker than others. Any species with aspects that were specific to a certain setting – such as the Dwarves of the Five Nations compared to the Dwarves of the Mror Holds in Eberron: Rising from the Last War – have been removed for their inclusion in Monsters of the Multiverse, to enable players and dungeons masters to design characters for any D&D setting, whether official or homebrewed.
Monsters of the Multiverse also features versions of its playable species that do not include specific ability score increases. Instead, similarly to the species contained in 2020’s Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, players are able to assign ability score increases to whichever traits they want, regardless of the species. Though this change to playable species was implemented to address some of the more problematic elements of the fantasy RPG, when Dicebreaker asked whether Crawford or other members of the design team had made any significant changes to how certain D&D species were depicted – particularly in regards to D&D’s history of racially insensitive portrayals of certain species’ ‘primitive’ or ‘savage’ natures – in Monsters of the Multiverse, we did not receive a response. Suggested moral alignments for certain species have also been removed for Monsters of the Multiverse.

Other playable species in the new sourcebook include the Fairy and Haregon species introduced in last year’s Wild Beyond the Witchlight campaign book. However, the two species, which originate from the magical Feywild dimension, were originally intended to be first featured in Monsters of the Multiverse, with the sourcebook having been ready for printing as early as the middle of 2021, but was delayed due to supply chain issues.
The bestiary for Monsters of the Multiverse contains creatures that have otherwise appeared in previously released sourcebooks – such as Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes and Volo’s Guide to Monsters – as new versions of themselves designed to be able to be used in any Dungeons & Dragons setting. As with the playable species found in the sourcebook, its monsters have been altered to remove anything specific to certain settings. In addition, the design of the monsters have been streamlined overall, particularly those that use spellcasting. In response to player feedback, monsters with higher challenge ratings – which determine at what level player characters should be fighting them at – have been altered to provide DMs with more ways to make a creature “really earn” its challenge rating.

The creatures in Monsters of the Multiverse have all been sorted in alphabetical order according to their names, rather than being sorted into specific categories and then alphabetised. (Except for specific species of dinosaur, which can be found under the letter D.) Versions of monsters that may have appeared in previous sourcebooks, but as add-ons to other entries, now have their own stat blocks for DMs to use. Several entirely new monsters have been introduced into Monsters of the Multiverse, such as the Dolphin Delighter, a fey version of a dolphin that can teleport and use telepathic abilities.
Monsters of the Multiverse will be released as part of the D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set on January 25th – alongside copies of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything – as well as separately, both in print and digitally, on May 17th.

Paranoia RPG stayed hilarious by changing satirical targets

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Have you ever died laughing? I have. Multiple times. Once it was because I talked back to a giant AI-powered tank known as a warbot. Once it was because I stepped in a hallway that was painted a different colour than the one I was wearing. Once it was because I hit a random control button on a panel that happened to be the ejector seat, and a different button on the panel controlled the roof opening.

All of these stories (and more) are from the Origins Hall of Fame classic RPG Paranoia, originally designed and written by Greg Costikyan, Dan Gelber and Eric Goldberg in 1984. As Dungeons & Dragons claimed its inspirations from various fantasy novels, Paranoia stemmed from a mix of various pieces of dystopian fiction such as Brave New World, 1984 and Logan’s Run. But it cut the darkest elements of the setting with a thick thread of humour that ran the gamut from Brazil to the Marx Brothers and Warner Brothers cartoons depending on the play group and edition.

Paranoia is set inside Alpha Complex, a supposed utopia run by an all-seeing, all-knowing Friend Computer. Alpha Complex is so perfect and the Computer so unassailable that it needs teams of Troubleshooters to handle problems caused by outside forces trying to destroy Alpha Complex. These forces include imperfect clones with mutant powers, outsider Commie terrorists and insidious secret societies looking to bring Alpha Complex down from the inside. (Spoiler alert: Every PC at the table is both a mutant and a member of a secret society.)

Every sacred cow in tabletop roleplaying is slaughtered in Paranoia.

Every sacred cow in tabletop roleplaying is slaughtered in this game. Player characters die multiple times over the course of a session only to return as their clone version. The GM is encouraged to be unfair and capricious. Players are encouraged to pass notes to screw over other players. The characters acquire dangerous devices that are as likely to blow up in their faces as to work properly even once. Every scenario is set up as a no-win situation as the players are caught between the impossible orders of Friend Computer, the intrigues of higher-ranking members of Alpha Complex and the folly of advanced technology. How has such a contrarian game lasted for nearly 40 years?

Players are Troubleshooters working on behalf of a Friend Computer to maintain Alpha Complex’s ‘utopia’. Image: Mongoose Publishing

Reading Paranoia as a young designer was a revelation. Underneath the rules and the puns was an idea that’s stuck with me for decades; players make the game fun. The rules are there to facilitate fun but, if they get in the way, have the fun first and worry about the rules later. Telling the story is the key to a good game. In many ways, it was “say yes or roll the dice” long before its time.

If the rules get in the way, have the fun first and worry about the rules later.

The game also clearly sets its stakes. Everybody is out to get everyone. Characters have multiple clones to use during a session. So long as that’s clear from the word go, it gives permission for players to be as devious and tricky as possible. It’s the same wicked fun to be had as a game of Munchkin. Your rival dies, you die, you all laugh and come back in a few minutes more-or-less the same.

The most recent edition even uses a bluffing mechanic similar to Coup during combat rounds to reinforce the titular themes of the game. Play a facedown card and say you go first. If someone catches you, they go first instead. If you were right, they fall down the initiative order so everyone else shoots before they do. The card-based play of the current edition cuts away a lot of rules crust to turn the game into an almost board game-like experience. Fewer rules means more laughs, more violence and, naturally, more dead clones.

The most recent edition of Paranoia introduces a bluffing element to combat. Image: Mongoose Publishing

Death in RPGs is often some combination of dramatic and traumatic. Because of the clone system, it’s expected. Knowing that a character comes back makes death part of the flow of the game. It lets players set up blackout gags and little post-death grace notes. It also has an interesting, if anecdotal, effect on players. The friends I’ve played Paranoia with have had an easier time dealing with character death after our one-shots. Dying six (or more) times in a row helps deal with that loss one way or another.

The one-shot nature of the game helps as well. There have been attempts at campaigns and longer-form stories, but the RPG remains in its most powerful form as a single session. It shows players who only play Dungeons & Dragons how different things can be. It’s easy to set up a one-shot between campaigns or when the regular crew can’t all make game night. Paranoia has so many elements to sample that it can shape a table that plays it into a different game or a different genre. A spoonful of laughs helps players expand their horizons.

The satire remains sharp as ever. The original poked fun at Cold War fears of secret communists everywhere that echoes the ‘50s-that-never-was future of Fallout. The new edition released around the turn of the century adjusted the satire to the surveillance state coming out of 9/11. Terrorists became the new external threat as the game tried to balance cartoon violence with darker attempts at satire. The most recent edition turns Alpha Complex into a post-capitalism hellscape with treason star ratings and opportunities to buy extra clones that are thinly-disguised pyramid schemes. Even R&D is more like Craigslist or eBay, with that dangerous prototype equipment now being slightly used.

How does Paranoia reconcile these different versions of its dark future? It doesn’t. Alpha Complex is built on revisionist history so any turns into less popular areas – such as a time when Friend Computer shut down or an edition desperately published during the waning days of West End Games – are conveniently ignored. They could have happened. Or not. Alpha Complex has always been here and will be here. To say anything otherwise would be treason of the most unpleasant sort.

The Workshop: Heroes on Demand – Darius, Paladin of Desna (Pathfinder for Savage Worlds)

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Art by Miguel Regodón Harkness

When I started talking about Pathfinder for Savage Worlds I had a couple of inquiries on what characters looked like for the game. At the time, we had just been discussing schedule and maybe broad character ideas. We just recently earned our second advance after several months of actually getting the game going and I thought I would take a moment and share what a “low level” character looks like in this adaptation of the Pathfinder game.
Darius was born to a tribe of Shoanti under particularly poor auspices, the stars of Rovagug shining overhead. He was abandoned by his tribe and found the next day by merchants who were passing by and heard his cries. They took him to Sandpoint where he was placed in the care of the city and raised at the Turandarok Academy. He never really felt like he fit in when he was young and struggled to make friends. However, when the monk Enderaki Sorn came to Sandpoint Darius found something of a father figure, someone who seemed to understand the young man’s frustrations, listened, and pushed him to be better. Under his guidance, Darius began to accept his lot in life and grow more comfortable in town. He started to excel at his studies and even made some friends, even if he never quite outgrew his “angry young man” phase. It was on Enderaki’s recommendation that he managed to get hired on as a house guard at Valdemar Manor where he spent several years working until he was about 25.
After an attack on the manor left him injured and an artifact he was supposed to guard missing, he was summarily dismissed from his job. While recovering from the injury, he took on work at the docks as a fishmonger in order to keep a roof over his head at a flophouse and food in his belly. While he was still technically being paid a stipend by the Valdemars, it was small enough to be insulting. Over the years, he  slipped further and further into his anger and general misanthropy as he felt his life circling the drain. His wound eventually healed, but it was never the same. And despite paying him a ridiculously small amount, the Valdemars refused to take him back on. And losing the artifact that was important to them meant that he was also persona non grata for any of the other families. He spent his days gutting and cleaning fish and his nights drinking and fighting. Enderaki Sorn passing away a few years later was just further insult to injury.
The Late Unpleasantness a few years later was almost a relief for him. Maybe Chopper would do him a favor and just end his misery. But that ended without incident for him and he continued to sink deeper. Eventually Father Zantus asked him for help building the new Cathedral and despite wanting to say no, he couldn’t help but agree to the man’s request. The work proved to be good for him and listening to Father Zantus preach gave him something to think about. And then on the eve of his 40th birthday, he finished work and looked up into the sky and was shocked at what he saw – the stars that had haunted him his entire life were not there. Instead, the constellation of Desna shone bright. Father Zantus saw it as well and interpreted it for Darius, saying that it was the goddess calling him to service and to action. He’s still not sure what that means exactly, but anything has to be better than what he’s been doing for the last 15 years.
Darius is a little bit of a different character than I usually play, someone a bit closer to my own age than the traditional “younger hero” that’s prevalent as a trope within fantasy roleplaying. As I said above, we’ve received two advances within the AP we’re running and Darius has started to hear Desna guiding his actions and leaned into embracing that, to the chagrin of our dwarven fighter who has his own reasons to distrust religious figures and organized religion in general. (Add to that one of our other party members actively channeling the power of Erastil and he’s definitely doing some sweating.) Increasing his Spirit to a d8 with my first advance opened up a lot of Edges that have it as a prerequisite. And Champion felt like a no brainer after our encounters with some monstrous abominations below the city of Sandpoint. But more importantly, the character sheet lets you take a brief look at some of the traditional Paladin abilities and how they were translated over to the Savage Worlds ruleset.

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Ben EricksonContributing Writer for d20 Radio

Jaws and Deep Blue Sea inspirations for new aquatic horror RPG Dive

5 years ago Bert Ballast

Explore the depths of fear in an upcoming roleplaying game set underwater, called Dive.
A horror TRPG, Dive was inspired by several classic scary movies set in aquatic locations such as the 1975 blockbuster film, Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, in which a sleepy coastal town is terrorised by a ferocious shark. Other inspirations for the RPG include 1999’s Deep Blue Sea – another film about a group of people being attacked by sharks – and James Cameron’s 1989 sci-fi horror movie The Abyss, in which a team of scientists are hunted by a newly discovered underwater alien species.
Dive is intended to enable games masters to create their own aquatic horror storylines, with players being able to create and control characters that must survive underwater threats. Using the panic engine introduced in Mothership – a sci-fi roleplaying game that sees players exploring strange planets and spacecraft containing numerous dangers – Dive has its players fumbling through various tasks, whilst being pursued by some underwater horror. The panic engine sees players rolling a d100 and applying any specific abilities their character might have, with the outcome of the roll determining how far they’ll succeed or fail, with Dive applying this concept to an underwater environment rather than an outer space one.

Players will be able to choose from five different classes when making their characters, including a consultant class that comes with five additional subclasses to pick from, and potentially acquire new equipment to help them in the trials ahead. Systems from both boating and submarineering have been included in Dive, as well as various procedures for deep-sea-diving. Characters in the RPG can take tattoos that grant them certain bonuses to their d100 roles, as well as discover useful d100 trinkets. GMs can work with their players to form their sea base using a generator system, with a bestiary containing both real-life and imaginary deep sea horrors for player characters to encounter.
Dive was written and designed by Jeremy Childrey, an RPG designer whose previously released games include Gordinaak – a sci-fi RPG about mech gangs – a roleplaying game centred around the strange public figure Florida Man, called Cocaine & Alligators: A Florida Man Sphere, and the short adventure Why is There a Wizard’s Tower in this Dump?

Other contributors to the RPG include editor Jarrett Crader and artists Seriously Ugly; Tony Tran; Simone Tammetta and Michael Parla.
The Kickstarter campaign for Dive will be live from February 1st, with pledge amounts and estimated delivery dates yet to be confirmed.

'Moon Knight' Trailer, Date; Weekend Box Office News; 'Black Panther' Production Resumes; New Animation Head at Skybound; 'Predator' Litigation Settled; 'Batgirl' Casting

5 years ago Bert Ballast

We round up geek showbiz news here, getting you up to date after the long weekend. Disney+ has released the first trailer for the upcoming Moon Knight series (trailer below), and announced a premiere date: March 30.  The series stars Oscar Isaac, high-end talent for this series featuring a second-tier Marvel character (see “’Moon Knight’ Adds Directors”).  But there’s been a lot of interest in the IP over the past decade, and a quality history of comics from which to draw stories. Scream was the top movie over the weekend, toppling Spider-Man: No Way Home (see “’Spider-Man’ Gets All the Oxygen”) after four weeks in the top spot, according to Variety.  It didn’t win the weekend, but the latest in the Spider-Man franchise did pass Black Panther to become the fourth highest-grossing film in U.S. history with $702.9 million in box receipts, according to the report.  The fifth film tied to Scream took in $34 million, a win for the inexpensively produced feature. Production is finally resuming on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever next week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  About four weeks of shooting are planned.  Production was halted in November due to an on-set injury to Letitia Wright (see “’Black Panther’ Production Shutting Down”), and resumption was delayed by recent Covid cases among cast and crew, including star Lupita Nyong’o.  The premiere date is November 11, 2022 (see “Best in Shows – 2022”). Skybound has brought in Marge Dean, most recently Head of Studio at anime streamer Crunchyroll, to run its animation studio, the company announced.  First up for Dean will be S2 and S3 of the animated Invincible series for Amazon (which drove a lot of graphic novel sales when S1 was running).  In addition to Crunchyroll, Dean has had management roles at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (Robot Chicken), Mattel, Wildbrain, Warner Bros. and Columbia Tristar, among others. 20th Century Fox and John and Jay Thomas, the screenwriters of the original Predator movie, have settled dueling copyright lawsuits over rights to the property, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  The brothers, represented by famed IP litigator Marc Toberoff, were attempting to withdraw the copyright in the screenplay.  No terms were disclosed.  Prey, a new Predator feature, will debut in the U.S. on Hulu this summer (see “New ‘Predator’ Feature”). A number of new cast members have joined star Leslie Grace in the HBO Max Batgirl feature.  J.K. Simmons and Brendan Fraser are also cast in the film, according to Deadline; and most recently, Rebecca Front (Avenue 5), Corey Johnson (Morbius), and Ethan Kai (Killing Eve), according to The Hollywood Reporter.  We’d previously reported that Michael Keaton will appear (see “Michael Keaton in ‘Batgirl’”).

The Wizards and the Wastes’ second edition opens an endless sea of magic – at a cost

5 years ago Bert Ballast

What’s an acceptable price for power? If one could stop an oncoming flood, ward a toddler from death or summon a crop-saving storm, would such magic be worth a few years of one’s life? What about memories of long-dead family members or a body nobody would call human? This is the system underpinning The Wizards and the Wastes, a tabletop RPG of bargains and agreements.

Inspired by works such as Bloodborne, Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Howl’s Moving Castle – itself adapted from Diana Wynne Jones’ novel – The Wizards and the Wastes positions players as mages working for the state and dispatched to a far-flung village or town to work their awesome abilities for the good of its inhabitants and those in power.

But that magic comes at a cost, and every weaving of power must first be negotiated between the wizard and their Spell Source, navigating a bargain where anything is fair game in balancing the scales. Vitality, memories, or perhaps a couple of fingers can work a cantrip, but something closer to miracles might take more than one player can bring to bear. Luckily, wizards can work in tandem to share the load, sacrificing some of their own finite resources – and humanity – for the good of the work.

Players in The Wizards and the Wastes won’t pull their spells from a formatted table but will instead enlist the aid of a real-world book, poetry collection, painting or other creative work. Circling different passages or stanzas, images, colours or comic panels will define the shape and effect of a spell, as well as set a cost for its realization. A primary part of being a good haggler is knowing not to bite off more than one can chew.

Designed by John Battle – known online as Batts and the creator of .Dungeon – The Wizards and The Wastes first launched in 2020 with a very limited print run alongside a digital edition. According to Batts’s blog, they planned to bring the game to Kickstarter to fund an extended print run and second edition pass at the rules, which would include expansions on nearly every aspect of the game and high-quality hardcover production. Then, the popular crowdfunding platform announced the now-notorious plans to invest in blockchain technology.

“I believed that, without kickstarter, perhaps my books would be nothing to people. Perhaps I had been misguided. I worried that underneath it all, I wasn’t ‘good’ or ‘worth it,’” Batts wrote in their blog. “Beyond those feelings though, I knew I had to stop. I knew that I could not use Kickstarter anymore.”

They decided to run the crowdfunding for the second edition of the game on their website, leveraging their own promotion and word-of-mouth against the inherent visibility Kickstarter provides independent designers – and a primary reason why leaving the platform can be a fraught decision. Their hope was to reach 100% funding by the end of January in an all-or-nothing pitch, but backers managed to push past that goal within days – the project is currently sitting at 170% funding.

That campaign will continue until February, and backers can pre-order a physical or digital edition of The Wizards and the Wastes for $40 (£29) and $15 (£11), respectively. Physical books will come with a PDF version, and Batts has conservatively estimated shipping will take place in June or July 2022.

D&D: Monster Spotlight – Kobolds

5 years ago Bert Ballast

We know they’re only a threat in groups, but kobolds think of themselves as dragons, and that’s sort of sweet.

Kobolds are the best. Spiteful, petty, thieving creatures with a meta-knowledge that their place in the world is firmly under the boot of someone bigger, stronger, or smarter, kobolds are the world’s cannon fodder.
But they endure it all because they believe, deep down, that they are the descendants from dragons. They certainly have the greed and pride of one. You can even see it in their appearance. I just hope nobody tells them about Dragonborn. Or Half-dragons. Or Dragonkin (if you’re playing in Krynn). Man, dragons really get around.
So do Kobolds, for that matter. They’ve been around since before 1st edition. Like the Tarrasque, kobolds also have their origins in real-world mythology. The “historic” kobold was a Germanic sprite, kind of like a house elf, but less servile and more…playful. So long as they were appeased.

They would quickly turn malicious as soon as they felt neglected. Much like their scaly counterparts, kobolds could be petty and vengeful when they felt turned on, playing harmless pranks like squeezing toad blood into a bishop’s dinner, beating servants, or strangling and dismembering the body of someone who refused to chastise a supposed “tormentor.”
You know, the standard Germanic folklore chart toppers.
There were famous kobolds as well. That strangling and dismembering incident got around and was attributed to the kobold Hödekin. Another one, Hinzelmann (whom you might recognize from American Gods) would demand respect, and once threatened a holy man who refused to accept Hinzelmann’s protests that he was Christian.
But all it’d take to earn their respect was a little bit of food (they loved gruel, in particular). You can see where the bloody-mindedness that informs our scaly little friends comes from.

 From that guy, right there.
Granted, that kobold looks a little more like a terrifying nightmare goblin, you can still kind of see where their look came from.
First Edition

Pointy ears, check. Stylish clothing, double check. Alright, we’re good guys.
From their mythological origins as mischievous sprites, we get the scaly little pack monsters everyone knows and loathes. They weren’t super tough, as you can see, they had only 1d4 hit points, just like a wizard.
While they weren’t very formidable on their own, you’d never run into just one. I mean look at the number appearing entry up there 40-400. That’s not nothing. Mind you that number comes from 1st edition, when monsters had a more ecological survey kind of feel to their entries, and you’d run into noncombatants (including children). In those early days, Kobolds had more of the murdering parts of their mythological counterparts.

And it is out of these 1st edition kobolds that we get one of my favorite pieces of gaming ephemera, Tucker’s Kobolds. Originally an editorial from Dragon 127, Tucker’s Kobolds helped shape many a growing GM’s encounter philosophy:

The kobolds caught us about 60′ into the dungeon and locked the door behind us and barred it. Then they set the corridor on fire, while we were still in it. 
“NOOOOOO!!!” screamed the party leader. “It’s THEM! Run!!!”
Thus encouraged, our party scrambled down a side passage, only to be ambushed by more kobolds firing with light crossbows through murder holes in the walls and ceilings. Kobolds with metal armor and shields flung Molotov cocktails at us from the other sides of huge piles of flaming debris, which other kobolds pushed ahead of their formation using long metal poles like broomsticks. There was no mistake about it. These kobolds were bad.
Yup. You may have heard a version of this story around your gaming table, but essentially it shows how you can make just about anything a threat if you use it right. The core philosophy is all about “the small things used well.” It’s a real interesting read, and it gives you a good example of how you can keep things fresh and exciting during fights. Every future iteration of the kobolds gets influenced by this.
Second Edition

They said choose your weapon, I said scorpion-on-a-stick, they said what?! I said GET ‘EM BITEY!
I mean he’s just waiting to use that scorpion on a stick. That scorpion is one hundred percent on board too. In 2nd Edition, Kobolds remained largely unchained. Worth a whole 7xp, they are described as a little more dog-like this go round. Their language sounds “like dogs yapping” and they smell of “damp dogs and stagnant water.” If you’ve ever played Kobolds Ate My Baby, their take on the monster seems to be based on 2E more than other editions.
The Kobold hatred of gnomes remains, but they became less likely to attack anything bigger unless they outnumber them. And that wasn’t just flavor text–this was back when monsters had to make morale checks, so if you managed to reduce them to a 3:2 ratio, they’d have to make a morale check or flee for their cowardly lives.
2nd Edition also introduced the first variant Kobold: the Urd–a tougher, winged kobold that flew and dropped rock bombs. These variants had actual hit dice, and had shamans and appeared in swarms large enough to justify any GM’s cry of “rocks fall, everyone dies.”
Third Edition

Third Edition and Pathfinder put the idea of variant kobolds through their engine, and spat out all manner of variants. Though they didn’t appear in the monster manuals, the published adventures were full of kobold sorcerers, rogues, fighters, and the like.
That was the beauty of those editions–you could pretty easily make any creature more of a threat, or at least to make encounters a little more dynamic. You could have a kobold rogue/assassin who went around sneak attacking and hiding in shadows, and after escaping from the party for the 4th time, took levels in monk and sorcerer too–provided you were willing to do all that work. Every time. But that’s another matter entirely, back to Kobolds.
The transition to 3rd had a few more changes as well. Kobolds shrank from 3′ to 2-2.5. They gained a racial proficiency with trapmaking and mining, reflecting their expert tunneling ability and tendency to spend their time fortifying their lands with traps and other mechanical annoyances, in a much more direct reference to Tucker’s Kobolds.
It’s even in their combat tactics– mean ideas like setting up ambushes near trapped areas, or trying to drive their enemies into other kobolds laying in wait with flaming oil or poisonous vermin ready to go. Add to that a few PC levels and the plethora of traps you could find in the DM’s guide and you had a recipe for victory. Petty, ankle-biting victory.
Fourth Edition

We leveled up in this edition.
4th Edition took that philosophy and ran with it, with an entry full of Kobold Dragonshields, Slingers, Wyrmpriests, Scale Singers, Scent-Mongers, Fishcaptains, and Slyblades. Because 4th edition was more modular (most of your attacks were powers or special entries) the mechanics were able to bring out some of the personality hinted at in earlier editions.
Kobolds all became Shifty, which let them escape combat or get a little extra movement as needed, as well as gaining trap sense. Some Kobolds even gained an ability called Mob Tactics which really reinforced the idea of attacking in a kobold wave by providing a +1 bonus per kobold ally adjacent to the target.
4th edition made kobold encounters feel a little more dynamic. In one fight you could face a spellcaster, some bodyguards, and a few skirmishers–and they all fought differently, but felt like they were made to work in unison. Small things used well, right?
Fifth Edition

5th Edition includes a section entitled The Lost God which details why they hate gnomes in this edition–in the distant past, the gnomes’ god tricked the kobold’s god, Kurtulmak, into being locked in a maze forever. Because of that, the kobolds hate gnomes and pranks forever. Previous versions of this legend have the gnomes’ god collapsing Kurtulmak’s cave on him for various reasons.
Volo’s Guide to Monsters expands on this even more, characterizing Kurtulmak (and also kobolds) as arrogant and prone to gloating, with a tendency to carry grudges that end in revenge plots. In addition to devious trapmakers and expert tunnelers, Kobolds have become scavengers and cowards and it is the best thing ever:

Thanks to their lack of physical prowess and their small size, kobolds are rarely in a position to dominate other creatures, so they usually don’t have minions. Even when the opportunity presents itself, kobolds would rather not try to enslave or hire any intelligent creatures because they can’t trust such creatures to not turn on them.

Kobold characters get an ability called Grovel, Cower, and Beg, which gives your allies advantage on attack rolls against enemies within 10 feet of you while you simper and distract them. And in 5th edition all kobolds have Pack Tactics, which gives advantage on attack rolls if at least one ally is within 5 feet of the target.

Bitey?! Is that you?
Variant kobolds are present in this edition as well. Including winged kobolds (urds) and many of the ones mentioned before. There’s one in particular I’d like to highlight:  the Kobold Inventor. To me, it’s the epitome of the kobolds’ spiteful ingenuity. The Kobold Inventor carries around a pack full of “inventions” which it can use once per day:

A flask of acid.
A flask of alchemist’s fire.
A basket of centipedes–this one is great, it’s a weaponized swarm of centipedes.
A pot full of green slime. (Did you want to take 1d10 acid damage a round or maybe have your weapon/armor destroyed?)
A pot full of rot grubs. (Oh man, time for those disease saves!)
SCORPION ON A STICK 2 – THE LEGEND OF BITEY’S GOLD: Poison your foes for fun and profit!
A skunk in a cage–because not everyone needs to be a spellcaster to cast stinking cloud.
A wasp nest in a bag. These wasps are very angry.

I’ll be honest, even though it’s not the toughest variant, this is probably my favorite kobold of any edition.

There’s just something about their never-say-die…well…about their always-say-die-but-it-doesn’t-matter-we’re-awesome attitude that is kind of endearing. They capture the imagination and can make for some much needed comic relief. And they’re a stark change of pace from fighting off rampaging hordes of gnolls or draculas or whatever. I love that they can be threatening without needing to be grim.
Do you want to terrorize your party with traps? How about get caught up in a civil war over a pig? Or are you just looking for a way to turn the most minor slight into a campaign of petty revenge? You need look no further than the gnome-hating, tenacious kobolds.
Have kobolds been a thorn in your side? Your ticket to greatness? Let us know in the comments.

D&D: Five Hidden Gems Worth Uncovering

5 years ago Bert Ballast

D&D is all about finding treasure and magic items. Sometimes the treasure itself is magic! Here are five D&D hidden gems worth uncovering.

Sometimes, adventuring is its own reward, and the real treasure is the friends you made along the way. But most of the time, especially in D&D, it turns out that the treasure is the real treasure. Especially when the treasure itself is a powerful magic item that can bestow imaginable power upon the wielder. I say imaginable power because someone did imagine it. And you can too. Use these magical D&D hidden gems in your games and watch as your players decide whether to keep or sell these hidden gems.
Cindergem

Cindergems are like baby Infinity Stones. You won’t be collecting all of them onto a gauntlet, but they do come in a variety of colors and give their bearers access to a variety of powers:

Orange: Gain the AC and flying abilities of an ancient silver dragon
Yellow: Gain the ability to shoot beams of light, Cyclops-style, that blind opponents at a distance (and deal damage up close)
Green: Gain temperature power, creating cones of extreme heat or cold at-will
Blue: Create a ghostly skull that flies around you and bites your enemies and is immune to normal attacks
Indigo: Gain the flying ability and immunities of a ghost or spectre, as well as the ability to drain life from your foes
Violet: Become the mightiest warrior, hitting for max damage on all die rolls +2 extra, and making two more attacks per round

No one knows what happened to the Red Cindergem, but these are worth a kingdom in the right hands.
Gem of Foresight

With this gem, you gain the ability to see the future of everyone within 10 feet of you. As you concentrate, you can see different possible futures around you with fairly vivid details, so much so that you experience the future as though living through it–but the more you use it, the more you risk becoming depressed because every living being’s path eventually leads to their doom.
Ionian Gem
An Ionian Gem is one of six hidden gems created centuries ago by a powerful wizard. What is it with people and sets of magic gems? These are all uniform, though. They grant the bearers the ability to speak telepathically with each other, as well as the ability to cast the spell Telepathy and Heal once per day, they also turn spells as a ring of spell turning does. So, powerful, compact, and great to find in a treasure hoard.
Gem of Life

The Gem of Life is a powerful magic item that originally hails from the world of Lankhmar. Its touch can restore life to a dead body, bringing the departed soul back to its home, and healing the affected character for 25% of their hit points. But… if the gem is broken, chaos can break out. This D&D hidden gem might explode dealing damage–but that’s the most boring option. It might embed itself into your skin, charging you with healing energy so that all your attacks heal their intended targets instead of damaging them. Or you might become overcharged with life energy as your body tries to “regenerate” itself and become a giant.
Handy, but delicate.
Purple Gem of the Vesve Forest

This purple hidden gem, set in a silver bracelet, is the epitome of elven-ness. This gem allows its bearer to summon an elven army for a single declared purpose. The user may call upon a number of elves equal to their age–so elves, who often take an “extended gap year” and aren’t considered adults until they’re well into their first century, will call on a lot of folks indeed. But if you’re a cool teen adventurer, you only get a paltry handful of elves. Assuming your hand can hold more than 12 elves.
They will gather in a week, and will follow the bearer, who also gains seven special aides (two wizards, two priests, and three rangers) all 1d3 levels lower than the user’s level. Finally, a benefit to playing that grumpy dad who became an adventurer.
Happy Adventuring!

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