By Zbigniew “Zed” Zych, Lead designer and owner of LM Publishing
Welcome to the first development diary for the Heroes of Might and Magic 2d20 TTRPG!
My name is Zbigniew “Zed” Zych, and I’m the lead designer for this project and founder of LMPublishing, a Polish publishing house that, in collaboration with Modiphius Entertainment and Ubisoft, has embarked on bringing Heroes of Might and Magic to life.
We know this is a massive and ambitious undertaking, especially since HoMM3 is a legendary and beloved game, adored by hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of fans. Our goal is twofold: to evoke the emotions tied to playing Heroes of Might and Magic and creating a unique experience within the franchise that stands out among other projects.
What is Heroes of Might and Magic 2d20 TTRPG?
It’s a tabletop role-playing game—a form of entertainment centered around gathering with friends, storytelling, and collectively creating an adventure. We’re setting this within the HoMM universe (primarily inspired by the third installment in the series) and using a rule system designed to simulate the world.
This game is crafted to enable players to tell stories of greatness, through the mechanics and supporting systems. Epic struggles, monumental challenges, awe-inspiring creatures, and even greater armies will be at the heart of the gameplay. These are the tales of Heroes of Might and Magic, mighty individuals destined for greatness, whose will and whims will shape the fate of the world.
Here, you won’t find stories of petty bandits preying on travelers along the local roads. If banditry appears, it’ll be about rising criminal kingpins shifting from raiding caravans to dominating trade across an entire region, with mountains of gold offered for their capture.
You won’t see tales of soldiers barely holding the front line. Instead, these are stories of noble sworn defenders repelling unending hordes of invaders, carrying the weight of the kingdom’s fate on their shoulders while armed with artifacts, elite units, and mighty fortifications.
You won’t hear about novice mages stumbling upon their master’s spellbook after his death, unsure what to do with it. If there is such a book, it will be the Tome of Earth Magic, carrying knowledge of how to control the weave of reality itself. To harness its power, our mages must lead their armies to the very Gates of Forsaken Palace to challenge the Demonic Forces of Eeofol.
We could go on with examples, but in short: these will be tales of your epic deeds!
Our Vision
We want every player of HoMM2d20 to feel like they’re rediscovering this world anew while also recognizing it at every turn. On the other hand, we are also aiming to ensure that newcomers to the HoMM universe find here what made us fall in love with the world exactly 30 years ago.
- There will be battles—from smaller skirmishes to epic showdowns.
- There will be magic—elemental forces granting unparalleled advantages to those who master them.
- There will be dynamic character development—transforming minor heroes into legendary champions.
- There will be exploration—discovering the world’s mysteries, reacting to surprises, and uncovering its secrets.
- There will be atmosphere—familiar locations, characters, and creatures!
But we won’t take ourselves 100% seriously. After all, HoMM is an archetypal universal fantasy world, brimming with quirky gimmicks and nods to the players. You can expect that spirit to be present here too!
Project Status
This development diary exists to share our journey, including its challenges, missteps, and lessons learned.
Work on the game has been underway for nearly a year and will continue for several more months until we’re fully satisfied. The game’s mechanics are already in testing. The core system is functional, and we are currently fine-tuning balance and gameplay diversity. We’re also preparing a record-breaking number of character archetypes for an RPG (over 20!) to maximize replayability. Additionally, we’re creating a massive bestiary so all the creatures and monsters you know and love can appear in your adventures.
Most importantly, we are designing the game to be approachable for new RPG players while also offering innovative features and mechanics to surprise seasoned veterans.
That’s all for now. The game will launch on Kickstarter in Q1 2025. Our goal is to deliver it to you by the end of 2025. In the meantime, we’ll publish these diaries (at least once a month) to keep you updated on our progress!
For Erathia! For the griffins! 😉
Read more at this site