Tag: Asmodee

The Weekly LIVE 205 – Asmodee Loses Billions, D&D Whiskey, Dolmenwood Kickstarter and Night Vale RPG

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Asmodee, the tabletop publishing company known for games like Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Pandemic, faced a setback as its corporate owner, Embracer Group, lost a $2 billion investment deal with Saudi Arabian partner Savvy Gaming Group. This deal was reportedly tied to a Saudi government investment fund. Asmodee’s parent company Embracer Group had previously been purchased by Sweden-based Embracer group. The failed deal led to stock price drops and cost-cutting measures. Despite this, Asmodee performed well in the first fiscal quarter of 2023, with increased sales and organic growth. The company also mentioned various upcoming releases and highlighted its successful performance despite the parent company’s challenges.

Matthew Lillard, known for his roles in movies like “Scream” and his involvement in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), launched a new line of game-inspired spirits called Quest’s End through his company Find Familiar Spirits. Lillard also discussed his passion for D&D and his involvement in TTRPG-related ventures like Beadle & Grimm’s. He’s also part of an improv and live gameplay series called “Faster, Purple Worm! Kill Kill!” that blends D&D and improv comedy. He highlighted the joy of playing with family and friends and emphasized the positive impact of tabletop role-playing games in his life.

The Dolmenwood Tabletop Roleplaying Game by Gavin Norman, after 10 years of development, offers an immersive fantasy adventure set in a richly crafted world inspired by British Isles folklore. Seamlessly blending the eerie and whimsical aspects of fairy tales, players embark on journeys through enchanting woods and mystical landscapes. The game provides streamlined rules suitable for both beginners and experienced role-players, introducing novel magic and creatures. The setting, available on Kickstarter since August 9th, 2023, includes three core books: the Player’s Book with comprehensive rules, the Campaign Book detailing the expansive campaign world, and the Monster Book featuring an array of creatures. Characters can be diverse, from goat-headed breggles to capricious woodgrues, each with nine unique classes. The open sandbox world encourages exploration across a detailed map, while the intuitive Old-School Essentials rules system ensures easy adaptation. Modern formatting enhances gameplay, and a range of extras such as adventures, miniatures, maps, and a soundtrack album further enrich the experience. A 76-page preview PDF offers insights into the game’s core content, promising an extensive world with engaging features across its three books.

Finally, the popular fiction podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” is set to be adapted into a tabletop RPG by Renegade Game Studios. The RPG will allow fans to explore the strange and eerie town of Night Vale in a tabletop setting. The game is expected to use Renegade’s Essence20 system, which incorporates a 20-sided die and skill dice for resolving challenges and obstacles.

#dolmenwood #nightvale #questsend #asmodee

Dolmenwood Tabletop RPG Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/exaltedfuneral/dolmenwood-tabletop-rpg

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10% off First Purchase from Modiphius:
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Dragonbane Actual Play Episode One:
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Dragonbane Core Set:
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The Weekly LIVE 195 – NuTSR Bankrupt, Heroscapes Returns, Embracer Layoffs and Privateer Press Legacy Ends

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It appears that NuTSR, a company owned by Justin LaNasa, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which involves the liquidation of the company’s assets. According to documents filed in North Carolina, NuTSR’s gross revenue for 2023 is $621.93, while its total liabilities amount to over $384,000. The company gained attention in 2020 when Justin LaNasa and Stephen Dinehart registered the defunct TSR trademarks and launched a new venture involving Ernie Gygax, son of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. However, NuTSR faced various controversies, including an attempted lawsuit against D&D publishers Wizards of the Coast, and in March 2022, they were sued by Wizards of the Coast.

On a different note, the game Heroscape, a wargaming classic, is set to return despite a failed crowdfunding campaign in the past. Renegade Game Studios has taken up the reboot of the miniatures game after the project called “Age of Annihilation” did not reach its funding goal. Heroscape is known for its accessible hex-based terrain, Lego-like fantasy miniatures, and beginner-friendly rules.

Additionally, Embracer Group, a major gaming publisher that owns studios such as Gearbox (known for Borderlands), Crystal Dynamics (known for Tomb Raider), and the rights to The Lord of the Rings, has announced a restructuring program. This program aims to make the company leaner, stronger, more focused, and self-sufficient. As part of this restructuring, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations are expected.

In a separate announcement, Privateer Press, a company known for its WARMACHINE, HORDES, and Riot Quest models, has stated that it will halt manufacturing for its Legacy models. This decision is in preparation for an upcoming facility move. Manufacturing of models cast in metal and resin will cease at the end of the week, and afterward, the company will fulfill online store orders only with remaining stock. Privateer Press has assured customers that the online store will be promptly updated to reflect available and out-of-stock items.

#NuTSR #privateerpress #heroscape #embracer

Full Glorious History of NuTSR:
https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-full-glorious-history-of-nutsr.684697/

Dragonbane Actual Play Episode One:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9u841QuXM

Dragonbane Core Set:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/418106/Dragonbane-Core-Set

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The Weekly LIVE 171 – Amazon Making Warhammer, Asmodee Steals GW’s Pricing, #OneDND and 2022 in Review

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Amazon Studios today announced that it has secured global rights to Warhammer  40,000, based on the immensely popular intellectual property from Games Workshop (GAW) that has given rise to an immersive global hobby – Warhammer. The agreement encompasses rights to the universe across series, film, and more, and will sit alongside GAW’s activities as they continue to make the best miniatures in the world. This is the first deal of its kind for Amazon Studios for IP of this scale, and it allows the company to utilize the title across its entertainment businesses. Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, Mission: Impossible – Fallout) is set to star in and executive produce the Warhammer 40,000 franchise across all Amazon Studios productions.

Asmodee’s pricing for its new terrain kits for Marvel Crisis Protocol are reminding us of the incredibly overpriced offering from Games Workshop. Discuss.

Dungeons and Dragons fans banded together to get #OpenDnD trending on Twitter. This tag emerged in response to recent activity that suggests Dungeons and Dragons might be considering cracking down on homebrew in One D&D.

We also cover the good and the bad of 2022. A surprising amount of bad.

#onednd #asmodee #amazon #warhammer40k

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The Weekly LIVE 165 – Star Wars: Shatterpoint Skirmish Game, Regency Cthulhu Expansion by Chaosium, Heroscape Return in Doubt and Edgerunners in Cyberpunk RED

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Star Wars Skirmish is a new Star Wars miniatures skirmish game coming next year. Atomic Mass Games, the Asmodee Studio that currently produces the Star Wars: Legion and Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures tabletop games, have announced this new skirmish game featuring iconic characters from the Star Wars universe. The game will be released in June 2023 and will be released alongside existing Star Wars products. Players will build a strike team of characters, such as Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze or Lord Maul, and have them compete in battles with evolving mission objectives.

Regency Cthulhu by Chaosium is a new sourcebook for the popular Call of Cthulhu RPG. And it does exactly what it says on the tin. The world of Regency England—and specifically here, Jane Austen’s England, which was society through a bitingly satirical lens—is about to be full of monsters from the mythos.Call it Shoggoths and Sensibility. Or Persuasion (by elder powers to hasten the destruction of all you know and hold dear). But maybe buckle a brace of pistols over your waistcoat, because Regency England is beset by horrors.

Heroscape’s return is in doubt. Its Hasbro Pulse campaign captured a burst of backers thanks to the dedicated community that has sustained itself over Heroscape’s nearly twelve-year hiatus, but the momentum died almost immediately. Only 3,400 backers have pledged Age of Annihilation’s $250 box.The project needs to surpass 8,000 purchases, or $2 million in promised funding, by November 15th to convince Hasbro it deserves to exist. Their current focus on their big cash cows of Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons means Heroscape will not be coming back any time soon. 

A new starter set allows you to play Edgerunners from the popular Netflix series in Cyberpunk RED. The Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit runs on the Cyberpunk RED rpg ruleset. Cyberpunk RED is the latest iteration of the original Cyberpunk RPG, going all the way back to the days of 1988. Now, the new starter box has an updated look for even the days of the RED. This feels like the “bridge” between the Night City of 2045 (the time of the Red) and the “now” of Night City in 2077. The set will include lore and rules to bring the setting and game up to the timeline from the anime by Trigger Studios and the console/PC game by CD Project Red.
#starwars #hasbro #heroscape #cyberpunkred #edgerunners

Star Wars: Shatterpoint trailer:
https://youtu.be/PbPkC9-8HxI

Check out Regency Cthulhu here:
https://youtu.be/FeA2igSJTO4

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The Weekly LIVE 153 – Tolkien Gets Embraced, 40th Anniversary Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, DC Comics Deleted and GW Versus Cults 3D

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The Embracer Group has acquired the rights to Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. by purchasing Middle Earth Enterprises. This is one of five acquisitions that cost the Swedish company a reported SEK 6 billion ($576 million). Middle Earth Enterprises was a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, which had stewarded the intellectual property rights to author J. R. R. Tolkien’s worlds for more than 50 years. What does this mean for Amazon’s rights and how will this affect the destruction of established characters from this setting?

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Call of Cthulhu we are getting a new release of the Starter Set. This will include updated booklets and handouts. This set also includes the solo adventure that will teach you the rules of the game in a choose-your-own-adventure style booklet. After the fulfillment of Call of Cthulhu Classic (which is actually second edition) this amazing digital restoration of Call of Cthulhu history should also be available.

Warner Bros. Discovery has removed the “comics” from the DC Comics website. Now the URL is simple DC.com. This may be a product of restructuring and streamlining the properties, but it may also be an indication of a future move where Warner Bros. Discovery holds the license and the comics are created elsewhere. That has always been the biggest difference between Marvel and DC comics. The DC characters all have identifiable and trademarked logos on their chests that probably make as much money in licensing as the comics ever did.

Cults3D has posted a statement about a takedown request they have received from Games Workshop. Cults is a 3D printing marketplace that sells user uploaded STL files and also offer a certain amount for free. 200 models were listed as violating trademarked IP with some of these possible being only filenames. Cults is working with the artists on the website to eliminate the offending names, logos or deigns so that they can be re-uloaded. They are also coming back at GW over the free models, saying that the constitute “fan art” and should be left alone. Cults shared the list of infringing terms that reinforces the GW strategy to de-Tolkien-ize their naming to make it legally defensible in situations exactly like this.

#lotr #tolkien #dcomice #cults3D

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The Weekly LIVE 146 – DMs Guild on Roll20, DTRPG Terms, Alice is Missing Movie, Keyforge Returns and W3itch.io

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OneBookShelf and Roll20 have made a deal to offer Dms Guild content on Roll20. This will increase the amount of fan-made content available to dungeon masters tremendously. Is this also the beginning of Wizards of the Coast focusing on Roll20 for a possible acquisition? They seem to doing a bit of that these days. OneBookShelf updated their Conduct Guidelines for publishers and have rubbed a lot of creators on DriveThruRPG the wrong way. It includes limitations to external linking and price controls as well as focus on Hostile Marketing. Which is vaguely defined as any type of promotion that courts controversy or bad press for OBS. Chris is not happy and we will find out why!

Alice is Missing, the text message based TTPRG created by a producer from Critical Role, has been optioned by Paramount. GenCon should be prepared to move to California and be overrun by scouts and producers from Hollywood to find the “next big thing” to make into a movie. Creative bankruptcy or trend chasing? TTRPG designers better start moving to LA and finding agents. Keyforge is back with new ownership.

Keyforge, the card game that went on hiatus during the pandemic has been purchased Asmodee by Ghost Galaxy, a company run by former Fantasy Flight CEO, Christian T. Petersen. They are bringing along some of the principals involved in the games production so things may be able to pick up where they left off. This should be good news for fans of the unique decks built by software card game. And finally, someone has created a competitor to Itch.io by making an exact copy of the website right down to the CSS and stealing the games being sold there. They want to offer an alternative to creators that want to include NFTs and blockchain in their games. The response to these thieves will make your non-native English speaking day.
#roll20 #keyforge #onebookshelf #aliceismissing

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The Weekly LIVE 142 – Warzone Eternal Cancelled, Caverns of Thracia, Embracer Preservation and Arkham Horror Audiobooks

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Res Nova has decided to order a tactical retreat and cancel the Warzone Eternal Kickstarter campaign regardless of the fact that they hit their funding goal on the first day. In an update posted on crowdfunding page they point to a slowdown of funding growth and complaints varying from the high price of unit boxes to the lack of painted models in the campaign page. We really hope to see a triumphant return of this game to crowdfunding or however else they want to proceed. Everyone’s heart seemed to be in the right place. It may just be that the company’s vision for the game and the fans’ expectations just didn’t line up.

Goodman Games Announces Caverns of Thracia for 5E and DCC RPG. Continuing in the tradition of bringing classic adventures to new life for the next generation of fans of role-playing games, Goodman Games is proud to announce the acquisition of the acclaimed adventure The Caverns of Thracia from Judges Guild and will republish it in fully converted 5E and DCC RPG editions with a targeted release date of 2023. Coming on the heels of the acquisition of Dark Tower, The Caverns of Thracia is the second acclaimed adventure from designer Jennell Jaquays to join the Goodman Games stable. Both were originally published by Judges Guild.

Several popular tabletop franchises are getting a full radio drama experience. Earlier this month, Aconyte Games, a publishing house owned by board game maker Asmodee, announced an audiobook partnership with Graphic Audio. Under the partnership Graphic Audio will produce twelve of Aconyte’s novels into dramatized audiobook adaptations, with sound effects, cinematic music, and a full cast. The first of these books – Wrath of N’Kai” by Josh Reynolds – was released on May 16th. Five other Arkham Horror books, three Twilight Imperium novels, and three Zombicide books will also get adapted into cinematic audiobooks.

The Embracer Group has announced its preservationist Embracer Games Archive. So far collected “50,000 videogames, consoles, and accessories” in its vault in Karlstad, Sweden. A team consisting of a CEO, archivist, assistant, technical engineer, and supply manager runs the archive. Is this a good thing or does Embracer just have trouble keeping its tentacles off of everything?
#warzone #goodmangames #arkhamhorror #embracergroup

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KokoroNoMe “Izumi” Video:
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Graphic Audio Arkham Offerings on Website:
https://www.graphicaudiointernational.net/our-productions/series/arkham-horror.html

Goodman Games Dark Tower Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/devillich/original-adventures-reincarnated-7-the-dark-tower

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The Weekly LIVE 120 – Dark Souls TTRPG, Free D&D 5E Adventure, Miniature Market Embraced and Giantlands Changes Credits

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Steamforged Games is making a Dark Souls TTRPG. They are the studio that credit the impressive boardgame from a free years back. Is there enough in the world to keep roleplayers happy? Wizards of the Coast released an abridged version of the adventure Dragon of Icespire Peak previously included in their Essentials Kit. It includes pre-generated level one characters for new players and to get started fast. Before being purchased by Embracer Group, Asmodee purchased Miniature Market. So a boardgame publisher and retailer in one easy purchase. For almost US$3billion. THere has been a change to the credits for Ernie Gygax on the release of Giantlands.
#darksouls #dnd5e #AstheGygaxTurns #ttrpg #embracergroup

D&D freebie page:
https://dnd.wizards.com/remote/freematerial

Rob’s podcast:
https://anchor.fm/menion

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The Weekly LIVE 119 – Embracer Buys Dark Horse, Fantasy Trip STLs and Cursed City Returns

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Embracer Group just paid $2 billion for Asmodee and now has Dark Horse Comics in its grasp. Quite diverse properties for a video game company. Steve Jackson Games has a fun Kickstarter running for a set of STLs of their famous monsters from their Fantasy Trip setting. You can also add many of their previous Fantasy Trip books and accessories to your pledge. Unfortunately, shipping is only available in the US. Games Workshop has reversed themselves on Cursed City. The next iteration of Warhammer Quest will be available again after selling out immediately with no hope of restocking. They have also announced expansions for the game coming next year. So what happened? And finally, just in time for the new year, a conversion and revelation that will make us all better Warhammer customers.
#cursedcity #warhammer #fantasytrip #darkhorse #embracergroup

Fantasy Trip – Foes STLs Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/warehouse23/the-fantasy-trip-foes-stl-miniatures-for-fantasy-rpgs

Free Octopi Sample STL (affiliate link):
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The Weekly LIVE 118 – TSR Lawsuit Dropped, Free League Nexus, 5E Errata and Asmodee Sold to Videogame Company

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TSR drops their lawsuit against Wizards of the Coast, but leave their IndieGoGo campaign active. WotC files a lawsuit to end the trademark dispute Does this spell the end of TSR? Free League announces partnership with Demiplane to produce Free League Nexus digital toolset. This will support all of their RPGs and marks the third major company to appear on the platform. Like Pathfinder Nexus and World of Darkness Nexus it will be available in 2022. A major errata is released by Wizards of the Coast that makes several major changes to many of the books released for fifth edition. The most noticeable change is the move to remove all racial alignments. Asmodee is in negotiations to be sold to a video game company called Embracer group based in Sweden. What does this mean for boardgames and IP tie-ins between videogames and tabletop. #tsr #demiplane #freeleague #dnd #asmodee

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