The Weekly Podcast no.338 – End of Fate, John Blanche Passes, TTRPG Crowdfunding and Unnumbered Worlds

Posted on June 9, 2026 by upturnedtable

The Fate roleplaying game line, once the flagship system for Evil Hat Productions, may be nearing its end, highlighted by the release of the next game, Umdaar, as a PDF-only product. Since the record-breaking Fate Core crowdfunding campaign in 2013, the line has steadily declined to less than 5% of the company’s sales, replaced by Blades in the Dark and Monster of the Week as Evil Hat’s main sellers. Fate originated around 2000 as a hack of the Fudge RPG, developed by Evil Hat co-founders Fred Hicks and Rob Donoghue, who aimed for a system that modeled fiction rather than physics. Hicks sees the release of Umdaar as an experiment to determine Fate’s future in the 2020s, acknowledging its significant impact as a game from the previous decade.

John Blanche, the legendary illustrator whose art defined the “grimdark” aesthetic of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, has died. Blanche was best known for iconic works, including his depiction of the Emperor on the Golden Throne, which he intended to show as a ceremonial facade for pilgrims rather than the “real” Emperor. He retired from Games Workshop in 2023 after an association beginning in the seventies, leaving behind an enormous legacy. Tributes from fans and writers confirmed his profound influence, stating that his art was the reason many became involved in Warhammer 40,000 and that he defined an entire sub-genre of SFF.

TTRPG crowdfunding surged in Q1 2026, with the number of successful campaigns that raised $100,000 or more growing by 35% year-over-year. The 21 campaigns reaching this milestone collectively generated an estimated $8,058,431, about 25% more than Q1 2025. The period featured a major success with Pumpkin Spice -A Magical Cozy RPG, which reached over $1.5 million, and also saw the launch of highly anticipated projects like Numenera: The Amber Archive and Blades ’68. Notably, only six of the featured games used Fifth Edition mechanics, and Gates of Krystalia became the highest-funded TTRPG project to date whose creator admitted to using AI-generated images in the book.

The Book of Unnumbered Worlds is a new Kickstarter campaign from Kevin Crawford of Sine Nomine Publishing known for the “Without Number” series. This project is a system-neutral sourcebook designed to aid Game Masters (GMs) in building fantasy worlds or fleshing out existing settings. It features organized frameworks and step-by-step procedures with tags and tables for creating elements like maps, nations, societies, and monsters, and does not reprint material from previous “Without Number” books. In a notable statement, the campaign explicitly guarantees that “All art, writing, and design in this book is entirely human-created and does not involve the use of AI”.

#faterpg #johnblanche #crowdfunding #withoutnumber

Rascal News:

https://www.rascal.news/with-the-release-of-umdaar-we-might-be-at-the-end-of-fate/

Book of Unnumbered Worlds Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/the-book-of-unnumbered-worlds

Cyberpunk RED: Ready-to-Run Essentials Bundle: $33

https://humblebundleinc.sjv.io/rEOrdG

Free League BundleRPG Collection: $27.50

https://humblebundleinc.sjv.io/zzrGdm

The Book of Unnumbered Worlds: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/the-book-of-unnumbered-worlds

Demonic Grimoire on Backkit:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/exalted-funeral/old-school-essentials-demonic-grimoire

Hellblaster: Against the Cyberfiend:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/bloodstar-productions/hellblaster-against-the-cyberfiends

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The Weekly Podcast no.323 – Blades 68, Pathfinder Beginner Box & STLs, Avatar Card Game and Hasbro Loves AI

Posted on February 15, 2026 by upturnedtable

Blades ’68 is an official 450-page expansion for the TTRPG Blades in the Dark. This supplement advances the timeline 100 years to the “Swinging Sixties” in the city of Doskvol, an age of electroplasmic fusion and “Bluetime” spy games. The expansion introduces new playbooks, crews, and a revamped setting, alongside new rules for Harm, Resistance, Keys, Deadlocks, and an adapted Trouble Engine. The campaign has been overwhelmingly funded, with an expected delivery date of August 2026.

Paizo, the publisher of Pathfinder, announced the new Pathfinder Beginner Box: Secrets of the Unlit Star, an all-inclusive entry point to Pathfinder Second Edition set for release on May 6th, 2026. The box set features a solo adventure, a 72-page Hero’s Handbook, an 88-page Game Master’s Guide, and updated rules for character options and adventure scenarios. Additionally, Paizo confirmed its commitment to the Pathfinder 2E Remaster with the release of Dark Archive Remastered and the announcement of Season of Ghosts Remastered. The company also partnered with One Page Rules to launch Paizo Printables, a new line of 3D printable wargaming miniature STLs compatible with the Age of Fantasy system, starting in Spring 2026.

Maestro Media unveiled Avatar: Pandora’s Power, a two-player asymmetric lane-battling card game based on the Avatar films. The game pits the resource-extractive RDA against the adaptive, land-rooted Na’vi factions, with the goal of reaching 30 points to decide Pandora’s fate. CEO Javon Frazier emphasized that the core experience is the asymmetry, with each faction playing a distinctly different game. Designed for ages 12 and up, the game plays in approximately 20-45 minutes and includes 170 Faction Cards, 18 Location Cards, and various tokens.

Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks touted the company’s AI integration as a “clear success” during a recent earnings call, though he primarily referred to its deployment in non-creative, operational workflows such as financial planning, supply chains, and general productivity. Cocks stated that AI, in partnership with platforms like Google Gemini and OpenAI, is expected to free up over 1 million hours of lower-value work within the year. While he maintains a “human-centric creator-led approach,” Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has an explicit policy prohibiting its artists and writers from using generative AI for final D&D products, a stance that aligns with a user survey indicating over 60% of consumers would not buy D&D products made with AI.

#blades68 #pathfinder #paizo #hasbro

Blades ‘68 on Backerkit:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/evil-hat/blades-68

40-page Preview on DTRPG:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/ja/product/553040/blades-68-preview?affiliate_id=2081746

Empire of Bones on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thepaintedwastelands/empire-of-bones

Preview:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/554430?affiliate_id=2081746

Call of Cthulhu Bundle:

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The Weekly LIVE 276 – Blades ‘68, Osprey New Wargames, Kult: Divinity Lost and Daggerheart Release

Posted on February 16, 2025 by upturnedtable

Blades ’68 is an official supplement for Blades in the Dark by Tim Denee and Evil Hat Productions, moving the setting forward 100 years into the turbulent 1960s. Set in Doskvol after the end of Unity War III, the world is now shaped by electroplasmic fusion and the so-called Age of Consensus, marked by science, rationality, and consumerism—but unrest simmers beneath the surface. Players take on the roles of scoundrels, spies, and revolutionaries navigating a world of espionage, crime, and counterculture. With themes inspired by 60s thrillers and a fresh take on Blades in the Dark mechanics, Blades ’68 offers a unique blend of intrigue and danger. The playtest is available now, with a preview on DriveThruRPG.

Osprey Games is set to release three new miniature wargames in 2025, covering historical, sci-fi, and prehistoric themes. Pacific Command, arriving in May, is a World War II naval wargame by Mike Hutchinson, focusing on carrier combat in the Pacific with a fog-of-war mechanic and a dice pool system for resolving battles. Voidfighter, launching in August, is a sci-fi dogfighting game by Casey Garske, allowing players to customize ships with unique traits, weapons, and abilities while engaging in fast-paced space combat. Hide, Stone, And Bone, debuting in November, is a prehistoric survival wargame where players lead tribes through hunting, combat, and resource gathering in a dynamic campaign system. Each game offers distinct gameplay mechanics and thematic depth for tabletop enthusiasts.

Helmgast’s Kickstarter campaign for KULT: Divinity Lost – Dark Realms and Other Horrors expands the award-winning horror RPG with four new books: Metropolis, The Illusion and the Borderlands, Scarlet Bride and Other Tales, and Broken Reflections. These sourcebooks and scenario collections deepen the game’s lore, exploring the hidden supernatural reality behind our world, the terrifying boundaries between dimensions, and new horror-driven narratives. Featuring contributions from veteran writers, haunting artwork, and high-quality hardcover editions, this ambitious project caters to fans of KULT‘s dark storytelling. Additional add-ons include Deep Waters, Voices from Beyond the Veil, Exiled Terrors, and The Seeker’s Testament, offering even more chilling content.

Critical Role’s new fantasy RPG, Daggerheart, developed by Darrington Press, is set for release on May 20, 2025, with pre-orders opening the same day. Featuring a card-based mechanic and unique Hope & Fear dice, Daggerheart blends traditional RPG elements with innovative character creation using domains, ancestry, and community cards. The game will be available physically through Daggerheart.com, Darrington Press Guild, and FLGS, while digital editions will be on Demiplane and DriveThruRPG. A limited-edition Core Set with exclusive content will also be available. Alongside the launch, Critical Role will run a Daggerheart miniseries featuring the dark Age of Umbra campaign setting developed by Matt Mercer, inspired by Dark Souls and Kingdom Death: Monster. While speculation continues about Critical Role shifting to Daggerheart for its main campaign, upcoming announcements later this spring will clarify their future plans.

#blades68 #ospreygames #kult #daggerheart

Blades’68 Playtest:

http://evilh.at/68-playtes

KULT: Divinity Lost Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/helmgast/kult-divinity-lost-dark-realms-and-other-horrors

Daggerheart Pre-oreder:

https://www.daggerheart.com/pre-order/

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