The Weekly Podcast no.294 – Chris and Jeremy HIred, Galactic & Going Rogue, Defying the Gods and White Wolf is Back

Posted on June 22, 2025 by upturnedtable

Critical Role Productions has made a significant power play by hiring Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, two of the most influential designers behind Dungeons & Dragons’ 5th edition success. Both served as creative director and game director respectively at Wizards of the Coast for decades before departing in April 2025. Their recruitment to Critical Role’s Darrington Press division represents a major shift in the tabletop RPG landscape, coming just weeks after Darrington Press launched Daggerheart, their own alternative to D&D. This move is part of Critical Role’s broader expansion from web series into a full entertainment company spanning cartoons, comics, video games, and now tabletop game publishing. The departure of Perkins and Crawford appears to be part of a larger exodus from Wizards of the Coast’s D&D team. Following their April exit, several other high-profile figures have left the company, including VP of D&D Franchise Jess Lanzillo and content marketing strategist Todd Kenreck, who was laid off. This turnover comes at a critical time as WotC faces criticism over D&D 2024’s revised rulebooks, which many players and critics argue fail to address fundamental issues with the 5th edition system while actually making some problems worse. The timing raises questions about potential internal turmoil at the company that publishes “the world’s greatest role-playing game.”

Galactic & Going Rogue combines two beloved space rebellion RPGs into a single hardcover third edition, drawing inspiration from Star Wars, Rogue One, and Andor. The games focus on rebels fighting against a fascist galactic empire called The Mandate as part of The Liberation. Galactic tells stories of charming but flawed heroes and their relationships, while Going Rogue explores darker themes where characters are fated to make ultimate sacrifices for freedom. Both games use the GM-less Belonging Outside Belonging system with innovative mechanics including “pillars” that represent setting aspects and token-based gameplay.

Defy the Gods is a sword and sorcery RPG set in fantasy ancient Mesopotamia that queers the genre by centering romance and resistance. Players take on roles like Revenants, Sailors, Sorcerers, and other archetypes while building their own world of gods, cities, and wilderness. The game features a unique three-tier success system where rolling too high can be dangerous, and characters risk losing their humanity as they gain power through “Epithets” that can transform into “Dooms.” Romance serves as both protection and vulnerability, with emotional connections being key to survival against hostile world forces including pantheons of gods and oppressive cities. The campaign was successfully funded and includes stretch goals for additional content.

Paradox Interactive announced the revival of the White Wolf brand as the official licensing and publishing entity for World of Darkness properties including Vampire: The Masquerade. This marks a return for the influential brand that was shuttered in 2018 following controversy over insensitive content. Led by veterans including Jason Carl, the revived White Wolf aims to unify its transmedia properties and develop both classic and new IPs with a clearer long-term vision, representing another significant shift in how major gaming properties are managed and developed.

#darringtonpress #wotc #galactic #goingrogue #whitewolf

Galactic and Going Rogue Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galacticgoingrogue/galactic-and-going-rogue-two-ttrpgs-of-war-among-the-stars

Defying the Gods Relaunched Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hecticelectron/defy-the-gods-rpg

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The Weekly Podcast no.293 – CMON Sells Zombicide, Warhammer Down, WotC Help Wanted and New Chaosium CEO

Posted on June 15, 2025 by upturnedtable

CMON, already facing financial difficulties exacerbated by import tariffs, has sold its flagship Zombicide IP to Asmodee under the Guillotine Games label. This follows CMON’s earlier sale of three other prominent board game lines (Blood Rage, Rising Sun, and ANKH: Gods of Egypt) to Tabletop Tycoon in May, along with staff layoffs and frozen crowdfunding campaigns. The company’s stocks were delisted from the Hong Kong stock exchange after failing to publish accounts on time, showing substantial losses that drained cash reserves.

Games Workshop took the unusual step of deliberately crashing its entire Warhammer.com webstore to prevent bots from bulk-purchasing the limited special edition of the new Horus Heresy book “Era of Ruin.” The company detected scalpers using bots to bypass normal safeguards in real-time and shut down the site globally, pausing the book’s launch entirely. This drastic measure is uncommon for large-scale web stores and demonstrates GW’s commitment to preventing scalping, even at the cost of lost sales and resources.

Following the departures of prominent D&D figures Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins after the launch of revised 5th Edition, Wizards of the Coast is hiring for two high-level positions: a “Principal Game Designer” and a “Head of Game Ecosystem.” These roles, offering $150-200k salaries, represent a corporate, video game-industry-like division of responsibilities where the Principal Game Designer executes product releases while the Head of Game Ecosystem drives long-term vision and rules consistency across all D&D formats.

Chaosium announced significant staff changes, including the appointment of Neil Robinson as CEO and the departure of Executive Producer Mike Mearls to Asmodee after 14 months. Brian Holland has been promoted to Executive Producer for RPGs, while other team members have taken on expanded roles including Jason Durall moving to Basic Roleplaying as creative director and several new hires joining the company. Despite the changes, Mearls will continue working on ongoing projects including the new RuneQuest edition.

#zombicide #siegeofterra #wotc #chaosium

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The Weekly LIVE 285 – Jeremy Crawford Retires, Space Gits, CMON’s David Preti and Battletech RPG Bundle

Posted on April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 by upturnedtable

Jeremy Crawford, long-time Game Director for Dungeons & Dragons, is officially stepping down from Wizards of the Coast later this month, joining fellow veteran Chris Perkins, who recently departed as Creative Director. Both Crawford and Perkins have been instrumental in shaping the game’s highly successful Fifth Edition and have served as the public faces of D&D for over a decade. Their departures come on the heels of completing a revised set of core rulebooks, marking the end of a major chapter for the franchise. According to WotC’s VP Jess Lanzillo, their exits were planned and on their own terms, with leadership succession already in place. While no direct replacements have been named, experienced designers like James Wyatt, Wes Schneider, and Justice Arman will step into expanded roles. WotC has emphasized that the D&D roadmap remains unchanged, and the transition signals a generational handoff as the team moves forward with confidence in its future.

Space Gits is a chaotic, dexterity-based miniatures skirmish game from designer Mike Hutchinson, centered around gangs of drunk, riotous space orcs wreaking havoc in the megacity of Gnork. Inspired by the comedic, rowdy spirit of Warhammer 40k Orks—particularly the 1990s aesthetic—this miniature-agnostic game encourages players to use any models they like, including those from Kromlech, who are also producing exclusive minis for the campaign. The gameplay is intentionally absurd, involving dice-based movement and combat, drunken stumbles, and even rock-paper-scissors brawling, all wrapped in a full campaign system with rules for vehicles, loot, injuries, and criminal records. With support for 2–5 players and sessions under an hour, it can even be played as a drinking game. The rules are freely available under a Creative Commons license, making Space Gits a hilariously anarchic and flexible game that embraces creativity, kitbashing, and pure orcish mayhem.

David Preti, a long-time senior manager at board game publisher CMON, has stepped down from his position as non-executive director, just seven months after resigning as Chief Operating Officer. Preti, who originally joined CMON as creative director in 2016 and rose to COO by 2018, cited “other work commitments” for his departure. His tenure saw major strategic changes, including a distribution deal with Asmodee, and licensing agreements with Mattel, Netflix, Marvel, and others. Under his leadership, CMON transitioned from Kickstarter to Gamefound for crowdfunding, a move that helped raise over $12 million in its first year on the new platform. Preti’s resignation comes amid turbulent times for CMON, which has warned of potential losses exceeding $2 million for 2024 and is grappling with delayed financial reporting, investor defaults, and rising tariffs on Chinese imports—threatening the board game industry at large. The company has over $22 million worth of crowdfunded projects still in production and is struggling to manage rising costs and logistical hurdles.

The Humble RPG Bundle: The BattleTech RPG Collection by Catalyst Game Labs offers fans of the BattleTech universe a comprehensive digital package packed with lore, rules, and campaigns set in the gritty, futuristic world of the Aurigan Reach. Available for as little as $1, with the full 20-item collection unlocked at $18, the bundle includes titles like BattleTech Universe, MechWarrior: Destiny, Total Warfare, and A Time of War: The BattleTech RPG. All items are delivered in PDF format and can be used on any device, with proceeds supporting the No Kid Hungry charity. With over 11,000 bundles sold and more than $21,000 raised for charity, this limited-time offer provides both an engaging RPG experience and a chance to give back.

#wotc #spacegits #cmon #battletech

Battletech RPG Humble Bundle:

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The Weekly Podcast no.284 – Unclaimed Treasure, RPG Book Tariffs, Outgunned Superheroes and Chris Perkins Retires

Posted on April 13, 2025April 17, 2025 by upturnedtable

Wizards of the Coast has officially shut down its long-anticipated Sigil Virtual Tabletop (VTT), a project that consumed years of development and significant funding. With the closure came massive layoffs, and Sigil has now been relegated to a minor feature for D&D Beyond subscribers. Despite this, Wizards released the “Unclaimed Treasure Pack” containing two free Mimic-themed digital miniatures for Sigil users. These minis, one hidden and one revealed version of a Mimic, are compatible with the updated 2024 Monster Manual and are free for all D&D Beyond subscribers.

New tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump have created panic in the tabletop publishing industry. While fears grew that RPG books printed abroad might be subject to steep tariffs—especially those from countries like China and Vietnam—many publishers believe that RPG books may remain exempt. T While some publishers confidently categorize certain game components as “books” to avoid tariffs, ultimate decisions rest with U.S. Customs, leaving creators uncertain and anxious.The new trade policies are expected to increase prices across the board for tabletop hobbyists, especially in wargaming. Products from countries like the UK, China, and Spain—key manufacturing hubs for miniatures and painting supplies—will face up to a 54% tariff. Brands like Games Workshop, Corvus Belli, and The Army Painter may pass rising import costs down to consumers. Even hobbyists who 3D print models aren’t immune, as most 3D printing supplies are also imported. The interconnected nature of the industry means everyone in the ecosystem—from game stores to backers of crowdfunding campaigns—will feel the strain. In a twist, Trump announced a partial pause on global tariffs, sparing many countries while dramatically increasing duties on Chinese imports to 125%. This reversal led to a surge in financial markets but did little to restore long-term confidence. The unpredictability of Trump’s trade policy continues to rattle industries reliant on international production. Publishers and manufacturers remain on edge, waiting to see how these measures will play out once shipments start arriving under the new rules.

Two Little Mice has unveiled Outgunned Superheroes, a cinematic RPG inspired by iconic comic book stories and superhero films. The game allows players to become caped crusaders fighting evil in a chaotic world. It’s powered by the Director’s Cut system, which uses unique dice-pool mechanics. A free Quickstart Guide is now available ahead of the crowdfunding campaign set to launch in May. The game can function as a standalone experience or as an expansion to the original Outgunned RPG line.

Chris Perkins, a cornerstone of Dungeons & Dragons design for nearly three decades, has announced his retirement from Wizards of the Coast. Starting in 1997 and rising to Creative Director, Perkins helped shape iconic products like Curse of Strahd and led D&D through its 5th edition golden era. He was also the longtime Dungeon Master for Acquisitions Incorporated. With D&D celebrating its 50th anniversary and a successful new ruleset rollout, Perkins calls this a “fairytale ending” and looks forward to enjoying the game simply as a fan.

#projectsigil #wotc #outgunned #chrisperkins

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The Weekly LIVE 166 – Atlantic Digital, Troika Reprint, No One D&D OGL, Inclusivity WotC and Heroes of Might & Magic III Boardgame

Posted on November 20, 2022 by upturnedtable

Wargames Atlantic has many highly detailed plastic box sets (37 and counting) They have just announced Atlantic Digital. This new program will release a mix of new products for all 11 of their current ranges (9 historical ranges, Classic Fantasy, and Death Fields). These products will be spread across the following categories: full multi-part sets, character figures, conversion parts for existing plastic sets, terrain, and vehicles. The STLs files will be released via a MyMiniFactory Tribe with a monthly membership Individual STL files and file sets sold via MyMiniFactory and soon on their website Physical manufactured models through Only-Game. Vote now on their website for the December 2022 theme!

Melsonian Arts Council has announced a new softcover sourcebook as part of a crowdfunding campaign that offers curious newcomers one of the best ports of entry into the science-fantasy game of decidedly British absurdism and adventure. The softback edition also function as a fold-out facilitator screen during play. The text of the rules will be nestled on the right-hand side, while all other real estate will contain graphs, tables and rules reminders.

Wizards of the Coast may be outlawing third-party homebrew content in its upcoming evergreen edition. This unconfirmed rumor would mean players would be unable to legally publish homebrew content for One D&D. According to the leak, Wizards of the Coast does not plan on using the Open Game License to create a new free-to-access Systems Reference Document for One D&D. If Wizards of the Coast were to discontinue the OGL, players would not be able to legally publish third-party homebrew using the One D&D ruleset.

Wizards of the Coast has a new process for reviewing their material before it’s published. According to a new blog post from Chris Perkins, the D&D Studio is in the process of changing its review process, after fans raised concerns about offensive material present in Spelljammer: Adventures from Space.

Archon Studios is crowdfunding a board game based on the 1999 Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia PC game. The Polish studio has a record of successfully crowdfunding miniatures-heavy board games from both licensed IPs and original properties. The list of video games made into board game continues to grow.

#wargamesatlantic #troika #onednd #archonstudio

Choose the new December 2022 theme for Digital Atlantic:
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