The Weekly Podcast no.333 – 13 Omens, Dungeon Crawler Carl, CTHULHU Returns and Symbaroum Turns 10

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The Weekly Podcast no.332 – D&D Outsourcing, Paizo Printables, Dune Sells Out and LowLife RPG

Posted on April 18, 2026 by upturnedtable

Wizards of the Coast (WotC) is signaling a massive strategic shift toward outsourcing the development of official *Dungeons & Dragons* content to third-party publishers, as evidenced by a recent job post for a “TRPG Publishing Lead”. This role is explicitly tasked with overseeing “externally developed D\&D content, including adventures, campaign materials, guides, and artwork”. This change follows internal team restructuring, the adoption of a holistic D&D franchise model, and WotC’s recent decision to actively feature third-party products on D\&D Beyond. Although WotC has previously worked with third-party designers for early D&D 5E supplements like “Hoard of the Dragon Queen” and “Princes of the Apocalypse” The practice was largely abandoned in 2016, making this an important new chapter in the company’s relationship with outside publishers.

Paizo’s Pathfinder launched a new subscription service called Paizo Printables on April 2, offering 3D printable miniature files and accompanying TTRPG content. The service provides two monthly subscription tiers—$4.99 and $9.99—with the higher tier including a welcome pack of 25 minis, a monthly themed pack, and digital rulebooks. Associate publisher Thurston Hillman stated that the primary goal is accessibility, bypassing the delays of physical production, and the new format offers Paizo the freedom to create niche, setting-specific miniatures. Ultimately, Paizo aims to use the platform to introduce exclusive rules content and new ancestries to the game in the future.

A new physical and digital bundle is available for the Dune – Adventures in the Imperium RPG by Modiphius, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The physical bundle includes the *Agents of Dune Deluxe Starter Set*, the Atreides collector’s edition of the *Dune: Core Rulebook*, and an Arrakis-themed dice set. Most of the titles offered in the physical bundle seem to be sold out as of this post.

The Kickstarter campaign for LOWLIFE: A DUNGEON DEGENERATES ROLE PLAYING GAME, by Sean Äaberg and Goblinko, is currently live and heading toward its funding goal. The project is a major expansion of the Dungeon Degenerates: Hand of Doom board game world, creating a full TTRPG described as “Grand Theft Auto meets Game of Thrones” and focused on “low drama” stories of survival in the dark fantasy continent of Bödengärd. The game utilizes a customized Old School Renaissance (OSR) engine with a d20 roll-low mechanic and features simultaneous, deadly combat. Key mechanics include tracking “Meat & Morale” as a combined resource—where the spirit often breaks before the body—and using “Heat” to track the players’ wanted level with local authorities. Core reward tiers include the *LowLife Core RPG Book*, the Doomed Life expansion (to bridge the RPG and board game), and world guides.

#dnd #paizo #dunerpg #lowliferpg

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The Weekly Podcast no.331 – Feywyn RPG, Draw Steel VTT, Groupfinder Data and Breathless: Frightmare Edition

Posted on April 11, 2026 by upturnedtable

Feywyn RPG, a new fantasy setting and game from RiotMinds, is an Arthurian-inspired dark fantasy tabletop RPG that blends Celtic myth with mist-shrouded folklore. Set in a land where the boundary between the mortal and spirit realms is thin, the game challenges players to resist the encroaching Mist and fight supernatural threats. The core mechanic involves rolling a d20 and adding an attribute to meet a Challenge Value, with character consequences accumulating through Wounds (physical danger) and Fear (supernatural terror). A beta version of the Feywyn Digital Companion has also been released, providing a VTT, character creation tools, a dice roller, and a bestiary.

The Draw Steel Codex VTT is a new online tool and virtual tabletop for Draw Steel, the action-oriented fantasy RPG from MCDM, which prioritizes “heroic action over complex mechanics”. Available in Early Access for $19.99, the Codex includes all core rules from Draw Steel: Heroes and Draw Steel: Monsters, as well as “The Delian Tomb – Start Here Adventure” to help parties begin playing quickly. Key features of the VTT include tools for building or importing custom maps with dynamic lighting and multiple levels, along with the ability for each player to create custom characters, profile icons, and battle soundtracks. The VTT is designed to be suitable for both new and seasoned players, optimally supporting a Director with 3–6 players, and requires a 64-bit processor and 8 GB of RAM.

Rascal News looked at Groupfinder Data, which analyzes the current looking-for-group (LFG) landscape in the TTRPG community. The data from April 2026 confirms that Dungeons & Dragons remains the industry behemoth, accounting for approximately 60% of groups and 90% of player posts on the platform. However, when D&D data is excluded, a varied and thriving ecosystem of alternative systems is visible. The most popular non-D&D systems listed are Pathfinder, Daggerheart, Call of Cthulhu, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Cyberpunk RED.

Breathless: Frightmare Edition is a major update and expansion of the original 2022 two-page zombie survival TTRPG written by Rene-Pier Deshaies, now published by Mythworks. The original game gained notoriety for its mechanics that used diminishing dice to reflect tension and scarcity in a zombie-infested world, with over 350 other games or hacks using its core rules. This updated version is being released as part of Mythworks’ new STORYPAK line, which aims to lower the barrier to entry for TTRPGs by creating games that are simple and lightweight. Designed with a 90s slasher-horror/VHS aesthetic, Frightmare Edition is packaged in a cassette container holding 12 pamphlets, which include updated rules, tools for generating zombie dangers, and four adventures, allowing the game to be run as one-shots or longer 6-12 session campaigns

#feywyn #drawsteel #groupfinder #breathlessrpg

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The Weekly Podcast no.318 – Only Games Personalizer, D&D Romantasy, Bob’s DCC Bundle and 2025 Postmortem

Posted on January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 by upturnedtable

A new Dungeons & Dragons novel, The Feywild Job, from Penguin Random House, set for release on June 30, 2026. This book is described as a “romantasy” novel and is written by World Fantasy Award and Nebula-winning author C.L. Polk in their first licensed media foray. The plot centers on a rogue named Saeldian, who has a magical pact to never fall in love, as they are forced to team up with their ex-lover, a charming bard named Kell, to steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love.”

“Bob’s DCC Bundle,” a new Humble Bundle offering over 90 Dungeons Crawl Classics (DCC) RPG-inspired worldbuilding books for $40, a significant discount. The bundle was compiled by popular content creator Bob World Builder and is available until January 22, 2026. Notable inclusions are Bob’s own sourcebook Skrym, Grimtooth’s Old School Traps, and The Book of Fallen Gods. The first 7,500 buyers also receive four physical copies of iconic DCC adventures.

A Postmortem for 2025 including new RPGs like Toon RPG 2nd Edition and Ghost in the Shell RPG, industry news such as the shutdown of Wizards of the Coast’s “Project Sigil” VTT, and controversies like WizKids offering refunds for low-quality Baldur’s Gate 3 miniatures and DriveThruRPG removing the Rebel Scum RPG. It also notes Critical Role’s hiring of former D&D leads.

#onlygames #romantasy #DCC #2025

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The Weekly Podcast No.302 – Meow Wolf TTRPG, Wares Blade, Matt Mercer Steps Down and Draw Steel!

Posted on August 24, 2025 by upturnedtable

Surreal art collective Meow Wolf is partnering with Exalted Funeral to create “Tavers: The Meow Wolf Roleplaying Game,” launching on Kickstarter in February 2025. Players will take on the role of “tavers” who can rip portals through reality to explore different worlds, encountering elements like immortal cybernetic hamsters and sentient pizza while solving five mysteries across Meow Wolf’s psychedelic multiverse.

LionWing is bringing the beloved 1986 Japanese TTRPG “Wares Blade” to Western audiences for the first time, blending swords and sorcery with mecha anime aesthetics reminiscent of classics like Magic Knight Rayearth and Visions of Escaflowne.

Critical Role revealed that Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20’s DM) will helm Campaign 4 starting in October, marking the first time Matthew Mercer won’t be the primary DM for a core campaign. Instead, Mercer will step into a player role alongside both new and returning cast members. This significant change represents Critical Role’s evolution from a group of friends playing D&D to a multimedia corporation, though it has generated mixed reactions from fans concerned about preserving the show’s original chemistry and intimate feel.

MCDM’s “Draw Steel,” which raised $4.6 million on BackerKit, represents a complete departure from D20 systems rather than attempting to “fix D&D.” The game focuses on making players feel like “big damn heroes” from level 1, with tactical grid-based combat that emphasizes movement and cinematic action. Its core mechanic uses 2d10 power rolls with three-tier results, ensuring players always accomplish something meaningful rather than wasting turns on failed rolls, while resource management through class-specific points adds strategic depth.

#meowwolf #waresblade #mattmercer #drawsteel

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The Weekly LIVE 299 – Warframe Starfinder, Hellfire Club 5E, One Ring Starter and Critical Role Game

Posted on July 27, 2025 by upturnedtable

Warframe is making its tabletop debut through a collaboration between Digital Extremes and Paizo, bringing the popular video game to the Starfinder Second Edition rules system. “Operation Orias” launches in October as a standalone adventure where players take on the roles of Tenno characters, facing off against iconic Warframe enemies like the Corpus and Grineer. The adventure is designed for 4-6 hours of gameplay and includes premade characters, setting primers, and customization advice, all adapted specifically for tabletop play.

Stranger Things is getting another D&D crossover with “Welcome to the Hellfire Club,” releasing October 7th. This new starter set presents Eddie Munson’s final campaign and uses D&D 5th Edition rules in a more board game-like format with tokens and cards for easier accessibility. Priced at $49.99 for the physical version ($19.99 digital), it’s positioned as a beginner-friendly entry point that leans heavily into ’80s nostalgia and includes both classic D&D monsters and Stranger Things-specific creatures like demodogs and a new demodragon.

The Lord of the Rings tabletop RPGs are launching new starter sets on July 31st during Gen Con 2025. Free League Publishing is releasing starter sets for both “The One Ring” and “The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5E,” each priced at $29.99. These sets include the complete adventure “Over Hill and Under Hill,” custom dice, illustrated standees, pre-generated characters, and maps of Eriador, designed to welcome both newcomers and returning players to Middle-earth adventures set between Bilbo’s journey and the events of The Lord of the Rings.

Critical Role is expanding into video games through a partnership with AdHoc Studio. The collaboration includes two projects: contributing to AdHoc’s superhero workplace comedy game “Dispatch” (releasing later in 2025) and developing Critical Role’s first original video game set in their Exandria world. The Exandria game is still in early development with a timeline of a couple years, aiming for a narrative choice-based experience that could feature characters from their various campaigns in a brand-new storyline set between their main campaigns.

#warframe #starfinder #onering #criticalrole

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The Weekly LIVE 298 – Dragonbane Minis, Former WotC VP, Diamond Details and New D&D Starter Set

Posted on July 20, 2025 by upturnedtable

Free League Publishing’s Dragonbane TTRPG is getting a new miniatures collection through a Kickstarter campaign by Titan Forge. The Northern Beasts miniatures sets will feature heroes and adversaries from the Dragonbane Core Set and Bestiary, with each set including original mini-adventures. The miniatures are noted for their high detail and quality, with the Demons Set being particularly impressive. Dragonbane itself is a modern re-imagining of the 1982 Scandinavian game Drakar och Demoner, offering a gritty, Nordic fantasy experience with a retro Saturday morning cartoon vibe.

Jess Lanzillo, former VP of franchise and product for D&D, has joined White Wolf as creative director for World of Darkness after leaving Wizards of the Coast. This follows the departure of other senior D&D figures like Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. The exodus from D&D comes amid broader struggles at Hasbro, including massive layoffs, failed product launches, and the loss of key talent who helped make projects like Baldur’s Gate 3 successful.

The Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy has revealed a complex auction process filled with controversy. Alliance Entertainment (AENT) initially won the auction with a bid over $70 million, but Diamond rejected them in favor of backup bidders Universal Distribution and Ad Populum for approximately $2.5 million less. Court transcripts reveal the rejection came down to a one-hour delay in resolving a dispute over $4.3 million in prepaid inventory. AENT’s legal team claimed “the fix was in” and that they had agreed to all of Diamond’s demands, but Diamond proceeded with the backup bidders anyway. The situation has resulted in ongoing lawsuits and significant disruption to the comic book distribution industry.

Wizards of the Coast has announced Heroes of the Borderlands, a new Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set launching September 16, 2025, for $49.99. This comprehensive set is designed for the updated 2024-2025 D&D rules and includes everything needed for new players to start playing immediately. The box contains 40-60 hours of gameplay content, including three adventure booklets, over 200 game cards, 18 maps, 200+ tokens, an 11-die set, and guides for both players and Dungeon Masters. The set focuses on four iconic D&D classes (Cleric, Rogue, Wizard, and Fighter) and is being marketed as the biggest D&D starter set ever made.

#dragonbane #wotc #starterset #diamondbankruptcy

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The Weekly Podcast no.297 – Degenesis Cancelled, MAC Attack, McD&D and Dirty Diamond

Posted on July 14, 2025 by upturnedtable

CMON, already struggling financially with a $3 million loss last year, suffered another major setback when its Gamefound campaign for Degenesis: Clan Wars was cancelled due to a legal dispute with IP holder SixMoreVodka. The German design studio terminated its contract with CMON after what began as a collaborative relationship deteriorated into legal battles, with both parties providing conflicting accounts of the breakdown. CMON has promised full refunds to the campaign’s 1,200 backers, though the refund process won’t begin until after legal resolution.

MAC Attack is a sci-fi miniature wargame by by Chris MacDowall where players command Mobile Armour Colossus (MAC) units and auxiliary units (AUs) in tactical combat across diverse terrain types including Open, Rough, Cover, Water, Obstructions, Barriers, and Buildings on a typical 48″x36″ battlefield. The game uses six-sided dice for general actions and specialized dice for Motion, Heat, Jolt, and Rad weapons, with MACs requiring careful Heat management to avoid overheating while maintaining Motion ratings that affect hit probability. Combat unfolds through four phases—Move, Attack, Meltdown, and Cooldown—with a card-based initiative system determining activation order, while players must strategically balance weapon usage (categorized by range, type, and power levels 1-4) against Heat generation. Forces must include at least 3 MACs and up to 1 AU formation per MAC, with AUs serving as supporting infantry or vehicle units that are always Motion 2, class 0, and destroyed by a single hit, while faction selection provides access to special rules and modules for tactical advantage.

Wizards of the Coast has restructured Dungeons & Dragons under a new “franchise model” led by former Halo veteran Dan Ayoub. This organizational change consolidates all D&D-related properties—books, video games, film, and TV—under one roof, promising a more coordinated and well-funded approach to the franchise. The gaming industry continues to navigate these challenges while seeking alternative distribution channels and legal remedies to protect their businesses.

The tabletop gaming industry is facing significant disruption due to Diamond Comic Distributors’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in January 2025. This bankruptcy has severely impacted over 100 independent publishers who relied on Diamond for book trade distribution to major retailers like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other bookstores. Diamond is attempting to claim ownership of millions of dollars worth of consigned inventory from publishers through a legal technicality, despite the publishers retaining ownership of unsold stock. Several publishers are taking different approaches to survive the crisis. Green Ronin Publishing has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $9,000 for legal defense costs, having already raised over $6,600 from 101 donations. The company faces particular challenges with upcoming Gen Con expenses and the loss of book trade distribution for key licensed games like The Fifth Season and The Expanse RPGs. Meanwhile, Paizo has stopped shipping products to Diamond entirely, meaning their August and September releases won’t be available through major bookstores or Amazon.

#degenesis #CMON #MACattack #diamondbankruptcy

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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

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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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