Pathfinder and Starfinder RPG maker Paizo released the first draft of its Open RPG Creative (ORC) license over the weekend and invited the public to submit their comments. The legal document is months in the work following Wizards of the Coast’s OGL fiasco and subsequent release of their rules into the Creative Commons, but Paizo has decided to blaze a different trail through the thicket of tabletop copyright protection.

Project Black Flag got both an official title and a Kickstarter date this past weekend. Black Flag, if you were unfamiliar, is Kobold Press’ take on “Core Fantasy Gaming” aka their version of the 5th Edition D&D rules, but done independently of WotC and any licensing shenanigans. It was originally announced during the OGL debacle of January 2023.

If you have ever wanted to try out Pathfinder Second Edition, the mod team at r/Pathfinder2e has a perfect opportunity for you! During the last week of April, dozens of GMs and hundreds of players will be gaming with the Pathfinder Beginner Box during Beginner Box Days! From April 22-30th, new players curious to try Pathfinder can join experienced Game Masters as they play through the Pathfinder Beginner Box adventure: “Menace Under Otari”! This two-session adventure is designed to guide players through combat, exploration, skills, and even puzzles! The upper level teaches the basics of Pathfinder gameplay, while the lower dungeon puts them in advanced practice.

Dungeons & Dragons is not getting rid of half-elves, despite messaging coming out of a Content Creator’s Summit held at Wizards of the Coast headquarters this week. Today, Wizards of the Coast released a brief statement addressing a “controversy” involving the intention to move away from mechanics that singled out characters with mixed parentages of different species, such as half-elves and half-orcs. “Options for creating characters descended from more than one species are not being removed from Dungeons & Dragons,” said a brief statement posted on Twitter. “Proposed adjustments to character origins have been open to the community since August 2022 and will be revised further.”

ORC First Draft:
https://downloads.paizo.com/ORC_License_DRAFT.pdf
https://downloads.paizo.com/ORC_AxE_DRAFT.pdf

Signup for a Pathfinder Beginner Box Days:
http://www.BEGINPF2.com

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Role has been actively adding new games to its catalog of digital offerings focusing on small to mid-sized games. There are popular branded TTRPGs like Dune: Adventures in the Imperium and common favorites like Masks: The Next Generation. Indie darlings like Lancer and Mörk Borg are also fully supported, meaning there are pre-made digital character sheets and game rooms created to help facilitate gameplay. There is also the option to create your own game within the framework, or put your own game up on the site for purchase via Role’s quickly-expanding creator’s program. Role has worked on its own game, Chrome, a cyberpunk RPG based on the Panic Engine, which is fully digital. All of this will be supported on mobile.

Demiplane is working on a new set of digital tools to ease the burden of playing tabletop RPGs online that scrubs as much of Dungeons & Dragons’ recent stink off as possible. Called NEXUS, the toolset trades Wizards of the Coast’s name recognition for shining light on independent publishers.

The [Core Fantasy Roleplaying] is backward-compatible with 5th edition and can be used in conjunction with any existing 5E material. Since this document does not include class options— which will start rolling out in Playtest Packet #2—creating a complete character from scratch using the rules found in this packet will require the use of an existing 5E base class.

Broken Weave by Cubicle7 is a 5E post-apocalyptic tragic fantasy. The gods are dead, the world is being reshaped by Decay, and hope is fleeting, though not extinguished. With new mechanics for Hope, Decay, keeping your community up, harvesting monsters, and more, this is the dark side of fantasy.

#playrole #demiplane #blackflagrpg #talesfromtheloop 

Play Role VTT:
https://www.playrole.com/

Black Flag Playtest #1:
https://koboldpress.com/playtest-packet-1-is-here-for-project-black-flag/

Broken Weave on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cubicle-7-games/broken-weave

Free League Publishing Webstore:
https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/store/?product_id=7954809749762

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Hasbro said its board has authorized a sale process for the part of its eOne TV and film business not directly supporting its branded entertainment strategy following a review of the business initiated by new CEO Chris Cocks.The company has retained J.P. Morgan and Centerview Partners to move ahead with the sale process for a 6,500+ content library; the non-Hasbro branded film and scripted TV business which produces and finances content like The Woman King, Yellowjackets and The Rookie franchise; Hasbro’s interest in Entertainment One Canada Limited’s Canadian film and TV business; and Hasbro’s unscripted division, which includes the Naked & Afraid franchise.

Card Conjurer was a tool for entering any text and art into a Magic: the Gathering card frame and generate a card image. The site did not have any monetization of any kind, and was not a storefront, just a creative tool. Nothing Card Conjurer did was impossible in something like GIMP or Adobe Photoshop, it was just easier. It was first created several years ago by a then-high-schooler, Kyle Burton, who taught himself to code using the project. Wizards of the Coast recently sent a cease and desist to the creator and the tool is now offline.

Despite reportedly making more money than ever before, MTG fans haven’t been too pleased with the state of the game recently. In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has been releasing more and more products than ever before. Typically this kind of exceptional growth would have fans tremendously excited. MTG players, however, have heavily criticized Hasbro for this approach as they’re being overwhelmed by new content. Even MTG’s original creator recently jumped aboard this bandwagon, decreeing that Hasbro pushed their game down the wrong path. Things have now gone from bad to worse for Hasbro. In a new report, the Bank of America has accused Hasbro of “killing its golden goose,” Magic: the Gathering. Identifying the pressing concerns of MTG players, this report has already caused Hasbro’s stock to dip 5.2%. Unfortunately for Hasbro, according to Analysts, things are only going to get worse in the future. 

Wizards of the Coast has responded to rumors of changes to the Open Game License and System Reference Document as it works on a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons. For weeks, rumors have swirled about the future of two documents critical to the publication of third-party material for Dungeons & Dragons. The Open Game License and the accompanying System Reference Document allows third-party publishers (ranging from companies like Paizo or Kobold Press to self-publishing creators) to publish and sell material that uses 5th Edition rules. The Open Game License acts as a public copyright license, while the System Reference Document specifies which rules and game mechanics can be used when making third-party material.

Free League Publishing revealed this week they would be publishing a brand-new tabletop RPG based on The Walking Dead. The official name of the game will be called The Walking Dead Universe, where, as you might have guessed, your characters will be thrown into an unforgiving post-apocalyptic sandbox setting where they will have to bond quickly and learn how to survive and thrive in a world filled with the undead. This is not a game where you just happen to run into famous characters from the series and roll with them, or have them at your disposal. You’ll have to survive as a group of original characters created by the players in a setting created by the GM. The game will launch sometime in the Fall of 2023.

Battletech Humble Bundle! Aspiring MechWarriors, are you looking to jump into the BattleTech tabletop armored combat game? Equip yourself with this bundle of over 20 resources and get started on your journey! This colossal collection features digital rulebooks, field manuals, campaign books, and more—and when you pay $30 or more, you’ll get a physical BattleTech: Beginner Box containing two high-quality miniatures, quick-start rules, a mapsheet, cards, dice, and more from Catalyst Game Labs (US customers only; shipping & handling not included). Plus, your purchase helps support Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society!

#hasbro #mtg #onednd #walkingdead #battletech

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Wizards of the Coast and Extra Life partner to #CHANGEKIDSHEALTH Children-designed Magic: The Gathering cards, Dungeons & Dragons products are available for donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraising event.

The third part of the cinematic adventure trilogy for the ALIEN RPG is now available to retail. Heart of Darkness is a complete Cinematic Scenario for the ALIEN roleplaying game. It is a stand-alone adventure but also serves as a conclusion to the Draconis Strain Saga begun in the cinematic scenario Chariot of the Gods and continued in Destroyer of Worlds. The scenario is designed for 3–5 players plus the Game Mother and is a spiraling descent into soul-crushing madness.

With the virtual convention Roll20Con wrapping up this weekend, there’s still time to grab the free offerings from the convention on the Roll20 Marketplace. You can pick up starter sets for Call of Cthulhu and Alien RPG, the full system for Alice is Missing, quickstarts for Deadlands, The Dark Eye, Call of Cthulhu, Apocalypse Keys, and Monster of the Week, and adventures for Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and Vampire: The Masquerade, plus map and token collections.

Humble Bundle has the perfect bundle to introduce new players to the World of Darkness in both tabletop and video game forms. The top tier of the bundle includes the Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition core rulebook plus the faction sourcebooks Anarch and Camarilla along with licensed video games for Vampire including Coteries of New York, Shadows of New York, Night Road, Parliament of Knives, Sins of the Sires, and Out for Blood on top of the other World of Darkness titles like Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest and the VR game Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife.
#wotc #extralife #alienrpg #freeleague #roll20 #humblebundle

World of Darkness Humble Bundle:
https://www.humblebundle.com/world-darkness-collection?partner=idleredhands

Wizards of the Coast Extra Life 2022 page:
https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page&id=1533

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Wizards of the Coast, the Dungeons & Dragons publisher, aims to prevent racist, bigoted, and transphobic work from being published. Citing concerns over racist and transphobic material, Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast is trying to take back an old game to prevent its publication. Star Frontiers New Genesis, is a reboot of a classic 1982 game with some very problematic content. NuTSR just won’t learn. Or is this some 4D chess move to get free publicity? Keep an eye out for their legal funds crowdfunder.

With the announcement of the new walled garden of One D&D, independent designers are looking toward a future divested from the weight of D&D. Many believe the tabletop RPG, lifestyle brand, and massive culture juggernaut will keep rolling under its own inertia creating Hasbro shareholder happiness. The sooner they can stop trying to compare themselves to that continued success or worry about capturing part of that fan base, the easier their jobs will become. SRDs, or whatever their next form might look like, may provide fledgling artists waystones through an open field instead of fence posts around private property. Several indie designers gave their input on the state of tabletop roleplaying and the future of platforms like the DM’s Guild.

Vallejo’s entry into the speed painting trend was recently demonstrated with their new Xpress Color paints. Vallejo is known for great paints already, so it’s interesting to see them going this route with a more contrast-style paint. Now we can see how it works and what it can offer in terms of a one-coat solution that sets it apart from the rest. More alternatives are always better. The paints were developed in part by Angel Giraldez and Juan Hidalgo. They will definitely cost less than Citadel Contrast Paints but how will they compare to Army Painter’s Speed Paint and the upcoming release by Green Stuff World?

Instead of complaining about Games Workshop let’s bring some attention to a worthy competitor and look at what is coming out from Mantic Games. Two new army updates, a giant tome collecting all of the updated rules and new styles of play for Kings of War and a new app to make all their games more accessible. If they can just resist the temptation of a monthly subscription they may be onto something. Check these guys out if you like good rule systems and minis that don’t break the bank.
#wotc #nutsr #vallejo #mantic #kingsofwar

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Black God’s Kiss TTRPG and Solo Game Kickstarter, Fly, Monkeys, Fly – Spelljammer Monkey Business, Officially Licensed Monty Python TTRPG and Elric Boardgame by creaotrs of Zombicide and Massive Darkness
#blackgodskiss #dnd5e #spelljammer #montypython #elricofmelnibone

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Kill Sample Process is a stand-alone tabletop miniatures game and rpg setting from the creator of The Last War and Forbidden Psalm and published by Exalted Funeral, inspired by and fully compatible with the CY_BÖRG ttrpg and other Forbidden Psalm miniatures games. Forbidden Psalm is a 28mm miniatures agnostic game. You can use ANY suitable miniatures you already own, or build custom minis for this game. Solo Play and Coop rules are included. All content is compatible with the CY_BÖRG ttrpg. Kill Sample Process is a small-scale skirmish game, where you play with a crew of 5 miniatures per player, against AI controlled Hostiles in scenarios that tak e you across the neon hell scape of CY_. Play as enemies, cooperatively or solo.

Steve Jackson Games and Paizo, Inc. launched Pathfinder Revolution!, a new edition of the Revolution! board game, which is currently on Kickstarter for preorder. This is a new Pathfinder branded version of the Revolution! board game, which was released back in 2009 and spawned expansions (see “‘Revolution! Anarchy'”). The new edition improves the classic political deduction game as well adds game elements from the expansion material. It is set in the world of the Pathfinder RPG, and the goal of the game is to bluff or outguess opponents while building a coalition to gain control of the city of Korvosa.

CMON will be publishing War for Arrakis, an asymmetrical war game based on Frank Herbert’s Dune novel. The designers of the War of the Ring, Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi, are hoping to repeat their previous success with a new setting. The game is controlled through a combination of action dice and event cards, representing the different attributes of the two sides House Atreides and House Harkonnen. CMON is producing all new miniatures and artwork for the game. It is being sub-licensed from the existing Gale Force Nine license for Dune. Do we really need another Dune boardgame? Well, it is coming soon to Kickstarter.

And finally, Mazes & Monsters, the 1982 movie with Tom Hanks, will be available in Blu-ray HD for the first time ever. This is to celebrate 40th anniversary edition of the film based on Rona Jaffe’s 1981 novel that was inspired by the non-fiction book by investigator William Dear’s called The Dungeon Master. The story is about missing university student James Dallas Egbert III, who disappeared in 1979. His interest in Dungeons & Dragons was blamed by the media for his disappearance. This was after all the height of the Satanic Panic.
#cy_borg #paizo #stevejacksongames #dune #cmon #mazesandmonsters

KillSampleProcess on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/impioussaint/forbidden-psalm-killsampleprocess

Pathfinder Revolution! On Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjgames/pathfinder-revolution-by-steve-jackson-games

Shopping on DTRPG (afilliate link):
https://www.drivethrurpg.com?affiliate_id=2081746

Workers of Paizo Unionize after harassment charges and work abuse. This makes them the first tabletop company to do so. Spire’s End, self-published by Greg Favro, is a card-based choose your own adventure in a small box. Tribe 8 is a post-apocalyptic RPG by Dream Pod 9 that was originally published in 1998. It is being re-released using the Forged in the Dark rules system created for Blades in the Dark. Tabletopy is a simple web app soundboard that can be used in a game session in a pinch, but Tabletop Audio is the premier, advertising free, user supported ambient game audio site on the web.
#paizo #spiresend #tribe8 #tabletopaudio

Tribe 8 on DriveThruRPG (affiliate link):
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/19/Dream-Pod-9/subcategory/131/Tribe-8?affiliate_id=2081746

Tabletopy – Sounds and Ambience for Tabletop Roleplaying:
https://tabletopy.com/

Tabletop Audio – Original 10-minute ambiences and music for your games and stories:
https://tabletopaudio.com/

Rumors that Asmodee wants to sell itself amidst the global cargo and raw materials and production cost increases. CMON Buys Two Little Mice RPG studio makers of Broken Compass. Does this mean more licensed IP RPGs to come? TTRPG Designers from the Global South express frustration reaching the Northern English-speaking markets. Finally a 50th anniversary for Dungeons and Dragons arrives in 2024 and an announcement of “the next Evolution” to celebrate. Does this mean 5.5E or something far darker and alienating for older players? Plus some discussion of running an Enemy Within campaign using Warlock! by Fire Ruby Designs #asmodee #cmon #dnd5e #warlockrpg

Warlock! RPG by Fire Ruby Designs: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/312204/Warlock?affiliate_id=2081746

Warlock! RPG Flipthrough:
https://youtu.be/X664SraGFkg

Kobold Press collects all of their 5E material into Tome of Heroes. This will give players the choice of 10 new races and 50 subclasses. The new hardcover book is currently on Kickstarter and includes both new and previously published material. Omnichromatic Pirate Unicorn Games has published a guide to Intellectual Property in RPGs. It is currently pay-what-you-want on DriveThruPRG. This is a useful overview of what can be protected and what cannot in the world of RPG design and development. Tiny Library is also currently on Kickstarter. It is an anthology of TTRPGs that can be printed on a single standard size playing card (both sides) and all 50 games can be yours for US$10. John Harper, the creator of the Blades in the Dark RPG, recently tweeted that Warp Films is currently developing a TV series based his RPG setting. Evil Hat Publishes the RPG and no further details have been released regarding dates or platform. There have also been rumors of an Exalted TV series in development based on the RPG of the same name. Is this a new trend in mining ideas for the creatively bankrupt entertainment industry? Are comic books yesterday’s bananas? Remember the Fox TV series based on White Wolf’s Kindred: The Embraced?
#koboldpress #intellectualproperty #tinylibrary #bladesinthedark

Intellectual Property in RPGs(affiliate link):
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/368170?affiliate_id=2081746

Tiny Library on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/longtailgames/tiny-library-0