FryxGames CEO, Enoch Fryxelius, defends the use of AI in the Terraforming Mars project on Facebook. The company’s next board game, “Fates,” will not include AI, addressing concerns raised in an interview transcript by Polygon. Fryxelius emphasizes that AI was used for artwork in Terraforming Mars but assures that no jobs were lost, though he acknowledges potential impact on illustrators. The next game, “Fates,” will feature exclusively human-made graphics, with a focus on paying a living wage to illustrators.

Tainted Grail, a dark fantasy board game, is getting a tabletop RPG adaptation called “Tainted Grail: Song of a Dying World.” The RPG, based on the Shadows of Esteren system, explores the world of Avalon and introduces new characters known as Guardians of Avalon. The game system emphasizes roleplaying, character progression, and includes mechanics from the original board game. The RPG is being developed by Studio Agate, with a crowdfunding campaign planned for November.

Free League announces the expansion “Ad Astra” for the Mutant: Year Zero tabletop RPG. The expansion takes players from Earth’s surface into orbit, introducing a space-themed campaign. A pre-order for Ad Astra is available, offering early access to a full PDF ahead of the physical release next year. In addition to the expansion, there is a reprint of all Mutant: Year Zero core books, including Mutant: Mechatron.

Modiphius Entertainment introduces Cohors Cthulhu, a game using the 2d20 system, set in ancient Rome. Changes to the system include the addition of the attribute “Gravitas” for serious and dignified actions. The focus shifts from firearms to melee weapons, with a robust combat system and hidden facets of player characters. Cultural and caste choices play a crucial role in character development within the context of ancient Rome.

 #strongholdgames #taintedgrail #adastra #YZE #cohorscthulhu

Cohors Cthulhu Kickstarer:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modiphius/cohors-cthulhu-tabletop-roleplaying-game/

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Dragonbane Actual Play Episode One:
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Free League Publishing is releasing two new game licenses for community creators – a Free Tabletop License (FTL) for the Year Zero Engine and a third-party license for the upcoming Dragonbane fantasy RPG. The Year Zero Engine FTL comes with a massively updated Standard Reference Document (SRD). Feedback can be posted on their forum on all three documents before they are finalized and officially launched.

Did Greg Stafford receive the first ever copy of Dungeons and Dragons directly from Gary Gygax?

Dungeons & Dragons’ 2024 Player’s Handbook won’t contain Ardlings. D&D lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford stated that the Ardlings, a proposed species with celestial origins and animal heads, did not test well in the most recent playtest. “There are a lot of fans of the Ardling, but the Ardlings’ time has not yet come.The Ardling is moving out of the playtest for now and maybe in some future year we will return [to them].”

Celeste Conowitch, Kobold Press’s Senior Game Designer posted on their Design Diary that “ It’s Time for the Monopoly on D&D to End… This is a wildly exciting time to make TTRPGs as we stare down the possibility of an RPG future not ruled by one master game under the control of one master company (The Lord of the Rings taught us this is bad)… This game has meant too much to us for too long to let it remain owned by just one company.”

FreeLeague DRFT Licnese:
https://freeleaguepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Year-Zero-Engine-License-Agreement-Discussion-Draft.pdf?mc_cid=b763dc8590&mc_eid=5d8af4c50e

Year Zero Engine Revised SRD:

https://freeleaguepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/YZE_Standard_Reference_Document.pdf?mc_cid=b763dc8590&mc_eid=5d8af4c50e

Project Black Flag Design Diary:

https://koboldpress.com/project-black-flag-friday-design-diary-1/

#freeleague #dragonbane #blackflagrpg #gregstafford #ardlings

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Paizo will be raising its PDF prices following an increase in labor to produce them. Previously they just priced PDFs at flat percentage of the print books MSRP. The price increase seems modest and for some things, like flip mats, the price is actually going down in some cases.  With the new found popularity of VTTs and nicer displays on tablets to read PDFs it seems inevitable to try to make more profit from the easier to produce digital products. We will see who else follows suit.

 

CMON is producing an Assassin’s Creed TTRPG based on the 15 year old video game. The game will involve playing both Descendants, the modern day characters and Ancestors, the assassins of the Brotherhood from various historical periods. This is done by using a virtual reality technology called the ANIMUS that taps into the genetic information in your DNA to access your Ancestors lives. It was a cool concept for a game and if done right may be really fun on the tabletop. The development is being overseen by the talented Francesco Nepitello for Guillotine Press, the CMON RPG studio.

 

Heroquest is getting a Hero Collection Expansion. The Rogue Heir of Elethorn, a nimble elf skirmisher. This set includes two miniatures (possibly a single character gender swapped) and cards. It retails for a hefty US$17 and I would call that overpriced just based on the quality of the Heroquest base game. At least they are supporting the game with new expansions.

 

Magic: the Gathering Universes Beyond is a “success” but annoying series for many serious MtG players. It involves reskinning cards using various popular IPs. The first of these being the Walking Dead television series. The series relies on FOMO, but has offered reprints. The main attraction to players seems to be the desirable cards and not the IPs themselves. Look forward to Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, Lord of the Rings and other odd fits into the collectible card game system. 

 

Free League is releasing a miniatures skirmish game based on the Mutant Year Zero TTRPG called Zone Wars. Games Workshop designer Andy Chambers, known for Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Necromunda and Battlefleet Gothic and Tomas Härenstam, designer for Mutant: Year Zero and the studio’s Alien: The RPG. You can use your characters from the TTRPG in the skirmish game and also play out the aftermath of the skirmish game in the TTRPG. Brilliant! Really looking forward to this. 

#paizo #cmon #heroquest #freeleague #zonewars #mutant

 

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Another Unboxing! This time the fourth edition of Twilight 2000 by Free League Games. This is the deluxe edition in the metal box and also includes the gamemaster’s screen.

Order it here:
https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/store/?collection_id=270655783061

The previous editions of Twilight 2000 available at DriveThruRPG (affiliate link):
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?keywords=twilight?affiliate_id=2081746

A classic roleplaying game returns. The new retro-apocalypotic edition of Twilight: 2000, published in partnership with Game Designers’ Workshop, goes back to the roots of the franchise with a boxed set for sandbox roleplaying in the devastation of World War III. The new edition will be the fourth in the series, the first being released by GDW in 1984. Just like the original version, the new edition is set in a year 2000 devastated by war – now in an alternate timeline where the Moscow Coup of 1991 succeeded and the Soviet Union never collapsed.
#twilight2000 #freeleague #frialigan #ww3

Creators of Dragonlance are developing a new setting called Skyraiders of Abarax. Tracy and Laura Hickman are xreating the awtting using athe 5E SRD and their unique “Living Tome System”. This follows their dropped lawsuit with Wizards of the Coast for non-payment and contract violations. Into the Odd by Chris McDowall is getting a remaster by Free League on Kickstarter. SideQuest hopes to relieve the congestion of ZineQuest and let more creators creating zine based RPGs get attention. Cabinet Group, the rights holder of Conan the Barbarian, Mutant Year Zero and Solomon Kane are being acquired by Norway’s Funcom, develops of the first Conan MMORPG. Funcom is owned completely by China’s Tencent and hopes that they continue their hands-off management style continues. #dragonlance #sidequest #IntotheOdd #CabinetGroup

Rumors of the demise of the Fantasy Flight RPG department, including the Genesys System, Star Wars RPGs, Legend of the Five Rings RPG, Keyforge RPG and Android RPG settings. Spider-man and Star Lord are interested in doing a 5E actual play. Chris watched the Critical Role actual play of Monsterhearts 2. Physical copies of Ironsworn are on the way. Prince August is selling prototype test castings of never-released Heartbreaker terrain. Free League Publishing launches Free League Workshop on DriveThruRPG.com to support the development of content for their Tales From the Loop, Symbaroum, Coriolis: The Third Horizon and Mutant Year Zero. The Alien RPG by Free League is also getting several foreign language editions. Kickstarter employees vote to unionized making them the first tech company to organize.

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[embedyt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VnDshleUNg[/embedyt]

Another deep dive into an RPG where we have both read the book and played a few session. This time it is Mutant: Mechatron – Rise of the Robots by Free League. It uses their Year Zero Engine, d6 dice pool system, and although it is a stand-alone game your robots can play with characters in both Mutant Year Zero and Genlab, once they escape Mechatron-7. We give you an overview of the system, character creation and the setting. Also a discussion of the surprising challenge of playing self-aware robot player characters. If you are familiar with Mutant Year Zero this is a great new take on post-apocalyptic characters and if you are new to the system and setting, it is well worth your time. Find out if this game is for you as we dive deep into Mutant: Mechatron.