Free League Publishing has launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for two new supplements to their award-winning Dragonbane fantasy RPG. The campaign features “Arkand: City of Waves and Flames,” which introduces players to a seaside city setting with over a dozen adventure sites, complete with a full-color map. The second supplement, “Book of Magic,” adds new schools of magic including harmonism, demonology, necromancy, witchcraft, and illusionism, along with additional spells for existing magical schools. The campaign has already raised over $455,000, far exceeding its initial $26,064 goal with 21 days remaining.

A new comprehensive reference guide called “Lodestar” has been released for the popular solo-friendly fantasy RPG Ironsworn. This 99-page streamlined reference includes essential rules, character creation guides, oracle tables, and content from the Delve expansion all in one convenient format. What makes this particularly notable is that players can download the PDF for free or pay what they want, with print-on-demand versions available at cost, making it an accessible resource for both new and existing players of the Powered-by-the-Apocalypse framework game.

Wizards of the Coast has announced a partnership with Giant Skull, a new studio led by former Respawn director Stig Asmussen (known for the Star Wars Jedi series and God of War games). The collaboration will produce a single-player action-adventure game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, marking what appears to be a strategic shift away from multiplayer formats following previous disappointments. The game is currently in development for PC and console platforms, with Asmussen promising “immersive storytelling, heroic combat, and exhilarating traversal.”

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, major tabletop publisher Asmodee has unveiled a comprehensive rebrand featuring a new logo and consumer-focused identity with the tagline “Inspired by Players.” The company, which publishes popular games like Ticket to Ride, CATAN, 7 Wonders, and Star Wars: Unlimited, developed the new branding with Publicis Groupe’s Carré Noir design agency. CEO Thomas Koegler explained that the rebrand aims to make Asmodee more visible and recognizable to players directly, strengthening their relationship with consumers while maintaining their reputation for quality across their portfolio of over 400 intellectual properties and 21 studios.

#dragonbane #ironswornrpg #giantskull #asmodee

New Dragonbane on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/arkand-and-the-book-of-magic-for-the-acclaimed-dragonbane-rpg

Ironsworn: Loadstar (affiliate link):

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/518952/ironsworn-lodestar-expanded-reference-guide?affiliate_id=2081746

Tomkin Press:

https://tomkinpress.com/products/ironsworn-lodestar-expanded-reference-guide

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We are creating characters and world-building in Ironsworn by Shawn Tomkins. This will be a Guided session zero and campaign run by Will.

TRUTHS

The OLD WORLD  is the epicenter of Apocalypse. We have traveled to the fabled Ironlands to seek Hel’s Iron Bell to send the forces of evil away.

Most villages have a ceremonial IRON bell to swear oaths. These bells are believed to keep evil spirits at bay.

People of the Ironlands are a LEGACY of pilgrims and descendants they secured and hid Hel’S Iron bell for these End Times. Stories have turned to legend.

COMMUNITIES are fortified villages each one had a different idea of the true bell. Bellanders  

LEADERS are religious in nature, priests, Gothi, each believes theirs is the true form.

DEFENSE each fortified village has road wardens called bell wardens that protect. 

MYSTICISM sound of bells are magic and benevolent.

RELIGION old gods are true and sense of our purpose.

FIRSTBORN Night gaunts. Ill omens. Giants are mindless lumbering forces of nature. Jotnar.

BEASTS are dire animals dire bears and wolves and intelligence. 

HORRORS kept away by bells. Dead and lonely become thralls, Toneless, to the Night Gaunts. Night more dangerous. Villagers know risk.

#ironsworn #actualplay #fantasyrpg

YOU ARE IRONSWORN

In the Ironsworn tabletop roleplaying game, you are a hero sworn to undertake perilous quests in the dark fantasy setting of the Ironlands.Others live out their lives hardly venturing beyond the walls of their village or steading, but you are different. You will explore untracked wilds, fight desperate battles, forge bonds with isolated communities, and reveal the secrets of this harsh land.

Are you ready to swear iron vows and see them fulfilled—no matter the cost?

YOUR WORLD

The Ironlands setting is gritty fantasy on a rugged frontier. Generations ago, your people settled here in the wake of a cataclysm which drove them from the Old World. Now, you live in isolated villages of wood and thatch at the edge of dark forests, or as nomads among the northern hills, or as seafarers along the rugged coast. Your world is bounded by deep woods, violent seas, and imposing mountains where only the reckless or resolute venture.

However, the default assumptions are only a starting point. You are encouraged to make Ironsworn your own, and to bend the setting to your liking. Your version of the Ironlands will be unique because you’ll define aspects such as the history of your people, magic, mythic beasts, and much more. The choices you make will also help inspire the personal vows that drive your character. 

You can also ignore the default setting entirely and play in your own world, or in one inspired by media, history, or another RPG. The Ironsworn rules are flexible enough to accommodate many forms of fantasy and historical fiction.

After twelve years of working together, Gale Force Nine is suing Wizards of the Coast for non-payment. WotC is stating dissatisfaction with the translation work done for TRPG Club for Korean translation and Black Book Editions for the French translation. ROLE is calling itself a dating app for roleplaying players and groups. They will open their early access to not only Kickstarter backers, but anyone interested in trying the platform. We also talk about failing forward in tabletop game systems like Powered by the Apocalypse, Year Zero Engine, 2d20 and Gumshoe.

#galeforcenine #rolevtt #failingforward #theweekly

 

If you played Star Wars as a kid on the playground or with the almost endless number of Kenner toys, you probably wanted to try it on the tabletop as a role-playing game. What is the best way to do it? What system would you use? Of the licensed game out there from West End Games or Fantasy Flight Games and also the fan homebrews, which system would you choose? Are there better systems that have never been adapted? We try to cover the topic including what makes a game feel like Star Wars and how you explore the universe without the rules getting in the way. This discussion could equally apply to all games based on popular intellectual properties and how to make a successful translation to the tabletop. Session zero and understanding player expectations as well as what are the limitations of the setting are also covered.

So sharpen those lightsabers and swaddle those HVTs as we dive deep into playing Star Wars as a roleplaying game from three different perspectives.
#starwars #westendgames #pbta #fantasyflightgames

 

This week Chris and I discuss… not that Chris, the other one. We discuss GenCon and its possible cancellation. San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon canceled. Kickstarter down 35% and facing layoffs, but maybe just the labor organizers. Star Wars Powered by the Apocalypse Engine. Solo gaming with Tunnels and Trolls by Flying Buffaloe and the zine RPG, The Artefact by Jack Harrison. Microscope a Fractal Roleplaying Game of Epic History by Lame Mage Productions. Frosthaven Kickstarter in its final week and breaking US$9 million.

Microscope: A  Fractal RPG of Epic History:
http://www.lamemage.com/microscope/

Star Wars Omegas Edition:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B0a_iGRNRo6BUm53Q2ZNdVZZcDQ

Frosthaven Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frosthaven/frosthaven

The Artefact RPG:
https://mouseholepress.itch.io/artefact

 

Original Star Wars opening crawl text. Last session of the Alien RPG tonight. Cinematic adventures versus campaigns. Siege of Terra latest book The Lost and the Damned. Conan 2d20 Bundle of Holding. Demigods by Jason Mills on Kickstarter. Tears of a Machine, a Powered by the Apocalypse anime-inspired teens and mechs RPG. Gundam, Pacific Rim, and its unfortunate sequel. #alienrpg #demigodsrpg

 

Demigods Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/demigods/demigods

Tears of a Machine RPG:
http://www.robotclaw.info/

Conan 2d20 Bundle of Holding:
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ConanEssentials

Idle Red Hands on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/idleredhands

Chris on Twitter:
@hyvemynd

Fate Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/FantasticFateResources