Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! New Dragonlance novel cover released, 1980s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon continues in comics, Henry Cavill starring in Warhammer 40K TV series, Roll20 community content for D&D and Pathfinder announced, and more!
For a quick summary of the week’s news, Jessica Hancock will bring you up to speed with EN Live's This Week in TTRPG every Friday.
Don’t forget, you can keep up with all the week’s gaming news in detail with Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk. This week, Morrus, Peter, and Jessica talk about rules mistakes and fudging dice rolls as the GM.
In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:
Two covers for upcoming Dungeons & Dragons products were revealed this week. The first, pictured above, is the cover for Dragons of Fate: Dragonlance Destinies: Volume 2: A Dungeons & Dragons Novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The second in the Destinies trilogy is set for a release date of August 1, 2023. Second we have the new cover of the reprint of the Tyranny of Dragons adventure. This adventure is a combined and updated edition of Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat, the first two adventures published for 5e created by Kobold Press and published by Wizards of the Coast. This hardcover reissue will be out on January 17, 2023.
IDW announced a new miniseries Saturday Morning Adventures: Dungeons & Dragons which continues the story from the 1980s cartoon. The four-issue miniseries celebrates the 40th anniversary of the animated series with a thrilling “lost episode” exploring the world of D&D with Hank, Diana, Sheila, Bobby, Eric, and Presto. The series will be written by David M. Booher (Canto, All-New Firefly) and Sam Maggs (Rick and Morty Every After, Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins) with art from George Kambadais (John Carter of Mars, The Flash). The first issue will be available in March 2023 and each issue will be available in three different covers.
Roll20 announced the new Community Content Programs rolling out for Dungeonmasters Guild and Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite. From the announcement:
Participants will need a Roll20 Partner account and a Community Content Program creator account for the appropriate platform with all sales taking place on DMs Guild and/or Pathfinder Infinite storefronts. Revenue splits will be the same for Roll20 products as they are for other products sold on the site. More information will be available in January 2023 in anticipation for the full launch in February.
Paizo announced several staff moves for both Pathfinder and Starfinder. The Pathfinder team has been restructured into three teams, the Narrative Team, the Rules and Lore Team, and the Starfinder Team. The Narrative Team was announced this week with Development Manager Linda Zayas-Palmer, Creative Director James Jacobs, Senior Developer John Compton, and Developers Jessica Catalan, Josh Foster, Vanessa Hoskins, and Shay Snow. This team will be responsible for all Pathfinder adventures including standalone adventures, adventure paths, and Pathfinder Society organized play adventures. The Starfinder Team has also been announced including Managing Creative Director Thurston Hillman, Senior Developer Jenny Jarzabski, and Developer Dustin Knight. This team will be responsible for everything Starfinder with the exception of Starfinder Society organized play which will be handled by the Narrative Team due to the close connections to Pathfinder Society. The official announcement of the Rules and Lore Team under Michael Sayre is expected in the coming weeks.
Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, announced a new dramatic storytelling game Till the Last Gasp. The pits two players in a one-on-one duel in the genre of your choice from swashbuckling swordfights to Kung Fu showdowns to gunslinger quickdraws to sci-fi laser battles. The game’s focus will be on the emotional story between the two combatants and exploring the heart of the story behind the fight. The game will include a 40-page rulebook, 20 d6 Edge dice, 2 player boards, 9 jumbo map cards, 12 pre-made characters, 2 blank character sheets, a Drama Deck, Objectives and Stance cards, tokens, and trackers. The game is expected in stores in March 2023 with a retail price of $39.99.
Modiphius released Incident at Kraav III, a new stand-alone adventure for Star Trek Adventures. This adventure takes place in between the TOS and TNG era with the players taking on the role of a Klingon crew in the early days of the alliance between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. The Klingon Defense Force has sent you to investigate a distress call from a manufacturing plant on Kraav III after a group of Starfleet scientists were sent to help upgrade the facility. Can you find out what happened before the Enterprise-B arrives and discovers a possible weakness in the Empire? The 21-page adventure is available now on DriveThruRPG for $4.99.
Actor Henry Cavill has had an interesting few weeks in the news. First it was announced he was being replaced as lead for The Witcher starting with Season 4 due to creative differences with the producers, then it was announced he will be returning as Superman before DC announced he would not return as the next Superman film would be a prequel. However, the biggest news for the actor came late last night as it was announced Henry Cavill is attached to star and executive produce a series adaptation of Warhammer 40,000. Amazon is in final negotiations for the rights to the series from Games Workshop after months of negotiation. Warhammer is akin to a Dungeons & Dragons – dice are involved in the playing – but also features intricate miniatures that players can place and move around a model-constructed battlefield or world. Don’t blame me for that description, it’s from the Hollywood Reporter article. Though no other actors nor showrunners or writers have been announced, the news comes a day after actor and gamer Rahul Kohli tweeted “Hey Henry, f*** it, lets make a Warhammer movie/limited series. Kind regards, Rahul” while Doctor Strange and Black Phone screenwriter C. Robert Cargill replied “Look, guys. I might know a writer who would be into that. Maybe y’all should brainstorm in his garage. Best, Cargill” Did I bring that up just to brag that I’ve been to Cargill garage and seen his impressive and intimidating collection of miniatures? Maybe…
Kickstarter announced this week that the platform has now passed the $7 billion mark in crowdfunding since the site launched, and that 20% of that came from tabletop games. Dicebreaker confirmed that $1.57 billion raised on the platform came from tabletop games, which accounts for 50% of all gaming content and 20% of all funds raised on Kickstarter. Since the site launched in 2009, there have been over 36,000 projects launched in the tabletop gaming category with around 23,500 successfully funding. This puts tabletop gaming at a 65% success rate, a significant amount higher than the 40% average cross other categories.
Time to head back to the legal quagmire of the “TSR LLC” vs Wizards of the Coast lawsuit as Judge S. Kate Vaughn has denied the injunction requested by Wizards of the Coast. For those looking for in-depth coverage, the link above goes to the Cohost page of Kim Wincen who goes into detail on the ruling. But the short, simplified version is that Wizards of the Coast requested the injunction because the version of Star Frontiers: New Genesis they obtained via subpoena contained offensive material that they claimed would cause irreparable harm to the company should it be released. The burden to gain an injunction on those grounds is high and, according to Judge Vaughn, Wizards of the Coast did not meet it. Since Justin LaNasa, owner of NuTSR, stated under oath that the offensive material was not present in current versions of the product and it was the offensive material that would cause harm to Wizards of the Coast, it does not meet the requirements to grant the injunction. Further, LaNasa has agreed previously not to release any Star Frontiers: New Genesis material until after the conclusion of the trial. Since the game would not be released until after the trial and since LaNasa “disavowed” the offensive material that Wizards of the Coast objected to, the Judge decided not to grant the “extraordinary remedy” of an injunction. The jury trial for the lawsuit and countersuit is scheduled for October 16, 2023, starting at 9:00 AM with a scheduled length of five days.
That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget to support our Patreon to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at news@enpublishingrpg.com, and you can get more discussion of the week’s news on Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk every week. You can follow me on Twitch to get notifications when I go live, follow me on Mastodon for RPG chat and general nonsense, subscribe to Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube for videos on gaming history, RPG reviews, and gaming Let’s Plays, or you can listen to the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column.
For a quick summary of the week’s news, Jessica Hancock will bring you up to speed with EN Live's This Week in TTRPG every Friday.
Don’t forget, you can keep up with all the week’s gaming news in detail with Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk. This week, Morrus, Peter, and Jessica talk about rules mistakes and fudging dice rolls as the GM.
In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:
- It’s the final days for the EN Publishing Kickstarter for The Weather Outside is Frightful, a winter-themed 5e sourcebook with new subclasses, monsters, adventures, and more.
- EN5ider #488 is a new mini-adventure “Eruption Temple”, the fourth part of the Elemental Adventure Path.
- Rob Wieland reviewed CY_BORG, the cyberpunk (with the emphasis hard on the “punk”) spinoff of MÖRK BORG.
- Dungeons & Dragons writer and editor Kim Mohan passed away this week at the age of 73.
- Michael Tresca has another gift guide, this time covering dice and dice accessories for your favorite gamers.
- M.T. Black continues his journey through RPG periodicals past with Dragon Reflections #62 covering the June 1982 issue of Dragon.
- The newest Worlds of Design from Lewis Pulsipher covers the price of advancement and adding depth to leveling up.
- Mike Myler has a new ENterplanetary DimENsions covering the verdant realm of Plantasia with its overabundance of flora.
- Andrew Peregrine continues his look through the Dungeonmasters Guild with a collection of Spelljammer products.
- Don’t miss out on the newest RPG crowdfunding projects ending soon with Egg Embry’s RPG Crowdfunding News.
- Keep up with all the new print RPG releases with Charles Dunwoody’s RPG Print News.
- Find the big TTRPG sales, bundles, and charity fundraisers with the RPG Bundles, Freebies, and Sales News.
Two covers for upcoming Dungeons & Dragons products were revealed this week. The first, pictured above, is the cover for Dragons of Fate: Dragonlance Destinies: Volume 2: A Dungeons & Dragons Novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The second in the Destinies trilogy is set for a release date of August 1, 2023. Second we have the new cover of the reprint of the Tyranny of Dragons adventure. This adventure is a combined and updated edition of Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat, the first two adventures published for 5e created by Kobold Press and published by Wizards of the Coast. This hardcover reissue will be out on January 17, 2023.
IDW announced a new miniseries Saturday Morning Adventures: Dungeons & Dragons which continues the story from the 1980s cartoon. The four-issue miniseries celebrates the 40th anniversary of the animated series with a thrilling “lost episode” exploring the world of D&D with Hank, Diana, Sheila, Bobby, Eric, and Presto. The series will be written by David M. Booher (Canto, All-New Firefly) and Sam Maggs (Rick and Morty Every After, Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins) with art from George Kambadais (John Carter of Mars, The Flash). The first issue will be available in March 2023 and each issue will be available in three different covers.
Roll20 announced the new Community Content Programs rolling out for Dungeonmasters Guild and Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite. From the announcement:
Participants will need a Roll20 Partner account and a Community Content Program creator account for the appropriate platform with all sales taking place on DMs Guild and/or Pathfinder Infinite storefronts. Revenue splits will be the same for Roll20 products as they are for other products sold on the site. More information will be available in January 2023 in anticipation for the full launch in February.
Paizo announced several staff moves for both Pathfinder and Starfinder. The Pathfinder team has been restructured into three teams, the Narrative Team, the Rules and Lore Team, and the Starfinder Team. The Narrative Team was announced this week with Development Manager Linda Zayas-Palmer, Creative Director James Jacobs, Senior Developer John Compton, and Developers Jessica Catalan, Josh Foster, Vanessa Hoskins, and Shay Snow. This team will be responsible for all Pathfinder adventures including standalone adventures, adventure paths, and Pathfinder Society organized play adventures. The Starfinder Team has also been announced including Managing Creative Director Thurston Hillman, Senior Developer Jenny Jarzabski, and Developer Dustin Knight. This team will be responsible for everything Starfinder with the exception of Starfinder Society organized play which will be handled by the Narrative Team due to the close connections to Pathfinder Society. The official announcement of the Rules and Lore Team under Michael Sayre is expected in the coming weeks.
Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, announced a new dramatic storytelling game Till the Last Gasp. The pits two players in a one-on-one duel in the genre of your choice from swashbuckling swordfights to Kung Fu showdowns to gunslinger quickdraws to sci-fi laser battles. The game’s focus will be on the emotional story between the two combatants and exploring the heart of the story behind the fight. The game will include a 40-page rulebook, 20 d6 Edge dice, 2 player boards, 9 jumbo map cards, 12 pre-made characters, 2 blank character sheets, a Drama Deck, Objectives and Stance cards, tokens, and trackers. The game is expected in stores in March 2023 with a retail price of $39.99.
Modiphius released Incident at Kraav III, a new stand-alone adventure for Star Trek Adventures. This adventure takes place in between the TOS and TNG era with the players taking on the role of a Klingon crew in the early days of the alliance between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. The Klingon Defense Force has sent you to investigate a distress call from a manufacturing plant on Kraav III after a group of Starfleet scientists were sent to help upgrade the facility. Can you find out what happened before the Enterprise-B arrives and discovers a possible weakness in the Empire? The 21-page adventure is available now on DriveThruRPG for $4.99.
Actor Henry Cavill has had an interesting few weeks in the news. First it was announced he was being replaced as lead for The Witcher starting with Season 4 due to creative differences with the producers, then it was announced he will be returning as Superman before DC announced he would not return as the next Superman film would be a prequel. However, the biggest news for the actor came late last night as it was announced Henry Cavill is attached to star and executive produce a series adaptation of Warhammer 40,000. Amazon is in final negotiations for the rights to the series from Games Workshop after months of negotiation. Warhammer is akin to a Dungeons & Dragons – dice are involved in the playing – but also features intricate miniatures that players can place and move around a model-constructed battlefield or world. Don’t blame me for that description, it’s from the Hollywood Reporter article. Though no other actors nor showrunners or writers have been announced, the news comes a day after actor and gamer Rahul Kohli tweeted “Hey Henry, f*** it, lets make a Warhammer movie/limited series. Kind regards, Rahul” while Doctor Strange and Black Phone screenwriter C. Robert Cargill replied “Look, guys. I might know a writer who would be into that. Maybe y’all should brainstorm in his garage. Best, Cargill” Did I bring that up just to brag that I’ve been to Cargill garage and seen his impressive and intimidating collection of miniatures? Maybe…
Kickstarter announced this week that the platform has now passed the $7 billion mark in crowdfunding since the site launched, and that 20% of that came from tabletop games. Dicebreaker confirmed that $1.57 billion raised on the platform came from tabletop games, which accounts for 50% of all gaming content and 20% of all funds raised on Kickstarter. Since the site launched in 2009, there have been over 36,000 projects launched in the tabletop gaming category with around 23,500 successfully funding. This puts tabletop gaming at a 65% success rate, a significant amount higher than the 40% average cross other categories.
Time to head back to the legal quagmire of the “TSR LLC” vs Wizards of the Coast lawsuit as Judge S. Kate Vaughn has denied the injunction requested by Wizards of the Coast. For those looking for in-depth coverage, the link above goes to the Cohost page of Kim Wincen who goes into detail on the ruling. But the short, simplified version is that Wizards of the Coast requested the injunction because the version of Star Frontiers: New Genesis they obtained via subpoena contained offensive material that they claimed would cause irreparable harm to the company should it be released. The burden to gain an injunction on those grounds is high and, according to Judge Vaughn, Wizards of the Coast did not meet it. Since Justin LaNasa, owner of NuTSR, stated under oath that the offensive material was not present in current versions of the product and it was the offensive material that would cause harm to Wizards of the Coast, it does not meet the requirements to grant the injunction. Further, LaNasa has agreed previously not to release any Star Frontiers: New Genesis material until after the conclusion of the trial. Since the game would not be released until after the trial and since LaNasa “disavowed” the offensive material that Wizards of the Coast objected to, the Judge decided not to grant the “extraordinary remedy” of an injunction. The jury trial for the lawsuit and countersuit is scheduled for October 16, 2023, starting at 9:00 AM with a scheduled length of five days.
That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget to support our Patreon to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at news@enpublishingrpg.com, and you can get more discussion of the week’s news on Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk every week. You can follow me on Twitch to get notifications when I go live, follow me on Mastodon for RPG chat and general nonsense, subscribe to Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube for videos on gaming history, RPG reviews, and gaming Let’s Plays, or you can listen to the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column.
