• RPG News for Saturday, 22nd Dec, 2012

    [top]Community News


    [top]14 Free Tabletop RPG Demos or Playtests to Download for Christmas

    It's nearly Christmas, and the news is necessarily slowing down. In the meantime, here is a quick list of a few FREE demos, quick-start rules, playtests, or betas which you can legally download and play over the holidays. Why not pick one and give it a try?

    1. D&D Next - levels 1-20 of the game, plus the adventure The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb.
    2. 13th Age - a two-hour demo, form-fillable character sheet, and an adventure by Rob Heinsoo.
    3. Pathfinder Mythic Adventures - playtest document of Pathfinder's "epic rules" book.
    4. Eleventh Hour - an Only War (a Warhammer 40,000 variant) adventure and rules summary from Free RPG Day.
    5. All Flesh Must Be Eaten - introductory game kit which includes streamlined game rules, six characters, and a complete adventure called The Waking Dead.
    6. Hollow Earth Expedition - basic rules, and a couple of free adventures from Free RPG Days 2008 and 2009, along with a bunch of other resources.
    7. Dragon Age - RPG quick start guide PDF. Rules, and adventurem and pre-generated characters.
    8. Savage Worlds - "test drive rules", character handouts, and the adventure The Wild Hunt.
    9. GURPS 4E Lite - a 32-page distillation of the basic GURPS rules.
    10. Star Frontiers - a bunch of free PDFs, including the Alpha Dawn rulebook, various supplements and guides, and more.
    11. Eclipse Phase - quick start rules, character sheets, and loads of resources.
    12. Stars Without Numbers - a "retro science fiction role playing game".
    13. Basic Fantasy RPG - full core rules, supplements, and adventures for a rules-light game based on RPGs of the early 80s.
    14. Shadowrun 4E - quick start rules which include an adventure, Food Fight 4.0.


    Thanks to darjr and edemaitre for helping me compile this list!

    [top]Pathfinder News

    • The New Player Pack contains a selection of low-level consumable items, such as healing potions, scrolls, weapon enchants, and maps. In addition, the character gains a bag of holding to allow them to carry more equipment, a ring of protection to boost their defenses, and a small amount of coinage to get the character started. The pack is included with any pledge of $35 or higher to the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter.
    • I've restored our review of the Pathfinder Beginner Box to the reviews section as part of our ongoing effort to rebuild EN World.
    • Paizo's holding a sale until the end of January. Use the holiday13 promotional code on a single order through paizo.com and receive 10% off your entire order.
    • It's the last day for the Midgard Bundle from Kobold Press' store. For $59 you get the setting and bestiary for Pathfinder in both softcover and PDF formats. Also there is a Seafaring Bundle which has four "nautical" releases.

    [top]Roleplaying Games News


    • The Star Wars: Edge of Empire Beginner Game is now available. "The Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game features a complete, learn-as-you-go adventure. Pre-generated character folios keep rules right at the your fingertips, while custom dice and an exciting narrative gameplay system make every roll into a story. The rules provide hours of entertainment as you tell your own tales of a galaxy far, far away." The included adventure has your players navigating the streets of a small Tatooine town in search of a spaceship.
    • Tools for Frontier Living is a an equipment book for the Traveller RPG, and is available in PDF format.
    • Deadlands Noir is now available in PDF and print pre-order. It includes "...new Edges, Hindrances, and powers, as well as new rules for handling detective work, the state of the Union and the CSA in the Depression era, a complete Plot Point campaign, and of course, more monsters and ghouls than you can shake a smoking .45 automatic at."
    • Check out this review of Sean Patrick Fannon's Shantair: Legends Arise Player's Guide.