Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! WizKids announces new minis for Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder 2nd Edition, D&D Beyond shares statistics about tiered play, Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD officially released, and more!
WizKids announced the next in the Icons of the Realms line of pre-painted plastic miniatures for Dungeons & Dragons based on Dungeon of the Mad Mage. This line will feature 44 new figures randomly packed in boosters featuring one large or huge figure and three small or medium figures with a retail price of $15.99. Additionally, a terrain/prop set Halaster’s Lab will release at the same time. This set features four corpses in different positions, two large candles, a bookshelf with a dragons skull, a Balor claw, a giant hourglass, two tables (one empty and one with wizard-related clutter, a pile of books and papers, a stone magic circle, and more with a retail price of $49.99. Both of these sets will release this March. And in case you’ve forgotten, the foot-and-a-half tall, almost three-foot-wide to-scale WizKids sailing ship Shooting Star releases next week for $249.99.
WizKids also previewed their new Pathfinder 2nd Edition miniatures which will be due in August. This preview pack has eight set miniatures for $29.99 featuring two goblins, two orcs, a bugbear, a hobgoblin, an armored elf warrior, and a halfling slinger. This preview, timed to release with the Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules this summer, will be followed by the Legendary Adventures set featuring 44 pre-painted figures in randomized booster packs of one large or huge figure and three small or medium figures for a retail price of $17.99. Accompanying this is the Goblin Village Premium Set, though few specifics are available yet as to what is included in the $49.99 set beyond “a variety of items adventurers might encounter in a goblin settlement”.
The Dungeons & Dragons Sage Advice Compendium updated late last week with over a dozen new rules clarifications. The column, written by Jeremy Crawford since 2015, features answers and clarifications on rules for Dungeons & Dragons originally posted monthly but now a bit more sporadic. The compilation of these articles works as a rules FAQ for the game for those seeking official rulings, such as for Adventure League play. The updates feature clarifications on the disintegrate spell, wild shape, rogue and monk abilities, short rest limits, and more. The full compendium is available on the Wizards of the Coast website.
D&D Beyond released more player statistics on their live stream, this time focused on tiers of play. Breaking into four tiers – Tier 1 being levels 1-4, Tier 2 levels 5-10, Tier 3 levels 11-16, and Tier 4 levels 17-20 – the charts indicate which character classes are most popular at which tiers. Fewer than 90% of characters make it past tier 2, though wizards are more popular at higher levels with clerics and rangers both dropping off significantly. How much of these are actually played at these levels as opposed to people creating characters as building exercises, however, is unknown.
Are you finally ready to bring the Law to Megacity One? Or do you think you’re good enough to evade the Judges as a perp? Or perhaps you’re looking to head into space with the mutants and mercenaries? Well it’s time, as EN Publishing’s Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD is finally available in PDF! The PDF of the core rulebook containing everything you need to play is available for $19.99 and features rules for humans, clones, robots, mutants, uplifted apes, and more so you’re ready to jump into the adventure in Judge Dredd or any of the other 2000 AD settings. The first campaign setting/adventure, Robot Wars, is also available for $9.99 giving you options for Judges as well as civilians and perps as the robots are revolting. If you’re waiting for a printed release, Morrus stated on this week’s Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk that the books have arrived from the printers and should be going out to Kickstarter backers this month with a retail release after the Kickstarter has been fulfilled.
The 2018 BAMFSIES Awards have been announced honoring the best of tabletop superhero roleplaying. Every year, the BAMF Podcast gathers a panel of experienced judges to highlight the best comic-inspired RPGs have to offer. This year’s Judge’s Spotlight winners (with the judge selecting in parenthesis) were SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists (Steve Kenson), Basic Hero’s Handbook for Mutants & Masterminds (Jacob Blackmon), Capers RPG (John McMullen), and Survive This: Vigilante City (Walk Robillard). The winners of the Gamer’s Choice Poll was also Basic Hero’s Handbook for Mutants & Masterminds with a very close second place going to SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists.
USAopoly and Games Workshop announced that the Talisman board game series will return later this year. A new edition of the game will launch a new franchise of “Magic Quest Games”, following up the Revised 4th Edition released by Fantasy Flight Games. More information will be released at next week’s New York Toy Fair, but what we know is that the core game will come out later this year and act as the engine for a new series of licensed games. Considering USAopoly’s wide pool of entertainment licenses including titles like Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, BoJack Horseman, Call of Duty, Dragonball Z, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Fallout, The Walking Dead, and Rick and Morty, it will be interesting to see which they tap for the Talisman format (personally, I want Scooby Doo).
How did Dungeons & Dragons end up on Fox News this week? Patton Oswalt mocking Super Bowl snacks, of course. This bit of our surreal world touching our hobby comes thanks to Fox News anchor Dana Perino posting an image of her Super Bowl spread including something she called “queso”. Personally, I don’t think one should use The Necronomicon as a cookbook, but whatever this was, it did not resemble the smooth chili pepper flavored cheese sauce that is queso to the rest of the world and the mockery started. Comedian Patton Oswalt used the original Deities & Demigods art of Shub-Niggurath art in his tweet, which quickly got enough attention that Fox News used it as an example of the well-deserved dragging of the dish. If your copy of Deities & Demigods doesn’t include this piece of Erol Otus artwork, well you can find out why in my video from last month explaining the history of the Cthulhu Mythos in the 1st Edition AD&D sourcebook Deities & Demigods, “Deities & Rashomon”.
Humble Bundle has two bundles for those looking to break into the gaming industry. While the Intro to Code bundle is more focused on video games with books on Python, SQL, JavaScript, Unity, Phaser 3, and other programing advice, it can still be useful for web design, character generators, and other tools for tabletop designs if you’re not interested in video games. The other bundle, however, seems also focused on video games, but the subjects cross over to tabletop board game and roleplaying design easily. The Break Into the Game Industry bundle focuses on theory, craft, and business with books on character design, building a portfolio for artists, marketing, game design theory, game writing, and more. The Intro to Code bundle runs until Wednesday, February 20, while the Break Into the Game Industry bundle runs until Monday, February 18.
Lex Draconis is a core rulebook based on the Modern RPG rules set (which is a modern-world based version of Pathfinder). The players are dragons hiding in the modern world, trying to battle their instinct to horde and compete with one another versus their need to stay secret from a hostile world and fight their conflicts in secret. And in case you’re worried that your draconic powers will be nerfed, the game explicitly states that you will be dealing with your nearly god-like powers. The PDF is available for a $20 pledge, the printed copy available for $33, and a bundle with both for $40. This project is fully-funded and runs until Monday, February 11.
Interested in playing a cyberpunk game without learning an entirely new ruleset, Carbon 2185 is a new cyberpunk system based off of the D&D 5e rules. This custom version of the rules strips out all of the fantasy elements and replaces them with cybernetic implants, genetic modifications, and advanced technology to present the familiar system in a new genre. The default setting takes place in San Francisco and has all of the high-tech-low-life you’d expect from a cyberpunk setting dominated by megacorporations. The PDF is available for £15 (about US$19) and £35 (about US$45) for the full-color hardcover. This project is well beyond its funding goal and runs until Friday, February 15.
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@enworldnews.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 Twitter @Abstruse where I’ve been talking about some insider secrets of the tabletop industry, follow me on Twitch where I’ll be streaming…something…this weekend (I’ve got a poll going on Twitter to decide what I stream), subscribe to Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube featuring videos on gaming history 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.
WizKids announced the next in the Icons of the Realms line of pre-painted plastic miniatures for Dungeons & Dragons based on Dungeon of the Mad Mage. This line will feature 44 new figures randomly packed in boosters featuring one large or huge figure and three small or medium figures with a retail price of $15.99. Additionally, a terrain/prop set Halaster’s Lab will release at the same time. This set features four corpses in different positions, two large candles, a bookshelf with a dragons skull, a Balor claw, a giant hourglass, two tables (one empty and one with wizard-related clutter, a pile of books and papers, a stone magic circle, and more with a retail price of $49.99. Both of these sets will release this March. And in case you’ve forgotten, the foot-and-a-half tall, almost three-foot-wide to-scale WizKids sailing ship Shooting Star releases next week for $249.99.
WizKids also previewed their new Pathfinder 2nd Edition miniatures which will be due in August. This preview pack has eight set miniatures for $29.99 featuring two goblins, two orcs, a bugbear, a hobgoblin, an armored elf warrior, and a halfling slinger. This preview, timed to release with the Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules this summer, will be followed by the Legendary Adventures set featuring 44 pre-painted figures in randomized booster packs of one large or huge figure and three small or medium figures for a retail price of $17.99. Accompanying this is the Goblin Village Premium Set, though few specifics are available yet as to what is included in the $49.99 set beyond “a variety of items adventurers might encounter in a goblin settlement”.
The Dungeons & Dragons Sage Advice Compendium updated late last week with over a dozen new rules clarifications. The column, written by Jeremy Crawford since 2015, features answers and clarifications on rules for Dungeons & Dragons originally posted monthly but now a bit more sporadic. The compilation of these articles works as a rules FAQ for the game for those seeking official rulings, such as for Adventure League play. The updates feature clarifications on the disintegrate spell, wild shape, rogue and monk abilities, short rest limits, and more. The full compendium is available on the Wizards of the Coast website.
D&D Beyond released more player statistics on their live stream, this time focused on tiers of play. Breaking into four tiers – Tier 1 being levels 1-4, Tier 2 levels 5-10, Tier 3 levels 11-16, and Tier 4 levels 17-20 – the charts indicate which character classes are most popular at which tiers. Fewer than 90% of characters make it past tier 2, though wizards are more popular at higher levels with clerics and rangers both dropping off significantly. How much of these are actually played at these levels as opposed to people creating characters as building exercises, however, is unknown.
Are you finally ready to bring the Law to Megacity One? Or do you think you’re good enough to evade the Judges as a perp? Or perhaps you’re looking to head into space with the mutants and mercenaries? Well it’s time, as EN Publishing’s Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD is finally available in PDF! The PDF of the core rulebook containing everything you need to play is available for $19.99 and features rules for humans, clones, robots, mutants, uplifted apes, and more so you’re ready to jump into the adventure in Judge Dredd or any of the other 2000 AD settings. The first campaign setting/adventure, Robot Wars, is also available for $9.99 giving you options for Judges as well as civilians and perps as the robots are revolting. If you’re waiting for a printed release, Morrus stated on this week’s Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk that the books have arrived from the printers and should be going out to Kickstarter backers this month with a retail release after the Kickstarter has been fulfilled.
The 2018 BAMFSIES Awards have been announced honoring the best of tabletop superhero roleplaying. Every year, the BAMF Podcast gathers a panel of experienced judges to highlight the best comic-inspired RPGs have to offer. This year’s Judge’s Spotlight winners (with the judge selecting in parenthesis) were SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists (Steve Kenson), Basic Hero’s Handbook for Mutants & Masterminds (Jacob Blackmon), Capers RPG (John McMullen), and Survive This: Vigilante City (Walk Robillard). The winners of the Gamer’s Choice Poll was also Basic Hero’s Handbook for Mutants & Masterminds with a very close second place going to SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists.
USAopoly and Games Workshop announced that the Talisman board game series will return later this year. A new edition of the game will launch a new franchise of “Magic Quest Games”, following up the Revised 4th Edition released by Fantasy Flight Games. More information will be released at next week’s New York Toy Fair, but what we know is that the core game will come out later this year and act as the engine for a new series of licensed games. Considering USAopoly’s wide pool of entertainment licenses including titles like Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, BoJack Horseman, Call of Duty, Dragonball Z, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Fallout, The Walking Dead, and Rick and Morty, it will be interesting to see which they tap for the Talisman format (personally, I want Scooby Doo).
How did Dungeons & Dragons end up on Fox News this week? Patton Oswalt mocking Super Bowl snacks, of course. This bit of our surreal world touching our hobby comes thanks to Fox News anchor Dana Perino posting an image of her Super Bowl spread including something she called “queso”. Personally, I don’t think one should use The Necronomicon as a cookbook, but whatever this was, it did not resemble the smooth chili pepper flavored cheese sauce that is queso to the rest of the world and the mockery started. Comedian Patton Oswalt used the original Deities & Demigods art of Shub-Niggurath art in his tweet, which quickly got enough attention that Fox News used it as an example of the well-deserved dragging of the dish. If your copy of Deities & Demigods doesn’t include this piece of Erol Otus artwork, well you can find out why in my video from last month explaining the history of the Cthulhu Mythos in the 1st Edition AD&D sourcebook Deities & Demigods, “Deities & Rashomon”.
Humble Bundle has two bundles for those looking to break into the gaming industry. While the Intro to Code bundle is more focused on video games with books on Python, SQL, JavaScript, Unity, Phaser 3, and other programing advice, it can still be useful for web design, character generators, and other tools for tabletop designs if you’re not interested in video games. The other bundle, however, seems also focused on video games, but the subjects cross over to tabletop board game and roleplaying design easily. The Break Into the Game Industry bundle focuses on theory, craft, and business with books on character design, building a portfolio for artists, marketing, game design theory, game writing, and more. The Intro to Code bundle runs until Wednesday, February 20, while the Break Into the Game Industry bundle runs until Monday, February 18.
Lex Draconis is a core rulebook based on the Modern RPG rules set (which is a modern-world based version of Pathfinder). The players are dragons hiding in the modern world, trying to battle their instinct to horde and compete with one another versus their need to stay secret from a hostile world and fight their conflicts in secret. And in case you’re worried that your draconic powers will be nerfed, the game explicitly states that you will be dealing with your nearly god-like powers. The PDF is available for a $20 pledge, the printed copy available for $33, and a bundle with both for $40. This project is fully-funded and runs until Monday, February 11.
Interested in playing a cyberpunk game without learning an entirely new ruleset, Carbon 2185 is a new cyberpunk system based off of the D&D 5e rules. This custom version of the rules strips out all of the fantasy elements and replaces them with cybernetic implants, genetic modifications, and advanced technology to present the familiar system in a new genre. The default setting takes place in San Francisco and has all of the high-tech-low-life you’d expect from a cyberpunk setting dominated by megacorporations. The PDF is available for £15 (about US$19) and £35 (about US$45) for the full-color hardcover. This project is well beyond its funding goal and runs until Friday, February 15.
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@enworldnews.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 Twitter @Abstruse where I’ve been talking about some insider secrets of the tabletop industry, follow me on Twitch where I’ll be streaming…something…this weekend (I’ve got a poll going on Twitter to decide what I stream), subscribe to Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube featuring videos on gaming history 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.
