Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news. New D&D book announced next week, Pathfinder 2e playtest for two new classes now live, new Starfinder sourebook announced, NPC sourcebook for Shadowrun coming soon, new Warhammer: Wrath & Glory Adventure Path, and more!
Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk will be back this weekend, but until then you can check out the Top RPG Podcasts of 2020!
In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:
Multiple mainstream retail outlets posted new holding pages for an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition book. The product description states that the book will be officially announced on January 12 with a release on March 16. There’s some information but it looks to be a placeholder as book retail chain Barnes & Noble has the dimensions of the book at 6.5” by 9.5” which is closer to US Trade size than the standard hardcover size of the other D&D books but still doesn’t fit any of the standard printing dimensions used in the publishing industry. So that throws a lot of the other product description information into doubt, so attempting to divine information from that seems futile. Regardless, speculation is already rampant as to what this book is following promises of three classic D&D settings coming to 5e soon, with many pointed to Dragonlance or Spelljammer. The book is already available for pre-order with a retail price of $49.95 for those willing to gamble on the product sight-unseen.
Paizo launched a playtest for two new classes for Pathfinder 2nd Edition, the returning Gunslinger and the new Inventor. The gunslinger is rebuilt from the ground up with new subclasses including a sniper subclass specializing in devastating opening attacks. For those who don’t want firearms in their fantasy games, there will be options to transfer the class’s abilities to crossbows. The inventor is a master gadgeteer who can create and interact with mechanical devices to control the battlefield and deal out large amounts of damage. Oh, and if you want clockwork power armor, that’s an option too. The playtest document is available now and runs until February 5.
EN Publishing, the RPG publishing arm of EN World, released two more new previews of the upcoming Level Up 5e rules. The first is a detailed description of the new strategy for monster stat blocks including approaches to iconic abilities, compatibility, alignment, and more. It’s also our first look at one of the monsters from Level Up, the vampire. One of the big design goals of Level Up has been to give more focus to the third pillar of fantasy roleplay, Exploration. We now get our first look at what the exploration pillar will look like in Level Up. Exploration challenges, pests, supplies, safe havens, and other options make the exploration and the journey just as interesting as the destination, finally giving players the option to fulfill the Tolkien quote, “Not all who wander are lost”. You can keep up with all the updates for Level Up 5e on the official website.
Paizo announced Tech Revolution, a new sourcebook for Starfinder featuring cutting-edge technology from across the galaxy. The book features new weapons, armor, gear, vehicles, and more ranging from ancient alien artifacts to brand-new scientific advancements. Brand new rules for vehicle combat with a focus on mech-based combat will also be included as well as a full new class, the nanocyte who manipulates nanobots to change the world around them and alter themselves. There will also be sections widening the world by exploring how technology affects everyday life from advertising to music to security and more. The book is expected for a release this August available for pre-order now for $39.99.
Catalyst Game Labs announced a new Shadowrun Sixth World Edition sourcebook, Collapsing Now. The description calls the book a “runner resource book” but don’t expect a lot of new options for players here. This book contains ten different groups of NPC runners and different encounters with each for the player team to interact with, either as allies or enemies and possibly both. You’ll also get guidelines to adjust the groups so they can fit in any campaign level, from a gritty street-level campaign to globetrotting prime runners. The book is scheduled for a Q1 2021 physical release with a retail price of $44.99 and is available now in PDF on DriveThruRPG for $19.99.
Cubicle 7 announced the first entry in a new Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory adventure path, Litanies of the Lost. The series will feature four adventures that send the player characters to investigate tech heresy on the agri world of Ostia and unraveling devious plots and murderous mysteries among feuding faiths. From the description of the first adventure in the series, Duty Beyond Death:
Steve Jackson Games put out the call for video game developers to revive Autoduel, the classic video game based on their tabletop game Car Wars. And by “classic”, I mean it as the original 1985 version was produced by Origin Systems (creators of the Ultima game series) for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and MS-DOS. Steve Jackson Games has stated their intention that this new version be the same as the original with the same graphics and gameplay with the only updates to get the game to function on modern PC and Mac systems. For those interested in applying, the link above has contact information and requirements for submitting a proposal.
Bundle of Holding has a bundle benefitting Nicky Raw, the widow of game designer and author Jackie Cassada who passed away last week from complications of COVID-19. The bundle comes in two tiers, the first for $5.95 including the core rulebook for Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition, the Changeling 20A Jumpstart kit, and the novel The Cup of Dreams by Jackie Cassada and Nicky Rea. The second “level up” tier (currently $23.78) includes the Changeling 20A Player’s Guide, Ready Made Characters, Book of Freeholds, Storyteller’s Screen, and Anthology of Dreams. This bundle will run until January 25.
Humble Bundle’s 3D Printable Miniatures for Board Games & Wargaming bundle is still going on. This bundle features more than 30 printer-ready files for monsters, heroes, and terrain for your 3D printers. This bundle benefits No Kid Hungry Connection, Extra Life, and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and runs until Wednesday, January 13. This month’s Humble Choice subscription features two games of interest to tabletop gamers, Warhammer Chaosbane and Vampire: The Masquerade: Shadows of New York. The Basic level is $14.99 and gets you your choice of three of the games available this month, while the Premium level of $19.99 normally gets you nine games but this month only gives you access to all twelve Choice games for the month. The games are yours to keep even if you cancel your subscription. This month’s choices benefit the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and are available until February 5.
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 where I’ll be streaming some test streams this weekend, 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.
Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk will be back this weekend, but until then you can check out the Top RPG Podcasts of 2020!
In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:
- EN Publishing is back with another Kickstarter, this time for Enchanted Trinkets II, the second book featuring a collection of minor magic items for your 5e campaigns. You’ve only got until Tuesday, January 19 to back!
- Speaking of Enchanted Trinkets, you can get a taste of what’s included with EN5ider #370 Enchanted Trinkets: Exposed True Names with new minor uses of the powerful magic of True Names.
- The penultimate adventure of the War of the Burning Sky 5e Adventure Path is available now, Under the Eye of the Tempest for a party of 19th level characters.
- EN World’s poll of the Top 10 Most Anticipated Tabletop RPGs of 2021 is now complete and you can find out the results now.
- Come celebrate the 20th Anniversary of EN World! Yes, this site has officially been around for 20 years this year.
- Chaosium revealed the cover for their upcoming Lords of the Middle Sea: The Roleplaying Game based on the proto-steampunk post-apocalyptic board game set in the flooded ruins of North America.
- Rob Wieland reviewed the Loke Battlemat series of lay-flat spiral-bound laminated battlemaps covering several of the different available sets including fantasy, towns & taverns, cyberpunk, and more.
- Rob also took a look at the different options for Curse of Strahd with the re-releases for the popular 5e adventure covering the Icons of the Realms miniatures, the Revamped edition of the adventure, and the Beadle & Grimm’s deluxe boxed set.
- Ben Reece has a review of We’re No Heroes, the first entry in the Fly Free or Die Adventure Path for Starfinder.
- Michael Tresca looks forward in this new year to explore his gaming goals for 2021.
- Egg Embry looks at the first big gaming event of the year with New Gamemaster Month in February, talking with half a dozen game companies about their plans for the event.
- Mike Myler’s newest entry in the Epic Monsters series is the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Strife.
- Never miss out on the newest crowdfunding projects with Egg Embry’s RPG Crowdfunding News, and keep up with all the new print releases with Charles Dunwoody’s RPG Print News, and find out what’s new on DM’s Guild with Sean Hillman’s DMs Guild Roundup.
Multiple mainstream retail outlets posted new holding pages for an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition book. The product description states that the book will be officially announced on January 12 with a release on March 16. There’s some information but it looks to be a placeholder as book retail chain Barnes & Noble has the dimensions of the book at 6.5” by 9.5” which is closer to US Trade size than the standard hardcover size of the other D&D books but still doesn’t fit any of the standard printing dimensions used in the publishing industry. So that throws a lot of the other product description information into doubt, so attempting to divine information from that seems futile. Regardless, speculation is already rampant as to what this book is following promises of three classic D&D settings coming to 5e soon, with many pointed to Dragonlance or Spelljammer. The book is already available for pre-order with a retail price of $49.95 for those willing to gamble on the product sight-unseen.
Paizo launched a playtest for two new classes for Pathfinder 2nd Edition, the returning Gunslinger and the new Inventor. The gunslinger is rebuilt from the ground up with new subclasses including a sniper subclass specializing in devastating opening attacks. For those who don’t want firearms in their fantasy games, there will be options to transfer the class’s abilities to crossbows. The inventor is a master gadgeteer who can create and interact with mechanical devices to control the battlefield and deal out large amounts of damage. Oh, and if you want clockwork power armor, that’s an option too. The playtest document is available now and runs until February 5.
EN Publishing, the RPG publishing arm of EN World, released two more new previews of the upcoming Level Up 5e rules. The first is a detailed description of the new strategy for monster stat blocks including approaches to iconic abilities, compatibility, alignment, and more. It’s also our first look at one of the monsters from Level Up, the vampire. One of the big design goals of Level Up has been to give more focus to the third pillar of fantasy roleplay, Exploration. We now get our first look at what the exploration pillar will look like in Level Up. Exploration challenges, pests, supplies, safe havens, and other options make the exploration and the journey just as interesting as the destination, finally giving players the option to fulfill the Tolkien quote, “Not all who wander are lost”. You can keep up with all the updates for Level Up 5e on the official website.
Paizo announced Tech Revolution, a new sourcebook for Starfinder featuring cutting-edge technology from across the galaxy. The book features new weapons, armor, gear, vehicles, and more ranging from ancient alien artifacts to brand-new scientific advancements. Brand new rules for vehicle combat with a focus on mech-based combat will also be included as well as a full new class, the nanocyte who manipulates nanobots to change the world around them and alter themselves. There will also be sections widening the world by exploring how technology affects everyday life from advertising to music to security and more. The book is expected for a release this August available for pre-order now for $39.99.
Catalyst Game Labs announced a new Shadowrun Sixth World Edition sourcebook, Collapsing Now. The description calls the book a “runner resource book” but don’t expect a lot of new options for players here. This book contains ten different groups of NPC runners and different encounters with each for the player team to interact with, either as allies or enemies and possibly both. You’ll also get guidelines to adjust the groups so they can fit in any campaign level, from a gritty street-level campaign to globetrotting prime runners. The book is scheduled for a Q1 2021 physical release with a retail price of $44.99 and is available now in PDF on DriveThruRPG for $19.99.
Cubicle 7 announced the first entry in a new Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory adventure path, Litanies of the Lost. The series will feature four adventures that send the player characters to investigate tech heresy on the agri world of Ostia and unraveling devious plots and murderous mysteries among feuding faiths. From the description of the first adventure in the series, Duty Beyond Death:
The hardcover will be available for a retail price of $39.99 and the PDF for $19.99 and is currently scheduled for a Q3 2021 release for the physical edition.
Steve Jackson Games put out the call for video game developers to revive Autoduel, the classic video game based on their tabletop game Car Wars. And by “classic”, I mean it as the original 1985 version was produced by Origin Systems (creators of the Ultima game series) for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and MS-DOS. Steve Jackson Games has stated their intention that this new version be the same as the original with the same graphics and gameplay with the only updates to get the game to function on modern PC and Mac systems. For those interested in applying, the link above has contact information and requirements for submitting a proposal.
Bundle of Holding has a bundle benefitting Nicky Raw, the widow of game designer and author Jackie Cassada who passed away last week from complications of COVID-19. The bundle comes in two tiers, the first for $5.95 including the core rulebook for Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition, the Changeling 20A Jumpstart kit, and the novel The Cup of Dreams by Jackie Cassada and Nicky Rea. The second “level up” tier (currently $23.78) includes the Changeling 20A Player’s Guide, Ready Made Characters, Book of Freeholds, Storyteller’s Screen, and Anthology of Dreams. This bundle will run until January 25.
Humble Bundle’s 3D Printable Miniatures for Board Games & Wargaming bundle is still going on. This bundle features more than 30 printer-ready files for monsters, heroes, and terrain for your 3D printers. This bundle benefits No Kid Hungry Connection, Extra Life, and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and runs until Wednesday, January 13. This month’s Humble Choice subscription features two games of interest to tabletop gamers, Warhammer Chaosbane and Vampire: The Masquerade: Shadows of New York. The Basic level is $14.99 and gets you your choice of three of the games available this month, while the Premium level of $19.99 normally gets you nine games but this month only gives you access to all twelve Choice games for the month. The games are yours to keep even if you cancel your subscription. This month’s choices benefit the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and are available until February 5.
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 where I’ll be streaming some test streams this weekend, 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.
