News Digest for the Week of December 11

Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news. The Star Trek Adventures license expands, pre-orders open for Dune RPG, vote for your favorite RPG podcasts of 2020, nominate your most anticipated games for 2021, and more!

Don’t forget, you can get all the week’s RPG news every week with Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk! Last weekend, Morrus and Peter are joined by Diana Gaeta to talk about Neverland – The Impossible Island.


And the new episode released a day early, so you can listen now as Morrus and Peter are joined by Sean K. Reynolds from Monte Cook Games to talk about Heroes of the Cypher System on Kickstarter with just a very short time left, plus what it’s like working for some of the biggest names in the RPG industry!


You can also get all the week’s RPG crowdfunding projects ending soon with Our Favourite Game in All the World based on the RPG Crowdfunding News column by Egg Embry.

In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week…

• EN5ider #365 is another entry in the Enchanted Trinkets series of low-power magic items, this time the enchanted tools of the bourgeoisie and high society with eight new magic items for nobility.
• You’ve got until Monday, December 14 to get in on EN Publishing’s holiday-themed Kickstarter Presents for Goblins, a selection of Christmas and winter holiday-themed rules and adventures for 5e. And yes, the digital rewards will arrive in time for the holidays!
• Rob Wieland reviewed Spectacular Settlements, the new sourcebook on cities, towns, villages, and other settlements from Nord Games.
• The classic 3.x OGL Boom era adventure NeMoren’s Vault from Fiery Dragon is getting an update to 5e, available now on DriveThruRPG.
• Lewis Pulsipher’s newest Worlds of Design column is over the length of rulebooks and how to determine exactly how long your game’s core rules should be.
• M.T. Black continues his look through the history of gaming periodicals with Dragon #36 from April 1980.
• Mike Myler’s latest Epic Monsters is the shadow of Santa Claus, the Eastern European troll that punishes naughty kids, Krampus.
• If you’ve got a loved one you’re shopping for this holiday season (or if your loved ones are stumped about what to get you), EN World has not one but two holiday gift guides this week, one from Michael Tresca and another from Charles Dunwoody.
• Don’t miss out on all the RPG crowdfunding projects ending soon with Egg Embry’s RPG Crowdfunding News, and don’t miss any of the physical releases this week with Charles Dunwoody’s RPG Print News.

It’s that time of year again where the EN World community recognizes the shows that we love and the products we’re looking forward to in the future. The nominations for the Most Anticipated RPG of 2021 are now open. If there’s a game that is a stand-alone RPG core rules (not a supplement, adventure, adventure path, campaign setting, and the like) that is scheduled for release in 2021 (that is commercial release, so pre-orders or Kickstarter reward fulfillment don’t count, only when it’s on sale to the general public), simply say which game it is and the company making it with a link to the product page in the comments of this thread. Oh, and obviously if you’re a developer/designer/publisher, you can’t nominate your own game. Nominations are open until December 22 with voting open from all qualified nominees shortly after.

Speaking of voting, the voting is open for the 2020 Favorite Podcasts. There’s two categories, RPG Talk podcasts for podcasts that talk about RPGs, whether it’s news, advice, panel discussions, reviews, or anything that isn’t actual play. Because that’s covered in the Actual Play podcast category for people actually playing an RPG. Voting is open until Tuesday, December 15 with winners being announced on the Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk podcast next weekend (which is itself nominated on the RPG Talk podcast category if, you know, you felt like voting for the podcast I do editing and post-production for).

Modiphius announced an extension of their license for Star Trek Adventures in their announcement of upcoming products for 2021. The big news is that the license has expanded to include the new CBS All Access Star Trek series including Discovery and Picard with products based on their series to be announced soon. There’s also a very cool product coming Q3 2021 pictured above, the Tricorder Collector’s Set which includes a digest size Original series themed pocket rulebook, dice, crew sheets, 3-part campaign, and a deluxe wearable box in the shape of a tricorder with magnetic lid.

During ModCon, Modiphius also made a few other announcements. The first was the cover art reveal and launch line details for Fallout: The Post Nuclear Tabletop Role Playing Game. This is the stand-alone tabletop RPG using the 2d20 System, not the RPG supplement for the skirmish miniature wargame. The launch line-up will include the core rulebook, custom dice, a GM toolkit, starter set, and “a super special collector’s edition boxed set”. Considering we were meant to have an official Fallout RPG way back in 1997 when the first video game released (and back when the video game was based on GURPS) and again in the mid-2000s with a 3.x D20 System adaptation lost in legal issues with Interplay, this has been a long time coming for many Fallout fans who will have to wait just a bit longer for the system’s Q2 2021 release.

And in the last bit of Modiphius news, pre-orders are open for the Dune RPG, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium. The launch line-up features the Standard Edition Corebook (black book), Atreides Collectors Edition Corebook (green book), Harkonnen Collector's Edition Corebook (red book), Corrino Collector's Edition Corebook (purple book), Dune Player's Journal (orange book), Arrakis Dice (sand ones), Arrakis Melange Dice (blue ones), and a Gamemaster's Toolkit (screen). You can pre-order the game products from Modiphius’s website individually or as part of several bundles. There have also been three Developer Blogs about the new game, “Gaming in the Imperium” about how the game works within the setting, “What’s So Special About Dune?” about how the setting works within the game, and “Who You Are” about the types of characters you can play. The game is currently scheduled for launch in April 2021.

Green Ronin announced the long-delayed physical release of The Lost Citadel, a setting for 5e and Fantasy AGE set in a fantasy world that has gone through an apocalypse. Think if George Romero rewrote Lord of the Rings. The titular Lost Citadel is the city of Redoubt, the final bastion of civilization in a world overrun by the dead. The book features new feats, subclasses, backgrounds, equipment, magic items, and other character options plus a plethora of undead monsters to face. The hardcover book with bonus double-sided poster map of the city and surrounding areas is available on the Green Ronin website and is currently filtering through distribution channels for retail outlets like Amazon with a retail price of $54.95.

The Cyberpunk by Asian Creators Game Jam is currently accepting applications for participation in their event. Hosted by W.H. Arthur, Kienna Shaw, and Banana Chan, the event is meant to promote Asian voices in the cyberpunk tabletop RPG genre and combat negative stereotypes common in the genre, particularly accusations of “fetishizing” Asian culture and aesthetic. The game jam is open to any creator of Asian heritage and creators who live in Asia and do not consider themselves an “expat”. Games must be analog tabletop RPGs or LARPs (hacks and supplements for existing games are okay), must incorporate the theme of cyberpunk, and must incorporate safety/support tools in the game or include information on how to find them. Full rules (including guidelines for utilizing Asian cultures that are not your own) are available on the game jam website. Submissions are open until January 21, 2021.

Speaking of publishing your own cyberpunk games, the 5e-powered cyberpunk game Entromancy opened a community content program called Entromancy Cartographer’s Guild. Creatures can make use of material in the Entromancy: A Cyberpunk Fantasy RPG core rules and the Entromancy: Hacker Battles sourcebook and can reference the stories in The Nightpath Trilogy, though the Community Guidelines stress care is required with the fiction books and they should be referenced “in the original ethos of those works”. While a design template will be provided, art from the published rulebooks are not to be used. Creators also have the flexibility to offer their work free, as pay-what-you-want, or at a set price. For full details, check the EGG Content Guidelines available on DriveThruRPG.

Once again, Humble is trying to destroy our wallets with the number of RPG bundles available right now. New this week is the Pathfinder Monster Lore Bundle featuring thirty sourcebooks for Pathfinder 1e focused on expanding the lore and background of monsters, so a lot of the information carries over to Pathfinder 2e for those who have switched to the new edition. This bundle benefits Comic Books for Kids! and runs until Monday, January 4. The Cyberpunk Bundle has been extended, featuring a library of books for Cyberpunk 2020 for the lore or if you want the full retro experience and the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit if you want to learn the new edition. This bundle benefits Able Gamers and also runs until Monday, January 4. Cubicle 7’s bundle for Warhammer 40,000: Black Crusade is still going with nineteen books for the grimdark science-fantasy setting. This bundle benefits Heifer International and runs until Wednesday, December 23. Finally, regardless of what game you play, you can find use in the Maps Extravaganza Bundle which features licenses for Campaign Cartographer 3+, City Designer 3, Dungeon Designer 3, multiple asset sets, and an instructional book to get the most out of your new software. This bundle benefits Save the Children and Game Changer and runs until Wednesday, January 6.


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 as soon as I get a proper night’s sleep, 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.

 

[imagineGod]

Maybe somebody working for Modiphius can explain the different Fallout RPGs on offer.

They have that Fallout Wasteland Warfare boardgame turned into a role playing game.

And now we have this announcement of the Fallout 2d20 role playing game.

So which is the definitive Fallout RPG and why confuse buyers with two Fallout RPGs by the same company?

 

[Abstruse]

Maybe somebody working for Modiphius can explain the different Fallout RPGs on offer.

They have that Fallout Wasteland Warfare boardgame turned into a role playing game.

And now we have this announcement of the Fallout 2d20 role playing game.

So which is the definitive Fallout RPG and why confuse buyers with two Fallout RPGs by the same company?

I don't work for Modiphius, but I might be able to explain part of it.

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is first and foremost a miniature skirmish wargame. Its rules are focused on combat. The roleplaying supplement for that game is also, by its nature, focused on combat but adding a storytelling element to that combat.

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Tabletop RPG is a tabletop roleplaying game first and foremost. It is focused on storytelling and will feature a wider array of character abilities, skills, perks, etc. that will be useful as the characters can take more actions since the core rules are not solely focused on combat.

As to why the two different versions, I can only give my guess. Wasteland Warfare is targeted at the miniature wargame market and at Fallout collectible fans who just want the minis. Because it's based on a roleplaying video game, a storytelling aspect is appealing to the market for that game so they created one. However, it's still not a full tabletop roleplaying game experience.

The best comparison I can think of is probably BattleTech. BattleTech is a miniature skirmish wargame. Within that game, there are storytelling elements, particularly Campaign Sets you can purchase that lay out historical battles from within the BattleTech universe and there are rules for long-term campaign play. However, those rules still focus on the miniature wargame aspect of BattleTech. If you want a proper roleplaying experience in that universe, you have to turn to the MechWarrior roleplaying game (or Classic BattleTech RPG or BattleTech: A Time of War or MechWarrior: Destiny, depending on the edition). That has detailed character creation rules, rules for skills and abilities outside "Pilot" and "Gunnery", etc.

The lines are far more distinct in BattleTech and MechWarrior than they are in the two Fallout games, but it might give you an idea about which game is best for you and your group's playstyle.

Personally, we've gone over 23 years since we were first promised an official Fallout tabletop RPG with two separate attempts to do that which failed for various licensing and/or legal reasons, so I'm not going to complain if we're now given two different, competing systems because we're overdue.

 

[imagineGod]

I don't work for Modiphius, but I might be able to explain part of it.

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is first and foremost a miniature skirmish wargame. Its rules are focused on combat. The roleplaying supplement for that game is also, by its nature, focused on combat but adding a storytelling element to that combat.

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Tabletop RPG is a tabletop roleplaying game first and foremost. It is focused on storytelling and will feature a wider array of character abilities, skills, perks, etc. that will be useful as the characters can take more actions since the core rules are not solely focused on combat.

As to why the two different versions, I can only give my guess. Wasteland Warfare is targeted at the miniature wargame market and at Fallout collectible fans who just want the minis. Because it's based on a roleplaying video game, a storytelling aspect is appealing to the market for that game so they created one. However, it's still not a full tabletop roleplaying game experience.

The best comparison I can think of is probably BattleTech. BattleTech is a miniature skirmish wargame. Within that game, there are storytelling elements, particularly Campaign Sets you can purchase that lay out historical battles from within the BattleTech universe and there are rules for long-term campaign play. However, those rules still focus on the miniature wargame aspect of BattleTech. If you want a proper roleplaying experience in that universe, you have to turn to the MechWarrior roleplaying game (or Classic BattleTech RPG or BattleTech: A Time of War or MechWarrior: Destiny, depending on the edition). That has detailed character creation rules, rules for skills and abilities outside "Pilot" and "Gunnery", etc.

The lines are far more distinct in BattleTech and MechWarrior than they are in the two Fallout games, but it might give you an idea about which game is best for you and your group's playstyle.

Personally, we've gone over 23 years since we were first promised an official Fallout tabletop RPG with two separate attempts to do that which failed for various licensing and/or legal reasons, so I'm not going to complain if we're now given two different, competing systems because we're overdue.

Thank you very much. That is a very informative overview of the two fallout games. This makes a lot of sense now. So "Fallout Wasteland Warfare RPG" is basically still just "Fallout Wasteland Warfare Skirmish".

Also, I would suggest Modiphius implement a new branding strategy, since in their attempts to distinguish both Fallout games, the proper RPG has a horrible title now.

"Fallout A Post Nuclear Tabletop RPG" is firstly, a mouthful to say or even abbreviate FAPNTTRPG, and secondly, adds needless meta detail to the brand via its title, even worse than we have with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP). Maybe a name like "Fallout Post Nuclear Adventures" would have been a better choice following the style of of Star Trek Adventures in title.

 

[Abstruse]

Thank you very much. That is a very informative overview of the two fallout games. This makes a lot of sense now. So "Fallout Wasteland Warfare RPG" is basically still just "Fallout Wasteland Warfare Skirmish".

Also, I would suggest Modiphius implement a new branding strategy, since in their attempts to distinguish both Fallout games, the proper RPG has a horrible title now.

"Fallout A Post Nuclear Tabletop RPG" is firstly, a mouthful to say or even abbreviate FAPNTTRPG, and secondly, adds needless meta detail to the brand via its title, even worse than we have with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP). Maybe a name like "Fallout Post Nuclear Adventures" would have been a better choice following the style of of Star Trek Adventures in title.

I mean...that's the title of the video game...Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role Playing Game. And if you think that's bad, the original game title (before both sides agreed to cancel the license) was Vault 13: A GURPS Post-Nuclear Adventure.

It's also not uncommon for Modiphius. The Conan RPG? Robert E Howard's Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of. The upcoming Dune RPG? Dune: Adventures in the Imperium Roleplaying Game. Corvus Bell Infinity The Roleplaying Game, John Carter of Mars - Adventures on The Dying World of Barsoom. Practically nobody uses the full names (except for gaming journalists trying to make their word count) and I'm pretty sure nobody's going to call it "Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Tabletop Role Playing Game" anymore than anyone calls the video game "Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role Playing Game". It'll just be "the Fallout RPG" or "the Fallout tabletop RPG" while Wasteland Warfare will be "the Fallout miniatures game".

 

[imagineGod]

I mean...that's the title of the video game...Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role Playing Game. And if you think that's bad, the original game title (before both sides agreed to cancel the license) was Vault 13: A GURPS Post-Nuclear Adventure.

It's also not uncommon for Modiphius. The Conan RPG? Robert E Howard's Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of. The upcoming Dune RPG? Dune: Adventures in the Imperium Roleplaying Game. Corvus Bell Infinity The Roleplaying Game, John Carter of Mars - Adventures on The Dying World of Barsoom. Practically nobody uses the full names (except for gaming journalists trying to make their word count) and I'm pretty sure nobody's going to call it "Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Tabletop Role Playing Game" anymore than anyone calls the video game "Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role Playing Game". It'll just be "the Fallout RPG" or "the Fallout tabletop RPG" while Wasteland Warfare will be "the Fallout miniatures game".

Interesting, this begs the next question. Why is Modiphius creating such cumbersome titles for RPGs on purpose?

I wish someone from Modihpius read this. If no fans (Players or GMs) use long titles what is their purpose? Trademarks?

I would have said that maybe they were inspired by Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden, but all those games you listed, apart from Dune and Fallout were published much earlier.

 

[wicked cool]

Modiphius needs better marketing.

They keep producing games however 90% of the games end up in the dumpster of DOA. They have a HUGE game library of games that could have big fanbases based on title but they are barely in the conversation (Star Trek, Kungfu Panda, Fallout, Skyrim ) etc and yet it feels like its being run by 2 people

I follow their website. I'm still confused on the fallout RPG. Theres barely any news on this. Theres no hype on their blog for this. Theres nothing. you could argue they are a small company -BS. I also follow multiple small skirmish games (Revenfeast, Rangers of Shaowdeep etc). These creators have youtube videos and blogs etc. Joseph McCollough should be the standard for this industry. Hes doing the same thing Modiphius is but 1000 times better

In regards to their 2 skirmish games (fallout/elder scrolls)- What they should do is come out with a streamlined version of the rules. Plus eliminate the fiddly chits and fire your marketing director (or hire one) (9 months ago they showed something for elder scrolls on youtube on their site, 8 months for fallout skirmish). nothing on the roleplaying games