Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week's gaming news! D&D got a big mention at the Emmy Awards thanks to Game of Thrones, Wizards of the Coast answers more than 20 new rules questions and offers a playtest build for an improved Ranger class, Paizo and Obsidian Entertainment launch their first app game, Discworld and Mars Attacks are coming to GURPS, Evil Hat has two games exploring a world filled with giant monsters, and more!
Game of Thrones brought gaming into the limelight once again at the Emmy Awards as producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss accepted the award for Best Dramatic Writing for the episode “Battle of the Bastards”. Weiss made sure to pay tribute to his gaming roots in his acceptance speech, saying “I would like to thank my parents for letting us have television and comic books and Dungeons & Dragons and all the other things that taught us all how to do our jobs.” This award plus the several others earned by the popular fantasy series made Game of Thrones the most winning series in television history with a total of 38 Emmys.
Dungeons & Dragons itself had a huge update to its Sage Advice column by Jeremy Crawford, answering more than twenty rules questions for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and driving the complete Sage Advice Compendium up to sixteen total pages of rules clarifications and answers. Mike Mearls was busy as well, posting an updated playtest (as in not legal for Adventure League play) version of the Ranger class for his Unearthed Arcana column. Most aspects of the class received some form of tweaking and almost universally an upgrade of some sort. While this shows that Wizards of the Coast is still working to develop and refine the rules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, I am curious how they’ll choose to implement these changes as almost every part of the Ranger class’s progression has changed at least in some minor way.
Paizo Inc. and Obsidian Entertainment announced this past Friday the official launch of the Pathfinder Adventures game for iOS and Android devices. Based on the Pathfinder Adventures Card Game, the app replicates the play of the Rise of the Runelords set of adventures including animations, cut scenes, exclusive digital cards and more. It also has the ability to create and save multiple parties, allowing you to try different tactics and combinations as you explore Sandpoint and Thistletop. The app is available for free from iTunes for iOS devices as from the Google Play store for Android devices and while it is free to play, there are in-app purchases available.
Steve Jackson Games announced two new GURPS game books available for preorder for release later this year. The first, GURPS Mars Attacks, is based on the Topps trading card series by the same name and releases this December at a retail price of $24.95. The second is the Discworld Roleplaying Game, also using the GURPS 4th Edition rules set and based on the works of Terry Pratchett. This book comes out in November of this year with a retail price of $39.95. Steve Jackson Games created printable pre-order forms to bring to your local game store, or they are accepting orders through Warehouse 23 for both books. For those who have backed the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game Kickstarter, all orders through Warehouse 23 for GURPS products and Pyramid Magazine in the month of September are being combined with Kickstarter pledges for the purpose of unlocking stretch goals. So if you’re interested in pre-ordering either of the systems, you can get more bang for your buck from your pledge by pre-ordering now through Warehouse 23.
Evil Hat announced a pair of linked games based around living in a world with regular giant monster attacks. Kaiju Incorporated: The Card Game puts you in charge of companies attempting to rebuild the city after kaiju attacks (and get as much profit as possible out of each). The game is for 3-5 players each attempting to earn victory points by constructing buildings, researching defenses against the kaiju menace, and squeeze out every bit of profit from the wholesale destruction that surrounds you. The card game by designer Eric Vogel will retail for $20 when it comes out in early 2017.
In addition, Kaiju Incorporated: The Roleplaying Game will take a similar look at the giant monster genre as the players are workers for the biggest multinationals rebuilding from attacks. This campaign setting book will require Fate Core or Fate Accelerated to play and will clock it at 92 pages total at a retail price of $20. Both physical and digital versions of the setting from Rob Wieland will be available, but it’s unknown if the price will be the same for both editions.
The shipment delays from the bankruptcy of South Korean shipping company Hanjin are being felt in the gaming industry already. WizKids announced that their highly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle HeroClix set may be significantly delayed, specifically the Heroes in a Half Shell Gravity Feed meant for retail stores. In addition, the first game from new manufacturer Atheris Games is also stuck at sea. Atheris Games successfully completed a Kickstarter for their first game, Cul-De-Sac, in November of last year with a final funding of $20,049 on a $10,000 goal. Their entire shipment is currently tied up and out of their control, with the different options not looking good. According to a statement from CEO Andrew Birkett, there is a possibility that ports may finally allow shipments to be unloaded but that shipping costs for those whose products are on board will increase by as much as four times their original shipment price, which may destroy a first-time game publisher like Atheris.
Pinnacle Entertainment Group has a pair of Kickstarters going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Deadlands and, as crazy as the idea may seem at first glance, both campaigns have well exceeded their funding goals. Deadlands Classic 20th Anniversary Edition is a full-color hardcover of the original Deadlands rules (with conversion guides for those wishing to use Savage Worlds Deadlands elements in their Classic game and vice versa). You can get a PDF version for a $25 pledge or a hardcover version for $55. There were also a $200 Classic Boxed Set available which included a signed and numbered version of the book, a set of dice in a leather Deadlands logo bag, two decks of cards, and a set of FATE Chips and an Ultimate Fan Classic Boxed Set for $500 which had everything plus every Deadlands Classic book in PDF format and exclusive piece of “Deadlands history” (original art, maps, manuscripts, etc.) At the time of writing, only five of the Classic Boxed Sets were left available and may not last by the time this column is published.
For Savage Worlds Deadlands players, they haven’t left you out as Deadlands: Good Intentions is also up on Kickstarter. This adventure brings to an end the story of Dr. Darius Hellstromme through the fourth and final volume of the Servitor Plot Point Campaign. You can get the digital version for a $20 pledge, a hardcover print for $35, and more options for cards, Fate Chips, maps, and more. If you want a little from each Kickstarter, make sure to check out the options to combine shipping and pledges between the two campaigns. Both of these Kickstarters are working through their stretch goals until Thursday, September 29.
The Revenge Genre is one of those things that’s so omnipresent in media that we don’t even consider it a genre, but you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say it. Vengeance brings that genre to tabletop gaming through an action board game with multiple setting tiles as you and the other heroes fight against the evil gang to make it to the Big Boss and get your revenge. The game includes four different heroes, four different gangs, and over fifty contemporary-styled miniatures. A $90 pledge gets you the base game, while $120 gets you the first expansion as well. This campaign is fully funded and has several stretch goals left until Wednesday, October 5.
Chronicles of Aerthe is a dark fantasy roleplaying game from UK based company Rogue Blade Games. The world of Aerthe was ravaged by an event called The Convergence, where other parallel worlds merged then left echoes of themselves amid vast destruction. The players take on the roles of one of the races native to the world or ones now trapped there by the Convergence as they struggle to find their place among the power-hungry Guilds, corrupt Faith Militant, the feared Bandit Kings, the Sky Cities, and more. For a £20 (about US$26) pledge you get all three Player’s Guides (Martial, Shadow, and Arcane) plus the core rulebook in digital format, or £40 (about US$53) for a physical copy of the core book and digital copies of the Players Guides. This campaign is just shy of its £5,000 goal (currently at £4,158) and has until Wednesday, September 28 to make it across the finish line!
That’s all for this week. For up to the minute news, you can follow me on Twitter @Abstruse and be sure to watch the EN World homepage for the return of the ENWorld News Network! You can also support us on Patreon to bring even more gaming news. And don’t forget to check out the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast. Until next time, may all your hits be crits!
Game of Thrones brought gaming into the limelight once again at the Emmy Awards as producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss accepted the award for Best Dramatic Writing for the episode “Battle of the Bastards”. Weiss made sure to pay tribute to his gaming roots in his acceptance speech, saying “I would like to thank my parents for letting us have television and comic books and Dungeons & Dragons and all the other things that taught us all how to do our jobs.” This award plus the several others earned by the popular fantasy series made Game of Thrones the most winning series in television history with a total of 38 Emmys.
Dungeons & Dragons itself had a huge update to its Sage Advice column by Jeremy Crawford, answering more than twenty rules questions for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and driving the complete Sage Advice Compendium up to sixteen total pages of rules clarifications and answers. Mike Mearls was busy as well, posting an updated playtest (as in not legal for Adventure League play) version of the Ranger class for his Unearthed Arcana column. Most aspects of the class received some form of tweaking and almost universally an upgrade of some sort. While this shows that Wizards of the Coast is still working to develop and refine the rules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, I am curious how they’ll choose to implement these changes as almost every part of the Ranger class’s progression has changed at least in some minor way.
Paizo Inc. and Obsidian Entertainment announced this past Friday the official launch of the Pathfinder Adventures game for iOS and Android devices. Based on the Pathfinder Adventures Card Game, the app replicates the play of the Rise of the Runelords set of adventures including animations, cut scenes, exclusive digital cards and more. It also has the ability to create and save multiple parties, allowing you to try different tactics and combinations as you explore Sandpoint and Thistletop. The app is available for free from iTunes for iOS devices as from the Google Play store for Android devices and while it is free to play, there are in-app purchases available.
Steve Jackson Games announced two new GURPS game books available for preorder for release later this year. The first, GURPS Mars Attacks, is based on the Topps trading card series by the same name and releases this December at a retail price of $24.95. The second is the Discworld Roleplaying Game, also using the GURPS 4th Edition rules set and based on the works of Terry Pratchett. This book comes out in November of this year with a retail price of $39.95. Steve Jackson Games created printable pre-order forms to bring to your local game store, or they are accepting orders through Warehouse 23 for both books. For those who have backed the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game Kickstarter, all orders through Warehouse 23 for GURPS products and Pyramid Magazine in the month of September are being combined with Kickstarter pledges for the purpose of unlocking stretch goals. So if you’re interested in pre-ordering either of the systems, you can get more bang for your buck from your pledge by pre-ordering now through Warehouse 23.
Evil Hat announced a pair of linked games based around living in a world with regular giant monster attacks. Kaiju Incorporated: The Card Game puts you in charge of companies attempting to rebuild the city after kaiju attacks (and get as much profit as possible out of each). The game is for 3-5 players each attempting to earn victory points by constructing buildings, researching defenses against the kaiju menace, and squeeze out every bit of profit from the wholesale destruction that surrounds you. The card game by designer Eric Vogel will retail for $20 when it comes out in early 2017.
In addition, Kaiju Incorporated: The Roleplaying Game will take a similar look at the giant monster genre as the players are workers for the biggest multinationals rebuilding from attacks. This campaign setting book will require Fate Core or Fate Accelerated to play and will clock it at 92 pages total at a retail price of $20. Both physical and digital versions of the setting from Rob Wieland will be available, but it’s unknown if the price will be the same for both editions.
The shipment delays from the bankruptcy of South Korean shipping company Hanjin are being felt in the gaming industry already. WizKids announced that their highly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle HeroClix set may be significantly delayed, specifically the Heroes in a Half Shell Gravity Feed meant for retail stores. In addition, the first game from new manufacturer Atheris Games is also stuck at sea. Atheris Games successfully completed a Kickstarter for their first game, Cul-De-Sac, in November of last year with a final funding of $20,049 on a $10,000 goal. Their entire shipment is currently tied up and out of their control, with the different options not looking good. According to a statement from CEO Andrew Birkett, there is a possibility that ports may finally allow shipments to be unloaded but that shipping costs for those whose products are on board will increase by as much as four times their original shipment price, which may destroy a first-time game publisher like Atheris.
Pinnacle Entertainment Group has a pair of Kickstarters going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Deadlands and, as crazy as the idea may seem at first glance, both campaigns have well exceeded their funding goals. Deadlands Classic 20th Anniversary Edition is a full-color hardcover of the original Deadlands rules (with conversion guides for those wishing to use Savage Worlds Deadlands elements in their Classic game and vice versa). You can get a PDF version for a $25 pledge or a hardcover version for $55. There were also a $200 Classic Boxed Set available which included a signed and numbered version of the book, a set of dice in a leather Deadlands logo bag, two decks of cards, and a set of FATE Chips and an Ultimate Fan Classic Boxed Set for $500 which had everything plus every Deadlands Classic book in PDF format and exclusive piece of “Deadlands history” (original art, maps, manuscripts, etc.) At the time of writing, only five of the Classic Boxed Sets were left available and may not last by the time this column is published.
For Savage Worlds Deadlands players, they haven’t left you out as Deadlands: Good Intentions is also up on Kickstarter. This adventure brings to an end the story of Dr. Darius Hellstromme through the fourth and final volume of the Servitor Plot Point Campaign. You can get the digital version for a $20 pledge, a hardcover print for $35, and more options for cards, Fate Chips, maps, and more. If you want a little from each Kickstarter, make sure to check out the options to combine shipping and pledges between the two campaigns. Both of these Kickstarters are working through their stretch goals until Thursday, September 29.
The Revenge Genre is one of those things that’s so omnipresent in media that we don’t even consider it a genre, but you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say it. Vengeance brings that genre to tabletop gaming through an action board game with multiple setting tiles as you and the other heroes fight against the evil gang to make it to the Big Boss and get your revenge. The game includes four different heroes, four different gangs, and over fifty contemporary-styled miniatures. A $90 pledge gets you the base game, while $120 gets you the first expansion as well. This campaign is fully funded and has several stretch goals left until Wednesday, October 5.
Chronicles of Aerthe is a dark fantasy roleplaying game from UK based company Rogue Blade Games. The world of Aerthe was ravaged by an event called The Convergence, where other parallel worlds merged then left echoes of themselves amid vast destruction. The players take on the roles of one of the races native to the world or ones now trapped there by the Convergence as they struggle to find their place among the power-hungry Guilds, corrupt Faith Militant, the feared Bandit Kings, the Sky Cities, and more. For a £20 (about US$26) pledge you get all three Player’s Guides (Martial, Shadow, and Arcane) plus the core rulebook in digital format, or £40 (about US$53) for a physical copy of the core book and digital copies of the Players Guides. This campaign is just shy of its £5,000 goal (currently at £4,158) and has until Wednesday, September 28 to make it across the finish line!
That’s all for this week. For up to the minute news, you can follow me on Twitter @Abstruse and be sure to watch the EN World homepage for the return of the ENWorld News Network! You can also support us on Patreon to bring even more gaming news. And don’t forget to check out the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast. Until next time, may all your hits be crits!
