Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! Dungeons & Dragons at Gen Con, multiple big Paizo announcements, a new Shadowrun sourcebook, and more!
For a quick summary of the week’s news, Jessica Hancock will bring you up to speed with EN Live's This Week in TTRPG every Friday.
Don’t forget, you can keep up with all the week’s gaming news in detail with Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk. This week, Morrus, Peter, and Jessica talk about who chooses what game to play.
In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:
Paizo had a lot of announcements this week. First up is the multi-year licensing deal with TabletopTown (covered earlier this week by Dawn Dalton) to bring Pathfinder and Starfinder to mobile gaming. TabletopTown’s system brings back the asynchronous play from the era of play-by-post of message boards and chatrooms as you can join an RPG game and take your turn when you have time. This will be a great alternative for players with busy schedules who want to play with friends but can’t find the time to get together all at once, allowing each player to interact when they can squeeze out the time. The app is currently in Beta for iPhone and Android, and the rules and adventures for Pathfinder and Starfinder will be available for purchase from the in-app marketplace when it launches.
Paizo also signed a deal with Lore Masters Studios to create Pathfinder: Lore Masters, a trivia game covering the rules and lore of Pathfinder for mobile devices. Set for release in October on iOS and Android devices, the game will allow you to choose a class and embark on a quest where you win encounters by testing your knowledge of Pathfinder rules and Golarion lore. The app will launch with over 200 free questions through five difficulty levels, allowing you to collect XP to level up and even challenge others in PvP. More information and links to pre-order the app are available on the Loremasters website.
After you’re done reading through the August 5 release Pathfinder: Rage of Elements, Paizo has even more elemental fun for you with the board game Pathfinder: Elemental Stones. This colorful (and colorblind-friendly) tile-laying board game has each of the 2-4 players taking on the roles of Elemental sovereigns drawing and playing hexagonal tiles. Each player has a secret pattern they’re trying to create, making for a lot of replayability potential as each player has a different goal each game and you never know what goal the other players have. The game is expected on November 15, 2023, with a retail price of $39.99.
If you recall, two weeks ago we reported on the licensing deal between Paizo and the augmented reality tabletop simulator Mirrorscape. At the time, we were still waiting on the promised open beta…but now it’s here and available for iOS and Android. The beta version includes support for Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Starfinder with support from miniature and terrain companies Hero Forge, Dwarven Forge, Reaper, and Norse Foundry. Using your phone or tablet (with AR headsets and glasses planned for future releases), you can create your own 3D virtual playspace in your own home on an empty table, floor, or other surface complete with digital effects. The app is free (though in-app purchases are available) on the Apple Store for iOS devices and on the Google Play store for Android devices.
Wizards of the Coast announced their big plans for Gen Con this year as the company is bringing Dungeons & Dragons officially back to world’s largest RPG convention for the first time in a decade. Baldman Games will host the official Dungeons & Dragons store in the Exhibit Hall Booth 2801 as well as manage the Adventurers League organized play events, including the new adventure Giants of the Star Forge using material from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. Thursday through Saturday at the Regal UA Circle Centre, Wizards of the Coast will be sponsoring complimentary screenings of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Theives at 8 PM Eastern with free popcorn and drinks plus special guests. Wizards is also sponsoring a food truck, Wizards of the Cones, featuring ice cream flavors inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering with 100% of the purchase price of all products sold going to The Trevor Project.
There will also be two live shows, the first Thursday at 12:00 Noon Eastern in the Westin Grand V Ballroom as Beadle & Grimm present a live show of Faster, Purple Wurm! Kill! Kill! Featuring Matthew Lillard and others along with a Q&A with the cast following the show. The big event though is the D&D Live: A Giant-Size Adventure on Saturday, August 5th at 7 PM Eastern in the Indiana Roof Ballroom featuring DM Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20, College Humor), Erika Ishii (LA By Night, Dimension 20), Gabe Hicks (Into the Motherlands, Dimension 20), Dael Kingsmill (mythology and RPG YouTuber), Luis Carazo (Exandria Unlimited, LA By Night), and Wizards of the Coast Lead Rules Designer Jeremy Crawford (yes, as a player). This D&D Live event will also be streamed on the official Dungeons & Dragons Twitch channel.
Find out more information about ticketing for these events from the Gen Con website as the convention plans to take over Indianapolis next weekend from August 3-6.
Catalyst Game Labs released the runner resource book for Shadowrun Sixth World Edition, Shadowrun: Shoot Straight. This sourcebook expands on the nuts-and-bolts of the world of freelance corporate espionage that Shadowrun runs on with rules expansions and player advice on stealth (more difficult than it seems in a world of universal surveillance and magical clairvoyance), running a con, managing contacts, avoiding law enforcement (again, made difficult with corporations being effectively their own nation-states), managing your reputation on the streets and in the shadows, and more. The 160-page PDF is available now on DriveThruRPG for $19.99 while the hardcover should be making its way to game store shelves soon with a retail price of $49.99.
WizKids announced pre-orders for the Watchtower Box Set as part of the WarLock system of connecting miniature terrain. Assembled, this set stands 14” tall and contains three floors that can be removed in sections to follow the action up and down the tower. The windows can be removed, the portcullis is magnetized to say open or closed as positioned, and pieces can be removed strategically to simulate battle damage from siege engines or dragon attack. It’s also part of the WarLocks system of friction-fit pieces and can be combined with other terrain pieces. The Watchtower Box Set is available for pre-order ahead of its Q4 2023 release for a retail price of $289.99.
That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget to support our Patreon to bring you more gaming news content. 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.
For a quick summary of the week’s news, Jessica Hancock will bring you up to speed with EN Live's This Week in TTRPG every Friday.
Don’t forget, you can keep up with all the week’s gaming news in detail with Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk. This week, Morrus, Peter, and Jessica talk about who chooses what game to play.
In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:
- It’s the final week for the What’s OLD is NEW Starter Set from EN Publishing on Kickstarter, so you’ve got until Thursday, August 3 to get the digital or physical starter boxed set for the WOIN System.
- EN5ider #526 is a new Intriguing Organization with the Ghost Wardens, adventurers-turned-gaolers of ghosts dedicated to eradicating haunting spirits.
- EN5ider #527 is a mini-adventure for 6th-level characters Border Kingdom Claims, where the party must explore an abandoned estate to find proof of the borders of the lands before a rival noble can.
- With all the chaos in social media at the moment, EN World has assembled a list of places to find Morrus, EN World, and EN Publishing on various platforms.
- Dawn Dalton collected the new releases and big Paizo news here including releases and third-party licensing deals for Pathfinder and Starfinder.
- Morrus has updated his chart of the most successful companies on the TTRPG industry in crowdfunding across all projects (rather than one large campaign).
- Rob Wieland reviewed the Warhammer-inspired OSR game from Greg Saunders, Warlock!
- The TTRPG community created many holidays over the decades, and Egg Embry made a list of all the ones taking place in the first half of the year from January to June.
- The newest Worlds of Design from Lewis Pulsipher discusses where to find the perfect mechanic for your game.
- Michael Tresca’s newest RPG Evolution explores more real-world history to find hooks and inspiration for your tabletop roleplaying games.
- Don’t miss out on the newest RPG crowdfunding projects ending soon with Egg Embry’s RPG Crowdfunding News.
- Keep up with all the new print RPG releases with Charles Dunwoody’s RPG Print News.
- Find the big TTRPG sales, bundles, and charity fundraisers with the Freebies, Sales, and Charity Bundles News.
Paizo had a lot of announcements this week. First up is the multi-year licensing deal with TabletopTown (covered earlier this week by Dawn Dalton) to bring Pathfinder and Starfinder to mobile gaming. TabletopTown’s system brings back the asynchronous play from the era of play-by-post of message boards and chatrooms as you can join an RPG game and take your turn when you have time. This will be a great alternative for players with busy schedules who want to play with friends but can’t find the time to get together all at once, allowing each player to interact when they can squeeze out the time. The app is currently in Beta for iPhone and Android, and the rules and adventures for Pathfinder and Starfinder will be available for purchase from the in-app marketplace when it launches.
Paizo also signed a deal with Lore Masters Studios to create Pathfinder: Lore Masters, a trivia game covering the rules and lore of Pathfinder for mobile devices. Set for release in October on iOS and Android devices, the game will allow you to choose a class and embark on a quest where you win encounters by testing your knowledge of Pathfinder rules and Golarion lore. The app will launch with over 200 free questions through five difficulty levels, allowing you to collect XP to level up and even challenge others in PvP. More information and links to pre-order the app are available on the Loremasters website.
After you’re done reading through the August 5 release Pathfinder: Rage of Elements, Paizo has even more elemental fun for you with the board game Pathfinder: Elemental Stones. This colorful (and colorblind-friendly) tile-laying board game has each of the 2-4 players taking on the roles of Elemental sovereigns drawing and playing hexagonal tiles. Each player has a secret pattern they’re trying to create, making for a lot of replayability potential as each player has a different goal each game and you never know what goal the other players have. The game is expected on November 15, 2023, with a retail price of $39.99.
If you recall, two weeks ago we reported on the licensing deal between Paizo and the augmented reality tabletop simulator Mirrorscape. At the time, we were still waiting on the promised open beta…but now it’s here and available for iOS and Android. The beta version includes support for Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Starfinder with support from miniature and terrain companies Hero Forge, Dwarven Forge, Reaper, and Norse Foundry. Using your phone or tablet (with AR headsets and glasses planned for future releases), you can create your own 3D virtual playspace in your own home on an empty table, floor, or other surface complete with digital effects. The app is free (though in-app purchases are available) on the Apple Store for iOS devices and on the Google Play store for Android devices.
Wizards of the Coast announced their big plans for Gen Con this year as the company is bringing Dungeons & Dragons officially back to world’s largest RPG convention for the first time in a decade. Baldman Games will host the official Dungeons & Dragons store in the Exhibit Hall Booth 2801 as well as manage the Adventurers League organized play events, including the new adventure Giants of the Star Forge using material from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. Thursday through Saturday at the Regal UA Circle Centre, Wizards of the Coast will be sponsoring complimentary screenings of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Theives at 8 PM Eastern with free popcorn and drinks plus special guests. Wizards is also sponsoring a food truck, Wizards of the Cones, featuring ice cream flavors inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering with 100% of the purchase price of all products sold going to The Trevor Project.
There will also be two live shows, the first Thursday at 12:00 Noon Eastern in the Westin Grand V Ballroom as Beadle & Grimm present a live show of Faster, Purple Wurm! Kill! Kill! Featuring Matthew Lillard and others along with a Q&A with the cast following the show. The big event though is the D&D Live: A Giant-Size Adventure on Saturday, August 5th at 7 PM Eastern in the Indiana Roof Ballroom featuring DM Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20, College Humor), Erika Ishii (LA By Night, Dimension 20), Gabe Hicks (Into the Motherlands, Dimension 20), Dael Kingsmill (mythology and RPG YouTuber), Luis Carazo (Exandria Unlimited, LA By Night), and Wizards of the Coast Lead Rules Designer Jeremy Crawford (yes, as a player). This D&D Live event will also be streamed on the official Dungeons & Dragons Twitch channel.
Find out more information about ticketing for these events from the Gen Con website as the convention plans to take over Indianapolis next weekend from August 3-6.
Catalyst Game Labs released the runner resource book for Shadowrun Sixth World Edition, Shadowrun: Shoot Straight. This sourcebook expands on the nuts-and-bolts of the world of freelance corporate espionage that Shadowrun runs on with rules expansions and player advice on stealth (more difficult than it seems in a world of universal surveillance and magical clairvoyance), running a con, managing contacts, avoiding law enforcement (again, made difficult with corporations being effectively their own nation-states), managing your reputation on the streets and in the shadows, and more. The 160-page PDF is available now on DriveThruRPG for $19.99 while the hardcover should be making its way to game store shelves soon with a retail price of $49.99.
WizKids announced pre-orders for the Watchtower Box Set as part of the WarLock system of connecting miniature terrain. Assembled, this set stands 14” tall and contains three floors that can be removed in sections to follow the action up and down the tower. The windows can be removed, the portcullis is magnetized to say open or closed as positioned, and pieces can be removed strategically to simulate battle damage from siege engines or dragon attack. It’s also part of the WarLocks system of friction-fit pieces and can be combined with other terrain pieces. The Watchtower Box Set is available for pre-order ahead of its Q4 2023 release for a retail price of $289.99.
That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget to support our Patreon to bring you more gaming news content. 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.
