Renegade announces new editions of Transformers, GI Joe, and Power Rangers RPGs, using D&D 5.5E instead of Essence20

Renegade is ending support for its Essence20 game system, in favor of Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E. Today, Renegade announced it was planning on publishing new editions of its Transformers, GI Joe, and Power Rangers RPG systems. However, the new editions will not use the bespoke Essence20 game system created by Renegade. Instead, the new editions will use a modified version of Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E. Renegade will also release Essence20 to 5.5E conversion guides for free on their website at a later date. Update: Renegade said on their Discord that they were ending support for E20 releases because sales were insufficient to continue with the system.

Renegade will release a BackerKit crowdfunding campaign for the new games, with Transformers and GI Joe running first and a Power Rangers BackerKit coming at a later time.

The Essence20 line seems to have been popular for Renegade, as they've been publishing content for all three licensed properties (as well as My Little Pony) since 2022. All three properties are licensed by Hasbro, which of course also owns Wizards of the Coast, the maker of Dungeons & Dragons. One could speculate that Hasbro could have pushed for a change to their big games system, but one could also argue that Renegade is looking to expand their playerbase by switching from a bespoke game system to a system with a massive existing playerbase.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

A D&D 5.5 version of mlP is possible but we unknown Hasbro's future plans for the IP. My theory is we should see some special movie working like a backdoor pilot episode where the main characters travel to some spin-off world style "Equestria Girls" but more a domain of delight (Witchlight). Here we could find forgotten centaurkins like the ha'ponies, gnoats (gnome-goat) and dorvesh (dwarf-donkeys). It could seem too cute and cozy until you discover some creepy crysalisling (mlp-changeling) could be infiltrated among the population of happy valley.

Also we should remember those ponies are radically different from standars PC bipedal species because they don't wear armour and but unicorns with their telekinesis the rest rarely can use tools, shields or melee weapons. (spoiler, really within the hooves they have got hidden fingers).

* It would be funny a pony druid shapesifting into an owlbear (where would she get the idea?)

 

[aramis erak]

Also we should remember those ponies are radically different from standars PC bipedal species because they don't wear armour and but unicorns with their telekinesis the rest rarely can use tools, shields or melee weapons. (spoiler, really within the hooves they have got hidden fingers).

More consistent with seen, all ponies and other tool users have touch telekinesis equivalent to having fingers. Only Unicorns and Allicorns can use that at range.
Further, the Canterlot guards do wear armor. See https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Royal_guards

Biologically, hooves are finger/toe tip claws...

 

[Shades of Eternity]

to be fair, I think I would play a con game where you played a party consisting of Minsc (and Boo), Twilight Sparkle, Ironhide and Snake Eyes and if 5.5 allows for such a team, it might be worth it.

 

[overgeeked]

I don't think we can blame them for Doctor Who seeming to fizzle out. That horse was killed out from under them.

While true now, their support of the line after the 2E came out has been basically non-existent. And that was before the Disney co-production and subsequent tender happened. So it's been fallow a few years now.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I had forgotten those ponies wearing armour.

Can ponies to climb up a rope or ladders?

A bizzare idea is Equestrian ponies could use the hair next their hooves like tentacles, like Medusa, queen of inhumans (Marvel comics). Yes, it sounds very weird.

Maybe Renegade Games could publish a new edition of Gamma World, where autobots are allied with G.I.Joe, Robotix and M.A.S.K to rebuild the Western civilitation. (we also could include A.T.O.M team). But if those beta-serie IPs are redesigned I think it will be by a comic publisher. I doubt some new idea by Renegade Game studio later to become canon.

I doubt seriously vehicles-size autobot PCs in crossover games with medium-size humanoid PCs. Here we should see something like "headmasters" where a medium-size cybertronian can become the head of a "mecha".

* How would be a crossover Power Rangers + Kamiwaga Titanbreach?

 

[Thierry-Advent]

It's the d20 Era all over again, Powered by D&D 5.5. Not interested this time around despite being a big fan the first time. Besides, I was a bit too old for He-man, Transformers and GI Joe at the time. That was my younger brother's generation.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

There is a good reason because we will not see a My Little Pony d20 5.5 yet and it is because Hasbro is working for the "next generation", practically a reboot of G4.

(Yes, more one also misses Rarity and Applejack. Maybe these appear as secondary characters).

And there is also a project of an action-live production by Amazon-MGM studios.

Ponies could use tools thanks some item like the "gloves of man" from Savage Species. Other option could be to use some harmless simbiontic "ooze pet" what in the hoove could work as a biopunk prosthetic human hand.

* There is some possibilty the game system of this comingsoon G.I.Joe d20 to be "hacked" to play popular shooter franchises: (Fortnite, Halo, Overwatch, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Bleeding Edge(!?), Atomic Heart, Bioshock..).

Could "Power Rangers d20" to be retouched to play maho shojo/magical girls?

 

[dbolack]

Gamers: why are all the games 5e?

Publishers: ok, here’s some that are not 5e

Gamers: I don't want that

Publishers: why not

Gamers; learning a game system is really hard work

Publishers: ok, we’ll do it in 5e

Gamers; why are all the games 5e?

Perhaps that should be a t-shirt.

 

[Deset Gled]

Ponies could use tools thanks some item like the "gloves of man" from Savage Species. Other option could be to use some harmless simbiontic "ooze pet" what in the hoove could work as a biopunk prosthetic human hand.

I never played the e20 version, but...

Why is this needed? Don't pony hands just kind of, y'know, work? Logic be damned, their hooves/hands just run on the power of cartoons. Ponies can cook, use a pen, fold a paper airplane, whatever...

Spoiler: Hiding in-line video

Of course, cartoon physics also obey the rule of funny. Like when a character with no fingers gets transferred into the body of a character with fingers, and has to re-learn how hands work....

Spoiler: Hiding in-line video

 

[Sossij]

I love that they somehow have thumbs when wearing bakers' mitts and only then.