Tomb Raider RPG Cancelled For Creative Differences

Evil Hat Publishing has just announced that the official Tomb Raider TTRPG has been cancelled.

Sad news: We are canceling the Tomb Raider RPG project. Due to creative differences we couldn’t get our vision to gel with the licensor’s, so we've chosen to part ways.

The stellar team designing this game put their hearts into making this an exciting, dynamic RPG of adventure and exploration.

We're proud of the work they've done and we plan to retool the project as a standalone game with a fresh, original setting.

You haven’t seen the last of it.

An official Tomb Raider RPG was originally announced by Square Enix in 2021 for the 25th anniversary of the property. 2023's Lara Croft's Mark of the Phoenix released as free PDF on the Crystal Dynamics website.

The Evil Hat version was announced in February 2024 as a full-color hardback book. The plan was to allow you to play Truth Seekers, allies and contemporaries of Lara Croft who Indiana Jones out hidden artifacts for the benefit of good.

Explore hidden tombs and uncover powerful secrets! Defy danger as you race to discover forgotten artifacts and prevent nefarious forces from exploiting them! Race to unearth secret artifacts and forgotten truths in order to save them from the nefarious forces that would exploit them!

Mystery awaits, and sometimes, the answers we seek can only be found in shadow…

In this officially licensed tabletop RPG you play members of the Truth Seekers: contemporaries of Lara Croft who strive to reveal long-hidden knowledge and thwart those who would steal and exploit artifacts for their own gains. It is a game of action, exploration, and self-discovery. Face perilous challenges and tough choices as you learn what it takes to be a hero.

Tomb Raider: Shadows of Truth requires 3-6 players, pencils, paper, the rulebook, and at least six 6-sided dice in order to play.

Your group will collectively create their Team using one of the Team Playbooks and then build individual Team members choosing from the Crafter, Scholar, Hunter, Companion, Legacy, Changed, and Reclaimer. One player, the Keeper of Truths, describes the dynamic and compelling world around the Team as they all make the connections which bring the adventure to life.

Collect Truths and draw upon your Maps, Aid, and Lore to boost your rolls as you race to enter the Final Tomb!

The Truth is hidden. The Truth is dangerous. And in the end, the power of Truth is what we make it.

 

[SteveC]

I saw this and was initially surprised because they were talking about creative differences. I thought the game ideas I was seeing were really in line with what the licensing company was trying to do, at least from what I've seen recently. But I also wasn't surprised because this was taking a long time to materialize. And that's never a good sign.

I think this will be a game that fits better with a new setting, rather than trying to tie into the world of Tomb Raider. I am not the biggest expert on the world by any means (to put it mildly), but from what I read about the game, it fits a different universe better than the Tomb Raider I remember. I'm sure they will be able to run a successful campaign to create it.

 

[Aldarc]

At this point, I would probably use Outgunned Adventure.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Can't say that I'm unhappy about this. Not a fan of the system myself. I think that there are better mechanics systems out there for Tomb Raider.

 

[doctorhook]

I wrote half a comment being surprised that this company was still around, then realized I was thinking of Evil Genius Games, the company that was making and cancelling other modern action IP licensed products. I’m commenting now in case anyone else made the same mistake

 

[The Firebird]

There are a number of good systems that do what I want in a Tomb Raider game, and this one didn't seem up my alley, so I'm not that sad to see it go. Hopefully they can do something cool with the license. Maybe with Free League.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Weird game to try to adapt to a TTRPG.

"You work for Lara Croft."

 

[MGibster]

Maybe I haven't played enough Tomb Raider video games. I didn't really know there was enough for it to have its own distinct setting. I'm sorry it didn't work out for Evil Hat, but I'm happy they're going to use what they've worked on so far to make something out of it.

 

[mamba]

I have no idea about the mechanics of the game, but not being restricted to an IP is a positive in my book. You can create the game you want to, and it does not disappear a few years later along with the license (see Talisman Adventures and others)

 

[Reynard]

I have no idea about the mechanics of the game, but not being restricted to an IP is a positive in my book. You can create the game you want to, and it does not disappear a few years later along with the license (see Talisman Adventures and others)

But that genre space is already pretty well served, so the license has the potential to drive sales (or pledges, realistically) in.a way yet another action adventure game can't.

Maybe they should try and secure The Mummy (1999) license. That franchise should have become the 21st century Indiana Jones anyway. Yes, I'm still mad about it.