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.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It doesn't count unless it actually made it into the movie.

 

[cbwjm]

I think one of the staff members at the development company was into TTRPGs and released a game of his own writing (with the company’s permission).

That rings a bell, it must have been that which I had a look at.

 

[Gorgon Zee]

I mean, if TR isn't distinct enough for a game of its own, neither is Leverage or Firefly.

No disagreement here. Maybe Firefly might need some sci-fi specific rules, but not enough for a whole system.

 

[Staffan]

I mean, if TR isn't distinct enough for a game of its own, neither is Leverage or Firefly.

I'd argue that Firefly is, but Leverage isn't.

Leverage is all about this particular band of characters and them pulling off heists against rich a-holes who abuse their wealth and power. There's very little worldbuilding involved. There's definitely room for a heist RPG, but I don't know that Leverage itself adds much.

Firefly, on the other hand, has a whole lot of worldbuilding (or at least potential for it – we didn't get to see a whole lot of it in the half-season and movie we got). You've got several planets around and many little moons, and a variety of factions all in the shadow of the Alliance. There are definitely benefits to having a specific Firefly RPG rather than a more generic "Space Western" one.