[#TabletopThursday] ‘It’s Already Thursday AGAIN?!’ Edition, 20.03.25.
Well then. Barely recovered from the onslaught of self-induced sore-neck from a week’s worth of what feels like incessant headbanging at some of my last gigs for a bit, I’m reporting live from an undisclosed location in South-West Vic (AU) with Full Cockney Neck.
Full of doom-metal, thrash and grindcore, this week feels like even my grimdark-gamemaster arse is too brow-beaten and Neolithic to be indulging in the hobby space.
Like the wretch that I am, though, I shall persevere!
I’ll bet 100 Internet Dollars that our mate Noel is a tabletop (or at least boardgaming?) aficionado.
We’ve got a LOT of TTRPG and hobby coverage for the week, lots of cool deals, some interesting new finds and much more!
But first, time for me to bust out the ol’ tweed jacket, cap, chuck on Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation and do my best Nick Synth/Rough impersonation (more on that another time - let’s just say wolf-man-detective) , ‘cause there’s a bit happening in the tabletop/hobby space this week!
FROM THE DICEY-NEWS DESK:
This week’s Wizards of the Coast goose-step - the monolithic titan hovering over the lion’s share of the Tabletop Market Plane announced they’re laying off almost all of the development team behind their Virtual Tabletop (VTT) platform, Sigil. (via Bell of Lost Souls).
Paizo goes in another direction algother, announcing a huge expansion to the Pathfinder 2e product line in magical academy supplement Lost Omens Academies, a 4-player 18th-level romp in Adventure Path #212: A Voice In The Blight, a literally monster deck of over 550 bestiary reference-cards in the Monster Core Battle Cards box, Pathfinder: Society Scenarios #6-11: The Godsrain and the Dragon/#7-11: Breaking The Crucible/Society Quest (Series 2) Lacking Respect and more. Not only that, they’re offering select deals as part of Women’s History Month up to the 24th of March. (link to news, care of enWorld Forum right here).
The absolutely ravishing, aesthetic-as-all-hell Ghibli-esque adaptation Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass has officially landed on D&D Beyond! The RPG has been subject to intense hype and positive reviews, so there’s at least some wins for the DnD playerbase this week. (link to source, via BoLS).
A largely quiet and pensive announcement, but for fans of martial-arts, evocative settings and a highly rated mechanics system in Legend of The Five Rings RPG, you’re in luck! Monolith Board Games have placed a pre-crowdfunding launch for a board-game adaptation. Check it out over at GameFound and secure a spot for the launch RIGHT HERE.
Given how in-depth and high-quality their previous article on ludonarrative consistency was, and the high calibre of their work generally, I feel it’s worth announcing the release of new RPG Gazette blog-post ‘Why The System Is So Important’ as news. Game Masters/DM, you’ll want to read this one. A thorough, well constructed article that’ll give a lot of inspo for the meta behind your gaming craft!
Remember our promotion of the Isla Bell Charity Fund initiative driven by grassroots resource-sharing organisation RPG Collective during last week’s Tabletop Thursday column? Well, I’ll quote the hard-working Lev Lafayette verbatim as to the progress of the book sales (from this post on Facebook group Australian RPG & Dice Buy Swap and Sell/Show-off):
“Gamers for Isla Week 3 (and a bit)
In 22 days over 550 books have sold to raise money for this charity. The original objective was $5000. Currently, there is PENDING $3885 SOLD $3405 resulting at a TOTAL FUNDRAISING = $7290
Information about The Isla Bell Charitable Fund is available at the following URL
https://rpgreview.net/node/324”
Be sure to check it out via the weblink and/or Facebook group post links above, as there are still HEAPS of rare/old-school/out-of-print titles going.
Finally, I’d like to point you towards a great announcement from Reddit user /u/NewEdo_RPG, aka Russ Rowlands of Salty Games:
“Hi folks, I created a TTRPG a few years ago and it has done pretty well and seems to make people happy. In turn, I've discovered a love for talking about game design and the publication process with aspiring creators. It occurred to me to try to make those conversations more widely available, so I've decided to hold a game design seminar to get the ball rolling. I thought this community might be interested.”
“The goal is this: I gather curious and aspiring developers - both in-person at a FLGS in Southern Ontario, and online with a moderator - and start by telling my story from ideation to publication. Then I'll discuss some high level suggestions about the game side of thing (mechanics, dice, balance, etc.), but that isn't going to be the focus of the seminar. The bulk of the day will revolve around the process of taking your ideas (whatever they may be) from rough draft to book format. Layout, art, testing, marketing, reviews, crowdfunding, publication, logistics, fulfilment, and a ton more. The business side of things, y'know? There will be an hour for Q&A, and I'll probably hang around much later (in person and online) if there's an active discourse going on.”
Link to the original post on /r/rpg right here.
If interested, OP has already created an Eventbrite ticket link (right here!) for those registering online.
Great initiative, and love to game-mastery continue to be too personal a hobby to ever truly be paywalled!
COOL FINDS, RELEASES AND DEALS:
Wildsea - (link to Bundle of Holding deal, 11 days remaining!)
To quote Bundle of Holding on behalf of publishers Mythworks directly regarding what the bundle entails:
“Wildsailor!
This all-new Wildsea Bundle presents The Wildsea, the narrative weird-fantasy tabletop roleplaying game from Mythworks set in a world overrun by greenery. Three centuries ago a tide of rampant growth overwhelmed the world’s empires.
Now chainsaw-driven ships cut across the Verdancy, a dense forest canopy of toxic iron-rooted trees. You and your fellow wildsailors, humanity’s weathered descendants (and also cactoid gunslingers, centipedal fungi, silk-clothed spiderfolk, and even stranger things) explore the Tangle, hunt pinwolves and thrummingbirds, trade oilfruit and honey, salvage wrecks from the Sink, or seek thrills in the Foxloft, Spitskill Tide, Spearing Fens – even down in the Darkness-Under-Eaves, amid the bones of the old world.
As the Wildsea hungers and grows, what will you discover in its depths?”
This all-new offer gives you the complete Mythworks Wildsea game line to date. For just US$19.95 you get all five complete titles in our Wildsea Collection (retail value $95) as DRM-free ebooks, including the beautiful 368-page The Wildsea core rulebook; two Wildsea sourcebooks – Storm & Root and Ship Gardens; and two full-length adventures: the introductory One-Armed Scissor and Red Right Hand.
Learn more about this offer over at the official blog, Beyond the Bundle, and at the r/bundleofholding subreddit.
While you’re here - here’s the link to Mythworks’ product line, which includes a host of stellar releases such as The Time-Force RPG (link to the Kickstarter campaign page HERE), airship-mayhem RPG Skies of Fire, the Glow comic book series (physical/digital), slug-blasting RPG aptly-titled… SlugBlaster, plus a whole raft of independent RPG releases, zines, comics and merch!
Note: Australian distribution of Mythworks’ goodies is conducted via RPG Bookshelf - check it out here).
2. Love worldbuilding as a meta-game? Enjoyed Microscope RPG? Well then - here’s a nifty little product known as Worldwizard I’d highly recommend either yourself and/or your regular group!
Link to Worldwizard via itch.io
Lampblack & Brimstone might not have WotC’s major shareholders clutching pearls any time soon.
That said, any time I’ve been around the RPG design/GM community space, this publisher is one that gets raised often.
Their previous GM supplemental material in The Perilous Void (a content-generation tool for sci-fi, system-agnostic), fantasy off-shoot The Perilous Wilds: Revised Edition and independent TTRPG’s Holdfast Station et al, are titles I often see discussed in GM/DM circles.
Let’s hear it straight from L & B from the itch.io store page above:
“A print-and-play collaborative world-building game for 1-8 players.
Follow the development of a fantasy setting through four Ages: Primordial, Prehistoric, Ancient, and Present. Using an action point system, players take turns adding regions, terrain features, civilizations, demigods, heroes, monsters, events, and more, supported by simple rules that determine outcomes when those elements interact. 10 different tables are provided to prompt ideas.
While designed primarily as a setting creation tool for fantasy RPG campaigns, Worldwizard also works as a standalone game.
Game files include the rules, a player reference handout, 2 blank hexmaps (8.5”x11” and 11”x17”), and 10 hexmaps with continents outlined. ”
And heck, they’ve even provided some gorgeous sneak-peek spreads from Wizardworld:
3. The Edinburgh Indie Gamers Club - 2025 ‘Zine is now on Backerkit!
A little background on the Club, to quote the organisation directly:
Edinburgh Indie Gamers is a games club dedicated to playing and promoting independent and small press RPGs. We have been striving to create a safe and inclusive space for gamers from all walks of life, trying to act in the spirit of inclusiveness.
We have been running completely free events since 2015.
Growing from a single monthly one-shot RPG, we now undertake a wide range of activities:
Monthly hangouts with 4-6 tables of one-shot indie and small-press RPGs
A hub to arrange longer-form games, indie miniature games and larps
Regular pub and café socials
A fantasy and science fiction book club
Theory club, where we dissect the ideas underpinning our favourite games
Creator meet-ups to share the skills needed to get a game from your head to table to print.
At this point, you’re probably asking “righto, so other than the milk of human kindness, what’s in it for me as a backer?” - a valid question with the global cost of living crisis and, well, a history of crowdfunding campaigns under charity guises unfortunately being… sketchy at times.
If you’ve got your heckles up so far, don’t stress. This one’s legit.
Let’s hear it straight from the Club themselves about what the bundle contains, shall we?:
Backing our next club zine gets you THREE WHOLE TTRPGs, insightful articles, amazing art, and helps keep a physical hub of indie gaming alive. The provisional contents of the zine are:
The Family - A horror game where you manipulate, isolate and kill in the name of community by Alexa MacBett (she/her)
The Berserker Gang - A game of slapstick Viking violence by Dan Bloom (he/him)
Cogbroken - Play sentient robots transforming their sense of self while on the run in this game by Alyx (they/them)
Causing a Scene - Article on the scene as a gameplay mechanic by James T. Harding (he/they)
I want to speak and see it land on you; I want you to speak and feel it land on me - Improv techniques to improve connection at the gaming table by Craig Innes (he/they)
You Only Get One Shot - A guide to running one-off game sessions by Martin Pickett (he/him)
Playing Games in Theory… - A reflection of the different aspects of the RPG hobby by James Patron Bell (he/him)
Conversation Tools - A short article on the integration and evolution of safety mechanics into the RPG hobby at large by Tanya Floaker (they/them)
Our Living Documents - The EIG Code of Conduct and introductory guides, compiled and written by Vivek (he/him)
Loads of Art - by various members
We have first drafts of all these pieces, though contents are subject to revision. We may also add in a few other extras if space allows!
Pledge tiers are £1 for the PDF only, £10 for the Physical Zine + PDF or £15 for the Sticker Set + Physical Zine + PDF.
Postage is five quid (pounds, innit) within the UK, 10 internationally.
They’re even in throwing in physical/digital cards with pledge tiers!
We’re not even done with this one yet, either.
Nope, ‘ cause the current drive is also part of Pocketopia 2025 on BackerKit!
“Pocke-wha-”
unfurls digital scroll
From the Edinburgh Indie Gamers Backerkit link (see below):
🎲 WELCOME TO POCKETOPIA —a celebration of portable easy-to-learn tabletop games featuring 50+ creators launching together on BackerKit from March 13 - April 3!
🏆 Here’s how you can earn exclusive event rewards:
Cross-Collab Freebies: Look for projects marked as Cross-Collab partners! Back both projects to earn a FREE reward from each creator. The more pairs you support, the more freebies you collect!
Pocketopia Dice Bag: Back 6 projects or more to unlock this exclusive reward, surveyed and shipped by BackerKit.
⚔️ Rewards at a glance:
2 FREE rewards for every Cross-Collab pair you back (one from each creator!)
1 FREE limited edition Pocketopia 2025 Dice Bag when you back 6+ projects
⭐ PRO TIP: Maximize your freebies by supporting Cross-Collab pairs! For example, support 3 Cross-Collab pairs (6 projects) to earn up to 6 exclusive freebies while unlocking the Dice Bag!
So there you go! A tenner in GBP and you get to help keep a great community organisation alive, be deluged with even more great RPGs and supplemental material for your tabletop adventures, score some postcards and then still be able to use your purchase to link up with over 50 participating campaigns for even more deals!
(I’m sorry to your wallet in advance…)
CY_BORG art - courtesy of Free League Publishing.
More Goodies? HERE YOU GO:
If weird alt-fantasy isn’t exactly your current campaign/one-shot fixation, you’re in luck! In addition to the Wildsea TTRPG deal above, Bundle of Holding are also running deals for:
That Metal-As-Fuck OSR RPG I won’t stop harping on about being so goddamn METAL - Mörk Borg! There’s the brutal-enough core ruleset + even-brutal-er supplements Cult: Feretory + Cult: Heretic for $9.95 USD, the entire CY_BORG robot-adaptation series (Core + 6 supplements + ‘zine Mork Borg: Tribute) for $17.95USD. Get Borging Via This Link! Mörk Borg is provided courtesy of Free League Publishing.
Bash through hordes of nasties in the name of Ragnarok and the Old Gods, with weaponry that’d make a Destiny 2/Warframe players’ head-spin conceptually in Shield Maidens. Help defeat an evil Empire with glorious gear that basically meets the magic/science threshold of tech-fantasy fun - for $19.95 you’ll cop the players’ Shield Maidens’ Training Guide, The Shield Maiden’s Gamemaster’s Guide, the Dataforge bestiary and scenario-compendium Tales of Yggdrasil. [Link to bundle HERE]. Courtesy of the venerable Mongoose Publishing.
After something a little more grok-able in terms of theme? Well, Never Going Home has you covered. Sort of. C’mon, who isn’t intrigued by the idea of running smack-bang into Lovecraftian horrors and psychic crisis whilst already pitted as an embattled Unit in the infamous Somme campaign of World War I? That’s my kinda alt-history! [Link to Bundle] - courtesy of Wet Ink Games.
And, whilst that oughtta do it for another stacked Tabletop Thursday segment, stick around as we’ll have a lot more TTRPG happenings both via our Dicey News updates, as well as our own content from playing, reviewing, designing and thinking about gaming - something we do a lot here!
Peace, Love and Wallets Emptied Into Deserving Indie RPG Publishers’ Hands - Brady.