Nov. 8: Critical Mongoose

In This Edition

• Wizards of the Coast

• Major Publishers (Paizo and Co)

• Kickstarter Launches

• Indie Game News

• Actual Play and Content Creators

• Twenty-Sided Tavern, the Broadway-based Actual Play, decided to offer free tickets to attendees on Nov. 7 so the location can act as a place to “heal, recharge and recover” in the wake of the Nov. 5 victory of President-elect Donald Trump. It appears to be a one-time gesture, but it’s a curious gesture regardless.

• DnDBeyond players reported a technical glitch on Tuesday when they were informed that any pre-orders of the Dungeon Master’s Guide were canceled and refunded. WOTC later sent an email to users confirming that this was false and an error on their part. I’ll admit I fell for this and immediately sent a support ticket in. Thankfully the matter was address, but it’s rarely a good sign for any publisher or creator.

• Modiphius’ Discworld RPG reached more than $2.5 million in backing, a significant win for the silly fantasy game as a whole.

• A new adventure was released by Cubicle 7 for its Warhammer 40k RPG Wrath and Glory. Titled Pilgrims of the Wastes, the adventure offers a short expedition where players will investigate an ancient relic of the elven Aeldari with a prisoner in tow, only to run into their own trouble in the process.

• The Puppy Roll, a one-shot ran by Anjali Bilmani to raise money for pet centers, was released as a setting by Hit Point Press. The magical land of “Doggo” is now yours to play with as you see fit.

• Mongoose Publishing, published its “State of the Mongoose” report covering what happened this year for the British publisher. The big news out of this report is the IP acquisitions that the company made, including Traveller, Twilight and 2300 AD. The most significant purchase out of that is Traveler, which is a nearly 50-year old RPG franchise with a plethora of books and content in the space opera setting.

  The company also affirmed that it won’t use AI in its products and that it intends to expand the sci-fi themed franchise Traveller significantly in 2025 through new books and an in-development video game and new comics.

• If you ever wanted a seven-foot vampire castle or a replica of Strahd’s house, this Kickstarter offers the option to buy one. I don’t know who needs this. It wouldn’t even fit at my table!

• Vileborn, a new ruleset published by the Italian game studio Horrible Guild, is a self-described “nobledark game” where young heroes who are half-monster are forced to fight for the empire against the evils that threaten their world.

• Hedge is a PBTA game about how humans have had to step up to fight off the Fey as they bring about the apocalypse. Simple in art style, it offers what appears to me as a contrasting approach to the fey.

• Espers, a self-described “fantasy opera” RPG by Rookie Jet Studios, has players step in as the game’s namesake, who are individuals studying magic and attempting to explore their world. The game mixes up a mix of dice and cards to generate its mechanics.

Indie Game News

• Actor John Harper published an expansion for Victorian heist game Blades in the Dark, titled Deep Cuts. It’s the first official expansion for the game since its initial 2017 release and the surge of interest in the book. The expansion will provide a number of new setting options, including factions and background options. The book was not published by Evil Hat Productions but offers new options for your team of Scoundrels to work into their game.

Actual Play and Content Creation

Four words. Critical Role Christmas album. And we’re talking full-on parody songs, not covers. As a vehement soul who hates Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I just wonder why now.

Guy Sclanders, best known as the man behind the How to be a Great Game Master Youtube channel, is funding a new book on Kickstarter titled The Practical Guide to Becoming a Great Player. I’m used to seeing books about how to improve one’s DMing. But it’s always nice to also encourage players to improve themselves as well.