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And we are back! We’re rested up after a long holiday, and trying to convince ourselves that 2020 is a real year, not just the exposition at the start of a dystopian movie. News of war and wildfire is not helping with that. Our first update is a largely retrospective one, as we catch up…
Read More 16 December 2019–5 January 2020: Pay-What-You-Want, Year in Review, New GM Month
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Image by Wizards of the Coast/Tuque Games
The office parties are over, long flights home loom, and it’s time for the RPG industry to go into a brief hibernation. Of course, that doesn’t mean that things have been quiet this week! There’s great news from Kickstarter United, as the union signs a deal with Kickstarter. Meanwhile, DriveThruRPG bans a publisher for slander…
Read More 9–15 December 2019: Platforms, Industry Review, Computer RPGs
Art from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous by Owlcat Games
London has stripped itself of leaves and put on its (grey, wet) winter clothes. The air is filled with the smell of gingerbread and the mournful cries of the WHAMMed. Most of this week’s update was written with the Muppet Christmas Carol playing in the background (oh boy, the ghost of Christmas past was way…
Read More 2–8 December 2019: An AI DM; Werewolf 5e; Wrath of the Righteous
"Rivendell" by Michele Parisi, from the never-to-be second edition of The One Ring by Cubicle 7
It’s been a week of huge downs and ups, and we are still recovering from the emotional whiplash. In the biggest (and saddest) news of the week, Cubicle 7 will lose its license to create RPGs based on The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit at the end of this year. This comes as…
Read More 25 November—1 December 2019: Dragonmeet, The One Ring, Rivers of London
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Money is at the forefront this week, as several articles look at the difficulty for freelancers getting by and the cost of publishing RPGs. The lamentable income for RPG writers has been an ongoing obsession this year — but we have to admit it feels particularly ironic after last week’s $300 dice set. Next year’s…
Read More 18–24 November 2019: Costs, Rates, FreeRPGDay Gets Indie
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Dungeons & Dragons is still in the spotlight this week, with two mainstream media outlets focused on the venerable RPG. At the same time, the game celebrates its 45th anniversary with a very pricey accessory. There’s a host of new product announcements, including a new old/old new line from Games Workshop and a French edition…
Read More 11–17 November 2019: Sapphire Anniversary, Mainstream Media
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Roleplaying’s time in the spotlight continues this week! We learn that Critical Role is partnering with Amazon Prime to extend and host their cartoon based on the popular D&D livestream. Meanwhile, EN World looks at the past few years of brands creating RPG content as a marketing ploy. We see some RPG history: RPGs after…
Read More 4–10 November 2019: Brand Partnerships, Sales Numbers, The Inevitability of Monopoly
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This week we learn that Wizards of the Coast is pushing further into the digital D&D space, purchasing a computer games studio that is already working on a Dungeons & Dragons game. In other digital news, a number of OneBookShelf accounts have been hacked, Roll20’s industry report shows movement in the top 10 RPGs, and…
Read More 28 October–3 November 2019: Digital Platforms, RPGs in Asia, Asia in RPGs
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We’re back after a short holiday, and although things have been relatively quiet, the news has built up. Let’s dive in! We get a glimpse of the small but growing presence of RPGs at the Essen Spiel convention. There’s some talk about the past, present, and future of Intellectual Property and Licenses in RPGs. And…
Read More 7–27 October 2019: Essen, Licensed Games, Werewolf 5th Edition
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Welcome to the first week of October 2019 where the biggest news of the week is a fast-food chain publishing its own RPG. The road to the mainstream was never going to be all blockbuster movies and celebrity endorsements, but we definitely didn’t see this one coming. That may be the most contentious story this…
Read More 30 September–6 October 2019: Wendy’s & Critical Role; DriveThru Reconsiders; Kickstarter