This was set to be a quiet little update, with some lovely selfies, a Washington dragon, and yet more computer and board game adaptations. At the last minute, however, the ugly business of harassment in the industry raised its head again. A Peculiar Response to Harassment Content Warning: Links mentioned in this story contain some…
Read More 8–14 April 2019: #DnDSelfie, Cthulhu Computer Games, Ethics
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April Fools naturally brought a string of fake products and inevitably broke a few hearts. There’s big news as Chaosium takes over publishing a classic. James gives us a look at some of the top-selling games of 2018. We take a look at tabletop RPGs becoming computer games (and some reflection on what makes tabletop…
Read More 1–7 April: Top Selling Games, April Fools, Computers vs. RPGsIf there is a theme to this week’s news, it’s that in roleplaying games, politics matter. We see censorship in China leading to the destruction of RPG sourcebooks. We see how racist immigration policies in the 19th Century led to a racist RPG in the 21st. We see how Wizards of the Coast and creators…
Read More 25–31 March 2019: Chinese censorship, Midwest moms, Acquisitions IncorporatedLast week we had some announcements that we all saw coming: the much-hinted-at Vampire: The Masquerade computer game release by Paradox Interactive, and the trailer for the third season of Netflix’s RPG-filled, 80s nostalgia horror, Stranger Things. We were also delighted to see a handful of personal essays by gamers and RPG fans talking about…
Read More 18–24 March 2019: Bloodlines 2, Stranger Things, What D&D Means to UsThis week we see a host of announcements related to adaptations: RPGs being made into movies, movies being made into RPGs, RPGs into computer games, miniature-lines into RPGs, and so on. We get some reminiscences on Larry DiTillio’s work at Chaosium, and on the global reach of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu. In addition, we have…
Read More 11–17 March 2019: Adapting RPGs, Remembering Larry DiTillio, Cthulhu in Australia and JapanThe Gygax Legacy and D&D History March 4th marked the 11th anniversary of the death of Dungeons & Dragons inventor, Gary Gygax. The date also coincidentally marks GM’s Day. Kotaku discusses Gail Gygax, Gary Gygax’s widow, and her battle to control the Intellectual Property left behind after Gary’s death in 2008. RPG historian, Shannon Appelcine…
Read More 4–10 March 2019: The Gygax Legacy, Critical Role breaks records, Pathfinder 2e ApproachesThis week we see some big changes in the world of actual play streaming, some new digital platforms (the good, the bad, and the ugly) which could be relevant to gamers, and a whole host of new product announcements (including a large number from Wizards of the Coast). Streaming Streaming network, Project Alpha, is shutting…
Read More 25 February–3 March 2019: Project Alpha closes, Ghosts of Saltmarsh announced, Facebook takes on PatreonEditor’s Note and Content Warning: There have been further developments regarding last week’s accusations of abuse in the industry. As we did last week, we’re sticking that story at the bottom of the page, for the sake of anyone who needs to avoid that content. Want to get updates from us? Follow us on Facebook…
Read More 18-24 February 2019: TV, History, CultureEditor’s Note and Content Warning: We usually stick the most important story at the top of the page, but this week that story is about sexual abuse and assault. We understand that many of you might not want to be faced with this, especially after a week when the subject has dominated our social media…
Read More 11-17 February 2019: #AbuseIsNotAGame, Roll20 Data Breach, IPThe Companies Behind the Games Hasbro, parent company of Wizards of the Coast, releases its Fourth Quarter and Full Year Reports for 2018, reporting a 12% net revenue decline across the board (largely due to the loss of Toys ‘R’ Us), including a 12% decline in revenue from their Gaming products. Their Dungeons and Dragons…
Read More 4-10 February 2019: Corporations, Digital Dragons, Greg Stafford on Quora