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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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We are beginning to see the news pick up again after the lull of the last few weeks. There are rumblings about Kickstarter’s anti-union practices, and we see one publisher considering whether to continue using the platform. We could see a call for a boycott in the near future, and we will be interested to…
Read More 9–15 September 2019: D&D History, Consent in Gaming, Carnival Row
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We’re back after a little rest with a slightly-later-than-normal update! (Can I just say that I highly recommend holidays? — Amy) This week we’ve got a fair bit of early D&D history, with a focus on the game’s contentious authorship. Notably, an article from Kotaku argues that Dave Arneson was the real genius behind role-playing…
Read More 26 August—2 September 2019: Dave Arneson, Tariffs, Crunch
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The post-Gen Con quiet continues, and this week we have a slim update with a handful of articles and Kickstarters. We have IP law, a distributor monopoly, designers appearing in their own games, a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign, non-human ethnicities in Pathfinder, a whole lot of bundles, the pre-apocalypse, digital dice, and more! Like…
Read More 12–18 August 2019: IP Law, Cameos, Eberron
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This is an odd issue of d100, with a peculiar mix of serious & silly. The biggest news of the week: Wil Wheaton is suing geek media producer, Geek & Sundry over the revenue of the Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana actual play series. It’s a jarring story, and a sharp reminder of the business…
Read More 5–11 August 2019: Wheaton sues; 30–50 Feral Hogs; Obscure RPGs
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As July limps to a close, we have survived a stupendous heatwave, and Gen Con is nearly here. The Q2 reports are arriving, starting with the biggest of all: Hasbro. Dungeons & Dragons continues to grow, but the star of the show is Wizards of the Coast’s other big property: Magic: The Gathering. Hasbro intends…
Read More 22–28 July 2019: Q2 Reports, Accessibility, D&D Beyond Elections
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Featured Image: Cover Art for Demigods by Jason Mills. Artist: Minerva Fox We’re in that eye of the storm before Gen Con, and this week is a fairly quiet one — apart, of course, from Twitter. The Twitter debates we’ve noticed this week have been around two particular articles: Bloomberg on the subject of professional…
Read More 8–14 July 2019: Paid Gaming; LGBT Representation; Awards SeasonThe 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 PatreonThe 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