by 0 comments on "25 November—1 December 2019: Dragonmeet, The One Ring, Rivers of London"

"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
by 0 comments on "18–24 November 2019: Costs, Rates, FreeRPGDay Gets Indie"

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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
by 2 comments on "11–17 November 2019: Sapphire Anniversary, Mainstream Media"

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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
by 0 comments on "4–10 November 2019: Brand Partnerships, Sales Numbers, The Inevitability of Monopoly"

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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
by 0 comments on "28 October–3 November 2019: Digital Platforms, RPGs in Asia, Asia in RPGs"

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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
by 5 comments on "7–27 October 2019: Essen, Licensed Games, Werewolf 5th Edition"

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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
by 2 comments on "30 September–6 October 2019: Wendy’s & Critical Role; DriveThru Reconsiders; Kickstarter"

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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
by 0 comments on "23–29 September 2019: Ugh."

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The news is certainly thorny this week, containing a smorgasbord of grim news, a cornucopia of ugh. For starters, Zak Smith is back in the news. Smith has been in the spotlight numerous times over various allegations of harassment, abuse, and assault. This week, his long-time collaborators have published a book defending him, and it’s…

Read More 23–29 September 2019: Ugh.
by 0 comments on "16–22 September 2019: Kickstarter; Kayfabe; Sales"

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Busy week! Let’s get right into it. The struggle over unionisation at Kickstarter continues, and we can see its ripples in the RPG community. Meanwhile, Fandom, which bought D&D Beyond earlier this year, has acquired the Cortex RPG, and has plans for it. In weirder news, a Pro-Wrestler’s mocking of Dungeons & Dragons draws a…

Read More 16–22 September 2019: Kickstarter; Kayfabe; Sales
by 0 comments on "9–15 September 2019: D&D History, Consent in Gaming, Carnival Row"

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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