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Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

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This week, I’m doing a good bit of catch-up. We had a lot of news this week, between the Paizo layoffs and the RPG Trader interview. But we also had a big news revelation on Friday when Renegade Game Studios announced that it is embracing 5.5e over its old system, Essence20.

We also have RenegadeCon and Onyx Path’s new release schedule and a bit of additional Paizo news. Stay tuned! Lots is on the way.

I do have a bit of personal news. I’m starting a job at my local news outlet as an producer. Very excited to get back to doing non-TTRPG journalism alongside this project. I suspect it should not impact the schedule, but I need to get my hands on the job before I can say more.

Renegade Game Studios Abandons Essence20, Embraces 5.5e through Updates to Power Rangers, GI Joe, Transformers TTRPGs

Renegade Game Studios, the publisher behind the TTRPG adaptations of popular IPs like GI Joe and Transformers, has decided to abandon its own ruleset in favor of Wizards of the Coast’s updated 2024 D&D rules.

The company announced on Friday at its online convention RenegadeCon that it is planning to launch 2nd editions for the Transformers, GI Joe and Power Rangers. The new games, which will crowdfund at a later date, will now be 5.5e compatible, instead of built on Renegade’s Essence20 ruleset.

Renegade Games

The second editions of Transformers and GI Joe will be crowdfunded via Backerkit at a later date, followed by Power Rangers. My Little Pony, the company’s other Essence20 game, was not mentioned during the stream, making its fate unclear.

Renegade confirmed that it also intends to release a conversion kit to help adapt past Essence20 supplements to the new ruleset.

The Essence20 ruleset was initially introduced in 2021 and bears a similar resemblance to D&D’s standard OGL ruleset (with slight modifications to reflect the basic vibes of each setting).

The decision to abandon its old ruleset took many by surprise, though there is some logic to it. Hasbro, the owner of D&D and its ruleset, also owns the Transformers, GI Joe and MLP IPs. Adapting them to a ruleset owned by D&D makes a lot of sense, especially with Renegade also printing Hasbro’s upcoming Exodus TTRPG.

Interested parties can sign up for email updates around this new ruleset here.

Other TTRPG Releases Planned from Renegade Game Studios

Renegade Game Studios

There were several other TTRPG releases announced during RenegadeCon this weekend. They include:

• Several Dungeon Crawler Carl Loot Packs, which will provide dice sets based on the game’s characters. (October 2026)

• An oversized D20 featuring Samantha, the vampiric severed head from the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series. (November 2026)

• Exodus RPG: Chronicles of Melayu, a supplement that provides extensive details for GMs to use while running the sci-fi TTRPG (October 2026)

• a GM screen and dice set for Exodus

• Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Tribes of Gaia, a supplement that details the 11 tribes of the setting and a variety of new character options.

No mention was made of Vampire: the Masquerade 6th Edition, which was alluded to at the LARP event Darkness Emergent, followed by playtests scheduled at GenCon 2026. Additional details are scheduled to be released at the gaming convention at the end of July.

Former brand marketing manager Jason Carl said that the team’s plan to begin designing VTM in-house after the rebranding to White Wolf would not affect the company’s partnership with Renegade, so the company is expected to continue publishing VTM content for the time being.

Onyx Path Previews Plans for Rest of 2026, Teases an Update to the Demigod-Focused Scion TTRPG

Onyx Path Publishing, the team behind Exalted, Curseborne and the Storypath System, previewed its TTRPG plans for the second half of 2026 last weekend during its annual online convention.

The big reveal was a 3rd Edition for Scion, the company’s game focused on demigods and gods in a modern setting. The big update appears to focus on changing the game to use the Storypath Ultra ruleset, Onyx Path’s updated ruleset. The project is expected to crowdfund in 2027.

The company also released Scion 2e on Demiplane, which will allow players to access books and create characters within the website.

Three additional books were announced:

• Curseborne Covenant, a book that will add another tier of “entanglements” aka levels, to the game. It will also allow tables to move from local play to larger game focuses, as well as a focus on the “families” (the game’s term for the various creature types that players may inhabit)

• Liminal, a new book for Exalted 3e

• Jadestorm, a new addition to the Earthbane Saga

Additional information will be released in the future.

Want to see more reporting in the TTRPG space? Heard a scoop or a story you want covered? Let us know! Subscribe to TTRPG Insider and get exclusive interviews, trend pieces, speculation and coverage of D&D, mainstream publishers and the indie scene.

As union loses 20% of membership to layoffs, Paizo’s CEO shares his concerns for the future of the company

“The loss from 2025 has happened, and no matter what happens, that can't be fixed.”

While I covered the initial reports around Paizo’s layoffs, Rascal got a chance to speak with Paizo CEO Jim Butler about what the reorganization and layoffs mean for the company.

Paizo

Speaking of Paizo, the Pathfinder publisher announced plans to preview the rules for its upcoming rules-light horror game, 13 Omens, on Saturday.

13 Omens is a "modern, supernatural, rules - lite horror TTRPG set in a dark reflection of our world; beset by horrifying specters, bloodthirsty killers, cursed places, and secrets best left unknown.” The game is a notable deviation from Paizo’s fantasy-focused TTRPG style.

A preview version of the game’s rules will be available to acquire at GenCon 2026. I also expect digital copies to be made available in the near future as well.

Have any thoughts or feedback? Feel free to send us tips or emails at ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to your weekly interview at TTRPG Insider. Today, we’re taking a look at RPG Trader, a new website designed to host, sell and print independent TTRPGs.

Alternative marketplaces have been a regular topic of conversation among indie creators in the TTRPG space due to the high cost of publishing. DriveThruRPG and Itch.io remain the prominent players in the online market, controlling the vast majority of online sales. While both markets offer a wide range of tools for creators to sell products, they also come with costs and website limitations.

The two leading marketplaces have each also faced scrutiny over how they moderate their own material. Itch.io delisted adult games after payment processors like Stripe pressured it to reduce adult content. DriveThruRPG delisted a game for its political language.

RPG Trader presents itself as a market alternative, where game creators get a bigger cut and where it’s specifically designed for the indie RPG scene as a whole

The project is officially out of public beta as of June 9, which means people can now buy games on the website.

TTRPG Insider got to sit down with RPG Trader co-founder (and Ten Acres Game owner) Hugh Lashbrooke and talk about the market’s origins, its plans and how it intends to serve the indie TTRPG community.

The following interview was edited lightly for clarity.

RPG Trader

What’s the story here? What led to the creation of RPG Trader?

Hugh Lashbrooke: RPG Trader grew out of my own experience as an independent tabletop RPG creator.

I've published games through Ten Acre Games for years, and while there are some excellent platforms available, I kept running into the same challenges with discovery, publishing steps, print-on-demand setup, and overall ease of use.

Since I've spent much of my career building digital products and online communities, I thought I could do something about it and started working on a marketplace built specifically for tabletop RPGs, using modern tools and modern marketplace design principles.

My goal was to create something that complements the existing ecosystem while focusing on the needs of independent creators and the players looking for their work.

What is the goal of RPG Trader? Are you trying to create a replacement for DTRPG or Itch.io? Or something else altogether? 

Hugh Lashbrooke: The goal isn’t to replace anyone. Platforms like DriveThruRPG and Itch have made enormous contributions to the hobby and remain solid places to discover new games.

RPG Trader is focused on building a marketplace that offers things tabletop creators are looking for, with an emphasis on discoverability, flexible publishing, integrated print-on-demand, and tools that help creators grow their audience.

Many creators already publish on multiple platforms, and I expect that will continue. RPG Trader isn't asking creators to choose sides. We're trying to create a place that's valuable enough that they want to be there alongside any platforms they currently use.

How do you intend to monetize this model? 

Hugh Lashbrooke: RPG Trader operates on a straightforward marketplace commission model. The storefront takes a 20% commission on all purchases, allowing creators to keep 80% of their sales earnings. We don’t have, and don’t plan on implementing, registration fees, subscription requirements, or exclusivity agreements that burden creators with additional costs.

We also don’t have any plans to run third-party advertising on the platform - the privacy concerns around those ad providers are too great, and the user experience they offer is never good.

Why should a publisher consider hosting their content on your website?

Hugh Lashbrooke: The simplest answer is that RPG Trader is being built specifically for tabletop RPG creators.

Creators receive a generous share of each sale, integrated print-on-demand support, modern publishing tools, detailed discovery capabilities, and a marketplace focused entirely on tabletop games.

But perhaps more importantly, it's a platform being built in close collaboration with the community it's serving. The public beta exists because we want creators involved in shaping what the platform becomes.

We don't expect or want creators to abandon the platforms they're already using. What we hope is that RPG Trader becomes a place where creators feel welcomed, supported, and genuinely listened to, and that over time it earns a place alongside the other tools they use to share their work with the world.

Whether you’re a designer, content creator or just the biggest fan at your table, TTRPG Insider delivers in-depth reporting, original interviews and regular roundups of the news that you will not find anywhere else. Let us help you become the best designer, player or dungeon master at your table.

Subscribe now and get the advantage you require to excel in this exceptional hobby and industry.

How RPG Trader Empowers Creators

Artistic Rendition of Hugh Lashbrooke

What does sort of publishing tools does RPG Trader offer creators? 

Hugh Lashbrooke: When building RPG Trader, we’ve focused heavily on reducing the friction for people to go from creating a game to having it available for sale. We have a modern, easy-to-use interface that has already received plenty of praise from creators, and we will continue to improve it as needs arise.

We want to take the difficulty out of publishing, so creators can focus on their work without publishing tools getting in the way. Anyone is welcome to sign up for the site and explore the tools to see how they work before committing to the platform.

Can you elaborate on what “tabletop RPG-specific categorisation designed to help players discover new games more easily” will entail? 

Hugh Lashbrooke: In addition to the basic product categories, we have 12 RPG-specific taxonomies that reflect how people actually search for games. That includes genres, rules systems, play styles, tone, audience, themes, required accessories, settings, content warnings, language, and more.

For example, someone might be looking for a solo horror game, designed for journaling, that uses playing cards and is suitable for beginners. Those are the kinds of detailed searches we want to support. It also helps with recommendations and finding related games - the more connected labels a game has, the more likely it will be recommended to interested buyers.

How are you thinking about determining best practices for identifying and restricting AI-generated content? 

Hugh Lashbrooke: As a store focused on handcrafted TTRPG content, we have a zero-tolerance policy for AI-generated content in games. If a product contains text or images that have been generated by AI, even in part, it is not allowed on RPG Trader. This is the best way to support creators who work hard and don’t want to be featured alongside AI-generated content.

We understand that determining whether something is AI-generated is not easy, and there are no reliable tools to do so consistently. With that in mind, we’re relying on a combination of admin review, author disclosure, text matching for common AI-generated patterns, and user flagging. Anyone can flag a product they believe contains AI-generated content, and the team will review it.

This policy is important to us because we believe the creativity and passion of TTRPG creators should be the platform's main feature.

How do you intend to handle aspects like payment processing (which is Both a complicated subject and one that can lead to issues if dealing with adult content)

Hugh Lashbrooke: We’re using established providers to handle payment processing - currently Stripe and PayPal. We’re actively exploring other options to offer alongside them, as we know there have been issues with providers overreaching in controlling the content platforms sell.

We have a clearly defined sensitive content policy that outlines how we handle mature or NSFW content, and it has been well received so far. If we encounter issues with payment processors that affects that, we’ll push back and, if necessary, change the providers we use.

How are you thinking about “integrated print-on-demand support with global shipping” as an Australia-based company?

Hugh Lashbrooke: Yes, we’re based in Australia, but we’ve integrated with Lulu for print-on-demand books. Lulu print great quality books, and are already used by many folks in the TTRPG community. They have printing locations in 6 countries worldwide, making global shipping easy and affordable.

RPG Trader allows creators to make use of Lulu’s excellent printing service, while being on a platform designed for tabletop RPGs with a full suite of publishing and marketing tools.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Paizo

Paizo, the publisher behind Pathfinder and Starfinder, announced it is laying off a significant portion of its staff and restructuring its operations to reach financial viability.

The TTRPG publisher posted a blog post on its website announcing the layoffs and reorganization on Monday. 12 employees will be affected, although the company stated that it is working with the United Paizo Workers union to establish a “clear, fair process,” noting that these cuts are necessary.

“These decisions affect people we care about deeply. We are doing everything we can to support them through this transition,” Butler stated. The layoffs will go into effect in July.

Several former staff members have confirmed on social media that they will leave the company next month.

Well, the blog has dropped over on Paizo, so I’m opening my mouth.

As of July, I will no longer be a Pathfinder Society Developer.

I don’t know where I’m going next. I’m currently mourning my future. Paizo was my forever. I saw myself working for Society until I was cobwebs and dust.

— Shay ❄️ (@spellsinsugar.bsky.social)
10:29 PM • Jun 8, 2026

I was laid off as a part of this restructuring. I loved working on Starfinder during my time at Paizo, with all of my amazing colleagues, who then became cherished friends. I hope folks enjoy my work in Tech Core, especially the Tactical Starship Combat rules. paizo.com/blog/paizo-r...

— Aras Yazgan (@sketching101.bsky.social)
11:11 PM • Jun 8, 2026

I guess I can say it now:

I'm one of the folks hit by the Paizo layoffs. My last day will be in early July.

I'm devastated. I love the folks I've worked with the past three years. I love the fans. I love the games we made.

If you have an opening for a remote editor, I'd love to hear from you.

— Lynne M. Meyer | coffee-fueled, autistic, witchy, spoonie (@lynnemeyer.bsky.social)
10:40 PM • Jun 8, 2026

Paizo also announced that it is cutting back on its organized play programs, Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society. The program will cut back to two scenarios a month starting in October. It also announced that it will no longer provide free PDFs of non-Society Paizo products to volunteers and will cut back on the development of Society-related Foundry programs.

“These changes are not a retreat—Paizo believes strongly in the power of Organized Play and always will,” Butler emphasized. “But the current publishing model for Society scenarios is not working, and we need to slow down, stem the financial losses from a struggling program, and evaluate where to go from here.”

The company did have two notes of hope. First, it is working with the distribution service, Independent Publishers Group, to re-establish its presence in bookstores. It is also planning to launch a direct-to-retail store, which will enable local game stores to purchase books directly from Paizo.

Whether you’re a designer, content creator or just the biggest fan at your table, TTRPG Insider delivers in-depth reporting, original interviews and regular roundups of the news that you will not find anywhere else. Let us help you become the best designer, player or dungeon master at your table.

Subscribe now and get the advantage you require to excel in this exceptional hobby and industry.

How Diamond Comics’ Bankruptcy Led to Paizo’s Layoffs

Paizo’s decision to lay off staff did not come out of nowhere. It was a decision made after more than a year of efforts to stem the losses Paizo was incurring due to book distributor Diamond Comics’ bankruptcy filing.

Diamond Comics acted as a third party, helping publishers like Paizo, Green Ronin Publishing, and Roll for Combat get their books into stores. That included the company holding significant amounts of physical books and game from each company. Unfortunately, Diamond Comics filed for bankruptcy in January 2025. It then announced in June 2025 that it would liquidate all of its stored products (including TTRPG books) to pay off a $41 million debt owed to JPMorgan Chase and other lenders. Paizo and other publishers filed a lawsuit against Diamond Comics in September 2025, seeking to reclaim their books.

The Diamond Comics bankruptcy has been devastating for the company. Paizo lost $2 million in 2025 and had to write off nearly half a million in additional sales. Book-trade (aka book stores) sales have also plummeted “far below historical levels,” Butler wrote.

Paizo was also severely restricted due to a contract that made Diamond Comics the exclusive distributor for Pathfinder and Starfinder materials, since it couldn’t move to a new distributor. While the contract was terminated in early 2026, Diamond later appealed the decision. The proceedings are ongoing.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe.

This week, we’ve got a lot of big news! First up is the record-breaking campaign run by Legends of Avantris that brought in 16 million dollars in crowdfunding. D&D launched a community support group. A DungeonTuber surveyed 30k people about their favorite TTRPG. Finally, we’ve an interview with the team at Horrible Guild about MemoryCore, their Playstation anthology of video game TTRPGS.

Check it all out below!

Avantris Entertainment Raises $16.1M in Sci-Fi 5e TTRPG Crowdfunding Campaign

Avantris Entertainment

Neon Odyssey, the 80s-inspired sci-fi D&D supplement made the team behind Legends of Avantris, has raised more crowdfunding money than any other TTRPG campaign in history.

Neon Odyssey wrapped up its crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday, successfully raising $16,139,970 from 49,116 backers. It’s an outstanding number, and a million more than Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere TTRPG, which raised $14 million in 2024. The campaign featured a package of three books written by the team at Avantris Entertainment. Avantris previously saw immense crowdfunding success with the launch of Crooked Moon, a horror supplement based on its past campaigns.

“Honestly, this is hard to wrap our heads around,” said Avantris Entertainment Co-Founder Mikey Gilder in a press statement. “Neon Odyssey started as this big, ridiculous dream of building a massive science-fantasy universe for people to play in, and the community showed up for it in a way we’ll never forget. We’re incredibly grateful to every single backer who helped make this happen.”

The campaign saw a massive surge of interest in the last two days of the campaign when it announced that it was going to use Neon Odyssey rules to run a D&D campaign featuring the band Tupper War Remix Party’s Starlight Brigade. The characters were introduced in a 2019 music video and will now be played out in a future AP using the Neon Odyssey rules.

TTRPG Insider spoke with Gilder last month about the campaign and their decision to launch a sci-fi campaign that reflavors the setting through a 5e framework. The actual-play turned publisher previously saw immense success after raising millions of dollars to fund The Crooked Moon, their folk horror campaign.

Neon Odyssey’s record-breaking campaign follows the Dungeon Crawler Carl TTRPG and board game’s outstanding success, which raised $13.3 million in May 2026, and several other campaigns that have raised over $1 million in 2026 to date. While crowdfunding appeared to dip in 2025, the numbers have surged in the first half of 2026 despite the lingering effects of the Trump administration’s tariffs and the volatile geopolitics between the United States and China.

Dungeons and Dragons Launches Official Community Advisory Group

D&D Head of Brand Dan Ayoub announced this week that the team is formally unveiling its first Community Advisory Group.

Ayoub spoke about wanting to include community input into D&D’s ongoing efforts during GenCon 2025. This meant bringing in creators and others from the space to speak about the state of the game and what it needed. That team was formally announced this week (alongside the launch of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within in Early Access).

The group brought together “a variety of creators, WPN store owners, event organizers, community builders, and educators, each bringing a different lens on what D&D is and what it can be,” Ayoub wrote in a blog post. The group has been meeting with D&D’s team since December, where they discussed early product concepts and D&D Beyond tools. They also addressed what the company intended to do in the coming months.

The group contains a list of longtime contributors:

• Third-party creators such as Monty Martin and Kelly McLaughlin of The Dungeon Dudes

• Commentators and media figures like Ted Sikora of Nerd Immersion and Teos Abadia of Alphastream

• store owners like Donna Ricci of Geeky Teas & Games and Scott DeBoard of Silver Dragon Games

And several more. You can see the full list of contributors here. The list appears somewhat diverse so far, although the common thread remains creators who have been involved in D&D-related content for a long time. It will be some time before it can be determined if this group has a long-term impact on D&D, and what that may entail.

Want to see more reporting in the TTRPG space? Heard a scoop or a story you want covered? Let us know! Subscribe to TTRPG Insider and get exclusive interviews, trend pieces, speculation and coverage of D&D, mainstream publishers and the indie scene.

We here at TTRPG Insider love data related to our hobby, and this is no exception. DungeonTuber Bob World Builder posted a simple survey on his channel asking what the public’s favorite TTRPGs were. More than 30,000 respondents answered, offering a limited look at people’s favorite TTRPGs.

Disclosure: The data here is limited in scope due to the specific demographics of Bob's viewers. He admits that the majority of viewers of the original video are American millennial males, which likely means the data skews toward that same base. Bob World Builder’s fanbase is also highly likely to be very focused on D&D content or OSR content, based on his past video coverage. That doesn’t mean that the data is useless, just that the data is limited in what insights it might offer the reader.

At the same time, I did see the poll get some attention on platforms like Threads and BlueSky, which may have helped it attract a larger audience and balance that base out.

The final results, based on Bob’s own calculations, are:

1. D&D 5e -3,260

2. Pathfinder (1e and 2e) - 3,148

3. D&D 5.5e aka D&D 2024 - 2,548

4. Daggerheart - 1,239

5. Shadowdark -944

6. Draw Steel -922

7. Nimble 723

8. Call of Cthulhu -628

9. World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness -593

10. DC20 - 466

11. Savage Worlds -433

12. Traveller - 377

13. Blades in the Dark - 367

14. D&D 3.5 -366

15. Warhammer TTRPGs (40k and Fantasy) - 331

16. Dungeon Crawl Classics - 323

17. GURPS -305

18. Lancer 304

19. Mothership - 284

20. Old School Essentials -282

The data seems to match past trends, with fantasy-oriented games remaining among the top favorites in the hobby. The presence of “Fantasy Heartbreakers” like DC20 and Nimble surprises me, since those games (which are modified/updated versions of D&D that gained popularity after the OGL fiasco in 2023) seemed more like flashes in the pan among the general player base. Daggerheart, Shadowdark, and Draw Steel, in contrast, have made significantly more money in crowdfunding and appear to have a steadily growing community of third-party creators.

Interview With Claudio Pustorino about MEMORYCORE and Converting Playstation Games into TTRPGs

Horrible Guild

TTRPGs can cover a wide range of subjects, and it’s common to adapt popular and nostalgic video games into TTRPG format. But what if you tried to do all of them? That’s the idea behind MEMORYCORE, a TTRPG Anthology that contains games inspired by Castlevania, Tekken, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and a plethora of other games found on the Playstation 2.

Memorycore is designed by Claudio Pustorino (Not The End, Vileborn), published by Horrible Guild, and features six games based on nostalgic gaming properties. The project will crowdfund on June 9, 2026.

TTRPG spoke with Pustorino about what inspired the game, his choice of games and more.

1. What’s the inspiration for this project?

The most immediate answer is “the 32-bit era”, but that's pretty obvious. In terms of feel: I want to capture the magic I experienced playing PlayStation in my childhood bedroom. In terms of design, I want to live the same challenge that game developers faced during the golden age of video games, inventing brilliant solutions to push past the hardware limitations they were working with. The jewel-case-style clamshell of MemoryCore games is a design constraint, a small space where we're trying to fit entire worlds.

2. Why were these six games specifically created? What were the criteria for selecting inspiration? 

We started by listing every game that immediately came to mind when we thought about that era… and the list got long fast. From a product standpoint, we knew we had to narrow it down to six, so we built a set of criteria: cultural impact (not commercial numbers or sales figures, but the mark a game left on the medium), iconicity, design opportunity (meaning how much including a game would push the core system to expand and grow) and the variety of experiences the final lineup would offer as a whole. Every game in this first anthology has both an action component and a storytelling component, but each takes the base system in a different direction.

I want to be clear on that point: in my head, this is just the first anthology. There are lots of games, both mainstream and more niche, that I already have in mind. Genres like platformers, visual novels, and rhythm games are still not represented... There's so much more to explore!

3. Can you explain the thought process of how you attempted to capture the distinct vibes and aesthetics of each video game that inspired your games?

It's a different journey for every game, and by the end of it I need to know clearly why that game was special to me, what made it a defining example of its genre, and what the core elements are that people actually identify with it. 

I've been replaying (and am still replaying) every reference game, untangling what was actually in the design from what was just my memory of it. Then I take each key element and ask myself: how does this translate to a shared experience at the table?

4. Would you describe these projects as one-shots or on-page RPGs? Or are they intended for longer play? 

Each MemoryCore game comes with a map, a set of pregens, a game disc, 32 MemoryCards, and a 40-page game booklet that – together with the user manual included in the base box – supports a campaign of roughly 10 sessions. 

Every game gets there in its own way. Solid State Machine, for example, delivers a tightly structured, campaign-setting-like spy story. Final Tournament is a full martial arts tournament where every fighter has a backstory and a reason to compete: the fights and their outcomes weave the characters' individual storylines together and evolve them. Overdrive Crew is a procedural generator for high-speed heists built around the Highway City map and generative tables. This reflects the spirit of the reference games themselves: some are essentially interactive films with a precise script and plot twists; others are more about exploration and quest completion.

5. Your designs are eerily close to the original products. How are you balancing the creation of the experience with copyright issues?

The key distinction is this: original IP, original art, original stories. Aesthetic homage and copyright infringement are two very different things, and we're firmly in the first camp. 

Every piece of content in these games is built from scratch and adapted for the tabletop: the reference games inform the feel, not the material. These aren't cheap ripoffs; they're love letters to the games that shaped me growing up. 

When I'm developing a MemoryCore game, I'm not asking "how far can I get from X before it's legally safe?", I'm asking "how do I do justice to something I love?" If you see an aesthetic similarity, it's because every MemoryCore artist is a devoted fan of that visual style and of the reference work. If you see a trope, a quote, or a meta-reference, it's because without it there's no trip down memory lane. None of this is lazy. The design effort is entirely focused on creating faithful, quality tributes that respect the source material and translate it into a shared experience at the table.

6. What’s the elevator pitch for this game series? 

MemoryCore is a curated anthology of 32-bit-era–inspired TTRPGs – bringing the great video game classics of the 1990s to the table and reimagining them as a shared, multiplayer roleplaying experience.

7. What is something you are excited for within this? 

A few things, at different scales.

At the system level: MemoryCards. Basically, mini poker-sized cards. Every game includes 32 of them, with different content across each title: equipment, key items, vehicles, special moves, feats, and more. They theme each game beautifully and keep bookkeeping to a minimum. But even though they're hyper-thematic, they're also fully cross-compatible across all the games. If you want to run a campaign with sacred relics, cursed swords, thermal visors, and tactical weapons, you just grab the MemoryCards from Bloodsong and Solid State Machine and use them together. We pulled that off through a system of universal descriptors and icons that each game interprets in its own way.

At the player level, I can't wait to see what people do beyond the games themselves. We've worked hard to make everything pick-up-and-play, while still giving anyone who wants to write their own campaigns (or design their own games entirely) the tools to do it. The creation toolkit is still a chapter in progress, but the idea of putting those tools in people's hands, making them able to build from scratch, is what gets me most excited about what this project can become.

That’s it for this week! Have any thoughts or story suggestions? Feel free to send tips or emails at ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Dungeons & Dragons’ upcoming horror-oriented release intends to focus entirely on telling a plethora of horror stories within the D&D system while also exploring how that changes when magic is oriented toward fear.

Members of the Dungeons & Dragons team spoke with reporters about the Ravenloft release on June 2, where they elaborated on both the game’s evolving approach to horror and how they are attempting to expand the tools available to dungeon masters. The available team included principal game designer Wes Schneider, senior creative lead AJ Hanneld, senior game designer Makenzie De Armas, and executive producer Greg Bilsland.

If asked about how horror might appear in D&D, most players would think of the Domains of Dread, a set of smaller worlds where Darklords (powerful entities) are held in captivity by the Dark Powers, malicious entities who force the creatures to live their worst days over and over while mortals (including player characters) are forced to survive and fight those entities. The Domains of Dread have been discussed throughout D&D’s history but became best known by the Fifth Edition player base through Curse of Strahd, the vampire-focused campaign that is considered to be one of the most popular campaigns in 5th Edition D&D’s history. This setting was later expanded on through Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, a supplement released in 2021 that added several additional Domains to Fifth Edition.

Ravenloft: The Horrors Within is intended to expand upon this lore and update it for the 2024 rule update, aka 5.5e.

“This isn’t just a setting book,” Bilsland emphasized. “This is about what fear, obsession, and grief can do to characters, to monsters, and to the Dark Lords.” That includes an effort to explore all sorts of horror forms, from gothic horror ala Strahd von Zarovich to slasher horror and even eldritch horror.

Cthulhu, by Brian Valenzuela

Innsmouth and Cthulhu Come to D&D

That focus on eldritch horror is particularly notable due to Ravenloft’s decision to incorporate Innsmouth (a well-known Massachusetts town from HP Lovecraft’s story The Shadow over Innsmouth) into the Domains of Dread. While Cthulhu has been alluded to in past D&D books as a viable patron, it’s never been given a significant amount of attention in Fifth Edition. Call of Cthulhu publisher Chaosium released a supplement last summer, titled Cthulhu by Torchlight, that adapted a lot of the Mythos it has produced stories around into usable monsters and subclasses within a D&D setting.

So, the addition of Lovecraftian horror entities to the D&D canon seemed like a bit of a surprise. De Armas emphasized that the version of Innsmouth available in Ravenloft is different from the one in Massachusetts that Lovecraft wrote about. This version leans heavily on the presence of cults in the region, as well as the notion that the residents have their own agendas and secrets to keep to themselves.

Schneider also emphasized that cosmic horror has been built into D&D since its origin with the presence of Mindflayers, Aboleths, and other strange mindwarping entities. The inclusion of Cthulhu simply made sense, he emphasized. He also stated that the company focused on giving Lovecraft’s monsters their own spin that is entirely separate from Chaosium’s interpretation of Lovecraft’s monsters.

Bringing “Magic Infused Horror” to your D&D Table

Wizards of the Coast

The book draws a lot of inspiration from popular horror properties like Stephen King, American Horror Story, as well as A24’s more niche style of horror (Midsommar, Under the Skin, Heretic, etc). It also drew on the work of Peter Adkison, Steve Miller, Christy Golden and a long list of authors. The team also shouted out the Fraternity of Shadows and the Kargatane, two fan groups that have maintained wikis documenting past Ravenloft content.

The core form of horror that the design team attempted to explore is “magic-infused horror,” Hanneld noted.

Magic-infused horror meant the team was attempting to move away from the stereotypes of gothic horror and embrace a more colorful design style in their depiction of the settings and characters that isn’t a repeat of the gothic stylings of past Ravenloft books.

Strahd von Zarovich by James Fenner

The best example of this is how the Darklords are captured visually in two distinct art series by Angello Torres and James Fenner.

Strahd von Zarovich by Angello Torres

While most would expect gray and tan parchments, the team attempted to channel a different color palette into the art used within the book. This remains a constant design factor in the new book, which uses a large color palette to explore its monsters.

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Product Line

Partnerships and Drops: D&D’s Plans for Releases Outside Just the Book

Ravenloft is particularly of interest, since it is the first book being released by the D&D team since Dan Ayoub announced the new seasons-focused approach to content as well as the new drops-based content that has earned a significant amount of pushback from D&D creators online.

Ravenloft: The Horrors Within was described as a “tentpole product” that will lift all others up, followed by a spectrum of supplemental items for DMs to purchase as they see fit. These include DM screens, dice, Tarroka cards, maps and more.

The company introduced a wide range of planned products that it intends to release in tandem with Ravenloft, leaning on its third-party partnerships to produce material to build hype around the book and its themes. This includes products released by Displate, FanRoll, WizKids, Sirius, Dark Horse Comics, Ravensburger, and Hot Topic.

When asked about how the seasons approach and D&D Beyond drops would interact, Bilsland said that they intended to mostly release non-seasonal content through D&D Beyond drops so that players can have access to non-seasonal content (aka D&D updates not related to horror during the “Season of Horror”, or the upcoming “Season of Magic”.)

There would still be some Ravenloft-related drops, however. The Tarokka deck, which the team embraced as a more integral tool that DMs can use in gameplay outside of Barovia, will be available in digital form as a D&D drop for subscribers. Players can also purchase it for themselves or get a physical copy if they prefer.

Ravenloft DM’s Screen, Wizards of the Coast

What Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Means for The Game’s Future

_{(The following is the opinion of myself, Christopher Hutton, and should be read as such. I don’t like to write diatribes about how D&D is living or dying. That said, I do think the press briefing offered some interesting insights into how the company is thinking about its product line. So here’s my two cents.)}

The Ravenloft: The Horrors Within is D&D setting a standard for its future season-based approach. By choosing one of its most popular properties (Curse of Strahd’s setting and character) to launch new model, we’re seeing the framework for what D&D hopes to explore with this new vision set by Ayoub and the D&D team. That includes numerous partnerships and additional material that die-hard fans and the market's “whales” will likely buy. The company has leaned fairly heavily into the “lifestyle brand” model of third-party content, which further reinforces that notion.

It’s also an effort by the company to provide tools to tell any sort of horror story within the D&D system. That effort fits well within the company’s ongoing push to make D&D a tool for telling any sort of TTRPG story you might want, even if the tools might not match that vision. Horror is a difficult genre to do well, and even the most gifted DMs and players struggle to do it well. It will be up to the tables and players to see if this makes the cut.

I will be interested to see what role this new seasonal approach plays in D&D’s ongoing vision, how customers respond and what changes might occur for future seasons of this model.

Ravenloft: The Horrors Within is available in early access to Master Tier subscribers on D&D Beyond and June 9 for Hero Tier. The official book will release in stores on June 16, 2026.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

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Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

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This week, we have a multitude of projects for you to peek at. A popular comedy AP is finally making their own D&D book. White Wolf may have showed their hand and appears to be updating Vampire: the Masquerade. D&D previews its plans for Ravenloft. And finally, an interview with the creators behind a new Jubensha project with dark fantasy themes.

Dungeons and Daddies Gets Its Own Sourcebook, Helping You Run an Isekai Roadtrip

Dungeons and Daddies, the TTRPG AP featuring the cast of YouTube original show Video Game High School, is getting its own sourcebook.

Dungeons and Daddies: Not a BDSM Sourcebook is a sourcebook building on the world of Dungeons and Daddies, and provides tools to “experience an uproarious isekai adventure” set in the AP’s setting. This includes dad-themed refashionings of D&D classes, locales for road trips, custom vans, and a lot of other references to the show.

From the Backerkit listing:

Everything you need to experience an uproarious isekai adventure in the fantastical realm of Dungeons & Daddies.

• Take a road trip through whimsical and poorly-remembered territories with your fellow daddies!

• Travel to exotic locales like Ballsdeep, Roqueporte, and Meth Bay with brief stops for roadside attractions and wacky one-shot adventures from level one to twenty.

• Visit 5 fully franchised Bull-E-Wugs locations where you can participate in special competitions and discover secret Bull-E-Wugs-branded secrets.

• Customize your own all new 2013 minivan! You can use it in combat, but we don't recommend that because you'll probably die!

• Choose one of 5 dad-flavored skins of existing D&D classes, or specialize in one of 8 daddy-magic-infused subclasses (including Garden Witch and Unfortunate Foster Child).

• Master the mysterious art of Daddy Magic and 30+ powerful and incredibly useful spells like Speak Japanese.

• Learn how to DM the Daddies Way from your fourth-favorite podcast DM, Anthony Burch!

• Solve a secret puzzle so devious and intricate it could only have been devised by the mind of Scam Likely.

The book’s Backerkit doesn’t detail much of what the game’s ruleset will entail, although it appears to be a Fifth Edition-based game. It’s also clearly filled to the brim with easter eggs and references to the podcast.

Dungeons and Daddies started out as a comedy podcast where video game writer Anthony Burch DMed a game for fellow actors and writers Matt Arnold, Will Campos, Beth May, and Freddie Wong. The show features four dads who are teleported into the Forgotten Realms (of D&D fame) and must rescue the kids. Later seasons feature the cast traveling across a post-apocalyptic

From there, the adventures escalated over four seasons. The show has received many positive reviews and has 36,000+ paid subscribers on Patreon and over 500,000 monthly listeners as of April 2026.

The book is expected to crowdfund in July on Backerkit.

White Wolf to Preview Vampire: the Masquerade’s Sixth Edition at GenCon 2026

Renegade Game Studios

White Wolf, the publisher of the World of Darkness and Vampire: The Masquerade game series appears to be previewing its playtests for an update to the popular bloodsucking horror TTRPG.

Online influencers noticed that White Wolf is hosting multiple playtests at GenCon with the tag "Vampire the Masquerade, 6th Edition" attached.

“The monsters are back,” reads the description on GenCon’s website. “The nights are shifting, alliances may fracture, and the World of Darkness is at a turning point that players like you can help affect. Be one of the first to sink your fangs into this playtest of the new Vampire: The Masquerade project. This open play session is your chance to experience the new book firsthand, before it's in anyone else's hands. Bring your knowledge of the setting, or bring nothing at all. All experience levels are welcome at this table. The story goes where the players take it. And when the session wraps, the team behind the game wants to hear from you. White Wolf is hungry to hear your thoughts. This is the Masquerade. Come see what it looks like now.”

The company alluded to this new game’s existence at an early preview at Darkness Emergent Los Angeles 2026, its annual LARP event for VTM. The details were vague, although it was clear that White Wolf’s team hoped to bring the design of the game in-house, rather than outsourcing it. Fifth Edition VTM has been around since 2018 and has arguably been one of the more prominent entry points for players as of late due to Actual Plays like LA By Night and New York by Night.

What remains to be seen is how this fits into the company's broader plan. Former brand marketing manager Jason Carl said in interviews that White Wolf was considering creating its own updates for past properties such as Mage: The Ascension and Vampire: The Dark Ages. The decision to update VTM, arguably the most popular World of Darkness property, will likely set a standard for how other properties (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Hunter: The Reckoning) will change.

Additional details are expected to be shared at GenCon 2026 at a panel on Thursday, July 31.

Dungeons and Dragons appears to be actively embracing open partnerships with influencers to host and promote their own events. The latest version of this was a Dungeons and Dragons State of the Game: Ravenloft stream, which was broadcast on D&D influencer Dicecream Sandwich’s page. Kevin Parr (of Dicecream sandwich) spoke with designers Wesley Schneider and Makenzie De Armas, as well as Sr. Creative Lead AJ Hanneld about the upcoming book Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. They unveiled new stat blocks for Cthulhu, Strahd and even Dragonlance icon Lord Soth on the stream while also discussing its approach to horror overall.

Nerd Immersion hosted a similar stream in March, where he spoke with members of D&D’s team about the new Seasons approach and their thoughts on design.

Ravenloft: The Horrors Within will enter early access on June 2, available to D&D Beyond subscribers who preordered the game. Physical copies will also be available in physical game stores beforehand.

Want to see more reporting in the TTRPG space? Heard a scoop or a story you want covered? Let us know! Subscribe to TTRPG Insider and get exclusive interviews, trend pieces, speculation and coverage of D&D, mainstream publishers and the indie scene.

Solve a Fantasy Murder in the English Jubensha Blood Moon Pact

Jubensha is a popular murder mystery game that has gained immense momentum in Asian markets and is slowly gaining a player base in Western markets. That also includes a number of new English products from indie creators. While jubensha may not seem similar to the TTRPG experience, it plays on the same roleplay aspects that has appeared to thousands of players across the globe.

That’s why I was curious about Blood Moon Pact, a new jubensha on Kickstarter. The “fantasy murder mystery” tells the story of how six souls gather in the heart of a magical forest and find themselves trapped within a shrine, only for one of you to end up murdered. Players will have to team up and attempt to answer the question of who the murderer is while inhabiting the specific roles of the story.

TTRPG Insider spoke with Ophelia Au of Twist ‘n Turn Jubensha about the game’s inspiration and why others should try it.

---

1. What's the spark behind this project? Why write a Jubensha campaign?
   The simple answer is that I love jubensha and I wanted to experience a jubensha game written specifically for Western audiences, not a translated one. Not many of them exist, so I wanted to change that! Jubensha is my favourite game type, hands down, because it combines all my favourite things: social deception, puzzle solving, story-telling, and role play. Although other experiences have some or even most of these elements, to me, jubensha hits all of them in the right ways!

2. Why specifically use a fantasy setting versus more real roles?
   Again, the simple answer here is that I personally love fantasy stories. It's what I read and watch. I also wanted to lean into classical fantasy tropes that would be familiar to those who grew up with Western cultural cornerstones such as Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Elder Scrolls video game series, LARP, and many more. A fantasy world also opens up opportunities for designing unique puzzles that aren't bound by limitations of reality (though they are still bound by believability), and creating characters that aren't real-world archetypes that might be harder to role play. Although it's a fantasy themed game, the characters, conflicts, and themes are still very much universal human experiences that anyone can relate to.

3. What got you into Jubensha?
   I first played jubensha with a group of Chinese friends in my hometown of Toronto in 2018. I absolutely loved the game and went online to find more in English so I could play with other friends, but to my dismay, there were none! Once COVID-19 hit, I had some free time to translate Chinese games, and began hosting them with my friends. I loved being the GM and seeing how different groups act as their characters and approach the puzzles, which spurred me to continue my journey down the rabbit hole and begin writing my own.

4. Is this game designed more for veteran players or for newbies within the Jubensha space?
   Blood Moon Pact is designed to be beginner friendly, even though it's meaty enough to satisfy any veteran player. There are a few ways I accomplish make it beginner-friendly:
   -The reading is split into phases, so you never have too much to read and digest at once.
   -The booklets are designed with reader quality of life in mind. Among other things, this means that key sentences you should note are highlighted, your backstory and the current timeline are clearly marked, and your character's secrets, goals, actions, and other key information are listed out distinctively.
   -The role play is gradual. You start off with guided interactions, and are eased into more freeform role play as the game progresses and you feel more at ease acting as your character.
   -The investigation phase has clear goals and every clue card has a clear call to action. You aren't left wondering what to do as paths are always opening up in front of you.
   -The investigation phase comes with tips and tricks that are helpful for all players, new and veteran. They answer the most commonly asked questions during this phase. Additionally, the GM guide comes with advice on how to aid a group that might be struggling to proceed.
   -The game has been tested many, many times with both completely new jubensha players and veteran players. All feedback was taken into careful consideration and the game has been changed significantly as a result of play testing feedback.

5. What do you hope players will get out of this experience?
   Even though Blood Moon Pact is marketed as a game, I'm ultimately aiming for the impact of a great movie or novel: I want players to think about their character and the story long after the game ends. This game was built as a character-driven narrative first and foremost, so if players continue to reflect on the choices they made and the conflicts their character overcame (or not), then that would be a success in my books!

Thanks for reading! Know any games you’d recommend, or stories you want featured? Feel free to send us tips or emails at ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider! This week’s interview is focused on Strigovia, a new “Darkfolk Fantasy TTRPG” from Artur Kurasiński and a team of designers in Europe. The game, which adapts the creator’s 5e content presented on Patreon into its own system with a focus on how the “debts” of the forest convert into eroding consequences. It tells the story of kingdoms and clans striving to survive in a living magical forest whose very essence provides magic at a cost. The game includes art from Tomasz Larek (Wizards of the Coast) and Przemek Truscinski (of The Witcher). 

We spoke with Kurasiński about the game, its influences and more in today’s interview.

What’s the unique story behind Strigovia?

Strigovia began with a simple question: what if all the old warnings, superstitions, and folk sayings people passed down for generations were actually true? The setting grows out of Slavic folklore, dark fairy tales, rural superstition, and early-medieval frontier life. It is not a world of shining heroes and grand kingdoms, but of peasants, hunters, herbalists, and outcasts trying to survive on the edge of something older and far more powerful than they are. It is Darkfolk (a dark folk tale whispered beside a dying fire) where everything people feared as children turns out to be real.

At the heart of Strigovia is the collision between two forces: the Forest (not just a forest, but a living, thinking, hungry presence) and the expanding order of civilization, represented by the Kingdom, its religion, mining, iron, roads, and new settlements. That tension is really the core inspiration behind the setting: folklore versus progress, ritual versus system, memory versus conquest, and the question of what is lost whenever “civilization” advances.

There is also a strong sense of loss built into Strigovia. It is a world where old ways are disappearing, where every decision leaves a scar, and where stories outlast people, villages, and even entire ages. That gives the setting its melancholic, human tone.

Can you elaborate on the “magic of debt?” What does that entail narratively and mechanically?

Narratively, the “magic of debt” is not scholarly spellcasting or a clean, repeatable system of formulas. It is something older, instinctive, and dangerous - a force that answers, but rarely in the exact way you wanted, and never for free. In Strigovia, magic is inseparable from sacrifice: the only currency the Forest truly accepts is life. That can mean blood, animals, vitality, or in its darkest form, human innocence. The important point is that magic is never abstract power. It is always a transaction, and often a moral one.

That is why debt magic is so central to the tone of the world. It creates immediate dramatic tension: if someone uses power to save a harvest, heal a sickness, call rain, or ward off monsters, the next question is always, who pays for that miracle? People often think they can borrow a little, solve their problem, and repay it later. In Strigovia, that never truly works out.

Mechanically, the game supports that idea very directly. It is built around resource pressure, costly choices, and consequences. This is a world where magic costs life, and the system is designed so that players are constantly deciding whether a moment is worth the price. Even the core dice economy reinforces scarcity: players do not have infinite rolls, so every major action matters. When debt is not properly repaid, it becomes the Mark of the Forest - not just a curse, but a gradual transformation, as if the Forest begins growing into a person from the inside.

So in practice, debt magic works on two levels at once: it is a narrative engine for bargains, temptation, and horror, and a mechanical engine for pressure, attrition, and consequence.

What is the distinct appeal of Strigovia when compared to other dark fantasy TTRPG settings?

What makes Strigovia distinct is that its horror is not built around epic evil or apocalypse in the usual fantasy sense. It is intimate, folkloric, and social. The danger is not “the world will end,” but “your child may not come back from the woods,” “your village may be forced into a bargain,” or “the thing that protects you today may ask an unbearable price tomorrow.” That makes it feel much more personal and grounded.

Another distinctive element is that the Forest itself is effectively a character. It is not scenery. It has will, appetite, rules, moods, and reactions. It hates iron, resists technology, and stands in direct opposition to extraction, control, and expansion. That gives Strigovia a much stronger thematic backbone than many dark fantasy settings, because the central conflict is not just good versus evil, but nature versus civilization, memory versus modernity, and reciprocity versus exploitation.

Also, Strigovia is not interested in power / hero fantasy. Its stories are about ordinary people rather than legendary heroes. They focus on survival, compromise, belief, identity, and the emotional cost of living in a world where every ritual may be true. That makes it closer to a dark folk tale or rural horror drama than to standard grimdark fantasy.

Finally, the setting’s folkloric logic is part of its appeal. Knowledge does not come from libraries or official doctrine; it comes from sayings, songs, rituals, taboos, and half-remembered stories. In Strigovia, what sounds like superstition is often the only thing keeping people alive.

How does the Strigovia TTRPG compare to what has been released via Patreon?

The clearest difference is one of scope, system, and completeness. Patreon has been a way for us to introduce audiences to pieces of Strigovia through maps, adventures, mood, and worldbuilding material. Because of the enormous popularity and accessibility of Dungeons & Dragons, the free materials released there have been built around 5e mechanics rather than Strigovia’s own original system. That made it easier for more people to step into the world and start playing right away.

The Kickstarter, however, is about presenting Strigovia as its own complete experience - not just as a setting adapted for another ruleset. It is where the full vision comes together: the original mechanics, the deeper lore, the world's thematic foundations, and the unique gameplay built around choices, debts, and consequences.

So the simplest way to put it is this: Patreon has offered an accessible entry point into the world of Strigovia through 5e-compatible material, while the Kickstarter is where people will see Strigovia fully expressed on its own terms. After the campaign, that balance will shift, and the focus will move toward Strigovia’s native system rather than relying primarily on 5e adaptations.

Strigovia goes live on Kickstarter on June 1.

Whether you’re a designer, content creator or just the biggest fan at your table, TTRPG Insider delivers in-depth reporting, original interviews and regular roundups of the news that you will not find anywhere else. Let us help you become the best designer, player or dungeon master at your table.

Subscribe now and get the advantage you require to excel in this exceptional hobby and industry.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe.

There’s a lot of news to process today! Daggerheart’s anniversary sparked a lot of new content. White Wolf previewed plans for an upcoming vampire project. Hasbro ended a highly-promoted partnership with an outstanding video game developer. Kickstarter reversed its approach to adult content. And a lot more.

Daggerheart Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

Critical Role’s Darrington Press unveiled multiple new products, plans and updates for Daggerheart during its anniversary stream.

Daggerheart, the D&D alternative, was released to the public last year, on May 20, 2026. The game has been an outstanding success to date, with high sales necessitating multiple reprints. To celebrate the game’s first year in publishing, Darrington Press announced the following.

• A new free adventure, titled The Wish Thief, is now available for purchase on the game’s various storefronts. It’s a Tier 1 adventure with premades, designed to help folks try the game out for themselves.

• Additional free one-shots are expected in the coming months, including ones to match all four “tiers” (levels) of play.

• An Adversary Builder, which will allow storytellers to build their own badguys, is now available in Daggerheart’s Library

• Daggerheart’s System Reference Document will receive new content from the upcoming Hope & Fear expansion.

• Critical Role’s Age of Umbra, the first mini-series featuring Daggerheart as ongoing play, will get a sequel in the form of Sallowlands. The series will feature Matt Mercery as GM and feature Laura Baily, Jennifer English, Abubakar Salim, Vico Ortiz and Zachery Renauldo as the latest set of players to enter the Dark Souls-inspired setting.

• Daggerheart is being translated into German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian through various localization partners

• Alchemy RPG is releasing the Daggerheart rules onto its VTT.

And a lot more! Check out the original blog post for a lot of details. But it shows the company continues to expand its market presence.

Daggerheart: Hope & Fear is scheduled to release in August 2026.

Hasbro Cancels D&D Partnership With Stig Asmussen-led Giant Skull

Wizards of the Coast formally ended its partnership with Giant Skull, the game studio of Jedi Survivor developer Stig Asmussen, after spending an extensive time building hype for the project.

A Hasbro spokesperson announced that while it "decided not to pursue an early concept from Giant Skull" it has "great respect for Stig Asmussen and his team and value our ongoing relationship,” according to reports from Bloomberg. The two companies will consider future partnerships, the spokesperson emphasized, but the previously announced D&D project has ended.

The original partnership was announced in June, where Asmussen said that he planned to "craft a rich new Dungeons & Dragons universe filled with immersive storytelling, heroic combat, and exhilarating traversal that players will fully embrace."

The pair had appeared in previous interviews hyping up the partnership between the two companies. “We go to Stig and his team to tell an incredible story and bring D&D to a very broad audience,” Wizards of the Coast president John Hight said in an interview with The Game Business. “Ideally, the game will appeal to D&D players because it will help them realise their imagination. But it’s also going to hopefully appeal to people that love playing action games, that love the Jedi games, that love God of War games." The game was reportedly going to be a single-player adventure game, but not a new CRPG akin to Baldur’s Gate 3. Hight has re-emphasized that he intends to make a Baldur’s Gate 4, although it will not be in partnership with Larian Studios.

A D&D game’s cancellation, on its face, doesn’t seem particularly remarkable. But the decision to end the game, made by Giant Skull, stands out because of how integral it has been in past quarterly calls, where Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks held it up as a major pillar of the company’s plans for digital products. Hight himself seems extremely eager to promote video game projects instead of the TTRPG, reflecting how integral those products would be.

In the meantime, D&D is working on multiple video games, including Warlock and a cozy simulator that will release in the future.

White Wolf Previews New Vampire: The Masquerade Product Reveal at GenCon

White Wolf, the publisher of the World of Darkness universe, is planning a big project for its popular bloodsucker-focused franchise, Vampire: the Masquerade.

The company announced during its annual LARP event, Darkness Emergence Los Angeles 2026, that a new VTM product was in “active development.”

“The new project is our love letter to the 30+ years of vampires that have led us here,” White Wolf wrote in a blog post. “We’re celebrating the connection between lore and mechanics, rules and storytelling. The design is focused on player agency, collaboration, and making the experience feel personal. The art direction is built around illustration, with a strong commitment to human-made work. We’re also looking at how we want to work with the metaplot in future books. The sense that history is moving and your chronicle exists inside something larger matters to people. It matters to us too.”

Additional details are scheduled to be revealed at GenCon 2026, where the company has a panel on its roadmap. There will also be playtesting opportunities and an Actual Play using whatever new rules will be presented there.

The announcement arrives a year after World of Darkness relabeled itself as White Wolf, in recognition of the company’s longstanding history. It also previewed plans to release updated versions of older books, including Mage: the Ascension, Vampire: Dark Ages and other properties. No additional details have been revealed, although the company has significantly updated its leadership. Former brand marketing manager Jason Carl has stepped down from his forward-facing role at the company to take over as “Dungeon Master University Dean.” Former D&D executive Jess Lanzillo took over as creative director, and Brazilian game developer Diogo Noguiera was brought on as lead game designer.

It seems likely that this project will be the next stage of however White Wolf and its parent company Paradox Interactive intend to take the popular horror TTRPG property in the coming years.

TTRPG Insider will cover this panel as best we can.

TTRPG Insider has also talked with the leadership team at Darkness Emergent about their ongoing story plans.

Want to see more reporting in the TTRPG space? Heard a scoop or a story you want covered? Let us know! Subscribe to TTRPG Insider and get exclusive interviews, trend pieces, speculation and coverage of D&D, mainstream publishers and the indie scene.

Kickstarter Reverses Ban on Mature Content Guidelines, allowing Adult Content to Keep Crowdfunding (for now)

Kickstarter announced that it is no longer adopting the Mature Content Creator Guide it published last week, which would have imposed additional restrictions on adult content creators.

“Our goal with these updates was to give creators more clarity upfront so they could make informed decisions about their projects before launch,” the company said in a blog post. “The actual impact was the opposite for some. More confusion, more uncertainty, and real fear that a platform that you have counted on to provide space for your creative expression was turning its back on you. You deserve better. So, we’re going back to the drawing board, and yes, that means we’re going back to our previous rules.”

The company confirmed that it is returning to the less strict guidelines of the past, which it describes as “bare bones and not as specific as we’d like it to be.”

It does mean that the Kickstarter payment processor, Stripe, can still decide to suspend a campaign that Kickstarter may have approved. Stripe has grown increasingly strict about which adult-content-related transactions it will allow due to ongoing influence campaigns.

Chaosium Announces Wide Spread of Books for 2026, including a Return to Innsmouth

Call of Cthulhu publisher Chaosium announced a wide range of products scheduled for release in 2026 during Chaosium Con UK this weekend. The majority of these books are expected to be released by the end of 2026. The big release will be Call of Cthulhu: Innsmouth, a scenario book that draws on the iconic lore from Lovecraft’s The Shadow over Innsmouth. This book is scheduled to be released in July 2026. Innsmouth is also going to feature in the upcoming Ravenloft: The Horrors Within D&D supplement.

Another announcement from Chaosium Con UK...

— Chaosium (@chaosium.bsky.social)
2:15 PM • May 23, 2026

They also announced the following:

• Pendragon: The Boy King, an epic campaign focused on the Arthurian legend.

• Rivers of London: No Place Like Home, a collection of casefiles for the fantasy investigation TTRPG (August 2026)

• Rivers of London: Dead Letter, a solo play case file for learning how to play Rivers of London (July 2026)

• Keeper Tips, a book for helping tell stories in Call of Cthulhu, is getting a reprint as a 40th anniversary edition (August 2026)

• The Call of Cthulhu Keeper Companion is a resource of additional tools, advice and scenarios for your Keeper to run at your table. (September 2026 confirmed release date)

• A Keeper Screen for Cthulhu by Gaslight, the game’s late 19th century setting

• Tools of the Trade is a guide containing weapons and equipment for campaigns set in the 1920s. (Q4 2026)

Foundry Unveils its Year In Review for 2026

Foundry, the popular TTRPG VTT, is celebrating its sixth anniversary. It is currently hosting AMAs, an ongoing sale on its store and a preview for its upcoming product lines.

Foundry has made several significant changes to its software, including the addition of new tools for managing scenes and canvases in its Foundry VTT. Version 14 was formally delivered, although it remains unclear if and when the next version of the software might be released. It is also releasing its new TTRPG system, Ember, sometime in 2026. The product is currently in early access.

You can read more about what the company has done and is doing in its blog post below.

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In this week’s TTRPG Insider issue, we received the opportunity to speak with Mantic Games’ Alessio Cavatore about Ghost in the Shell TTRPG, their attempt to convert the popular Japanese IP set in a cyberpunk future into a new playable format. The game is the second property to adapt Ghost in the Shell into a TTRPG, since Mana Project Studios crowdfunded their own version (based specifically on the ARISE series and using the Blades in the Dark ruleset) in November 2025. So, why should fans care about this particular version?

Ghost in the Shell is particularly noteworthy today, as it is one of the better-known sci-fi anime known in the West. I distinctly remember watching the movie adaptation of it back in college. It even got the attention of director Rupert Sanders, who created a live-action adaptation in 2017 starring Scarlett Johansson (the movie’s not well-liked, for the record). So seeing two TTRPG adaptations of this property within a year is intriguing enough.

The interview was lightly edited for clarity and grammar.

Ghost in the Shell, by Mantic Games

1. What’s the story behind how you got the IP and decided to make a game based on the older setting?

Oh, that’s because I’ve fallen in love with that manga from the moment I first laid my eyes on it when it first came out. I remained a fan of The Ghost in the Shell IP through all of its incarnations, from anime to comic to even live-action movie. However, nothing, in my opinion, beats the original's innovative story. It was groundbreaking sci-fi at the time, definitely seminal in setting the cyberpunk scene in the world of comics. 

That’s why I approached Kodansha about the original manga, and I guess they trusted my passion for the IP. Maybe it helped to show them pictures of the bedroom I grew up in, whose walls are still adorned by a massive, framed The Ghost in the Shell poster?! 

2. How will this game operate mechanically? Is it using a new ruleset or a modified one like what GITS: Arise did?

It’s a bespoke rule system that Zak Barouh and I designed for the RPG. It uses the full range of polyhedral RPG dice (minus the D100, I guess…). The characters, which start as trainee agents in Section 9, are defined by six core Traits and a number of Skills and Setbacks that allow them to specialize, but there are no ‘classes’ per se. 

Each PC also has a Synthesis Conflict matrix, a struggle between two opposite aspects (e.g., career vs family, or humanity vs technology, and so on) that will lead to an inevitable Crisis. Characters can acquire cyber parts, typically by losing limbs and organs to the very deadly, detailed combat system (which features hit locations for the reasons given above!).    

PCs also have a reserve of Ghost Whisper points, which sets them apart from NPCs and gives them the chance to alter the plot. Hacking plays a big part in the mechanics, as well as the chance the characters get to equip themselves before a mission, whether they’re going for stealth and techno-infiltration, or overwhelming firepower - lock and load! 

3. GITS is very cyberpunk-coded. How do you hope to capture the setting's uniqueness in that market?

The one element that stands out as unique to The Ghost in the Shell is that aforementioned Synthesis Conflict, which captures the philosophical (Hegelian?) debate at the core of each of the manga’s characters. 

We also think that the grounded nature of the rules and equipment captures that grittiness of Shirow’s work, where even the main characters don’t feel like superhuman, invincible heroes, but rather consummate if slightly damaged professionals with very obvious and characterful vulnerabilities. 

4. Is this more a tactical or story-oriented game?

I would say it’s a good mix of both, and I have seen the same mission being run in very different ways by two different GMs. One GM and their group were very introspective and there was a lot of role-playing and character development. Subtle hacking and cyberbrain manipulation were employed rather cleverly. Great acting on all sides! 

Another group was pretty much the opposite. The players were mostly into bribing, stabbing, shooting, and blowing their way out of any sticky situations they found themselves in (with the tactical help of course of abundant thermo-optical camouflage!), and the GM obliged.  

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How the TTRPG Fits into Ghost in the Shell’s Story

5. Where does this fit into the lore? Do players need familiarity with the film, anime or manga to enjoy this? 

This is set right in the middle of book 1 of the manga, right after Section 9 is established and Batou is put in charge of training future agents, and (spoiler alert - stop reading now!) before the Major leaves the unit.

Of course, familiarity with the IP in general, and the manga in particular, will enhance your enjoyment of this RPG. It is, after all, a project made by fans for fans. Is it necessary to know the IP? No, I think that just liking sci-fi would be enough to understand the setting, particularly as it deals with themes that are becoming more and more familiar to us all in our everyday lives - like the rise of Artificial Intelligence. I am sure that quite a few people will buy this rulebook without knowing the manga, maybe coming to it from the anime or the live-action movie, and I’m fairly certain that after looking at the artwork in this rulebook, their next book is going to be the manga! 

6. What experience do you hope to offer players?

I would love to offer players the same fun that we had while playtesting the game and the Lost Patriot mission. 

As I said before, some players really brought out their acting skills, and I saw a GM and a player riff wildly about some past interaction between a character and their underworld contacts, reminiscing about ‘the times when he was one of the gang’. It was amazing to witness! Later, they admitted they were partly quoting from an obscure cyberpunk B-movie they both knew, and nobody else around the table did. But it was glorious how they ‘clicked’ and improvised. 

Other great anecdotes are based on the use of weaponry, particularly in conjunction with the ‘explosive dice’ mechanic. Stories of frag grenades bouncing back off riot shields to land right back at the feet of the agent who lobbed it (very Will Coyote…), stories of self-flash banging, of terrorists shot with a .50cal sniper rifle right through a small boat at anchor, decapitations with thermo-optically camouflaged katanas (despite the fact that everyone pointed out that katanas are ‘not very The Ghost in the Shell’, but Andy insisted…).

7. What sort of lore or Easter eggs will the book hold? How involved were the IP owners?

The IP owners, both Kodansha (the publisher), and Masamune Shirow (the author) got to see and approve every single aspect of the project. A complex process, but very rewarding for fanboys like myself, particularly when the feedback on some miniatures came in the form of sketches by Shirow Sensei himself, which made us run around the studio squealing ‘we’re not worthy, we’re not worthy’ in a very Wayne’s World moment.  

8. What are you most excited about in this game?

In all honesty, I cannot wait for the book and miniatures to be finally out! I want to share all my excitement with the public. I love the fact that there is a new anime series coming out this summer, which is also based on the original manga. I watched the latest trailer and it’s so great to be able to scream - look, that scene is the cover of our book! Look, that outfit of the Major is exactly the same outfit as our promotional miniature!!! 

As a long-standing fan of the manga, it’s amazing to see it effectively come alive both on screen and on the tabletop! 

The game officially launches in Summer 2026. You can sign up for its newsletter here.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe.

This week, we’re taking a look at updates to the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, where the owners are restricting what sorts of adult content are allowed.

Kickstarter Restricts Adult Content on Crowdfunding Platform

The crowdfunding platform Kickstarter announced new guidelines restricting adult content on its platform, much to the dismay of NSFW-oriented creators in the TTRPG space.

A new “Mature Content Creator Guide” was published earlier this week, which elaborated on the types of adult content that would be allowed to be crowdfunded on Kickstarter. It specifically added criteria stating that any art with “implied nudity where the subject is wearing lingerie, fetish wear, or clothing that is see-through or very tight and shows human genitalia, the anus, or the nipple/areola of female breasts” will not be allowed to fund.

A lot of this is driven by the fact that the payment processor Stripe (which Kickstarter relies on quite a bit) has been adopting guidelines that place additional restrictions on adult content. Comic creators like Mike Wolfer noted that they have been receiving messages from Kickstarter stating that projects containing NSFW content would be reviewed to determine whether they comply with Stripe’s guidelines.

At least one adult comic project has been taken down since the new guidelines were implemented, according to Bleeding Cool.

I’m heartbroken. I care so deeply about adult game devs, other adult media creators & free speech.

Just for context, here is some award-winning media that’d be banned on Kickstarter now:
-The Witcher
-Game of Thrones
-Cyberpunk 2077
-Castlevania
-Baldur’s Gate 3
-God of War
-Dragon Age
-Mass Effect

— Radiant G🌈✨ @ Monsterhearts BackerKit (@radiantg.bsky.social)
6:57 PM • May 11, 2026

This has notable implications for creators like Phoenix Grey, a TTRPG creator best known for writing Lewd Dungeon Adventures. Grey said they were working to negotiate a contract with Stripe to allow them to sell adult content, but that effort went up in smoke with the most recent change in the rules.

Ludic Lemur, the team behind the video game adaptation of the Monsterhearts TTRPG, announced that they are postponing their crowdfunding campaign and exploring new options.

In light of the recent policy changes at Kickstarter, we have chosen to postpone our campaign for Monsterhearts: Welcome to Drowned Lake.

We support 18+ creators & encourage studios & devs to urge Kickstarter to revert these changes.

Please read our full statement here:

— Monsterhearts BACKERKIT LAUNCHING SOON!🩸 (@ludiclemur.bsky.social)
10:57 PM • May 11, 2026

Plus One Exp also announced that it moved its upcoming Soothwardens crowdfunding campaign from Kickstarter to Backerkit due to the content restrictions.

Due to the continued issues with Kickstarter & the recent announcements around censorship, we are announcing the move of @navaarsnp.bsky.social's Soothwardens to @backerkit.com

This was a unanimous choice by Navaar & entire team.
It means starting from 0 and rebuilding.
ttrpg.link/soothwardens
1/3

— Plus One Exp | Lost in the wider world of Stonetop (@plusoneexp.bsky.social)
6:29 PM • May 12, 2026

The new content policy will limit the crowdfunding platforms available to adult-themed TTRPG creators, although its competitor, BackerKit, continues to allow adult content in various forms. The NSFW restrictions will likely have a significant impact on adult comic creators, who regularly use Kickstarter to fund smaller issues of adult comics that might struggle to get approval from mainstream publishers like Image Comics or Dark Horse Comics.

The changes to Kickstarter are the latest evidence of growing pressure on payment processors to crack down on adult content. Itch.io faced notable scrutiny last summer over how it restricted adult content after credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard forced them to put additional restrictions on NSFW content.

“TTRPG Historical Archive” 4 Pillar Games Earns Ire of TTRPG Community Over AI Usage, Ownership

One of the big stories that gained traction online this week was around 4 Pillar Games, a website that attracted some attention within the TTRPG community. It got TTRPG Insider’s attention after it decided to embed our RSS feed on its homepage (both flattering and worrying, if I’m honest.)

The website describes itself as a resource for TTRPGs and the creators, including an archive of TTRPG designers and creators. Unfortunately, the content in those archives is AI-generated, relies on AI-generated images of the designers (many of which are out of date, inaccurate, or nonexistent), and is filled with false information.

Designers were made aware of this website by David Thompson on BlueSky, and immediately protested. Some reached out to the creators, only to have their requests to have their bios pulled down ignored. Others saw bios go up immediately after protest arose.

The project originally had gaming veterans like Dragonlance author Don Perrin and former GAMA chairman Reece Wardrip involved. Investigators quickly linked the project to a fourth owner, a man named Ken Whitman. Whitman is a TTRPG creator known for scamming through crowdfunding and selling himself as a bigger deal than he actually is.

The entire website is a mess of nonsense. The TTRPG community does need resources and documentation to track its ephemeral shifting of creators and media, but websites like this do little good.

Anyway, I recommend checking out EN World and Rascal News’ deep dives into how ridiculous this website is, since they actually did the work to investigate it.

Ken Whitman creates bizarre AI-powered biographies of TTRPG designers

Ken Whitman is behind the site, and has his own Ai-created biography Ken Whitman, a man whose reputation in the gaming industry is controversial at best, is behind a new website called '4 Pillar Games'. The website purports to be a record of influential game designers and companies, and is...

AI-generated profiles of TTRPG designers ignite fury across social media

4 Pillar Games’ new website adds AI-generated slop to an already ephemeral online historical record.

Dungeon Crawler Carl Raises $13M, Making it the Largest Amount Raised by TTRPGs in 2026

Renegade Game Studios’ Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG and Unstoppable board game raised over $13 million, making it the most successful campaign of 2026 to date. It was unable to beat out Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere TTRPG, which raised $14 million in 2024. It’s also, arguably, the most funding raised by a Backerkit TTRPG campaign to date. While the game’s pitch was a bit lackluster when it came to rules, the appeal of the popular LitRPG game shows how strong the appeal of a popular IP can be in crowdfunding…again.

This isn’t really a TTRPG item, but it is something that I am extremely excited about. Glitch Productions, the folks behind The Amazing Digital Circus and Knights of Guinevere, released the pilot for GAMEOVERSE, a new project from animator RubberRoss and Game Grump aka Arin Hanson. It’s a distinct spin on video game/isekai storytelling where the game’s end is not’t as happy as we want.

As a big fan of indie animation, I hope more people give this a look, and really recommend it.

Want to see more reporting in the TTRPG space? Heard a scoop or a story you want covered? Let us know! Subscribe to TTRPG Insider and get exclusive interviews, trend pieces, speculation and coverage of D&D, mainstream publishers and the indie scene.

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Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe. Help us become one of the go-to sources in the industry on Dungeons and Dragons, independent RPGs and everything inbetween.

There’s a lot of news to get through today! The big one is D&D Beyond’s new drop system, a decision that is a bit controversial. There’s two fantasy/sword-and-sorcery TTRPGs based on the same IP releasing simultaneously without any clarity as to why. There’s a bunch of crowdfunding events as well! Lots to chew on.

D&D Beyond Announces ‘Drops’, Weekly Content for Subscribers

Wizards of the Coast has continued to pivot toward its video game-informed format with the addition of a new “drops”-based approach to D&D content.

The company announced D&D Beyond Drops on Thursday, a new way for “subscribers to get play-ready content on D&D Beyond every single week.” This new feature will release new additions for D&D, including maps, images, player options and more. A lot of the content appears to be old monthly drops that D&D Beyond offered to subscribers, such as new dice skins and character sheet frameworks. They also added multiple spells and feats for player characters in the first official update, including some 5e adaptations of old-school spells like Sticks into Snakes.

D&D Beyond

What’s important to note is how the information is distributed. In the past, D&D Beyond players could share source texts with other players through content-sharing features enabled by its subscription service. That way, a DM could share their books with prospective players without forcing players to pay additional fees.

The new Drops appear to be exempt from this feature and require players to subscribe to the service to access them.

The inability to share the drops-based content did not make fans or D&D influencers happy. “Paywalling character options behind their subscription and not allowing content sharing is absolutely not okay when we’re paying for content sharing,” wrote Tyler of RPGBot.net on BlueSky.

DnD Beyond Drops is their new thing, and I’m not happy about it. Paywalling character options behind their subscription and not allowing content sharing is absolutely not okay when we’re paying for content sharing.
#dnd#ttrpg

— RPGBOT.net (@rpgbot.bsky.social)
6:33 PM • May 8, 2026

“D&D is now, more than ever, a live service where you rent the game rather than own it,” wrote Wargamer’s Mollie Russell. She also notes that this approach “sets a dangerous precedent” since “D&DBeyond has a track record of stripping useful features in order to encourage sales.”

WOTC’s team frames the decision not to share the content as a way to help ensure creators are compensated.

“We need to pay the great designers, artists, and developers working on D&D Beyond Drops,” explained D&D Beyond executive producer Brian Perry in a Reddit AMA. “We also really think it's important to make the entire subscriber content library accessible to Hero Tier subscribers (as well as Master Tier). Not making Drops content eligible for content sharing was a necessary tradeoff to hit these goals.”

The approach appears to be adopting a live-service model, akin to what platforms like Fortnite and Overwatch 2 offer players. You pay a monthly fee to get regular access to new content. The choice doesn’t appear too surprising in light of WOTC’s hiring of John Hight and Dan Ayoub, both video game veterans from companies that have run live service games before. It’s also a common way to help ensure that long-running video games have a revenue source and remain open. So why does D&D need this? That remains uncertain. I would not use this as proof that D&D might be struggling financially. Rather, it seems more likely that this is part of its seasonal approach, of releasing more content in shorter form. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks has placed a heavy emphasis on investing more in Hasbro's and WOTC’s digital assets, so this subscription approach makes a lot of sense within his framework. At the same time, Cocks affirmed that physical books will remain integral to D&D.

Whether fans will support it will be the next question. The response has been mixed based on cursory scans of Reddit and Twitter. Some players love the new content, while others lament what this model will mean for the game’s future. We will have to see how the new drops play out.

Sword and Sorcery Icon Elric of Melniboné Gets Two TTRPGs Announced in the Same Week

Elric of Melniboné, the sword & sorcery character from Michael Moorcock, is getting two TTRPGs. On Tuesday, Dungeon Crawl Classics publisher Goodman Games announced that they are releasing The Classic Era of Elric, a series of sourcebooks, adventures and other supplements set within Moorcock’s universe. The books will come in DCC and Fifth Edition variants and will crowdfund in 2027.

A few days later, Free League sent out their own press release announcing Legends of Stormbringer, another TTRPG based on the Elric universe. This one will use the ruleset from Dragonbane and focus on the Young Kingdoms.

“This has been in the works for several months, and we’re thrilled to finally share the news,” said Tomas Härenstam, CEO of Free League Publishing in a press statement. “We are honored to bring Elric and the Young Kingdoms to the table once more.”

It’s unclear why both publishers announced games based on the same IP the same week. From what little information is available, the games appear to be set in different time periods within the long-running series of novels and will use entirely different rule sets.

TTRPG Insider reached out to both publishers for comment, but did not receive any in time for publication.

Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character featured in the Moorcock novels. The hero is an albino sorcerer, emperor, and warrior who defends his lands on an alternate earth. He was originally created in the 1961 story The Dreaming City and has appeared in multiple novels and stories since. He’s considered a major influence in fantasy fiction, and has even been featured in early editions of D&D.

Call of Cthulhu publisher Chaosium published its own series of TTRPGs based on the Stormbringer/Elric novels in 1993, but the license was pulled in 2007 over personal disagreements and later issued to Mongoose Publishing.

TTRPG Insider @ GenCon

I can confirm that TTRPG Insider will be at GenCon again this year! GenCon is the biggest tabletop gaming convention in the United States, and it’s always where a ton of news comes out. D&D has already confirmed plans to reveal more details about what’s coming in 2026 there, so expect us to be there as well.

We’re still months away from the event, but you can expect TTRPG Insider to be your on-the-ground source for news. It’s also a great time to talk about big projects that creators are working on. So stay tuned!

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OSE Demons, Pocketopia and RPG Party: 3 Major Cross-Collab TTRPG Events This Week

Another month, another set of crowdfunding events for you to support.

First is Old School Essentials Month, a group-collab event where creators are making demon-themed supplements for Exalted Funeral/Necrotic Gnome’s Old School Essentials TTRPG. 17 supplements, each designed to epxand your game. EF/NG is releasing the Demonic Grimoire, a supplement with demon lords, monsters and tools for players who want to enjoy the very OSR-coded game.

There’s also Pocketopia, a new crowdfunding event where game designers are making “portable tabletop games.” This includes solo TTRPGs and regular TTRPGs alongside card and board games. There are 50+ projects available for your consideration.

There have been at least four TTRPG-focused crowdfunding events on Backerkit so far this year, which is indicative of how far Backerkit seems to be leaning into this approach right now. We spoke with Backerkit’s Maxwell Salzberg about this last year.

How Crowdfunding Team-Ups at Backerkit Kickstarted Mothership Month

How "collaborative crowdfunding" helped Backerkit raise $7.3 million in pledges in 2025 and help communities of creatives create work together to create their visions

Gamefound is following a similar route with the announcement of 2026’s RPG Party, their initiative to help indie TTRPG creators to crowdfund their projects. They have expanded the number of sponsors involved to include Modiphius and Darrington Press, and are hoping to accommodate the players in a timely and appropriate manner.

Rascal has a good interview with Cam Bradley, who oversees the project

Gamefound wants to throw another successful RPG Party after learning hard lessons

"If we can be a third pillar in the RPG space rather than another monolith, that just feels really healthy."

That’s all for this week. Have thoughts on a recent story? Want to promote your latest product? Feel free to send us tips or emails at ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

You can also tag or follow us on BlueSky, Threads or Twitter!

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

We’re the go-to source for exclusive interviews, analysis, and writing on the TTRPG industry, from Dungeons and Dragons to independent RPGs and everything in between.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe.

This week’s interview is about Elderbrain Games’ upcoming D&D campaign Spawns of the Mindrender, the fourth campaign released by the publisher and the latest edition to their homebrew world. The company has been publishing long-term campaign settings for DMs for years, but decided to intertwine the stories together so that a table could play through their other games and explore their world in greater detail.

Spawns of the Mindrender is a dark fantasy adventure for players who have characters leveled 11-15, and sends them into a mountain realm where they’ll have to deal with Lovecraftian entities, barbarian tribes and a realm that is slowly decaying into madness.

One of the big selling points is the involvement of Forgotten Realms inventor Ed Greenwood, who is helping to write some of the book’s content.

We got to speak with Elderbrain CEO Gabor Dan about the book and the collaboration.

Elderbrain Inc

How does Spawns of the Mindrender fit into the series of campaigns that Elderbrain has produced so far? I remember past conversations about your campaigns all being part of something larger.

Spawns of the Mindrender is the fourth installment of a series of long-format adventures and campaign settings that describe a region within our world, Eldeïn. This campaign dives deeper into the northern mountain realm of Vordan. There’s an underlying story running through all five books, the last three, including this one and the final one, which centers on the machinations of a larger force in the background, collecting the pieces and ingredients for a grand plan that will be executed in the fifth book.

Is this campaign intended to be played by itself or added onto other Elderbrain campaigns?

All of our books can be played as standalone campaigns, but they connect through this underlying story. There’s no direct continuation from one book to the next, but each campaign ends in a way that allows you to seamlessly continue to the next installment, culminating in the final campaign.

Elderbrain Inc

What sorts of inspiration played into Spawns of the Mindrender’s vision and story?

We drew inspiration from movies like Conan the Barbarian and sagas like Mad Max, but set in a harsh, mountainous environment with ice and cold. We wanted to create a unique setting for each of our books, and this one features advanced mechanical technology in a fantasy context, where magic is shunned. It’s a more barbaric setting that evokes a raw, survivalist feel.

How did the Ed Greenwood partnership arise? What is he contributing and how does it fit into your end-product?

I met Ed by chance at Gen Con last year and shared how much his work inspired me. I invited him to join us in creating more one-shots for our Mindscape subscription service, which is live now on our website. For the Spawns of the Mindrender campaign, we’re running a unique program where followers can vote on the content of a mini-scenario Ed is creating. He’s really excited about incorporating these community-driven elements and will present his ideas during our live stream on May 5th, when the project launches. (Editor note: The stream has already occurred as of the time of this story’s publishing.)

What’s something you are excited for players to discover in this book?

I’m excited for players to explore the unique technology in this campaign, which adds a new layer to the D&D experience. The themes of madness and the Lovecraftian horror elements add a chilling atmosphere. Plus, there are numerous exciting side quests, like collecting pieces to activate a gargantuan colossus, evoking the spirit of anime like Voltron, where players can control and upgrade a huge construct to battle kaiju-level monsters.

What’s next after this campaign?

The next and final campaign will be titled Eclipse of the Nightfeeder, and it will be the last piece of the puzzle where this underlying story comes to light, or rather, to darkness. Players will journey into the Abyss and then return to discover the last region of Eldeïn we’ve created, called the Mountainfall, where they will face something truly terrible that has come to this place. This final installment will tie all the threads together into an epic conclusion. We’re also expanding our Mindscape One-Shots subscription series and bringing in more legendary creators to collaborate with us. 

The campaign launched on May 5, 2026.

Whether you’re a designer, content creator or just the biggest fan at your table, TTRPG Insider delivers in-depth reporting, original interviews and regular roundups of the news that you will not find anywhere else. Let us help you become the best designer, player or dungeon master at your table.

Subscribe now and get the advantage you require to excel in this exceptional hobby and industry.

D&D Rules Update: Third-Party Designers Hold Steady in 2024

Explore the slow adoption of Wizards of the Coast's 2024 D&D rules and how third-party game designers are navigating the potential changes in the tabletop RPG landscape.

We spoke with Elderbrain back in 2025 about how they were approaching incorporating 5.5e rules into their new campaigns.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe. Help us become one of the go-to sources in the industry on Dungeons and Dragons, independent RPGs and everything inbetween.

Today, I am VERY excited to feature an EXCLUSIVE interview with Avantris Entertainment about Neon Odyssey, their upcoming sci-fi D&D 5e supplement that launches this week!

Interview: Avantris Entertainment Goes Full Space Opera in Neon Odyssey, the follow-up to the Successful D&D Horror Campaign Crooked Moon

Avantris Entertainment is, in many ways, one of the less-discussed successes in the TTRPG campaign. Originally an AP of friends at the table, their YouTube channel saw its subscriptions surge in the last few years thanks to their campaigns and an extensive series of animated shorts featuring ridiculous moments from the games. Avantris later crowdfunded The Crooked Moon, a horror Kickstarter campaign that raised $4 million in 2023 and has seen outstanding support in the TTRPG community to date.

Now the group is shifting themes and releasing Neon Odyssey, a space-opera-meets-80s-sci-fi epic. Based on a similar setting that Avantris ran on their channel, Neon Odyssey will include three new books as opposed to Crooked Moon’s one. The game has strong Starfinder influence, in that it creates its own setting using D&D rules but reflavours them for a more sci-fi setting, including the transformation of traditional D&D classes into sci-fi-flavored ones. Warlocks will be “Cryptists,” Bards are “Icons”, Barbarians are “Juggernauts,” etc.

TTRPG Insider spoke with Avantris Entertainment co-founder and head of Creative and Marketing, Mikey Gilder, about the story behind Neon Odyssey and what they hope to do with this new campaign.

1. What's the story behind Neon Odyssey? What inspired the decision to go from a local horror campaign to a galactic-themed Fifth Edition game?
   A: After spending over three years immersed in folk horror, we really wanted to pivot to a theme that was effectively the opposite. With the state of things right now, we all are craving spiritual fuel with bright horizons of infinite possibility and feeling nostalgic for the things that bring us joy. That sort of energy is what we’re bringing to Neon Odyssey, and we think space opera is the perfect genre for that.

2. How much of the game is original content, and how much of it is drawing from the various seasons set in Neon Odyssey's various campaigns?
   A: What’s going into Neon Odyssey was all determined first, and the various campaigns we are playing that take place in the setting are drawing from what was already determined. We want to make sure that there is a wealth of themes and tools that players can utilize, but fans of Avantris content will find fun Easter Eggs and nods to our various campaigns throughout.

3. How will this project compare to Crooked Moon in regards to new lore, art, and the work since it is multiple volumes?
   A: We have never been known to have restraint. While the Crooked Moon was absolutely massive, and we crammed as much as we possibly could into it while still keeping it one book, with Neon Odyssey we’re upping the stakes even more. The scope and scale of the trilogy is very ambitious, and we want to hand tables enough tools to have years of space opera campaigns.

4. How is Avantris Entertainment approaching Neon Odyssey differently in comparison to Crooked Moon?
   A: When we first launched the Crooked Moon Kickstarter, despite the tons of research we did, we really knew nothing about the game publishing industry. In the years since, we’ve learned lifetimes of (often extremely painful) lessons from writing, manufacturing, and fulfilling the Crooked Moon, and we’re applying all of those learnings to Neon Odyssey, with a team that we’ve built with the lessons we’ve learned.

5. How will this compare to traditional Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons? Is it a reflavoring of traditional D&D classes and features, or is it more like the relationship of Starfinder to Pathfinder, where there are new classes and traits to build around?
   A: This is very much a D&D project. We love D&D, and we want it to feel familiar and easy to pick up if you’ve been playing 5e/5.5e. We’re striking a balance between reflavoring / “reskinning” and also developing new, optional systems to add to your game to increase the space opera immersion to the
   level your gaming table wants.

6. Why should people play this sci-fi game over others?
   A: We hope people enjoy our approach to science fiction TTRPG, particularly the blend of science fantasy and nostalgic influence we’re injecting into it. We have a great team making it, and there will be so many species, subclasses, and other options that we think there will be something for everyone to
   live their ultimate space opera adventure.

7. What's something that you (or the Avantris team) is most excited about fans finding in this new book?
   A: While we’re super excited about everything in Neon Odyssey, the super flashy stuff is always the subclasses and species, along with our class skins and the new machinist class. We want people’s imaginations to go wild with character concepts.

Neon Odyssey Preview: The Shorgath

Avantris Entertainment was kind enough to share a short preview of a monster block from Neon Odyssey.

Avantris Entertainment

A horrific fleshy amalgamation of countless members of the galaxy’s fishlike elder race after a planet-wide catastrophe turned them into a soupy mixture.

“This is a gargantuan aberration that is a legendary “boss” monster that serves as an enormous and terrifying “The Blob’ like monster with tons of body horror and cosmic horror,” Avantris told TTRPG Insider. “It can consume its victims and turn them into shrieking fleshy masses like the countless beings that fused to form the Shorgath. It also can warp space around it and gibber maddeningly.”

“It’s not often that you find a gibbering fleshy horror archetype that is absolutely enormous and a super-powerful boss monster, so we wanted to have one that represented possibly a near-global catastrophe,” they added. “Basically, it’s the Lovecraftian Shoggoth meets the Third Impact from Evangelion, and we think that is pretty awful in the best way.”

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Wizards of the Coast Union Faces Pressure from Hasbro

I don’t have a ton to add on these, but I do think they are particularly of interest to our readers. United Wizards of the Coast is a newly formed union established this week by employees involved in the creation of Magic: The Gathering Arena. They formed to push back against the growing support for AI tools at Hasbro, but are facing pushback from WOTC leadership.

I highly recommend Rascal News’ reporting, which is staying on top of this story.

Magic: The Gathering Arena developers unionize, alleging forced AI use and return-to-office mandates

“We know the workers that make the game can and should be treated better.”

United WotC workers prepare to defend Wizards of the Coast’s first ever union

“We're not being heard, we're not being taken seriously or treated with respect.”

That’s all for this week. Have thoughts on a recent story? Want to promote your latest product? Feel free to send us tips or emails at ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

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Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

We’re the go-to source for exclusive interviews, analysis, and writing on the TTRPG industry, from Dungeons and Dragons to independent RPGs and everything in between.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe.

Adapting popular rule sets to other genres is a common tool among game designers. The number of Mork Borg clones that are not dark fantasy is a great example of this. Daggerheart is still one of the newer systems, but its open game system and popularity has inspired two different projects to try and do sci-fi this way. One is The New Unknown, a new rulebook written with the help of Daggerheart writers that’s crowdfunding today. The other is Rigamaroll, a professional actual-play that runs two parallel stories using the Daggerheart ruleset, including one set in a sci-fi setting and mechanics.

Interview with EuryDice about The New Unknown and Doing Daggerheart in Space

The New Unknown is a new book published by new TTRPG publisher EuryDice, who describe themselves as 3 friends making Daggerheart content. The book is a full sci-fi book that provides classes, ancestries, communities and all the tools required to make a character in Daggerheart, but in a sci-fi setting. It’s a rather large project to pursue, but the team has acquired the assistance of writers from Daggerheart to assist.

TTRPG Insider spoke with Chris (one-third of EuryDice) about the project and what they’re doing with it.

What's the story of this project? Where did it come from?

EuryDice: This project started as what we called “just a small sci-fi conversion, nothing fancy”. That was over a year ago. Alexander (also known as Tenawa, one of the Mods on the Daggerheart Sub-Reddit) came up with the idea and gathered two close friends, Flo and Chris, for a creative collaboration. We are all connected by the passion for TTRPGs as players and also creators - Alexander has been publishing homebrew content for Daggerheart for over two years now, Flo is studying Game Design and Chris is a storyteller with a Diploma in Screenwriting. So when we got together the once thought to be small conversion grew into something much bigger with its own identity and after a successful announcement on Reddit we somehow overnight built a Community, that is now over 450 Patreon strong and very active. With that kind of backing the project became what it now is: a fully Daggerheart compatible sci-fi Core Rulebook called “The New Unknown” (TNU).

Why use Daggerheart to make a sci-fi supplement? I know some creators have made their own sci-fi APs using Daggerheart so far, but this is the first supplement I've seen. It appears like you've recoded the game's mechanics to fit the Daggerheart style in the same way that games like Everyday Heroes use basic d20 mechanics to tell their distinct storytelling styles

EuryDice: Alexander was the first one to come in contact with the Daggerheart system, he fell in love with its narrative-focused mechanics and quickly “infected” the rest of us. We feel like Daggerheart perfectly supports heroic stories and explorative campaigns like we envisioned for “The New Unknown”. It’s not too rule-heavy, and especially with the Domain and Class cards, very beginner-friendly. Through the Duality dice, it also gives the Players a chance to directly influence their fate, which feels fair to them and allows the gamemaster a more collaborative approach than other systems. We wanted to incorporate all these things to transport some of the spirit that makes Daggerheart such a great system into space.

Was there any collaboration with Darrington Press, or were these just projects that also involved Daggerheart writers?

EuryDice: No, there is no collaboration with Darrington Press. We’re not affiliated with them in any way, other than using the Daggerheart compatible brand. BUT we were lucky enough to be supported by some of the creatives who worked on the original Daggerheart corebook (which was a rather fanboy- and fangirl-ish moment for us, to be honest). Chris Davidson will create some of the Adversaries for TNU, together with Alan Tucker, he also acted as an advisor for our Kickstarter campaign, and Carlos Cisco did a very lovely Interview with us for the Daggerheart Dispatch. They were all super supportive, nice and open to talk to us and we honestly can’t thank them enough!

Why play this game over other sci-fi games?

EuryDice: There’s more than one reason for sure. One being: if you like the Daggerheart system, core rules and overall flair, you can find these in a space setting playing TNU. But as it is not just the sci-fi conversion that we originally intended, there is much, much more. We’ve built our own ruleset for spaceship building and space combat, new card mechanics, and four unique Campaign Frames that introduce Players to a variety of exciting settings ranging from sweeping space opera and upbeat exploration to gritty, dark, and stylish cyberpunk. All of these are tightly interwoven with the Classes, Communities, and Equipment that we created for the book. We have around the same scope as the Daggerheart Corebook.

What's something you're most excited about within this book?

Eury Dice: We truly hope this book can be a beginning. We already have a lot of ideas, what we want to add, how we want to continue with the stories and the world building. Our community helps us to come up with even more. But we also want TNU to be a playground for other creatives and homebrewers. We’d love to inspire other storytellers and hope we can give back a little to the community that so wholeheartedly welcomed us during our development process.

You can check out THE NEW UNKNOWN on Kickstarter here.

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Rigamaroll Explores He-Man-esque Adventure in Limited Run Daggerheart Campaign

The other project that has attempted to explore what a science fiction story with Daggerheart looks like is Rigamaroll, an AP launched earlier this year by United eSports founder Felix Lahaye¹ and a team of other creators.

“We wanted to do a blending of genres,” Lahaye told TTRPG Insider. “Half the team is sci-fi and half the team is fantasy. We wanted to do a genre-blending show and were tinkering with Daggerheart as a system. So we decided to pivot to this?”

The show involves a notable amount of production and involves several VAs and actors from Hollywood, including Matt Lowe (Blood of Zeus, Brooklyn 99, Arcane), Joe Zieja (Marvel Rivals, Fire Emblem, Genshin Impact), Crystal Lee (Bratz, Genshin, Barbie), as well as Samuel Forbes, Sam Van Helsing, Janlle Kester, and Colin Search. Nearly all the players are lifelong TTRPG fans, according to Lahaye, although this is the first time many of them have played together.

The story focuses on the land of Synthara, the setting where two separate parties (one fantasy and sci-fi) end up on separate journeys whose actions may impact the other.

The goal was to create a coherent world with the vibes of He-Man or ThunderCats, but lean into the distinct blend of sci-fi and fantasy that both popular 80s cartoons initially explored, including custom rules and classes for the sci-fi part of the game.

The show is a single season with 12 episodes so far with a slowly growing audience on YouTube so far. The AP has received some hype from Darrington Press, who has gone out of their way to promote the various Daggerheart APs that have appeared on the market (such as Dodoborne, who we interviewed last year.)

It remains to be seen if additional seasons will be made, although Lahaye was hopeful about the show’s future.

You can check out Rigamaroll here.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe. Help us become one of the go-to sources in the industry on Dungeons and Dragons, independent RPGs, and everything in between.

This week, I kept things a bit light as I had to work extra hours. First up is new subclasses being tested for D&D. There are new Baldur’s Gate 3 books coming soon. And I chatted with an appmaker who made an app for rolling dice.

On a more personal note, I’ve been reading Leaving Mundania by Lizzie Stark during lunch breaks at work. It’s a layman’s look at the Live Action Roleplaying or LARP community, and it’s making me want to go try it. There’s a group I know that meets in my town to play it every week, and I am dying to try it. Sadly, I’m working right when they gather. Yay 60-hour workweeks. Anyway, I do recommend the book if you're interested. It’s not a high-level academic text, but it’s a casual read.

D&D Continues to Expand Unearthed Arcana Offerings W/ A Second Helping of “Villainous Subclasses”

Wizards of the Coast

Another set of D&D subclasses was released via Unearthed Arcana this week. The new set, which focus on three “additional” evil subclasses that “encourage players to embrace their inner antiheroes or engage with sinister powers.”

• The Path of Lament Barbarian lets your unarmored fighter embrace their inner banshee and turn the powers of death against their opposition

• The Warrior of Venom Monk is all about using their body to generate and expel poisons that inhibit the opposition

• Primordial Patron Warlocks are all about channeling the elemental evils as your source of strength.

The UA is now available on DnD Beyond and will be seeking feedback via a Survey starting on April 30.

The original villainous UA was released in early April, and offered options for becoming a death knight or lich.

Astarion and Baldur’s Gate 3 Get Expansion Books

Baldur’s Gate 3 fans rejoice! Random House Worlds is partnering with WOTC to publish four new supplements for the award-winning video game based on Dungeons and Dragons.

The most exciting revelation was Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion, a prequel about the half-elf vampire rogue played by Neil Newbon. The novel will be a prequel to his role in BG3, where we’ll explore his relationship with his vampire sire, Cazador, and some of the jobs that he was involved in. The novel is scheduled to release on September 26, 2026.

Here’s the Amazon description:

Three other books are scheduled to release.

• Baldur's Gate 3: The Necromancy of Thay is a recreation of the necromantic spell book from the game. The book will be a blank, grip-paper notebook for you to fill with your dark secrets. This wil lrelease on July 21, 2026

• The Official Baldur's Gate 3 Coloring Book will feature 40 illustrations of characters, creatures and scenes from the game. This releases on August 11, 2026

• A Feast for a Tenday: The Official Baldur’s Gate Cookbook contains 65 recipes inspired by the core settings of the game, including dishes it labels as “romanceable.”

I suspect this is just the first of many tie-in products that Wizards of the Coast will release to support the BG3 fandom. The books are being produced without the involvement of BG3’s game devs at Larian Studios.

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Pumpkin Spice, by Acheron Games

The number of successful TTRPG crowdfunding projects in the first quarter of 2026 grew 35%, implying that TTRPG spending may see a surge this year.

21 TTRPG-themed crowdfunding campaigns raised $100,000 or more than the same quarter in 2025, according to TTRPG Insider’s analysis. That’s 35% more campaigns than Q1 2025 that successfully reached that milestone.

TTRPGs that passed the $100k bracket generated an estimated $8,058,431 in Q1 2026, approximately 25% more than the $5,989,278.06 raised Q1 2025. 2026 had the same number of $1 million campaigns as 2025, with only one campaign that ended as of March 31, 2026 reaching the $1 million mark.

The outstanding successes for the period include Italy-based Acheron Game’s Pumpkin Spice TTRPG about witches running a cafe and Altheya: the Dragon Empire, written by the team that made the High Rollers Actual Play.

February and January were notably slow for TTRPG creators, with only a few campaigns getting major traction.Zinetopia and Zinequest both launched in February, providing an opportunity for indie creators to fund smaller projects and create things they usually wouldn’t. While the majority of Zinetopia projects successfully raised enough funds to fulfill their campaigns, they only raised an average of $3,000 to $4,000, according to Web of the Gigantic Spider.

When mid-February/early March arrived, a number of major campaigns jumped into action. These included highly anticipated projects like the Numenara update from Monte Cook Games and Blades ‘68 from Evil Hat Games, which raised significantly more than one would expect.

Only 6 of the 21 featured games used Fifth Edition mechanics, a surprisingly low number compared to past quarters.

The one game that stood out to me was Gates of Krystalia, an Isekai-themed TTRPG that has gained some momentum despite the creator admitting to using AI-generated images in the book, a practice that many fans denounce. All other games use human-made art. This is arguably the highest TTRPG with AI imagery that has been raised.

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What Does This Mean?

MCDM Productions

The outstanding success of TTRPGs so far suggests that fans are eager to support projects they like, and that crowdfunding-related spending isn’t declining yet. While I originally suspected we would see spending drop as the economy grew more expensive and tariffs affected publishing, TTRPG creators and fans have not slowed down yet.

Non-D&D projects continue to find some success, though most successes stem from already popular properties. Altheya, for example, is a setting written by an established AP, Temeraire is based on a fantasy novel series, etc. Pumpkin Spice, a very different game type from most of what saw success this year, succeeded in part because of Simz Art’s very popular series of modern-day witches.

We’ll see if this momentum maintains. April already appears to be an extremely successful month based on the Dungeon Crawler Carl Backerkit and at least two major Backerkit “Months.” May will also feature Sword World, Avantris Entertainment’s sci-fi 5e conversion and Old School Essentials Month on Backerkit.

Methodologies

If you want to review my data, it is available here. This is so you can point out potential analytical errors if I got anything wrong, and so you can do the math yourself. I’m just one person, but I’m convinced I've got all the big players. 

The data above was gathered through a review of the Kickstarter, BackerKit, and GameFound platforms. Any campaigns featured in my dataset must meet the following criteria:

• A campaign must be successful. No failed campaigns are included here.

• The RPG project must be for a campaign setting or book. While dice projects like Heroforge’s Custom Dice did have substantial success this year, we’re focusing primarily on books and publishing.

• The campaign must have earned $100,000 or more. This is a ballpark metric that I think reflects a reasonable amount of success, and was inspired by Bob World Builder’s April 2025 video reviewing past subjects. This isn’t to say that a campaign that made $90,000 is lesser, but it likely has less market prominence than others.

• They wrapped up sometime between January 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026.

The estimates were drawn up directly after the campaigns wrapped up. Many Kickstarter campaigns experience a surge in pledges after the campaign ends, which can significantly increase the total amount earned. I chose to focus on what was earned at the time of the campaign’s end to ensure everything remains steadfast and will not change due to economic reasons.

Finally, I did my best to convert all pledges to USD using the exchange rates available as of April 19, 2026.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe. Help us become one of the go-to sources in the industry on Dungeons and Dragons, independent RPGs and everything inbetween.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the big story this week, raising big numbers. We also have new reveals for Daggerheart, a new AP for Dungeons and Dragons and a lot more.

Dungeon Crawler Carl TTRPG and Board Games Break Crowdfunding Records

The big story this week for me has been the Dungeon Crawler Carl TTRPG/board game Backerkit campaign, which has been a massive success. The campaign raised more than $4 million on its first day and has raised over $6 million as of Friday evening. The campaign is raising funds for a board game and a TTRPG set in the same setting.

Dungeon Crawler Carl, for the uninitiated, is an immensely popular novel in the LitRPG genre. DCC is about Carl, who must survive an intergalactic game show resembling a fantasy dungeon crawl after aliens take over Earth. The author, Matt Dinniman, has released seven volumes and has an eighth one scheduled to release in May. The first seven books have sold an estimated six million copies, according to the New York Times.

The books’ success shouldn’t surprise observers, since DCC fans are often TTRPG fans themselves. I first learned about DCC from a professional GM friend who could not stop talking about the books. And yet, I will admit I have not read them. It’s on my to-do list…my very long to-do list.

But I do believe it is highly likely that the campaign will continue to excel in the coming days despite a lack of clarity around how the TTRPG itself will work (as noted by Rascal’s Lin Codega.) The authors have released basic rules, but I still have a lot of questions about how this game works.

It remains unclear whether or not DCC will beat the Cosmere RPG, a TTRPG from Brotherwise Games that raised over $14 million in 2024 to produce games based on Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy novels, and become the most funded TTRPG crowdfunding campaign to date.

Daggerheart: Hope and Fear Unveils Covers, Opens Preorders

Daggerheart: Hope & Fear is the first expansion for Darrington Press’ extremely popular TTRPG. The Critical Role-affiliated publisher announced dates for when the game will be available in stores while also revealing the new cover art (featured above.)

The new expansion will release as a regular book and a deluxe edition (complete with a GM screen, dice, cards and tokens.)

Fans can now preorder both versions of the game on Darrington Press’ online store. The book is scheduled to be released on September 22.

The book, as TTRPG Insider covered during PAX Unplugged last year, will contain four new classes, multiple lineages, and four official frameworks for storytellers to use as they see fit.

Dungeons and Dragons Announces New Ravenloft Actual Play

Wizards of the Coast announced it is creating a new actual-play titled Dungeon Masters. The campaign stars Dungeon Masters stars Jasmine Bhullar (DesiQuest, Dimension 20) as the Dungeon Master, Mayanna Berrin (Dispatch, StoryQuest), Christian Navarro (13 Reasons Why, Forgotten Realms: Tears of Selune), Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate III), and Devora Wilde (Baldur’s Gate III).

The first season will focus on Ravenloft, the new book published in June. Nearly all of the new characters appear to be made with Ravenloft subclasses and lineages.

“Dungeon Masters brings a truly authentic and original experience to our fans, with all of the fun, high-tension moments, drama and adventure built from official D&D material,” said Dan Ayoub, SVP and Head of Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast in a press statement.  “In many ways, Dungeon Masters is our love letter to the actual play shows that have introduced so many to D&D. Our aim with Dungeon Masters is to crystallize all that’s great about actual play – the tension, drama, and unpredictable nature – and put our stamp on it with upcoming official source material. We’re so excited to see how Dungeon Masters can inspire even more adventure from our players, and in turn, see how they inspire us to make the show better and better.” 

The one odd aspect is that D&D Beyond tried to promote this project as the first “official AP,” a claim that AP scholar Emily Friedman notes is inaccurate. The company has had previous partnerships with creators like Acquisitions Incorporated (hell, they even had their own SOURCEBOOK built around Baldur’s Gate!).

I have stuff to say about this, but as y’all might know, I’m finishing a book about how this is just… inaccurate.

For now I’ll just put this here:
lareviewofbooks.org/article/who-...

— Dr. Emily Friedman (@friede.bsky.social)
11:35 PM • Apr 16, 2026

GeekNative also noted questions about whether this AP may run into legal issues if it doesn’t disclose that it is an advertisement

Personally, my only gripe is a lack of Jennifer English (Shadowheart from BG3) who would play so well off of Newbon and Wilde. Personally, I love watching their con interviews and TikToks. But maybe they’ll appear in a future season.

The first two episodes premiere on April 22.

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Why We're Seeing a Surge of Anime-Inspired TTRPGs in North America

While tabletop gaming has played a significant role in Japanese culture for years, that culture has slowly turned back around toward Western audiences.

I got to write a piece over at ANIME HERALD about how we’re seeing games like SWORD WORLD, GHOST IN THE SHELL and ATTACK ON TITAN release in 2026. There have been a few other announcements since I wrote the piece, but it just went live and I’d love to see you support Anime Herald, who is covering their own part of the fandom space.

That’s all for this week. Have thoughts on a recent story? Want to promote your latest product? Feel free to send us tips or emails at ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

You can also tag or follow us on BlueSky, Threads or Twitter!

Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

We’re the go-to source for exclusive interviews, analysis, and writing on the TTRPG industry, from Dungeons and Dragons to independent RPGs and everything in between.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe.

Sword World is a TTRPG whose influence is immense among Japanese RPGs and American TTRPGs, even if most players don’t know about it. The game has been sequestered in Japan since 1989 despite selling 10 million copies. But now the game is finally being translated into English thanks to the world of Mugen Gaming, a small company who are leading the localization initiative. The English translation of the game is scheduled to crowdfund later this year.

TTRPG Insider got to talk to the owners of Mugen Gaming about the project, how it came to pass and why Western audiences should care about Sword World.

Group SNE

Sword World, the iconic Japanese fantasy tabletop role-playing game’s entry into the English market of tabletop role-playing games, finally arrives after more than thirty years, due to the work of an American couple eager to help Japanese game creators sell more games.

The story begins with Mugen Gaming, a new company founded by Ai Namina-Davison and Shawn Davison, a married couple who operate the Level One Gaming Shop in Kansas City, MO. The company is designed to translate and convert Japanese board games, card games, and TTRPGs into English.

The idea came about when the pair visited the Tokyo Game Market, a convention centered on tabletop gaming of all sorts from across Japan. Ai had a history of managing international operations for medical science firms, which meant she traveled a lot and had experience working with Japanese businesses. Shawn, in contrast, had been running Level One for a while.

While wandering the expo, the pair found Kiri-Ai, a two-player dueling game about samurai facing off with one another. “I asked the designer about the game, his publication plans, and retail goals,” Shawn told TTRPG Insider. “He told me that he only printed a couple of hundred copies, and if it sells out, he didn’t know if he would print more. So this game felt like it was going to disappear.” The designer, Kamibayashi, was more interested in game design than in business. That led to Kiri-Ai as Mugen Gaming’s first product, which it published in partnership with Lucky Duck Games.

The jump from publishing an indie card game to one of the most iconic fantasy TTRPGs in Japan’s history was a massive leap, but it was one that arose through sheer circumstance. Ai met Hitoshi Yasuda, the president of Sword World’s IP owner, Group SNE, during a visit to the German gaming convention Essen Spiel in 2024 at a subway stop. They eventually began discussing how to bring Sword World to English audiences. A number of fans at conventions like GenCon had expressed how much they wanted an English version of Sword World, the Davisons told Yasuda. Unfortunately, the Group SNE president told the Davisons that the IP rights to translate the game belonged to someone else. Yasuda and the Davisons met at other international events like Tokyo Game Expo and Essen Spiel, where they continued to discuss opportunities to bring other Group SNE games to English audiences (such as a series of murder mystery games that the company had published)

Yasuda eventually offered the couple the opportunity to publish Sword World, claiming he could easily get the rights back if they were interested. The couple jumped on it without hesitation. Since then, they’ve been actively gathering partners, art designers and publishers together to bring the game to life for English audiences. The game is scheduled to crowdfund in May 2026.

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Sword World, for those unfamiliar, was originally published in 1989 based on the game records of a local D&D group. The Record of Lodoss War was initially published by Group SNE, which started out as a local D&D group that recorded the events of their game in written format. When D&D publisher TSR rejected Group TNE’s proposal of turning their table’s lore into a written setting, it decided to make its own ruleset that became the basis for Sword World. That game (and its various supplements) has sold more than 10 million copies.

The game has since been updated multiple times and is currently on the 2.5 edition of its rules, which was released in 2020.

The translated version will be an adaptation of Sword World’s 2.5 deluxe edition from 2025, the Davisons told Wargamer. The couple has been working closely with Group SNE to translate the game, aiming to capture its unique identity without using distinct Japanese words. For example, Shawn mentioned the Grappler class. While most Western readers would assume a grappler is someone who wrestles or throws their opponent, the in-game class is actually just a martial artist. Group SNE insisted they used the term for that purpose.

How Sworld World compares to D&D

Both Ai and Shawn described Japanese TTRPG design as “vibes-based,” where players choose a character class based on appearance or an ideal vision of gameplay, rather than focusing on optimization as some communities of Dungeons and Dragons players might.

Japanese tables are also often more focused on short-term storytelling rather than the years-long campaigns that D&D players are familiar with, the Davisons told TTRPG Insider “There’s less emphasis in the rules on explaining to you how something works, because you're supposed to grab a character, play it for a level, play it for one adventure, and then move on,” Shawn explained.

Sword World is also presented as a simpler fantasy game. Shawn, who describes himself as a long-time fan of D&D 3.5, described Sword World as a “straightforward play experience” based on its use of a 2d6 plus modifier for almost all of its rolls. It’s also a game where you are expected to multi-class, learning skills from a variety of roles to fill out your team’s roster. This means there’s a heavy emphasis on teamwork, where players will have to develop their characters with appropriate classes and skills to fill gaps their fellow players might have.

Mugen Gaming

Why Sword World Matters

Sword World’s localization to English arrives at a time when there is a lot of competition in the market. Fantasy games remain one of the most popular forms of TTRPGs available to players. There are also a multitude of options for capturing a TTRPG experience inspired by your favorite anime or JRPG, whether it is Final Fantasy XIV, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, and more. There are also a multitude of games indirectly inspired by Japanese games and shows, including Fabula Ultima, Twilight Sword and Lancer. So why should we care about Sword World?

• The most obvious fans will be long-term TTRPG fans who love Japanese media. Fans have attempted to translate Sword World into English in the past, but there’s never been an official version you can have on your shelf.

• Anime and JRPG fans will find much to enjoy in the game, thanks to the original Sword World's influence on familiar IPs such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Frieren, and others.

• RPG history fans will appreciate the project. The game’s influence is undeniable throughout fantasy media, so why not try the game for yourself?

It’s an opportunity to try a game that influenced much of Japanese media that public audiences have come to love. It’s a game with a lengthy history that deserves recognition.

“Nothing about Sword World feels revolutionary,” wrote Rascal News’ Caelyn Ellis in a review of the game’s quick start. “But [Sword World] does feel like a game that’s going to enable me to have some fun, anime-flavored adventures with my friends. Sometimes, that’s all you need.”

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.

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It’s a light week of news, with a publishing agreement and a new crowdfunding initiative from Backerkit. Also some cool space news! Honestly, I always need more space news.

Studio Hermitage Partners with Dark Horse to Sell Victorian Horror-Focused Our Brilliant Ruin in Gaming Stores

Studio Hermitage

Our Brilliant Ruin, a new IP created by former World of Darkness creative director Justin Achilli, announced a new partnership with the comic publisher Dark Horse Comics to bring its TTRPG to new audiences.

The TTRPG was originally crowdfunded in 2024 and has quickly produced an audio drama and comic set in the world of the Dramark, “a place where the last fragile remains of society burn with excess and intrigue in the shadow of a dying world,” Studio Hermitage said in a press release. “The Ruin, a preternatural force befouling everything it touches, has ravaged geography and culture alike, wreaking destructive havoc and transforming both people and animals into monstrous creatures. With the world plunged into darkness, how will you spend the time you have left?”

The core rulebook will now be distributed by Dark Horse Comics to local gaming stores, making the game more accessible.

Studio Hermitage previously released a 4-issue comic in partnership with Dark Horse Comics that explored the setting, so this deal is an expansion of their original deal. Studio Hermitage has expressed an eagerness to convert OBR into properties outside of the TTRPG. These include an audio drama miniseries and an in-development video game. TTRPG Insider got to test an alpha version of the video game during PAX Unplugged.

MegaDungeon Month Begins on Backerkit

Yet another of Backerkit’s cross-promotional projects went live this week. Megadungeon Month, a crowdfunding period for megadungeon TTRPGs, went live this week. Megadungeons, in this case, are campaigns where players will often stay in a set of caves or halls for a lengthy period of time, with a focus on the grind over the more traditional in-and-out approach to fantasy storytelling.

The initiative features projects from several large publishers in the space, including Monte Cook Games, Kobold Press, , Ghostfire Gaming, and more.

For example, Troll Lord Games is publishing Caste Zagyg, a megadungeon it claims was written by D&D creator Gary Gygax.

There’s also the DIE Metadungeon, a TTRPG experience from Rowan Rook and Deckard that uses Kieron Gillon’s DIE TTRPG to explore the history of the hobby.

It’s a lot of interesting projects, and you should give it a look!

Mega Dungeon Month on BackerKit

Welcome to Mega Dungeon Month! The biggest names in Tabletop RPGs. All the dungeon content any person could need.

Rolling D20s IN SPAAAAAACE

Instagram post

Rabea Rogge, a German female astronaut, posted a video of herself rolling a d20 in space. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty cool.

Rogge flew on SpaceX’s Fram2 Mission in 2025, making her the first German woman in space.

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This week, we’re taking a look at Breathless: Frightmare Edition. Originally a two-page indie action survival TTRPG written by Rene-Pier Deshaies in 2022, BREATHLESS gained immediate notoriety within the space for how it used dice mechanics to establish tension and scarcity in a zombie-infested world. Now the game is getting a major update and several new scenarios and an elaborate new design that’s been published by Mythworks (Wildsea, Slugblaster, etc)

We got to speak with Mythworks co-founder Ray Chou about the project, what this updated version entails, and why it might be a good tool for convincing others to try TTRPGs.

Mythworks

Breathless was originally released in 2022 by Rene-Pier Deshaies as a simple zombie-focused TTRPG, where players are survivors living inside of a Walking Dead-style world filled to the brim with undead monsters and creatures. It was a simple game, but gained a lot of momentum and interest within the space. Its mechanics (which used diminishing dice as a way to reflect the stress that items might go through) caught a lot of people’s attention. 350+ games or hacks used Breathless’ mechanics for their own, according to Deshaie.

Deshaies and Mythworks had a history prior to the games’ release, Mythworks co-founder Ray Chou told TTRPG Insider. The two had collaborated to distribute Deshaies and co-designer Galen Pejeau’s game Stoneburners through Mythworks’ online store. The two eventually discussed updating Breathless and expanding it well beyond the original vision.

Those discussions occurred around the same time Chou was imagining a new series of games published in partnership with CBR-PNK’s Emanoel Melo called STORYPAK.

“STORYPAK is our way of making RPGs as easy to play as possible,” Chou said in a press release. “By creating games that are simple, lightweight, and beautiful, we’re hoping to lower the barrier to entry and expand the possibilities of the medium.” In Breathless’ case, this means that Mythworks, Deshaies, DNGN CLUB designer Jack Panic, and Melo were collaborating to expand the zombie survival game well beyond its original plan.

STORYPAK’s simplistic design was originally established through CBR-PNK, a small, pamphlet-sized TTRPG that presents its rules and cyberpunk-inspired setting through a distinct publishing model that reflects the futuristic setting. The new version of Breathless can be run as one-shots or as a longer 6-12-session campaign if the table wishes.

Frightmare Edition, in contrast, presents itself with a 90s slasher-horror/VHS-inspired aesthetic. The cassette container holds 12 pamphlets, including updated rules, tools for generating your own zombie dangers, four adventures, and much more.

Mythworks hopes to publish several more STORYPAK games in the future, starting with Melo’s upcoming Onigami, a TTRPG about samurai and ninjas who have made pacts with onis in the 16th century.

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The Manageability of Small Games

Mythworks

Breathless, like a lot of TTRPGs, will be released in a market where they have to compete with established games like Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Cthulhu and other well-established rulesets. Plenty of DMs and TTRPG fans lament the difficulty of trying to convince friends and companions to try a new game. Chou thinks that the STORYPAK approach to making a TTRPG helps jump that barrier and maybe introduce people to their new favorite game.

“I think the form factor [of STORYPAK] is absolutely one of the things that lowers the barrier to entry,” Chou argues. “When I think about picking up an RPG and playing an RPG with friends, I’ve found that most people stick to one game, and they stick to one game because it's what they know. They don't want to learn a whole bunch of rules. "What we've seen with CBR-PNK is that people who would not otherwise give other role-playing games a chance, or are not attracted to role-playing games, are willing to give it a chance because it seems manageable.” Making character creation and rule mastery easier makes it a lot easier for players to pick up a game and start playing. It makes it a perfect game to pick up and play at conventions, breweries, or even a night where half your TTRPG table has to call off.

Chou’s thoughts do appear to match some popular trends. Honey Heist, a simple 1-page TTRPG about bears stealing honey for themselves, saw massive pickup after Critical Role played it in a one-shot years ago. I also know several DMs who have used one-page TTRPGs to get their D&D-only tables to try non-d20 systems for themselves.

Having a game well-grounded in a popular genre also goes a long way. The zombie apocalypse is a genre that has been explored extensively in modern media (Night of the Living Dead, Left 4 Dead, The Walking Dead, etc.). “Everybody knows what the fiction looks like. So it’s easy to come up with a character who fits the setting,” Chou argued.

Players who are curious about Breathless can get the original version for free on Itch.io right now.

The Kickstarter launches on April 7.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to ttrpg.insidernews@gmail.com.