Tabletop Games

Free League’s Alien RPG Launches On Virtual Tabletop Platforms

Free League’s Alien RPG Launches On Virtual Tabletop Platforms

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Alien: The Roleplaying Game, based on the iconic movie franchise, was published by Free League last December. It’s since gone on to become one of the most successful tabletop products of 2020 — no easy feat when you consider the circumstances. Imagine how popular it could get if you could play it remotely. Looks like we don’t have to imagine anymore…

A virtual tabletop version of the ALIEN RPG Starter Set has been added to the VTT platforms Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. It’s got both the full-length cinematic scenario Chariot of the Gods and its sequel Destroyer of Worlds, the latter of which was released as an expansion last April. Both were written by sci-fi author Andrew E.C. Gaska, and all you need is the Starter Set to play both of them. Fantasy Grounds also has all 392 pages of the Alien RPG core hardcover rulebook.

While the Starter Set isn’t as full-featured as the full version, it coontains a 104-page abridged rulebook (except on Fantasy Grounds), 20 custom dice, reference cards, character handouts, a huge starmap, and the two scenarios. All these parts are replicated in the virtual version.

Now, no matter where you are, you have no excuse not to be playing the Alien RPG. The only way to stop the proliferation of this game is to nuke it from orbit.

Free League’s NORK BORG Adds Cult Expansion

Free League’s NORK BORG Adds Cult Expansion

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Earlier this year Free League brought out NORK BORG, the first tabletop game published under their Free League’s Workshop label (a sublabel for externally developed games, as well as a website for fan-created scenarios).

MORK BORK is an artpunk RPG from creators Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell. They say it’s “about lost souls and fools seeking redemption, forgiveness or the last remaining riches in a bleak and decaying world. Who are you? The tomb-robber with silver glittering between cracked fingernails? The mystic who would bend the world’s heart away from it’s inevitable end?” They add, “The world is dying. And you with it.”

If you can’t get enough NORK BORG, there’s good news: an expansion is now available, MORK BORG CULT: Feretory. It includes a monster generator, new treasures to uncover like The Cauldron of Lies, new classes and, most importantly, two new adventures to embark on: The Death Ziggurat and The Goblin Grinder. “This expansion is guaranteed to make you descend into madness,” says Free League. “Because let’s be honest, a cursed urban slaughter fest awaits those brave (or insane) enough to enter.”

MORK BORG itself contains:

  • The Calendar of Nechrubel, that decides the speed of the world’s demise.
  • 20 occult Powers that let you bend reality, and just as many magical catastrophes for when you disastrously fail.
  • Optional rules which bring more depth to the game. Omens let you turn bad luck into a slightly better one. Classes with unique traits and quirks, and tables that will bring life into your character.
  • 12 creatures to be murdered by.
  • Game master tools such as tables for corpse plundering, occult treasure, adventure sparks, dungeon generating and other devilry.
  • The introductory dungeon crawl scenario Rotblack Sludge, where you investigate a forgotten part of the Shadow King’s enormous ruin palace. Cannibal warlocks, poison peddlers from beyond the void and hungry gutworms await.

You can pick up MORK BORG and its expansion at the Free League webshop right now, or at select retail stores and hobby shops.

critical role

Critical Role Announces Its Own Board Game Publishing Label

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Earlier this year Wizards of the Coat released the first D&D campaign that took inspiration from the popular liveplay show Critical Role. Explorer’s Guide To Wildemount came out last March, and it must have done very well, because Critical Role themselves have decided to get into the business….in a big way.

Darrington Press, named after Sam Riegel’s Taryon Darrington character, will become a force in the board game business in 2021 with four planned releases throughout the year. One will be released every three months and they’ll cover a variety of themes. The first game to be published under the label will be Uk’otoa, a tactical card game for three to five players where you play as sailors on a sinking ship. The goal of each of you is to be the last to sink….because if you hit the water you’ll likely be eaten up by the massive sea monster whose name is on the box.

In the second quarter of 2021, look for Critical Role Adventures, a more direct product that sells on the popularity of Vox Machina themselves. This game is still going through heavy development and not much can be told about it at the moment, but we would imagine the finished game would resemble a session from the show.

In late summer Darrington will release Syndicult, an RPG designed by Matthew Mercer where the mafia is as powered up with magic as they are ruthless. Watch your step or you’ll lose a limb — or have it turned into a rabbit. Guardians of Matrimonia is the final release of 2021, a co-op card game where players battle a gang of monsters who like to crash parties. Defeat all the monsters and you all win, but they’ll claim victory if your deck runs out first.

The folks in charge of Darrington Press will be Ivan Van Norman, and Game Master (and creator of Syndicult) Matthew Mercer. Look for their games next year.

mythroll armory

Mythroll Armory’s Dungeon Christmas Ornaments Available This Week Only

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We’d prefer not to bring up the holidays right now, because we KNOW the retailer industry is chomping at the bit to shove it into our faces the very second Halloween ends, and we’d like to enjoy our remaining week. But next week, Mythroll Armory’s ornaments won’t be on sale.

Yes, it’s the same Mythroll Armory behind Doodle Dice and the Perplexing Puzzle Experience, along with many other things. These wizards of tin usually crowdfund their work, and this is a record fifth effort within one year (quite a feat in 2020). Eight metal ornaments themed around tabletop gaming are currently being offered in super-limited quantities by Mythroll. This project reached its goal within one day, but it will only live a week, and it’s been several days since launch.

For 39 dollars American, you can get the following eight creations to spruce up your tree….

Merry Critmas Wreath: Let’s people know that this year, you’re pulling out a 20.  It’s going to be a happy day and a merry new year and nothing is going to stop you.

Bloody the Elf: He’s not an elf.  He’s a goblin. He puts on a grumpy demeanor so that the other goblins don’t realize how full of cheer he really is.

Blazin’ – The Sled-pulling rein-Dragon: Blazin’ with your flaming breath so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?

The “These pants are too small” Ogre: Someone forgot to bring their stretchy pants and, now that his belly is full of turkey, he’s feeling a little uncomfortable at the in-law’s potluck.

Potion of Heroism: This bubbly blue potion gains you 10 Temporary Hit Points that last for 1 hour after drinking it. For the same duration, you are under the Effect of the bless spell (no Concentration required). That should get you through all that family time!

Mimic: The gift that unwraps you!

The Festive D20: “How is it festive?” you ask?  Because it’s red!  And it has a hole in the top to put it on your tree.

Wizard Wonderland: Jolly and cheerful, he lights up any room!  Did someone say “fireball?”

So how long have you got? As of this writing, just three days. And some of the more affordable tiers are running out of stock! Better click fast! This Kickstarter closes for winter on October 30.

coriolis

New Coriolis Adventure Announced By Free League

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Free League Publishing has announced a new Coriolis adventure is on the way…The Last Cyclade, the second part of the Mercy of the Icons campaign.

Far above in the darkness of space, a lone ship waits to enter the portal. Its crew stands ready to complete their mission: to reach the ghost ship Zafirah first to unveil the truth behind one of the horizon’s most ominous mysteries…

Many months ago, the destroyer Zafirah vanished. Now she is back, in a time of turmoil as the council and authorities are questioned, and people begin to revolt against their oppressors. The throat of the Third Horizon is exposed, and this is when something ancient rises from the shadows.

Coriolis was conceived by game designers Mattias Johnsson Haake, Mattias Lilja and Martin Grip as a sci-fi tabletop game set in a remote cluster of star systems called The Third Horizon. It is a place ravaged by conflicts and war, but also home to proud civilizations, both new and old. Here, the First Come colonists of old worship the Icons, while the newly arrived Zenithians pursue an aggressive imperialistic agenda through trade and military power. The Coriolis – The Third Horizon roleplaying game was awarded the ENnies Judges’ Spotlight in 2017. Earlier this year, Free League acquired ownership of Coriolis outright.

The Last Cyclade is a 240-page hardcover that actually consists of TWO stories: The Uharan Echo and In the Shadow of the Zenith. Within the book you will also find four new adventure locations, mission generator tables for making your own adventures, and in-depth background information for the DM.

Coriolis: The Last Cyclade will be available from Free League starting December 8. Pre-orders are now open.

gun and gun

Gun And Gun Draws A Strong Crowdfunding Campaign

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Cincinnati-based Lion Wing Publishing has launched the Kickstarter campaign to bring over the Japanese card battling game Gun and Gun. It was created by the Japanese design studio Keepdry, famous for the Core Connection series.

Choose your character, then literally draw your weapons. Pick two of nine available guns and wield one for each arm. You get a series of cards related to the guns in your holsters and one of three skill cards. Then….fire! You will have two options at your disposal during every match, and you’ll have to choose the right weapon for the right scenario. Your Skill Cards will also help by blocking the opponent’s attack or boosting your own.

  • A unique battle card game brought to you straight from Japan!
  • Draw from two decks to blast your opponent into submission!
  • The ability to play casually with pre-built decks or competitively with deck construction!
  • Quick-playing and action-packed matches that can end just as quickly as they began!
  • The only authentic anime-themed expandable card game on the Western market.
  • An evocative cyberpunk post-apocalyptic aesthetic punctuated by vibrant Japanese art from the talented illustrators at Keepdry!

The Gun and Gun Kickstarter reached its goal in just seven hours. A $30 pledge gets you a copy of the Core Set and its first expansion, Overheat, plus all unlocked stretch goals. $90 expands the set to include a storage box, a playmat, an extra gun and foil cards.

This campaign will be open for just eight more days….it closes on October 22. If you want a copy, be quick with the trigger finger!

journey to ecrya

Journey to Ecrya Launches Kickstarter Campaign

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Ecrya Games, a tabletop gaming studio founded by three former university students in Germany, has launched the Kickstarter campaign for the board game of their namesake: Journey To Ecrya. Originally conceived for a student assignment, the game grew in their minds until it became more than just a means to a grade…they had a full-fledged product.

You play as one of eight heroes setting out to find the lost, abandoned city of Ecrya. Swing swords, cast spells, and fight your way past powerful monsters as you explore the game’s world. The first hero to reach the city wins, but just getting there isn’t the final task…as you march toward the gates, you may find something inhuman has beaten you there.

Two years of development have already gone into Journey To Ecrya, and the game should reach completion early next year. After that point the production process will take them into the spring, and the finished games will arrive next summer. There is also a digital version of Journey To Ecrya in development.

A standard version of Journey To Ecrya takes a $30 pledge. You’ll also get a digital artbook PDF and digital wallpaper at that tier. At $54 you’ll receive a signed edition of the game, the digital version, and all unlocked stretch goals. Higher tiers offer bonuses like more wallpapers, a custom sketch, and the chance to play a session of the game with the dev team.

You can secure your copy of Journey To Ecrya by heading to this Kickstarter page. The campaign lasts until November 10, and the game is estimated to begin shipping in June of 2010.

the labyrinth

Simon Stålenhag’s The Labyrinth Launches Kickstarter

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You know artist Simon Stålenhag for his work on Tales From The Loop, a narrative art book that was adapted into a successful tabletop game and all sorts of spinoffs from there. Now he’s working on his second tale told through pictures: The Labyrinth, a post-apocalyptic tale of survival and facing the unknown.

A world covered by ruins and ash, the remnants of an otherworldly phenomenon that has ravaged the earth’s atmosphere and forced the few survivors deep underground. Matt, Sigrid and Charlie leave the safe harbor of the enclave for an expedition into the wastelands of the surface world. During their journey they are forced to confront dark secrets from the time before civilization’s fall.

Will The Labyrinth reach the heights of Tales From The Loop? That’s up to you. The crowdfunding campaign for the book was launched today, in association with Free League Publishing and Skybound Entertainment. The Labyrinth is planned as a large, hardcover volume 150 pages thick on high-quality paper stock.

You can secure a copy of Stålenhag’s latest through this link. A $40 pledge gets you the standard package: one hardcover physical copy of The Labyrinth, plus a digital PDF of the same (extra shipping charges may apply later). A limited-edition version of the book with a backer-exclusive embossed cloth cover is a bit more at $79.

The Labyrinth Kickstarter will be live until October 30. Get your pledges in before then!

wonder woman 1984

Cryptozoic Announces Wonder Woman 1984 Card Game

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Cryptozoic Entertainment, makers of minatures and tabletop adventures based around your favorite characters, is gearing up to celebrate the long-delayed release of Wonder Woman 1984 with their own card game based on the movie. Presumably, this card game has been sitting around complete for quite a while as well, but they seem to feel confident enough in the latest release window to reveal this product.

Two to four players will take on the task of stopping the evil Cheetah in the Synth ‘n Glitter Age as Amazonian princess Wonder Woman. Seriously, you’ll all be playing Wonder Woman at once, there are no other characters…but who would really want to be anyone else anyway?

Each player will be given a deck full of moves…choose Block, Lasso, Sprint and Punch to get the upper hand on an army of enemies and rescue the civilians caught in the chaos. Whoever saves the most bystanders is the winner, and each game takes about 25 minutes.

Inside the Wonder Woman 1984 Card Game box you’ll find 162 cards divided into four Action Decks (35 per player), one Enemy Deck with 22 baddies to beat, 30 Civilian Tokens to save and one Rulebook.

The Wonder Woman 1984 Card game will be released this winter.

doodle dice

Customize Your Game With Doodle Dice

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Mythroll Armory, inventors of the Tin20 Folded Dice Sheet, have struck again with another creative take on the analog number generator that makes tabletop games run. Whether they’re working on their own creation or just want to mix it up at the next D&D session, some prefer to make their own gaming dice.

If you want to create something permanent, though, it means messing with molds, mixing resins and working with pressure pots — easy things to mess up for those just getting into it. You could pay someone else to craft your dice, but that costs even more. “We thought, ‘what if anyone could design their own unique dice, with little investment, regardless of their age or skillset?” says Dave and Joel, founders of Mythroll.” What if you could make a unique set of dice for each of your characters for the cost of getting one set from ‘those other guys?'”

To solve this problem, Mythroll invented Doodle Dice. They’re sets of blank tabletop dice that come with eight permanent paint markers in black, white, blue, red, green, yellow, silver, and gold. Mythroll tested and experimented with many different materials for both paint and dice molding, and arrived at the perfect chemistry…now they’re launched a Kickstarter to fund and sell Doodle Dice.

Can’t you mess up just as easily here as with a resin dice set? It’s possible, but it’s also easier to erase a goof-up: the paint comes off with nail polish remover and a cotton pad.

You can get your own set of Doodle Dice with a Kickstarter pledge. $20 buys the basic package…seven blank dice and eight markers. The Party Pack costs $87 and includes 60 dice, plus five different sets of markers. Retailers can stock their hobby shops with a $132 pledge that includes ten packages with hang tabs.

You have eight days left to get your Doodle Dice…the campaign ends Friday, October 16!

 

gloomhaven

Gloomhaven: Fallen Lion Comes To Comics This December

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First, Gloomhaven was a tabletop game. Then it became a video game. Now Isaac Childres’ creation is invading another medium: comic books. Gloomhaven: Fallen Lion is a one-shot book released through Ox Eye Media and Deep Water Games that expands the lore with a new story written by Travis McIntyre.

“We’ve all put a lot of thought into what exists in the canon of Gloomhaven, and what Isaac’s vision is, and how story arcs fit into that and where there’s room to create,” says Travis. “I think we are going to be coloring in some areas that were left a little gray previously and adding shades and variations to bits of lore that previously existed.”

The City of Gloomhaven can be a tough place to make it as an adventurer and being in the right party is key to survival. The Jaws of the Lion are the top of the mountain in the hierarchy of the city, but their latest job goes sideways, and Anaphi, the mindthief, is to blame! The first comic from the wildly popular GLOOMHAVEN game launches a fantasy world unlike any in existence. Get ready for Quatryll punk bands, drug dealing Inox street gangs, and a dark God sleeping beneath the surface, eager to destroy the world. Welcome to the City!

Gloomhaven first came into existence as a tabletop game that earned $4.4 million from its Kickstarter campaign and more than 45,000 backers. When the game was released, BoardGameGeek gave it its highest rating and awarded it the honor of “Board Game of the Year” in 2017. Gloomhaven was then converted into a video game from Asmodee Digital that mixes tactical RPG elements with randomized dungeon crawling.

Gloomhaven: Fallen Lion will be $3.99 on the day of release, but you can preorder it now at a discount of $1.99. The Gloomhaven board game remains purchasable at most hobby retailers and the video game is available right now through Steam Early Access.

gloomhaven

mythroll armory

Now On Kickstarter: Mythroll Armory’s Perplexing Puzzle Experience

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Add a little interactivity to your tabletop RPG adventuring with Mythroll Armory’s Perplexing Puzzle Experience, now currently in the middle of its crowdfunding campaign. The RPG combines traditional dungeon-crawing gameplay with physical puzzle items that have to be solved to reach victory.

The game contains a ten-page narrative and instruction booklet, an expansion booklet with another setting, five custom oversized Mythroll Armory treasure dice, a nine-inch block puzzle terrain by Inkarnate, 22-inch maps of the Phelaneau and Krrag Farrlun regions (by the same artist), and four puzzles: the 3-piece Krrag Farrlun map puzzle, the 2 Interlocked keys puzzle, the 2-piece Caged Prism puzzle, and the 5-piece cryptographic decoder puzzle. The DM will have the power to create their own puzzles as well.

  • Physical puzzles including a 5-piece custom encoder/decoder
  • A campaign and instruction booklet that lets you customize the puzzles for your own campaigns
  • A custom Syrinscape sound set with cues written into the book
  • An expanding world based on Inkarnate maps that lets you re-use the puzzle, adding to their value

You can secure your copy of Mythroll Armory’s Perplexing Puzzle Experience with a $74 pledge (currently discounted to $57, but the amount of discounted units is almost gone). You’ll receive everything listed above plus a bonus puzzle, all stretch goal content and a custom Syrinscape soundscape.

The Kickstarter for Mythroll Armory’s Perplexing Puzzle Experience has met its goal and will wrap up September 16. The game is expected to ship this November.

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