Category Archives: Technology

Role announces its support for ORC

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Open RPG

It’s been an interesting few weeks for the tabletop roleplaying community. Debates over open licensing have been at a high with a group of publishers coming together to announce a new license, ORC.

Role has announced that it will fully support all works published under the ORC initiative.

You can read Role’s full announcement below:

It’s been an incredible few weeks in the TTRPG community. We’ve seen & participated in the rise of a great tide of creators, publishers, and platforms charting a new destiny & embracing the open license-mentality that makes this medium so special and unique.

We’re pleased to announce that Role will fully support all published works under the upcoming ORC license initiative! 

Role has always been a community & platform that puts creators first. This has not changed. Our convictions around an open publishing ecosystem have never wavered. We believe in a TTRPG industry that embraces the community storytelling, game design, and innovation that is uniquely born from all of us working together.

Interpop announces the Emergents TCG global release in February 2023

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InterPop is celebrating the first year of the ever-expanding fan-driven Emergents Universe with a trading card game, moving from Public Beta to global release on February 6, 2023! Among the team behind this new initiative are pro-players, and game designers Corey Burkhart, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, Brian David-Marshall, Zvi Mowshowitz, and Drew Nolosco. This team counts two in the Magic: the Gathering Hall of Fame, the 2020-2021 Magic the Gathering World Champion, with multiple pro-tournament wins, and a resume of over 50 games and expansions released. Cards in the game feature art from legendary talent like Scott Kolins, Colleen Doran, Adrián Gutiérrez, and more.

The Emergents Trading Card Game taps into this already expansive universe and its rich storylines to create an unmatched player experience, while leveraging the power of the Tezos blockchain to turn cards into digital collectibles, with the ability to own your cards, cosmetics, and other game assets, via the almost any wallet in the Tezos ecosystem. The game combines the deep strategy of traditional TCGs, the convenience and fast pace of digital TCGs, and the digital ownership of Web3. 

Players can learn more about this rich universe and its characters Interpop Comics series The Nine, Emergents Presents, #ZoeMG, The Abyss, and The Rejects, which established this brand new superhero universe, with all comics available digitally via their InterPop Comics readership platform.

The Emergents Trading Card has been in Public Beta since August of this year, where players can download the game and start building their decks with regularly-updated batches of Free Set cards. As in the comics, the powers behind characters in The Emergents TCG are divided into 5 factions: Tinkerers, Acolytes, Sculptors, Strongarms, and Non-Stops. Each faction has its own advantages and disadvantages, and players are already finding exciting ways to creatively configure their decks.

To get players started with their own cards at launch, InterPop ran the Super Booster Flash Sale, which offered three tiers of “Super Booster Promo Packs” containing cards with exclusive artwork from artists like Scott Kollins, Colleen Doran, and Bill Sienkiewicz, player avatars, and Emergents Universe comics.

Paizo and Foundry Virtual Tabletop Announce a Content Partnership

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Paizo has announced an official partnership with Foundry Gaming LLC to bring premium content to Foundry Virtual Tabletop. This announcement comes after nearly a year of communal effort from Paizo, Foundry Virtual Tabletop, Sigil Entertainment Group, Syrinscape, and contributors from the FVTT Pathfinder Second Edition development community. Paizo has heard the outpouring of support from the Foundry VTT userbase and is excited to continue to work with the Foundry team to bring Pathfinder content to their platform in a way that emphasizes the quality of the respective products.

The first premium product to release as part of this partnership is the second edition Pathfinder Beginner Box, coming April 16. The release of the Beginner Box on Foundry VTT has been specifically timed to precede the community-driven Beginner Box Day event occurring the weekend of April 23–24, 2022. Fans won’t have to wait long for more content as the debut volume of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path, Punks in a Powder Keg, will be available simultaneously with the book’s retail release on April 27. Volumes two and three will follow as they hit store shelves in upcoming months.

Next month, the truly massive Abomination Vaults Adventure Path arrives as an all-inclusive deluxe module, coinciding with the release of the hardcover adventure compilation.

  • Among the many premier features players and GMs can expect in these premium offerings are: Adventure and toolbox content converted to Journal Entries, each customized by hand to provide dynamic links to other documents and specific instructions for running the adventure using the automation features of Foundry Virtual Tabletop.
  • Scores of unique, high-resolution character and monster tokens.
  • Exclusive, highly detailed, and immersive adventure maps with support for Foundry Virtual Tabletop’s Overhead Tiles and Foreground Layer features, re-created using assets from Forgotten Adventures.
  • Scenes pre-configured with walls, lights, sound, tokens, and hazards already placed to provide GMs the most convenient experience running the adventure.
  • Music, ambience, and sound effects provided using audio from the extensive Syrinscape library.
  • Script Macros that allow a GM to ease the effort needed to handle more complex encounters that await players.
Pathfinder

World of Darkness Partners with Demiplane to Create a Digital TTRPG Toolset

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World of Darkness Nexus

Demiplane has announced today a multi-year licensing agreement with World of Darkness to create World of
Darkness Nexus, the official digital toolset for the best-selling series of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPG) that includes Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and the recently-announced Hunter: The Reckoning. World of Darkness Nexus is set to release in 2022 with an Early Access phase targeted to release beforehand where community feedback will be collected that will help shape its development. Players can sign up for email updates and to be notified when Early Access is available.

World of Darkness Nexus enhances the brand’s tabletop roleplaying games with planned features such as a digital reader, rules and lore compendium, character builder, and interactive character sheet. World of Darkness Nexus will also feature a playspace with matchmaking and video chat where all the other features are fully integrated.

Demiplane is a new and innovative platform that provides an ever-expanding experience that brings fans of tabletop roleplaying games together in one place with high-quality tools at your fingertips—including the recently-announced Pathfinder Nexus, the official digital toolset for Pathfinder.

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight Comes to Roll20

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The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

With The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, the latest Dungeons and Dragons adventure having launched last week, Roll20 is offering this new campaign setting at a very special price starting at $29.99 USD (a whopping 40% off!). With Roll20, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight can be played with less prep time, as everything necessary to get started comes right in the module, including:

  • The Wild Beyond the Witchlight rules and lore including a new Feywild Trinkets table and factions of the game.
  • Over 45 creatures with in-app drag-and-drop, including classics like the quickling and korred, NPCs like Squirt the Oilcan, and new creatures including the displacer beast kitten and glasswork golem.
  • 2 races with Roll20 Charactermancer support, the Harengon and the classic Fairy.
  • 25 unique items with drag-and-drop support, including the Cloak of Many Fashions, the Pole of Collapsing, and the sentient +3 vorpal sword, Snicker-Snack.
  • 2 new backgrounds with Roll20 Charactermancer support. Play as a character who was lost to the Feywild as a child or a Witchlight Carnival hand.
  • Character Art Pack for player characters and NPCs alike featuring the gorgeous art of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight on pre-made tokens and handouts.

Take it to the Hoop with Flex NBA, the Trading Tile Board Game

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Sequioa Games‘ Flex NBA recently debuted at the National Sports Collectors Convention. It was the first time the Tile Trading Game was previewed. It was the first opportunity for individuals to pre-order the “First Mint” printing of the game. The “First Mint” product will be specially designated as the first production tiles made for each player at each rarity level. The game features Basic, All NBA, All-Star, MVP, and Rookie. The first shipment of the game is the only opportunity for fans to be able to get the “First Mint” release.

The Tile Trading Game features augmented reality technology built into each tile. The tiles also feature barcodes that players can register in the companion app. The game has you assembling a team to take on your opponent.

The 2-player Deluxe Start Kit retails for $59.99 and features:

  • 10 player tiles (Flexagons)
  • 2 Hardback Game Board
  • Deluxe Damage Chips
  • Status Effects Tokens
  • 4 FX Tiles
  • Play Actoin Die
  • Ball Die
2-player Deluxe Start Kit

Individual Player Flexagons retail for $9.99 and features:

  • One mystery player tile per pack
  • 5 randomized level of tiles throughout the First Mint run: Basic, Rising Star/Rookie, All-Star, All-NBA, and MVP
  • 207 total player tiles in season 1
  • Multiple version in different levels of rarity
Individual Player Flexagons

This is an NBA tabletop game experience that is three-dimensional, harnessing the fun of a great game against your favorite opponent, with digital experiences that create a WOW!

Paizo’s Starfinder Alexa Skill Finds a New Home at Wanderword

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Starfinder Alexa Skill

Wanderword has signed a licensing agreement with Paizo to take their award-winning science-fantasy Starfinder Alexa Skill to new heights. Wanderword will manage the development of the audio adventure, adding the power of their experienced team.

The skill was originally developed by Amazon’s internal team in collaboration with Paizo in December of 2019 and currently has over 900 4-star reviews in the U.S. Skill store alone. The Starfinder team secured two awards at this year’s Project Voice Awards, picking up both Voice Experience of the Year and Developer of the Year, cementing Starfinder’s position as a flagship entertainment title for the Amazon Alexa. Starfinder features over 13 hours of interactive gameplay and is a must for anyone who loves voice-first interactive audio gaming.

The skill guides a solo player through an interactive adventure filled with professional voice actors, exciting sound effects, music, and multiple different story paths based on their in-game decisions. The challenging combat leaves you with the same satisfied feeling that you would get from another video game, but this can be done from anywhere and doesn’t require the use of your hands—just your voice and imagination!

FEATURES

  • An interactive space audio adventure epic with over 13 hours of audio to set the scene.
  • One free tutorial style mission, “Scoundrels in the Spike,” and six premium full missions are playable at this time.
  • “Starfinder: Scoundrels in the Spike” was adapted for Alexa by James L. Sutter, former Starfinder Creative Director and award-winning author.
  • Featuring the voice talents of Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle), Laura Bailey (Critical Role, The Last of Us Part II), and more!
  • Available for purchase now on Amazon, as well as through your smartphone or Alexa device.

Just say, “Alexa, open Starfinder.”

You can also visit the Amazon Alexa Skill Page.

The Batman Miniature Game Is Getting an App for iOS and Android

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Knight Models has revealed an app is in development for the Batman Miniature Game. An app has been wanted by the community for some time and it looks like this app delivers everything you could want. The app will be available for free.

In development for iOS and Android, the app combines all of the character cards compatible with the third edition of Batman Miniature Game. Knight Models also announced they will update and improve character cards periodically through the app to improve balance in the game.

The Batman Miniature Game app will allow players to create lists as well as feature character cards, abilities, and weapons. Players will also be able to keep track of the wounds suffered and ammunition spent firing their weapons.

In the app you will be able to:

  • Recruit crews
  • Check character cards
  • Check/manage equipment
  • Customize objective decks
  • Fully interactive cards to read details/information
  • Access rules

With the app, there also comes a big change to the Batman Miniature Game. Releases will no longer include cards. There is now an Objective card pack. Cards will be available until they’re exhausted and then they will no longer be packed in with miniatures. Cards will still be uploaded digitally to their site so those that do like to print cards can continue to do so.

The Batman Miniature Game app is in development and will be tested by the community. No date for release has been given.

Build a 3D World for Dungeons & Dragons in Under a Minute with Cartographr

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Cartographr

Two NYU graduate students, Joanna Liu and Rivelle Levine, were doing their thesis research on tabletop gaming and realized a gap between the current gaming tools and players’ dream tools. They set their minds to make a dream map-creation tool that is one step closer to the future vision of a holographic tabletop. The result is Cartographr, a social media platform that provides a more affordable and more immersive experience for tabletop role-playing gamers. Powered by Augmented Reality technology and shareable user-generated content, the app makes collaborative virtual world creation seamless by using intuitive drag and drop gestures, on the devices players already own. Users can manipulate complex digital 3D environments in real space with a single finger. The Kickstarter is live​.

Cartographr is designed for both in-person and remote gameplay. When players are in-person, the tool uses Cloud Anchor AR technology,  allowing multiple players to see the same virtual objects, at the same physical location, at the same time. Game-stores of the future can use this technology to create their own dungeon for players to visit and explore in-person. When players are remote, the experience is very similar to Roll20, but in 3D. Everyone can load the map on their own table and see changes in real-time. All players can also access features such as fog of war, dynamic lighting, distance tracking, and music integration.

Other cool game mechanics include: a single button to change from tabletop-sized miniature view to life-size in-person view, the ability to turn on and off dynamic grids for terrain, and the ability to transition from third to first person view.

Traditional miniature artists are also excited about this tool because of its promise of scanning physical 3D minis into the app and a creator market that gives individual artists the chance to sell their 3D work in a groundbreaking, new way. 

The application will be available on both iPhone and Android for free when launched, plus an additional web-browser view. The Kickstarter campaign will give backers the opportunity to score some exclusive digital packages at a lower cost and also some cool merchandise, such as a “mimic” T-shirt that comes to life with AR. 

ALIEN and Forbidden Lands RPGs Launched on the Foundry Virtual Tabletop

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Taking another step into the world of virtual tabletop roleplaying, Free League Publishing has released its multiple award-winning RPGs ALIEN and Forbidden Lands on the Foundry platform. The Foundry modules are available as stand-alone digital products or in print and virtual bundles.

For the official ALIEN RPG (Gold ENNIE winner for Best Game 2020), the Starter Set, the Core Rulebook, and the Destroyer of Worlds cinematic scenario pack are now all available as Foundry modules, via the Free League webshop.

Alien RPG Foundry

For retro-fantasy survival RPGForbidden Lands (winner of four ENNIE Awards 2019), the core rules as well as the Raven’s Purge and The Bitter Reach campaign modules are both available on Foundry. This is the first official release of Forbidden Lands modules on a virtual tabletop.

Forbidden Lands Foundry

All the released game modules on Foundry are fully integrated with the VTT platform with online maps and diagrams, player handouts ready to share, and more. The Foundry modules are offered at a low introductory price, to invite previous owners of the physical products to try the virtual modules as well. For newcomers, the print & virtual bundles offers both in a competitive package.

A Foundry base license is required to use the VTT modules.

More games from Free League will be launched on Foundry and other virtual tabletop platforms in a near future.

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