Welcome to another edition of weekly TTRPG news. We’re here to deliver you the biggest news in the tabletop RPG industry and hobby. This week is a mixed bag as we start with some very sad news concerning an industry legend. After that, we’ve got new game announcements and Wizards of the Coast embroiled in controversy once again.
Industry Legend Jennell Jaquays Passes Away At 68
The TTRPG world lost a great figure this week, as Jennell Jaquays passed away on Wednesday. Jaquays was a prominent designer and artist whose work formed many foundations for dungeon crawling and setting development. Among her many standouts were Dark Tower, Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide, and the iconic Dragon Mountain cover. She struggled with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Her wife has a GoFundMe setup for remaining medical expenses and funeral arrangements.
Upcoming Disney Board Game/RPG “Fully Designed And Illustrated By Women”
Ravensburger announced a new hybrid board game/storytelling RPG called Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition). Players take on the role of several prominent Disney heroines who are tasked with driving back dark forces embodied by iconic villains. The game boasts a “modular board” that can “generate new adventures every time it’s played.” Ravensburger’s announcement also says that the game’s design team is all women. It is set to release for Target exclusive pre-order at $29.99 on July 7 and have a wider release on July 21.
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Dungeon Crawl Classics Making Its Way To Roll20
Goodman Games revealed its upcoming BackerKit campaign to bring DCC to Roll20. Aside from formatting DCC mechanics for online play, Goodman also wants to bring several adventures to Roll20 right at launch. The goal is to create a campaign path that takes players from level 0 to 3. Stretch goals are more adventure adaptations and token art. The BackerKit page is up now for sign-ups, but doesn’t launch until next month.
Wizards Of The Coast In New AI Controversy Over Magic: The Gathering Promo
WotC became the subject of public backlash involving AI art again this week. But this time, the waters are muddier. It started, as ENWorld reports, with an advertising image of Magic: The Gathering cards sitting in a sort of steampunk workshop. Social media users were quick to pick out the tiny, illogical details that typically mark AI-generated art. Yet WotC has a public stance against AI-generated art after previous PR issues. The company even reminded users of this stance in a since-deleted tweet.
Shortly after, WotC released a new statement. It begins by pointing out that AI is being incorporated into several other industry standard art tools. Programs like Photoshop now have AI-backed functions that can automatically fill in blank spots in an image. Even stock image sites are being invaded by AI-generated images. As such, it is possible for AI to make its mark on a piece even if a human did create it. Now WotC says it is reevaluating its process and how it works with third-party marketers to adjust to this new norm.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for joining us, and may your dice be kind in your next game!
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