D&D Bastions, Runescape Tabletop, Aabria Iyengar's Cursed Map, MrBeast Wins Dune - TTRPG News 10/11/2023

Tabletop RPG news is back with a bang! (Seriously Ben, stop rolling metal dice directly onto the table!) October is the month of spooks and scares, but this week is mostly good news with a strange aftertaste. What does a popular YouTube personality have to do with a Dune board game? Did Wizards of the Coast do something that got positive response on social media? And what is Aabria Iyengar plotting this time? Find out below!

Dungeons & Dragons Bastion Playtest Gives You A Customizable Home Base

WotC developers have said in interviews that class playtests are mostly over as the team prepares for its 2024 launch of the new 5E rulebooks. Yet they apparently had one more trick up their large robe sleeves in the form of Bastions and Cantrips. This surprise playtest packed revamped 10 cantrips and introduced a Bastion system. With Bastions, players from level 5 and above can spend their gold on bases. These facilities can serve as modular homes complete with functional buildings like armories and libraries. Bastions can also be staffed with hirelings that will take care of small side quests and hopefully build investment in a narrative sense. 

For the most part, reactions have been positive. People have largely compared Bastions to older edition homestead mechanics or the bases seen in Blades in the Dark. The idea is being hailed as a great way to customize campaigns, give players a way to spend gold, and generally provide more options. Others, however, are critical of the notion that player characters will own property and are even comparing the practice to being a landlord.

Runescape TTRPG Available To Play Now

Runescape Kingdoms: The Roleplaying Game is now available to pre-order from Steamforged Games. The $39.99 Core Rulebook is set to launch on Feb 2, 2024. However, those who pre-order will get “immediate access to the next-to-final PDF” of the book. Included will be lore on the Gielinor setting, character generation rules, gameplay rules, a bestiary, and GM advice. The game is set to reflect the MMO by offering ways to build characters for crafting, fishing, mining, and other non-combat jobs. The only thing that’s probably not in the book is rules for buying gf. 

Aabria Iyengar’s Dimension 20 Map Is Haunting People

The internet is abuzz after seeing Aabria Iyengar’s creation for the second episode of Dimension 20 campaign Burrow’s End. The trailer for the episode teased a battle map so dreadful, so shocking that Brennan Lee Mulligan says “I hope whatever is inside of you, that was haunting you, you’ve gotten out.” 

The scene seems to involve something gruesome, leading several Twitter users to comment that they’re glad they ate before watching it. In a Polygon interview, Iyengar also shares that Burrow’s End is a purposeful examination of the violence inherent in D&D. Meaning more of these maps are likely on the way. 

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MrBeast Crushes Secret Dune Board Game Tournament, Donates Winnings

Famous YouTuber MrBeast took home the W in a secret tournament for the Dune: Imperium Uprising board game. The game is an upcoming spinoff of the larger Dune: Imperium board game, and publisher Dire Wolf held the hidden event to promote it. Invited were winners of past Dune: Imperium competitions, who gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina to battle it out. 

MrBeast, who was invited as a guest, took home the top prize of $10,000 but donated it all back to Dire Wolf for future tournament pots, reports Dicebreaker. While that might seem bizarre to those who don’t follow MrBeast, the YouTuber is known to be a fan of strategy board games. It’s a smart move on Dire Wolf’s play, and might expose a new audience to the Dune: Imperium games. 

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That weird one is the last for this week! An interesting roundup of stories, with hopefully something that caught your eye. Have a great weekend, and may your dice be kind!