Hello and welcome back to StartPlaying tabletop news! We round up the biggest tabletop RPG stories of the week so you can catch up quick and get back to slaying dragons.
In this week’s news: Wizards of the Coast announces “digital DLC” for Forgotten Realms books, Dungeons & Dragons reveals official Hellfire Club boxed set, a Thundercats TTRPG was shown at Comic Con, Critical Role made plans to partner with the indie studio behind Dispatch, and GhostFire gaming launched a sale to help combat tariff costs.
DnD "DLC" Coming With Forgotten Realms Books
Game Informer recently ran some deep coverage on the November-bound Forgotten Realms books. Covers for both books, one focused on player options and one for DMs, were revealed and feature notable characters like Karlach. EN World caught mention of other Baldur’s Gate 3 characters getting their due via “digital DLC.”
That’s the term WotC used to describe planned D&D Beyond content set to launch alongside the Forgotten Realms books. The given example was Asterion's Book of Hungers, and there’s already new art of the beloved bloodsucker. No word was given on pricing or amount of content, but the term “digital DLC” suggests DnD’s virtual future isn’t over yet.
DnD-Stranger Things Crossover Set Puts You In Charge Of Hellfire Club
A new DnD boxed set was revealed by EW this week, Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club. The premise of the set is that you inherit Eddie Munson’s handcrafted adventures and the Hellfire Club name to go along with it. Inside are four retro adventure modules that tie into each of Stranger Thing’s first four seasons and take place in Munson’s homebrew setting of Greyhawkins. There are cardboard tokens and item cards included, with everything rendered in the 80s metalhead aesthetic that Munson is known for. The set hits shelves on October 7.
Thundercats TTRPG Announced, Uses 5E
The OG Thundercats is getting adapted into a TTRPG courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment and Lynnvander Studios. The announcement was made at San Diego Comic Con, with no release date other than “soon.” A report by EN World shows that a Kickstarter “Launching Soon” page for Thundercats is up now. The page states that the game is “fully adaptable” to DnD 5e and will let you make your own Thundercat. You’ll also have the option to play as Lion-o and other characters from the cartoon (dibs on Snarf).
Critical Role Video Game Will Be Developed By Dispatch Studio
The long-awaited Critical Role video game will be developed in partnership with AdHoc Studio, developer of the upcoming superhero game Dispatch. In an interview with Variety, Travis Willingham talked about how he was blown away by a demo of Dispatch when he auditioned for a voice role in the game. Dispatch, due out later this year, puts the player in charge of a superhero agency where they must balance saving lives with office dynamics. Willingham loved the animation and storytelling style so much that he set up dinner with AdHoc’s CEO. The resulting partnership will also see Critical Role develop products in the Dispatch universe.
GhostFire Gaming Offers Digital Sale To Offset Tariff Costs
GhostFire Gaming is running a 20% off sale on all digital products until August 1. All one has to do is use the code MONSTERS20 at checkout. According to social media posts, 50% of sales made using this code will go towards reducing tariff costs to Kickstarter backers of thensters of Drakkenheim book. Backers received an email going into more detail, explaining that tariffs on goods made in China are still ongoing and weren’t around when the Monsters Kickstarter campaign occurred. Now that the book is ready to ship, US-based backers will be hit with extra costs to offset the tariffs. This sale is an attempt to lessen the burden.
We’re at the end for this week. Thanks for reading, and may your dice be kind!
Sergio Solórzano is the best Dungeon Master in the USA (according to a Wizards of the Coast competition, anyway). He loves minis and terrain but also goes all-in on improv!
