It’s news time once again, dear readers! For those who don’t know, StartPlaying isn’t just the best place to find an open game with a professional Game Master. We also bring you roleplay inspiration, thoughtful personal articles, and the biggest stories of the week. This time around, we see big plans for D&D’s 50th anniversary, an upsetting inclusion in PAX East’s booth lineup, more “potential” for AI, and a surprise appearance by a JRPG favorite.
D&D And StartPlaying Team Up For Special Game Event Featuring Classic Dungeon
Yeah, this one is about us. But it’s also big news for D&D fans and for the brand itself.
Wizards of the Coast is partnering with StartPlaying to run a series of special sessions throughout this 50th year of D&D. StartPlaying’s pro Dungeon Masters will start offering these games on March 26 with Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. This 5E conversion of the classic Gary Gygax adventure sees players delving into an old lair of Iggwilv the Witch Queen. It’s a big step for the official recognition of pro DMing as an industry, and a taste of how WotC plans to hype up the game leading into the upcoming rulebook update. Learn more about the event here.
Upcoming D&D Video Game Has Survival And Life Sim Elements
Gameloft Montreal announced a partnership with WotC this week, one that will result in a new video game set in the Forgotten Realms. According to a press release reported on by Dicebreaker, the game will be cooperative and “built around an innovative hybrid of survival, life simulation and action RPG.” No release date, platform, or name has been announced yet. In fact, the press release came with several job postings which seems to hint at the game still being in the early stages of development. One intriguing fact is that Gameloft Montreal is known for Disney Dreamlight Valley, a comfy farm sim featuring iconic characters. So they seem a good choice for this type of game.
Hasbro CEO Talks About Company's Future With AI
In a lengthy interview with VentureBeat, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks comes across as excited, cautious, but also certain about AI. It started when the interviewer asked about experiments paying off. He mentions Hasbro doing a “new AI product experiment once every two to three months.” For now it’s mostly digital games for adults, such as generating Ouija results or Trivial Pursuit questions. He also speaks to the wild success Monopoly Go (sorry Devon and Daryn).
Later in the interview, Cocks is sure to measure his words carefully. He speaks to the responsibility of using AI in a way that doesn’t steal content or show inappropriate results to children. When it comes to training AI, he says that Hasbro does have an advantage in its deep history. The examples he gives are the 50 years of D&D lore and thousands of Magic: The Gathering cards that already exist. The idea being that Hasbro AI could generate a lot of content off of its own IP alone. So it does look like, no matter what creators think, AI will be a part of D&D’s future.
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Saudi-Sponsored PAX East Booth Raises Protest From Tabletop LGBTQ Community
A booth for Qiddiya Gaming appeared a few days ago on PAX East’s website. It was a rather quiet addition for what is a Saudi Arabia state-sponsored program, reports Rascal. Other financial and international news outlets have revealed Saudi Arabia’s attempts to “sportswash” its history of human rights violations by pouring money into sports and gaming initiatives. In response to this booth’s sudden presence at PAX East, tabletop group Games on Demand asked the convention to reconsider including Qiddiya. No update on a response has been given at this time.
LionWing Reviving 20-Year-Old Shin Megami Tensei TTRPG
LionWing and Atlus have announced an English re-release of Shin Megami Tensei - The Roleplaying Game: Tokyo Conception. This TTRPG was originally released in Japan almost 20 years ago and brought the world of SMT III Nocturne to life. Players will be able to play as humans, fiends, or demons as well as use a dynamic “Talk Flowchart” to negotiate with enemies. Pre-orders for fancy hardcovers and digital editions are up now, with release intended for later this year.
What an eventful week! As always, thanks for letting us share these stories with you. And if you play this weekend, may your dice be kind.
