It’s accolades, summer sales, and premium products in this week’s StartPlaying RPG news roundup. This week: the 2026 ENnie nominees list released, the DnD Fan Expo in London got postponed, Free League kicked off a great seasonal sale, and WizKids announced a pricey replica of a DnD magic item.
ENnie 2026 Nominees Announced
The 2026 ENnie award nominees are revealed. As usual, winners will be announced at a live ceremony during GenCon 2026. Daggerheart scooped up quite a few nominations including Best Game, Best Free Game for its Quickstart, and Product of the Year. Legend in the Mist also gained acclaim for art and production value. A favorite here at StartPlaying, Making Enemies, also got a nom. Check out the full list here.
D&D Fan Expo In London Postponed To 2027
The first ever DnD Fan Expo: London has been pushed back by over a year. The event, staged by Wizards of the Coast and AEG, was meant to be a convention-style celebration of Dungeons & Dragons inside the O2 Arena. The main event would be actual plays with big-name local talent such as the High Rollers. However, Fan Expo is now delayed from August 2026 to September 2027 to deliver a “bigger, better celebration of Dungeons & Dragons with more to see, more to do, and more special guests involved.”
Free League Summer Sale Discounts Alien 2e
You can get Alien RPG Evolved Edition on discount as part of Free League’s ongoing summer sale. This includes both the Alien Evolved Starter Set and core rulebook for around 40% off. Two expansion boxed sets for first edition Alien RPG are also on sale and largely compatible with Evolved. The Free League sale also includes starter sets/core books for award winners and fan favorites like Blade Runner, Forbidden Lands, Dragonbane, and Vaesen. Physical editions are shipped from Free League but Foundry editions are also included in the sale.
Ravenloft Spirit Board Coming From WizKids
WizKids announced a physical spirit board prop for use in your spooky DnD games. According to ICv2, the spirit board releases in October and will retail for $79.99. The board was featured in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft and is a magic item in the 5.5e Dungeon Master’s Guide. This replica makes sense as part of the big retail push for Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, although it is odd that it’s the only item releasing around Halloween.
Congrats to all the ENnie nominees, well deserved! Until next time, may your dice be kind.
Sergio Solórzano is the best Dungeon Master in the USA (according to an official D&D competition, anyway). He loves minis and terrain but also goes all-in on improv!
