NASA RPG, Discworld, Premium D&D Aloha Shirts - TTRPG News 3/7/2024

March is here, and so is another round of tabletop RPG news! The TTRPG industry is seeing a lot of growth, leading to more mainstream partnerships. This week's big stories are a perfect example of that. We saw Dungeons & Dragons make another foray into luxury lifestyle branding, a well known card game and famous novel announce TTRPG adaptations, and even a game made for a government agency. It's truly an interesting time to be playing. 

NASA Reveals Its Own TTRPG The Lost Universe

NASA, as in the space agency of the USA, surprised the TTRPG world with its own game this week. Called The Lost Universe, the 44-page PDF is said to be "easily adaptable" to any TTRPG system. It’s free and downloadable from the NASA website. The premise is that researchers are disappearing while the Hubble Space Telescope’s construction is erased from history. The adventurers ban together to solve the cosmic mystery while also learning about the science at play behind our understanding of space.

Modiphius Collecting Fan Feedback For Discworld TTRPG 

Modiphius Entertainment announced that it acquired the license to create games based on Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. With that will come a TTRPG set in Ankh-Morpork and the wider Disc. A Kickstarter funding campaign is planned for later this year. Before that, however, Modiphius is asking Discworld fans to take a survey about their gaming preferences and how they want to engage with Discworld. It seems they understand the challenges in adapting the series into games, as well as how passionate fans are going to be about such an endeavor. 

Play A Discworld Game Today! 

Arkham Horror Summons A TTRPG

The Arkham Horror card game is spinning off into a TTRPG from Edge Studios and Asmodee. It will be called Arkham Horror The Roleplaying Game, and release with a Starter Set in August. The creators seem to bet on going for a more simple approach than the very successful and similarly-themed Call of Cthulhu. Dicebreaker reports that it will use a d6 pool system called the Dynamic Pool System. Demo games will take place at Gen Con alongside the official launch of the game.

D&D 50th Anniversary Merch Continues With $120 Hawaiian Shirt 

The big marketing product push for D&D’s 50th anniversary is going strong. While the game itself won’t change until much later this year, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are going all-in on Pop-Tarts, live shows, and branded clothing. That last bit is catching attention on social media: a premium Aloha shirt styled with images of iconic D&D scenes and monsters. It retails for $119.50, which doesn’t even qualify for free shipping. Many have been reacting to the price tag, but also how unironically awesome the shirt itself is. Both elements are brought to bear in this thoughtful, funny piece on Rascal News. 

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That’s it for this week! It was an interesting batch to write about, from exciting new games to that expensive shirt. Thanks for reading, and may your dice be kind.