When we’re not offering quality tabletop RPG experiences with professional Game Masters, StartPlaying scours the internet for weekly TTRPG news. This week’s got some big stories. The Neopets TTRPG found big success despite not revealing gameplay, DnD 2024 pre-orders broke Hasbro records, Dark Horse took over DnD comic duties, and Paizo updated its third party policy.
Neopets TTRPG Scores Easy Kickstarter Win Without Revealing Any Gameplay
There’s a Kickstarter for a Neopets RPG, and it’s already well past its initial funding goal. Neopets Tabletop Roleplaying Game begins its pitch by reminding potential backers how big Neopets was in the early 2000s. It then goes on to promise that everything from the peak days of Neopets online will be available in the TTRPG.
The Kickstarter page advertises an expansive map from the video game, over 50 playable species, item crafting, mini-games, reputation systems, combat with pacifist options, nurturing Neggs, re-speccing, and more. One issue, as Rascal News points out: there’s no mention of how any of it works. While an unfinished game is expected on Kickstarter, compare this to the Stormlight RPG previews which show a game actively in development.
To be fair, the developers do mention they’ve spent two years researching the computer game’s most iconic features. Still, this success of the Neopets TTRPG asks an interesting question: is the key to tabletop crowdfunding just using the name of a beloved childhood franchise?
DnD 2024 Pre-Orders Exceeding Hasbro Expectations
Hasbro just wrapped up its latest earnings call, focusing on performance for the first half of 2024 and projecting how the latter half will go. The gist of it is very much the same as the last few earnings calls: toys had a rough time, so the company is all in on digital.
One interesting comment from CEO Chris Cocks was that “The D&D refresh to the core rules of fifth edition is going out the gate strong. Pre-orders are breaking any records that we have, it's exceeding our forecast.”
He pointed out how D&D Beyond, with 18 million registered users, is a highlight for digital revenue. Cocks also hinted at a “3D role-playing sandbox experience built on Unreal Engine V” that will be seen at Gen Con. Perhaps Wizards of the Coast will preview more of the DnD VTT at Gen Con?
Dark Horse To Publish DnD Comics In 2025
Here’s a quick announcement in the midst of San Diego Comic Con. According to DnD journalist Christian Hoffer, Dark Horse will start publishing comics for DnD and Magic: The Gathering in the summer of 2025. This includes trades, graphic novels, and art books. This is significant because IDW is the current holder of the DnD license. This shift could signify a change of direction for DnD comics and perhaps more comics in the near future.
Paizo Changing Third Party And Fan Content Rules
Paizo is changing its third party and fan content policies in anticipation of Starfinder 2E, reports En World. The reasoning behind this is the changes around the Open Gaming License, or OGL, that mired DnD in controversy last year. Paizo responded with its own ORC license but that only works with Pathfinder, not Starfinder.
The resulting licensing complications introduced several changes. First, Paizo is working on merging the third party publishing license for Pathfinder and Starfinder into a single Paizo Compatibility License. Second, the Paizo community content platform called Infinite will not accept new rules or mechanics until Starfinder 2E releases next year. Finally, the Fan Content Policy was introduced to allow more generous terms around merchandise and content creation.
That’s all for this week of news! Thanks for reading, and may your dice be kind!
