Here are the biggest headlines for this week in tabletop RPGs! D&D Beyond brings a la carte purchases back in a new way, a new Justice League TTRPG sets its crowdfunding date, an Astarion prequel novel appears out of stealth, and a team of WotC employees filed to unionize.
D&D Beyond (Sort Of) Revives A La Carte Player Options
Those who use D&D Beyond to create characters will find a new option available to them on the marketplace: Class Starter Packs. Each $4.99 set unlocks three subclasses, two backgrounds, seven feats, and two species that work well with a given class. Most options come from the 5.5e Player’s Handbook, although some species come from Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Furthermore, those who purchase a class pack get a $5 discount on a digital copy of the PHB. The Artificer is absent from this program, although there is an Eberron species pack available.
A New Justice League TTRPG Hits Gamefound This July
Perhaps capitalizing on the upcoming Supergirl movie, DC Comics is looking to launch an official Justice League RPG on crowdfunding platform Gamefound. The game will come from Brazilian publisher D20 Culture and tap the writing talents of Mark Waid. As reported by EN World, the game aims to be more narrative-focused. Players will use archetypes to quickly create heroes like their favorites, and cash in Ascension Points to buy powers. The official title is Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game, and the Gamefound campaign goes live in July.
Astarion Novel Slinks Out Of The Shadows In September
An official Baldur’s Gate 3 novel centered on Astarion will hit bookstores on September 29. Its title is simply Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion and its author is T. Kingfisher. The novel serves as a prequel about Astarion’s time under the thumb of vampire lord Cazador. In it, Astarion tries to win a clandestine competition for his master’s favor and potential freedom. The audiobook version will be read by none other than Neil Newbon, Astarion’s voice actor from the video game.
Some Wizards Of The Coast Employees Unionize
Game developers working on Magic: The Gathering Arena are starting the process of unionization. They intend to become part of the Communications Workers of America, and have asked for recognition from WotC by the end of this week. The workers’ aims in unionizing are to gain protection from layoffs, fortify against AI, and protect the rights of those who wish to continue working remotely. As of now, this action only applies to the developers of Arena with no declarations of spreading to any D&D workers.
For its part, WotC responded with neither a positive or negative. EN world has the official statement, where WotC says it is reviewing the union filing and will “respond through the appropriate process.”
And that’s a wrap on this week’s tabletop headlines! As always, 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!
