This Week In TTRPG News: Everything's Coming Up Spelljammer

This hot August weekend (at least here in California) will give way to a huge release next Tuesday–Spelljammer will be well and truly confirmed! The TTRPG community is out in force to capture the imaginations of space-faring Dungeons & Dragons players. We’re already seeing supplement books, giveaways, and wild actual play concepts hit our social media feeds. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the coolest Spelljammer-related news. And back here on Earth, Gen Con might be looking to move locations in response to its issues with Indiana. 

Gen Con Troubled By Indiana Abortion Law, May Be Looking To Leave

The biggest tabletop gaming convention in the United States released a statement criticizing Indiana’s recent passing of a near-total abortion ban. Indiana has been the home of the annual event for years, and Gen Con brings a large amount of business to the state. Polygon reports that the amount of “economic impact” Gen Con has on Indiana is about 10%. Needless to say, it would be a big loss for Indiana if Gen Con were to ever move to a different state. 

Yet that’s exactly what Gen Con President David Hoppe implied could happen. Gen Con does have a contract with the state until 2026, but Hoppe said that the abortion law “will make it more difficult for us to remain committed to Indiana for our long-term home.” Several Gen Con vendors already pulled out of the 2022 show and/or made statements of protest. 

Gen Con was able to use its economic power to influence Indiana legislation in the past. In 2015, the convention almost left the state over a “religious freedom bill” championed by conservatives. Gen Con’s threat managed to get the bill changed. This time, however, the abortion law has already been passed despite Gen Con’s disapproval. While the bill passed mere days before Gen Con 2022, making cancellation impossible, there will no doubt be some difficult decisions to make regarding next year’s show. 

Spelljammer + Eberron = Keith Baker? 

Spelljammer and Eberron seem like two opposite ends of the D&D spectrum. One is about the wild antics of traveling through space, where a sea of bizarre creatures float among the stars. The other tends to inspire more serious stories like noir mysteries, westerns, and cold war thrillers. It would seem like the two don’t go together, but Eberron creator Keith Baker is making it happen. 

Baker has a Patreon where he runs a few supporters a month through an Eberron session of his own making. Playing Eberron with the creator of Eberron is already a unique treat, but Baker’s latest offering is an Eberron campaign that incorporates the space-faring themes of Spelljammer. How does Eberron in space work? No idea, but if anyone can figure that out, it’s Keith Baker. 

Announcing Wisdom Save Weekend 2022!

StartPlaying is pleased to announce that we are teaming up with some of the best TTRPG creators and GMs for a weekend of charity games. It’s Wisdom Save Weekend, and it will benefit the Take This mental health nonprofit. There will be giveaways and live plays on TotalPartyChill, and certain games run on StartPlaying will give proceeds to Take This. To learn more about how to take part and when the giveaways begin, check out StartPlaying on Twitter! 

Spelljammer Giveaway Roundup

Whenever a new TTRPG release hits shelves, you’re bound to see a few giveaways from smaller channels looking to generate viewership. It’s a great way to give some retweets to up-and-coming creators and maybe win the shiny new book. And when it comes to Spelljammer, you better bet there’s giveaways. Here are just a few that I’ve found in my daily scrolling: 
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- Pro DM RJ Cresswell is giving away a physical copy of the Spelljammer book set here.
- Those who prefer their content on D&D Beyond might be able to win Spelljammer through DungeonGlitch.
- Streamer and Producer Gnomedic is celebrating 10k followers with a Spelljammer giveaway for US residents.
- Geek culture site The Geekly Grind has their plastic-wrapped copy ready to go!
- Meme Master And TikToker RUN-DMG will give away a physical copy of Spelljammer on release day.

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Are you looking to start playing Spelljammer right away? Our Startplaying GMs are already taking sign-ups and starting new campaigns! Take off with a pro GM today!