It’s time for another edition of tabletop RPG news with StartPlaying! Now that 2025 is up and running, news about what to expect from this year of TTRPGs is pouring in. This week, Universal began casting for a Xanathar puppet, TTRPGTok kicked off another massive charity drive, DnD previewed new monsters, and Paizo announced a remaster of a recent book. Let’s get into it!Â
Universal Studios Casting Puppeteer For Xanathar
The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park put out an open casting call for its Fan Fest Nights. These limited after-hours events center around various pop culture franchises like One Piece, Star Trek, and of course Dungeons & Dragons. The DnD portion has been said to feature some kind of interactive quest set in Waterdeep, and the casting notice reinforces that.Â
According to the call, Universal is seeking performers with puppeteering experience to presumably move Xanathar’s mouth and eye stalks from a standing position. The notice also says that the performer will work in 45-minute sets. Casting is also ongoing for skilled improv performers to be various face characters seen throughout the experience.Â
TTRPG TikTok Comes Together For Massive Charity Campaign
A huge party of TTRPG creators are banding together to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders/MĂ©decins Sans Frontières. Throughout the next month, you’re invited to watch wacky streams and affect them with your donations. You can also donate directly to claim generous giveaways like free one-shots with pro GMs, custom dice towers, consultations with branding professionals, new games, and of course, dice. Last year the group exceeded the goal of $25,000 donated. Learn more here, including what you can get for donating.Â
DnD Debuts Male Variants Of Hags And Medusas In Monster Manual 2025
Wizards of the Coast put out its “Everything You Need To Know” video about the 2025 Monster Manual. Among the many reveals–and a plethora of new art–the designers revealed that there will be male depictions of classically female monsters like hags, medusas, and dryads. The gender makes no difference for the stat block, but it does answer some lore questions that I’ve had at my tables. Monster Manual 2025 hits local store shelves and early D&D Beyond access on February 4, and wider release on February 18.
Paizo Revamps Its Treasure Vault For Pathfinder 2E Remastered
One of Pathfinder 2E’s most popular books is getting an update. Paizo announced that Treasure Vault is set for a reprinting titled as Treasure Vault (Remastered). The content of over 600 items seems to be exactly the same, reports EN World, just with updated wording to reflect the latest PF 2E rules. Also on the horizon is Pathfinder Lost Omens Shining Kingdoms, a lore book with a few new character options. Both books are targeting a June release.Â
With that, another week of TTRPG news comes to a close. Thanks for reading, and may your dice be kind!Â
