News Digest for the Week of August 28

[Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG News]( Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! New D&D book announced, big Dungeons & Dragons streaming event announced for September, a preview of the new Warhammer 40K: Wrath & Glory sourcebook, and more! Don’t forget you can get all the week’s gaming news with Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk! [This week, Morrus and Peter are joined by Justin Forkner to talk about the]([Dark Matter Starter Set](. [rogue_trooper_cover_v1_900x.jpg] In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week: - EN5ider #348 features a collection of [enchanted trinkets meant for nobility, low-powered magic items that are used to show your status in society](. - The ninth installment of [the War of the Burning Sky Adventure Path from EN Publishing is now available for 5e, sending the party back where everything started]( as threats show up during the long-delayed Festival of Dreams. - EN Publishing held two panels at the virtual UK Games Expo 2020, both of which are archived online: [EN Publishing 101 Q&A about how RPG publishing works]( and [the Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD Q&A](. - Spoiler for the [2000AD panel: Rogue Trooper is now available in PDF and for pre-order in hardcover](! - Kate Welch [spoke during a live stream about her decision to quit Wizards of the Coast’s D&D team]( and her reasons for deciding to move on. - Egg Embry interviewed [Free League Publishing CEO Tomas Härenstam to talk about their ongoing Kickstarter for the fourth edition of Twilight: 2000](. - Ben Reece [reviewed the new Starfinder sourcebook, Starship Operations Manual](. - Andrew Peregrine talks about [choice in-game and how to make decisions where there are no good options work in gaming](. - Lewis Pulsipher’s newest [Worlds of Design column examines the importance of names for characters and where to look for inspiration]( (or random generation). - Michael Tresca continues [his look at the influence of L. Frank Baum’s Wizards of Oz on roleplaying as he searches for American fantasy influences](. - Mike Myler’s Mythological Figures [has another real-world historical figure, this time the leader of the Zulu nation, King Shaka](. - Last but never least, Egg Embry has dug through [all the crowdfunding sites on the web to find the projects ending soon wit this week’s RPG Crowdfunding News](E2%80%93-hellboy-dark-matter-wondrous-expeditions-and-more.674334/).  [Screen Shot 2020-08-24 at 4.07.15 PM.png] [A new Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook was announced this week, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything](. The 192-page hardcover will contain new subclasses, spells, artifacts, magic tattoos, character options, group patrons, puzzles, optional rules, and more including rules for psionics. One of the optional rules is likely the [new character customization option mentioned in the “Diversity and D&D” article published in June](: “Later this year, we will release a product (not yet announced) that offers a way for a player to customize their character’s origin, including the option to change the ability score increases that come from being an elf, a dwarf, or one of D&D's many other playable folk. This option emphasizes that each person in the game is an individual with capabilities all their own.” [The release follows a series of cryptic posts hinting at something coming soon](, managing for the first time in several releases to not leak early (though Amazon did list a “Dungeons & Dragons November Title (Announced August 24)” on Saturday). In Dungeons & Dragons lore, Natasha the Dark was adopted by Baba Yaga before joining the famous Company of Seven as an apprentice to the wizard Zagig under the name Tasha (where she became known for the spell Tasha’s hideous laughter) before it was revealed she was the archmage Iggwilv, the Witch-Queen of Perrenland and mother of Iuz. [The hardcover is available for pre-order now with a release scheduled for November 17 and a retail price of $49.95](. [DnD-Celebration-Event_Announcement-copy-1.png] [To help promote the two big releases coming up, Wizards of the Coast announced the online event D&D Celebration](. The live-streamed event will take place online from September 18-20 with multiple events streamed plus the ability to participate yourself online. There are three Adventure League adventures available, DDAL 10-00 “Ice Road Trackers” on Friday, the multi-table event DDEP 10-00 “Great Knucklehead Rally” on Saturday, and DDAL 10-01 “The Frozen North” on Sunday, all of which tie--in to the current season of Adventure League which itself ties [into Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, which is due for release on September 15](. The event also promises an exclusive early look at some of the new rules from [Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything](. Of course, there will be [live-streamed games and panels with celebrity guests on the D&D Twitch page as well](. with events taking place via Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, Discord, Zoom, and other software options. Events require ticket purchase, all Wizards of the Coast proceeds for which will go to support Extra Life and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. [4EE396D1-411F-4F06-9AB4-49ACD7F2D0BB.jpg] [EN Publishing, the RPG publishing arm of EN World, announced the design team for the upcoming OGL 5e “Advanced” overhaul currently titled Level Up](E2%80%98level-up%E2%80%99-team.674355/). The team features over twenty creators drawing from DMs Guild creators, EN5ider contributors, professional freelancers with companies including Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Rite Publishing, Green Ronin, Kobold Press, and more. [You can find the full announcement with this impressive list of talented creators on the Level Up 5e website](. You can follow along with the design process and give your thoughts on the surveys [on the official Level Up Advanced 5th Edition website](. [40k Dialogus with logos.jpg] [As part of the UK Games Expo virtual convention, Cubicle 7 released art preview from the newest Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory supplement, Forsaken System Player’s Guide](. The art preview features three new characters, The Confessor (Tier 2 Adeptus Ministorum Archetype), Sister Dialogus (Tier 3 Adepta Soroitas Archetype, pictured above), and the Sicarian Ruststalker (Tier 3 Adeptus Mechanicus Archetype). The new book will feature twenty new playable archetypes complete with new wargear, abilities, and psychic powers; three new playable species (Ogryns, Ratlings, and Kroot), a new downtime system, expanded information on faction conflicts, expanded backgrounds for the Gilead System, and more. No release date has been announced yet, but the book was originally teased late in 2019 and officially announced back in July, so it should be available very soon. [med.png] [The award-winning Free League RPG Tales from the Loop is now officially integrated with Roll20](. The game is available as a bundle which includes the Core Rulebook plus five “mysteries” that are ready for immediate play: Creatures from the Cretaceous, Grown-Up Attraction, I Wagner, Summer Break and Killer Birds, and The Mystery Landscape. The bundle is available for $24.99 and includes complete integration into the Roll20 platform, VTT-ready maps and diagrams with GM layer information, player art handouts, and a new Tales from the Loop character sheet.  [business-wizards.jpg] [9th Level Games announced their new roleplaying game, Business Wizards](. Designed by Nat Mesnard and Patrick Watson, this game features the same comedic style as their other well-known game, Kobolds Ate My Baby!, but puts players in the arcane world of business as you deal with the mimic copier, chat around the gelatinous cube cooler, and attend “staff” meetings (get it? Like a wizard’s staff?) The game will use the Polymorph system to skewer both fantasy tropes as well as modern office life. The core rules will be available in October if purchased directly from the publisher and in November for other outlets with a retail price of $14.99. [riddle.jpg] [Game designer Mike Selinker made headlines for solving the riddle from the trailer for The Batman](. The Lone Shark Games founder and designer on Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game is also a predominant voice in the puzzle-creation community and participant in the National Puzzlers League, so the tease from the Matt Reeves film’s take on the Riddle was too much to resist. [In the trailer, The Riddle leaves a card]( with a complicated cipher at the bottom, which Selinker cracked. [He described the method he used to brute force the cryptogram on a Twitter thread](, finding the coded message “HE STILL LIES”. [humble.jpg] [Humble’s collection of fantasy miniature plans are still available for those of you with 3D printers](. The bundle features files for ready-to-print miniatures and terrain including orcs, goblins, ogres, minotaurs, cultists, fences, hedges, walls, crypts, fountains, and more including an entire inn. This bundle benefits Cancer Research UK and the Make-a-Wish Foundation and runs until Wednesday, September 9. [If you’ve ever wanted to get into Judge Dredd and other 2000AD creations but didn’t know where to start]( or if you just want deeper lore for your Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000AD games, the Judge Dredd, 2000 AD, and More Bundle is perfect. You can get Judge Dredd’s entire career unedited and uncensored from the beginning all the way to the Apocalypse Wars in five volumes. Plus you get collections featuring Judge Anderson, Halo Jones, Absalom, Zombo, Slaine,and more plus collections of the best Future Shock one-shots. This bundle benefits War Child UK and SpecialEffect and runs until Wednesday, September 9. [And don’t forget the Yours Sounds, Your Music software bundle which is perfect for anyone looking to get into content creation cheap](. The top-tier pledge of $25 gets you a copy of Vegas Movie Studio 16 Platinum, Video Pro X11, and Sound Forge Audio Studio 13, perfect for creating your own YouTube videos, podcasts, music, and more. This bundle benefits the HFC and Alzheimer’s Association and runs until Sunday, September 2. That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget [to support our Patreon]( to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at news@enworldnews.com, and you can get [more discussion of the week’s news on Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk]( every week. You can [follow me on Twitch where I’ll stream as soon as hurricane recovery efforts are finished here,]( [subscribe to Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube for videos on gaming history, RPG reviews, and gaming Let’s Plays](, or you can listen to [the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast](. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column. [Unsubscribe from mailing list]( [Visit Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG News](