It’s Friday, and here on No Rerolls that means it’s time for an all-new 5 on Friday. We’re going to start with 5 exciting releases for this week before moving on to our usual digest of some of our favourite articles from the past week. Of course, we’re slow readers, so don’t be surprised if there are some articles that are a little older – these are just some of the great articles we happen to have actually read in the past week.
Releases & Previews
Every week there are many games, books, and miniatures released. This will probably be a mix of previews, preorders, and releases, and with release dates being the way they are in this industry, it’s always pretty approximate. Excuses out of the way, here are 5 of the releases that caught our attention this week:
Games Workshop releases a new model for Grombrindal, the White Dwarf – Games Workshop is putting out issue 500 of White Dwarf. It’s quite the landmark, especially because I really don’t think they’re going to keep it going for another 500 issues… Anyways, alongside the magazine, GW is also releasing a new miniature for the magazine’s mascot, Grombrindal, the titular White Dwarf:
It’s a fantastic mini, innit? Classically Dorfish, but unmistakably modern. The windswept look really works here. I don’t havexa use for him, so I’m notcsure I’d pick him up, but I a dorf-obsessed friend who is an excellent painter. I hope he grabs one, because I am keen to see what he does with it.
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WotC to release Vecna: Eve of Ruin for Dungeons & Dragons – It’s funny how much of the success of this edition of D&D has come from other media that references it. First came the big actual plays, starting Acquisitions Incorporated, then Dimension 20 and Critical Roll and many, many others. Then there’s media like Stranger Things, which has resulted in some very specific creatures villains entering the public consciousness, like the Demogorgan, Mind Flayer, and Vecna. Without Stranger Things, I don’t think we would be getting a Vecna-themed book like this:
I like that this is a higher-level (10 to 20) adventure, which is a nice change from many of the lower-level ones. There are some cool, new monsters in here as well, along with a map and some legendary allies. If you’re looking for yet more 5E, this has you covered, I suppose.
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Square Enix releases their Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG – I’m genuinely surprised that we have made it all the way to [CURRENT YEAR] without a big, official Final Fantasy RPG. Well, Square Enix are seemingly looking to remedy this deficit:
It’s based on Final Fantasy XIV, an MMO that I really, really enjoyed. I had a blast with it. I also love the art style, and I purchase too many RPG systems. I appear to be the target audience for this game. I’m probably not going to buy it. That’s disappointing. I was excited for Fabula Ultima, which is thematically similar, but I cannot bring myself to buy this. It just feels so overpriced. It also boasts of really only having one page of core rules. That’s a concept I like, but it’s less of a flex when you are charging this much for such a simple, little game. Of course, these starter sest come with other things, but it’s not enough to justify this price tag. Sadly, that feels really typical of today’s Square Enix.
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Atomic Mass releases Range Troopers set for Star Wars: Legion – To my surprise, we’re still seeing releases for Legion. I’ve been hearing a lot less about the game lately, and I was assuming that Shatterpoint would finish it off, at least on the part of the publisher. It;s nice to see things still being releases; especially interesting releases like this one:
These are really cool Stormtrooper variants. I like them a lot. They feel that bit more practical, lived in, characterful. Yeah, I love these minis!
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Renegade releases PDF edition of V5’s Players Guide on DTRPG – Is it just me, or does it feel a bit late in the edition for a Players Guide to appear? I suppose different games use this designation differently, so perhaps not. Then again, I know the physical edition came out a few months ago. and this is the release of the digital edition. Either way, it’s here now:
The book seems to be something of a grab-bag of stuff. There’s a bunch of stuff for each clan, plus Caitiff, and Thin Blood. There are new discipline powers. There are coteries types. I’d be interested to see the guidance included on playing without a Storyteller. Generally, I like there being someone to guide the game, but y’all know there are GM-less games that I really enjoy!
Affiliate Links:
- DriveThruRPG (PDF)
- Element Games (Physical)
Blog Posts & Articles
The meat of 5 on Friday, the articles are listed in no particular order, so let’s get into some recommendations:
Thrones of Decay: turning it around? @ Scent of a Gamer – I played Total War 3 since it came out, and I did like it at launch, but there’s no denying that the game was… lacking. It wasn’t finished, and I hate that this has become a common practice in the video game industry. Another reason to stick to tabletop games, really! I’ll need to check out this expansion.
Putrid Blightlord @ Convert or Die – Look at that gorgeous mane of filthy, matted hair! Lovely chap. Looks great! It’s also interesting that it’s going to be used with Age of Fantasy. I tried this last week and really enjoyed it.
Hobby reset @ Tragic Fangirl – you know what’s an important and worthwhile consideration in this hobby? Setting achievable goals. This is a post about just that. Taking the sea of unfinished models that hobbyists tend to acquire and concentrating on a manageable subset is definitely the way to go. I tend to start off well with that sort of thing and then… fail. Good luck, though!
Ark Nova @ Pseudocyst – I’ve played a couple of games of Ark Nova and really enjoyed it. It’s great to read about other people enjoying it, as it really is a fantastic game. I’d agree with most of the observations in this post.
Dungeon Keeper (1997) @ Running Old PC Games – I’m mostly sharing this link to highlight a really useful site intended to help you get older games to run on modern hardware. What a fantastic resource! And what better way to showcase it than with my favourite video game, Dungeon Keeper?
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There have been a few posts since my last 5 on Friday:
- Some thoughts on OPR’s Age of Fantasy
- Thoughts on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
- A review of Clanbook Gangrel for V5
- A review of CL Werner’s City of the Undead
- A WiP Wednesday about Malifaux
- A Throwback Thursday about Alternative Blood Bowl minis
It’s actually been another decent week on the blog. I’m really happy with this week’s content!
On the painting front, I’m still in the slump. I also bought one miniature. I bought a very large miniature, but it’s still just the one! I’m clinging to that!
Painting, purchasing, and printing totals so far this year:
- Purchased: 30 minis
- Printed: 77 minis
- Painted: 158 minis
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