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 Codex for the Astra Militarum – The Imperial Guard are the army that most represents the common human in the 41st millennium. Well, you could argue that the Genestealer Cults better represent the working man, but still…
There’s something to be said for the image of the unaltered human standing up to the untold horrors of the Warhammer 40,000 setting. These are not the indomitable, genetically altered supermen of the Adeptus Astartes. This is just Bill and Clive marching to war.
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Land of the Blind releases the core book for their pulp fantasy RPG, Vagabond – Vagabond is a D20-based OSR game of pulp fantasy. Like many of these OSR titles, this looks to be a cool mix of old school aesthetics and modern ideas and design.
It promises a good, flexible system that can be played solo if you so desire. Solo gaming isn’t my thing, so I likely wouldn’t go down that road, but it’s cool that it’s there. The 204-page PDF looks to be stuffed full of cool content for you to incorporate into your games.
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The 6th edition of Catan is currently up for preorder – When it first came out, Catan was a really great game for the time. Now, it does feel somewhat dated. It feels clunky, and random, and just underwhelming, at least when compared to all the amazing games that are out today.
But here we are, with a 6th edition arriving in stores. The game is still basically the same as ever it was, but with a more accessible rulebook and some updated art. I’m sure it will be a very pretty edition of Catan, and I’m sure plenty of people will take joy from this game, but I just don’t see a huge amount of appeal in this game for me in today’s gaming landscape.
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Renegade Game Studios releases Shattered Nation sourcebook for Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Whilst I’ve massively enjoyed the latest edition of Vampire: The Masquerade, I’ve not branched out into Hunter or Werewolf. It’s great to see the Werewolf: The Apocalypse line being supported, though.
The book is an exploration of the fractured Garou Nation, and how to bring that entity into your own stories and campaigns. With new rites, pack types, and loresheets, there’s a whole bunch of content in here to expand out your games.
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Evil Hat’s Stewpot RPG making its way to physical retail stores – I enjoy non-traditional roleplaying games. Rather than one game, this book contains several minigames that, when taken together, portray the experience of former adventurers as they now run a tavern.
It’s an interesting concept. Where you would, in other games, be killing monsters and looting dungeons, you are instead developing your tavern’s cuisine, atmosphere, and service. Colour me intrigued!
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- DriveThruRPG (PDF edition)
Blog Posts & Articles
The meat of 5 on Friday, the articles are listed in no particular order, so let’s get into some recommendations:
REVIEW: I6 – Ravenloft for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons @ Taskerland – I love Ravenloft. Doesn’t everyone? Curse of Strahd was the best adventure for 5E, and it’s cool to look back at the early days of the setting. This is a fun review of the original Ravenloft module from 1983.
Assault Kommandos @ A Loft Full of Lead – It’s amazing how different these miniatures look without the more cartoonish colour scheme that you normally associate with Khador. They look great, of course, but even though I am familiar with the Warmachine range, I didn’t immediately recognise these minis.
DM’s Guild Review: Blinsky’s Toyshop @ The Kind GM – More Ravenloft! Blinsky is a toymaker in the Ravenloft setting, and is always somewhere we check out when exploring it. It’s great to see a little Blinsky-focused supplement!
Eclipse: Second Dawn – Painting Complete @ Dragons of Lancasm – I’ve been following this series of posts for some time. Now, it’s complete. The set looks fantastic now that it’s finished!
Is Grimwild the Next Dungeon World? @ Cannibal Halfling Gaming – Grimwild has caught my attention over the past month or so! This is an interesting post, music on the ubiquity of Dungeon World for a while, and the growth of the wider PbtA ecosystem, and considering whether this game may prompt a similar phenomenon.
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There have been a few posts since my last 5 on Friday:
- A 3D-printable Humble Bundle
- A horror-themed StoryBundle
- A review of the Mutant Menace Commander deck
- Three lectures by Sarah C. Paine
- Thoughts on dice-based superstition
- A disappointing Throwback Thursday
Catch you next week!
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