by Otaku sempai

This is from an email I received from Free League:

Developed by the creators of D&D Beyond, Free League Unbound is an official digital platform built for Free League’s tabletop roleplaying games. It gives you access to official game content and searchable rules across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Early Access is available now at freeleagueunbound.com. The initial release includes a digital reader and game compendia for four game lines:
- The One Ring™
- ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game Evolved Edition
- Coriolis: The Great Dark
- Invincible – Superhero Roleplaying
During Early Access, you can test new features and share feedback that will help shape the platform. Character creation and progression tools are planned for later this year, with more Free League games joining the platform in the months ahead.

“The impact digital tools have had on tabletop roleplaying over the past few years is unmistakable—for longtime players and newcomers alike, both at the table and between sessions,” said Adam Bradford, Free League Unbound co-creator, founder of D&D Beyond, and writer and designer for Invincible Superhero Roleplaying. “I can’t wait for fans to have tools that reflect the unparalleled passion and quality Free League brings to every one of their games.”

by Otaku sempai

"Southward he looked, and below his very feet the Great River curled like a toppling wave and plunged over the falls of Rauros into a foaming pit; a glimmering rainbow played upon the fume. And Ethir Anduin he saw, the mighty delta of the River, and myriads of sea-birds whirling like a white dust in the sun, and beneath them a green and silver sea, rippling in endless lines."

Dedicated to the lands of Gondor and Rohan, The White Tower and the Hall of Gold is a massive campaign expansion exploring the last great realms of Men in the west of Middle-earth, where ancient traditions still endure in the shadow of the Enemy. The 5E adaptation of this volume will be released under the title Realms of the South.

by Otaku sempai

"Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths! There are orcs and trolls, there are wargs and werewolves; and there have been and still are many Men, warriors and kings, that walk alive under the Sun, and yet are under his sway. And their number is growing daily."

Dedicated to the servants of the Enemy and all those who oppose the Free Peoples, Creatures Strange and Foul gathers a host of adversaries drawn from the shadows of the Third Age, from cunning Black Númenórean spies and cruel Haradrim champions to ancient evils out of forgotten ages. The 5E adaptation of this volume will be released under the title Of Orcs and Evil Things.

by Otaku sempai

The award-winning The One Ring Roleplaying Game, designed by Francesco Nepitello, returns with a fabulous new cover art by Antonio De Luca and the most polished presentation of the game set in Middle-earth to date. This revised volume remains fully compatible with every previously published supplement and adventure, while refining the core rules through additional proofreading and clarification.

by Otaku sempai

"Southward he looked, and below his very feet the Great River curled like a toppling wave and plunged over the falls of Rauros into a foaming pit; a glimmering rainbow played upon the fume. And Ethir Anduin he saw, the mighty delta of the River, and myriads of sea-birds whirling like a white dust in the sun, and beneath them a green and silver sea, rippling in endless lines."

Dedicated to the lands of Gondor and Rohan, The White Tower and the Hall of Gold is a massive campaign expansion exploring the last great realms of Men in the west of Middle-earth, where ancient traditions still endure in the shadow of the Enemy. The 5E adaptation of this volume will be released under the title Realms of the South.

by Otaku sempai

"Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths! There are orcs and trolls, there are wargs and werewolves; and there have been and still are many Men, warriors and kings, that walk alive under the Sun, and yet are under his sway. And their number is growing daily."

Dedicated to the servants of the Enemy and all those who oppose the Free Peoples, Creatures Strange and Foul gathers a host of adversaries drawn from the shadows of the Third Age, from cunning Black Númenórean spies and cruel Haradrim champions to ancient evils out of forgotten ages. The 5E adaptation of this volume will be released under the title Of Orcs and Evil Things.

by EarlofBronze

As ever Monica, a gracious host. Thank you. 😎

by Pentaclebreaker

Dolphinandrew wrote:

D&D (and close derivatives) dominates rpgs to an absurd level. Questions on 'why aren't there more popular [X] rpgs?' can usually be explained by reference to that fact.

Excluding D&D, I think space rpgs do ok. Star Wars, for instance, is pretty popular.

(Not sci-fi in many senses of course, but if we're going to be picky on genre definitions, then Cthulhu is horror not fantasy, and space is a setting, not a genre. I'd even argue that Cthulhu is at least as much space-ish sci-fi as it is fantasy, depending on which parts of it you emphasize.)

That leads to the question "What is a close derivate of D&D?" 😉

In Germany, Das Schwarze Auge was and is very successful, especcially because one hasn't the problems of translation. It still is a strong competitor to D&D. When dreaded D&D 4 was around, I even saw it as the better choice. Is it a derivate of D&D? I see it more as a sibling then a descendant. The same goes for Tunnels & Trolls and several others.

A VERY simplified view:

What makes the difference in impact? The usual suspects: Total number of people developing and publishing a system, Total number of players, Total number of items published.

So a bigger player base leads to more money in the publishing company that leads to more material being thrown on the market that leads to a bigger player base. As long as these mechanics are running the "big fish" continues to be a big fish. The current "big fish" is "Fantasy RPG in the style of D&D" gaming. Very basic and simple economics.

Ciao

Martin

by Bifford

An item RPG Item: Eberron Campaign Setting has been added to the geeklist 27 July 2026: How did your RPG session(s) go this week?

by chrisgledhill

Thanks for the suggestion about alien building.
I've not tried Assemblage; but am keen to see how to play this solitaire.

by randomcamel

Great job hosting, Monica!

by Mariana

An item RPG Item: Onyx Sky has been added to the geeklist Your RPG Thrift Store/Bargain Finds for 2026