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Why did TSR bury a D&D product line that was already completed? Designers & Dragons Origins is the latest D&D history book series from Shannon Appelcline Also: two new TTRPG tools for sound & journaling, and we discuss Rob Kuntz's opinions about the origins of D&D

This week we welcome Mark Taormino of Dark Wizard Games. The actor and game designers tells us how he makes game design his full time job with up to fourteen releases a year

Board Game veterans launch Best in Play Arcane Animator brings your maps to life 3D color resin printing is here SCA announces anti-AI policy

Henry Cavill confirmed as the lead on Warhammer series Rob Kuntz on Greyhawk It's over: Diamond Estate and Consignment Group reach settlement Sirius Dice recreates D&D's 1983 Red Box cover art as miniatures

New D&D Star Wars announcement John Hight steps down as president of WotC Modiphius delays Wolfenstein RPG amid layoffs Frink - a zine where you play a monster made of pieces that don't go together 2026 ENNIES award winners

Dovecote helps you schedule game nights Total Party Killers is the new D&D comic miniseries Games Workshop nukes another 3D printer and his entire community Struggling board game company CMON cancels $2.1M investment in NFTs Paizo announces plan to keep Archives of Nethys alive

A Monopoly importer learns a hard lesson  D&D players raise millions for charity Pathfinder may be in trouble Rob Kuntz announces the publication of Kalibruhn BackerKit inks deal with DriveThruRPG

Improving board games with custom components Good resources for game designers Finland adds tabletop gaming culture to its National Inventory of Living Heritage Count Binface in 28mm metal ColorSym, a free tool for colorblind-friendly game design

A PDF reader made just for TTRPGS The Magical Code of Regulations Eamon: Playing Text Adventures in 2026 2026 ENNIE Award winners announced RPG Trader shakes up the digital tabletop gaming market

This week's stories: HBG Con is coming on July 11th Tabletop creators push back against AI at UK Games Expo 2026 Wizards of the Coast is hiring more AI roles Weave together a DnD character with tarot cards using this homebrew tool The Wire meets the Shire in the Merryshire Detective Club

This week's stories: D&D's new villainous subclasses show Wizards is listening to fans Designers support BackerKit's collab funding, say there's no crowdfunding fatigue Vampire the Masquerade gets its own crossover D&D book Paizo union loses 20% of its members to layoffs, while CEO shares his concerns for the future of the company

This week on TableTop Weekly… Jason and Peter ease into a quieter, holiday-season episode with a mix of indie highlights, industry shifts, and thoughtful commentary on where tabletop gaming culture is heading as the year winds down. The show opens with a spotlight on Hey Ho, Let's Go Home, a new punk-infused holiday zine from Ham and Egg Publishing. Written by John Maguire and Gio Colazzo, the short story reimagines A Christmas Carol through the lens of DIY punk, following a teenage runaway visited by the ghosts of the Ramones. The hosts praise its warmth, sincerity, and strong connection to tabletop-adjacent storytelling culture. Next, the conversation turns to New Game Master Month, an annual January initiative designed to help first-time GMs overcome anxiety and run their first sessions. With support across multiple systems, the hosts highlight its hands-on structure and argue that mentorship and encouragement matter more than endless GM advice videos. Creators take note as Meta quietly tests limits on link posting for Facebook professional accounts. Jason and Peter unpack what this means for small publishers, the creeping pay-to-be-seen model of social media, and why modern promotion feels more complex and less effective than traditional magazine advertising ever was. On a lighter note, the long-awaited second edition of Toon finally arrives. With original artist Kyle Miller returning, full-color interiors, and a renewed focus on fast, slapstick play, the hosts celebrate Toon as a perfect convention and one-shot game that understands comedy is hard and supports it with strong design tools. The episode wraps with industry news as GMT Games welcomes Candace Harris to its team. Known for her years at BoardGameGeek, Candace's move signals a push to make deep, logistics-driven wargames more accessible. The hosts close by musing about the untapped potential of wargaming as spectator media and why someone really should turn it into a sports-style broadcast. https://www.solariangames.com https://www.youtube.com/@solariangames

This week on TableTop Weekly…  Jason and Peter open the show with a heartfelt thank-you to the community as the Top Secret: Tradecraft Manual Kickstarter continues to outperform expectations. With five days to go, strong backer numbers, and solid momentum in what is traditionally a difficult launch window, the hosts reflect on what this says about the Top Secret community and why expansions only matter if people are actually playing the game. The first news story covers Evil Hat Productions opening its annual game submission window. The discussion breaks down what Evil Hat is looking for, why 5e is explicitly excluded, and what creators should realistically expect from a traditional publisher relationship, including ownership, royalties, crowdfunding partnerships, and legal protections around unsolicited submissions. Next, the hosts tackle controversy in Magic: The Gathering, where players destroyed cards over allegations of AI-generated art. While no proof has emerged, the conversation widens into a thoughtful examination of broken trust, corporate pressure, artist reputation, and the uncomfortable reality that human-made art is now sometimes required to prove itself as human. The tone shifts with a look at the newly launched Black Company RPG playtest from Arkdream Publishing. The hosts praise the open playtest model, old-school percentile mechanics, and the grounded, military-forward tone inspired by Glen Cook's novels, calling it a promising system worth attention. Personnel news follows as Wizards of the Coast promotes Justice Ramen Armen to Game Design Director for Dungeons & Dragons. While congratulatory, the discussion also raises questions about experience, institutional knowledge, and the weight of stewarding the world's most influential RPG. The episode closes on sobering industry news as Mythic Games officially enters liquidation, leaving millions in unfulfilled Kickstarter pledges. The hosts analyze what went wrong, why scale increases responsibility, and how failures at this level damage trust in crowdfunding as a whole. To end on a positive note, they spotlight community projects, including Tomb of the Ancient Mor King from Orange Cat Games, and circle back to the ongoing success of Tradecraft Manual as an example of doing it right. https://www.solariangames.com https://www.youtube.com/@solariangames

This week on TableTop Weekly…  Special guest Kai Schaefer, creator of Gamers Online, joins Jayson and Peter to talk about a better way to organize tabletop conventions and events. Before the main segment, the crew rolls out a TableTop Weekly holiday gift guide, blending practical gaming tools, clever accessories, and a healthy dose of humor. Gift highlights include DIY gaming tokens, D&D-themed ornaments, 3D-printed dice trees and towers, compact GM screens, fidget-friendly dice spinners, gamer backpacks designed for books and minis, novelty ice molds shaped like polyhedral dice, and offbeat party favorites like Butts on Things. The discussion focuses on gifts that enhance play at the table without feeling disposable or overly gimmicky. The main interview dives into Gamers Online, a platform designed to improve how gamers find groups and how conventions manage schedules, sessions, badges, and communication. Kai walks through the system's attendee-facing and organizer-facing tools, including visual schedules, mobile-friendly badge management, session submissions, real-time updates, and messaging that instantly notifies players about changes. The emphasis is on reducing friction for players, volunteers, and organizers alike. The hosts discuss how Gamers Online compares to existing tools like Tabletop Events and Warhorn, why usability matters as much as features, and how conventions can transition without disrupting existing plans. The episode wraps with a broader conversation about community-building, accessibility, and giving gamers more control over their convention experience. https://www.solariangames.com https://www.youtube.com/@solariangames

This week on TableTop Weekly…  The headline story is the Top Secret: Tradecraft Manual, the first major expansion for Top Secret. Written by Scott Kongable, the book deeply expands every Tradecraft skill with narrative examples, clearer mechanics, difficulty guidance, and tables, all drawn from hundreds of campaign sessions. It also introduces new Tradecraft, streamlined chase rules, and early steps toward what will eventually become Top Secret's next edition, while remaining fully backward compatible. The discussion continues with Operation Backfill, Kongable's massive 283-page third-party mission for Top Secret, and a broader look at the growing ecosystem of licensed and community content supporting the game. Next, the hosts cover major VTT news, including Fantasy Grounds and Alchemy RPG shifting to free-to-play models, lowering barriers for online play and prompting debate over usability, cost, and the future of virtual tabletops. The episode then revisits Twilight Sword, an anime-inspired RPG drawing from JRPG traditions like Zelda and Final Fantasy, now exceeding $550,000 in funding. Its d12-based CAT system, elemental interactions, and strong visual identity spark a lively breakdown. In a surprising detour, the show highlights two major nerd collectibles heading to Christie's: J.R.R. Tolkien's writing desk and John Blanche's original Warhammer cover art, prompting discussion about nostalgia, art valuation, and generational fandom. The episode closes with a look at How to Dungeon Master Parenting, a well-reviewed book that applies tabletop RPG principles to raising kids, blending humor with practical insight. https://www.solariangames.com https://www.youtube.com/@solariangames