Welcome to the Cannibal Halfling Weekend Update! Start your weekend with a chunk of RPG news from the past week. We have the week’s top sellers, industry news stories, something from the archives, and discussions from elsewhere online.

DriveThruRPG Top Sellers for 5/18/2024

1. Fabula Ultima Atlas: Techno Fantasy
2. Fabula Ultima Game Master’s Toolkit
3. Exigents: Out of the Ashes
4. Traveller: Starship Operator’s Manual
5. Flying Circus: Chariots of Steel

Top News Stories

One More Multiverse is shutting down: One More Multiverse, a VTT program likely best known for its tie-in with Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast, is shutting down, as announced on their Discord. While this may seem like a typical story of nerds who dreamed too big, Multiverse Inc. actually nailed down a $17.5 million venture funding round back in 2021. Believe it or not, sucking down six million dollars a year isn’t atypical of venture-backed startups; that said, the other thing that typical startups do is fail.

From the Archives

This week had a lot of discussion about licensed games and transmedia properties like Fallout, where video games, tv shows, and TTRPGs all exist under a unified umbrella. Our contribution to the discussion also pulled in a fan game, a property that isn’t official but exists because a dedicated fan wanted to bring a certain experience to the gaming table. From the archives this week we look at another sort of fan game which we reviewed about three years ago. Good Strong Hands is built around emulating adventure stories like The Labyrinth and The Never-Ending Story, and pulls off a fun, unique take on the fantasy battle between good and evil.

Discussion of the Week

Is it okay for a DM to fudge dice rolls for story or party survival?: Sorry, sorry. I went back on Twitter again. It’s notable that, although this post caused another landslide of discourse, it comes from a rapid-fire meme account rather than anyone of particular import (not that that matters for the algorithm or anyone who responded to it). Luckily, there is a somewhat correct answer here: If you as a GM must fudge rolls to get the system to produce results that conform to player expectations of the game, you’re probably using the wrong system.

Have any RPG news leads or scoops? Get in touch! You can reach us at cannibalhalflinggaming@gmail.com, through Mastodon via @CannibalHalflingGaming@dice.camp, and through BlueSky via @cannibalhalfling.bsky.social.