Today is Free RPG Day!
Established in 2007, Free RPG Day works with participating hobby game retailers and RPG publishers to bring new and exclusive RPG quickstart rules and adventure modules into the hands of gamers.
This year, I’ll be watching for four items in particular:
We Be Goblins Free! by Paizo: This is the third instalment in the We Be Goblins! series. Though I have to admit I’m not a fan of Pathfinder, Paizo produces some great materials and this series is definitely one of them. I’ve run many sessions of this series and we’ve always had a great time playing at mischievous goblins. I’m looking forward to running my groups through another goblin misadventure.
Night’s Black Agents RPG / 13th Age Flipbook by Pelgrane Press: Again, though I’m not playing 13th Age, it has some great materials and I’m looking forward to seeing this offering, but more importantly, I really like Night’s Black Agents where you play The Bourne Identity meets vampires. I backed the Dracula Dossier Kickstarter for the epic Night’s Black Agents campaign coming soon and this might be a good way to try out the setting with my group.
You Iz Kobolds?! by 9th Level Games: I missed the Kickstarter for this game when it debuted, maybe because I’m stuck on playing goblins instead, but this looks like a fun game and this is a great way to check it out to see if it’s something I want to run in the future.
DCC RPG DM Screen by Goodman Games: There’s a bit of a theme here, but again, I don’t play DCC, but I like their products. I like to collect good DM screens that I can use for whatever game, but I’ve also tried out DCC as a player and it was a lot of fun, so this could get some use for running an actual DCC game.
As a special mention, the Cosmic Patrol QuickStart by Catalyst Games is also being offered, but that’s one that I’ve already picked up and I haven’t gotten to play it yet, but it looks like a lot of fun too and you might want to check out.
Other offerings include a Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Pack, Syrinscape Free Sound Gift Cards, Munchkin Bookmarks from Steve Jackson Games, Shadowrun/Battletech QuickStart Flipbooks, Into the Dragon’s Maw Adventure Module by Goodman Games, Valiant Universe RPG QuickStart, Commemerative Dive, Atlantis RPG Quickstart, Hellas RPG Kickstart, Silver Sword 1000 Coin, a Castles & Crusades Adventure, Through the Breach RPG QuickStart and a Dice Tray.
As you can see, there’s a lot for everyone, so definitely make a point of supporting Free RPG Day in your community. Check out the retailer locator to find a participating store near you. Quantities are limited though, so try to get there early if you’re looking for something in particular.
It’s also suggested that while these are free offerings that you also support your friendly local game store by making a purchase when you visit, so please keep that in mind when you make the trip.
Happy hunting for your picks!
Justin Schmid
Justin started tabletop gaming in 1983 with Basic D&D (red box) and never looked back. He runs and plays in a wide variety of games, including Savage Worlds, Dungeon World, Trail of Cthulhu and many, many more.
He also writes professionally for role-playing games, including writing and creating Night's Edge an Alternate Reality Universe for Cyberpunk 2020. He went on to write eight more adventures and sourcebooks in the Night's Edge line, adding vampires and other supernatural perils to the already dangerous world of Cyberpunk.
As a freelance writer, he wrote The Bermuda Triangle for Call of Cthulhu, Shadows of the Mind, and Psi Wars for Conspiracy X and contributed to Last Unicorn's Star Trek RPG, as well as to Cybergeneration sourcebooks, and many other games.
When he's not creating imaginary worlds for his daughter, he's running games for his friends and writing new adventures or designing new game systems. He currently lives in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.