This Tuesday, we’ve got two quick news hits for you. A French publisher is taking over development of a noteworthy “swashbuckling and sorcery” TTRPG. We also sat down with one of the busiest game designers in the industry to talk about their latest project.

Swashbuckling “7th Sea” Changes Hands in Development

7th Sea, the TTRPG focused on corsairs, pirates, and mystical forces in the land of Theah, will be handled by a new publisher for development.

Chaosium (the current owners), announced on Tuesday that it was handing over the development and creation of the game to the France-based Studio Agate. The game is built around a dice pool of d10s, which they roll based on their traits in order to determine if they’re successful. The setting explores a mythical world that resembles the 17th-century swashbuckling fiction of Errol Flynn, albeit with its flavor of regions, magic, and more, and without the colonial baggage.

"Studio Agate has been delivering exceptional work on the French version of 7th Sea since 2017 and last year successfully launched the first official 7th Sea campaign for the English language market,” Rick Meints, President of Chaosium, said. “We are confident that they are the perfect team to carry forward the legacy of this epic universe."

"7th Sea is a fascinating world, and it is an honor for us to carry the torch and continue its development. We have many exciting plans to involve the community in shaping the future of 7th Sea!" added Nely Hann, President of Studio Agate.

Studio Agate, for those unaware, is the company involved in translating properties like Vampire the Requiem and 7th Sea into French as well as publishing its games in English. It’s also known for creating Shadows of Esteren.

The new plans for the project include a new Kickstarter campaign, titled “A New Journey” that is scheduled to release some time in the future. 7th Sea will also now have a Patreon account, allowing fans to support the project and receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Studio Agate successfully raised $190,000 in 2024 for The Price of Arrogance, the setting’s first full-length campaign.

The deal only provides Studio Agate with the rights to develop and create content for 7th Seas. Chaosium will continue to own 7th Sea’s publishing rights, Chaosium co-owner Michael O’Brien told TTRPG Insider.

AEG, the original publisher, created the game in 1999 and then transferred the rights to John Wick in 2015. Wick successfully funded the second edition update for the game in 2016, then sold the rights to Chaosium in 2019.

TTRPG Insider reached out to Chaosium for comment.

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Sebastian Yūe and the Model Minister

TTRPG Insider got to sit down to chat with Sebastian Yūe, an ENnie-award-winning designer and editor, and the publishing coordinator/community manager at the Canada-based Hit Point Press.

Yūe began their journey like many creators working a standard job in communications, but got a taste for game creation when they wrote a D&D 5e scenario for a local support group of trans individuals with eating disorders in Toronto. The adventure would become Yūe first published project in 2019 and seemed to light a spark within the burgeoning game designer. They eventually turned those projects into pitches for other publications, and soon their career took off.

Most people end up doing game design without realizing it, Yūe told TTRPG Insider. “A lot of people will end up doing a sort of ‘micro game design at their table when they're homebrewing stuff and making adjustments to rules. I found that I enjoyed doing that and wanted to keep designing and making stories with friends.”

Yūe has been involved in numerous TTRPG projects since then, ranging from 5e scenarios to editing for some of the most popular TTRPGs on the market. Their work is featured in the upcoming Cosmere TTRPG, Daggerheart and the upcoming Wizard Punk 2. They’re also involved in multiple actual plays,

Their latest project is The Model Minister, a revised one-shot scenario built specifically for Rowan, Rook and Deckard’s elf-focused rebellion TTRPG Spire. The scenario, which was originally published in Issue 1 of The Hearth Magazine, focuses explicitly on the players (who are part of the rebellion movement within this world) having to investigate and eliminate a fashion model/undercover agent who the rebellion suspects may have turned on their cause. The players will have to determine if this agent has truly turned against them or if other factors are at play, and plays with elements of grey morality.

Spire, for those unfamiliar, is a game about the dark elves in an ancient elven setting attempting to rebel and push back against the high elves, who hold the power within this particular setting. The game is designed with a specific focus on rebellion storylines and exploring how one’s political beliefs can create tensions with a person’s relationships with others in society. Quinn of Shut Up and Sit Down does a phenomenal job of explaining the game and its appeal here.

“I like how the system establishes up front that your character is doomed to fail and even die for this cause, that the people in your life would sell you out if they found out what you were doing,” Yūe told TTRPG Insider. “But it doesn't stop you from trying.” Yūe found the moral conundrum presented within The Model Minister to be an intriguing story angle, especially since it meant that the players would either have to obey the rebellion (who could be wrong about the events of the story) or do their own thing and risk pushback from the government and the rebellion.

When not editing games, Yūe says they spend their time helping to organize games and interest in Shift, Hit Point Press’ upcoming new ruleset that will launch through crowdfunding in 2025. While Yūe wasn’t involved in the game’s design, they said they were excited about the options it presented to players and the frameworks it will offer. The ruleset was featured during Free RPG Day 2025.

Note: We have updated this story to incorporate remarks from Chaosium regarding the publishing rights around 7th Sea.

Thanks to Yūe for chatting with us!

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