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News Roundup: Combat Futuristic Nazis in the Wolfenstein TTRPG
Modiphius is bringing the sci-fi/WWII inspired action video game to life at a table near you. There's also 5.5e, the 2026 Origins Awards and more.
Christopher Hutton
March 08, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
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There’s a lot of news this week! Earlier, we covered the release of the upcoming D&D roadmap. But we also saw the announcement of a Wolfenstein TTRPG, an update to D&D’s labeling, the beginning of the 2026 TTRPG award season, and a lot more.
In This Edition
Blast Nazis Away in Alternate WWII Timeline with Wolfenstein TTRPG
Modiphius Entertainment (Dune, Fallout, Star Trek Adventures) and Bethesda Softworks announced they are adapting Wolfenstein, the modern reboot of the Nazi-blasting action video game, into a TTRPG.
The TTRPG will focus on an adaptation of Wolfenstein: The New Order and The New Colossus, which explore an alternate history in which the Nazis won World War II with advanced technology and conquered the rest of the world. The players will take on the role of resistance fighters who will combat the Nazi threat in a particularly violent manner that the games have defined.
“As a result of our continued relationship with Bethesda Softworks, we’re thrilled to announce that we are working on a tabletop roleplaying game for Wolfenstein,” Chris Birch, co-founder of Modiphius, said in a press release. “We hope that fans will enjoy being able to immerse themselves in the world in a new way. Get psyched!”
The game will use Modiphius’ 2D20 system, which players and fans should be familiar with through Star Trek Adventures, Fallout, and its other properties. The company has a long history of adapting Bethesda’s properties, so Wolfenstein makes a lot of sense. They also have made a World War II-based TTRPG in the past, which should provide them with the groundwork to make the game fairly easily.
The crowdfunding campaign for Wolfenstein is scheduled to launch in Fall 2026.
Wizards of the Coast Formally Adopts “5.5” Label for 2024 Dungeons and Dragons update
Wizards of the Coast
Earlier this week, we broke the story around Dungeons and Dragons’ planned release schedule for 2026. But we also had the company finally embrace a new name for its update to the current ruleset.
The company announced in DnD Beyond’s changelog that it is relabeling its rulesets to help clarify which is which. The original Fifth Edition rules, which released in 2014, are now labeled 5e rules. The 2024 update, in contrast, is now labeled “5.5e.” This change in labels doesnt’ change anything mechanically, but is for the sake of clarity.
We're making this change because we recognize that there's confusion when just referring to the year, especially when browsing your library and building a character,” the company wrote in an update. “This term has also been picked up by the community to refer to the updated rule set, so it was the natural course for the update.”
The embrace of this new tag arrives after years of D&D trying to figure out how to update the game without releasing a new version. The company initially pitched the “One D&D" initiative in 2022 as a way to keep updating the game without releasing a Sixth Edition. The label eventually died off, and the 2024 release was simply described as the 2024 edition of D&D.
The change received mixed responses across the community, with most pushback noting that they should have stuck with the 5.5e release label earlier.
Other Stories from This Week
Pumpkin Spice, a cozy fantasy TTRPG about witches running coffee shops, raised $1 million in crowdfunding this week, making it the first game to cross the $1M mark in 2026.
The Origins Awards, which honor tabletop, miniatures and TTRPG games, announced its 2026 nominees at GAMA this week. The finalists will be announced on June 19.
Wizards of the Coast has formally taken over hosting the D&D fan expo at the London-based O2 event in August 2026.
Geek Native sat down to chat with the designers behind Tavers, a psychadelic TTRPG project from Exalted Funeral and Meow Wolf that launched this week.
Pelgrane Press’ next project is Ballad Hunters, a TTRPG about folk ballads coming to life.
Rascal News published its State of the Rascal, offering a look at its efforts to tighten the belt and keep going. I honestly feel the pressures myself in the journalistic industry.
D&D sheets are now easier to use on your phone in Roll20.
Mollie Russell over at Wargamer offers her TTRPG picks for 2026
Chaosium, Free League, and Cubicle 7 Feature Heavily in Origin Award Nominees
The Origin Awards, which are GAMA’s set of prizes recognizing game design in the tabletop, TTRPG and miniature space, announced their finalists at GAMA 2026 this week, which is one of the biggest industry conventions in the world. While it is mostly an award show for board game, I wanted to highlight the TTRPG finalists for your consideration
Roleplaying Game
• Age of Vikings – Chaosium
• CHEW: The Roleplaying Game – Imagining Games
• Coriolis: The Great Dark – Free League
• Cthulhu Bay – MS Edizioni and Ares Games
• Daggerheart Core Set – Darrington Press
• Land of Eem Deluxe Box Set – Exalted Funeral
• Cosmere RPG Stormlight Starter Set – Brotherwise Games
• Starfinder Second Edition – Paizo
• The Bonsai Diary – Gene Koo
• Warhammer: The Old World Roleplaying Game Player’s Guide – Cubicle 7
Roleplaying Supplement
• Advent-ure Calendar 19: Kitty Clacks Christmas – Black Oak Workshop
• ALIEN RPG: Rapture Protocol – Free League
• Call of Cthulhu: The Sutra of Pale Leaves – Twin Suns Rising – Chaosium
• Cthulhu by Gaslight: Keeper’s Guide – Chaosium
• Full Art Dice Set: Porcelain – Q Workshop
• Green Oaks – MS Edizioni and Ares Games
• Pendragon: Gamemaster’s Handbook – Chaosium
• The Field Guide to Floral Dragons: Explorer’s Box Set – Hit Point Press
• The Vault of Mini Things – Tinkerhouse Games
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: High Elf Player’s Guide – Cubicle 7
If you want the full list of coverage, check out Board Game Wire’s piece, which has all the board game announcements.
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Spotlight: Suburban America and K-Pop Come to D&D
We’re featuring two noteworthy Fifth Edition D&D projects that caught my attention on Kickstarter over the last few weeks. Both projects aim to explore settings beyond the traditional fantasy game. While we’re a fan of making new games to explore settings outside of D&D, we also respect those who want to use these different venues to bring others into the space.
Idols of the Neon Dark Offer a K-Pop Demon Hunters-Themed On-Ramp to D&D
One that is coming out is Idols of the Neon Dark, a K-Pop Demon Hunters-inspired setting where players enter a “K-Pop drenched setting” that draws on Korean lore and the visuals of the popular Netflix film to create a D&D game that the author (Dan Thut) hopes will offer an on-ramp for younger boys and girls to try D&D.
“My kids know that ‘Daddy plays Dungeons & Dragons,’ and they want to play with me,” Thut told Polygon in an interview. “That creates this tension: How do you bring them into the hobby in a way that feels native to them, not just a watered-down version of my nostalgia?” Parts of that inspiration also drew on Renegade Game Studios’ Tales of Equestria.
The game has gotten some attention in the games press for its distinct K-Pop Demon Hunters energy (something that consumed most of pop culture in 2025.) It introduces a new class and subclasses as well as options for running campaigns that will feel familiar to younger players, according to Thut.
The campaign for Idols officially launches on March 10.
Serenity Springs: Stepford/Suburban Americaa Meets the Domains of Dread
The second is Serenity Springs, a smaller indie Fifth Edition project that attempts to bring suburban horror to D&D. Imagine having your D&D squad go from traditional fantasy to a 1950s version of America. That’s the vision that Ryan Loos (of Grinning Portal Games) proposed with Serenity Springs. The idea was inspired by the Ravenloft setting, where horrific creatures and worlds are sealed within small dimensions by dark creatures, and where players (theoretically) can travel between the realms. So imagine going from something like Curse of Strahd to The Stepford Wives. While the book is not an official Ravenloft adaptation, it draws heavily on Ravenloft to create its own smaller setting and, hopefully, offer players a way to do something a bit different from traditional D&D.
The campaign is expected to crowdfund this spring, 2026.
That’s all for this week. Have thoughts on a recent story? Want to promote your latest product? Feel free to send us tips or emails at [email protected].