News Roundup: Paizo+Chaosium Bets on DnDBeyond

Happy Saturday! In the first weekend after GenCon, this week has been noticeably quiet when it comes to TTRPG news. Not a shock, since much of the big stuff we covered in last week’s big GenCon roundup!

But the big story on my radar is Paizo and Chaosium’s push to make more 5e content and what it means for their editorial vision.

In This Edition

• Paizo, Chaosium Experiment with DnDBeyond to Reach …

• GenCon Breaks Records Despite Industry Tension

• Daggerheart Hits 500k Characters (on Demiplane, at …

• In Other News

Paizo, Chaosium Experiment with DnDBeyond to Reach New Audiences

The last two weeks shook up the TTRPG space with two specific additions to DnDBeyond, the prominent online platform.

Two weeks ago, Chaosium announced Cthulhu by Torchlight, a new set of resources that allow players to add Cthulhu and several mythos creatures to the canon in an attempt to adapt Call of Cthulhu to D&D 5e.

Paizo followed up in the same vein, adding the megadungeon known as the Abomination Vaults to DnDBeyond as well.

While these might seem like one-offs, both companies confirmed that they are part of a larger experiment.

“Paizo is excited for this new partnership with DnDBeyond and to bring Pathfinder to a new audience,” Paizo narrative lead John Compton told The Fandomentals. He also noted that this introduction of Abomination Vaults was an experiment and that future collaborations were possible if the numbers pan out.

A Chaosium team member told TTRPG Insider that Cthulhu by Torchlight is an experiment and that the publisher is considering adapting other properties (such as the more fantasy-oriented RuneQuest or the Arthurian Pendragon) into 5e format. It’s unclear if or when these adaptations may occur, but much of the success will depend on the sales numbers and popularity of Cthulhu by Torchlight.

The publisher confirmed that the discussions about Cthulhu by Torchlight have been going on for at least a year and that the publisher saw it as a chance to reach new audiences.

While third-party content is nothing new on DnDBeyond, the addition of content from Chaosium and Paizo stood out to me as they are the two companies I believe represent the most significant market competitors. Pathfinder is the most popular D&D alternative among fantasy fans, and Call of Cthulhu represents a substantial part of the TTRPG market with its 1920s-themed mystery horror campaigns. If they’re willing to create 5e content, then it seems to be further affirmation of 5e’s dominance and where it might take things. Not that the company designers treat it this way. The majority of staff each of the companies remain friendly with one another.

It also presents a new chance for Forever-5e players to be exposed to these game-makers. If a player enjoys Abomination Vaults, maybe they’ll want to also play Kingmaker or other Paizo games. If audiences find a hankering for the Lovecraftian mythos, perhaps they’ll want to try the rest of Chaosium’s collection. At least that’s how it works on paper. The willingness of some 5e players to do anything that is not D&D feels staggering at times.

To learn more about the future of D&D Beyond’s partnerships, check out Dan Arndt and I’s interview with D&D Beyond product architect Laura Hohman.

GenCon Breaks Records Despite Industry Tension

GenCon announced that it had 72,000 attendees this year, a “record-breaking” number that I suspect is pushing the physical limits of the Indiana Convention Center. This included 575 vendors (including board game, TTRPG and other types of vendors), which is a remarkable amount. Nearly 70,000 attendees and 540 vendors attended the 2024 GenCon last year.

While Board Game Wire’s Mike Didymus-True notes that many vendors had solid sales numbers, their sales didn’t match the record-breaking estimates of the convention. Parts of this were due to the inability to get the product into the States in time.

A good example is Free League’s struggle with The One Ring 2e’s starter set launch. The game was initially set to launch at GenCon. Still, the product didn’t arrive until mid-convention because the TTRPG publisher had to adopt creative means to move the product into the United States in time for GenCon amid tariffs, the CEO told TTRPG Insider. The product did eventually sell out, but not before people struggled to get it on the opening days.

Dan Arndt, my fellow TTRPG and board game journalist, spoke with several of the vendors and noted that many publishers had either cancelled or delayed print runs as of GenCon, which made it hard to get products that people wanted before they were released.

“Tariffs have been hugely problematic, both from the threat they create in terms of cost and pass-through costs,” GenCon president David Hoppe told the Indianapolis Business Journal. “but also – particularly in the last six months – the uncertainty about what it’s going to mean.”

How will these economic trends change between now and next GenCon? It’s unclear, although many of these companies will have more time to adapt as well as big shifts in market variance. I 100% understand some companies’ hesitancy.

Anyway, read Board Game Wire’s story on this. It’s phenomenal.

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Daggerheart Hits 500k Characters (on Demiplane, at least)

As I said in the last issue, Daggerheart feels like what everyone is excited for at GenCon. Whether I was talking to creators, former D&D staff or other players, the TTRPG that held the most energy in the room appeared to be Darrington Press’ Daggerheart. This was further confirmed with the company revealing that more than 500,000 characters were made on the virtual character creation platform Demiplane since the initial beta in 2024. Demiplane is currently owned by Roll20.

500k is a big number. I’m curious how that compares to other game systems on Demiplane, whether we’re talking about the Marvel Multiverse RPG or Vampire the Masquerade.

Demiplane founder Peter Romenesko also confirmed in an interview with former D&D staffer Todd Kenreck that Daggerheart was the top game on its platform, and that they were seeing a “really young” fan base playing it.

I suspect part of that surge of interest is because of how vital Demiplane has been to the Daggerheart rollout. The platform was approached a few weeks before the planned test in 2024, Romenesko said, and they quickly added it. It was a key tool that several others and I used beyond the provided PDF copies. It continues to be where a lot of the new test content from Darrington’s “Void” goes as well.

In Other News

Wargamer got the scoop on the upcoming Horus Heresy TTRPG that is expected to release in 2026. If you’re a Warhammer 40,000 fan, then this opportunity to explore the unique machinations of war in the 31st millennium may appeal to you. It does seem more war game than roleplay, but I am excited regardless.

Rowan Rook and Deckard’s DIE is getting a comic and a new quickstart in November, according to Rascal News.

The Japan-themed Fabula Ultima publisher Need Games is publishing a TTRPG based on Attack on Titan, a popular manga and anime about a world where humanity is stuck in their fortress besieged by man-eating giants and they have to figure out how to stop them. I only watched the first season, and it’s a weird setting. It will be built on Free League’s Year Zero Engine.

New Holland Brewing Co. will release the D&D Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve later this month in late August. This concoction is reportedly inspired by dragon turtles, according to New Holland. (The company made Dragon’s Milk last year in celebration of D&D’s 50th anniversary.) Honestly, I would not be able to tell if it were not for the D&D in the name.

That’s it for this week! We've got a lot of content ahead of you this month, but feel free to send tips or emails to [email protected]. Also make sure to share this newsletter with friends, fans or even newbies. We’re here to help people see how big this hobby can really be.