Welcome to TTRPG Insider!

Every week, we send you interviews, news and roundups straight to your inbox. Everything you need to know within the TTRPG hobby and industry without the hassle of social media, generative AI, or Google search.

If you want to know more, check us out here! If you like what you’re reading, make sure you subscribe. Help us become one of the go-to sources in the industry on Dungeons and Dragons, independent RPGs, and everything in between.

As 2025 wraps up, news often slows down across industries. TTRPGs are no different. Thankfully, we got to sit down with the creator of an Ennie award-winning TTRPG to talk about why he is taking a different approach to funding his new expansion.

Exalted Funeral and His Majesty The Worm Creator Open Preorders for Upcoming Expansion, Abandon Traditional Crowdfunding Model

His Majesty The Worm is the award-winning “new school game with old-school sensibilities” from Exalted Funeral. The game, written by author Knock! editor Scott McDowell is intentionally designed to bring a bit of complexity to dungeon crawls (That includes resource management, exploration procedures, a Dark Souls-inspired combat system, a Metroidvania-inspired dungeon design philosophy, and much more). It made news this year when it won two Ennies (the equivalent of Oscars for TTRPGs) for Best Game and Best Rules.

Now the game is releasing its first supplement, The Castle Automatic. The book is a “100+ room, 5-level Metroidvania-style dungeon” where players will “repair magi-mechanical engines that control the castle’s sun, moon, weather and seasons to overcome its deadly challenges.” The expansion acts as an easy way for new DMs to pick up His Majesty and get straight into the game.

But what caught my eye is how the author decided to skip crowdfunding and offer preorders instead; a rare choice among TTRPG publishers. Most TTRPG books start on crowdfunding sites these days (unless you’re a big publisher like Wizards of the Coast or Renegade Game Studios).

McDowell has a “healthy skepticism” toward TTRPGs and crowdfunding. While the initial vision of crowdfunding for TTRPGs started off as a way to get small projects off the ground, it’s now become common for even the most prominent publishers (Magpie Games, Modiphius, Paizo, Free League) to use it more as a form of preorder and marketing rather than the original goal of “funding projects that need it.” It’s why none of his projects have used the funding method.

His Majesty the Worm was initially funded through “Itchfunding”, where ashcan drafts of the original game were released in a pay-what-you-want format. This slowed down the publishing process, but it also allowed them to use the slow payments over the 7-8-year development period to pay artists and creators to flesh out the text before its final release through Exalted Funeral.

The Castle Automatic is using a preorder format, which resembles crowdfunding but “cuts out the middleman and dispels the kayfabe of ‘will it fund?’ We are confident the book is being made,” McDowell and Exalted Funeral argue on the book’s launch page. The book is mostly finished, McDowell told TTRPG Insider, and is currently undergoing layout and final art before preprinting. The book will ideally be done by May/June 2026, according to current plans.

You can preorder Castle Automatic here.

Dimension 20 Goes to the “Gladlands” in Upcoming Campaign

Dimension 20, Dropout’s D&D anthology actual play, is going to a post-apocalyptic “world gone glad” in its upcoming campaign. The cast will include D20 regulars Ally Beardsley, Oscar Montoya, Zac Oyama, and Jacob Wysocki, as well as the debuts of Vic Michaelis and Kimia Behpoornia.

The new campaign premieres on January 7.

Wizards of the Coast’s Digital Leadership Shuffles Staff Around

Wizards of the Coast has shuffled a few people in leadership roles this month. Paul Della Bitta, a former developer from World of Warcraft maker Blizzard Entertainment, has joined WOTC to lead its Digital Ventures game arm. He’s also held roles at Superplay, Molten Games and Riot Games. His appointment makes a lot of sense considering that WOTC president John Hight’s also a fellow Blizzard veteran.

James Ohlen, the co-founder of Exodus developer Archetype Entertainment, is stepping down to act as a creative consultant on tabletop RPGS.

“At this stage, James felt his work on the game was complete and that the polishing and tuning were in great hands with the team,” Hasbro's VP of corporate communications, Abby Hodes, told Gamesindustry.biz.

It’s further affirmation of how locked in WOTC and Hasbro are on video games, especially depending on how Exodus does. WOTC is also betting a lot on its recent partnership with Stig Asmussen and on the 2027 release of Warlock.

Want to see more reporting in the TTRPG space? Heard a scoop or a story you want covered? Let us know! Subscribe to TTRPG Insider and get exclusive interviews, trend pieces, speculation and coverage of D&D, mainstream publishers and the indie scene.

Other Stories from TTRPG Insider

We spoke with Steve Jackson about TOON and its Second Edition debut

Finally, we revealed some changes to TTRPG Insider’s plans going into 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].

You can also tag or follow us on BlueSky, Threads or Twitter!