Sorry, my Power Rangers Across the Stars sourcebook review is on hold pending the arrival of the physical copy.

Let’s talk about my favorite hobby for a few minutes. This was supposed to originally be a review of the new Power Rangers RPG Across the Stars sourcebook. Unfortunately, my own lack of sleep and the fact that the book has indeed not shown up in my mail yet is making it difficult to write much of a review. I do have the PDF preview copy and the book looks fabulous so far!

  • I have to again say many thanks to Renegade Studios for doing an excellent job on Essence20. The next couple of books coming out in the Power Rangers/GI Joe/Transformers line look pretty amazing. Renegade really took fan feedback to heart, and I appreciate that a lot. Their art department is also going all out to make these books beautiful.

  • Wizards of the Coast has released a video talking about the new edition of D&D. Basically, it’s still “5th Edition,” but it’s the 2024 version. Sorry, y’all. They’re new books.

    WotC is retooling all three books and they sound nothing like the 2014 books. WotC should just bite the bullet an call it 5.5 or 6E. Stop beating around the bush. But rather than admit it, we get another Studio Blog where they rehash the same drivel they’ve been trying to sell us for a couple of months now.

  • Upper Deck is suing Ravensburger over the core mechanics of Lorcana, the new Disney Trading Card Game. Lorcana was a huge hit at GAMA in 2023. It’s been reported that it was one of the biggest hits of the elite Las Vegas annual trade show. If you obtained any Lorcana cards, hang onto them, they’re probably going to be worth something depending on how the lawsuit turns out. The lawsuit also threatens to ruin the official launch of the game in September 2023.

  • Pride month is going well so far. Gamehole Con, Paizo Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, and many others have publicly announced their support of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Battletech and Warhammer 40,000 communities have likewise taken up the banner of support.

    While all of the aforementioned entities have taken no end of grief from closed-minded bigots, they have stood strong in the face of adversity. I hope they continue to stand strong. Being LGBTQIA+ is becoming a fight for survival in this day and age in the United States. It’s not just in the TTRPG community, but vastly out in the real world as well. Show the love.

  • The OSR is having a bit of a rough month. Many old bigots and edge lords are struggling with Pride month. Some on social media have advocated for shutting down the OSR in its entirety. While I don’t agree with that, I do think rejecting bigots at the game table might be in order. We can’t keep politics out of gaming, but we can control the narrative at the table regardless of what system is in play.

  • Candela Obscura premiered on YouTube. The new horror game uses a slimmed down version of the Illuminated Worlds engine from Darrington Press. While many are excited to see if Critical Role can dethrone D&D at the RPG of choice, others have voiced concern that the game too closely resembles Blades in the Dark by John Harper or a similar Powered by the Apocalypse style game. At least PbtA has an Open License that most of us trust.
  • RPG Superstar is in full bloom. Please go to https://rpgsuperstar.com/contests/current and vote for the Ice Asp, POOF, and Oilemental. I would very much appreciate it! Thank you!

    I apparently can’t vote on my own creations, so I’m praying I get at least one person who thinks I came up with an okay idea or two. Any prize money I might possibly happen to win from this contest is likely to cycle back into BattleZoo Bestiary books, anyway. I’m more in it for the industry credentials, honestly.

Thanks for listening. That review of the Power Rangers RPG Across the Stars is coming soon. (Again, waiting for my physical copy of the book.) The PDF is gorgeous, btw. I’m excited to get my new season of Power Rangers Super Lightning Force rolling and I’ve been really inspired so far. Plus, I think I’ve come up with a Power Rangers crossover twist that’s never been done before to my knowledge. Good times.