Rascal News
@rascal_news
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Rascal is a worker-owned, reader-supported TTRPG outlet striving to sustainably publish voicey journalism. Alternative. Independent. Roguelike.
the gaming table
Joined January 2024
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Send us removal request.
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Rascal is launching its first pledge drive! We are a worker-owned, reader-supported outlet; we don't sell ads, data, or information. We just write about games.
Here are some ways to support the drive and keep three bardpunk dirtbag journos writing about TTRPGs: 🧵
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Hi, We’re Rascal, a new, independent, reader-supported, worker-owned outlet for journalism about TTRPGs, actual plays, and the people who make them.
We strive to sustainably publish compelling, deeply-reported, and fearlessly honest journalism
We’re also a little cheeky.
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BREAKING: John Hight will be the new President of Wizards of the Coast. He previously served as Senior VP and GM of the Warcraft Franchise at Blizzard Entertainment, overseeing development for World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Warcraft Rumble.
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BREAKING: Cynthia Williams, President of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming is resigning after two years, according to an SEC filing. Her successor is not yet announced. We have reached out for a comment about what this might mean for WotC.
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From Darrington Press,
#Daggerheart
's first chargen playtest proves it has a solid foundation, but its double-duty narrative and stat-based character generation creates unnecessary pain points.
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A year after their departure from
@dimension20show
, former D20 Creative Director Orion D Black reflects on their work with the show, their influence on actual play, and whether they'll ever return to TTRPGs
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Extreme flooding has left
@jamboeditora
, Brazil's biggest TTRPG publisher, with incalculable damages.
"Right now while I respond to this interview, a big part of our book stock is underwater.” -
@karensoarele
, Jambô EIC
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Dicebreaker was one of the inspirations for Rascal. Its ignominious shut down amid a booming industry which desperately wants coverage is a cultural loss to all of us.
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D&D and actual play spurred an Iranian tabletop community. Journalist
@Nima_Dabirian
shows how Western influence and political tensions have produced a unique culture of play in Iran
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Monday June 24, the CRIT Awards announced they cancelled their ceremony at Gen Con due to "safety concerns" amid online harassment from Zionists. So far neither Gen Con or the CRIT Awards have offered definitive answers. Read for the full timeline:
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TLDR: A good start that might be able to kill a dragon.
(read anyway, it's a good article)
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In a comment to Rascal, a spokesperson confirmed that the new season of
@dimension20show
will be played with Never Stop Blowing Up—a homebrewed system heavily inspired by Hunters Entertainment's Kids on Bikes.
Watch the new trailer on Rascal.
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The player outcry against the proposed character sheet changes to D&D Beyond are rooted in the very problem that Wizards of the Coast has been trying to avoid for the past two years: This is Edition Wars all over again.
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The Neopets RPG has raised over $100K, but hasn't shown off a single mechanic, skill tree, or a character sheet. (Character sheets are actually a $125K stretch goal.)
Nostalgia, it seems, is worth far more than game design.
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Rascal's growing... but we need your help. Our July pledge drive will feature new voices, streams, and even a podcast pilot. Subscribe to Rascal News and support independent, alternative, roguelike journalism in the TTRPG industry.
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Members of
@TabletopWU
allege the owners of three NYC hobby stores told workers "you should all burn in hell” for wanting a living wage, more staff
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If you have an announcement for a new game, actual play, Kickstarter, job posting, casting call, or anything else you want the TTRPG ecosystem to know about:
Submit a press release to our free to post, free to access announcement hub
Email Press
@rascal
.news for more info
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Rascal did a three month-long investigation into 's treatment of charity bundles, and
@RowanZeoli
found that the process to get funds to non-profits has gotten worse over the past three years.
Read the full report on Rascal.
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.
@ZoAndBehold
and
@ErinInTheMorn
are pillars of the queer community, a trans politician/journalist power couple who have shaped what modern trans activism looks on the ground and online.
@RowanZeoli
talks to them about, of all things, Dungeons & Dragons.
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The Dimension20 live show marks an historic first appearance of actual play on the legendary Madison Square Garden stage.
While a big move for the show and the medium, do the venue's values align with Dimension 20’s?
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Auctioning off minis for charity is nothing new for
@dimension20show
, but donating 100% of the profits to
@ThePCRF
is a massive difference from previous auctions.
Capitalism is the bad guy. But
@dropout
is proving that companies can do good.
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Contributor
@lilithttrpg
explores the ways TTRPGs collide with the military industrial complex, even while tabletop positions itself as a vocally progressive industry
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In the 2 month since we launched, Rascal has published nearly 80 articles, and 180 public announcements, covering every corner to the tabletop industry.
Which articles have been your favorite? What do you want to see more of?
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Playing as The Dark Urge strips bare the delusions of noble bloodshed in Baldur's Gate 3. If the Durge's full-throated desire to see viscera and gore turns your stomach, why are you really here? Isn’t violence the point?
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Rascal is open to pitches! Our first commissioned articles will showcase a range of topics from a diverse group of authors. However, we are especially interested in hearing from Black writers. Please see the guidelines below on how to pitch Rascal.
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Beyond the Brook will fill the Over The Garden Wall shaped hole in your heart
Rascal
@RowanZeoli
reviews the family-friendly AP that invites audiences to tune in for a cozy, old-fashioned fireside story about the childlike magic of play.
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Rascal was co-founded by
@lincodega
,
@RowanZeoli
, and
@chasewrites
, writers you might already know from other websites such as Gizmodo, Dicebreaker, Polygon, and elsewhere.
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Fifteen years later, Fallen London finally unveils its official tabletop RPG
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Dungeons & Dragons' first off-Broadway show, The Twenty Sided Tavern, promises an interactive LARP and delivers an underwhelming and overstimulating escape room experience. With dice! And alcohol!
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Congrats to
@ErinInTheMorn
for winning the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Blog!
Read our profile on Erin and her fiancée
@ZoAndBehold
about their love of tabletop games!
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Everybody's a critic.
@lincodega
sits down with
@Quinns108
, host of Quinns Quest, for a (slightly unhinged) discussion on the need for serious TTRPG criticism, "dangerous games," and why rules aren't as important as vibes in finding the D&D killer
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With the rise of shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20, billions of people are left with a single, nigh unanswerable question they're too afraid to ask:
What the fuck is actual play?
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Rowan owned this entire interview with just five words.
The old way is dying: Lin, Rowan and Chase of Rascal on the future of publishing, TTRPGs and AP
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We have officially passed our first official pledge drive goal, which means all three rascals have earned themselves a little raise!
Thank you SO much to our community, old and new, who have already shown up during our month-long pledge drive!
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Coyote & Crow will bring indigenous consultation directly to RPG publishers
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I played Baldur's Gate 3 for almost 120 hours and fumbled every single hottie on the Sword Coast.
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📧📧📧📧we are recovering! 📧📧 we are rebooting!! 📧📧📧 it's all coming back soon!! 📧📧📧📧📧 RASCAL RETURNS THIS WEEK!
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Wizards of the Coast has responded with the following comment:
“We’re excited for Cynthia to take the next step in her career and grateful for the contributions she has made in her more than two years at Wizards and Hasbro. We wish her the absolute best in her next endeavor.
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D&D 2024's preorder bonus follows lockstep behind both video games and Magic: The Gathering's marketing, and it's another seal broken on the RPG's distressingly digital future.
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With more people than ever trying to make a career in TTRPGs and actual play,
@friede
's new study wants to find out how many jobs the industry is actually supporting—and what it means for the "tabletop community" moving forward
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Assar Nohr, five-year-old son of
@JohanNohr
, just published a killer MÖRK BORG dungeon full of vampires and lava. Of course we had some questions.
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United Paizo Workers Win The Diana Jones Award
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Hasbro's latest brand deal with a Savvy Gaming-owned developer links
@wizards_DND
to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and continues its existing relationship with PIF-owned companies.
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At fifty years old, Dungeons & Dragons is grappling with what it is... and what it was. How does D&D exist as a piece of history, a game, a cultural movement, a text, and a product all at once?
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.
@dimension20show
's live show at
@TheGarden
is the latest event to encounter Ticketmaster's Dynamic Pricing, with some tickets reaching nearly $2500.
Can artists opt out of the predatory pricing model if they want access to the world's most famous venues?
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After D&D discontinued the Latin American Ambassadorship program, creators felt "exploited and used" by Wizards of the Coast.
The full interview with journalist
@FedericoMMuller
explains the entire situation with more depth:
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Want To Peer Into Dungeons & Dragons’ Future? Check Out The State Of Magic: The Gathering
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Dungeons & Dragons' cover for the 2024 DM's Guide trades high fantasy vibes for everyone's favorite character: Glup Shitto
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Rascal is grateful to be nominated for Innovation in the TTRPG Space. This is an award for and by the TTRPG community, and we hope to keep serving this industry through our work.
FINALISTS ARE LIVE
Read only and voting form now available!
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Larian Studios splits with D&D's corporate owner to grow, pursue their passions. Given the state of Hasbro's house, we can't blame them.
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The 3rd annual TTRPGS for Trans Rights bundle is raising money for
@projectxrainbow
, an organization providing housing for queer Appalachians
Rascal
@rowanzeoli
made a list of her favorite games by trans designer included in the bundle
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EXCLUSIVE: A sneak peak onto
@TransplanarRPG
's first in-studio actual play Godkiller: Last Hope
Rascal sits down with
@byConnieChang
and
@SeaPlaysRPG
to talk divinity, agency, redemption, and of course, killing gods
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Pathfinder's historic Tian Xia setting is getting some new books, and Rascal sat down with three
@paizo
creators to talk design, development, and art for the remastered Lost Omen books.
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Rascal
@RowanZeoli
talks with
@Dimension20show
Creative Director
@CarlosCrits
about the future of actual play and how he's making sure D20 doesn’t “get lost in its own sauce" as it pushes the medium forward
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A few clips circulated the internet this week that show the best way to introduce the normies in your life to TTRPGs is to skip the explanation and start playing
Being a talented actor, musician, Tiktoker, etc, certainly helps
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Hasbro's Chris Cocks hides an executive's cynicism behind his well-trod "fellow fan" persona. It's well past time we stopped swallowing the CEO's line.
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In this interview, former D20 Creative Director Orion D Black reflects on their work with the show, their influence on the medium of actual play, and why they won't be returning to TTRPGs
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rascal
@lincodega
sat down with the world's greatest dungeons and dragons dm,
@ChuckTingle
, to talk AD&D, how he pursues the unique creative ways of gaming, and why his tabletop trots prove love is real.
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TTRPG Twitter HATES this one simple trick for starting games design discourse.
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Nothing says Happy Labor Day like union action!
@TabletopWU
staged a walk out at all three Hex&Co locations this weekend after filing nine charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
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Today, 4 years ago, NYC issued its city-wide COVID Quarantine. The lockdown changed the landscape of TTRPGS, bringing millions to the hobby and leveling the playing field for creators.
But as safety measures have been abandoned, who's being left behind?
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We've just passed 1,300 paying subscribers! A massive thanks to everyone. Our next goal for the July Pledge Drive is 1,500 folks, which allows us to publish 4 freelance pieces per month!
Read more and check out some special subscription deals here:
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Publisher Evil Genius Games' promise not to develop any NFT or blockchain technology for its tabletop RPG company lasted about four months.
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the Rascals are going to Gen Con! If you want to meet up, say hi, show us a game, or are open to interviews, let us know. we're organizing our schedule and will be delighted to see you!
(email press
@rascal
.news so we can talk shop)
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Tabletop journalism struggles against the same tide of layoffs, consolidation and corporate greed facing all digital media, but we have much less ground to cede.
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after posting this, we got 10 new signups! thank you all so much. i'm sorry there's not an easier/more direct/clearer way to communicate this on the site.
A quick reminder that "subscriber" is a free tier! You just need to sign up to to access the full copy of this article.
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I can’t recommend purchasing the D&D 2024 Players Handbook
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If you're seeing these Dimension 20 ticket prices, read more about the ethical complications of performing at a venue like Madison Square Garden in this article by rascal
@RowanZeoli
The Dimension20 live show marks an historic first appearance of actual play on the legendary Madison Square Garden stage.
While a big move for the show and the medium, do the venue's values align with Dimension 20’s?
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We have started the search for our next President of Wizards of the Coast and hope to have a successor in place soon.”
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As part of Rascal's Gen Con coverage, we spoke to
@plusoneexp
about Zine Club, sustainability, and how they use actual play to support their game designers
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
As tens of thousands of journalism jobs at every level vanish alongside entire outlets and verticals, news as an industry is threatened by venture capitalists and billionaires who only see newspapers as capital investments and not avenues for public service.
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The rascals spent two and a half hours building Daggerheart characters using
@DarringtonPress
's playtest docs and now we have to figure out what to do with two and a half hours of the rascals working through character creation.
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Never Stop Blowing Up is a hack of Kids on Bikes, which was inspired by Savage Worlds, which took design notes on character creation from Universalis, which modified an ante system from Baron Munchausen...
A blog about design lineage and
@dimension20show
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Support independent, worker-owned journalism by subscribing to Rascal News at:
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Absolved of baseless AI allegations, D&D 2024's art direction is still guilty of being boring.
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Subscribe to Rascal, a very serious news site about tabletop games.
Rascal's resident Baldur's Gate 3 enjoyer,
@lincodega
interviews
@DaveJonesActor
, about fan reactions, AI, and horny bears that is not nearly as unhinged as it could have been. It's still a great interview though.
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Rascal
@RowanZeoli
sat down with
@Superdillin
, the new host of the
@OneShotNetwork
, for a conversation on this new era of the show, collective ownership over a shared creation, and how activism informs their work in TTRPGs
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
Despite the collapse of the industry, there is one mode of journalism that's gaining popularity and sustainability; the independent, remote, worker-owned newsroom. We're following in the path of
@DefectorMedia
@HellGateNY
@404mediaco
and
@Aftermath
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Why can't tabletop RPGs enjoy the same hype as Helldivers 2 or Elden Ring? Do designers (and players) even want that kind of attention?
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a rascally update: we have instituted a "pay per article" plugin. read the select articles of interest without a subscription! (but maybe, consider that subscription if you find lots of stuff you like).
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Rascal's announcement section is available as a public service to the TTRPG industry. If you have a new game, new AP, charity stream, or con announcement, consider using us to help get the word out!
Learn more:
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Sitting in on investor calls rarely reveals anything worthwhile, but
@lincodega
writes on the game design structures needed to placate corporate America... and keep the rest of us in the dark.
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For his first venture into actual play,
@Quinns108
runs a Citizen Sleeper-themed game of CBR+PNK.
The special centers the joy of actually playing while bringing all the technical production value and welcoming pedagogy of his review show.
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Kids in Capes, the latest tabletop RPG from
@Hunters_Ent
, trades bikes and brooms for preteen-sized masks.
@sailorsctaustin
tells us how the biggest and most ambitious game yet will set itself apart.
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When
@NASA
released their first TTRPG, The Lost Universe, last week,
@lincodega
decided to send some emails... and snagged an interview with the lead designer.
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
@DefectorMedia
@HellGateNY
@404mediaco
@aftermath
Rascal will stay on top of breaking news, and, if appropriate and verifiable, we will write about it. You can view our ethics, standards, and disclosures here.
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
@DefectorMedia
@HellGateNY
@404mediaco
@aftermath
Check out
@lincodega
's interview with author and journalist
@StuHorvath
on his new book Monster, Aliens, and Holes In The Ground
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LIKE A BEAR RISING FROM HER SLUMBER, RASCAL WILL EMERGE LIKE A METAPHOR WITH TOO MANY MIXINGS, A STRONG DRINK. A HURRICANE. A GROUP OF NERDS CONVENING TO PLAY GAMES IS CALLED A BUNKO. WE WILL BECOME BUNKO SOON. HAIL RASCAL.
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When
@LulaVampiro
(James Mendez Hodes) casually mentioned that he was there when John Stavropoulos created the X-Card, well, we had to learn more. Turns out, it's all because of one player, named Dave. Everyone say, "Thank you, Dave!"
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THE LEGO D&D actual play special is exactly the crossover commercial you'd expect from the two toy companies.
The surprising part: it's actually really good.
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Like a lot of people, rascal
@RowanZeoli
caught Covid at Gen Con. Good thing she also got a bunch of solo games to play while she's quarantining.
Wear a mask, test frequently, and take care of each other.
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UPDATE:
@dimension20show
has released a statement on their show
@TheGarden
stating that they have opted out of dynamic pricing for this and all future shows, alongside other plans including a "Dimensioneer" ticket lottery.
.
@dimension20show
's live show at
@TheGarden
is the latest event to encounter Ticketmaster's Dynamic Pricing, with some tickets reaching nearly $2500.
Can artists opt out of the predatory pricing model if they want access to the world's most famous venues?
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If you're thinking of moving somewhere else to get your social media discourse, you can find us over where skies are blue
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
@DefectorMedia
@HellGateNY
@404mediaco
@aftermath
The three of us–laid off, unemployed, underemployed–banded together like the most ragtag bards-only adventuring party you’ve ever seen and decided… Fuck it. We have no money, no investors, and no other choice.
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Our community-submitted announcements are a free, public, central collection of everything going on in TTRPGs
If you want people to know about, like a new game or show, a crowdfunding event, a grant, a job opening, awards -submit your press release to press
@rascal
.news
Thank you
@rascal_news
for inviting The Details of Our Escape to be one of their first community announcements! I've been SO excited ever since chatting with
@lincodega
, &
@chasewrites
+
@RowanZeoli
makes this a dream team. Check out TDoOE & SO MUCH MORE!
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We are trying to balance how to make Rascal a site worth paying for and how to make Rascal accessible to folks who might not be able to afford a membership.
Currently, we have a handful of articles available to the public. All are collected here:
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
Specialized news struggles under the thumb of ad-supported models while social media continues to burn down around our heads.
We've been laid off, pushed out, sidelined, and watched as sustainable jobs disappeared in favor of exploitative, underpaid content mills.
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The designers behind
@MothershipRPG
didn't plan on spending three years producing the sci-fi horror RPG's boxed set, but COVID, toddlers and the stress of financial success had other ideas.
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Vignette-driven RPG Last Train to Bremen (
@SeaExcursion
) pits four doomed musicians against the Devil. But first they'll need to survive each other.
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@lincodega
@RowanZeoli
@chasewrites
@DefectorMedia
@HellGateNY
@404mediaco
@aftermath
We have to build a new kind of outlet that serves its writers, its readers, and the industry it reports on. Rascal is being developed from the ground up with nothing but a can-do attitude, queer audacity, and the support of you, our readers.
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