Zubby Newsletter #38: Deathtraps & Dinosaurs
It's D&D (Deathtraps & Dinosaurs) in the Merry Marvel Manner!
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I might have some Marvel Multiverse TTRPG news coming up and - BAM - here it is!
THE MURDERWORLD THAT TIME FORGOT is an exclusive Marvel TTRPG adventure I wrote for Demiplane that launches…TODAY!
Arcade, the infamous game show assassin, unleashes a twisted new Murderworld theme park, this time built in the heart of the Savage Land!
The Murderworld That Time Forgot is a brand new tabletop adventure for characters Rank 1-3 specifically built to teach new Narrators/Game Masters how to successfully run a tabletop role-playing game and also how to structure and execute an exciting Marvel superhero story! There are lots of extra notes and tips on setting up the game, pacing each scene, and keeping players engaged.
Adam Bradford at Demiplane knows how passionate I am about tabletop gaming, so he recruited me to help launch their new line of original Marvel RPG material. With my background in game writing and as co-writer of the recent Murderworld comic, it was the perfect match-up.
Here is a chat between Adam and I all about the adventure on the Demiplane developer Twitch stream this morning.
And here are the creative credits on the adventure-
Everyone on the team did a fantastic job and it’s all ready to run online or in-person with the speed and convenience of the Demiplane tabletop tools.
I can’t wait to see gaming groups create their own superhero stories filled with twists, turns, and T-Rex’s galore.
I think the new Marvel Multiverse RPG is really well put together. It simulates comic book-worthy action and drama in a way that’s easy to get into and using world famous heroes is an easy way to get new players to try tabletop RPGs, because it gives them an immediate framework to work with. Instead of feeling intimidated by what they ‘should’ do during the game, they can easily get into character by imagining “What would Miles Morales do?” (or any other hero they want to play).
Words, Images, & Worlds
I was interviewed by Jason DeHart at Words, Images, & Worlds. We chatted about working on comics and the collaborative process-
A Cursed Blade, Revisited
Now on my Patreon- The full script for CONAN THE BARBARIAN #17 from 2020, the first of a two part story called "The Curse of the Nightstar".
Look at that bad ass cover by E.M. Gist!
Learn how comics are created for the price of a fancy coffee. Hard for me to believe, but there are now over 300 scripts in my Patreon archive!
Current + Upcoming Books
Conan the Barbarian #5 - released November 29th.
The Murderworld That Time Forgot - released December 5th.
Conan the Barbarian #6 - releases December 20th.
Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #2 - releases December 27th.
Conan the Barbarian #5 2nd print - releases December 27th.
Conan the Barbarian #7 - releases January 24th.
Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #3 - releases January 24th.
Links and Other Things
Toniko Pantoja has a ton of great tutorials about hand drawn digital animation techniques that are well worth checking out. His recent video about best practices for beginners really hits the spot.
Creating effective mysteries in tabletop RPG sessions can be difficult. This gaming tips article, the Three Clue Rule by Justin Alexander, is a classic for good reason. I was reminded of this as I played through Baldur’s Gate 3 and saw how almost every plotline in the game has multiple routes to bring characters in and almost every location has multiple entry points so players can organically move through the story and explore the game world without feeling intensely railroaded along the way.
That should cover it this time. I hope your December is going strong.
A couple of questions:
Will your Conan books be collected into a TBP? If yes, when?
Same questions for the D&D Fortune Hunters series.
Finally, thank you for sharing your knowledge. (Not really a question I know.)