d20 Radio's Holiday Gift Guide 2019

It’s that time of year again. Trips with family and holiday celebrations are coming up. You need to get a lot of presents. But there are so many choices. We’re here to help. Below are some surefire hits from our pool of writers that your friends and family will enjoy.

Linda Whitson

FIRE EMBLEM: 3 HOUSES (Nintendo Switch)

“Wait…What? You’re a teacher?” was my first reaction to this latest (13th) original title in the franchise. Yes, your character, Byleth (female and male avatars), is a Professor at the Officers’ Academy of Garreg Mach Monastery, Head of one of the 3 titular academy houses. When you’re not teaching your students or leading them on deadly battlefield assignments, there’s plenty to keep you busy. From dance contests and dinners to going fishing, from drama (courtesy of students and fellow professors) to figuring out who the heck keeps talking in your head. And there’s a struggle over a throne. Combat is the typical turn based RPG type. It’s a pretty compelling game, keeping everyone in our house entertained. Like all video games I recommend, it’s very entertaining to watch others play as well. ESRB Rating: Teen–Blood/Suggestive Themes/Violence. US $60

UNTITLED GOOSE GAME (Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS)

This hilarious puzzle game from House House has created quite a sensation, and loads of memes. It’s simple and loads of fun. You play the world’s most annoying goose, out to–among other escapades–steal from a guy who just wants to read his newspaper, disrupt a shop, and play games in a pub. The goose can HONK! which has no discernable effect on gameplay–but my family loved making it HONK! anyway. Most puzzles are easy, but that alone can make it a bit harder, as the temptation to overthink (no doubt honed by playing more sophisticated games) can sometimes blind you to the simple solution. In addition to the 3 released versions, UGG is coming to Steam in “late 2020,” per the Steam site. ESRB Rating: Everyone. The Switch version is US$15.

ADVENTURES IN MIDDLE-EARTH RPG (Cubicle 7)

A faithful adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy universe, using the 5e OGL and setting-specific mechanics. Play really does feel like you’re a hero of Middle-Earth. Yes, hero, as the setting doesn’t lend itself to playing evil PCs for the most part. Classes and Cultures (Races) are setting-specific, not the 5e standards “altered to hopefully fit,” which is a big plus to me. Many supplements include text from from the One Ring version of the game, with converted stats. Currently available are the Player’s Guide, Loremaster’s Guide, and 9 supplements (adventures, Loremaster screen, sourcebooks) with 2 more that I know of on the way. Prices for book plus PDF are US$29.99-39.99. PDFs are also available separately at Drive-thruRPG.com. Update: Cubicle 7 just announced that they will not be renewing their Tolkien license, which ends in mid-2020, so physical books may be limited to stock on-hand for both online and brick-&-mortar stores. 🙁

Kim Frandsen

They’re reprinting the 1979 version of the Dune Boardgame!

“A desolate, dry planet with vast deserts. Hidden away within the rocks of these deserts are a people known as the Fremen, who have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah, who would lead them to true freedom. The planet is Arrakis, also known as Dune”

I think we all know the intro text to Dune, and this your way to getting into the fighting over that planet (at least until the RPG releases), as Dune – A Game of Conquest, Diplomacy & Betrayal is back! It was originally created in 1979, but it has never been reprinted since, though other Dune games have been made (notably the Fantasy Flight Games one), but it is considered to be one of the holy grails of board games. It has a depth to it that is nearly unmatched and incredibly considering its age. I’ve only played the original once, but this is an instant buy for any board game aficionado – even if it’s only to say that you have it on your shelves.

Egg Embry

What’s the RPG gift that puts something under the [digital] Christmas Tree in 2019 and gives the gamer in your life something new every week of 2020? 52 in 52 from Owen K.C. Stephens (Star Wars Saga Edition, Starfinder, Dungeon & Dragons, Fantasy AGE, Wheel of Time RPG, EverQuest RPG, and many more)! $29.95 for 52 RPG supplements for D&D 5e, Pathfinder 1e, PF2e, and Starfinder! One supplement (for four systems) a week, every week in 2020! Plus, order before the year ends and you’ll get a megabundle of over 500 5e, PF1e, and SF products as soon as you buy! 700 RPG supplements for $29.95 exclusively through the Open Gaming Store! Need more convincing? I asked Owen to share a few of the supplement ideas:

“With 52 products, we have room for something for everyone. Want to run a war-themed campaign? Into the Breach allows heroes to risk it all to sway the course of a war, with conflicts in multiple scales of battlefield and timeframe. Player’s chomping at the bit to own and operate a business, but you don’t want that to take over your whole game? So You Bought A Tavern gives fast, fun, and easy rules for PC-owned enterprises. Just want cool new things for your characters? Hellblood Magic lets you access the power within fiendish vitae, whether it’s flowing through your own veins, or you need to summon and slice open a demon to get it!”

52 IN 52 PREORDER and BONUS MEGABUNDLE from Rogue Genius Games

Read the 52 in 52 Preorder and Bonus MegaBundle FAQ here.

Exclusively at the Open Gaming Store