Saturday is Free RPG Day.  Taking its cue from Free Comic Book Day, the idea is that role playing game publishers produce exclusive content for the event.  Retailers purchase the materials at a greatly reduced price and distribute it free to shoppers on the big day.  Where Free RPG Day veers widely from Free Comic Day is in publisher and retailer support.

For instance, FCBD had more than 30 comics for the giving.  Free RPG Day will feature 14 items.  There are 12 retailers in all of the great state of Texas participating in Free RPG Day.  There were more than 12 retailers participating in Free Comic Book Day in Dallas/Ft. Worth alone.

In all fairness, comics are a lot more mainstream than role playing games.  Thus, it’s reasonable to expect that the comics event has more penetration into the community.

There are some quality items on the list this year.  For instance, Paizo is offering a Pathfinder module, Master of the Fallen Fortress and Fantasy Flight is providing a Warhammer 40K adventure.  The one I’m really interested in is Goodman Games’ Age of Cthulhu scenario compatible with Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu.  I digs me some elder god hijinks.

When I visited my FLGS today, it was mentioned they’d be demoing the new Star Trek RPG game as well.

“Excuse me?” I asked.  “New Star Trek RPG?”

“Yep,” The young man said.  “We’ll be demoing it.”

You guys know me.  I am quite the Trek fiend. I own every iteration of Trek RPG there is – Decipher, Last Unicorn, Task Force Games, FASA (the one, true game), etc. My ear is constantly on the rail listening for signs of any new Trek RPG incarnation.  In fact, I’ve been expecting a new one! With the success of last summer’s movie, it’d seem a no-brainer.

I fear game-store-guy was screwing with my head. I’m gonna get over there tomorrow.  There will be no demo.  No promise of any new Trek rpg goodness around the corner.  Nothing.

Except a free copy of Age of Cthulhu: Abomination of the Amazon. Which sounds pretty cool.

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