Gen Con 2025 took place over the weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tabletop fans gathered to play games, buy games, watch games be played and all sorts of other nerdy activities. While San Diego Comic Con is the most famous geek convention, Gen Con has grown into a vital part of Indiana’s tourist industry.
Besides all those activities, plenty of big announcements and releases come out of the show. There were too many for one article but I’ve collected the biggest ones with links for more information. Let’s take a look at the news that shook Gen Con this year.
Critical Role Announces New Campaign And New Game Master At Gen Con 2025
Critical Role took to the stage on August 2nd at the Fishers Event Center in Indianapolis. They showed off a live version of their hit release Daggerheart but more importantly, they announced the start date of their new campaign: October 2nd.
White the announcement of the fourth campaign was expected, there was a huge twist. Longtime Dungeon Master Matt Mercer is moving over to the player side of the table. In his stead, Dimension 20’s Brennan Lee Mulligan will be taking over the big chair.
Dropout was quick to confirm that Mulligan will not be leaving Dimension 20 nor any of the other shows he’s been doing for them. More details, like who will be joining Mercer as a player, will be announced in the lead-up to the new campaign. One of the big questions being debated by fans is whether this campaign will continue using Dungeons and Dragons as its system or if the show will want to highlight Daggerheart with a table full of actual play heavy hitters.
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For those not in tune with the actual play scene, this amounts to a blockbuster trade in sports. On the pop culture side, this would be like James Gunn being announced as the director of the next Avengers while continuing his work at DC Studios. It’s an exciting time for fans of Critical Role and Dimension 20.
Starfinder Second Edition Drops At Gen Con 2025
Paizo released the newest edition of its space fantasy role playing game after a year’s worth of playtesting. Starfinder Second Edition is now fully compatible with Pathfinder Second Edition. I can’t wait for my players to get into space combat with a dragon.
Starfinder embraces space opera in the style of media such as Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy. As part of the Pathfinder universe it blends magic and technology into all kinds of strange adventures. The storyline for the new edition has included some wild twists such as a giant eldritch horror hatching out of a planet like an egg.
Speaking of adventures, the convention also saw Murder In Metal City arrive at the show. This boxed set doesn’t just contain a mystery adventure but also the tokens, maps and handouts needed to drive the story forward. It’s a great way to put the ned edition through its paces.
Gen Con 2025 Role Playing Game Announcements
Magpie Games announced Temeraire The Role Playing Game on Thursday. They’ve partnered with author Naomi Novik to bring her novels about an alternate history where dragons fight in the Napoleonic Wars to the tabletop. The game is expected to go to crowdfunding in 2026 and a full release in 2027.
An adaptation of the Diablo video games is coming from Glass Cannon Unplugged. The game is being put together by RPG design heavyweights such as Joe LeFavi (Blade Runner), Przemysław Zub (Dying Light), Cam Banks (Marvel Heroic Roleplaying), John Harper (Blades in the Dark), Mike Olson (Fate), and Shawn Tomkin (Ironsworn). The Kickstarter hoping to launch this game looks to kick off later this year.
Renegade Game Studios announced earlier in the week that an RPG based on Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl books is under development. The setting features humans fighting their way through alien dungeons for the amusement of an intergalactic game show. The first game is expected next year but it is unknown if it will up Essence20, like the recently released Welcome To Night Vale RPG, or an original system.
The Cypher System, from Monte Cook Games is evolving with a focus on faster character generation and better corebook organization. A crowdfunding campaign will start soon with a projected delivery of the new books in 2026. Fans looking for more information on what’s changing can find it here.
Gen Con 2025 went by in a blur. It’s The Best Four Days In Gaming but its influence expands far beyond the convention. I look forward to covering these games as additional information comes to light.
