Absolute Tabletop

24/11/2023

Greetings friends and fellow gamers!

We hope you’re having an amazing week, and for those of you who celebrate it, we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of joy, warmth, and happiness (and delicious food).

In honor of the holiday season, we’re hosting a massive sale on tabletop RPG material!

We’ve hand-picked some of our favorite RPG supplements from our library for as low as $1, plenty of free PDFS, and a curated bundle for less than $15.

The bundle includes:
Supplemental material for worldbuilding and campaign prep.
Our bestselling Adventure Kits, chock full of modular encounters, characters, and locations ready for your next game session.
Quick and easy RPG systems for one-shots, solo games, and zero-prep sessions.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and until we chat again, we wish you a wonderful holiday season.

~ Tim, Barker, and Matt

This bundle includes campaign setting guides, adventure building toolkits, game master guides, one page RPGs, and much more.

14/09/2023

Pre-orders for Aether Nexus are open! If you missed us on Kickstarter, you can pledge now through BackerKit. Suit up as an aetheric knight and discover a unique fantasy world teeming with mystery, wonder, and peril. Aether Nexus is a brand-new mecha fantasy TTRPG powered by fast, fluid, and fun rules of The Mecha Hack.

https://aethernexus.backerkit.com/survey_stores

05/09/2023

While I don’t think I’ve seen as many seasons as some members of this group, I do know that I’m the oldest of the founding members of Absolute Tabletop at the tender summer age of 41.

I also know that the older one gets, the easier it is to let birthdays slip on by— especially odd numbered ones that aren’t big fancy milestones.

With that said, Matt Click reminded Michael Barker and me (Tim) that it’s Absolute Tabletop’s birthday, and we turned 8 today. That’s equal parts ‘sort of insane’ and ‘feels about right’ to me. (What about you?)

BUT— this isn’t actually a birthday post to US alone.

Today marks year eight of your humbling and endless support of us as creators. Eight years ago we came crashing onto the TRPG scene with some digital supplements and some crazy dreams. And sometime between then and now, you’ve joined us for the journey and become part of our family.

Happy birthday to the start of Absolute Tabletop, sure— but morseso, happy birthday to all of us joining together to form a community of like-minded folks sharing one big, welcoming table.

🎁 🎈 🎂

Here’s to many more.

30/06/2023

Just a few hours left to back Aether Nexus on Kickstarter! Magic-powered mecha, warrior-mage pilots, floating islands, skyships, and insectoid abominations from beyond reality. Discover a fantasy world shattered by calamity and preserved by aetheric knights in artifact armor. http://kck.st/3IOGLWu

28/06/2023

Excited to share the official Aether Nexus character sheet by the matchless Galen Pejeau. We have about 51 hours left in our campaign, so there's still time to pledge! Want to see the behind-the-scenes journey detailing the creation of the sheet? Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/absolutetabletop/aether-nexus-fantasy-mecha-ttrpg/posts/3846894

26/06/2023

Today's a good day, because we get to share some new Aether Nexus art from Ben Fleuter. Here's the Magus, the sorcerous mecha frame capable of channeling aether to both dish out damage and restore energy to the Nexus. There's just four days left to back the project!
http://kck.st/3IOGLWu

30/05/2023

Aether Nexus, our fantasy mecha , is funding NOW. Discover a high fantasy world shattered by calamity and preserved by warrior-mages clad in artifact armor.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/absolutetabletop/aether-nexus-fantasy-mecha-ttrpg

27/04/2023

Aether Nexus, the fantasy mecha TTRPG powered by The Mecha Hack, is launching on Kickstarter soon. Follow the project now to get notified as soon as we go live!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/absolutetabletop/aether-nexus-fantasy-mecha-ttrpg

When the insectoid Oghdra emerged from the Aethereal, only the towering machines we called Apparatus could withstand them. Now, after centuries, kindred pilots must once again serve as aetheric knights of Eskhara, piloting their mighty Apparatus to preserve their sundered world.

The time has come. Take up arms and forge your Nexus. Eskhara has need of her knights once more.

Discover a high fantasy world shattered by calamity and preserved by aetheric knights clad in artifact armor. Inspired by such properties as Escaflowne, Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, and Aura Battler Dunbine, Aether Nexus features new rules, mecha and pilot options, and a host of Game Master tools to help build harrowing adventures across an exciting fantasy setting.

Powered by The Mecha Hack: A high fantasy world shattered by calamity and preserved by aetheric knights clad in artifact armor.

11/04/2023

Aether Nexus actual play tonight at 6 PST!

24/03/2023

Absolute Tabletop presents: AETHER NEXUS playtest V1!

>> Get the playtest PDF now, no login required: https://shorturl.at/oCFQ0

Aether Nexus is a high fantasy TTRPG of mecha and magic powered by The Mecha Hack. You are an aetheric knight of Eskhara. Tethered physically and mentally to a mechanized suit of towering armor called an Apparatus, you forge a symbiotic bond with your allies and stand together against obliteration.

The playtest includes:
– 6 unique Apparatus frames
– 9 augments to further customize your machine
– 4 kin to further the origins of your aetheric knight
– 7 new enemies, including rival Apparatus, aberrations from the Aethereal, and more
– 1 brand-new quick-start mission: Clash at Ferrik
– Lore for the mystical world of Eskhara

We hope you enjoy this first glimpse into the world of Eskhara. There’s much, much more to come!

>> To keep up with the playest, find a group, and leave us feedback, head to the AbTab Discord: https://discord.gg/4w9shJKp

Keep an eye out for the Aether Nexus Kickstarter, coming soon!

10/03/2023

Greetings friends,

It is with a mixture of sadness and excitement that we announce the departure of our friend and partner James Kearney from Absolute Tabletop.

This is unknown territory for us, and it’s hard to put into words the emotions this parting stirs up. James started the company with us in 2015 and has since been involved in every product we’ve put out and every ATCON we’ve put on, as well as being the guy behind the scenes keeping the website online and operational.

James’ departure gives us reason to look back on all the cool stuff we’ve done together, in the community we’ve fostered, and in the fun memories we’ve made as friends and colleagues.

We’re excited to see what James creates in the future, and while he’s exiting the company, he’s certainly not exiting the community. To that end, take a moment to share a favorite memory with James, a story from a game here in the group or during ATCON, or even just a kind word.

We three — Tim, Barker, and Matt — wish James success and fulfillment down whatever paths he takes. And no matter where those paths lead, James will remain a Founding Four-Father of AbTab.

~ AbTab

12/01/2023

Hey all,

We’ve had some folks reach out to us about what’s happening at Absolute Tabletop in light of everything going on with OGL 1.1. We also felt a responsibility to our community to provide a clear explanation of where we stand, and what the future holds for us.

To make it clear: we have zero interest in validating an “open” license agreement that is anything but.

We’re at one of the most pivotal moments the tabletop RPG industry has seen in quite a while – maybe ever. Like many of our peers in this space, we have some big decisions to make as a company and as creators as we look toward the future.

One question some have asked is whether Absolute Tabletop will be creating our own tabletop roleplaying game system to fill the void of D&D 5e.

While many of our products are 5e compatible, none of them are what we would consider 5e reliant. (We also have books that don’t use 5e at all.) We’ve naturally drifted away from 5e as we’ve followed our creativity, and this is just confirmation to continue in that direction.

The nuance lies in the fact that what we’re seeing emerge is something of a tabletop RPG system arms race. Many publishers of all sizes have announced plans to create their own open-license system to fill the void that OGL 1.1 is creating (MCDM and Kobold Press have even openly discussed collaboration on Twitter).

We’ve wanted to build our own “generic fantasy” system for quite some time, and this could definitely be seen as the push out of the nest we needed. We also make what we’d use, so we aren’t trying to rush to complete “a system” for release. Instead, we’re aiming at making an RPG ruleset that could easily find a home at gaming tables just like yours because of its quality. (Or heck, maybe someone else will come out with the best system we’ve ever seen, and we can use their open license?)

Come what may, we’re going to continue to make the books that inspire us, and keep forging ahead into the future.

Three things that we can say at the moment:

1) We have no plans to take part in OGL 1.1 as it is written. We find both the language and intent of the license agreement at odds with our values as a partnership, stifling on WotC’s part, and detrimental to the TTRPG creator space.

2) We are actively having conversations about what a bespoke Absolute Tabletop rules system would look like, but aren’t rushing anything.

3) Any work-in-progress projects – Harbinger, Adventure Kits, etc. – will not be anchored in 5e mechanics or any Wizards OGL moving forward.

One of our main goals in 2023 is transparency. In the interest of those aims, we’re looking to host semi-regular “office hours” in our Discord, wherein we’ll chat about what we’re working on and inspired by, and field any questions you have regarding our projects or your own creative endeavors. More on that soon.

We have some other announcements in the works, but in the meantime, know that we love this community, and are excited to build some amazing stuff alongside you.

~ Absolute Tabletop

11/10/2021

There's a lot going on behind the scenes in Adrienne Pass, and not all of it known to the citizens who live there. Interloper Occam is the exception, with possibly more information than what's good for them.

This is one of the living, breathing NPCs included in our new Adventure Kit: The Battle for Arctor's Vault. Your dealings with them could garner you secret knowledge that goes back generations, a lifelong friendship including valuable perks (just look at that musket!), or a future enemy unmatched at holding grudges.

Back the book on Kickstarter now!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/absolutetabletop/adventure-kit-the-battle-for-arctors-vault-ttrpg-module

09/10/2021

Our next Adventure Kit: The Battle for Arctor's Vault, is funding on Kickstarter now!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/absolutetabletop/adventure-kit-the-battle-for-arctors-vault-ttrpg-module

09/10/2021

Our next Adventure Kit: The Battle for Arctor's Vault is funding on Kickstarter NOW!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/absolutetabletop/adventure-kit-the-battle-for-arctors-vault-ttrpg-module

04/09/2021

Absolute Tabletop is six years old today! Our first supplements—Be a Better Battle Master and Goblin Go-Karts—were released this day in 2015.

14/05/2021

Check out this full video flip-through of the hardcover A Dead Man's Guide to Dragongrin by our very own Matt Click! https://youtu.be/Lm8yckMTvkU

You can get A Dead Man's Guide to Dragongrin right now on www.absolutetabletop.com!➤ CHECK OUT MY RPG BOOKS: https://www.absolutetabletop.com➤ SUPPORT ME ON ...

27/04/2021

Ironsworn: Starforged is now LIVE on Kickstarter.

Back it now: http://kck.st/3aESvtu

Starforged is the standalone sci-fi evolution of the acclaimed tabletop RPG, building on Ironsworn's award-winning innovations (including its famed solo, co-op, and guided modes!) to chart a path into a spaceborne frontier.

Backer rewards include the Digital Edition, a Deluxe Edition hardcover, a wirebound reference guide, and printed asset cards. Plus, all backers get immediate access to the beautifully illustrated, fully playable Preview Edition! This 230+ page, full-color PDF is everything you need to undertake sworn quests in a perilous new galaxy today!

09/04/2021

Mission Manual includes more than a dozen new modules for Mecha Hack, our lightweight TTRPG. Deploy funnel drones to attack from all angles, use the GEIST system to interlink with your mecha, transform into a fighter jet with the veriform frame, and more!

AbTab Store: t.ly/Uak5
DTRPG: t.ly/H2yz

The Mecha Hack: Mission Manual is the jam-packed follow-up to our bestselling rules-lite mecha roleplaying game, The Mecha Hack. In addition to new rules, enemies, and player options, this 100-page supplement includes more than 40 one-page missions, comprising everything from training missions, action-packed skirmishes, high-octane chases, perilous salvage, and everything in between.

📖 40+ one-page missions
✏️ Art by Runehammer
🤖 New chassis and pilots
🔫 New modules + weapons