After taking the book publishing world by storm with a record-shattering $41.75 million Kickstarter campaign, author Brandon Sanderson has now set his sights on the world of tabletop gaming. Together with partner Brotherwise Games (Boss Monster, The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged), the Utah-based author revealed the first details of an ambitious new tabletop role-playing game at his annual Dragonsteel Con held in Salt Lake City — plus a bonus slate of additional card games already in the works.
Stormlight Role Playing Game, first announced in 2022, was detailed for the first time during the convention. It’s a d20-based game with a few curious wrinkles. While those familiar with Dungeons & Dragons will likely know a thing or two about rolling a 20-sided die and adding or subtracting a modifier, according to a news release Stormlight adds a second die to the action. Called the “plot die,” it only comes out for “risky or dramatic” rolls, adding complications or opportunities to the results. Additionally, both power gamers and the indecisive will benefit from the game’s approach to multiclassing, which promises both flexibility in character growth and viability in high-level play.
Image: Brotherwise Games/Dragonsteel Entertainment
Stormlight will also reportedly use a novel “skill-based magic system,” which eschews traditional spell slots in favor of allowing players to “attempt a diverse range of Surgebinding skill tests.” The game will include the ability to join one of Cosmere’s nine knightly factions known as the Orders of Knights Radiant, as well as playable factions representing the Artifabrians, Assassins, and Shardbearers.
Image: Brotherwise Games/Dragonsteel Entertainment
During the Dragonsteel presentation, Brotherwise highlighted the diverse and experienced team it brought together for the Stormlight Role Playing Game project. Of note is the inclusion of lead designer Andrew Fischer (Fallout, Descent: Legends of the Dark, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion), lead writer Lydia Suen (Legend of the Five Rings), and consulting designer Max Brooke (Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay, Legend of the Five Rings).
Image: Brotherwise Games/Dragonsteel Entertainment
Brotherwise also teased a new deck-building game based on Sanderson’s Mistborn novels. Currently set for a 2024 release, the 2-4 player game evokes the franchises’ “fast-paced Allomantic battles.” Finally, another game called Shards of Creation will be a standalone card game “based on the godlike beings behind Sanderson’s Cosmere.” No release date was given.
Stormlight Role Playing Game will be funded through a Kickstarter campaign scheduled for 2024, with a digital release that same year. A hardcover version of the game will arrive at retail in 2025. These games aren’t the only ongoing crowdfunding project that Brotherwise has in the Cosmere universe. Its campaign for Stormlight Premium Miniatures — a full set of minis, figurines, and statues — raised more than $4.1 million when it closed in October 2023. As of Nov. 10, updates on the main campaign page indicate that rewards are already shipping to backers.
