Archetype Entertainment, a branch of the well-known Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, has stirred excitement with its announcement of a new tabletop role-playing game based on their original AAA sci-fi RPG, Exodus. Revealed on a Wednesday, this news aligns with Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks’ recent comments to Bloomberg about the company’s plan to release up to two games annually over the next few years. It seems like Exodus is set to step into the spotlight quite soon.
This project is driven by a group of former BioWare veterans, the creative minds behind iconic titles such as the original Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the celebrated Mass Effect trilogy. The first hint of Exodus was dropped at The Game Awards 2023, where Matthew McConaughey unveiled a spectacular cinematic trailer. The game aims to explore a fresh angle on the sci-fi RPG genre, delving into the implications of time dilation during space travel, a narrative seemingly inspired by the sustained fascination with Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (hence McConaughey’s involvement). However, tangible details about the game have been sparse since the announcement, with fans relying on the game’s official website and an in-universe novel by Peter F. Hamilton, which was released earlier this year, to fill in the blanks about the game’s universe and development.
For those intrigued by the tabletop incarnation, there’s a bit of a catch. It’s being released as a “special limited time offer” for those signing up to Archetype’s “founders” email list. If you register by December 10, you’ll get a “chance to purchase” an early edition of the rulebook. Beyond these logistics, details are scarce. What we do know is that James Ohlen, the designer behind Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is at the helm of this project. Apart from a captivating cover image and some intriguing bullet points about exploring the Exodus universe and stepping into the shoes of “the Traveler,” there’s little concrete information on how the game will function or what players can anticipate.
Crafting a tabletop RPG to accompany a major IP-based game is becoming a popular strategy to generate buzz and support for crowdfunding or preorder initiatives. A notable example is the Neopets RPG, which managed to gather a significant amount of funding even before detailing its mechanics on Kickstarter.
Whether this venture into a AAA tabletop RPG will be successful remains uncertain, but as Wizards of the Coast’s first non-Dungeons & Dragons tabletop RPG since Gamma World, the Exodus TTRPG universe is still largely uncharted territory.
As for the video game itself, Exodus is gearing up for launch on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Sadly, there’s no word yet on an exact release date.
