Avatar the Last Airbender TTRPG publisher Magpie Games made a big splash with the unveiling of a new RPG that allows players to bring dragons to a Napoleonic era.
The publisher announced that it was collaborating with fantasy author Naomi Novik to adapt her fantasy novel series, Temeraire, into a TTRPG format in 2026. The novels focus on a Captain Will Laurence and how the events that involve his war with France lead to him adopting a dragon and developing a remarkable kinship with the creature in their nautical scenario. The nine-book fantasy series (published between 2006 and 2016) will be adapted by Magpie Games into a TTRPG in 2026.
Novik (a long-time TTRPG fan herself) had been working with her agent to find someone who could adapt her fantasy series into novel format, Magpie Games CEO Mark Diaz Truman told the Fandomentals. The two parties began talking and it became clear to Novik that Magpie’s team “Really cared about the game.” Truman described himself as a fan of the books, having read them before Novik approached the company. He also noted the company’s history of working with other license owners like Paramount or Leder Games and how Magpie strove to adapt games into accurate versions of the media itself.
The game will build on Magpie’s Aeldana system, a new ruleset that it introduced in the grim-themed series Fallen London, which successfully raised more than $1 million dollars in April 2025. Players will be able to adopt the various roles of people involved in the world of Temeraire, from nobles to common people who hold substantial roles in the political war between France and England, who use nautical vessels and dragons in intercontinental conflict. The Aedana system seemed like a good fit for Temeraire, Truman noted, as it offered players the flexibility to recognize their character’s history within the world but also allow players to roll at times when something may or may not feel essential. It’s a stark contrast with Magpie’s other games, which often rely on systems like Powered by the Apocalypse.
The game is expected to begin crowdfunding in the first half of 2026.
Teen Titans-Esque ‘Masks The Next Generation’ Gets Revamp
The other big news to come out of Magpie’s showcase was its planned update for Masks: The Next Generation, the teenage superhero-themed TTRPG. The game is considered one of the original releases for Magpie Games, and has seen an outstanding amount of success and reliable popularity among its community, according to Truman. The game will get a second edition update in late 2026. This update will include an update to its PBTA-centered mechanics, two additional playbooks for players, new setting materials and more.
Masks “is an older design. It needs some polish,” Truman emphasized. While he recognizes that the game is still popular, there appear to be elements that need to be updated. The company has also had a long history of working with PBTA games since the initial release of Masks, which offers Truman and Masks designer Brendan Conway new insights and ideas for how to change the game.
The game does arrive as superhero games are expected to saturate the market. Green Ronin Publishing announced its plans to release Mutants and Masterminds Fourth Edition’s playtest at GenCon. Two Little Mice’s Outgunned is also releasing a variant of the cinematically-oriented action game that focuses on superheroes in 2026, and that successfully raised more than $600,000 on Backerkit in June.
Not that this phases Truman, who pointed out how Masks appeals to a very particular audience who is more interested in the feelings and internal thoughts of the young heroes rather than the more adventure or mechanically oriented games like M&M.
Masks Second Edition is currently scheduled to crowdfund in 2026.
Other Magpie News
Magpie also intends to release three horror-themed card-based RPGs in Oct. 2025, including a reprint of Zombie World, it’s apocalyptic themed game. Players will also have an option to back the space horror-themed Airlock and the “Cthulhu-meets-Squid Game” experience called The City Devouring.
Finally, Magpie Games is stepping into board games with a plan to crowdfund Urban Shadows: Night, a board game about the competing factions from Magpie’s urban fantasy TTRPG fighting for power in a city ripe for conflict.
Images via Magpie Games
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