Bundle of Holding’s starter packs introduce ready-to-play RPG deals that won’t expire

Digital storefront Bundle of Holding is now offering starter packs for several tabletop RPGs without the usual limited time stipulation

The company announced the addition on April 28th as an extension of their usual time-limited deals, which package RPG sourcebooks, adventures and supplements into a reduced-cost bundle available for weeks at a time. Like Humble Bundle and its other beers, Bundle of Holding build reward tiers for those who want to pay above the minimum and access non-essential material for the offered systems.

Starter Packs take the convenience of foundational tiers - lumping together just the necessary sourcebooks to roll characters and start an adventure - but creates a seemingly permanent space on the website for them. And these aren’t mega-popular systems one can find in Waterstones or Barnes & Noble: the initial slate includes the beloved old school sci-fi Traveller Little Black Books and the venerable superhero RPG Champions 4E.

Investigating the eight currently available titles takes you to a page that breaks down the details of each book and resource, along with providing a basic overview of the kinds of stories that system will allow players to tell. Some even point to existing fan communities, online resources and other tools that have been developed since a game’s release - a respectful nod to those who keep games alive sometimes decades later and genuinely helpful stuff that new players might find helpful.

Along with Traveller and Champions 4E, Bundle of Holding is currently selling starter packs for the more recent Tiny Dungeon from Gallant Knight Games, a minimalist fantasy setting that uses d6 dice for the majority of its rolls. There’s also vampire conspiracy setting Night's Black Agents, which uses the Gumshoe system and puts players in the shoes of modern bloodsuckers attempting subterfuge and spycraft.

The rest of the beginning lineup include M. A. R. Barker’s Tékumel, Trail of Cthulhu - another Gumshoe system-based game - Shadow of the Demon Lord by Robert J. Schwalb and Necrotic Gnome’s collection of Old School Essentials. That last title is a modern remix on classic Dungeons & Dragons, part of the popular Old School Revival movement in game design.

All starter packs comprise DRM-free PDFs of their included ebooks and range in price from $25 (£18) to $50 (£36). At this time, Bundle of Holding hasn’t said whether or when more systems will be added to this more permanent section of their online store.