Usually I debate whether to post with a descriptive title or something quirky or cool. This time, I have both. And the theme of “both” extends to the content as well. Because Wednesday saw the launch of a new endeavor to produce Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition products by a company with solid indie RPG ties. One Bad Egg is a joint venture between Evil Hat Productions and Blue Devil Games.

At One Bad Egg, we’re committed to supercharging your game with non-stop story ideas. We are the company that looks at a Ring of Invisibility and is unsatisfied until that ring gains a story and becomes the One Ring. That’s the kind of thing we’re talking about here.

So the company will be focusing on short, inexpensive PDF supplements that help players and DMs build interesting stories with fun new options to D&D. The first product from One Bad Egg, available now from IPR and RPGNow, is Races of the Shroud: The Apelord (only $1.99 for 10 pages). It’s the first of their Worldseeds line of modular setting material and is designed so that you can use it with other products in The Shroud series, or not. The Shroud is a land threatened by a creeping mist that taints and transforms everything in its path. Another setting that will serve as the basis for future releases is Qorre, where monsters swarm the land from suddenly emerging craters. But again, these settings are only meant to provide loose themes for tying together ranges of products, should you desire. One Bad Egg promises a similar approach with its other product line, Hard Boiled Ideas, of which the first supplement will be Poinsoncraft.

If you ask me, this is really an exciting development for all roleplayers. Cross-pollination among gamer communities can lead to great things. The companies and individuals behind One Bad Egg have a fantastic track record. And I can’t wait to see what they’re planning for a Witch Doctor class!