02/23/2026
Latest RSG newsletter. 2 highlights: Seeds of Empire, an expansion for Dreams of Empire is due for release in a couple of days; also, the manufacturer, Blue Panther LLC, has done some component and price restructuring to bring costs down. They are also offering a deal on SOE and DOE.
Hello everyone,
Quite a lot of information to pass on this time so please bear with me.
Seeds of Empire Going Into Production
Seeds of Empire will be available to order in either PnP or physical form as of Wednesday 24 February 2026. The PnP version will be available direct from the RSG website and Blue Panther LLC will be manufacturing the physical copy. You will not see anything on the websites for a couple of days as we prepare the new webpages, but BP say they will have their page active by Tuesday evening and RSG should follow shortly.
Please be aware Seeds of Empire (SOE) is an EXPANSION for Dreams of Empire (DOE), not a standalone game. It is a large expansion, adding 3 more maps (34x22 each) to cover the whole of Central India, and several more counter sheets. These not only increase the size of the trading company armies but add a variety of new kingdoms to the maelstrom. The core scenario is the Second Carnatic War (1749-1754) but there are also sandbox scenarios allowing you to play using only the new maps or to combine all five maps for a campaign (plus a grand campaign covering both the First and Second Carnatic Wars).
Prices for SOE will be as follows:
PnP copy $40 USD
Regular price on a physical copy $190 USD
Special Offer bundling DOE with SOE for a total of $350 USD. This offer is good for 2 weeks, as of listing on the websites.
SOE will also be on sale by itself for the same period at $150 USD.
Dreams of Empire is now $260 USD (originally $350). This reduction is permanent.
Important. As explained below, Blue Panther has done some repackaging of the RSG line in an effort to reduce costs. This includes using a different process for the counters. If you already own DOE, you will have the opportunity, at least for a while, of ordering SOE with the same style of counters as your copy of DOE. That offer will undoubtably go away at some point, so take advantage while you can. If you plan on picking up DOE and SOE as a bundle, all the counters will be in the new style.
As you are probably aware, BP only manufactures RSG games in their complete state for retail distributors, or whenever a new product is released (for a period of 1 year). For direct sales of older titles they only provide kits that include counters, maps, and container, and you will need to buy the PnP version for the rest of the material. However, they are continuing to offer DOE as a complete game at least until the end of the sale.
New (Lower) Pricing
Some of you may have been aware that BP suspended manufacturing of RSG games for a couple of months. This was to allow for repackaging and reformatting of the product in order to reduce costs. The process is more or less complete now. And the costs have been significantly reduced. New prices will be posted as they are reported by BP.
IMPORTANT. BP was able to reduce the prices in three main ways:
New counter sheet templates to reduce the number of sheets required. Please be aware that the number of counter sheets may no longer match what the box or rules claim. However, the counter mixes are the same (and in some cases slightly larger).
The use of durable zippered tote bags instead of boxes for the larger games, which used to require two boxes to hold all the material. Just for now they will continue to use boxes for all the games, and the smaller titles will remain boxed.
Critically, BP will no longer include the Commentaries. The new pricing reflects this. The Commentaries were a significant fraction of the cost of the games. If you wish to have a physical copy of a Commentary it can now be ordered at an additional charge. Prices have yet to be finalized, but you are probably looking at $50-$60 extra for the SOE Commentary, which is pretty much a book that could be read on its own. Please be aware that although the box cover or rules may include the word ‘Commentary' in the game’s parts list, its presence will now be in the form of a QR code that you can use to order it. I feel I need to be extra clear on this point. As of March 2026, if you buy a physical copy of a game and there is no Commentary in the box/bag, this is intentional; you did NOT pay for the book, but you can do so if you wish by using the QR code. Remember that you can always obtain a PDF copy of any Commentary for FREE on the RSG website. Also, the PnP versions will continue to include a Commentary by default.
Of course, the whole issue of Commentaries is only relevant if you are either ordering a new title direct from BP, or picking one up from a retailer. The kits for the older games do not include Commentaries anyway. If you have further questions about any of the production changes please contact Blue Panther LLC directly.
Future Projects
Now that all the old titles are almost finished their overhaul we can begin something new. The project for 2026 will be another iteration of the Frondeurs/Parcel o’ Rogues system, this time dealing with the October Revolution of 1917 (per the RSG mission statement yes we do revolutions). I am hoping to rope in another designer on this one: Brian Train. No promises, but as the project is dedicated to the memory of a mutual friend I am hopeful.
And I think that's all for now. Again, if the production information overloaded your sensors, please contact Blue Panther for answers.
Best Regards,
Ian Weir
