The Plotweaver system, which is the backbone of the Cosmere RPG, is getting new settings:
Brotherwise Games kicked off Gen Con in full swing with a slate of new Plotweaver announcements made during Gen Con’s Opening Ceremonies. Johnny O’Neal and Jillian Schumacher from Brotherwise went onstage this morning to show off their Gen Con releases and teased upcoming games, such as Stormlight: War for Roshar. However, their biggest reveals during the Opening Ceremony were for the upcoming Plotweaver RPG System.
Plotweaver, the underlying system for the Cosmere RPG, is positioned as “the game designer’s RPG,” with an open source system that encourages independent creators to freely publish and monetize their work. Brotherwise will provide free online rules, guidance on designing with the Plotweaver system, and templates for developers. The Plotweaver System Reference Document (SRD) will be revealed ahead of a Plotweaver crowdfunding campaign in Q2 2027.
Brotherwise announced the first partners outside of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere for the Plotweaver system. The first partner they revealed was Earthborne Games, the makers of Earthborne Rangers and Hubworld: Aidalon. Earthborne Games will be using the Plotweaver system to make a RPG set in their original solarpunk setting. The Earthborne Campaign Setting will be available to pre-order during the Plotweaver crowdfunding campaign in 2027.
“Our fans have been asking for an Earthborne Rangers roleplaying game since day one, so we’re incredibly excited to finally make it happen,” said Earthborne's Founder & Creative Director, Andrew Navaro. “And to do it in partnership with another independent publisher as accomplished and beloved as Brotherwise is such a tremendous opportunity, we couldn’t be more grateful.”
The second partner revealed was Twogether Studios, led by Keith Baker and Jenn Ellis. The duo will be creating an entirely new property, Infinite. This genre-hopping RPG will take full advantage of the Plotweaver system’s ability to adapt any heroic action story, from sci-fi to fantasy.
"Infinite is a truly unique setting; the experience at the table will change with every session," said Keith Baker, co-owner of Twogether Studios. "Jenn and I believe that Plotweaver is the perfect system to deliver this experience, and we can't wait to share it."
In addition to these partnerships, Brotherwise is conducting the Plotweaver Setting Search contest, where RPG designers can submit their setting ideas to get featured as an official release from Brotherwise Games. Keith Baker will be a part of the judging panel, 24 years after his own setting, Eberron, won the Fantasy Setting Search sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. More details on the Plotweaver Setting Search will be available later this year, but interested designers should be ready to submit their settings in early 2027.
For those interested in trying out the Plotweaver system, the Open Alpha begins in a few days on August 5th with an original fantasy setting, Erstwild. The Splinterlight and Hexbeat settings will follow in September and October, with an open Beta set for early 2027.
