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Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of—and it’s about to return to a table near you courtesy of TTRPG and board game publisher Monolith Games. The Paris-based company has just announced that a brand new campaign for Conan: The Hyborian Age RPG will be coming later in 2026 to Kickstarter.
Notably, everyone’s favorite Crom-loving Cimmerian has had a long history in the TTRPG space over the past 50 years, bouncing between publishers and game systems. Most recently, he landed at Monolith who published a series of new Conan RPG books via a 2024 Kickstarter.
This upcoming crowdfunder will feature both new material for the Conan: The Hyborian Age RPG, along with reprints of older books and a new board game expansion. Below, we look at what’s best in life when it comes to the legendary barbarian.
What will be included in Monolith’s new Conan Kickstarter?
Currently, details are still relatively sparse on the new Kickstarter. Monolith Games has said only that it will consist of: “A new Conan campaign with fresh adventures for the board game and the RPG, plus long-awaited reprints for veterans and newcomers alike!” The title of the Kickstarter is “Tales of Tortage and Zamora,” which refers to Tortage, the legendary pirate haven island, and Zamora, the city of thieves, both of which appear in the original Conan stories from creator Robert E. Howard
The reprints are most likely physical, French and English-language versions of the Conan: The Hyborian Age RPG books including the Core rules, Tales of the Hyborian Age Vol. 1 and Tales of the Hyborian Age Vol. 2 (all three of which are since out-of-print after the 2024 Kickstarter).
On the board game side, it’s worth noting that Monolith has released several highly successful Conan titles, including a 2019 board game that raised over $3.3 million USD on Kickstarter.
What is the Conan: The Hyborian Age RPG?
Conan: The Hyborian Age is a tabletop RPG based on the swords and sorcery characters and setting of author Robert E. Howard. For the core mechanics, players roll an attribute die (ranging from d6 to d10 based on their rating in Might, Edge, Grit, or Wits) and add their base attribute value to meet a difficulty target. Simultaneously, players can roll a Flex Die (initially a d10) which provides “Flex Effects” like extra damage or stamina recovery on a maximum roll, though it “degrades” to smaller dice sizes as characters exhaust their fate. The system also features a deep Stamina Management mechanic and a relatively quick character creation and combat system.
Monolith first released the game in 2024, as a series of books stemming out of a Kickstarter (with both French and English language versions available). It quickly sold out physical copies, although PDFs and VTT versions of the game are still available.
What other Conan RPGs have been published over the years?
Over the past 40 years there have been numerous tabletop RPGs to use the Conan license. The first was in 1984, when Dungeons & Dragons publisher TSR released several dedicated modules inspired by the 1982 film, including Conan Unchained! and Conan Against Darkness!, eventually launching a standalone Conan Role-Playing Game in 1985. TSR also released three Endless Quest books, which utilized a “choose your own adventure” format, with characters taking on the role of Conan.
In 1988, Steve Jackson Games took up the mantle, integrating the setting into their GURPS system with a core rulebook and a series of solo adventures. The license was then largely dormant for the next decade, until 2004 when Mongoose Publishing released Conan: The Roleplaying Game, before discontinuing the line in 2010.
The most recent major era began in 2017 when Modiphius Entertainment released Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of, using their 2d20 system and produced nearly 20 supplements, before letting the license drop in 2022, at which point it was acquired by Monolith Games.
Why we’re excited for the Conan Kickstarter
- A new entry for players: While the Conan: The Hyborian Age RPG had strong support from the 2024 Kickstarter, it seemed to fly under the radar of the general community, so it’ll be interesting to see if these new reprints and the setting expansions can generate more interest and a larger player base.
- High production value: Monolith has had some massive Kickstarters under their belts (particularly on the board game side) so the bar is likely going to be pretty high here in terms of quality.
- A major Kickstarter: It’s worth noting that the upcoming Kickstarter has almost 6,500 followers already and is still months away, so chances are this is going to crack several million in funding, making it one to watch in both the TTRPG and board game space.
- A new expansion: As longtime Conan fans, we love both Tortage and Zamora, so it’ll be interesting to see how these two iconic settings are explored within the Hyborian Age system.
Final thoughts
As a TTRPG icon, Robert E. Howard’s Conan has been going strong for over 40 years, so it’s not surprising that the legendary barbarian is still hacking and slashing his way across tabletops.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this campaign in the months ahead. In the meantime, you can sign up for notifications about Conan by Monolith: Tales of Tortage and Zamora now on Kickstarter.