Thanks Gypsy for giving me a space to do these!
I back a lot of TTRPG crowdfunding efforts each month, and I thought it would be fun to give folks here a light overview of what's funding.
I'll aim to do these about once a month, since most Kickstarters run for 30 days, but there may be some variation depending what's funding. I'm not affiliated with any projects, I just like to collect stuff.
HighlightsDolmenwood:Based on the Old School Essentials B/X retroclone, Dolmenwood is a British folkloric setting which is more Green Knight, Gormenghast, and Stardust than classic D&D. Patrons of Necrotic Gnome received previews and there are a few standalone adventures already available; it's promising to be a meaty setting which supports more than the typical OSR hexcrawl (though it does that very well too!). Beware the owls. The Kickstarter funds three core rulebooks (plus stretch goals) that use a version of OSE tailored to Dolmenwood, so you don't need anything else in order to run or play.
Funds until Sep 9th 2023.
Shadow of the Weird Wizard: You may have knowledge of Shadow of the Demon Lord, which mechanically draws its inspiration from 13th Age and D&D 4E and has a setting which is reminiscent of WFRP with the horror dialled up. A lot of fans wanted a version of it with the horror dialled down, and here it is. This is a more hopeful and heroic iteration of SotDL which also takes the opportunity to interate on the rules with the knowledge gained from years of running the original game line. The Kickstarter has unlocked so many stretch goals that backers will be getting an absolute goldmine of content, so it's a good time to get in.
Funds until Sep 7th 2023.
Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass: A stunningly-illustrated D&D 5E setting which emulates the works of Studio Ghibli, and the Legend of Zelda. Set on the island of Obojima, where wildlife and adventurers are being affected by corruption creeping in from the sea. Includes a new potion-crafting system for 5E. There are some playtest materials on the KS page, including a sample of the potion mechanics.
Funds until Aug 31st 2023.
Eat the Reich: From the creator of the brilliant
Spire and
Heart, a system-light game of vampires vs. Nazis, where you're the vampires. Designed to be played as a short campaign (which probably makes it a good match for PbP) and in the splashy and violent vein of games like Wolfenstein. The only downside is it's designed to focus on the included pregens -- could never get on with pregens myself -- but examples of how to adapt it to your own characters will apparently be included.
Funds until Sep 14th 2023.
Best of the restCthulhu Dreamt: A near-future sci-fi Mythos game where you're working for a government agency attempting to rescue scientists who can help in the fight against the Old Ones. Uses a bespoke d12 system, and has the fun feature of a unique metal soundtrack for which the GM can scan QR codes in the book to cue up the right tracks for the pregenerated adventures. Combat aims to be more puzzle-like than hack and slash, creatures don't necessarily have set health totals so much as they have set breaking points the players will have to deduct. Could be refreshing if you don't have Mythos fatigue.
Funds until Sep 8th 2023.
Defiant: Reign & Legacy: This Kickstarter funds two new supplements for an existing RPG, but you can also get the core rulebook, or the full collection, at a small discount as part of the KS. The game itself is an urban fantasy about angels, demons, and gods who rebelled against their calling to begin the Apocalypse and decided to shelter as much of the world as they could from it instead. You both protect and rule over a safe haven from the Apocalypse, while thwarting agents of the Apocalypse and dealing with supernatural politicking, and if this sounds like the World of Darkness with added End Times, that's definitely an influence. The
Reign supplement being funded in this Kickstarter covers more details of rulership and adds enhanced faction systems, giving a bit of a Game of Thrones element to it, and also includes systems for giving PCs a unifying theme even if they come from very different origins. The
Legacy supplement also being funded in this Kickstarter is about the private sphere instead, with content for royal marriages and matchmaking, bringing the family into Court life, and fleshing out PCs' offspring.
Funds until Aug 24th 2023.
Fledge Witch: An anime-inspired cosy witches + magical girls RPG from Japan, illustrated by manga artists and localised by experienced Japanese TTRPG translators. Influences such as Little Witch Academia, Flying Witch, Witch Hat Atelier, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Has an interesting structure where the GM is the witch, and the players are the witch's apprentices. Already finished (PDFs go out when the KS closes) and quite cheap!
Funds until Aug 25th 2023.
Terminal: A systems-light RPG about cyber-pirates in a world which is a lie. Yes, it's The Matrix, with a bit of added swashbuckling. The system is going to crash, and the game comes with six different arcs defining how failure could happen, and the final showdown they'll unleash. Seems like a nice low-prep way of running a game which leans into the parts of The Matrix that were fun, while leaving some of its baggage on the floor.
Funds until Aug 19th 2023 (sorry; future posts will include more lead-up time!).
Ecryme: English translation of a French game from 2016. Steampunk set on the cusp of the industrial revolution in a world where humanity survives on small islands in the midst of an acrid, impassable sea. The world is becoming connected by giant bridges and airships, and the many poor crushed by industry are turning to cults and revolution. Feels a bit steampunk Les Misérables. Uses a light d6 system, and comes in a player's manual and GM book.
Funds until Sep 28th 2023.
ForthcomingNot open to pledges yet, but you can sign up to be notified when they launch.
The Magnus Archives: I listen to a lot of horror audio dramas, and I'm of the opinion that The Magnus Archives is the finest ever made. Jonny Sims is a modern Lovecraft, who's constructed a brilliant and completely original mythos. The Magnus Institute is a London organisation which researches the paranormal, and the podcast begins when the Institute has hired a new Archivist to replace its recently deceased one. The new Archivist discovers the archives are a complete mess, and begins trying to organise and digitise the files. The files? They don't like that very much. The forthcoming RPG is an adaptation from Monte Cook Games which uses the Cypher system, also used for Numenera, The Strange, and another recent horror audio drama adaptation, Old Gods of Appalachia. Players will be fellow researchers at the Magnus Institute. It's good timing for an RPG as the podcast is shortly to get a sequel, The Magnus Protocol.
Sign up for notifications here.
Historica Arcanum: Era of the Crusades: Part of a series of (frankly gorgeous) books adapting fantastical versions of the historical Near and Middle East, and the Silk Road, for D&D 5E. This entry will be a two-volume setting guide and module covering the Crusades in Jerusalem and Cairo, and the eldritch forces erupting there.
Funding commences on Aug 22nd 2023.
That's probably enough for now.
Let me know if anything catches your eye!
