Welcome back to our weekly look at tabletop roleplaying game, and accessories, crowdfunding roundup! Each week we’ll be looking at a few campaigns currently running that have caught our eye as well as occasionally speaking to some of the creators about their campaigns, or looking at some of the ‘behind the scenes’ business aspects of putting together, launching, operating and then delivering a crowdfunded project. If you have anything you’d like us to cover, or questions about anything we talk about, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me directly.
[h=3]Alas for the Awful Sea: Myth, Mystery & Crime in 1800s UK by Storybrewers Roleplaying[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 22nd February 2017; 12:00 UTC)
Alas for the Awful Sea is an Apocalypse World powered game for 3 to 5 players and a GM that will take four or more sessions to play through. The book does allow you to carry on the game beyond that if you enjoy the game, including being able to create your own characters and adventure paths.
Alas is a story-focused tabletop roleplaying game about a ship’s crew navigating the remote British Isles. Here, they face a world consumed with suspicion, sadness, and desperation. Struggles for power have deadly consequences, mysterious disappearances plague the region; and those who seem human may not all be so. Amidst all this, the sea sends forth strange messages. Will you be the one to listen?
Suspense, seafaring and the supernatural all feature in Alas. But they’re not what this game is about. We created this game to tell grim stories about the complexities of the human heart. Alas for the Awful Sea is about why people hate, and what they fear. It is about desperation and the havoc it wrecks. In this world, there are no easy decisions. Friends come at a bitter cost, and even defeating enemies can have terrible consequences.
To make Alas for the Awful Sea, we drew from the rich history of poor fishing towns in the 19th century. We also drew from local folklore, weaving in elements of the fantastical that mirror their beliefs, hopes and fears of the town. Based on the rich myth of the Scottish Hebrides, this folklore springs forth from the same desolate, coastal landscapes that dominate the world of the game.
Also is grounded in the struggles of ordinary people, and is based on real tales hat chart the fate and fears of their tellers. It is not a world of high fantasy where might and magic create superhero levels of power. Rather, the mystical is dangerous, unpredictable, and strange. This game is for telling stories like Pans Labyrinth, Whale Rider, and a grown up Secret of Roan Inish, in the setting of 1800s rural British Isles.
[h=3]Midgard Campaign Setting: Dark Roads & Deep Magic by Kobold Press[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Friday 24th February 2017; 21:00 UTC)
Kobold Press’ Midgard setting has been around for a few years now, with the first tastes of it coming out in 2006 (Zobeck and Crossroads) with the world setting appearing in 2012. The campaign setting has proved very popular and now the Kobolds are updating the setting by a decade, revealing a few of the secrets hinted at in the first edition whilst also introducing new secrets and mysteries to help fuel the next five years of campaigning for the Pathfinder and 5th Edition systems.
The campaign stormed through its original funding goal of $20,000 within a few hours and has already unlocked a host of stretch goals, such as Vampire Kingdoms, Deep Magic : Ring Magic and Southlands Heritage.
The core rewards for the campaign are as follows:
Midgard Campaign Setting – A 300+ page volume describing the Midgard regions, from the Northlands to the Western Wastes, and from the Southlands to the Crossroads. With detailed locations, cities, rulers, heraldry, plots, and adventure hooks galore, plus full details of the various pantheons, masked gods, and dark gods, there’s enough here to furl years of adventuring!
Midgard Heroes Handbook for 5th Edition – Full details for Midgard races, variants, archetypes, and backgrounds – everything you need to play trollkin, ravenfolk, kobolds, and others! You’ll also get more than a dozen new cleric domains, new weapons and equipment, and Deep Magic spells and traditions such as Clockwork Magic and Ley Line magic.
Midgard Player’s Guide for Pathfinder RPG – Collects all of Midgard’s racial lore, class options, feats, and equipment under one set of covers – plus new material for ley line magic, and more.
Deep Magic Standalone – If the Heroes Handbook for 5th Edition grows too large from the addition of further Deep Magic material, we’ll split the spells and traditions into a separate volume of the arcane.
Eldritch Lairs – A series of short 5th Edition adventures written by James Haeck and other designers, somewhat like the Prepared! Collection of one-shots.
[h=3]Props of Nyarlathotep : London and Cairo by Delphes Desvolvres[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 12th February 2017; 22:02 UTC)
I’ve just started playing in a Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign and am lucky enough to have a Keeper who is an artist and sculptor, so he’s been supplying us with a host of props to try and figure out. Indeed we received an old suitcase full of things last session which was a really nice addition to the usual handouts we get when playing.
Delphes is a classically trained sculptor from Paris whose husband, Denys, runs a lot of Call of Cthulhu. In doing so, she has created props for his games and one thing led to another and now she’s offering a range of props on Kickstarter for the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign published by Chaosium. She’s starting off with props from two of the locations investigators will visit during their globetrotting – London & Cairo.
The props available range from The Inverted Ankh (at 33 Euros) all the way to a limited edition Egyptian Chest (for 740 Euros) of which only twenty will be made.
Also on offer is an epic game of Masks of Nyarlathotep the weeks either side of Gen Con for those with the time and desire to be immersed in what sounds like a cracking experience (the second week plays in St Louis to coincide with the solar eclipse).
[h=3]Axolote Tiles – Nature Set by Axolote Gaming[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 19th 2017; 17:19 UTC)
Mexican company Axolote are back with their second Kickstarter, and sicking with a successful formula (this campaign is already 10x past its original funding level in only a few days) they are once again creating a range of 3D print files for use in your games.
Their first campaign explored the dungeons but this new campaign has come up for a breath of fresh air – with sets for the outside such as the Forest Set, Water Set and Mountain Set. As I mentioned above, the campaign has been doing very well and, as you can expect, has been knocking down a bunch of stretch goals for Mines (including a railroad), stone and crystal formations, and more.
[h=3]Retribution RPG Setting for Savage Worlds by Vickey & Bob Beaver/Obatron Productions[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 18th February 2017; 04:59 UTC)
Retribution is a new supernatural fantasy setting for the Savage Worlds system.
The setting takes place fifty years after The Great Betrayal – a destructive civil war that raged across the lands of Agador. The war also resulted in the fabric between the physical realm, and many others, being sundered resulting in multiple planes of existence leaking into Agador bringing with them countless previously unknown entities. Many of whom seem bent on wrecking havoc whilst others long to find a way to be sent back home.
It’s been 50 years since the war ended and Agador united to defend itself against those who don’t belong. While many of the unearthly beings have been dispelled, banished, or otherwise stopped from occupying the physical world, the fabric holding the planes apart has never completely healed.
Several leaders are attempting to rebuild Agador, returning it to the splendour and purpose it achieved before The Great Betrayal. They’ve reached out to the faraway homelands inviting adventurers, merchants, and anyone else who will come in peace. They’ve rallied descendants of the first settlers, as well, hoping to harness their ambition as heirs of lost settlements. It is up to those who accept the challenge to quell the ongoing quest for retribution wile aiding in the reformation of the once-proud nation.
[h=3]ECHO ARCANA Cyberpunk Tarot Book by Echo Chernik[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Monday 27th February 2017; 07:59 UTC)
This one is certainly of interest to not only Art and Tarot fans but fans of Shadowrun, who’ll instantly recognise much of the art throughout the 100 pages of this 12” x 8” hard cover book.
“As an avid player of the rpg Shadowrun for nearly 20 years, it’s a great pleasure of mine to be able to paint illustrations for the game. I’ve illustrated many covers and interiors for the rpg, helping to visually define the universe that I love. The past two years have been special, however. I’ve been busy painting and designing the official Shadowrun Sixth World Tarot.
In Echo Arcana, besides offering beautiful full page illustrations of the art, I discuss my thought process behind each painting and how it ties into the traditional symbology of Tarot, while tying it into the rich and exciting world of Shadowrun. Echo Arcana will also include all my Shadowrun Cover art. This is going to be an amazing book, and I’m relying on my fans to help make it a reality!”
**********
If you like what we do here at EN World (the Forums, Columns, News, ENnies, etc) and would like to help support us to bring you MORE please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a single dollar helps Thanks!
**********
If you have a forthcoming Kickstarter, or see one that excites you, please feel free to drop me an email on angus.abranson@gmail.com You can follow me on Twitter @ Angus_A or on Facebook where I often post about gaming.
Until next week, have fun and happy gaming!
Angus Abranson
[h=3]Alas for the Awful Sea: Myth, Mystery & Crime in 1800s UK by Storybrewers Roleplaying[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 22nd February 2017; 12:00 UTC)
Alas for the Awful Sea is an Apocalypse World powered game for 3 to 5 players and a GM that will take four or more sessions to play through. The book does allow you to carry on the game beyond that if you enjoy the game, including being able to create your own characters and adventure paths.
Alas is a story-focused tabletop roleplaying game about a ship’s crew navigating the remote British Isles. Here, they face a world consumed with suspicion, sadness, and desperation. Struggles for power have deadly consequences, mysterious disappearances plague the region; and those who seem human may not all be so. Amidst all this, the sea sends forth strange messages. Will you be the one to listen?
Suspense, seafaring and the supernatural all feature in Alas. But they’re not what this game is about. We created this game to tell grim stories about the complexities of the human heart. Alas for the Awful Sea is about why people hate, and what they fear. It is about desperation and the havoc it wrecks. In this world, there are no easy decisions. Friends come at a bitter cost, and even defeating enemies can have terrible consequences.
To make Alas for the Awful Sea, we drew from the rich history of poor fishing towns in the 19th century. We also drew from local folklore, weaving in elements of the fantastical that mirror their beliefs, hopes and fears of the town. Based on the rich myth of the Scottish Hebrides, this folklore springs forth from the same desolate, coastal landscapes that dominate the world of the game.
Also is grounded in the struggles of ordinary people, and is based on real tales hat chart the fate and fears of their tellers. It is not a world of high fantasy where might and magic create superhero levels of power. Rather, the mystical is dangerous, unpredictable, and strange. This game is for telling stories like Pans Labyrinth, Whale Rider, and a grown up Secret of Roan Inish, in the setting of 1800s rural British Isles.
[h=3]Midgard Campaign Setting: Dark Roads & Deep Magic by Kobold Press[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Friday 24th February 2017; 21:00 UTC)
Kobold Press’ Midgard setting has been around for a few years now, with the first tastes of it coming out in 2006 (Zobeck and Crossroads) with the world setting appearing in 2012. The campaign setting has proved very popular and now the Kobolds are updating the setting by a decade, revealing a few of the secrets hinted at in the first edition whilst also introducing new secrets and mysteries to help fuel the next five years of campaigning for the Pathfinder and 5th Edition systems.
The campaign stormed through its original funding goal of $20,000 within a few hours and has already unlocked a host of stretch goals, such as Vampire Kingdoms, Deep Magic : Ring Magic and Southlands Heritage.
The core rewards for the campaign are as follows:
Midgard Campaign Setting – A 300+ page volume describing the Midgard regions, from the Northlands to the Western Wastes, and from the Southlands to the Crossroads. With detailed locations, cities, rulers, heraldry, plots, and adventure hooks galore, plus full details of the various pantheons, masked gods, and dark gods, there’s enough here to furl years of adventuring!
Midgard Heroes Handbook for 5th Edition – Full details for Midgard races, variants, archetypes, and backgrounds – everything you need to play trollkin, ravenfolk, kobolds, and others! You’ll also get more than a dozen new cleric domains, new weapons and equipment, and Deep Magic spells and traditions such as Clockwork Magic and Ley Line magic.
Midgard Player’s Guide for Pathfinder RPG – Collects all of Midgard’s racial lore, class options, feats, and equipment under one set of covers – plus new material for ley line magic, and more.
Deep Magic Standalone – If the Heroes Handbook for 5th Edition grows too large from the addition of further Deep Magic material, we’ll split the spells and traditions into a separate volume of the arcane.
Eldritch Lairs – A series of short 5th Edition adventures written by James Haeck and other designers, somewhat like the Prepared! Collection of one-shots.
[h=3]Props of Nyarlathotep : London and Cairo by Delphes Desvolvres[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 12th February 2017; 22:02 UTC)
I’ve just started playing in a Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign and am lucky enough to have a Keeper who is an artist and sculptor, so he’s been supplying us with a host of props to try and figure out. Indeed we received an old suitcase full of things last session which was a really nice addition to the usual handouts we get when playing.
Delphes is a classically trained sculptor from Paris whose husband, Denys, runs a lot of Call of Cthulhu. In doing so, she has created props for his games and one thing led to another and now she’s offering a range of props on Kickstarter for the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign published by Chaosium. She’s starting off with props from two of the locations investigators will visit during their globetrotting – London & Cairo.
The props available range from The Inverted Ankh (at 33 Euros) all the way to a limited edition Egyptian Chest (for 740 Euros) of which only twenty will be made.
Also on offer is an epic game of Masks of Nyarlathotep the weeks either side of Gen Con for those with the time and desire to be immersed in what sounds like a cracking experience (the second week plays in St Louis to coincide with the solar eclipse).
[h=3]Axolote Tiles – Nature Set by Axolote Gaming[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 19th 2017; 17:19 UTC)
Mexican company Axolote are back with their second Kickstarter, and sicking with a successful formula (this campaign is already 10x past its original funding level in only a few days) they are once again creating a range of 3D print files for use in your games.
Their first campaign explored the dungeons but this new campaign has come up for a breath of fresh air – with sets for the outside such as the Forest Set, Water Set and Mountain Set. As I mentioned above, the campaign has been doing very well and, as you can expect, has been knocking down a bunch of stretch goals for Mines (including a railroad), stone and crystal formations, and more.
[h=3]Retribution RPG Setting for Savage Worlds by Vickey & Bob Beaver/Obatron Productions[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 18th February 2017; 04:59 UTC)
Retribution is a new supernatural fantasy setting for the Savage Worlds system.
The setting takes place fifty years after The Great Betrayal – a destructive civil war that raged across the lands of Agador. The war also resulted in the fabric between the physical realm, and many others, being sundered resulting in multiple planes of existence leaking into Agador bringing with them countless previously unknown entities. Many of whom seem bent on wrecking havoc whilst others long to find a way to be sent back home.
It’s been 50 years since the war ended and Agador united to defend itself against those who don’t belong. While many of the unearthly beings have been dispelled, banished, or otherwise stopped from occupying the physical world, the fabric holding the planes apart has never completely healed.
Several leaders are attempting to rebuild Agador, returning it to the splendour and purpose it achieved before The Great Betrayal. They’ve reached out to the faraway homelands inviting adventurers, merchants, and anyone else who will come in peace. They’ve rallied descendants of the first settlers, as well, hoping to harness their ambition as heirs of lost settlements. It is up to those who accept the challenge to quell the ongoing quest for retribution wile aiding in the reformation of the once-proud nation.
[h=3]ECHO ARCANA Cyberpunk Tarot Book by Echo Chernik[/h]
(Campaign Ends : Monday 27th February 2017; 07:59 UTC)
This one is certainly of interest to not only Art and Tarot fans but fans of Shadowrun, who’ll instantly recognise much of the art throughout the 100 pages of this 12” x 8” hard cover book.
“As an avid player of the rpg Shadowrun for nearly 20 years, it’s a great pleasure of mine to be able to paint illustrations for the game. I’ve illustrated many covers and interiors for the rpg, helping to visually define the universe that I love. The past two years have been special, however. I’ve been busy painting and designing the official Shadowrun Sixth World Tarot.
In Echo Arcana, besides offering beautiful full page illustrations of the art, I discuss my thought process behind each painting and how it ties into the traditional symbology of Tarot, while tying it into the rich and exciting world of Shadowrun. Echo Arcana will also include all my Shadowrun Cover art. This is going to be an amazing book, and I’m relying on my fans to help make it a reality!”
**********
If you like what we do here at EN World (the Forums, Columns, News, ENnies, etc) and would like to help support us to bring you MORE please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a single dollar helps Thanks!
**********
If you have a forthcoming Kickstarter, or see one that excites you, please feel free to drop me an email on angus.abranson@gmail.com You can follow me on Twitter @ Angus_A or on Facebook where I often post about gaming.
Until next week, have fun and happy gaming!
Angus Abranson
