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.
Titan Effect RPG for Savage Worlds by Christian Nommay/Knight Errant Media
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 2nd November 2017; 14:06 UTC)
Titan Effect is a spy thriller with elements of biopunk and superpowers. They call upon the X-Men, Metal Gear Solid and Tom Clancy as inspirations to create this world of conspiracies, secret organizations, psychic phenomena and dangerous biotechnologies.
The world of Titan Effect is like ours but darker and stranger. Psychics and augmented humans are used as spies and soldiers on behalf of criminal organizations, private military companies, and secret societies in a secret war that has been raging for decades. Some are fighting for control and power, while others seek to shape the future of human evolution.
In the middle of this conflict, stands the worldwide clandestine organization known as the Special Executive Assault and Recon or SPEAR. Its mission: to track and neutralize eugenics and psychic threats, and to prevent the world from falling into chaos. To succeed in its mission, the SPEAR hires people with unique sets of skills and possessing powerful psychic abilities. Its agents come from different nationalities and backgrounds.
Players take on the role of psychic operatives trained in black operations, and working for the international clandestine organization known as the SPEAR. They have the task to perform dangerous missions all over the world and fight against dangerous creatures and organizations. Some are there to make a difference, others for the thrill or because they have no other place to go.
Written for the Savage Worlds setting the book will not only include the Titan Effect world setting but also new Edges and Hindrances, Gear and Gadgets, an Equipment Point System that handles the “gear-up” phase before your team heads out on a mission, information on SPEAR, enemy organizations, dozens of NPs and creatures, a mission generator, a full introductory adventure and plenty more to keep you occupied.
If you’d like to know more then a 23 page Demo Kit is available to freely download which gives a quick introduction to the setting, a short adventure and five pre-generated characters.
SYMBAROUM – Monster Codex by Jarnringen
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 8th November 2017; 16:00 UTC)
Symbaroum is an ENnie and Origins Award nominated dark fantasy roleplaying game from Swedish studio Jarnringen. Launched worldwide, in English, in early 2016 the game has been a resounding success and by the end of the year will be available in seven languages.
Monster Codex is the eagerly awaited Symbaroum Bestiary and funded in no time at all on Kickstarter. The book is split into three sections, detailed below…
Section I: Book of Monsters
The largest section of the codex will introduce 24 new creatures, or more if this campaign goes well. Among them you will find fabled beast such as the hulking Colossi, the parasitical Glint and the shapeshifting Beastiaal, but also (more or less) natural phenomena like the daemonic World Wound, the corruption oozing Black Soil and the bewitching Elf Garden. Similar to the Elf and the Troll in the Core Rulebook, some of these will actually be more than one creature since they come in different ages, types or with different specializations.
In short, aside from a normal informative text, all monster descriptions will…
… span two to six pages
… be illustrated
… include one to four statblocks
… feature in-game texts, rumors and artifacts anchoring the creatures in the game world
Section II: Book of Adversaries
Many have asked that we provide rules support for different types of human adversaries and more familiar beasts. The Book of Adversaries is our answer to these requests; it will include short descriptions and statblocks of a long list of beings and creatures which may turn out to be both enemies and allies.
On the human side you will find the generic City Guard, Pickpocket, Barbarian Witch, Pansar Knight and many more. Regarding beasts, the section will present statblocks for Battle Trained Horse, Guard Dog, Gerfalcon and a lot of wild beasts which may be encountered in the mountains, woods and valleys of Ambria.
Section III: Rules & Guidelines
Another often seen request is for tips on how to create homebrew monsters and adversaries. Such guidelines will be featured in the third section of the Monster Codex, dealing with everything from allocation of Attributes, through selection of Abilities and Traits, to deciding on battle tactics.
This part of the book will also introduce two new monster categories (Phenomenon and Flora) and more than twenty monstrous traits adding to the nineteen in the Core Rulebook. Many of the new traits are of course related to the creatures in the Book of Monsters, but they will also let you design creatures of your own, who are faster, stronger, tougher and deadlier or who challenge the player characters in other interesting ways.
Castles & Crusades Tome of the Unclean by Stephen Chenault
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 8th November 2017; 04:00 UTC)
Tome of the Unclean is a hellish monster book for Castle & Crusades. And when I say hellish I mean it… this 120+ page book not only looks at traditional demons and devils, such as the Demogorgon and Asmodeus, which you may have already heard of but also includes a host of demons from Castles & Crusades world of Aihrde.
Stretch goals consist of things such as the Planar Expansion which explores the 9 Planes and the Abyss, which information on things such as travel, time, sustenance and magic. The Damned, which looks a how the damned of the Twin Planes arrived, suffer and how to use them in your games. 3D printed miniature files are also available through some pledge levels.
AMP: Year Four – The Year of the Invasion – Tabletop RPG by Eloy Lasanta
(Campaign Ends : Friday 3rd November 2017; 18:00 UTC)
AMP: Year Four is the latest book in Third Eye Games modern supers RPG. Continuing the storyline from AMP: Year One which was set in 2015 when regular people started to develop superpowers. “ The AMPs, or people with accelerated mutant potential, discovered their power and struggled with what to do with their newfound abilities. The corebook covered over 54 different powers and laid out a brand new way to look at superhero RPGs. In AMP: Year One, there are no heroes... there are no villains... there are only hard choices!
Each year continues the ongoing storyline with several different characters and groups all attempting to make sense of a senseless world created by the emergence of superpowers. For a year-by-year breakdown, look below:”
Now comes AMP: Year Four, the next book in the AMP gameline! It will include the following:
· Continued Timeline: A complete breakdown of what is going on in 2018, the Year of Invasion for AMPs. Last year was pretty dark, but left a lot of room for positivity near the end. Finally, central characters will be crossing paths and forging new alliances/rivalries in the face of the Orphan threat.
· Worldwide Material: This book will contain information on how the Orphans are affecting the entire world and tactics may differ between nations.
· New Affiliations and Player Options: We have four new affiliations, including the Faceless, an offshoot of the UHF bent on even more sinister plots. In addition, we are introducing renegade Orphans as a playable option, those who have broken off from the war to fight beside humans and AMPs alike.
· New Powers: AMP: Year Four will include new magical inspired power that span the Strains, including the new Sin power and Mother Nature power. These reflect the magical nature seeping into each AMPs mutations without them having to learn actual magic.
· Magic and Aliens!!!!: The biggest mechanical additions to AMP: Year Four is the inclusion of new rules for playing as Orphans, who have unlocked magical abilities on Earth... for everyone! We'll have more details on these new beings and how magic will work in the world of AMP soon!
Heart of Varrul by Small Niche Games
(Campaign Ends : Monday 6th November 2017; 16:11 UTC)
Heart of Varrul is a 100 – 120 page setting sourcebook and megadventure for White Star: Science Fiction Roleplaying. Written by Peter C. Spahn and James M. Spahn, Heart of Varrul looks at the aliens, factions, and conflicts of the newly discovered Rul System, the Tathkee Station, and the planet Varrul. The book has been specifically designed to give Referees a readymade location to run hours of adventures in.
"They call it varrulium. A lightweight ore that, when refined, shows a remarkable ability to deflect energy. It can be used to protect everything from circuit boards to dreadnaught hulls. Some say that certain alloys can even resist the cutting properties of the mystical Star Swords.
The ore is found only on the remote gas giant Varrul, which lies deep in the Galactic Beyond, but that’s not stopping anyone. There are too many free credits to be made. Millions. Maybe billions, all just there for the taking.
The big corporations are sending contractors to locate and strip mine the islands floating through the gas giant’s skies. They are hiring mercenaries to protect their workers from the local fauna. A lot of independent miners have also traveled to Varrul hoping to strike it rich.
There’s a catch of course. Varrul’s turbulent red skies are filled with clouds of toxic gases, ion pockets, and storms of superheated plasma that can burn through even the thickest bulkheads, so every trip into the planet’s atmosphere could be your last.
Then there’s the wildlife. Flocks of power suckers descend on anything with an energy signature. Giant flying worms prowl the airways, attacking and consuming survey and mining vessels. And deadly swarms of insectile beasts have already slaughtered more miners than the Trampallan Plague.
I can see you're not deterred. Safe travels on your trip. When you get there, Tathkee Station is the place to start. It’s an old SkyMall 5000 series that has been converted to a rough and tumble suborbital spaceport. It’s owner, Ingan Tathkee, is an old friend of mine. Mention my name and he’ll set you on the right path to making your own fortune, but watch your back. There are plenty of lawless types at the station ready to prey on newcomers.
You’d best hurry, though. It’s only a matter of time before the Interstellar Upheaval reaches Varrul---if it hasn’t already. Varrulium ore would be worth a fortune to the war chests of the Galactic Consortium or the Restoration. And some say there’s even more to the planet than meets the eye. Talk among mystics and scholars suggests that Varrul’s swirling gases hide a cosmic secret deep in the planet’s core, in the very heart of Varrul.
Of course, these could all just be rumors. There's only one way to find out for sure. . ."
Heart of Varrul is packed full of usable content. The newly discovered Rul System lies far out in the Galactic Beyond which makes it easy to drop into any existing White Star campaign. Descriptions of NPCs, factions, and locations are similarly painted in broad strokes to make them easily adaptable. All NPC entries are fully statted for the White Star system. We’re estimating the finished product to be approximately 100-120 pages total.
The book contains a detailed overview of the Rul System, Tathkee Station, and Planet Varrul including:
· Layout of the planets and features of the remotely located Rul System.
· History of Varrul. This includes the history known to the miners and other visitors as well as the planet’s darker, more mysterious history.
· History of Tathkee Station. A seedy suborbital space station that acts as the hub of commerce and intrigue on the gas giant Varrul and the Rul System.
· Security, laws, and punishment aboard the station.
· Interesting shops aboard the station and locales throughout the system and planet.
· Games and leisure activities (many of them dangerous) to be found aboard the station.
· Over one hundred (100) original NPCs of Note.
· Twenty-five (25) Factions of Note.
· Ten (10) New Aliens and Creatures found on the station and in the Rul System, including the insectile Tikatikatik, a sapient species native to Varrul.
· Five (5) New Vessels found on Tathkee Station and Varrul.
· Three (3) New Classes.
· Various intrigues aboard Tathkee Station.
· Random Encounters on Tathkee Station (detailed and fully statted).
· Random Encounters in the skies of Planet Varrul (detailed and fully statted).
· Guidelines for opening a business on Tathkee Station.
· Guidelines for starting an independent varrulium mining company.
· Guidelines for working as a corporate mercenary.
· Guidelines for meeting (and perhaps joining) the native Varrulians whose lives are being ruined by the constant strip-mining operations.
· Numerous Plot Hooks, Conflicts, and Adventure Ideas to be found in the Rul System, aboard Tathkee Station, and on Planet Varrul.
**********
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
Titan Effect RPG for Savage Worlds by Christian Nommay/Knight Errant Media
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 2nd November 2017; 14:06 UTC)
Titan Effect is a spy thriller with elements of biopunk and superpowers. They call upon the X-Men, Metal Gear Solid and Tom Clancy as inspirations to create this world of conspiracies, secret organizations, psychic phenomena and dangerous biotechnologies.
The world of Titan Effect is like ours but darker and stranger. Psychics and augmented humans are used as spies and soldiers on behalf of criminal organizations, private military companies, and secret societies in a secret war that has been raging for decades. Some are fighting for control and power, while others seek to shape the future of human evolution.
In the middle of this conflict, stands the worldwide clandestine organization known as the Special Executive Assault and Recon or SPEAR. Its mission: to track and neutralize eugenics and psychic threats, and to prevent the world from falling into chaos. To succeed in its mission, the SPEAR hires people with unique sets of skills and possessing powerful psychic abilities. Its agents come from different nationalities and backgrounds.
Players take on the role of psychic operatives trained in black operations, and working for the international clandestine organization known as the SPEAR. They have the task to perform dangerous missions all over the world and fight against dangerous creatures and organizations. Some are there to make a difference, others for the thrill or because they have no other place to go.
Written for the Savage Worlds setting the book will not only include the Titan Effect world setting but also new Edges and Hindrances, Gear and Gadgets, an Equipment Point System that handles the “gear-up” phase before your team heads out on a mission, information on SPEAR, enemy organizations, dozens of NPs and creatures, a mission generator, a full introductory adventure and plenty more to keep you occupied.
If you’d like to know more then a 23 page Demo Kit is available to freely download which gives a quick introduction to the setting, a short adventure and five pre-generated characters.
SYMBAROUM – Monster Codex by Jarnringen
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 8th November 2017; 16:00 UTC)
Symbaroum is an ENnie and Origins Award nominated dark fantasy roleplaying game from Swedish studio Jarnringen. Launched worldwide, in English, in early 2016 the game has been a resounding success and by the end of the year will be available in seven languages.
Monster Codex is the eagerly awaited Symbaroum Bestiary and funded in no time at all on Kickstarter. The book is split into three sections, detailed below…
Section I: Book of Monsters
The largest section of the codex will introduce 24 new creatures, or more if this campaign goes well. Among them you will find fabled beast such as the hulking Colossi, the parasitical Glint and the shapeshifting Beastiaal, but also (more or less) natural phenomena like the daemonic World Wound, the corruption oozing Black Soil and the bewitching Elf Garden. Similar to the Elf and the Troll in the Core Rulebook, some of these will actually be more than one creature since they come in different ages, types or with different specializations.
In short, aside from a normal informative text, all monster descriptions will…
… span two to six pages
… be illustrated
… include one to four statblocks
… feature in-game texts, rumors and artifacts anchoring the creatures in the game world
Section II: Book of Adversaries
Many have asked that we provide rules support for different types of human adversaries and more familiar beasts. The Book of Adversaries is our answer to these requests; it will include short descriptions and statblocks of a long list of beings and creatures which may turn out to be both enemies and allies.
On the human side you will find the generic City Guard, Pickpocket, Barbarian Witch, Pansar Knight and many more. Regarding beasts, the section will present statblocks for Battle Trained Horse, Guard Dog, Gerfalcon and a lot of wild beasts which may be encountered in the mountains, woods and valleys of Ambria.
Section III: Rules & Guidelines
Another often seen request is for tips on how to create homebrew monsters and adversaries. Such guidelines will be featured in the third section of the Monster Codex, dealing with everything from allocation of Attributes, through selection of Abilities and Traits, to deciding on battle tactics.
This part of the book will also introduce two new monster categories (Phenomenon and Flora) and more than twenty monstrous traits adding to the nineteen in the Core Rulebook. Many of the new traits are of course related to the creatures in the Book of Monsters, but they will also let you design creatures of your own, who are faster, stronger, tougher and deadlier or who challenge the player characters in other interesting ways.
Castles & Crusades Tome of the Unclean by Stephen Chenault
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 8th November 2017; 04:00 UTC)
Tome of the Unclean is a hellish monster book for Castle & Crusades. And when I say hellish I mean it… this 120+ page book not only looks at traditional demons and devils, such as the Demogorgon and Asmodeus, which you may have already heard of but also includes a host of demons from Castles & Crusades world of Aihrde.
Stretch goals consist of things such as the Planar Expansion which explores the 9 Planes and the Abyss, which information on things such as travel, time, sustenance and magic. The Damned, which looks a how the damned of the Twin Planes arrived, suffer and how to use them in your games. 3D printed miniature files are also available through some pledge levels.
AMP: Year Four – The Year of the Invasion – Tabletop RPG by Eloy Lasanta
(Campaign Ends : Friday 3rd November 2017; 18:00 UTC)
AMP: Year Four is the latest book in Third Eye Games modern supers RPG. Continuing the storyline from AMP: Year One which was set in 2015 when regular people started to develop superpowers. “ The AMPs, or people with accelerated mutant potential, discovered their power and struggled with what to do with their newfound abilities. The corebook covered over 54 different powers and laid out a brand new way to look at superhero RPGs. In AMP: Year One, there are no heroes... there are no villains... there are only hard choices!
Each year continues the ongoing storyline with several different characters and groups all attempting to make sense of a senseless world created by the emergence of superpowers. For a year-by-year breakdown, look below:”
Now comes AMP: Year Four, the next book in the AMP gameline! It will include the following:
· Continued Timeline: A complete breakdown of what is going on in 2018, the Year of Invasion for AMPs. Last year was pretty dark, but left a lot of room for positivity near the end. Finally, central characters will be crossing paths and forging new alliances/rivalries in the face of the Orphan threat.
· Worldwide Material: This book will contain information on how the Orphans are affecting the entire world and tactics may differ between nations.
· New Affiliations and Player Options: We have four new affiliations, including the Faceless, an offshoot of the UHF bent on even more sinister plots. In addition, we are introducing renegade Orphans as a playable option, those who have broken off from the war to fight beside humans and AMPs alike.
· New Powers: AMP: Year Four will include new magical inspired power that span the Strains, including the new Sin power and Mother Nature power. These reflect the magical nature seeping into each AMPs mutations without them having to learn actual magic.
· Magic and Aliens!!!!: The biggest mechanical additions to AMP: Year Four is the inclusion of new rules for playing as Orphans, who have unlocked magical abilities on Earth... for everyone! We'll have more details on these new beings and how magic will work in the world of AMP soon!
Heart of Varrul by Small Niche Games
(Campaign Ends : Monday 6th November 2017; 16:11 UTC)
Heart of Varrul is a 100 – 120 page setting sourcebook and megadventure for White Star: Science Fiction Roleplaying. Written by Peter C. Spahn and James M. Spahn, Heart of Varrul looks at the aliens, factions, and conflicts of the newly discovered Rul System, the Tathkee Station, and the planet Varrul. The book has been specifically designed to give Referees a readymade location to run hours of adventures in.
"They call it varrulium. A lightweight ore that, when refined, shows a remarkable ability to deflect energy. It can be used to protect everything from circuit boards to dreadnaught hulls. Some say that certain alloys can even resist the cutting properties of the mystical Star Swords.
The ore is found only on the remote gas giant Varrul, which lies deep in the Galactic Beyond, but that’s not stopping anyone. There are too many free credits to be made. Millions. Maybe billions, all just there for the taking.
The big corporations are sending contractors to locate and strip mine the islands floating through the gas giant’s skies. They are hiring mercenaries to protect their workers from the local fauna. A lot of independent miners have also traveled to Varrul hoping to strike it rich.
There’s a catch of course. Varrul’s turbulent red skies are filled with clouds of toxic gases, ion pockets, and storms of superheated plasma that can burn through even the thickest bulkheads, so every trip into the planet’s atmosphere could be your last.
Then there’s the wildlife. Flocks of power suckers descend on anything with an energy signature. Giant flying worms prowl the airways, attacking and consuming survey and mining vessels. And deadly swarms of insectile beasts have already slaughtered more miners than the Trampallan Plague.
I can see you're not deterred. Safe travels on your trip. When you get there, Tathkee Station is the place to start. It’s an old SkyMall 5000 series that has been converted to a rough and tumble suborbital spaceport. It’s owner, Ingan Tathkee, is an old friend of mine. Mention my name and he’ll set you on the right path to making your own fortune, but watch your back. There are plenty of lawless types at the station ready to prey on newcomers.
You’d best hurry, though. It’s only a matter of time before the Interstellar Upheaval reaches Varrul---if it hasn’t already. Varrulium ore would be worth a fortune to the war chests of the Galactic Consortium or the Restoration. And some say there’s even more to the planet than meets the eye. Talk among mystics and scholars suggests that Varrul’s swirling gases hide a cosmic secret deep in the planet’s core, in the very heart of Varrul.
Of course, these could all just be rumors. There's only one way to find out for sure. . ."
Heart of Varrul is packed full of usable content. The newly discovered Rul System lies far out in the Galactic Beyond which makes it easy to drop into any existing White Star campaign. Descriptions of NPCs, factions, and locations are similarly painted in broad strokes to make them easily adaptable. All NPC entries are fully statted for the White Star system. We’re estimating the finished product to be approximately 100-120 pages total.
The book contains a detailed overview of the Rul System, Tathkee Station, and Planet Varrul including:
· Layout of the planets and features of the remotely located Rul System.
· History of Varrul. This includes the history known to the miners and other visitors as well as the planet’s darker, more mysterious history.
· History of Tathkee Station. A seedy suborbital space station that acts as the hub of commerce and intrigue on the gas giant Varrul and the Rul System.
· Security, laws, and punishment aboard the station.
· Interesting shops aboard the station and locales throughout the system and planet.
· Games and leisure activities (many of them dangerous) to be found aboard the station.
· Over one hundred (100) original NPCs of Note.
· Twenty-five (25) Factions of Note.
· Ten (10) New Aliens and Creatures found on the station and in the Rul System, including the insectile Tikatikatik, a sapient species native to Varrul.
· Five (5) New Vessels found on Tathkee Station and Varrul.
· Three (3) New Classes.
· Various intrigues aboard Tathkee Station.
· Random Encounters on Tathkee Station (detailed and fully statted).
· Random Encounters in the skies of Planet Varrul (detailed and fully statted).
· Guidelines for opening a business on Tathkee Station.
· Guidelines for starting an independent varrulium mining company.
· Guidelines for working as a corporate mercenary.
· Guidelines for meeting (and perhaps joining) the native Varrulians whose lives are being ruined by the constant strip-mining operations.
· Numerous Plot Hooks, Conflicts, and Adventure Ideas to be found in the Rul System, aboard Tathkee Station, and on Planet Varrul.
**********
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
