Welcome back to our weekly look at tabletop roleplaying game, and accessories, crowdfunding roundup! This week we look at industrial steampunk revolution, drug dealing Mexican cartels, an epic 5th Edition eastern flavored campaign, psionics for Starfinder, a journey into the Wild West, two new adventures for Astonshing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, maps, notebooks and pins! 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.
Mists of Akuma: Imperial Matchmaker (5E RPG mega adventure) by Mike Myler
(Campaign Ends : Monday 16th April 2018; 03:59 UTC)
Mists of Akuma is an eastern flavoured fantasy noir steampunk campaign setting for 5th Edition, and Imperial Matrchmaker is an epic urban sandbox adventure that also offer sup the Trade War Adventure Path. You don’t need Mists of Akuma to use the adventure, but the core setting guide, and other books in the line, are also offered on the Kickstarter.
An enmity between the Gekido, Hakaisuru, Kirai, and Namida clans has persisted for ages, the wounds from the Battle of Broken Spears torn open every few years by border skirmishes and trade disputes. Seeking to win the minds of the people by a grand gesture during these dark times, Emperor Hitoshi Masuto has arranged an alliance between the quarreling noble families – 20 brides and grooms have been chosen to wed in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the decisive final battle in the rebellion against more than a century of foreign occupation.
Whether the adventurers seek honor and glory by protecting these fiancees or choose to line their pockets by ensuring the unions never come to pass, opportunity knocks at their door as the bengoshi of several clans sift through the mercenaries and spellswords that walk the streets of Sanbaoshi for the most capable agents. To rise above the chaff in the capital of the Imperial Prefecture the PCs must be willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals and survive among their cutthroat competition, the corrupting Mists of Akuma, and any designs of the monstrous forces keen to strike a foothold anew in Soburin.
The Imperial Matchmaker sandbox mega adventure for 5E is a full color hardcover book that takes characters from 4th through 10th level as they try to stop the disruption of Emperor Hitoshi's decreed nuptials—or use the grand events to gain glory, fame, and power in the disparate lands of Soburin. Throughout the adventure PCs explore the richly detailed imperial capital of Sanbaoshi while fighting off adeddo-oni emerging from the Mists of Akuma and discovering the subplots woven into the module for their characters, each one of them unique and distinct from their mercenary peers.
For GMs and players that seek to travel beyond the bounds of Sanbaoshi we're making the Mists of Akuma: Trade War adventure path, a hardcover book that collects and expands on the existing six Mists of Akuma adventures! These highly-rated modules will include new antagonists ranging from smuggler guilds to subversive shinobi clans in an epic tale crafted by shinnichi (japanophile) Duan Byrd that traverses the whole of Soburin.
HYPERBOREA: Beasts and Cannibals by Jeffrey Talanian
(Campaign Ends : Monday 16th April 2018; 12:09 UTC)
The Beasts and Cannibals campaign serves up two new adventure modules for the Astonshing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea RPG – The Anthropophagi of Xambala and The Beasts of Kraggoth Manor.
The Anthropophagi of Xambaala, by Corey R. Walden, is an adventure in HYPERBOREA designed for from four to six characters of 1st through 3rd level.
Visitors to the desert city of Xambaala, beware! When the city slumbers, dæmoniacal cachinnations roll in from its outskirts, and dull totemic drumbeats rumble in the surrounding waste. Vile shrieks and noises out of nightmares bring shudders to the spines of even those who fancy themselves heroes, and when the eventide bell tolls residents lock themselves behind stout walls—for something sinister moves during the dead time. But the people of Xambaala do not speak of the hellish noises that haunt their city; only furtive whispers hint that those who trust in the safety of the inn of Aramis D’Athak oft disappear, vanishing into the unknown. And the sounds outside the city walls grow louder . . .
The Beasts of Kraggoth Manor, by Tim Callahan, is an adventure in HYPERBOREA designed for from four to six characters of 4th through 6th level.
Your party have travelled northeast from the great city of Khromarium, through the unforgiving expanse known as the Lug Wasteland. You undoubtedly seek greater riches in the north: ruined tombs secreting ancient artefacts, deep caves filled with long-lost Atlantean technology, or strange villages built atop sacred Hyperborean burial grounds that brim with pre–Green Death treasures. Finally, after having emerged from the treacherous bogs, you set up camp on a craggy outcropping that provides dry land and a modicum of protection from the crawling unknowns. Straightaway your attention is drawn by a nearby light source, a fire not more than 100 yards away. Through the cacophony of croaking frogs, buzzing insects, and hissing slimy things, a shriek of pain knifes through the air.
Gears of Defiance by Ryan Schoon
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 19th April 2018; 15:54 UTC)
Gears of Defiance is a narrative-driven tabletop roleplaying game that explores the themes of oppression, resistance, and family set against an industrial steampunk background. This game is inspired by tales of revolution such as Les Misérables and The Last Exile.
Step into the hand-me-down shoes of one of the Empire’s second-class citizens, members of society who have had their rights limited and their privileges stripped away, and figure out your place in the growing resistance movement. Do you believe in peaceful protest? The idea that change can come from within? Or does the only path forward involve violence?
Characters will have to rely on the bonds they have made with their family as they walk the line between what is good and what is right during their struggle to bring change to their world.
Gears of Defiance will be 200+ pages filled with black and white artwork as well as the following:
Every campaign of Gears of Defiance begins with a Founding Session. During this time the characters, the world, the Family, and the Empire will all be created following an easy-to-use world creation guide included in the book, full of both real-life and pop culture examples.
Gears of Defiance explores serious topics, but the game is meant to be an entertaining experience: sometimes dramatic, sometimes sad, but ultimately moving and exciting. This is why we give the power to create the world to the players. The Empire will always oppress, and the Family will always be oppressed, but the how and why is up to you. Our goal isn’t to simulate events of real-world oppression and create uncomfortable situations; by giving the power to the players, you can create an Empire that feels right for your table.
The players at the table will decide the Methods of Control the Empire uses to keep the citizens in line. Do they rule with Fear by placing armed soldiers on every street corner and checkpoints at every bridge? Do they use Information Regulation to keep the citizens uninformed and pliable? These methods will also create the goalposts for the game. Information Regulation can be combated by printing illegal books and exposing the truth to the public. Armies can be disrupted by sowing chaos and disrupting the supply chain. The possibilities are endless and every campaign of Gears of Defiance will play out differently.
Psionics Guide for Starfinder RPG from Dreamscarred Press by Jeremy Smith
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 19th April 2018; 13:01 UTC)
Dreamscarred Press’ Psionics Guide for Starfinder is now offering two books through the campaign, having unlocked the 64-page Psionic Bestiary to compliment the main Guide.
The Guide itself, includes:
Cartel: A Mexican Narcofiction Tabletop Roleplaying Game by Mark Diaz Truman
(Campaign Ends : Monday 16th April 2018; 15:59 UTC)
Cartel is a Powered by the Apocalypse game where the characters are caught up in Mexico’s never-ending drug war. Cartel is obviously a mature themed game, with influences taken from crime fiction, Mexiucan melodramas, and shows such as Breaking Bad and The Wire.
Mexico, 2007. The Free and Sovereign State of Durango. Ten hours from the US border. A small but thriving ciudad known for its stunning cathedrals and annual street festivals.
Durango also lies between two of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world: the long-established Sinaloa Cartel and the up-and-coming Los Zetas.
The Sinaloa Cartel: a vast and sprawling network moving drugs from Central America into Los Estados Unidos, China, and Europe. Well-established and ubiquitous, capable of infiltrating city police departments, Mexican state governments...even the DEA.
Los Zetas: formerly the enforcers of the Gulf Cartel, Mexican Special Forces who defected when it looked like Mexico might actually prosecute terror squads for war crimes. Ordinary Mexicans call them La Última Letra (The Last Letter) or “Those who should not be named.”
So here you are. Connected to la plaza in Durango. Maybe you’re just el halcón, and you run errands for the big jefes. Maybe you’re la sicaria, an enforcer, returned from an early retirement in the States. Maybe you’re just married into the cartel, but your esposa means the world to you. Maybe you’re el narco himself, and this plaza is yours to lose.
No matter who you are, not even the Sinaloa Cartel can keep you safe. You’ve got amigos, but you can't trust anyone. Your boss would throw you under the bus to save himself, and your enemigos would do far worse to get ahead. And that's before you start worrying about your familia asking for money or los federales listening in on your every phone call.
And don’t forget Los Zetas. Don’t ever forget Los Zetas, cabrón.
Cartel is a game for 3-5 players, and it plays a single session in 2-4 hours. Each game may last one session—or a few sessions—depending upon your desires for your story.
In Cartel, each player has their own playbook, an archetype and character sheet all rolled into one. Each playbook creates a different kind of character for a Cartel story, packed with their own mechanical and fictional choices.
There are six playbooks in the base game of Cartel, and we've added a bunch more through stretch goals. The basic set includes:
The Kickstarter campaign has done very well, and apart from the core rulebook (which is available in both a regular and limited edition format in print as well as the standard PDF) a number of supplements have also been unlocked, including: Amigos y Enemigos (Friends & Enemies), Sin Fronteras, El Aguila y La Serpiente (The Eagle and the Serpent – a CIA mini supplement), the Deck of Locations and a soundtrack album. With more to be unlocked as the campaign progresses.
Dead in the West: A Tabletop RPG set in the Mythic Old West by Will Donelson
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 19th April 2018; 12:39 UTC)
Welcome to the Great Frontier in this new RPG set in a mythic Old West setting! Tall tales, daring feats, larger-than-life figures… allowing you to weave your own tales into the Great American Mythology.
In Dead in the West, emphasis is placed on innovation, clever thinking and the empowerment of both the players and the Game Master. The character creation system is designed as such so that by the time you've played a couple games, no two characters will feel the same. The design philosophy behind Dead in the West as I like to think of it is “there are no classes in Dead in the West, only players – and every player is different”.
This is accomplished, in part, by the character progression system. As characters advance, rather than “unlocking” pre-set bonuses, players are given unique abilities based on their actions and roleplaying thus far. A character who employs a whip and is a pacifist may, for instance, earn the ability to quickly snap guns out of the hands of their enemies. A character with a knack for chemistry and also happens to get poisoned a lot may earn the ability to reverse-engineer anything nasty they're stuck with. Dead in the West already has dozens of abilities and suggestions for how players can earn them, but it also features a step-by-step guide for GMs on how to create their own specifically for member of their group. This really encourages players to embrace different playstyles, and makes them feel truly rewarded for roleplaying and experimentation.
In fact, just about everything in Dead in the West is designed to create a totally unique party and world. As another example, Combat and Speech are considered two sides of the same coin in Dead in the West. Characters are in no way limited to being either a fighter or a talker – the systems for both weapon mastery and dialogue allow for characters to approach both skirmishes and social interaction in their own unique way.
Gametee: Finest Leather Notebooks for Gamers 2nd EDITION by Gametee
(Campaign Ends : Tuesday 17th April 2018; 18:30 UTC)
Gametee are back, and producing a fantastic new range of “heirloom quality hand-crafted refillable leather notebooks” that will help adventurers remember their journeys and encounters for years to come!
In 2017 we launched and fulfilled Gametee: Finest Leather Notebooks for Gamers. After listening to the requests of our Backers for more designs and more variants, we are back with the Second Edition. You don't need to have backed the previous project to enjoy our new creations.
Inspired by our experiences of tabletop gaming, each Notebook is lovingly designed to complement your imagination, and enhance your gaming experience, with features and details to assist you in managing and organising your characters and campaigns.
Finely hand-crafted from a seamless piece of thick hide, and finished using an ancient method of oak bark tanning, each soft, supple notebook is masterfully embellished with a highly detailed embossing of one of our beautiful designs. Each intricate pattern is gently and permanently applied to the leather, creating raised and relieved designs that are a pleasure to run your fingers across. Created from the finest full-grain leather, retaining the characterful marks of hide, each notebook is left unpolished, ensuring it will develop a desirable rich and natural patina with age.
There are four designs to choose from in this latest campaign…
Storyteller Unfold, Thy Worlds Untold...
Sleek, dark, and elegant, never be without the DM’s Companion. Our second edition of this design features thick, supple hide, as black as nightfall - and your imagination. Designed to help you command the finest campaign sessions, this dark, lustrous notebook will hold every detail of your worlds, bound tightly beneath its well-brushed leather wrapping. Oversee every story, and watch the stories of others unfold, as you become the sovereign of your destiny and unleash your limitless creativity with a luxuriant notebook that mirrors your status… As the Dungeon Master.
Traveller, Repose Amongst My Leaves...
Lorekeepers, shapeshifters, guardians and restorers of all things wild, Druids harness the great ebb and flow of nature. Wield the fury of tempests; or know the peace in a growing seed. Chronicle all as you walk the vast wilds of your lands, keeper of all that you behold, be it in human shape or animal. Bound in our softest, vegetable tanned, luxury suede, the Druid’s Chronicle is our finest example yet of the exquisite embossing techniques that we have elevated to an art form. Subtly enchanted vines and leaves twist together to form a remarkable frontispiece that conceals a quote from William Blake on the underleaf. An heirloom quality example of art nouveau design that a lover of nature will treasure for their lifetime.
There is no Genius without Madness…
It is said that most wizards and mages fear the infernal fires, the deathly arts, and the forbidden realms of demons. Where some only see evil - the enterprising mind sees opportunity. With your Book of the Pact, you may choose to rule over the forces of havoc and master the sinister arcane arts, unleashing your wrath upon enemies in the form of hellfire or elemental rage. Become a scholar of the hidden, and tread where others fear to go, creating devious plans and bending even great devils to your will, binding brimstone and shadow to your body. But remember to abide by the cautionary Latin inscription that weaves around your Book of the Pact - although knowledge may be power, there is no genius without madness…
Miraculis Occultis Naturae...
Call on the mighty unseen elements of magic and alchemy. Bend time and reality to your will. Heal the living - or rule the undead. Whatever your particular school of sorcery, The Grimoire of Spells Dark Edition will be your Book of Shadows. When your every word is imbued with power you must make certain that none are forgotten. Traverse peril with a spellspeaker’s ease, and use the Grimoire as a record of your mystical adventure - the strong elastic cord binding ensures that it remains sealed even when packed full of your writings and sketches.
Adventurers Atlas Map Pack 7 – 10th Anniversary Edition by Matt Francella
(Campaign Ends : Friday 20th April 2018; 14:11 UTC)
Matt Francella is offering a collection of ten maps to celebrate his 10th anniversary in the map making and selling business! The maps offered include four of the teams favourite maps (from the 50 they’ve created over the years), four brand new maps, and also two never-before released maps. They also have their entire catalog available for digital download!
Player’s Pride by Lady of the Lake
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 2nd May 2018; 13:00 UTC)
This weeks Pin comes from Italy in the shape of a d20 with the slogan “An elegant weapon for the modern hero” wrapping around it. The pin measures 32mm x 27mm (1.26 x 1.06 inches) and have a gold finish over the three shades of grey used. If you’re worried about shipping costs from Italy then fear not… the company is offering free worldwide shipping on all pin purchases!
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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!
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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
Mists of Akuma: Imperial Matchmaker (5E RPG mega adventure) by Mike Myler
(Campaign Ends : Monday 16th April 2018; 03:59 UTC)
Mists of Akuma is an eastern flavoured fantasy noir steampunk campaign setting for 5th Edition, and Imperial Matrchmaker is an epic urban sandbox adventure that also offer sup the Trade War Adventure Path. You don’t need Mists of Akuma to use the adventure, but the core setting guide, and other books in the line, are also offered on the Kickstarter.
An enmity between the Gekido, Hakaisuru, Kirai, and Namida clans has persisted for ages, the wounds from the Battle of Broken Spears torn open every few years by border skirmishes and trade disputes. Seeking to win the minds of the people by a grand gesture during these dark times, Emperor Hitoshi Masuto has arranged an alliance between the quarreling noble families – 20 brides and grooms have been chosen to wed in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the decisive final battle in the rebellion against more than a century of foreign occupation.
Whether the adventurers seek honor and glory by protecting these fiancees or choose to line their pockets by ensuring the unions never come to pass, opportunity knocks at their door as the bengoshi of several clans sift through the mercenaries and spellswords that walk the streets of Sanbaoshi for the most capable agents. To rise above the chaff in the capital of the Imperial Prefecture the PCs must be willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals and survive among their cutthroat competition, the corrupting Mists of Akuma, and any designs of the monstrous forces keen to strike a foothold anew in Soburin.
The Imperial Matchmaker sandbox mega adventure for 5E is a full color hardcover book that takes characters from 4th through 10th level as they try to stop the disruption of Emperor Hitoshi's decreed nuptials—or use the grand events to gain glory, fame, and power in the disparate lands of Soburin. Throughout the adventure PCs explore the richly detailed imperial capital of Sanbaoshi while fighting off adeddo-oni emerging from the Mists of Akuma and discovering the subplots woven into the module for their characters, each one of them unique and distinct from their mercenary peers.
For GMs and players that seek to travel beyond the bounds of Sanbaoshi we're making the Mists of Akuma: Trade War adventure path, a hardcover book that collects and expands on the existing six Mists of Akuma adventures! These highly-rated modules will include new antagonists ranging from smuggler guilds to subversive shinobi clans in an epic tale crafted by shinnichi (japanophile) Duan Byrd that traverses the whole of Soburin.
HYPERBOREA: Beasts and Cannibals by Jeffrey Talanian
(Campaign Ends : Monday 16th April 2018; 12:09 UTC)
The Beasts and Cannibals campaign serves up two new adventure modules for the Astonshing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea RPG – The Anthropophagi of Xambala and The Beasts of Kraggoth Manor.
The Anthropophagi of Xambaala, by Corey R. Walden, is an adventure in HYPERBOREA designed for from four to six characters of 1st through 3rd level.
Visitors to the desert city of Xambaala, beware! When the city slumbers, dæmoniacal cachinnations roll in from its outskirts, and dull totemic drumbeats rumble in the surrounding waste. Vile shrieks and noises out of nightmares bring shudders to the spines of even those who fancy themselves heroes, and when the eventide bell tolls residents lock themselves behind stout walls—for something sinister moves during the dead time. But the people of Xambaala do not speak of the hellish noises that haunt their city; only furtive whispers hint that those who trust in the safety of the inn of Aramis D’Athak oft disappear, vanishing into the unknown. And the sounds outside the city walls grow louder . . .
The Beasts of Kraggoth Manor, by Tim Callahan, is an adventure in HYPERBOREA designed for from four to six characters of 4th through 6th level.
Your party have travelled northeast from the great city of Khromarium, through the unforgiving expanse known as the Lug Wasteland. You undoubtedly seek greater riches in the north: ruined tombs secreting ancient artefacts, deep caves filled with long-lost Atlantean technology, or strange villages built atop sacred Hyperborean burial grounds that brim with pre–Green Death treasures. Finally, after having emerged from the treacherous bogs, you set up camp on a craggy outcropping that provides dry land and a modicum of protection from the crawling unknowns. Straightaway your attention is drawn by a nearby light source, a fire not more than 100 yards away. Through the cacophony of croaking frogs, buzzing insects, and hissing slimy things, a shriek of pain knifes through the air.
Gears of Defiance by Ryan Schoon
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 19th April 2018; 15:54 UTC)
Gears of Defiance is a narrative-driven tabletop roleplaying game that explores the themes of oppression, resistance, and family set against an industrial steampunk background. This game is inspired by tales of revolution such as Les Misérables and The Last Exile.
Step into the hand-me-down shoes of one of the Empire’s second-class citizens, members of society who have had their rights limited and their privileges stripped away, and figure out your place in the growing resistance movement. Do you believe in peaceful protest? The idea that change can come from within? Or does the only path forward involve violence?
Characters will have to rely on the bonds they have made with their family as they walk the line between what is good and what is right during their struggle to bring change to their world.
Gears of Defiance will be 200+ pages filled with black and white artwork as well as the following:
- Rules for the Founding Session, during which the Empire and Family will be established.
- Over a dozen unique archetypes and traits, leading to countless character combinations.
- Rules for one-shots, short-term, and long-term campaigns, including maps to support each style of play.
- Rules for creating a customized steampunk setting that is completely unique for your game.
- Rules for controlling territory and reinforcing locations.
- The Alignment Matrix, which will track your character’s political and moral standing.
- Pre-made settings created by top talent within the industry.
Every campaign of Gears of Defiance begins with a Founding Session. During this time the characters, the world, the Family, and the Empire will all be created following an easy-to-use world creation guide included in the book, full of both real-life and pop culture examples.
Gears of Defiance explores serious topics, but the game is meant to be an entertaining experience: sometimes dramatic, sometimes sad, but ultimately moving and exciting. This is why we give the power to create the world to the players. The Empire will always oppress, and the Family will always be oppressed, but the how and why is up to you. Our goal isn’t to simulate events of real-world oppression and create uncomfortable situations; by giving the power to the players, you can create an Empire that feels right for your table.
The players at the table will decide the Methods of Control the Empire uses to keep the citizens in line. Do they rule with Fear by placing armed soldiers on every street corner and checkpoints at every bridge? Do they use Information Regulation to keep the citizens uninformed and pliable? These methods will also create the goalposts for the game. Information Regulation can be combated by printing illegal books and exposing the truth to the public. Armies can be disrupted by sowing chaos and disrupting the supply chain. The possibilities are endless and every campaign of Gears of Defiance will play out differently.
Psionics Guide for Starfinder RPG from Dreamscarred Press by Jeremy Smith
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 19th April 2018; 13:01 UTC)
Dreamscarred Press’ Psionics Guide for Starfinder is now offering two books through the campaign, having unlocked the 64-page Psionic Bestiary to compliment the main Guide.
The Guide itself, includes:
- New Races - 11 psionic races to choose from the curious astreidi, the insectoid dromites, the immortal elans, the serpentine ophiduan, to the powerful half-giants
- Four New Classes - the iconic Psion, the Aegis who shapes energy into armor and weapons, the Specialist who uses her psionic power to overcome obstacles, and the Integrator who joins minds together into vast neural networks
- New Feats - new feats for the different psionic classes
- New Archetypes - including a Wilder archetype and the Soulknife archetype, which use the Starfinder RPG archetype design
- Psionic Powers - with powers from 1st level to 6th level
- Psionic Equipment to outfit your character or augment their abilities
- New Psionic Themes
Cartel: A Mexican Narcofiction Tabletop Roleplaying Game by Mark Diaz Truman
(Campaign Ends : Monday 16th April 2018; 15:59 UTC)
Cartel is a Powered by the Apocalypse game where the characters are caught up in Mexico’s never-ending drug war. Cartel is obviously a mature themed game, with influences taken from crime fiction, Mexiucan melodramas, and shows such as Breaking Bad and The Wire.
Mexico, 2007. The Free and Sovereign State of Durango. Ten hours from the US border. A small but thriving ciudad known for its stunning cathedrals and annual street festivals.
Durango also lies between two of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world: the long-established Sinaloa Cartel and the up-and-coming Los Zetas.
The Sinaloa Cartel: a vast and sprawling network moving drugs from Central America into Los Estados Unidos, China, and Europe. Well-established and ubiquitous, capable of infiltrating city police departments, Mexican state governments...even the DEA.
Los Zetas: formerly the enforcers of the Gulf Cartel, Mexican Special Forces who defected when it looked like Mexico might actually prosecute terror squads for war crimes. Ordinary Mexicans call them La Última Letra (The Last Letter) or “Those who should not be named.”
So here you are. Connected to la plaza in Durango. Maybe you’re just el halcón, and you run errands for the big jefes. Maybe you’re la sicaria, an enforcer, returned from an early retirement in the States. Maybe you’re just married into the cartel, but your esposa means the world to you. Maybe you’re el narco himself, and this plaza is yours to lose.
No matter who you are, not even the Sinaloa Cartel can keep you safe. You’ve got amigos, but you can't trust anyone. Your boss would throw you under the bus to save himself, and your enemigos would do far worse to get ahead. And that's before you start worrying about your familia asking for money or los federales listening in on your every phone call.
And don’t forget Los Zetas. Don’t ever forget Los Zetas, cabrón.
Cartel is a game for 3-5 players, and it plays a single session in 2-4 hours. Each game may last one session—or a few sessions—depending upon your desires for your story.
In Cartel, each player has their own playbook, an archetype and character sheet all rolled into one. Each playbook creates a different kind of character for a Cartel story, packed with their own mechanical and fictional choices.
There are six playbooks in the base game of Cartel, and we've added a bunch more through stretch goals. The basic set includes:
- El Cocinero - Clever, resourceful, and lucky. El Cocinero is a vital part of the cartel’s operation: he cooks the drugs that keep everything else moving.
- La Esposa - Responsible, protective, and vulnerable. La Esposa is the spouse of a character caught up in the cartel, an innocent bystander tangled in a web of criminal lies.
- El Halcón - Eager, naïve, and tenacious. El Halcón is “the hawk,” the little bird that runs errands, watches out for trouble, and reports back to his handlers.
- El Narco - Beleaguered, wealthy, and dangerous. El Narco is el jefe, the local Sinaloa head put in charge by the powers-that-be to oversee la plaza.
- La Polizeta - Greedy, two-faced, and corrupt. La Polizeta is an agent for the cartel that’s wormed her way into the heart of the federal anti-cartel task force.
- La Sicaria - Deadly, veteran, and cold. La Sicaria is a hitwoman, an enforcer for the cartels who has survived the streets of Durango long enough to become a living legend.
The Kickstarter campaign has done very well, and apart from the core rulebook (which is available in both a regular and limited edition format in print as well as the standard PDF) a number of supplements have also been unlocked, including: Amigos y Enemigos (Friends & Enemies), Sin Fronteras, El Aguila y La Serpiente (The Eagle and the Serpent – a CIA mini supplement), the Deck of Locations and a soundtrack album. With more to be unlocked as the campaign progresses.
Dead in the West: A Tabletop RPG set in the Mythic Old West by Will Donelson
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 19th April 2018; 12:39 UTC)
Welcome to the Great Frontier in this new RPG set in a mythic Old West setting! Tall tales, daring feats, larger-than-life figures… allowing you to weave your own tales into the Great American Mythology.
In Dead in the West, emphasis is placed on innovation, clever thinking and the empowerment of both the players and the Game Master. The character creation system is designed as such so that by the time you've played a couple games, no two characters will feel the same. The design philosophy behind Dead in the West as I like to think of it is “there are no classes in Dead in the West, only players – and every player is different”.
This is accomplished, in part, by the character progression system. As characters advance, rather than “unlocking” pre-set bonuses, players are given unique abilities based on their actions and roleplaying thus far. A character who employs a whip and is a pacifist may, for instance, earn the ability to quickly snap guns out of the hands of their enemies. A character with a knack for chemistry and also happens to get poisoned a lot may earn the ability to reverse-engineer anything nasty they're stuck with. Dead in the West already has dozens of abilities and suggestions for how players can earn them, but it also features a step-by-step guide for GMs on how to create their own specifically for member of their group. This really encourages players to embrace different playstyles, and makes them feel truly rewarded for roleplaying and experimentation.
In fact, just about everything in Dead in the West is designed to create a totally unique party and world. As another example, Combat and Speech are considered two sides of the same coin in Dead in the West. Characters are in no way limited to being either a fighter or a talker – the systems for both weapon mastery and dialogue allow for characters to approach both skirmishes and social interaction in their own unique way.
Gametee: Finest Leather Notebooks for Gamers 2nd EDITION by Gametee
(Campaign Ends : Tuesday 17th April 2018; 18:30 UTC)
Gametee are back, and producing a fantastic new range of “heirloom quality hand-crafted refillable leather notebooks” that will help adventurers remember their journeys and encounters for years to come!
In 2017 we launched and fulfilled Gametee: Finest Leather Notebooks for Gamers. After listening to the requests of our Backers for more designs and more variants, we are back with the Second Edition. You don't need to have backed the previous project to enjoy our new creations.
Inspired by our experiences of tabletop gaming, each Notebook is lovingly designed to complement your imagination, and enhance your gaming experience, with features and details to assist you in managing and organising your characters and campaigns.
Finely hand-crafted from a seamless piece of thick hide, and finished using an ancient method of oak bark tanning, each soft, supple notebook is masterfully embellished with a highly detailed embossing of one of our beautiful designs. Each intricate pattern is gently and permanently applied to the leather, creating raised and relieved designs that are a pleasure to run your fingers across. Created from the finest full-grain leather, retaining the characterful marks of hide, each notebook is left unpolished, ensuring it will develop a desirable rich and natural patina with age.
There are four designs to choose from in this latest campaign…
Storyteller Unfold, Thy Worlds Untold...
- Historic leather wrap binding
- Finest full-grain supple oiled hide
- Refillable
- Four Internal Notebooks - Lined, Squared, Plain and Craft
- Includes paper management slots, pen straps, and pockets
- Detachable Brass D20
- Enormous capacity for further papers and accessories
- 'Storyteller Unfold Thy Words Untold’ Page Marker included
- Comes with gilt-embossed drawstring velvet dust bag
Sleek, dark, and elegant, never be without the DM’s Companion. Our second edition of this design features thick, supple hide, as black as nightfall - and your imagination. Designed to help you command the finest campaign sessions, this dark, lustrous notebook will hold every detail of your worlds, bound tightly beneath its well-brushed leather wrapping. Oversee every story, and watch the stories of others unfold, as you become the sovereign of your destiny and unleash your limitless creativity with a luxuriant notebook that mirrors your status… As the Dungeon Master.
Traveller, Repose Amongst My Leaves...
- Historial Wrap Binding in Soft Green Suede Finish Leather
- Inspired by the Beauty of Natural Forms and Art Nouveau
- Refillable
- Includes four internal notebooks - Lined, Squared, Plain and Craft
- Featuring card holders, paper management slots and pen straps
- Golden end caps • ‘Windswept Leaves’ Page Marker
- Features secret embossed bear paw print and internal message
- Comes with gilt-embossed draw-string velvet dust bag
Lorekeepers, shapeshifters, guardians and restorers of all things wild, Druids harness the great ebb and flow of nature. Wield the fury of tempests; or know the peace in a growing seed. Chronicle all as you walk the vast wilds of your lands, keeper of all that you behold, be it in human shape or animal. Bound in our softest, vegetable tanned, luxury suede, the Druid’s Chronicle is our finest example yet of the exquisite embossing techniques that we have elevated to an art form. Subtly enchanted vines and leaves twist together to form a remarkable frontispiece that conceals a quote from William Blake on the underleaf. An heirloom quality example of art nouveau design that a lover of nature will treasure for their lifetime.
There is no Genius without Madness…
- Secure Heavy Duty Elastic-cord Binding
- Bound in Grey Leather
- Inspired by high Gothic ecclesiastical design
- Refillable
- Includes four internal notebooks - Lined, Squared, Plain and Craft
- Featuring card holders, paper management slots and pen straps
- Skull end caps
- ‘Familiar’ Page Marker
- Comes with gilt-embossed draw-string velvet dust bag
It is said that most wizards and mages fear the infernal fires, the deathly arts, and the forbidden realms of demons. Where some only see evil - the enterprising mind sees opportunity. With your Book of the Pact, you may choose to rule over the forces of havoc and master the sinister arcane arts, unleashing your wrath upon enemies in the form of hellfire or elemental rage. Become a scholar of the hidden, and tread where others fear to go, creating devious plans and bending even great devils to your will, binding brimstone and shadow to your body. But remember to abide by the cautionary Latin inscription that weaves around your Book of the Pact - although knowledge may be power, there is no genius without madness…
Miraculis Occultis Naturae...
- Secure Heavy Duty Elastic-cord Binding
- Sumptuous High Gothic Embossed Detail on Majestic Purple Leather
- Inspired by real Ancient Grimoires
- The perfect player roleplay - or real magic - accessory
- Refillable Includes four internal notebooks - Lined, Squared, Plain and Craft
- Featuring card holders, paper management slots, and pen straps
- Intricately detailed draw string caps
- ‘Alchemical Sun and Moon’ Page marker included
- Comes with gilt-embossed draw-string velvet dust bag
Call on the mighty unseen elements of magic and alchemy. Bend time and reality to your will. Heal the living - or rule the undead. Whatever your particular school of sorcery, The Grimoire of Spells Dark Edition will be your Book of Shadows. When your every word is imbued with power you must make certain that none are forgotten. Traverse peril with a spellspeaker’s ease, and use the Grimoire as a record of your mystical adventure - the strong elastic cord binding ensures that it remains sealed even when packed full of your writings and sketches.
Adventurers Atlas Map Pack 7 – 10th Anniversary Edition by Matt Francella
(Campaign Ends : Friday 20th April 2018; 14:11 UTC)
Matt Francella is offering a collection of ten maps to celebrate his 10th anniversary in the map making and selling business! The maps offered include four of the teams favourite maps (from the 50 they’ve created over the years), four brand new maps, and also two never-before released maps. They also have their entire catalog available for digital download!
Player’s Pride by Lady of the Lake
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 2nd May 2018; 13:00 UTC)
This weeks Pin comes from Italy in the shape of a d20 with the slogan “An elegant weapon for the modern hero” wrapping around it. The pin measures 32mm x 27mm (1.26 x 1.06 inches) and have a gold finish over the three shades of grey used. If you’re worried about shipping costs from Italy then fear not… the company is offering free worldwide shipping on all pin purchases!
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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
