MCDM's New Tactical TTRPG Hits $1M Crowdfunding On First Day!

Matt Colville's MCDM is no stranger to crowdfunding, with three million dollar Kickstarters already under its belt. With the launch of The MCDM RPG, that makes four!

This new game is not a D&D variant or a supplement for D&D, which is what MCDM has focussed on so far. This is an all-new game which concentrates on tactical play, with a fulfilment goal of July 2025. It comes in two books--a 400-page 'Heroes' book and a 'Monsters' book which is an adaption of the existing Flee, Mortals!

The MCDM RPG

Whether you’re a group of local heroes sent to investigate mysterious goings-on in the nearby haunted wood, or famous mercenaries plotting and scheming in the big city, the MCDM RPG makes building adventures and fighting monsters fun.

www.backerkit.com

The game takes aim at traditional d20 fantasy gaming, referring to the burden of 'sacred cows from the 1970s', but point out that it's not a dungeon crawling or exploration game--its core activity is fighting monsters. The system is geared towards tactical combat--you roll 2d6, add an attribute, and do that damage; there's no separate attack roll.

At $40 for the base Heroes PDF and $70 for the hardcover (though there are discounts for both books if you buy them together), it's not a cheap buy-in, but with over 4,000 backers already that's not deterring anybody!

Even more ambitiously, one of the stretch goals is a Virtual Tabletop (VTT). There's already a working prototype of it.

 

[SteveC]

And, I'm still not in. I really think it looks fun, but I don't imagine I'll actually ever play it because I can barely get my 5e groups together......and I've got A LOT of other hobbies so learning and teaching a new RPG isn't likely going to squeak into the little time I have.

I am in for it on the PDF level but I hear you. The key for me is really the VTT part of the game, since that's how I will be playing it. But I am showing support for the project too, so I don't feel bad about it. But I also get that a lot of people are really hesitant to back at this point. I am confident we'll get the game, but not so much on the VTT part. And as Stephen on Roll for Combat says, supporting a VTT is a thing you do forever, so it's best to go with another company that makes the core VTT part.

And who even knows what we'll be talking about in two years?

 

[Zaukrie]

I am in for it on the PDF level but I hear you. The key for me is really the VTT part of the game, since that's how I will be playing it. But I am showing support for the project too, so I don't feel bad about it. But I also get that a lot of people are really hesitant to back at this point. I am confident we'll get the game, but not so much on the VTT part. And as Stephen on Roll for Combat says, supporting a VTT is a thing you do forever, so it's best to go with another company that makes the core VTT part.

And who even knows what we'll be talking about in two years?

Oh, I'd be PDF for sure. I am trying to unload most of my physical books at this point .....

If I KNEW the VTT was real (and had any idea the pricing), I'd be a lot more tempted.

 

[darjr]

d20play Live 26 | MCDM RPG Playtest with James Introcaso!

Join us as we ask James Introcaso all about his career and the MCDM RPG!

www.youtube.com

 

[mamba]

Picking up steam

 

[aco175]

$12,000.00 an hour ain't bad for this vicinity.

 

[overgeeked]

$12,000.00 an hour ain't bad for this vicinity.

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If that keeps up they'll pass $4.57 million before the end.

Congrats to Matt, James, and everyone at MCDM. Here's to hoping the game lives up to your enthusiasm for it.

 

[SteveC]

I know a fair number of people who were watching this one and have pledged. It tends to happen where the start and finish of a crowdfunding effort have strong results. What comes next is going to be interesting.

 

[Zaukrie]

From DM hub's discord...

At the core of DMHub's vision is the idea that software that understands the rules of the game you are playing can make playing that game much more fun and immersive. To achieve this, our ideal has always been to work directly with RPG designers who believe in our vision and want to work with us to make their ruleset come to life digitally.

I am happy to announce that over the last few months we have been talking with MCDM Productions, who are making a new RPG. We have realized that in so many ways, we and they share the exact same vision for what a digital experience for an RPG should look like. They hoped to make their own VTT one day, but after seeing how shared our visions are, we have agreed that we will be collaborating with them to create a VTT for their game which will use DMHub's technology at its core.

We are incredibly excited about MCDM's RPG, and if you enjoy DMHub we are betting that you will be too! The team there is incredibly serious about building a great new RPG from the ground up. A system with no "empty turns" where you just miss, where there are always interesting tradeoffs to deciding when to take a rest, and full to the brim of juicy tactical abilities are all aspects of MCDM's RPG that make us excited to work on their VTT.

By working directly with MCDM, we hope to build the kind of digital experience we think that you should be able to expect in a modern TTRPG: all the abilities and rules just working inside the software, in an integrated experience that looks every bit as good on the screen as it does in the books (And if you have seen any of MCDM's books, they look good!) Plus, something we agree strongly with MCDM on: if you buy the physical books, you should get them, with everything just working, in the VTT without paying anything more.

If you are interested in being part of MCDM's crowdfunding campaign, you can find it here: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mcdm-productions/mcdm-rpg -- the campaign has less than 48 hours to go, so if you want to back it act quickly.

You might be wondering what this all means for DMHub, and the existing systems we support? DMHub will continue as it always has. We are committed to supporting the existing systems we have on offer and want to expand our support to more systems. The collaboration with MCDM will see us developing a new VTT specifically for MCDM, but based on DMHub's technology. The funding that MCDM will provide us will help us to develop DMHub's engine much more than we would have otherwise been able to and will make DMHub much better. It is an important step for us in becoming closer to financially viable in the long term as a business rather than a passion project.

Thank you for being part of DMHub's community! This is an important and exciting step for us in building DMHub into the VTT we want it to be!

 

[Zaukrie]

That's interesting!

 

[overgeeked]

$4.475 million with six hours to go. Absolutely stunning.