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.

 

[Von Ether]

I'm just sick of hearing about the post COVID world, I call Bulls**t

It's more than just that. A lot of paper has shifted from printing to shipping boxes and there's an international tree shortage. Ken and Robin explain it better.

Episode 503: Distinctively Muppety « Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

www.kenandrobintalkaboutstuff.com

 

[overgeeked]

I like Matt, he puts out good stuff. That said, this one won't be for me. I've yet to play a rpg system that I liked that just did roll for damage mechanics, skipping hits rolls at a minimum, and I prefer also having an active defense mechanic (parry/dodge etc). I'm sure this will go gangbusters though.

The tactician has a parry mechanic and I really love the no roll to get your turn aspect of this. It really sucks to wait 20-30 minutes for your turn to come up only to flub the roll, then have to wait another 20-30 minutes to try again. Not actually do something...but roll to see if you get to do something. It's honestly mind boggling that just getting to do something is even up for a roll at this point in most games. I don't know that there's anyone who likes not getting to act on their turn.

 

[Von Ether]

As a couple of side notes: For a non D&D game, I am surprised by the amount of posting. Many non-D&D news goes uncommented on here Good for Matt that he's reached this level of (Even my non-D&D games get D&D people excited.)

OTH, I remember how Matt went on about simplifying 5e. This doesn't look as streamlined as I expected. For me, it's too early to make that a deal breaker.

 

[Paragon Lost]

The tactician has a parry mechanic and I really love the no roll to get your turn aspect of this. It really sucks to wait 20-30 minutes for your turn to come up only to flub the roll, then have to wait another 20-30 minutes to try again. Not actually do something...but roll to see if you get to do something. It's honestly mind boggling that just getting to do something is even up for a roll at this point in most games. I don't know that there's anyone who likes not getting to act on their turn.

As I said, not for me. As a long time fan of mechanics from rpgs like Chaosium's RuneQuest, BRP, Call of Cthulhu, Steve Jackson Games GURPs, The Fantasy Trip etc, this just isn't my thing. Glad it's your thing and I'm happy that Matt's knocking it out of the park with his projects. Removing the rolls to hit and instead making the main mechanic "roll to damage" is a big no to me.

 

[Retreater]

OTH, I remember how Matt went on about simplifying 5e. This doesn't look as streamlined as I expected. For me, it's too early to make that a deal breaker.

For me, I'm seeing it as a spiritual successor to 4e, with some streamlining from that system. Just having something "like 4e" is enough to make me want to buy it and give it a try.

 

[Retreater]

As I said, not for me. As a long time fan of mechanics from rpgs like Chaosium's RuneQuest, BRP, Call of Cthulhu, Steve Jackson Games GURPs, The Fantasy Trip etc, this just isn't my thing. Glad it's your thing and I'm happy that Matt's knocking it out of the park with his projects. Removing the rolls to hit and instead making the main mechanic "roll to damage" is a big no to me.

Armor is also "HP" so you can say that a hit is just "chipping away at Armor" - so that all attacks do something - whether taking out flesh, armor, or just wearing down an opponent in combat.
It ... kinda works for me.

 

[Skayaq]

 

[overgeeked]

Armor is also "HP" so you can say that a hit is just "chipping away at Armor" - so that all attacks do something - whether taking out flesh, armor, or just wearing down an opponent in combat.
It ... kinda works for me.

Exactly. Instead of it being a roll to see if you get to act, it's a roll to see how successful you are at the thing you do.

People were up in arms about save or suck mechanics in older editions so it's weird that roll to not suck is still a thing as the base mechanic of the game.

 

[Weiley31]

It looks like Colville wants to redo 4e but without the D&D baggage. I applaud they are going for 2d6. Daggerheart is 2d12 and Fantasy AGE 3d6. Glad developers are moving away from d20.

To all the people who said, "4th Edition isn't even really D&D," Matt Colville says, "I'll show you 4e that isn't D&D, baby."

Not surprising really. The few clips I've seen of Colville shows that he really does like it a lot.

 

[Zaukrie]

No real surprise here, not for me. The fans were going to be there day 1. The question is....how many non-fans join the party (non-fans is not a pejorative here, but means "people that didnt/haven't backed them all the time")