RPG Crowdfunding News – Cypher System, Cities Without Number, Monster Rangers, and more

It’s February and that means the return of Kickstarter’s Zine Quest and ZiMo. As such, this article provides some additional coverage as I look at both RPG zines and regular RPG crowdfunding projects that end between February 9 to 28. For those searching for RPG zines, most are listed under “Games” > “Tabletop Games”, but some are listed under “Publishing” > “Zines” on Kickstarter.

Adventures in the Cypher System from Monte Cook Games

• END DATE: Feb 24, 2023 at 5:00pm PST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Cypher System
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 for the PDFs of the three books plus additional unlocked books
• FROM THE COMMENTS: From Monte Cook Games' Charles Ryan's comment: "WORTH NOTING: In the Adventures in the Cypher System campaign, every pledge level includes a free copy of the 448-page Cypher System Rulebook."
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Timing is everything, and Monte Cook’s timing is great. Coming out of the OGL crisis with new content to add to their Cypher System Open License, Monte Cook Games has the right campaign going on Backerkit to spotlight their content. If you’re looking for a new gaming system, this campaign has everything you’d want to test out the Cypher System. While you can get the core rulebook, you can also pick up the new The Cypher System Starter Set (a Cypher beginners boxed set), Rust and Redemption (post-apocalyptic sourcebook), It’s Only Magic (urban fantasy magic in the modern world), a bestiary, and more. If you’re thinking of digging into the Cypher System, the campaign offers a free PDF quickstart on the campaign page, a starter boxed set, the core rulebook PDF with each backer level, and new Cypher System books to expand existing campaigns.

Cities Without Number from Sine Nomine Publishing

• END DATE: Tue, February 28 2023 11:59 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): “System-neutral Sine Nomine toolkit [...] plus an old-school game system”
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $80 (with free S/H in the US) for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? From Kevin Crawford, the creator of the sci-fi epic Stars Without Number and the fantasy RPG Worlds Without Number, comes his take on cyberpunk. This campaign plus his prior books give a unified, far-reaching system with setting options. When this drops, there will be two versions available, a free version which will be core cyberpunk and a deluxe version that will provide everything you’d need for genepunk and magic options. With the current gaming climate, Kevin decided to create a formal open license for this RPG via this campaign. In addition, he’s using this platform to create a short guide to crowdfunding, a free how-to for RPGs and Kickstarter. If you’re a fan of setting toolkits, OSR systems, and cyberpunk, this is worth checking out.

Carbon 2185 | Legacy Rising 5e from Dead Channel Studios licensing Dragon Turtle Games’ IP

• END DATE: Sun, February 26 2023 1:59 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventures
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £16 for the PDF version of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project brings five cyberpunk adventures set in a dystopian San Francisco. Available exclusively as digital content, this offers adventures with titles like “The Unhackable”, “Transcendent Nouveau”, and “Message in an Augment”. You’re getting a lot of in-world jobs designed for a mix of levels. I talked a little bit about Dragon Turtle Games partnering with another publisher in my retrospective on 2022 cyberpunk RPG news and this is the fruit of that union. (I have an interview coming up with Robert Marriner-Dodds about this project.) If you want 5e cyberpunk adventures, this book is worth considering.

Monster Rangers RPG from Steam Crow

• END DATE: Wed, February 15 2023 9:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): FATE Condensed
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rules
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $55 + $15 S/H in the US for the PDF and print versions of the book, additional PDFs, and dice
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? We have not seen a third party FATE crowdfunding project make a splash in some time. Monster Rangers RPG from Steam Crow is changing that statement with a campaign that is connecting with fans. The RPG is set in an alternate 1913 where monsters are real and you’re part of a group that protects them from being exploited. That’s right, you save monsters! The project comes as two 32-page books: the Players Sourcebook and the Warden's Sourcebook. If you’re not sure about this project, head to the campaign page to see a massive volume of beautifully laid out, visually compelling pages. The page lets you know that these books are going to be expertly designed and fun to read.

Pixie Punks - A unique TTRPG of fey gone bad #ZineQuest5 from Cheatin' Fair Games

• END DATE: Thu, February 16 2023 4:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rule zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 + $7 S/H in the US for the PDF and print versions of the zine
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Your land’s being invaded. You’re unseelie fey (Enchanter, Goblin, Pixie, Redcap, Treant, or Troll), and you have to save your home. It’s a compelling concept that requires violent action. Only, you’re fey, so it’ll take a lot of doing. The zine is 20 pages with the full ruleset, six player characters, and extras like an adventure. If the concept of fey standing up for what’s theirs appeals to you, this RPG zine might be worth backing.

DUNGEON MALARKY - Weird Resources for Your OSR Fantasy RPGs from Planet X Games

• END DATE: Wed, February 22 2023 8:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): OSR
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Planet X Games has another ode to Gary Gygax's Appendix N as well as myth and legend. This 48 pager is lore and oddities to spice up your fantasy adventures. Think chimeral eggs, great wurm bile, mindslayer mold, quagborn elixir, ossified god-bone, and so much more. If you’re looking for inspired, odd additions to your campaign, this might fit the bill.

Roboworld & Space Station M - RPG Monster Manual Zines from Bloat Games

• END DATE: Mon, February 13 2023 6:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, Dungeon Crawl Classics, SURVIVE THIS!!, or a system neutral option
• PROJECT TYPE: Source zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $19 for both zines in all four system options.
• DISCLAIMER: I freelance for Bloat Games. I am not involved in this project.
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Bloat Games continues its zine series replicating retro video game worlds for tabletop. Coming with an army of systems, these two zines give you what you need to recreate a “Metroidvania-style game and a fan-favorite platformer”. It’s the property you loved as a kid with the serial numbers filed off. If you like NES and SNES games, love d20 systems, and need over 30 pages of monsters to make your games retro, this project is a lot of content for the price.

Delver 7: Resources for the Random-Rolling Referee from The Tabletop Engineer

• END DATE: Tue, February 14 2023 11:59 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $11 + $5 S/H for the US for the PDF and print versions of the zine
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? As with prior issues of Delver, this one features OSR random tables. Beyond those resources, there’s an adventure for first level characters and advice on how to host an OSR party for new players. That’s the most interesting piece to me, how do you bring new blood into OSR, a group that tends to be veteran gamer heavy. If you’re interested in finding out, there’s this issue, another adventure, and prior issues to check out.

Bio-Drones & Cryo-Clones from ChrisAir Games

• END DATE: Fri, February 24 2023 4:30 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Mothership
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €62 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the zines, pamphlets, poster, patches, and dice
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? It’s Mothership so you wake up in an unfamiliar cryopod to a note that says you need to shut down the reactor. From there, the adventure kicks into high gear with monsters, an industrial facility, and mutations if you can’t solve what’s going on fast enough. With influences like Metroid and Cronenberg’s The Fly, this 44-page adventure promises character options, twists, and tables to support what’s coming next.

The Sunset Limited from 3,2,1...Action

• END DATE: Tue, February 21 2023 11:59 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): 3,2,1...Action! RPG ruleset
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 + $6 S/H in the US for the PDF and print versions of the zine plus a PDF of the core rules
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A new 3,2,1...Action! RPG from John "Hambone" McGuire, this one set in Wild West Wyoming. The action takes place on a train where you’re planning to rob your employer, but you’re not the only crook here. It’s up to you to work your way through this Spaghetti Western love letter adventure. Do you have the grit?

Hera Base - A Vast Grimm 3rd Party Release ZineQuest from Delphi

• END DATE: Fri, February 24 2023 10:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Mörk Borg (Vast Grimm variant)
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $12 + $6 S/H in the US for the PDF and print versions of the zine
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Running at the same time as Vast Grimm: Into Oblivion from Infinite Black, this project brings a new location: a station free from wurm infestation. With multiple levels, factions, adventure charts, and new enemies, this 18-page RPG zine offers a lot of unexpected options. If you’re a Vast Grimm fan, this is worth checking out.

Level Up: A5E Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2022 from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, February 9 2023 10:52 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Level Up! Advanced Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £40 + £5 S/H in the United States for the PDF and print versions of the book
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The campaign ends tomorrow so join in with 220 pages of new A5E content for your gaming table!

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Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.

 

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There is now an independent pre-review of Ghost Mountain if people are curious: