This week’s list of RPG crowdfunding projects runs from October 28th to November 5th. Included on the list is EN Publishing’s largest project to-date, an RPG I was able to play at Origins Game Fair, and a lot of original projects by great creators. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it does highlight some of the great games waiting to be discovered.
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition from EN Publishing
CHEW: The Roleplaying Game (TTRPG) from Imagining Games
Follow Me Down from Drowning Moon Studios
Secrets of the Vibrant Isle from Nerdburger Games
The Traveler's Guide to the Toxic Seas from Jeran Jenks
Survival of the Able (Back From The Dead) from Accessible Games
Naltulth: Candulhurst from Smunchy Games
Knights of the Round: Academy from Fumble GDR
Organic Towns from Headless Hydra Press
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG and Amazon.
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Fri, November 5 2021 7:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebooks
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £120 + £17 S/H to the US for the PDF and hardcover of the three core books plus the PDF and softcover of the adventure
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is the most funded RPG crowdfunding campaign currently live on Kickstarter. This isn’t to say this campaign is the most funded of all-time, but it’s the most funded live RPG as of this writing. Another feather in its cap, this is the most funded project from EN Publishing. All of those are tremendous accomplishments. What is this project? A fully realized, playtested, and completely written and laid out upgrade of 5e, basically 5.5e. Offering three hardcovers, the team used the OGL and a wealth of experience to craft a new version of 5e that offers more options, bigger action, and more fun for the table. As soon as the campaign ends, the PDFs go out and EN Publishing starts printing the physical books. If you’re a fan of 5e and looking to, ahem, level up your game, this is the project to check out.
CHEW: The Roleplaying Game (TTRPG) from Imagining Games
- END DATE: Thu, November 4 2021 11:01 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Forged in the Dark
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for all of the PDFs
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Based on the Image Comic series, CHEW, this RPG lets you play as a special agent of the FDA in a world with food based superpowers, chickens dedicated to world domination, and vampires. The source material sounds gonzo but tells an engaging story. At Origins Game Fair 2021, I played this with Mitchell Wallace, the writer for the game, and it was an amazing session of diabolic chicken plans for world domination and lunch! I can verify this game is great. It feels like the comic book world transplanted to your table. Using the Forged in the Dark system kept the game story focused and allowed for great moments of comedy. If you’re a fan of the comics, funny RPGs, or odd detective stories, this project deserves a cluck… Click! I meant click.
- END DATE: Thu, November 4 2021 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Powered by the Apocalypse
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF of the book and the playset
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Follow Me Down (Ashcan Edition) is PWYW at DriveThruRPG
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This Powered by the Apocalypse RPG is a two-player story of love and loss inspired by the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. As a GMless game, each player takes the role of the Fates or the main characters as they cross the eight sections of the Book of the Dead. The team behind this includes a number of rock stars (Joie Martin, Misha Bushyager, Nana Luv, Josh Heath, Jacqueline "Jax" Bryk, and Christopher Tang, who I get to game with from time-to-time). If you’re looking for a duet RPG in which you deal with epic love, this is worth checking out.
Secrets of the Vibrant Isle from Nerdburger Games
- END DATE: Thu, November 4 2021 9:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDF of the book
- DISCLAIMER: I’ve traveled to conventions with Nerdburger Games
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Going from a duet RPG with Follow Me Down, let’s look at a solo/single-player RPG from Nerdburger Games, Secrets of the Vibrant Isle. You are a shipwrecked character on a mystical island. You’ll work to survive as you dig through the wreckage of your ship, explore, and meet the island’s inhabitants,
all in the hopes of finding a way off of the island. Every direction is roll based as this RPG crosses into a type of Choose Your Own Adventure style of play. Featuring a full set of rules, a form fillable character sheet, and amazing art, this solo project lets you roleplay in a unique world any time you want to. - UPDATE FROM CRAIG CAMPBELL OF NERDBURGER GAMES: "Your character sought the island out, and you're trying to prove to the island and its inhabitants that you're worthy to stay on the island. You aren't trying to leave."
- END DATE: Sun, October 31 2021 2:27 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A mist destroyed most of the world. 1,500 years later, a new civilization has emerged, one where elvish and dwarvish cities atop and inside mountains are melting pots and long distance travel is by balloon. In this project, expect a world of adventure in which the places you go are as deadly as what you find there. Check out the campaign page for a sample PDF of the game.
Survival of the Able (Back From The Dead) from Accessible Games
- END DATE: Mon, November 1 2021 9:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): A Fudge and Fate RPG variant
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDF
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Survival of the Able Ashcan is free at DriveThruRPG
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project is awesome! It’s a historic fantasy setting starting at an almshouse during the Black Death (1347 A.D.). The disease has come, zombies have followed, and you play as a disabled individual who must navigate the disease, undead, inclement weather, and discrimination. Jacob Wood, the creator, uses this RPG to raise awareness for disabled gamers. The book makes the game accessible to all players with a design sense that insures the game is easy to follow. Using Todd Crapper’s Vision Layers and Aser Tolentino as editor, this project promises to be for every RPGer. If you’re interested, check out the campaign page for a free preview.
Naltulth: Candulhurst from Smunchy Games
- END DATE: Sat, October 30 2021 11:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Pathfinder Second Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $45 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A Pathfinder Second Edition setting! When I first started reporting on RPG Kickstarters, Pathfinder settings and adventures were commonplace. Today, they’re rarer and 2e options moreso. There’s no judgment in that statement, but there is some excitement at seeing a new PF2e option available! In this land of undead with new heritages, ancestries, and archetypes, you’ll play in a safe haven as a civil war goes on outside. If you’re looking for PF2e monsters, deities, and more, check out this campaign page for a sample of the book.
Knights of the Round: Academy from Fumble GDR
- END DATE: Thu, October 28 2021 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €20 for the PDF
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This RPG is inspired by shonen anime, giant robots, and JRPGs. You train to pilot mechs in a world at war. This 300 page core book covers rules for their original system as well as the setting and lots of art. If you’re interested, there’s a sample on the campaign page.
- END DATE: Thu, October 28 2021 4:30 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): System neutral
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for the PDFs of the book and settlement sheet
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project offers 150 pages of “automated” fantasy town. When your party gets to a town, this books helps you to populate it with buildings, events, and life. If you’re looking for a way to give your campaign a larger feel without a lot of work, then this book may fill that gap.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG and Amazon.
