RPG Crowdfunding News – The Magnus Archives, HârnWorld, Larry Elmore, and more

This article covers a sampling of TTRPG crowdfunding projects that end between September 21 to 27. As is normal, I talk about some of the RPGs that speak to me. In addition, I get a general update on the state of Onyx Path Publishing’s World or Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness projects from OPP freelancer Danielle Lauzon.

The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game from Monte Cook Games

• END DATE: Sep 22, 2023 at 8:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Cypher System
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $75 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN?Monte Cook Games discovered a lucrative [for TTRPG] gaming niche: Podcasts converted into TTRPGs. First, Old Gods of Appalachia reached over 15,000 backers. Now, the horror podcast The Magnus Archives looks like it’ll end near the same result. Both reached over a million dollars in funding. The Magnus Archives deals with archivists recording the history of various horrors which, over the course of the series, prove to be interconnected. While the podcast series has concluded, the Cypher System TTRPG lets you retcon the mythology so your characters are at the center of these horror conspiracies. If the idea of researching and fighting the unseen horrors of the world speaks to you, check out the Backerkit campaign page for a free primer to get a feel for the setting and system.

HârnWorld: Kingdom of Azadmere from Columbia Games

• END DATE: Wed, September 27 2023 3:04 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): System neutral
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $49 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the books
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN?HârnWorld is a series of fantasy setting books, each system neutral, but perfect for GMs that want a heavily detailed campaign setting, one boasting numerous locations within a single city or region as well as the names of those that populate the dwellings, businesses, and dungeons. These books are detailed in a way few other RPG setting books achieve, each offering impressive levels of detail. This campaign brings HârnWorld: Kingdom of Azadmere, which focuses on the dwarven kingdom of Khuzdul. You’ll get information about the mountains, the cities, the towns, the fortresses, the natural environment, the people, the culture, the shared history, and everything between. Not an overview. This book gives you helpful detail, creating a sense of realism. If you love specifics, great art, and western European fantasy settings, this book, along with the avalanche of other HârnWorld books Columbia Games has published, this offering awaits to fill out the world at your gaming table.

Monsters! Monsters! Rules 2.7 & Crystal Caves Challenge solo from Ken St. Andre and Steven S. Crompton (Trollgodfather Press)

• END DATE: Fri, September 22 2023 7:19 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Monsters! Monsters! 2.7
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDFs of these rules
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign brings the latest rules update from the original creator of the 1976 classic Monsters! Monsters! to your gaming table. This campaign funds three books: Trollgod's Crystal Cave Caverns (50 pages), Monsters!Monsters! Rules 2.7th Edition (96 pages), and a limited edition of the original playtest version of Monsters! Monsters! (limited to 100 copies, all of which are spoken for). It’s cool to get a new adventure and rules updates, though the gem is the playtest ruleset, a piece of history that shows the roots of this system including Ken St. Andre’s thoughts on the subject. If you’re a fan of old school RPGs, playing monsters, or solo RPGs (there’s solo and group options), this campaign awaits.

Wilderfeast from Horrible Guild

• END DATE: Tue, September 26 2023 5:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the books and map
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In this TTRPG, you play monster hunters… who are also chefs. Using manga/anime-proportioned kitchen utensils you hunt monsters in order to, uh, eat them. When you consume a monster, you gain powers going from a human d8 to a monstrous d20 for all tests. There’s a mutation that causes creatures to turn into kaiju-like horrors that have to be stopped. With cartoony artwork, this project is an interesting mix of fighting and food. Using an original system, you’ll hunt, fight, and eat monsters, taking their powers as you work to save the world. ONE. MEAL. AT. A. TIME. If this sounds appetizing, check out the campaign page for a quickstart PDF.

Deck of Encounters & Loot: Rollable Tables for DnD 5e from Tome of Summoning

• END DATE: Thu, September 21 2023 11:58 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG accessory
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF versions of the decks
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign offers 5e players The Deck of Loot and The Deck of Encounters. How do the loot cards work? When you encounter a lizardfolk, defeat them, and loot them, pull the lizardfolk card from The Deck of Loot and roll a d20. There are different options including crit fails and crit successes, but the roll gives you random items for the player’s effort. For The Deck of Encounters, pick a card that’s for a specific regions and terrain, and roll a d20. You’ll get different results including crit fails which result in level specific encounters or crit successes that result in positive encounters. These also come as a book if that’s your preferred option. Check the campaign page to find out more about this including a PDF sample.

Slaughterville RPG: Dive into the World of Fun and Horror from Laughing Rogue

• END DATE: Thu, September 21 2023 6:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Year Zero Engine
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $80 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the rulebook, cards, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Based on the Slaughterville board game, this RPG puts your gaming table in a dark town full of monsters and horror. Coming from a third part publisher, this is a relaunch of the crowdfunding campaign with a more obtainable goal. This version still uses Free League Publishing’s Year Zero Engine as your table faces nightmares and works to solve mysteries. If you’re looking for a modern horror RPG that used the same system as the ALIEN RPG, this RPG may be a good fit.

Hypercorps 2099: Cyberpunk Superheroes for the WOIN RPG from Mike Myler

• END DATE: Thu, September 28 2023 11:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): W.O.I.N. RPG
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• DO YOU NEED WOIN TO PLAY? Per Mike Myler, “Hypercorps 2099 requires the WOIN Rulebook, or at least access to [WOIN Rules Reference Document (WRRD)]. Usually when referring to some bit of rules in the game (specifically statblocks) the PDF for Hypercorps 2099 has a hyperlink as is appropriate.”
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• DISCLAIMER: Mike Myler writes for EN World
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign converts Hypercorps 2099 from 5e and PF1e to W.O.I.N. (What’s Old Is New), the system from EN Publishing. With a fresh layout, this book brings superheroes and cyberpunk together. Since many aren’t familiar with W.O.I.N., I want to call out that the system does a great job supporting those genres, after all it was the engine for EN Publishing’s Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Roleplaying Game. If you’re a fan of supers and punk and W.O.I.N., this project is for you.

Larry Elmore: The Complete Elmore Volume III hardcover book

• END DATE: Mon, September 25 2023 1:00 PM EDT.
• PROJECT TYPE: Artbook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $125 + S/H for the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Let me quote the campaign page as this is the “third and final volume of my career retrospectives: The Complete Elmore III: Highlights of a Path Well Traveled.” That’s right, this is the final volume in the series looking at Larry’s impressive career as a fantasy artist. If you’re an Elmore fan, don’t sleep on this. Offering over 300 images, these are largely unpublished pieces including artwork that was not in volumes one or two. This book focuses on the art with less commentary than the first volume. If you love the artwork of Larry Elmore, check this campaign out as this is the final volume in this series and a great addition to your collection.

TITANS RISING (and Titanomachy) for Scion 2nd Edition RPG from Onyx Path Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, September 28 2023 2:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Storypath System (Scion Second Edition version)
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $105 + S/H for the PDFs, POD discounted versions, and print versions of both books
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In the Scion RPG, there are Gods, Titans, and their offspring. A millennia ago, the Gods beat the Titans of the first Titanomachy. Now, the Titans are ready to reassert themselves with their own Scions. In this book, you’ll be able to create the Scion of Titans to work with, or fight against, the Scions of the Gods. Will you play as an underdog as the conflict of the second Titanomachy comes? This project gives you the character crunch to play as the opposing side in this campaign to start or stop the coming war.

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Onyx Path Publishing Follow-Up​

Because this question has been floated from time to time, when freelancer Danielle Lauzon reached out about the TITANS RISING campaign, I asked about recent and upcoming Chronicles of Darkness and World of Darkness releases as a whole.

DANIELLE LAUZON: We have a ton of new stuff on the horizon. For Chronicles of Darkness, we just recently released Tome of Pentacles for Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition and Tending the Flame for Hunter: The Reckoning 2nd Edition. Coming soon we have The Hedge for Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition, a new adventure for Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition, a new set of characters for the The Contagion Chronicle, and the Clade Companion for Deviant: The Renegades. For 20th Anniversary books, for Werewolf: The Apocalypse the Apocalyptic Record came out in June, and Howls of Apocalypse came out in July, with Icons of Rage in the production queue. Coming up for Mage: The Ascension we have several books slated for release including Lore of the Traditions, Faces of Magick, Forgotten and Forbidden Orders and for Victorian Age Mage we have Bizarre Tales and Unusual Characters, plus Weird Wonders and Revolutionary Magick on the way.

I want to thank Danielle for the detailed answer.

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[Charles Dunwoody]

Glad to see HârnWorld: Kingdom of Azadmere. I'm also intrigued by Slaughterville RPG as I like modern horror and the Year Zero Engine. More Elmore is also always good.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Thanks for the Onyx Path tidbit. I was wondering - are all of those going to be crowdfunded?

 

[Mike Myler]

The ONLY cyberpunk superhero RPG immortalized in my flesh!

Spoiler

 

[Lalato]

Haven't done one of these in a minute, but...
Here are the 5e Campaign Setting and Adventure Path crowdfunding campaigns I'm keeping an eye on right now.

Closed and Funded:

Closed:

Open and Funded:

• Feast of the Einherjar
• Shadow over Vansreik
• Curse of the Usurper
• Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms (over $1M)
• Corsairea: City of Rogues

Open:

• Realm of Greyclaw 7%

 

[Olaf the Stout]

The Elmore art book looks gorgeous. Sadly shipping to Australia is $88. Given that the book is already expensive (and fair enough for a full colour hardcover like that), it makes it just too pricey for me.

 

[kapars]

With a 10 day Kickstarter I guess the Brancalonia campaign qualifies for mention here?

 

[Fenris-77]

I love the Magnus Archives podcast, but I just can't back the KS. I already did that for Old Gods when Cypher system isn't my thing, I can't do it again. I wish people all the happiness of it though.