This week’s sample of RPG crowdfunding projects ends between May 4 through 11. This sampling includes fishing options, a sea of trees, two options to recreated Stephen King’s The Dark Tower for your tabletop, a Call of Cthulhu option, and a setting for the Cepheus Engine.
The Wildsea: Storm & Root from Mythworks
Inevitable: A Doomed Arthurian Western RPG from SoulMuppet Publishing
Wild & Far Frontiers from Matteo Pastorio
Holiday Action Double Feature from 3,2,1...Action Games
Harrow: The Blighted Plane from Underground Oracle Publishing
The Blessed and the Blasphemous from Sons of the Singularity LLC
Scoundrels of Brixton from RPG Ramblings Publishing
Why Slay Dragons : When You Could Be FISHING (TTRPG 5e Book) from IO Publishing
To Save A Kingdom—An Adventure Path for 5E & Level Up: A5E from EN Publishing
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.
The Wildsea: Storm & Root from Mythworks
- END DATE: Thu, May 11 2023 9:57 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): The Wildsea
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $64 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The world fell to nature; fantasy jungle engulfed a technologically advanced world. Chainsaw driven ships cut through this world, connecting the outposts of sentient life be it human, fungi, or insectoid. You play those wildsailors that keep the world going. This campaign is the first expansion to The Wildsea, a game that envisions a different type of post-eco-apocalypse. While the core books focused on the forest trunks and canopy, this campaign looks to the sky as well as the forest floor. In a world of untamable vegetation, what’s it like at the base where it’s rooted or where those trees and vines can’t reach? This world is original and built with a solid d6 system inspired by Belly of the Beast, Blades in the Dark, and 13th Age. If you’re interested, there’s a rules preview linked on the campaign page.
Inevitable: A Doomed Arthurian Western RPG from SoulMuppet Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, May 11 2023 11:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book and the PDF of the quickstart
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Described as an Arthurian Western, this project reads like a broad option that could easily encompass a world like Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. With Inevitable, your characters follow their Arthurian king in this Western fantasy, but the end is doomed, it is foretold. Despite the news, your character has decided to go down with the ship and in doing so live on through their tales. Six dooms threaten this kingdom, you can’t stop them all. But, the point is to make your mark and be preserved in song forever. If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, then there are elements here that will speak to you. It’s not The Dark Tower, but a fantasy and Western that sits adjacent to that concept. If you want to learn more, check out the campaign page for a link to a quickstart for the system.
Wild & Far Frontiers from Matteo Pastorio
- END DATE: Mon, May 8 2023 10:58 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Campaign setting
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book plus the PDF adventure
- STATEMENT ON AI ARTWORK: “Thanks to all the artists who created the illustrations, videos and music on this page! While we could have created many more images for our campaign and manual using AI software, we decided to support the community of real-life artists.”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Speaking of Westerns and The Dark Tower, let’s give Wild & Far Frontiers a look. From Italy, the nation that gave us Sergio Leone and the Spaghetti Western genre (including Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name character that inspired Roland of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower) comes a 5e fantasy western. Not as doomed as SoulMuppet’s Inevitable: A Doomed Arthurian Western RPG above, this project still treads some of the same ground. This leans deeper into Western through the lenses of 5e. Offering the possibilities of 5e and coming from a nation that gets Westerns, this is worth checking out if you’re a fan of 5e, fantasy, and firefights.
Holiday Action Double Feature from 3,2,1...Action Games
- END DATE: Thu, May 4 2023 12:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): 321 Action
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventures and mini-golf RPG
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + S/H gets you the PDF and print versions of both zines plus the pamphlet and a PDF of the core ruleset
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Check out the mini-golf rules with the free pamphlet A Ham & Egg In Hell and the 321 Action rules here
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need something non-standard but fun at your gaming table? Do you need to save an island of fishfolk’s Christmas from Krampus? Yes, you do. Do you need to face off against demonic forces in a game of mini-golf? If that’s a hole in one for you, then you need Kevin Saves Christmas and Hard Times on the Back 9. In one zine, you’re a hero enlisted by a fish person to save an island during the holiday as Krampus takes it over. In the other, demonic mini-golf. The mini-golf zine has a pamphlet to expand and support the game. If you’re in need of original systems and gaming ideas, the cost and content for these zines is what you’ve been waiting for.
Harrow: The Blighted Plane from Underground Oracle Publishing
- END DATE: Sun, May 7 2023 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Cypher System
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook with core rules included
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for the PDF of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Described as high fantasy and post-apocalypse under a crystalpunk veneer, this project is a new setting using Monte Cook Games’ Cypher System. With the system’s new open license, I expect to see more third party games like this one. For experienced Cypher players, this project offers 3 new types, 5 species, 15 descriptors, and over 20 foci. For new players, the book includes “everything you need to play.” This RPG features fantasy and hope as you explore a bright world recovering from the apocalypse. If Cypher, complete corebook, and crystal are your four Cs, this might be of interested to you.
The Blessed and the Blasphemous from Sons of the Singularity LLC
- END DATE: Mon, May 8 2023 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Call of Cthulhu
- PROJECT TYPE: Campaign
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $109 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book and campaign dossier
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This adventure is licensed for Call of Cthulhu and from one of the best CoC third party publishers. This campaign is set in North Africa, specifically French ruled Morocco, at the onset of WWII. The adventure book offers six scenarios across 325 pages. The Blessed and the Blasphemous: Campaign Dossier Set augments the book and adventures with a GM screen, evidence board, and multiple handouts (maps, character sheets, lore sheets, and more details). To ensure authenticity, this project employees a pair of cultural consultants to ensure the world feels accurate even as the cosmic horror permeates it. If you need a pre-WWII campaign for your CoC game, The Blessed and the Blasphemous awaits you.
Scoundrels of Brixton from RPG Ramblings Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, May 11 2023 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Cepheus Engine
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $3 gets you the PDF of the adventure
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project creates a gritty science-fiction setting for the Cepheus Engine, an open system based on Traveller. This is the first in an RPG zine series detailing the Brixton solar system, starting with crime. Criminal organizations, shady characters, factions, the corps, and everything else you’ll need to exist in the gray zone. If you’re a fan of criminal sci-fi, this is worth checking out.
Why Slay Dragons : When You Could Be FISHING (TTRPG 5e Book) from IO Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, May 11 2023 1:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for the PDF versions of the rules
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Over 200 pages with over 100 fish to catch, all built atop a 5e fishing crafting system. You’ll catch, harvest, and craft, just like a video game, but with a DM that will describe the smell and texture of the guts and shaved scales. Yes, that’s right, in a world of dragons and liches, you’re an angler. On the back of your party’s loot wagon, you have a traveling glyph that reads “I’d Rather Be Fishing”. This project is for players that tell the DM, “Skip the regular random treasure tables and go straight to the random lures table!” If you want to spend your time fighting kenku for worms or swapping sushi recipes with NPCs, this project awaits. Best of all, there’s an option to get the custom dice set and they have fish miniatures inside the dice.
To Save A Kingdom—An Adventure Path for 5E & Level Up: A5E from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, May 4 2023 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Level Up! Advanced Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Keeping this project on the radar, I’ve spoken about it each week. After the OGL crisis, it’s worth checking out alternatives to 5e. A5E has a track record with multiple books (here and third party) and support as this campaign demonstrates. If you’re in need of an alternative to 5e, or a project that’s compatible with 5e, this is worth your time.
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.
