RPG Crowdfunding News – Ultimate Bestiary, Rifts (Savage Worlds): American Armageddon, The Blackest

This week we look at 11 RPGs ending between May 3^rd to the 9^th. This list includes RPG projects offered through Kickstarter and, for the first time on this list, Game On Tabletop. What is Game On Tabletop? It’s a crowdfunding site dedicated to tabletop games offering a tighter focus than the other crowdfunding sites. For their first time on the list, we lead with DARK CONSPIRACY: A ROLEPLAYING GAME OF SUPERNATURAL HORROR.

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Ultimate Bestiary: The Dreaded Accursed for 5th Edition! By Nord Games

• END DATE: Fri, May 3 2019 12:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for the PDF of Ultimate Bestiary: The Dreaded Accursed for 5th Edition

“Over 130 new horrific monsters to add to your 5th Edition game! More details, more options, more variations, more fun! What is the lot of the mortal but to strive, sometimes fruitlessly, for meaning and purpose? Given a clear and achievable task, a mortal is contented. We must, I think, imagine the skeleton happy. Perhaps this is why they grin so. MASTER THE ACCURSED! Ultimate Bestiary: The Dreaded Accursed is not another A-Z of monsters. Instead, following on from its predecessor Ultimate Bestiary: Revenge of the Horde, we have focused on some of the commonly encountered undead and accursed monsters like ghosts, ghouls, liches, lycanthropes, and vampires, detailing their origins, environments, and attitudes, as well as introducing a wide variety of stat blocks to suit a range of challenge levels, with a huge variety of unique artwork. This book contains over 130 monsters!”

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The Exodus of Wolfbane, An Epic 0-2nd-Level DCC RPG Module by Gaming Honors

• END DATE: Sat, May 4 2019 8:30 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeon Crawl Classics
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 + $7 US shipping for two PDFs (one large-font) and print copy of The Exodus of Wolfbane, all unlocked stretch goals, and a custom battle map of the final encounter

“An Original 0- to 2nd-level Dungeon Crawl Classics-Compatible Adventure. Yesterday the village of Wolfbane was razed to the ground by a jealous king determined to find Shadowforde, the mysterious spellcaster who has aided the citizens for generations. Today you and a few dozen survivors are on the run, desperately trying to protect Shadowforde and reach his mythical homeland, Stonewater, your only hope of a safe haven. You are running to a place you’ve never seen, somewhere past the mountains you’ve never crossed.This is The Exodus of Wolfbane, an epic 0- to 2nd-level adventure compatible with the Dungeon Crawl Classics™ roleplaying game. The module features a hefty 56 pages of adventure, illustrations, player handouts, and supplements, including the popular Encounter Cards we introduced in our first project, The Peasants' Fell Bargain.”

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Monsterpunk by Gegenschein Games

• END DATE: Mon, May 6 2019 4:03 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF of Monsterpunk

“A post-apocalyptic RPG of humans, monsters and humans becoming monsters. Monsterpunk is a post-apocalyptic RPG of humans, monsters and humans becoming monsters. Humans in Monsterpunk are subordinates, food or slaves of the monsters that have taken over the world. Player Characters make life-binding pacts with magical creatures to survive in a harsh world dominated by monsters. It takes inspiration from many sources, primarily the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, but also Devilman and Drakengard/NieR. The rules of Monsterpunk are effects-based and action-oriented. That means the focus is on what you do rather than how you do it, making it very easy to reskin characters. The roleplaying mechanics make every roll interesting and the combat rules are tactical yet have very little math. This book will be somewhere between 240 to 270 total pages.”

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Rifts® for Savage Worlds: American Armageddon by Pinnacle Entertainment Group

• END DATE: Mon, May 6 2019 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Savage Worlds
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks/box set
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $150 + S/H for the three new Worldbooks plus the Rifts® for Savage Worlds Adventure Boxed Set (hardcovers and PDFs) plus dice, bennies, and more

“Three New Worldbooks Exploring the North America of Rifts® for Savage Worlds! The Tomorrow Legion faces off against new apocalyptic threats from the darkest corners of North America and Earth's ancient past! Building on the incredible success of Rifts® for Savage Worlds comes three new 192-page Worldbooks further detailing the factions, locations, and threats of Rifts® North America. Inside you'll find new allies, armaments, and abilities to aid Tomorrow Legionnaires in their fight against the evils of the Megaverse®. Arcana & Mysticism: Explores the Federation of Magic, Psyscape, and Techno-Wizard enclaves throughout North America, and the dire threats hiding within. Blood & Banes: Details the struggle of dark heroes against the alien Xiticix Hivelands, encroaching Vampire Kingdoms, mysterious Dinosaur Swamp, and insanity of Madhaven. Empires of Humanity: Brings to life the wonders of human civilization from the Coalition States to the New West, and uncovers the secrets of the east coast. All three books are 192 pages, hardback, and full-color throughout!”

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The Umerican Road Atlas and Umerica Unnatural by Shield of Faith Studios, LLC

• END DATE: Mon, May 6 2019 10:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeon Crawl Classics
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for the PDFs and PODs of The Umerican Road Atlas and Umerica Unnatural as well as unlocked stretch goals

“Two new sourcebooks for your Umerican DCC Campaign! A combo meal of wasteland wonder and sweet salvage to enhance your apocalypse. Umerica is a gonzo super science & sorcery post-apocalyptic setting for the Dungeon Crawl Classics role playing game from Goodman Games set in a twisted version of North and Central America. It originated in the Crawling Under a Broken Moon fanzine but the previously Kickstarted Umerican Survival Guide is a fully revised and fleshed out version of the setting. This Kickstarter funds AT LEAST two new books for the Umerica setting: The Umerican Road Atlas and Umerica Unnatural, with more possibilities as stretch goals are unlocked. Both books will be 128+ pages in PDF and Print On Demand.”

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Fairies: A Role Playing Game by Spectra Games

• END DATE: Tue, May 7 2019 9:20 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the hardcover of Fairies: A Role Playing Game

“A teamwork-oriented tabletop roleplaying game, encouraging storytelling and creative thinking. Fairies: A Role Playing Game lets you experience the life of a fairy in a fictional version of earth. This comprehensive manual will give you the tools to tell a story from the point of view of a fairy. Standing only 3''-6'' in height fairies live world built by humans and face many challenges from this perspective, many of which are unforeseen. Fairies are also naturally nonviolent and will not harm any living creature no matter how angry the housecat is. However, fairies consider themselves to be the some of the most powerful beings on earth and are not afraid to unleash their full strength if threatened by eldritch powers. Fairies: A Role Playing Game runs on an original d10 system created by the team here at Spectra Games. It is a game with focusing on storytelling as a core aspect of the game supported by optional in-depth mechanics. The mechanics were meant to reflect the innate magical nature of a fairy. There are very few attributes important to fairy's, which also makes character creation a breeze.”

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Dark Conspiracy - A Roleplaying Game of Supernatural Horror by Uhrwerk Verlag

• END DATE: 05/07/2019 23:00 (GMT-4)
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $255 + S/H for the PDF and print of the quickstart, the core rules, three 128-page hardcover sourcebooks, one 128-page hardcover adventure, a referee screen resource and three card decks

“In the all-too-near future, the world slides into the Greater Depression, the United States affected most dramatically. Nationalism surges, and the social safety net is in tatters. Corporations control governments openly, corruption is commonplace, and the citizenry is starkly divided between those who have and those who go without. Urban sprawl runs amok, and great metroplexes connect the great cities into teeming, soulless metropolises, their lights shining across the countryside. The heartland of America is largely abandoned, the bread basket now empty. For in these forgotten and empty places in the rust belt, the tissue of reality tears wide, and energy from nightmare dimensions and planes of utter terror seep into this world. These places, calleddemongrounds, grow more substantial, expanding each day, and creatures from these hell-places walk freely there, and from the demongrounds they infiltrate the metroplexes to feed their inhuman hungers and bring ruin to all. Humans banded together and armed against these dreadful forces of darkness. These minion hunters stalk them in the cities and even in the demongrounds, but the greatest challenge they face is the realization that these monsters do not work alone: they are aided by humans who have made terrible pacts with the forces of darkness, selling out their own kind for power and survival. This is the world of DARK CONSPIRACY. For the first time in more than 20 years, Dark Conspiracy will be available in print in a deluxe new version of the acclaimed roleplaying game, with an updated system and setting, featuring all-new art and content.”

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Infinity's Edge: A LitRPG-Inspired Tabletop Roleplaying Game by Shawn Carman

• END DATE: Wed, May 8 2019 4:06 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for 2 PDFs and a POD of Infinity's Edge plus all unlocked PDF stretch goals

“A fantasy role-playing game inspired by the LitRPG fiction genre, bringing aspects of MMO gaming to the tabletop for the first time! Infinity's Edge is a fantasy role-playing game based on the LitRPG genre of fiction. What does that mean? It means that players take on the role of fantasy heroes that are avatars in a virtual reality massively-multiplayer role-playing game. Their characters are aware that they are characters, and they have advantages that normal RPG characters don't have. For instance, if they die in battle, they can respawn at their most recent bind point. Death is no longer the end! It's become a tactical option. But there's always a price, and in Infinity's Edge death means a loss of XP and having to go find your body to get most of your equipment back. One of the most significant aspects of this kind of game is that all the chatter around the table about game mechanics just went from out-of-character to in-character. Your characters can benefit from modern world knowledge and use as much regular slang or pop culture references as they want without breaking character (although NPCs may become a little tired of not understanding what they're talking about!). Infinity's Edge is a full-color rulebook that is estimated at roughly 75-80 pages in length.”

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Deck of Many Names by Purple Aether Games

• END DATE: Thu, May 9 2019 8:55 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S):
• PROJECT TYPE:
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $8 for the POD of the Deck of Many Names

“A lifesaver for the next time your players unexpectedly take a shine to Random Background NPC #17. It's become a punchline by now: you carefully craft key NPCs to deliver exposition and provide drama, only to see your players ignore them and make eyes at the turnip farmer in the background. You weren't ready. The turnip farmer was window dressing, a nameless NPC whom you now have to develop on the fly. How will you do it? With the Deck of Many Names, you'll never again be unprepared for whichever random NPC your players decide to get more familiar with. Each of the 120 cards in this deck contains a name, as well as prompts for species, gender, and age. Just shuffle the deck before your first session.”

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For the Dungeon! by Jordan

• END DATE: Thu, May 9 2019 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Powered by the Apocalypse
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $16 + $3 US shipping for the PDF and print of For the Dungeon!

“Play the minions, not the heroes. A tabletop RPG about the misfortunes of a career in dungeon security. For the Dungeon! is a comedy role-playing game where you get to play as the hapless minions instead of the heroes. Experience the rush of unquestioning loyalty to a darker power and charging into danger with reckless abandon! Raid villages, scout ancient ruins for artifacts, and protect the dungeon from homicidal adventurers. Instead of a well-established world, the game uses principles taken from Powered by the Apocalypse style games and improv comedy to create the setting. For the Dungeon! relies heavily on player created prompts that are interpreted by the Game Master to reveal the details of the world. About 70 pages full of original full-color art.”

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The Blackest of Deaths - A Dire Old School Fantasy RPG by Bloat Games

• END DATE: Thu, May 9 2019 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): OSR
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + $10 US shipping for PDF and POD of The Blackest of Deaths (Ashcan Version), the PDF and print of The Blackest of Deaths Deluxe Version with unlocked stretch goals, and The Blackest of Death L.E. "MeatGrinder" Box Set

“The Creator of Dark Places & Demogorgons & Vigilante City brings you a tabletop roleplaying with a bleak chance of survival! The Blackest of Deaths is what it says on the tin. Your character is dropped into a brutal, unforgiving world that is actively opposed to your survival. You're prey that doesn't know its place yet. There's no character advancement, no way to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. There is you, a handful of meager items, a few minimal abilities, and the finality of defeat. Now, that sounds like a real downer to most. Why would anyone want to play that? Isn't the point of a roleplaying game to experience some kind of power fantasy and character agency? Well, the answer to all of these questions is yes -- and that's the beauty of Blackest. Surviving to fight another day in this game feels like a genuine accomplishment. Your character will struggle like never before. Your character will fail. Your character will die. But not every time. And on those rare occasions when you do manage to leap from the gaping, inexorable jaws of oblivion, you'll walk away with a great story to tell your fellow gamers and a gaming experience worth remembering. You will live. You will cheat death. You will survive.”

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[Paragon Lost]

Today's the last day of the Dark Conspiracy crowdfunding campaign on gamesontabletop. If interested, now is the time.

https://www.gameontabletop.com/cf189/dark-conspiracy-a-roleplaying-game-of-supernatural-horror.html?

I'm the line editor and am happy to answer any questions you might have about editorial/content stuff.

I have no experience with Gamesontabletop so I decided to pass on backing it. I'll try to track it down via game shops or Amazon for print copies later on though. I guess I need to learn about this other funding site, to see if it's worth me using. I tend to spend a couple grand a year on Kickstarter I've noted. And if I don't back something, my wife does for me. lol

She did that with the Judge Dread Kickstarter last fall when I hesitated, a nice surprise getting the books and then pdf's from my wife. hehe. My point, I know and trust Kickstarter and think it reaches a bigger backing audience. It feels like you all short changed yourself by going with Gamesontabletop on what you could have brought in to bring this project to life.

Anyhow, good luck on the project, I look forward to seeing the end result.

 

[Balistyx]

Here is some of the reasoning behind their use of Gameontabletop instead of Kickstarter as taken from the campaign page and campaign comments.

Campaign FAQ

Why are you using Game On Tabletop and not Kickstarter?
We have worked with Game On Tabletop in the past for a German project, due to the platform being quite well known and widely used in parts of Europe. We were very happy with the vast amount of options in the backend (superior to those Kickstarter has, basically reducing the need for a pledge manager like Backerkit after the end of the campaign) and especially by the very friendly and competent staff being available to us very easily (while it is always harder to reach anybody at Kickstarter if you have any problems). Therefore we decided to give Game On Tabletop a try to see if it also works for campaigns with an international audience.

From Comments

Uhrwerk Verlag
[04/12/2019 19:28]

@Mike: According to European law any crowdfunding is an order (because whenever you give money to a company for products, it is an order) - and is still a crowdfunding, too. If we don't reach the funding goal, all money will be reimbursed immediately. Using a European platform is actually better for the backers since it means European consumer protection laws apply - and they are a lot stricter than those in the US. Anyhow, as with every crowdfunding you can cancel or change your order at any time while the crowdfunding is up and running.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Here is some of the reasoning behind their use of Gameontabletop instead of Kickstarter as taken from the campaign page and campaign comments.

Campaign FAQ


From Comments

Thanks for the reply and info. Really good points on the protections, I like that. Also gotta give them points for not needing a backer kit as well, something that has always annoyed me.

 

[Balistyx]

Thanks for the reply and info. Really good points on the protections, I like that. Also gotta give them points for not needing a backer kit as well, something that has always annoyed me.

Glad I could help. Hopefully it was enough to convince you to back, but if not I understand. I agree that had it been on Kickstarter there would have been a much wider potential audience, though I do think the creators and fans did an amazing job of getting the word spread so that it did hit funding and unlocked a few stretch goals.

Also here is a Q&A they did that if I remember correctly also had a little info regarding the choice in funding platforms.
[FONT=&amp]Q&A with Dan Davenport: [/FONT]https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/2019/04/30/qa-jason-durall-patric-gotz-dark-conspiracy/

 

[Paragon Lost]

Glad I could help. Hopefully it was enough to convince you to back, but if not I understand. I agree that had it been on Kickstarter there would have been a much wider potential audience, though I do think the creators and fans did an amazing job of getting the word spread so that it did hit funding and unlocked a few stretch goals.

Also here is a Q&A they did that if I remember correctly also had a little info regarding the choice in funding platforms.
[FONT=&]Q&A with Dan Davenport: [/FONT]https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/2019/04/30/qa-jason-durall-patric-gotz-dark-conspiracy/

Thanks for the link. Question, the pledge levels are confusing me, so bear with me here. If I want all the material printed and all them in pdf form I'd have to go with the $255.00 Minion Hunter pledge and not the $110.00 Ganger+print pledge?

 

[Balistyx]

Thanks for the link. Question, the pledge levels are confusing me, so bear with me here. If I want all the material printed and all them in pdf form I'd have to go with the $255.00 Minion Hunter pledge and not the $110.00 Ganger+print pledge?

That is correct.

 

[Bagpuss]

The company behind Dark Conspiracy(Clockwork Publishing/Uhrwerk Verlag) has filed for insolvency, a month after it's successful crowdfunding raised ($39,762, their target was $25,000).

This was their update, less than a month after thanking everyone for successfully funding.

Today, we have to share an update with you, that is very hard and painful for us.

A couple of days ago, we – Clockwork Publishing/Uhrwerk Verlag – filed for insolvency under German law.

Although the events that lead to this weren’t foreseen by us and hit us by surprise, we do have several options on how to proceed now. Nevertheless, we have to cope with the likely fact, that we might have to decide to close down our company in its current form until the end of the year.

Since the insolvency isn't opened for about 2-4 month from now, we won't be able to properly work on the Dark Conspiracy project as we have planned.

Besides the text for the main rulebook and the quickstarter, the texts aren’t finished yet. For legal reasons we do have to cancel all exterior assignments for texts until we are given the green light from our insolvency administrator (who will be appointed by an insolvency court in the next few weeks). And of course we have to speak to our licensor and other partners on what they wish us to do. Until that is done we can’t make any binding statements. Our main priorities from our side are to still get the project done or to roll it back in a timely manner.

Please be aware that we are not allowed to issue any refunds right away under German insolvency law (which states that all debtees have to be treated equally). The insolvency administrator is tasked with taking care that all debtees get their money back via liquidation or that projects can be fulfilled via restoration of liquidity of the company.

You can request a refund via your credit card company or PayPal (they are not bound by the legal rules we have to adhere to). But please be aware that the insolvency administrator might be able to recall the money later on (as we pointed out before under German insolvency law all debtees have to be treated equally and nobody can get their money refunded by the debtor while the other debtees don't get their money back; if the insolvency administrator does recall any money is his discretion, we don't know if this would happen).

We will of course keep you informed every step of the way and hope for your patience until the insolvency administrator is appointed and we can give more information on how this project will proceed. This is a very difficult time for our company, far extending the topic of this crowdfunding alone. We will give you more specific details as time goes on. Had we know beforehand what happened three weeks ago to the company, we wouldn’t have started the project in the first place.

Please accept our sincere apology for now, since this is all we can tell you in this update.

We will however be present here to answer questions to the best of our knowledge.

They had another crowdfunding project on Game on Tabletop (Die Verbotenen Lande) which had raised $74,618, and also successful funded at the start of May.

Not sure how you go from getting two projects funded one 150% of it's goal and the other nearly 700% of it's goal to insolvency in less than a month, without you knowing in advance you were never going to be able to meet those commitments.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Wow Bagpuss, that's some really lousy news. :/