I hope everyone that celebrates Christmas had a wonderful one. This holiday week, I’m looking at RPG Kickstarters that end between January 4th, 2019 and January 10th. At this point in the year, the products available touch on a lot of original ideas that are worth exploring including original, or rarely used, systems. If you enjoy this column, and you’re looking for something to break up the holiday week, might I recommend Morrus and Peter Coffey’s Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk in which they use this column to play “Our Favorite Game in All the World” where Morrus tells Peter Coffey the title of an RPG Kickstarter for Peter to guess what the product is. Try the podcast here, it’s free.
[h=3]RPG RULESETS[/h] Tale: the role-playing game by Hans Olav Ekornrød
END DATE: Fri, January 4 2019 12:00 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): An original collaborative RPG system
PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: NOK 100 for core rulebook (ebook) and some digital extras
Low Fantasy Gaming - Deluxe Edition by Pickpocket Press
END DATE: Sun, January 6 2019 4:49 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): An original OSR RPG system
PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: AU$20 for PDFs and POD codes of the core rulebook in color or black & white
Maelstrom Rome RPG by Arion Games
END DATE: Wed, January 9 2019 12:13 PM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): Maelstrom RPG, “a classic of the 1980's RPG scene”
PROJECT TYPE: Setting book
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £13 for a PDF and POD code of the setting
The Noticeboard by Wisdom Save Media
END DATE: Thu, January 10 2019 1:03 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): An original RPG system that is compatible with D&D 5e and Pathfinder 1e
PROJECT TYPE: Core rules and props
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £48 plus shipping for The Noticeboard: Game box, Village generator (PDF), Plot hooks and downtime (PDF), Expanded rule-book (PDF), and Form-fillable Party Sheet (PDF)
[h=3]RPG RULESETS/ADVENTURE MODULES[/h] Silent Titans by Swordfish Islands
END DATE: Sat, January 5 2019 1:05 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): Into the Odd 1e
PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $70 plus shipping for the hardcover and PDF of the adventure plus PDF and physical versions of the Characters, Cartograms and Foolscap Errata. NOTE: As of this writing, this backer level is sold out.
Into the Wyrd and Wild by Charles Ferguson-Avery
END DATE: Mon, January 7 2019 12:28 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): D&D 5e, OSRs
PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 plus shipping for the softcover and PDF copies of the adventure
If you like what we do here at EN World (the Forums, Columns, News, ENnies, etc) and would like to help support us to bring you MORE please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a single dollar helps! This article was contributed by Egg Embryas part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Egg is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG.
[h=3]RPG RULESETS[/h] Tale: the role-playing game by Hans Olav Ekornrød
END DATE: Fri, January 4 2019 12:00 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): An original collaborative RPG system
PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: NOK 100 for core rulebook (ebook) and some digital extras
“Experience a world of perils, treasures and drunken bar brawls. Armed only with your character sheet (diploma), your trusty notebook and two six-sided dice you can defeat creepy kobolds and skittering enzods. No need to know years of lore; delve into mysteries, crawlers and journeys that work to create memorable stories for you and your friends. The players and gamemaster cooperate to create details in the world as they go; quests are created with NPC archetypes without names or gender so that you can put a unique mark on it. Get started within 30 minutes, both new and old players. Let yourself be guided by the motives and desires of uncommon fantasy character types. There is a clear chain of events leading from Vincent Baker’s Apocalypse World, Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel’s Dungeon World and up to the game of Tale. All roads lead through the town of Ebon Eaves. I sat down with my brother and a couple of friends to try a kickstarter game called, Tremulus: a storytelling game of lovecraftian horror. This game is magnificent. Lean game mechanics, engaging gameplay and a setting of almost infinite possibilities. As a player I was entertained, but as a gamemaster I was truly inspired.”
Low Fantasy Gaming - Deluxe Edition by Pickpocket Press
END DATE: Sun, January 6 2019 4:49 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): An original OSR RPG system
PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: AU$20 for PDFs and POD codes of the core rulebook in color or black & white
“Low Fantasy Gaming is a tabletop RPG built for gritty adventures in low or moderate magic settings. It has simple rules, dangerous combat, flexible PC customisation, and mysterious, unpredictable magic. Designed for short, episodic adventures in sandbox worlds, LFG provides the mechanics and tables needed for easy GM improvisation. It’s a heady mix of the best old school, modern, and new game design, wrapped around a familiar d20 core. 9 Classes: Artificer, Barbarian, Bard, Cultist, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue & Magic User; only two of which involve magic. 12th Level Max eliminates the most powerful spells, and keeps the mightiest monsters scary. Unique Features: every 3rd level design your own PC ability in conjunction with your GM. Don't want to make your own? Choose from 36 examples instead. Roll Equal or Under for attribute checks (inc degrees of success), making every stat point matter. Skills provide access to a level based Reroll Pool, smoothing the fickleness of d20 probability distribution. Party Retreat & Chase rules allow the GM to throw whatever makes sense at the party, unshackling them from balanced encounters and quarantined zones. Long Rests take 1d6 days (or 1d4 in a safe, comfortable environment), mitigating the nova, rest, repeat problem for adventures with long periods between battles (eg: wilderness treks). Dark & Dangerous Magic tests and Divine Rebuke tests make all spell casting inherently uncertain. No at-will, teleport, mind reading or resurrection magic. Magic Users are less reliant on spells, proficient in one handed weapons and light armour. GM Tables for Weather, Exploration Events, Random Encounters, Traps, Treasure, Disease, Madness, Tavern Brawls, Hirelings, Mass Battle, Naval Combat, NPC Quirks, Rival Adventurers, Blackpowder, and more. 130+ Monsters including effective Boss Monster options (eg: Off Turn Attacks match the party's action economy, and Stronger Luck grants saves even when a save is not normally permitted), plus Custom Monsters guide. Online Play Support: an LFG character sheet is available for online play via Roll20, and we're exploring options for Fantasy Grounds. Open Game Content: 99% of LFG text is "Open Game Content" under the Open Game Licence. Want to make your own adventures or expansions for LFG and sell them? Go right ahead! Deluxe Editionwill be delivered via DriveThruRPG in PDF (Full Colour and B&W Line Art versions) and Hardcover (11 inches tall x 8.5 inches wide, approx 280 pages).”
Maelstrom Rome RPG by Arion Games
END DATE: Wed, January 9 2019 12:13 PM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): Maelstrom RPG, “a classic of the 1980's RPG scene”
PROJECT TYPE: Setting book
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £13 for a PDF and POD code of the setting
“The Maelstrom RPG was a classic of the 1980's RPG scene and still holds a fond place in the hearts of many UK gamers. In 2013 Arion Games revised the system and released Maelstrom Domesday, a game of supernatural investigation in 1086 York. Since then, we have produced several follow up products including the Victorian-set Maelstrom Gothic. Since we first acquired the rights to republish Maelstrom, a Roman version has loomed large in our minds. The lifepath character creation system introduced in Domesday would seem to suit a Roman setting perfectly. This version of Maelstrom Domesday takes the rules established in that version, adds a few more specific ones such as Curses and Gladiatorial Combat and bundles that up with a guide to the world of the early Roman Empire. With 44 Rome-specific Livings, new Characteristics and Abilities, mythical creatures, new Herbs and medicines and more, this game thrusts the characters in the the shady and mysterious world of Rome and it's Empire. The book is currently 50% written or more, and will be finished and laid out before the campaign ends. It will only require art to be added for the book to be finished. It is likely that the book will be about 300 pages when complete, and it will be in a 6x9 format, very similar to the original Maelstrom paperback.”
The Noticeboard by Wisdom Save Media
END DATE: Thu, January 10 2019 1:03 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): An original RPG system that is compatible with D&D 5e and Pathfinder 1e
PROJECT TYPE: Core rules and props
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £48 plus shipping for The Noticeboard: Game box, Village generator (PDF), Plot hooks and downtime (PDF), Expanded rule-book (PDF), and Form-fillable Party Sheet (PDF)
“A tabletop side-questing RPG that doubles as a tool for DMs/GMs. In this game, players take on the role of adventurers travelling from town to town completing quests. Players win by becoming the most successful and renowned adventurers in the land. 3 games in one. Components can be used as props or tools for d20 systems including Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, etc. A great way for children to learn how to play d20 systems. The game is formed of quest and hunt cards with story hooks written on the front and instructions for the DM/GM on the back; a set of d20's and meeples, and a deck of location cards that are used during the adventurer's downtime. The game started out as a prop we wanted to use for our DND campaign. After playing The Witcher, we wanted to incorporate a noticeboard into our game. We loved the idea of the freedom it would give our players and the challenge it would give us to respond to their choices. Fast-forward to today, we succeeded in making our DND prop and in the process, created a fantastic roleplaying game that everyone can enjoy.”
[h=3]RPG RULESETS/ADVENTURE MODULES[/h] Silent Titans by Swordfish Islands
END DATE: Sat, January 5 2019 1:05 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): Into the Odd 1e
PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $70 plus shipping for the hardcover and PDF of the adventure plus PDF and physical versions of the Characters, Cartograms and Foolscap Errata. NOTE: As of this writing, this backer level is sold out.
“Silent Titans is an adventure for table top role playing games, written by Patrick Stuart, writer of Veins of the Earth, Deep Carbon Observatory, Fire on the Velvet Horizon and a few other things, laid out by Christian Kessler who did layout for Fever Swamp, the award winning book from Melsonian Arts Council, and with art by Dirk Leichty, of Troika, Codex Zine and Slade Stolar's Dust, Fog and Glowing Embers, a so-far unacknowledged near-genius we were lucky to stumble into. The rules are based on the first edition of Chris McDowall's Into the Odd ruleset. Character generation is integrated into the adventure/game. Players are given specific, named characters to play, though a lot is left open to their interpretation (an idea I stole from Chris Himself). Wir-Heal itself is a time lost peninsula built on the tangled and comatose bodies of world-destroying trans-dimensional titans and suffering under a curse which slowly reduces its inhabitants to the status of wild woodwose. On top of that, what government does exist is arguably not the finest, being dominated by an obese, cunning and rapacious feudal lord obsessed with extracting taxes and keeping out the kingdom's near-mythical enemies. The player characters fall through reality under Mysterious Circumstances™ and end up in Wir-Heal, the plughole of the metaverse. Their only real problems are that they are lost in time, cut off from the rest of reality, dirt poor and that the Titans themselves are waking up and going to end the world. As well as that, they have pissed off an evil Pig. To prevail and escape Wir-Heal they must brave its nightmare-haunted shifting realities, find ways beneath the land, break into the Titans' sleeping minds and steal their golden thoughts. This will put the Titans back to sleep, shift the realities back to something more closely approximating normal, and you get to keep the gold.”
Into the Wyrd and Wild by Charles Ferguson-Avery
END DATE: Mon, January 7 2019 12:28 AM EST on Kickstarter
SYSTEM(S): D&D 5e, OSRs
PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 plus shipping for the softcover and PDF copies of the adventure
“Into the Wyrd and Wild is a supplemental book for those seeking to incorporate a weird and terrifying wilderness into their role-playing game. Players and GMs who enjoy a level of horror and prefer the sweeping, darkened landscapes of forest and mires to the well-trodden cobblestone of dungeons need look no further when it comes to books. Presented within the book is a light overhaul of the adventuring system, modified to fit better with a campaign centered around forays into the frightening wilderness. In addition to stocking the area with new monsters and set pieces, Into the Wyrd and Wild is also an attempt to increase the playability of the wilderness. Rather than have the wilderness remain a place along the way to a dungeon, it seeks to make the wilderness a dungeon in itself. Included in this is an essay on design theory as well as a way to easily and randomly construct a wilderness dungeon. While the contents of Into the Wyrd and Wild were designed for D&D and the OSR, this book has been written to be as system-neutral as possible. This means that rules and stats are written bare-bone with the intention of being widely compatible, [and] enough information is given that a GM and player can easily adapt it to their own preferred system. The book contains rules for wilderness travel and survival, rules for Moon Cycles and strange phases, rules for hunting, tracking, and butchering monsters, 40+ dangerous and terrifying monsters, 40+ strange and savage items, 40+ spells and rules for channeling the Wyrd, a step-by-step guide for generating your own wilderness adventure, 100 random wilderness locations, and all illustrated with over 150 pieces of original art.”
If you like what we do here at EN World (the Forums, Columns, News, ENnies, etc) and would like to help support us to bring you MORE please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a single dollar helps! This article was contributed by Egg Embryas part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Egg is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG.
