RPG Crowdfunding News 097: Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells, Palace of the Dragon’s Princess, The Overwo

From old school games to indie games where you knit, this weeks crop of tabletop RPG crowdfunding projects covers pulp sci-fi to dark Eastern European fantasy, from Planar adventures to dungeon crawling, takes 5E in to the near-future and provides a Spell book you can use for any campaign or game!

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells – Tabletop RPG by Diogo Nogueira
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 2nd June 2018)

Inspired by the Old School Renaissance and Pulp Literature, Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells is a complete rules-lite “star & sorcery” RPG. The games estimated 500 pages will include the rules (including rules for sanity, vehicle combat, magic use, etc) with examples of play, a setting and also a toolbox system to help create a setting as you play the game, plus loads of tools to help Overlords (as the game calls GMs) to generate game elements such as locations, NPCs, monsters, and adventure hooks.

“It’s science fiction, it’s fantasy, it’s space opera, it’s sword and sorcery, it’s post-apocalyptic. It’s all that and more, mixed up and packed together. In this game the party can be composed of knights of a mystical tradition, space pilots, cyber hackers, smugglers running from space authorities, barbarians from a primitive world, engineers and inventors, students of the lost and dangerous art of cosmic spells, or anything in between all this. In this universe, technology is advanced but the great accomplishments of it were lost in a glorious past. Sorcery is real and is wielded by terrible despots. It is also feared by most of the species, being the main reason why the old glorious days are over. Planets and sectors have many different cultures, most of them are now divisive and belligerent, led by these Sorcerer-Emperors. It’s sword and sorcery in space and with some cosmic horror thrown in.”

Although not directly related to an old game, Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells was designed to be played with the same spirit and style. All the principles of the classic A Quick Primer for Old School Gaming by Matt Finch apply to this game, although this is not a proper Retroclone. It does take inspirations and is based on many games that are (and some that are not), and other actual Old School games. However, to avoid the controversy of calling itself an Old School Game, Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells calls itself a game with Old School Spirit. But what does that really mean, you ask?

First of all, it relies on the Overlord to make judgement calls for how, when and why rules apply (or don't). This is called rulings over rules, and implies that the system has an abstract set of rules to resolve situations and it's up to the Overlord to determine how those rules apply on each situation, or to come up with a solution based on them when needed. Additionally, this game focus on player skill rather than on character skills and powers. The system is very simple and abstract, providing players with characters with a few iconic abilities and very broad statistics. How to use them to create solutions to the challenges the Overlord comes up with will depend solely on them. Social and intellectual challenges rely mostly on the players' ingenuity than on the roll of the dice.

Also, according to the Old School sensibilities, characters can be heroes, but they risk a lot doing so. It's something they can achieve, but it's not something they can do easily with little concern to their safety. The rules make sure the characters are a little more capable than the average person, but they are not superheroes, capable of facing entire battalions by themselves.

Finally, the game system ignores the modern concept of game balance and “appropriate encounters”, preferring the approach of setting consistency and challenging gameplay. In this way, there might appear obstacles during the game in which players’ characters have no way of resolving. Their better strategy could very well be to run, as well as to negotiate or simply to avoid it completely. That’s the Old School way.



The book comes with a choice of two covers, a standard cover by Bruno Prosaiko and a limited edition cover by Dan Ramos.


Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #5: Palace of the Dragon’s Princess by Mark Taormino
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 10th June 2018; 22:33 UTC)

Palace of the Dragon’s Princess is the fifth module in the Maximum Mayhem Dungeons series by Marl Taormino’s Dark Wizard Games. The adventure is suitable for OSRIC, or easy to adapt for a whole host of games, such as 1st Ed AD&D, 5E, DCC, Pathfinder, D20, Labyrinth Lords and Swords & Wizardry.


Palace of the Dragon’s Princess is an adventure for character levels 8 to 12 and consists of over 40 numebred encounters, classic blue map dungeons on the inside cover, DM and Players backgrounds, wandering monster tables, two new monsters, and more in its 32+ pages!

This campaign is also offering a Boxed Set, which you can get with either just this module (if you already have the previous modules in the series) or as a full set containing all the previous printed modules plus the Monsters of Mayhem #1 supplement.

Once upon a time the kingdom of Thorin Vale was prosperous and benevolent but fell on dark times with the death of the King. A new hope was rising as his only daughter, the Princess was set to marry the King's bravest royal knight restoring the kingdom to ultimate power. However on the wedding day, the evil Dragon Maelfesto attacked the castle by surprise and swiftly took control! The serpent drove everyone out and took the princess captive in the caverns below, wickedly enchanting the palace! The groom went in with a party of rescuers to save her but never returned. Riches beyond your wildest imagination will be gained for the ones who save the fair maiden, defeat the wicked beast and return alive from the Palace of the Dragon's Princess!


The Overworld and Beyond (13th Age RPG Planar Adventures) by John WS Marvin (Dread Unicorn Games)
(Campaign Ends : Friday 1st June 2018; 05:00 UTC)

The Overworld and Beyond presents planar-hopping adventures for the 13th Age roleplaying game. It includes a backwater setting that includes towns, wilderness, and gates to other worlds, all ready for you to incorporate into your gameworld.

The project includes pages of adventure hooks, a bestiary, 13 Weird Worlds, 13 Peculiar People, and more!

Settings

  • The Carrow Hills: A region where the barriers between worlds is thin, and that you can place in your own world. Includes wilderness and three very different towns.
  • The Elemental Realms: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water
  • The Fleshscape: A plane of flesh, blood, and bone
  • The Green: An eternal forest beneath the light of multiple suns
  • The Middenlands: Where the refuse of many worlds awaits
  • The City at the Edge of Dawn: Where the Psychedelic Ocean trips into the Waterfall of Eternity. Demons, dragons, and demigods rub shoulders with heroes and villains in this city of portals

Adventures

  • Attack of the Koblins: Creatures from outside enter the PCs world with foul intent!
  • Into the Overworld: The PCs must take the fight to other planes in order to save their home world.
  • Adventure Hooks by the half-dozen!
  • More added through stretch goals!

Bestiary

  • Elemental Guardian: The best of all the elementals, rolled into one large and in-your-face creature
  • Gargantuan Trash-Crab: If the claws don't get you, the saliva will
  • Gra-Gara, King of Frogs: All bow to the long-tongued god
  • Hellmass the Wizard: He's insane, he's trandimensional, and he's 15th level
  • Koblins: When kobolds and goblins are fused together by unstable transdimensional energies, it's not a pretty sight.
  • And many more
  • The more stretch goals we unlock, the bigger the bestiary grows

Overworld Oddities

  • 13 Tradable Things: Thirteen strange oddities that an overworld traveler might wish to trade, from a frozen moment to whisperglass slippers.
  • 13 Weird Worlds: Thirteen more planes for use in your adventures, from An Afterlife to The Underworld.
  • 13 Peculiar People: Thirteen NPCs to meet while wandering the higher limits of reality, from Bilo the Storm Giant to Zooberon the Enigma.


Awaken: The Blood of Salvora Roleplaying Game by Studio 2 Publishing, Inc.
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 3rd June 2018; 17:01 UTC)

The Blood of Salvora is a 216 page full-color, hardcover, supplement for The Awakened, which itself was a successful Kickstarter back in November 2015. The Awakened, by Croatian company The Games Collective, is a dark fantasy RPG heavily influenced by Slavic and Mediterranean folklore, “where the forgotten mythologies have resurfaced as Vasalli, powerful humans gifted with abilities capable of changing the course of history.”

The world of Awaken is full of constant strife and discord. It’s a world where the Great Cities fight for supremacy and leadership over the Alliance; a loose political association holding the territories of Salvora united. A world where ancient powers have resurfaced, in the form of Vasalli; humans that have undergone a physical change that has blessed and cursed them with mythical gifts, powers that were not meant for humans to have.

And with the world of Awaken still trying to recuperate from the fight with the Vargans, an ancient nemesis of all humankind; it is obvious that something in the world of Awaken is determined to test the survival instinct of all humankind.

But Awaken is not just a world filled with endless battles but a world that is filled with exploration and several places that are just waiting to be discovered by the player.

The Blood of Salvora will enable characters to find their place in the world by helping them to discover the details of the continent in which they reside.

It will allow them to participate in the power structure of the City that they have chosen to reside in and to even find their place in the highest echelons of the Order that they have chosen to pledge their allegiance to.

At the same time, the player will be able to traverse a world that is full of mysterious locations, unspoken secrets, and hidden roads.


  • Extended Great City Lore - Players can expect to get a ton of new information regarding history, power structures, districts, locations of interest and domains of the Great Cities.

  • Memorable Characters - Get to know the important figures of the Alliance, leaders of the Cities and rebels which elude them.

  • Detailed History of Salvora. While everybody in Salvora knows their myths, a lot of the history has been lost through time or has simply been kept secret from public knowledge. Discover the past!

  • More Antagonists & Monsters - Fan favorite plea! We've got you covered with expanded options for antagonists, as well as new big and bad creatures that will fill Salvora in order to make it not only deadly but more beautiful than it already is.

  • What lies beyond Salvora? - If the player dares to venture outside of the Alliance borders, they will not go in blindly but they will know backgrounds on the nations that have troubled Salvora before. But the player must be wary, as these nations are on the rise again!

  • Superior Gifts, Rituals & Expanded Rules - Who could say no to more power? We know we can't! And that is why we have included new Gifts and Rules which will allow players to explore and create their own Superior Gifts. Because everyone knows that a flying dagger isn't as good as a flying dagger on fire!

  • Smaller Orders - "Join the Order," they said. "See the world," they said. Well with the exploration now available of new places and powers, players should feel free to explore new Orders. Of course, players will be frowned upon by members of the esteemed Great Orders of the Alliance, but no one can take the freedom of choice from the player.

  • Control the Colossi -Who wouldn't want to be able to control a gigantic living weapon of mass destruction? We have developed the rules that will enable the player to use their Gifts to control Colossi.

  • Expanded Items and Weaponry - Salvora is a vast continent that is filled with various types of people from all walks of life so it's only natural that players should have a selection of various items and weapons to use throughout their adventure.


Welcome to Yarnia – A Yarn Quest Knitting RPG by Tania C Richter
(Campaign Ends : Friday 1st June 2018; 04:59 UTC)

Grab your knitting needles and join your fellow Yarn Questers in the quest to save Yarnia!

Yarn Quest is one part knitting pattern, one part Role-Playing Game, and one part Choose Your Own Adventure. Each quest is a knitting pattern, and as the player leads their character through the quest they come across enemies to battle, choices to make, and items that all influence the patterns knitted on the project.

That's what makes Yarn Quest so special - almost every project is unique.

Welcome to Yarnia is an introduction to Yarn Questing for those who have never played an RPG, and provides new patterns and play styles for those who have partaken in previous campaigns. The book will be a full color hardcover including tutorials, lore, patterns, and lots of artwork. There will be tutorials for how to play, along with tutorials for how to use the double knitting technique.

Don't like double knitting? Can't knit, but like to crochet? There are plenty of methods to join in the fun! Questers have done previous projects in colorwork knitting and Tunisian crochet. There's no limit to what you can do!

The most important part (beside the adventure) is the projects you'll be knitting! There are 3 patterns included in the book to start off the campaign and more that will be added depending on what stretch goals we hit. Pattern One is a Hat/Cowl combo, Pattern Two is an extra-large Cowl, and Pattern Three is a Scarf. Currently they all use worsted weight yarns, but there may be some variance in later patterns.



Core::2050, The Future of 5e by Legendary Pants
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 2nd June 2018; 15:09 UTC)

Core::2050 aims to seamlessly bring the 5th Edition ruleset to the near-future, allowing you to play in a tech setting with a ruleset you’re already familiar with. This lightweight rules extension keeps all the 5e rules – the combat, the races, the magic, the monsters – and adds tech such as drones, cars, computers, guns and plenty of things that go bang!

Hacking rules are included, and the book supplies 36 new subclasses, 3 for every 5e class, that largely have a unique modern slant to the classes. Hacker Rogues with their custom rigs, Urban Rangers with drone companions, barbarians who ‘roid rage… The book also comes with 6 new modern character backgrounds, modern gear list, a creature catalog and a near-future setting description.

You want to use guns? Of course you do! And code::2050 has them. But don’t expect them to mow down enemies like a weed whacker goes at dandelions. Game balance is a core tenet of code::2050. Guns are the new hotness, but traditional D&D weapons still work just as well as they ever did, and often better than modern weapons.

code::2050 is lightweight, but versatile. We've provided the nuts-and-bolts to build a near-future campaign. So, you've got the rules you need for guns, computers, vehicles, explosions and how all of these work with existing 5e rules. Our goal is to let you transition easily from a traditional sword-and-sorcery campaign to a less traditional shotgun-and-sorcery campaign, set on Earth in the year 2050.

What kind of stories can you tell with code::2050? Pretty much any of them. code::2050 is every bit as flexible as 5e. You want a fun romp with plucky adventurers dispatching fantastical monsters? No problem. You want dark and gritty cyberpunk in the neon-lit (and ever moist) streets of a densely populated Asian neo-city? No problem. You want a campaign of political intrigue and corporate espionage between megacorp dynasties? No problem.

So go ahead and dust off that old paperback copy of Neuromancer and get ready for an awesome ride.



Campaign Spell Book and Campaign Notebook by Justin Sirois
(Campaign Ends : Thursday 21st June 2018; 12:01 UTC)

The Campaign Spell Book follows the popular Campaign Notebook campaign that ran earlier this year. The book is a hardcover volume that clocks in at 150 pages. The book is system-neutral and contains blank formatted pages for you to create your own spell book, complete with spaces to illustrate the spells effects, components, or anything else you’d like to draw in the space provided.

The campaign also gives you another chance to get the hardcovers of the previous Campaign Notebook in two designs…. The Retro Cover and also a blank cover which allows you to write in the name of the campaign.


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If you have a forthcoming Kickstarter, or see one that excites you, please feel free to drop me an email on angus.abranson@gmail.com You can follow me on Twitter @ Angus_A or on Facebook where I often post about gaming.

Until next week, have fun and happy gaming!

Angus Abranson
 

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mserabian

Explorer
Man I'm really bummed: Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells – Tabletop RPG by Diogo Nogueira is right up my alley setting wise, but player skill over character skill just drives me crazy! Argh!! it's a roleplaying game, I want to play someone that has skills I don't have... so sad.
 

77IM

Explorer!!!
Supporter
core::2050 looks pretty amazing. They've already released a free SRD with most of the rules changes. I'm impressed with how few changes they are making to the rules in order to support the genre -- this will make it much easier to use monsters and magic items from other sources without having to do a ton of game-balance conversion.
 

barasawa

Explorer
Man I'm really bummed: Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells – Tabletop RPG by Diogo Nogueira is right up my alley setting wise, but player skill over character skill just drives me crazy! Argh!! it's a roleplaying game, I want to play someone that has skills I don't have... so sad.

Yeah, and they just tend to do that for the social stuff. When has a GM ever required a Player to overhaul an engine when their character has to do it, or actually shoot a moving target when their character is in combat? They don't. They have them use their Characters skills. But for some reason so many people seem to assume that basic GAME function and separation shouldn't apply to social skills.
 

diogoarte

First Post
Yeah, and they just tend to do that for the social stuff. When has a GM ever required a Player to overhaul an engine when their character has to do it, or actually shoot a moving target when their character is in combat? They don't. They have them use their Characters skills. But for some reason so many people seem to assume that basic GAME function and separation shouldn't apply to social skills.

Hi. I am the author of SB&CS. Yes, we focus on player skill over character skill but maybe not exactly as you may be interpreting.

The game simply do not have a huge number of abilities and details specifying everything you can do. You as a player can try to do a lot of stuff even though it's not everything datailed in your sheet.

We do however suggest resolving social interactions through Roleplay instead of dice rolling. But this is not acting. Is asking for players to come up with ideas of what they want out of the encounter, how they are going to try to achieve that, and why the other side might accept this. It's more about creative ideas than acting. The referee is encouraged to go with creative and fun ideas.

Why we don't do this with combat and fixing a spaceship engine? Well, it's not safe to do that. It's pretty safe to talk and exercise creativity and problem solving.

However, the book also states that this might not be the preference of everyone, and suggests that Willpower can be used as an Attribute to base interaction tests.
 

barasawa

Explorer
Hi. I am the author of SB&CS. Yes, we focus on player skill over character skill but maybe not exactly as you may be interpreting.

The game simply do not have a huge number of abilities and details specifying everything you can do. You as a player can try to do a lot of stuff even though it's not everything datailed in your sheet.

We do however suggest resolving social interactions through Roleplay instead of dice rolling. But this is not acting. Is asking for players to come up with ideas of what they want out of the encounter, how they are going to try to achieve that, and why the other side might accept this. It's more about creative ideas than acting. The referee is encouraged to go with creative and fun ideas.

Why we don't do this with combat and fixing a spaceship engine? Well, it's not safe to do that. It's pretty safe to talk and exercise creativity and problem solving.

However, the book also states that this might not be the preference of everyone, and suggests that Willpower can be used as an Attribute to base interaction tests.

Thanks for the reply.
Ask me to b.s. my way past someone, and I'll either fail, get punched, or arrested. Verbal interactions and the like are not my forte. (I'm not so great at writing either)

I've been in a lot of games where they actually expect you to go through the entire conversation and all that, just to ignore the skill your character has and base the results on your conversation.
That's rather unfair to those of us who are socially inept. I can't say how it's handled in your game, as all I have to go by is the description posted. You're recent mention of being able to do a Willpower check is helpful. It shows there is hope for us who can't talk our way out of a speeding ticket. (Or into a date, or give a public speech, etc)

Please note, this is something I've had trouble with in a lot of games with a lot of GMs when they expect the player to be as suave or convincing as the character is supposed to be.
Yeah, the engine and shooting were just two examples, but you could always force the navigator to do some actual trigonometry problems whenever he wants to do a hyperspace jump. That's pretty safe, unless they're allergic to pencils. ;)

I'm all for the role part of the playing, so long as it doesn't go to far. I might greet the NPC in character, but an attempt to persuade, haggle, convince, or whatever, that's where I drop back to the character skills/abilities because I sure don't have them. Like you said, it's not acting, though perhaps I'm being a little touchy because of those I've dealt with that seem to think it is.

As a fun but pointless anecdote, one game group I was in back in the 80s, we had a master b.s.er in the group. He could talk his way out of virtually anything. When he'd start doing it with his character, we'd all raise an arm high. It was our in-joke of "Save the wrist watches, the s*** is getting deep!". I heard a rumor that some of the people where he worked found out about our little joke and started doing it to him there as well when he got on a roll. :D


I am interested in your game, and wish you all the luck with it.
Glad to see the goal has been exceeded. With some luck I might be able to join. (Payday issues and all that.)
 


Diogo Nogueira

First Post
I completely understand. If it makes any better, I wrote it explicitly that it's not acting and that players should feel comfortable just stating their objective, their tactics to get there, and why this would work. Referee should not require acting. This is actually written in the book. Not to mention the Willpower Test option.

But hey, I understand your point. It's just a game I wrote to be played the way I like it to play, even though I try to include options to modify it if people want to.

The game has tons of resources for Sci-Fi gaming, even if you don't use the system too.
 


Matchstick

Adventurer
Really digging the potential of the Realm Walker 13th Age class that was added to the Overworld Kickstarter as a stretch goal. Very cool stuff. They've got another class as a higher goal that hasn't been reached yet, I'm hoping we'll get there. I love new classes!
 

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