RPG Crowdfunding News – Ruins of Symbaroum, Academies of the Arcane, Tavern Tales, and more

This week, I look at RPGs and RPG-related crowdfunding campaigns that end between May 5th and the 18th. While not every RPG currently crowdfunding, this list offers projects using the 5e engine, system neutral offerings and two kid-friendly RPG boxed sets.

Ruins of Symbaroum for 5E from Free League Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, May 6 2021 3:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: SEK 998 + S/H for all three books in PDF and hardcover
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Ruins of Symbaroum [5E] - The Promised Land is free at DriveThruRPG
• ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Last year, I interviewed the Mattias Johnsson Haake, Mattias Lilja, and Jacob Rodgers about converting Symbaroum to 5e here
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? One of the most acclaimed RPGs makes the transition to 5e as three books: Player’s Guide, Gamemaster’s Guide, and Bestiary. In this dark fantasy RPG, you play a member of a civilization that have been forced to flee to a new land adjacent to a dead empire and a dark forest. Within you’ll find great ruins and rewards, but the cost can be steep with the threat of corruption and death. If you want a fully realized fantasy world and a familiar 5e system (with some tweaks), I highly recommend this project. The original system is award winning, this conversion is likely to continue that trend while expanding the game’s fanbase.

Academies of the Arcane from Melsonian Arts Council

• END DATE: Wed, May 5 2021 12:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Troika! Numinous Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £28 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover of the book
• NOTE: The campaign’s FAQ discusses the campaigner’s feelings about the statements made by the author of the Harry Potter series
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want to add a Harry Potter or The Worst Witch-esque feel to your Troika! games? From the official publisher of Troika!, this supplement gives the details on how to make magical schools, their factions/houses, and the school’s professors so you can explore being a child wizard at a boarding school. On top of that, there are ninety new spells and thirty-six new backgrounds for your characters to choose from. If you want to play in the wizarding school subgenre, this offers an excellent opportunity to dive in and enjoy the experience with a medium crunch system.

RPG Sidequest Decks from Inkwell Ideas

• END DATE: Wed, May 12 2021 11:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): System neutral
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG accessory
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $42 + S/H for any four of decks in PDF and print
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you need quick sidequests, here’s an easy option. These four decks offer quick quest ideas: Monster Hunts, Coastal Town Quests, Frontier Town Quests, and Pulp Adventures. The first three are fantasy focused with 50ish poker sized cards each offering various types of adventures from monsters that have specific abilities that might be used for a magic item or portion to combating a cult near town. For the Pulp Adventures, these are set in the first half of the 1900s and give you some era-appropriate adventures.

Tavern Tales: A 5e DnD Supplement Book from Escape Plan Games

• END DATE: Sat, May 15 2021 9:19 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $45 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover plus digital map pack
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need a circus themed tavern in your 5e campaign? One with twelve NPC regulars, each with an adventure hook? An inn which has a few adventure-related kiosks around it? If the idea of a circus themed inn, one with retired and traveling circus performers offering up quests speaks to you, this campaign is worth checking out.

Orbital Blues from SoulMuppet Publishing

• END DATE: Tue, May 11 2021 12:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Best Left Buried
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £25 + S/H for the MP3 EP and the PDF and print book
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Orbital Blues Playtest/Quickstart is free at DriveThruRPG
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project offers a lo-fi space western roleplaying game that lets you play in a world like Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, or Guardians of the Galaxy (the movie version). If you need a rules lite RPG to get into the frontier of space, away from civilization, this game provides a d6 based system with only three stats to deal with. At 120 pages, you’ll get a system, setting, and some nice art to get you into the universe of Orbital Blues.

Adventure Builder from Wider Path Games

• END DATE: Thu, May 6 2021 6:08 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rule boxed set
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $39 + S/H for the PDF and boxed set
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This all-ages RPG gives you everything you’ll need to get the family onboard with a boxed set includes a 52-page Guide’s Handbook, a 12-page Equipment Shop book, character sheets, world map, tokens, cards, and five d20s. The world includes adventures, a city to navigate, and more. Players pick a card, describe how they’ll address it, and roll to find out how their play goes. If you’re looking for a bright, fun fantasy world boxed set RPG for the kids, this one is worth a look.

The Mysteries of Coral Cove: 5e adventure from Fabled Antics

• END DATE: Sat, May 8 2021 12:33 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Source boxed set
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the soundtrack and PDF and the boxed set
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want a 5e adventure specifically designed for ages 6 to 8? This boxed set provides a starter campaign for levels 1 to 3, six pre-gen water nymph characters, fifteen quests, activities, and treasure cutouts. With a full ruleset and built for three to six players, this underwater adventure lets kids explore a seascape and save the ocean while picking up on the 5e ruleset.

Arkelon Chronicles, a Science-Fantasy Tabletop RPG from Wendigo Workshop

• END DATE: Tue, May 11 2021 10:02 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$20 for the PDF of the book
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Arkelon Chronicles – Playtest is PWYW at DriveThruRPG
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? At 600 pages in French or English (your choice), this RPG brings a world that recently discovered alien technology catapulting them forward by centuries and opening this large, diverse world to exploration. This game offers twelve classes and races, monster creation rules, a detailed world history, and pre-gens to get into the action faster. Aiming for a safe and inclusive experience, this game mixes fantasy and sci-fi as the world evolves letting you explore new concepts in every adventure.

The Bleakness from Twisted Image

• END DATE: Fri, May 7 2021 11:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the PDF and physical book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need a survival horror RPG in which you’re pilgrims along a dark and horrible ancient road? The road leads north towards enlightenment, but the journey is deadly. The system emphasizes backgrounds for the characters, giving them their preferred survival method. The system uses a stat-less d20 engine focusing on simple mechanics, character agendas, and a mysterious world. At 70 pages, this book offers a dangerous world to navigate.

PATHFINDER: FUMBUS! from Dynamite Entertainment

• END DATE: Tue, May 18 2021 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Pathfinder 2nd Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Comic book
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + $6 US S/H for the glow in the dark cover and either a Goblins d20 or a Fumbus NPC Card
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Paizo and Dynamite Entertainment are making a new, 40-page comic book one-shot focusing on goblins. There’s PF2e player content as well for the Alchemist class and goblin characters. Expect new magic items, rules for alchemical traps, and Fumbus’ stats and background. If you want some four-color fun with goblins, this promises you comedy-adventure under several cover options.

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[imagineGod]

Once upon a time Free League was top dog.
Until Chris Mentzer came along with the Auroboros.

 

[dave2008]

Hmm. I am interested in the Ruins of Symbaroum for 5E, but there doesn't seem to be an option to just get the GMs Guide or Bestiary. I don't know that I want to spend $81 for all three.

 

[zedturtle]

Hmm. I am interested in the Ruins of Symbaroum for 5E, but there doesn't seem to be an option to just get the GMs Guide or Bestiary. I don't know that I want to spend $81 for all three.

If you're just interested in the systems used, you could go for just the player's guide (or even check out the free sampler). The higher-end pledge has become a greater value since the start of the campaign however, because you'll not only get the GM's Guide (lots of setting info, advice on running the setting, unique magic items for Symbaroum, Ceremonies which are like high-level rituals that can affect large areas, lots of modular rules expansions, especially to do with exploration) and Bestiary (lots of Symbaroum unique monsters) but you'll also get the digital artbook and all six ready-to-play converted adventures.

 

[dave2008]

If you're just interested in the systems used, you could go for just the player's guide (or even check out the free sampler). The higher-end pledge has become a greater value since the start of the campaign however, because you'll not only get the GM's Guide (lots of setting info, advice on running the setting, unique magic items for Symbaroum, Ceremonies which are like high-level rituals that can affect large areas, lots of modular rules expansions, especially to do with exploration) and Bestiary (lots of Symbaroum unique monsters) but you'll also get the digital artbook and all six ready-to-play converted adventures.

Well I am mostly interested in the Bestiary, the player's and gm's guide 2nd. So I would be interested in the Bestiary + the GMG or the Bestiary + PHB. If those were options.

 

[Johnsson]

Well I am mostly interested in the Bestiary, the player's and gm's guide 2nd. So I would be interested in the Bestiary + the GMG or the Bestiary + PHB. If those were options.

Yes, you can go with the Keeper of the Wilds PL, then add the Bestiary as an add-on. No printed stretch goals that way, though...

 

[univoxs]

Cowboy Bebop is still one of my favorite things. There was a d20 roll under system out there a while back that was not very good. My friends and I used nWoD instead which worked very well.