RPG Crowdfunding News – Exalted, Knock!, Redsky, and more

This week’s article looks at RPG crowdfunding projects that end between June 5th and 24th. Among the engines powering this article’s offerings are several five-figure (in terms of Kickstarter funding) 5e sourcebooks. Because the variety interests me, I wanted to group them here and share. That said, this is not an exhaustive list of 5e setting available right now, or even the other engine options covered here, just a sampling, and I encourage you to seek out projects on Kickstarter, GameOnTabletop, and IndieGoGo.

Exalted: Essence Tabletop Roleplaying Game from Onyx Path Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, June 24 2021 2:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): A streamlined version of Exalted Third Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF, POD discount, and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project is something of a different flavor of Exalted, an established fantasy RPG. Exalted is a legacy White Wolf product that Onyx Path has brought up to third edition. With Exalted: Essence, they’re offering a streamlined version of the Exalted 3e ruleset in 250 pages, yet keeping it compatible with their third edition. Thus, you can combine this core rulebook with 3e sourcebooks for more details about the world. In addition, as soon as you back, you’ll gain access to manuscript previews that, by the end of the campaign, will give you the full draft of the game (more than enough to start playing). If you want to try Exalted but the rules were intimidating, this option lets you get in on the game and know you’ll have compatible resources available.

Knock! Issue Two from The Merry Mushmen

• END DATE: Thu, June 24 2021 6:40 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): OSR and Dungeons & Dragons
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG magazine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €26 + €9 US S/H for the PDF and physical copies of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 224-page magazine is filled to the gills with old school OSR and D&D articles, rules, tables, classes, monsters, adventures, and more. Written and illustrated by a host so large that I don’t envy the editors that had to keep up with what’s been turned in, this is going to be another beast of a book. If you’re looking for old school done with flair, this might be for you.

FISK BORG from Richard Kelly

• END DATE: Fri, June 11 2021 3:55 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): MÖRK BORG
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + $5 US S/H for the PDF and print
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need to fish in your MÖRK BORG game? This project provides fisk combat with elements from Richard Kelly’s Rod, Reel, & Fist (which I reviewed at d20 Radio) but presents them for a much darker world. Beyond that, there are 70 water-based beasts, 10 scrolls, and a drown crew plus so much more. If you think water based options might be interesting, this is the one I’d focus on.

Abyss of Hallucinations Vol. 1 - A MÖRK BORG setting from Max Moon Games

• END DATE: Tue, June 8 2021 4:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): MÖRK BORG
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 + S/H for the PDF and screen printed physical zine
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This week there’s another MÖRK BORG campaign to cover. This RPG zine offers a unique idea: Combining Aleister Crowley’s Book of Lies with the dark world of MÖRK BORG. For the game, you’ll get a new world map, new monsters, magicks, an adventure, new classes, and 6 new deities to worship. Done with a two color, hand printed screen print cover, this is a labor of love for the creator.

Knightly Gaming: MEGA Store Edition

• END DATE: Fri, June 18 2021 1:00 PM EDT.
• PROJECT TYPE: Game store
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £40 + £5 UK S/H for a pair of d6, a canvas bag, thermos, and t-shirt all with the store’s logo plus your name on a game room chair and the game room wall
• NOTE: This is a United Kingdom only campaign since it’s for a game store in the UK
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign will expand Knightly Gaming in Bathgate, UK (between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland) to a multi-floor location capable of housing up to 300 gamers at once. If you’re a gamer in that area, this campaign focuses on you in its attempt to offer more face to face gaming post-pandemic.

The Awfully Cheerful Engine: An RPG of Action Comedy! from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Fri, June 18 2021 5:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £70 + £5 US S/H for the PDF and print versions of all 5 books plus virtual tokens, maps, and more
• INTERVIEW: At d20 Radio, I talked to Morrus about this project (here)
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If 80s action-adventure movies sound fun to you, Morrus’ latest RPG awaits! Done as a series of comic sized books, this lets you digest the core rules in one and the specific genre (Ghostbusters to Indiana Jones to Star Trek and more) you want to explore in the other. If you need a rules light RPG that keeps it light, read the campaign page for ACE!.

Grio's Guide to the Wildlands (D&D 5e) from Next-Level Gaming

• END DATE: Tue, June 15 2021 10:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This book, which will range from 140 to over 200 pages depending on how many stretch goals are unlocked, offers all things fantasy wilderness for your 5e campaign. Expect monsters, new proficiencies, story hooks, challenges, and more. If you’re in need of a detailed wilderness, this one may fit the bill.

Dawn of the Necromancer - 5th Edition Adventure from John Harmston

• END DATE: Sat, June 5 2021 11:46 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 250-page book presents an epic campaign that runs from level 1 to 20. For use in your campaign or in their original world with Greek gods. You’ll face 40 encounters, new nightmarish monsters, and more. Towards the end of the video, there’s a lot of silhouette style artwork for this book that really illustrates the encounters you’ll experience. Using that artwork as a guide, you’ll be able to tell if the encounter ideas speak to you as a DM.

Redsky 5e - A Science-Fantasy Conversion Book and Lore Codex from Solar Studios

• END DATE: Thu, June 17 2021 10:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book plus Discord access, early access to the novel, and behind the scenes access to their website
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a fully realized 5e fantasy setting with new inhabitants, classes, and a world where humans, featherfolk, waveriders, and more live together. In addition, there’s a novel set in the world to help expand your view of it all. While I shared the most popular backer level above, there’s another option that, at $4, is worth considering. For $4, you’ll get an artless PDF of the game, Discord access, early access to the novel, and behind the scenes access to their website. Add to that, the campaign page offers a preview of the book.

Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride Compatible for DCC & 5E from Planet X Games

• END DATE: Tue, June 15 2021 8:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Dungeon Crawl Classics
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the DCC option plus PDF maps
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? You’re going into the trap-filled tomb of the mummy bride. Inspired by Gary Gygax's Appendix N, this adventure is for 3rd level characters and available for DCC or 5e. While there’s a lot of new 5e material here, keep in mind you’re signing on for the gonzo awesome of DCC in which the unexpected is routine.

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[Von Ether]

A novel of a unknown IP? How big a draw is that?

My impression, which may be wrong, is that fiction is almost an afterthought to a gamer’s budget.

Or to put it another way, I think Red Sky Kickstarter would have a much harder time selling our project if the novels finished and RPG was just a teaser.

 

[Speed_demon]

We've already gotten some of the manuscript stuff for Essence and it's just looking so awesome. I can't wait to play, me and my groups are very hyped.

 

[Speed_demon]

Whoops, it duplicated my post

 

[Skywalker]

We've already gotten some of the manuscript stuff for Essence and it's just looking so awesome. I can't wait to play, me and my groups are very hyped.

Yeah. I haven't been as excited about an Exalted book since 1e.

 

[Brandon | Redsky]

A novel of a unknown IP? How big a draw is that?

My impression, which may be wrong, is that fiction is almost an afterthought to a gamer’s budget.

Or to put it another way, I think Red Sky Kickstarter would have a much harder time selling our project if the novels finished and RPG was just a teaser.

Hey, Brandon from the Redsky team here. As far as the RPG Core Book is concerned, the novel is an afterthought. Our lead writer, Tyler, has been working on it for some time now as a separate project. We thought it would be nice to throw it in for people who are really interested in the lore of the world and want to read more about it!