RPG CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Lodestar, Designers & Dragons, and more

This includes 5e adventures, D&D history, a cyberpunk game based on Shadowdark RPG, and more.

Lodestar: A Spacefarer's Manual | Space Fantasy in 5e! from The Dragons Vault

• END DATE: Nov 21, 2025 at 12:30pm EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2024)
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want a sailing ship in space? Something akin to Spelljammer and Treasure planet? The Dragons Vault brings a project centered around ship designs and combat, planar beasts, new subclasses, and a fantasy space-faring setting. With art from Spelljammer illustrators Paul Abrams and David O. Miller, this 250-page books promises to evoke that setting and more. If you’re a fan of ships in space, check out this Backerkit campaign.

Designers & Dragons: Origins from Evil Hat Productions

• END DATE: Nov 20, 2025 at 9:00pm EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG history
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $200 + S/H for the PDF, ePUB, and print versions of the 4 books plus the POD discount coupons and slipcase
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? TTRPG historian Shannon Appelcline is the author of the Designers & Dragons discussing the history of English-language tabletop roleplaying games. This Backerkit campaign focuses his vast knowledge on a single topic: Every release from TSR for OD&D, AD&D 1e, and Basic D&D. Each of the four books is over 350 pages, these books deep dive the books and RPG accessories related to the most popular TTRPG in history. If you’re interested in learning about these releases, check out this Backerkit for a free preview.

P.T. Lamark’s Cryptid Codex: A Bestiary for 5e from Dice Dungeons

• END DATE: Thu, November 20 2025 9:00 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2024)
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $45 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This book offers cryptids for your 5e campaign. The book offers over 60 monsters with at least one from each of the 50 states. If the idea of 5e cryptids would excite your gaming table, this Kickstarter awaits.

The Hut of Baba Yaga from Side Quest

• END DATE: Thu, November 20 2025 3:00 PM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024) as well as 1st and 2nd Editions
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £75 + S/H for the PDF, print, and audiobooks plus additional PDFs
• AI STATEMENT: “Free from AI”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This isn’t a 1-to-1 recreation of Baba Yaga and her Dancing Hut, but inspired by. Over 50 rooms in the dungeon, new monsters, spells, and physical, digital, and audiobook options. This 80-page adventure if for 1e, 2e, or 5e stats, and if that speaks to you, check out this Kickstarter.

The Streets of Port Noir: A 5e Solo Adventure Investigation from Obvious Mimic

• END DATE: Thu, November 20 2025 10:44 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2024)
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$39 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a solo adventure designed for 5e. That’s the secret sauce, the solo elements. As an adventure, you’ll deal with noir investigations in a fantasy city. If you want to see solo rules for 5e, this Kickstarter may open new gaming options for you.

CYBERDARK RPG from Lightfish Games

• END DATE: Wed, November 19 2025 3:08 PM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): OSR (Shadowdark RPG)
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £96 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core rulebook, GM screen, deck of cards, adventures, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? OSR cyberpunk inspired by Shadowdark RPG. The idea is the timed gameplay of Shadowdark mixed with the digital, neon setting of cyberpunk. The timing elements call to a technological setting so this engine and genre are likely to blend nicely. This game offers two settings that interact: the real world and the grid. If you want OSR, Shadowdark, and cyberpunk, this project is worth a review at Kickstarter.

Run From the Dark: A Folk Horror Roleplay Game from Will RD

• END DATE: Tue, November 25 2025 12:00 PM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £65 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of both books
• AI STATEMENT: “WIRD DESIGNS is anti Ai and no AI is used in the making of this or any of my games.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Folk horror TTRPG with an original engine. In this world, darkness is deadly, so you play someone armed with light to fight back. This rulebook includes lore to support a world scared of the dark, folk magic, and over 40 monsters. In addition, this Kickstarter campaign offers a miniature game based on Forbidden Psalm. If you need a folk horror world afraid of the night, try this one out.

DEATH CITY from Polyhedra Games

• END DATE: Thu, November 20 2025 8:30 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): “Based around 2D6 mechanics (built off the Polyhedra Core Engine)”
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core rulebook
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The city is overrun with demons, ghouls, and occult goth punk urban fantasy action. It’s up to you to police this mish-mash of monsters, meetings, and magic before the mayhem mauls this metropolis. If you’re a fan of the Polyhedra Core Engine and monsters, check out this Kickstarter to learn more about the game.

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[diceexmachina]

While technically only TTRPG adjacent, today is the last day for the Starfinder: Afterlight video game adaptation: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/epictellers/starfinder-afterlight/

 

[Sossij]

Man, Lodestar looks pretty up my alley but I can't afford every single "up my alley" RPG book.

 

[Dire Bare]

Man, Lodestar looks pretty up my alley but I can't afford every single "up my alley" RPG book.

November is a busy month for crowdfunding campaigns, for me at least. Oof.

I backed Lodestar, because it does look so pretty . . . in spaaaace . . . I hope the content lives up to the presentation!

 

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

Ooh, I first heard about Designers and Dragons from Bob World Builder. It sounds very cool.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In a world full of Shadowdark derived games, it's funny that Run from the Dark, which absolutely screams "Shadowdark setting" is its own system.

Which I think is great, for the record. Just like not everything needed to be d20 during the 3E era, or 5E books more recently, not every indie book needs to be built off of Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, Mork Borg or Shadowdark, as great as they are.

 

[Lalato]

Here are the 5e Campaign Setting and Adventure Path crowdfunding campaigns I'm keeping an eye on right now.

Closed and Funded:

• Lords of the Jungle ($78K)

Closed:

Open and Funded:

• Chapelwick (1 week, $273K)
• Enshrined (1 week, $46K)
• Clark Ashton Smith: Zothique (1 week, $66K)
• Lodestar (2 weeks, $242K)
• Odyssey of the Dragonlords Remastered (2 weeks, $186K)
• Whispers of the Bayou (3 weeks, $9K)
• Sol Tyrannus (3 weeks, $1K)
• Gothica: Plagueworlds (4 weeks, $15K)

Open:

• Aladia: The Pyramid Scheme (4 weeks, 82%)

 

[eyeheartawk]

WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want a sailing ship in space? Something akin to Spelljammer and Treasure planet? The Dragons Vault brings a project centered around ship designs and combat, planar beasts, new subclasses, and a fantasy space-faring setting. With art from Spelljammer illustrators Paul Abrams and David O. Miller, this 250-page books promises to evoke that setting and more. If you’re a fan of ships in space, check out this Backerkit campaign.

Are you telling me, that there is a space in the market for a space fantasy setting where people sail ships across the stars and and have it actually have rules for combat between said ships?

 

[Bill Zebub]

The Baba Yaga adventure is pretty tempting! I wish a Shadowdark version was an option.

 

[EthanSental]

Some fun looking projects!