This week’s crowdfunding sampler looks at campaigns that close between May 7 to 20. We’re sampling projects based on the Salem witch trials, a Dungeon-Tuber’s sourcebooks, pirates, Shadowdark RPG, the elves of HârnWorld, Mörk Borg, and a TTRPG based on Matt Dinniman’s LitRPG book series, Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG + Unstoppable from Renegade Game Studios
Historica Arcanum: The Coven of Salem from Metis Creative
Lairs & Legends 3: The Definitive 5e Game Master Collection from The DM Lair
Pirates & Plunder: 5E Seafaring Options for D&D and TOV from Kobold Press
The Silver Elm, high seas one-shot & adventure from Jerry Joe Seltzer
FLAIL: an old-school fantasy brawler from Games Omnivorous
HârnWorld: Kingdom of Evael from Columbia Games
Neon Bastardz RPG from Brian Shutter and Creature Curation
Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature - Delver 20 and Runes 10 from The Tabletop Engineer
Protocol Games Compendium: 75 Ready to Play One-Shot Games from postworldgames
CharCon 2026 : THE West Virginia Gaming Convention
See you in two weeks.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon.
Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG + Unstoppable from Renegade Game Studios
- END DATE: May 15, 2026 at 3:00pm EDT.
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rules
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $490 + S/H for the 35-item loot box with PDF and print versions of the starter set, core rulebook, GM screen, journal, dice, dice bag, dice tray, tokens, playmat, stickers, decks of cards, 5 art prints, and miniatures
- AI STATEMENT: “Renegade Game Studios does not use generative AI tools for any of our writing or art on any of our games.”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Dungeon Crawler Carl is a 7-book (with the 8th title dropping before this Backerkit campaign ends) science fantasy LitRPG book series written by Matt Dinniman. The novels sold over 6 million copies and counting. Through this crowdfunding, Renegade Game Studios is offering both a TTRPG and a card game based on the property. An alien corporation destroyed the Earth, but the survivors get to join a gameshow that offers a form of internet fame, which is making lemonade considering the downer of the world ending. Renegade promises a faithful adaptation of the world in a TTRPG that, when they aren’t using the full name, is simplified as the “CarlRPG.” Despite simplifying the name for internal conversation, the Backerkit campaign is in the top 3 highest grossing TTRPG crowdfundings of all times as of this writing, which is a tremendous accomplishment. If you’re a fan of Dungeon Crawler Carl or want to check out samples of the game, head over to Backerkit where one page shares details of the TTRPG, the other focuses on the card game.
Historica Arcanum: The Coven of Salem from Metis Creative
- END DATE: Fri, May 8 2026 1:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and 5.5e
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $59 for the PDF of the 3 books
- AI STATEMENT: “There is absolutely no AI used in either the art or the writing. We support our creative minds and stand against our robot overlords.”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Folk horror for 5e with over 600 pages of material across three books: Coven of Salem, Sickle & Scepter, and The Tome of Crooked Paths. A historically set TTRPG, this material takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trails. Obviously, the twist is the same one everyone other than Arthur Miller reaches for, there really are supernatural forces at work. These books add over 30 Warlock patrons, new familiars, subclasses, a 78-card Tarot deck, a system for rituals and curses, spells, monsters, and extensive alternate history. If you’re looking for a 5e campaign built around Salem, check out this Kickstarter to grab the free PDF quickstart.
Lairs & Legends 3: The Definitive 5e Game Master Collection from The DM Lair
- END DATE: Sat, May 9 2026 3:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and 5.5e
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $100 for the PDF versions of the 3 books and maps
- AI STATEMENT: “AI was not used to create Lairs & Legends 3, Loot & Lore 3, or the Lairs & Legends Companion. Everything in the books was created by artists and writers.”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? YouTuber The DM Lair is creating three more books for 5e/5.5e, Lairs & Legends 3, Loot & Lore 3 and The Lairs & Legends Companion. These books include puzzles, encounters, standalone adventures, adventure trilogies, and the magical rewards you might be hoping for. Last but not least, the Companion has GM advice, articles, and optional rules such as monster enhancements, eight new rule options, and more. If you like The DM Lair’s advice or the prior L&L books, there’s a free PDF sample to see if these books are right for your gaming table.
Pirates & Plunder: 5E Seafaring Options for D&D and TOV from Kobold Press
- END DATE: Fri, May 15 2026 5:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Tales of the Valiant
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$69 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Naval combat, gunpowder, and booty, it’s Kobold Press’ pirates coming for your gaming table. For 5e and Tales of the Valiant, this sourcebook presents a toolkit with nautical subclasses, spells, rituals, details for creating and running ocean-themed adventures, and rules for gunpowder, curses, ship-to-ship combat, islands, pirate lords, and escaping shipwrecks. If you’re a fan of 5e or ToV and want to add pirates to your campaign, visit this campaign page to check out a free PDF preview.
The Silver Elm, high seas one-shot & adventure from Jerry Joe Seltzer
- END DATE: Sun, May 10 2026 8:15 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and 5.5e
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $9 for the PDF of the book
- AI STATEMENT: “No A.I. Content. One hundred percent of the writing and art comes from my own [Jerry Joe Seltzer’s] hand.”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Keeping with the nautical theme, let’s look at Jerry Joe Seltzer’s latest D&D adventure. To make a large cargo vessel, a dryad-bonded silver elm was chopped down and shaped. The dryad had their righteous yet unhinged revenge against the crew, leaving a shipwreck mystery adventure for 5e/5.5e. Locked in an island of sargasso seaweed, meaning you’ll have to deal with the dryad’s vessel to free yours. Designed to be scaled from levels 2 to 12, this D&D adventure pits your party against a mad dryad out of their element. If you like ocean adventures, check out this Kickstarter page.
FLAIL: an old-school fantasy brawler from Games Omnivorous
- END DATE: May 7, 2026 at 11:00am EDT.
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- SYSTEM(S): An original OSR
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the boxset
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Andre Novoa is the co-creator, or has worked on, games such as Mausritter (Ennie Award for Best Family Game 2021), Vaults of Vaarn, Frontier Scum, Putrescence Regnant, The Job, Undying Sands, Bottled Sea, and Hexcrawl Toolbox (Ennie Award for Best Aid 2024). FLAIL is his latest OSR that marries the chaos of Dungeon Crawl Classics with the board game elements inspired by Mausritter. Using a variant of Mausritter’s inventory system along with a combat system d6 dice pool system where rolling multiple 1s increases damage and effects. Built for single-session hexcrawls, FLAIL may be a fun face-to-face OSR experience for your gaming table. If you’re interested, check out Backerkit for more details.
HârnWorld: Kingdom of Evael from Columbia Games
- END DATE: Sat, May 16 2026 2:09 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): System neutral
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $59 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you’re a fan of HârnWorld then this is another of their great sourcebooks, and one I’m excited to see. What sets this apart is its focus on the elven Kingdom of Evael. HârnWorld sets the standard for geographic detail in a TTRPG. You’re going to get history, economics, religion, defense, magic, cities, buildings, castles, and deep dives with outstanding maps and pictures. Columbia Games does first class work on these books, and this one will give you chapters and chapters of information to augment your elves. If you’re a fan of HârnWorld or elves, this Kickstarter is singing your song.
Neon Bastardz RPG from Brian Shutter and Creature Curation
- END DATE: Thu, May 7 2026 9:30 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Mörk Borg
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rule zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of Neon Bastardz Zine 1: Skumdog Manual, Neon Bastardz Zine 2: The Neon Lord's Manual of Doom!, Neon Bastardz Zine 3: Fast Times on Sludge Mountain, Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland Battle Binder, and Bastardz POGs
- AI STATEMENT: “Rude Rob-E sayz NO! To A.I. certified 100% humanoid made”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A neon world of mutants, wastelands, and mega-cities where you fight “creeps, corpo skum, khaotic weirdness, and ninjas.” Loaded with tables to make the world easy to randomize, the game is meant to be played with little to no prep. As for the presentation, this Mörk Borg zine features 6 classes as well as 2 hidden classes for those willing to hunt for them. If you’re interested in Neon Bastardz RPG, this Free RPG Day, Creature Curation is offering Creature Curation Presents #1 which is an adventure anthology for Neon and other Mörk Borg variant RPGs. At the Kickstarter campaign page, you can get a free PDF “Sick-start Rulez”.
Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature - Delver 20 and Runes 10 from The Tabletop Engineer
- END DATE: Mon, April 27 2026 11:59 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials and Shadowdark RPG
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zines
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $24 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of both zines
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The Tabletop Engineer offers 2 new OSR zines and 2 pamphlets for your Old-School Essentials or Shadowdark RPG games. Offering unique content tailor-made for each system, each zine provides random tables, magic items, spells, an article, and an adventure with NPCs, creatures, and maps, with Delver built for Old-School Essentials and Runes for Shadowdark. In addition, there are two free location pamphlets with additional NPCs, dangers, and more. If you love OSR zines, check out these and some samples at Kickstarter.
Protocol Games Compendium: 75 Ready to Play One-Shot Games from postworldgames
- END DATE: Thu, April 30 2026 2:39 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Protocol Games
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $65 for the PDF and POD discount of the 75 one-shots
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This crowdfunding offers 75 one-shot games spread across three books: Protocol Games Compendium One, Two, and Three. Protocol uses poker cards for a GM round robin-style TTRPG of vignettes, interludes, interrogations, ensembles, flashbacks, and monologues. Fans want indy games that are supported by the publisher, postworldgames delivers that support with 75 adventures for Protocol. If you want a list of the games, check out the Kickstarter page to learn more about them.
CharCon 2026 : THE West Virginia Gaming Convention
- END DATE: Mon, May 4 2026 10:00 PM EDT.
- PROJECT TYPE: Tabletop gaming convention
- DATES & LOCATION: July 10 to 12, 2026 in Charleston, West Virginia
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $45 for admission for the weekend and a custom die
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? I love in-person tabletop gaming conventions. While I’ve never been to West Virginia, CharCon looks like a fun time with lots of games and gamers. If you’re in that area this summer, check out the campaign page for tickets and hotel information and get your dice on.
See you in two weeks.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon.
