Pumpkin Spice Joins the Million Dollar Crowdfunder Club

A 'magical cozy RPG'.
There's a couple of current crowdfunders that look like they might join the Million Dollar TTRPG Crowdfunder Club. Free League's Dragonbane: Trudvang looks like a dead cert, and Roll & Play Press (backed by UK Actual Play Mega-Group The High Rollers, who will be appearing at the 02 Arena later this year as part of the D&D Fan Expo) have Altheya: The Dragon Empire, which looks like it is in with a good chance.

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One project which has just passed the million dollar mark is Pumpkin Spice, which describes itself as a 'magical cozy RPG'. Ending in just a couple of days, it's a TTRPG where you run a magical cafe. It's a rules-lite, narrative game in which you play a coven of witches who run the aforementioned magical cafe while protecting the 'Fount of Magic' from those who would corrupt it.

You can play a Hereditary, Green, Coven, Solitary, Secular, or Traditional witch, each with 6 traits and different magical powers. The game comes in a full-colour hardback book, accompanied by a book of adventures. The game also uses special dice called Essence Dice, with each face showing a different Essence. There is, of course, the usual dizzying array of add-on merch which accompanies most million dollar crowdfunders--t-shirts, cards, notebooks, bags, even a vinyl record with a soundtrack for the game.

Pumpkin Spice comes from Italian publisher Acheron Games (Brancalonia, Lex Arcana, Inferno), and runs until 8pm GMT on March 5th.

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Everybody who is posting on forums attributing the crowdfunding success to the market appreciating a cozy game.
Okay, so not people here. Got it.
Well, yes. Also, a cozy game with lots of minimally dressed and tattooed hotties throughout.
I, for one, am glad to see an rpg selling itself like this.
I'm of multiple minds on the subject.
  • I do like beautiful women (or representations thereof)
  • I dislike corporations trying to use 'T&A' to sell me on things (or manipulation in general).
  • There's been some history in nerd spaces of people doing so to sell otherwise unimpressive content (see: B-movies and 3PP D&D 3.0 supplements with 'chainmail bikini' cover art).
  • I'm glad that young, often female, often GLBTQ, gamers have gotten a chance to embrace all aspects of their participation in gaming, including beauty, relationships, and/or sexuality.
  • I have nieces and daughters of friends and their friends who are young adults of conventionally attractive body type who voice frustration at their entry into any nerd space still being some variation of 'show us your tits!' even in this supposedly better-about-it age.
So I guess it really depends on the vibe I get from the individual sales effort.
I also think people are underestimating the horny quality of this. So, yea, it's 'cozy' but it's got the added hook of scantily clad young women throughout the art. I've seen plenty of people across the internet post things like "I'll never play this but I want to buy it... for reasons.'
Yeah, I openly admit I would never get this but the art was certainly very intentional.
We are simple creatures.
It definitely is leaning into it in some places. Looks like the game itself is mostly not about such themes though.
 

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I love cozy fantasy, but I can't imagine gaming it. Glad this exists for people who apparently can imagine it!
I am not sure that is necessarily needed. People often buy things because they look nice or interesting to read, while never wanting to play them.


RPGs in the end are still more books than games and collecting and reading books is also a hobby not just playing RPGs.

I could also see myself buything this even though I would never play it. And when you look at the kickstarter the RPG is only a small part of the product, it comes with music, artworks, posters etc.
 

Everybody who is posting on forums attributing the crowdfunding success to the market appreciating a cozy game.

Well, yes. Also, a cozy game with lots of minimally dressed and tattooed hotties throughout.

I, for one, am glad to see an rpg selling itself like this.
Its magic girl art. In the manga adjacent space that it sits, it feels pretty tame.
 

It definitely is leaning into it in some places. Looks like the game itself is mostly not about such themes though.

Yeah, which kind of proves the point. Sex sells, doesnt matter what the actual game is about.

I just went back and looked, count up the art, and then count up how many are wearing actual pants! lol

Its essentially pin up art, for a very soft core crowd.
 

Yeah, which kind of proves the point. Sex sells, doesnt matter what the actual game is about.

I just went back and looked, count up the art, and then count up how many are wearing actual pants! lol

Its essentially pin up art, for a very soft core crowd.

Makes you wonder what's coming next. Evil orcs?
 



I don't look at enough KS in detail, but they have almost 8K backers for this.
Obojima got to 23,416. Let's see where this one lands.

Much like the popularity of anime is largely invisible to people outside that scene, I think the cozy game audience and the magic girls audience is probably pretty insular and, thus, invisible to people who aren't in those spaces.
 


The art is less sexy than about half of Tiktok nowadays.

lol thats not saying much!

I'm not saying this is full on in your face T&A, it clearly is not, or that it even creeps up on risque, BUT, maybe its just me but "they knew exactly what they were doing" applies to a whole lot of this art.

Unless all the hot goth girls do just lounge around in long shirts, short shorts, and mini-skirts? Maybe? I'd like to think so...
 

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