Crowdfunding News – Agon, Deep Magic, RECLAIMER, Visigoths vs Mall Goths, and more

This week, I review 18 RPG-related crowdfunding campaigns that run from October 25th through Halloween (the 31st). While the majority are via Kickstarter, one is on GameOnTabletop. With Kickstarter’s union status pending [here, here, and here], there’s interest in alternative platforms such as GameOnTabletop, IndieGoGo, and Gamefound.

RECLAIMER by Land of NOP LLC

• END DATE: Thu, October 31 2019 9:01 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for the PDF of the game

“RECLAIMER: A Game of Climate Crisis and Eco-Insurrection, is a science fiction tabletop role-playing game about saving humanity from a climate-related extinction event being ushered in by oligarchs and technocrats building massive space arks to flee the environmental ruin they created. In Reclaimer, players play as members of Ecotage, the militant vanguard of the Reclamation, a global movement to save a dying planet and avoid an extinction that is only a few years away. While Reclamation efforts (e.g. dismantling toxic industries, healing biomes, sequestering carbon, etc.) are happening all over the world with urgency, there remain powerful holdouts who threaten the cause: the Embarkers. The Embarkers are powerful moguls and magnates who have rejected the Reclamation and seek to flee the planet on arks: colossal generational star-ships design to carry a very small and privileged portion of the global population to the nearest inhabitable planet. To ensure they have the material resources, personnel expertise, and technological advances required to survive the long journey, the Embarkers are directing their arks to harvest whatever they can with aggression and abandon. RECLAIMER is a 200-300 page role-playing game PDF, gorgeously illustrated by nearly a dozen artists at the top of their game. Expect a ton of full page and half page spreads of high-tech military mayhem, cli-fi dystopian doom, and transhumanism alternately bleak and hopeful... a combination of art commissioned for this project and licensed art too sick to not to have a home. It is a standalone game that provides everything you'll need to run and play the game and uses its own rules system.”

The Nuadan Chronicles - An Electro Fantasy Tabletop RPG by Broken Dice

• END DATE: Fri, October 25 2019 10:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): A modified d100 system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDFs of the rulebook and the lore book, digital GM reference materials, fillable character sheet PDFs, and music

“The Nuadan Chronicles is an electro fantasy RPG set in the post-post-apocalyptic world of Nuada, a place of ephemeral magic, electric-powered steam tech, ancient ruins, and dark secrets. Supporting the game is a modified d100 system. Within the Known World, you are a mercenary navigating the edge between life and death, entangled within an invisible web of fate. No matter the mission, the consequences of your decisions will ripple across the many futures. Will you struggle against the tides of destiny or be consumed by the darkness lurking within? To fight for wealth, glory or justice, you must survive an industrializing and expanding world plagued by war, espionage, disasters (natural and magical), and ancient conspiracies as old as the Cataclysm itself. The Nuadan Chronicles will feature two books: a rulebook (~250 pages) and a lore book (~250 pages). Both will contain high-quality, full-color artwork and maps, short stories, and mission seeds. To learn more about The Nuadan Chronicles, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.”

Agon by Evil Hat Productions

• END DATE: Fri, October 25 2019 3:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 + $7 US S/H for PDF, POD, and hardcover of the game plus additional PDFs

“Agon is a game of fast-paced heroic adventure inspired by ancient legends. The Hero Players create heroes who wander from island to island, engaging in contests, resolving strife, appeasing the gods, and seeking their way home. The Strife Player presents each island—its strife, opponents, and other characters—by revealing the situation, asking leading questions, and judging contests. Each session contains an adventure on a dangerous island. Every island suffers from strife which the heroes fight to overcome with their strength, courage, and wits. The gods watch and judge, granting favor or wrath, depending on how the heroes resolve the situation. Each island takes approximately two to four hours to play through, depending on the size of the group and your desire to wax poetic or dive right into the action. When the heroes leave and continue their voyage, the gods light their way among the stars of the Vault of Heaven, leading them to the next island and closer to returning home. 6"x9" formatted hardcover book with approximately 144 pages and a matte finish on the cover.”

Seekers Beyond The Shroud by Blackoath Entertainment and Exalted Funeral

• END DATE: Sun, October 27 2019 11:28 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 + $5 US S/H for PDF and campaign exclusive book

“Seekers Beyond the Shroud is a singleplayer tabletop RPG immersing the player into a world of occult societies battling for power and magicians performing arcane rituals and sealing pacts with spiritual entities exploring a hidden reality from their underground base in modern day London, UK. They align themselves with different occult orders and secret societies, learn the mysteries of Alchemy and Ritual magic, master spells and astral traveling, and ultimately command a host of spirits to take over both the physical and the spiritual worlds. Using a free-form, skill-based character creation system, you create your adept and explore countless locations: from the astral planes to abandoned complex, ruins and even secret sanctums—all filled with randomly generated events, enemies and discoveries. With dozens of tables generating your expeditions and missions, you never have the same gameplay experience twice!”

Drinking Quest: Old Habits by Jason Anarchy

• END DATE: Tue, October 29 2019 2:15 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$27 + free US S/H for the PDF and print versions of the game

“It's a Drinking Game and a Tabletop RPG... and this time it's a throwback to the golden age of 80's Role Playing Games! Hi Everyone, designer Jason Anarchy here with the latest Drinking Quest game. It's the best one yet and I'm really proud of it. Thanks for checking out the page! It’s a Drinking Game and a Tabletop RPG! 80’s themed parody of the glory days of Pen & Paper games! Works great as a first Drinking Quest game or a sequel to past games! 80 Unique Cards, Cloth Map, 3 Dice, Coin token and pad of Character Sheets. The game contains FOUR main quests and TWO bonus quests. Each quest has TWELVE unique cards. There are no repeat cards in the game at all. Learn more about the other Drinking Quest games here.”

Deep Magic for 5th Edition: A Tome of New Spells & Arcana by Kobold Press

• END DATE: Wed, October 30 2019 4:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $49 + $5 US S/H for the PDF and print versions of the game

“A grimoire of over 600 new 5th Edition spells, subclasses & wizardly options for unlimited spellpower from battle magic to void magic! H.P. Lovecraft invented the Necronomicon. Dungeons & Dragons had its Unearthed Arcana, and every fantasy RPG has a grimoire worth of rituals, summonings, and cantrips. No matter how you slice it, magic is at the heart of fantasy. Nothing says magic like a massive tome of spells. That's exactly what we're compiling here. A tome collecting, updating, tweaking, and expanding every awesome spell, cantrip, and glamour derived from years of the Deep Magic for 5th Edition series—more than 575 new and compiled spells by the best in the business, including Wizards of the Coast staffers and A-list freelancers. And we're adding a lot more to that list: divine domains, new arcane subclasses, expanded familiars and conjured servants, and yes, even more new spells. This project is not just for wizards and sorcerers. Deep Magic expands the horizons of what's possible for wizards, sorcerers, clerics, and even for rangers and paladins. It offers something new for every casting class, from alkemancy to druid rituals, and from bard to warlock! Deep Magic is the ultimate sourcebook for new and variant magic in any fantasy setting, offering over 300 full-color pages.”

A Complete Guide to Nautical Campaigns by Geekstable

• END DATE: Wed, October 30 2019 9:36 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: ¥1,600 for the PDF of the book

“A 5th Edition compatible RPG book over 140 pages covering improved ship combat rules, contains over 27 unique ships, and so much more! Ahoy! My name is Guy Sclanders and I run the YouTube channel How to be a Great GM. I previously wrote the highly popular A Complete Guide to Creating Epic Campaigns. This is my second book, and I need your help to finish it. A Complete Guide to Nautical Campaigns is as complete a set of new rules designed to run fast paced, fun, and action-packed naval games in a 5th Edition RPG. It started as a small add-on for my home game featuring sailing ships. As we used it, we realized there was so much more to the nautical world that the 5th Edition rule books didn't include. We changed ship versus ship rules to be faster and more engaging. Then we added aquatic ships. Then port rules. Then customized ship building. Then magic items. Then ship upgrades. We even added rules for managing large crews and mass crew combat. And it's all done. The book is just over 120 pages without illustrations.”

Visigoths vs Mall Goths (game & weird 90s mall setting) by Ghostly Rituals

• END DATE: Thu, October 31 2019 11:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + S/H for the PDF and softcover of the game

“A tabletop roleplaying game & dating sim! The Craft, Empire Records, Bill & Ted, and Clueless. Visigoths vs. Mall Goths is a tabletop roleplaying game and dating sim about the conflicts and romances among the warriors who sacked ancient Rome and 20th century spooky teens, set in a shopping mall in a Los Angeles suburb in 1996. There are a lot of bisexuals. The plot structure of Visigoths vs. Mall Goths resembles an open-world videogame RPG. Designed for either one-shot or campaign play, each adventure episode offers several quests that you may choose to pursue (or ignore), and the mall setting is packed with many strange retro marvels to discover. Or you can just replay the game over and over to kiss all the kissable clerks.”

RPG QUICK HITS

Sapelo Island: Plight of the Eagles (Dungeons & Dragons) by Tomorrow River Games

• END DATE: Fri, October 25 2019 2:51 PM EDT.
• “A Dungeons and Dragons (5E) Adventure for Fourth Level Players. Save the Platinum Eagles from evil pirates on Black Beard's Island.”

Ghoul Cove: A D&D 5e Adventure by Menagerie Press

• END DATE: Fri, October 25 2019 8:00 PM EDT.
• “An original D&D 5e level 4-7 adventure: What draws the adventurers to Ghoul Cove? Whatever the reason, there’s gold to be had.”

Crescentport: City of Merciless Shadows by Doug Presley

• END DATE: Wed, October 30 2019 3:46 PM EDT.
• “Crescentport: City of Merciless Shadows is part one in a trilogy of modules for D&D 5E set in an alternate version of New Orleans.”

Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars RPG by Elf Lair Games

• END DATE: Thu, October 31 2019 11:59 PM EDT.
• “Elf Lair Games presents a horror/urban fantasy RPG by two industry veterans, debuting a new system derived from old-school mechanics.”

The Bane of the Ancients, MCC-Compatible RPG Module by Gaming Honors

• END DATE: Thu, October 31 2019 7:00 PM EDT.
• “A 0 or 1st-Level Mutant Crawl Classics-Compatible RPG Module Inspired by Zombie Horror...and the Horrors of Office Life.”

RPG ACCESSORIES

FANTASY WORLD CREATOR: MODULAR TILES, TOOLS AND APP FOR DND AND EVERY TABLETOP RPG by GAMESTART SAS

• END DATE: 10/24/2019 15:00 (GMT-4)
• NOTE: This campaign is running through GameOnTabletop
• “Write your adventure with the included APP, create maps and make them live with creatures token and setting tools.”

Celtic Knot Pins and Norse Rune Coins by Dream Machine Co.

• END DATE: Fri, October 25 2019 8:09 AM EDT.
• “Enamel Pins and Coins with Celtic Knot and Norse Rune designs.”

Beautiful RPG Dice Sets for DnD and other roleplaying games by Paladin Roleplaying

• END DATE: Sun, October 27 2019 2:00 PM EDT.
• “Beautiful pearl effect dice, in cool new colours - Polyhedral, D6 and D10 sets - for Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying games.”

Meeples' Corner Upgrade Kit by Meeples’ Corner

• END DATE: Sun, October 27 2019 4:00 PM EDT.
• “We have managed to move into a new shop, but we need your help to upgrade the customer experience.”

Tilt Five: Holographic Tabletop Gaming by Tilt Five

• END DATE: Tue, October 29 2019 2:58 AM EDT.
• NOTE: Thanks to LordEntrails for pointing out this game in the comments below. I've added it to the list based on their recommendation.
• "Augmented Reality glasses that open up a whole new holographic game space."

Meeple Dice!!! by Game Room Things

• END DATE: Wed, October 30 2019 3:19 PM EDT.
• “16mm Engraved & Multi-colored”

 

[Ravenbrook]

I backed Agon. It’s by the crew that created Blades in the Dark, which is my favorite game in years. You immediately get access to the work in progress, and I have to say that I think Agon is a solid game, and only improving.

It’s already met its target so now it’s on to stretch goals in the form of additional islands designed by a variety of designers.

My main problem with Agon: Who will actually play it?

 

[Marc Radle]

Hey everyone!

The Deep Magic Kickstarter is roaring into its final 12 days!

• More than $130K so far!
• More than 2,300 backers and still climbing
• 8 stretch goals unlocked so far, and rapidly approaching number 9!

If you haven't already, please check out the Deep Magic Kickstarter and join in on the fun
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deepmagic/deep-magic-for-5th-edition-a-tome-of-new-spells-and-arcana

-------------------------------------------------
Marc Radle
Art Director | Kobold Press
www.koboldpress.com

Warlock Patreon
Kobold Press is creating the darkly fantastical 5th Edition Warlock booklets | Patreon

 

[hawkeyefan]

My main problem with Agon: Who will actually play it?

Um...people who buy it? I plan on breaking it out once I’ve had time to properly read it, and watched a bit more actual play vids.

Was this a trick question?

 

[Ravenbrook]

Um...people who buy it? I plan on breaking it out once I’ve had time to properly read it, and watched a bit more actual play vids.

Was this a trick question?

It wasn't a trick question and the game actually sounds good, but I wouldn't get it as a GM because nobody I know would be interested in it. I guess it does have a niche market, though.

 

[Arilyn]

Um...people who buy it? I plan on breaking it out once I’ve had time to properly read it, and watched a bit more actual play vids.

Was this a trick question?

We are planning on playing it as well. Can't back it though, because Evil Hat won't ship outside USA anymore. Shipping costs! Definitely planning on buying a copy later, though.

 

[hawkeyefan]

We are planning on playing it as well. Can't back it though, because Evil Hat won't ship outside USA anymore. Shipping costs! Definitely planning on buying a copy later, though.

I believe that the pledge comes with a credit for a print on demand option for precisely that reason. Not sure if that would sway you, but you may want to look into it in case that would work.

 

[Marc Radle]

New Deep Magic Update!
The kobolds have been hard at work testing and putting the final touches on the digital components of the Deep Magic products. As foreshadowed in our April update, we are on track to release the VTT and PDF content this month. And we are ready to share some dates ...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deepmagic/deep-magic-for-5th-edition-a-tome-of-new-spells-and-arcana/posts/2886496