Crowdfunding News – Tales of Arcana, The Fantasy Trip, CAPERS Offworld, and more | Page 2

This week, I look at how RPG crowdfunding projects that end between April 17th to 23rd are performing. Among the offerings, one forward-looking game includes a tier to let fans that want to back but are worried about their financial security participate with some security. As I did last week, I include Kicktraq charts where applicable to see if these campaigns are reaching their goals. Of the thirteen RPG campaigns that I look at for this period, ten are over their goal as of this writing.

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Tales of Arcana 5E (5th Edition) Race Guide by Arcanomicon, LLC

END DATE: Sun, April 19 2020 8:00 PM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 + S/H for the PDF and print copies

“Over 200 reimagined and unique playable races for your 5E games! The Tales of Arcana® 5E Race Guide features over 200 5E playable races for use as player or non-player characters in your 5E (5th Edition) campaigns. The majority of these races were designed by Chris S. Sims, one of the original 5E rules designers. There are over 200 new 5E compatible races, including vampires, ghosts, and elementals. Each race entry has a full color male and female illustration. Flying mechanics that don't restrict class options. Rules design by Chris S. Sims (Dungeons & Dragons, Starfinder), lore by Matt Knicl (Magic: the Gathering), editing by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes (Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: the Gathering), graphic design by Sebastián Koziner (Legend of the Five Rings) and cover illustration by Miguel Regodón Harkness (Pathfinder). Instructions on how to modify races to create your own variant races. Lore entries developing Arcana's history, cosmology, organizations, nations, and other tidbits that can be used to augment your future campaigns.”

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The Fantasy Trip: The Book of Unlife & Red Crypt by Steve Jackson Games

END DATE: Fri, April 17 2020 6:06 PM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): The Fantasy Trip
PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $28 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the books

“New books for The Fantasy Trip! A guide to many of the known kinds of unlife and a new solitaire adventure. Choose one or choose both! The Book of Unlife includes 44 creatures for The Fantasy Trip, a guide to the general powers and vulnerabilities of the unliving, and a complete adventure setting, “The Haunting of Holner House.” The Book of Unlife is a 64-page 8.5" x 11" book, written by Howard Kistler. Red Crypt is a programmed adventure for a single character. It is designed for The Fantasy Trip: In The Labyrinth (available in both hardcover and print-on-demand softcover). If you instead have both Melee and Wizard, you can still play, with a few simplifications. Since Red Crypt uses only one player character, it can be played two ways. Solitaire: One lone player creates or selects an existing adventurer character. That character may acquire friends during the adventure, creating a party, but they are all run by the same person. When combat occurs, the book gives instructions regarding the foes in each location; the player sets up figures on a tactical map and plays out the battles, running both sides. Two-Player: One player creates a character (or uses an existing one) and plays through the scenario. When foes are encountered, the other player controls them and tries to defeat the adventurer. The second player can also act as Game Master (GM); they read the paragraphs and resolve rules disputes or actions not covered by these instructions. Red Crypt is a 24-page 8.5" x 11" book, written by David Pulver.”

Knights of the Shadow Realm by David Barrentine and BiteSizedGaming

END DATE: Fri, April 17 2020 8:00 PM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $32 + $8 US S/H for the PDF and softcover of the book

“A 5th Edition campaign spanning levels 1-20. Welcome to the project page for the Knights of the Shadow Realm (KotSR) campaign book. We've put together an amazing experience that is fully compatible with 5th Edition (OGL) and has everything you'll need to run an epic, level 1-20 adventure! One thing you'll find right out the gate is how uniquely woven the various quests and subplots are in this setting. From the very first town, your players will find threads to pull as they criss-cross interesting NPCs and wondrous areas and find out what an actual, living world feels like. The quest design offered in KotSR is unlike anything that you've experienced in previous, ready-made campaigns. You'll find your players excited at exploring an open world, while at the same time slipping naturally into the story of the campaign. No railroading, just a fascinating tale that will take hold of those gathered around your table. Knights of the Shadow Realm comes directly from the mind of the beloved David Barrentine, who has written, designed, or done illustration for numerous products throughout the 5th Edition community. Each piece of text, creature, character, and map has been lovingly crafted by the same individual, creating a seamless experience with a singular trajectory: an epic tale.”

CAPERS Offworld RPG by Nerdburger Games

END DATE: Thu, April 23 2020 9:00 PM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): CAPERS
PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $12 for the PDF and POD versions of the book
UNIQUE PLEDGE: “A note on the coronovirus: If you’re interested in CAPERS Offworld and … money is tight, consider the $5 Promise tier. Financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus has caused many folks to change their spending habits right now. So here’s a compromise if you don’t feel you can put much toward a Kickstarter right now. Choose a backer tier that you’d LIKE to back at and note that for yourself. Then, back at this $5 tier. In your backer survey, you’ll tell us what tier you WANTED to back at. You’ll receive PDFs for all the rewards at that tier at the same time everyone else does. Then, once the world starts to get back to normal (but no earlier than June 1), we’ll contact you and make arrangements for you to pay the balance of the tier you WOULD have backed at. At that point, we’ll send you discount links for any of the rewards for which you’re owed such links.”
NOTE: I’ve attended attended two conventions with Nerdburger Games (here and here), done multiple interviews with Craig Campbell of Nerdburger (here and here, for example), and reviewed the CAPERS Core Rulebook at d20 Radio

“An RPG of Retro-Future Space Cops and Rocket Robbers...with Super-Powers! CAPERS Offworld is a supplement for the BAMFsie award-winning CAPERS roleplaying game, which is set in the 1920s Prohibition Era of the United States. In CAPERS Offworld, you portray a character with extraordinary abilities seeking their fortune in outer space. You'll need your super-powers, spaceship, space gear, and wits to get by in the dark emptiness. CAPERS Offworld offers a complete 1920s sci-fi backdrop that carries the CAPERS game to the stars. New content in CAPERS Offworld includes alien species to play, rules expansions with space gear, spaceships, and galactic combat, biomechanical augments to improve your body, new powers, information on a dozen worlds and space stations, space monsters, time travel, space hazards, relics, and more. CAPERS Offworld is a game of high-flying pulp action and adventure. Your character will tread where only the toughest can survive. Learn more about NerdBurger Games and CAPERS products on our website and Discord.”

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Era: Survival - Expansions into the Unknown 2 by Shades of Vengeance

END DATE: Sun, April 19 2020 4:00 PM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): Powered by Era d10
PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £30 for PDFs of Era: Survival Definitive Edition Rulebook, Era: Survival Rulebook Primer, Infected Manual, Tales of the Outlands, and The Swarm
NOTE: Morrus and Peter interviewed Ed Jowett of Shades of Vengeance on their podcast (here). I’ve interviewed Ed more times than I can remember

“Era: Survival (which has been one of our fan-favourite games for several years!) immerses players in a post-apocalyptic world where multiple factions fight for dominance. Inspired by games such as Fallout and Borderlands, Era: Survival's Gaia has many dangers... but also many opportunities for an enterprising individual! This Kickstarter brings multiple expansions for Era: Survival to you! We start with three (The Citizens of Aqua, Encounters En Route and Diaries of a Madman) and a new book is added for free with each Stretch Goal reached! We're aiming to increase the number of tools the GM has at their disposal by offering a combination of details on new factions and Infected (The Citizens of Aqua, the Sisterhood of Pyrus and more), campaigns (Foundation, Parts 1 and 2) and GM Support books (Encounters, Population Guide). Gaia has amazing untapped potential and the 230-page Core Rulebook and three existing expansions only scratch the surface: we have 10 expansions firmly planned with many more exciting ideas waiting on standby!”

MaximumHP - RPG Zine #003 by Fail Squad Games

END DATE: Mon, April 20 2020 12:00 PM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 1st and 2nd Editions and OSR
PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $13 + $6 US S/H for the PDF and print zine

“This project is creating issue #003 (The Wilderness) for the MaximumHP RPG zine focused on 1E/OSRIC gamers. At Fail Squad Games, we offer rousing content for your classic tabletop roleplaying games. What follows in this and upcoming issues of Maximum HP are articles, notes, tips, tricks, traps, and treasures for your 1E / OSRIC gaming table. To keep the zines fresh and exciting, we have liberated ourselves from a production deadline to allow us to channel maximum creativity into each issue. Our intent is to share the Fail Squad Games style with other old school gamers to enrich their gaming experience. The zine format presents small, easy to digest articles firmly rooted in the spirit of the older edition games and magazines. Although the content may be informal, we want the physical product and presentation to be the best we can deliver for the cost. In this issue we delve into the wild forests of the world. The deep green places oft forgotten on the way to the dungeon. Here there are fey, wild creatures, and hidden secrets kept by nature and the unknown. The game might have the word dungeons in it, but it doesn't end there!”

RPG QUICK HITS

Sealed Inside - 60 Dungeon Maps + 6 One-Shots / Campaign by Severed Books
END DATE: Tue, April 14 2020 11:00 AM EDT.
NOTE: Link to this project’s Kicktraq information (here)
“System-neutral CULT HUNTING inside 60 deadly maps, 6 cults, 10 dukes for 5th edition, Pathfinder, and more.”

Draharsis: Tabletop RPG Setting by Jordan Vincent

END DATE: Tue, April 21 2020 10:09 PM EDT.
NOTE: Link to this project’s Kicktraq information (here)
“A system neutral campaign setting for your tabletop RPG.”

2021 Quest Calendar: A Year of Adventure by Sundial Games llc

END DATE: Fri, April 17 2020 8:08 AM EDT.
NOTE: Link to this project’s Kicktraq information (here)
“A role playing calendar taking you on adventures with a quest-a-day throughout the year.”

Osziana: An exciting new Campaign Setting for 5e by OmegaDragon Entertainment

END DATE: Sun, April 19 2020 9:01 AM EDT.
NOTE: Link to this project’s Kicktraq information (here)
“A land where magic has changed drastically, and ingenuity has given rise to all new heroes to meet the many threats of a harsh world.”

Blight of the Moonglow Glade by Frog God Games

END DATE: Tuesday, April 14 2020
NOTE: For those concerned about coverage of a Frog God Games project, I’m linking the Joint Statement of BJ Hensley and Frog God Games
NOTE 2: This campaign is available via IndieGoGo. Unfortunately, Kicktraq does not track crowdfunding projects on IndieGoGo as of this writing
“A weird fantasy adventure for 5e D&D, Swords & Wizardry (0e) and Pathfinder, with an Arbor Day theme.”

The Book of Taverns: Volume One by Necromancer Games

END DATE: Wednesday, April 8 2020
NOTE: For those concerned about coverage of a project from a subsidiary of Frog God Games, I’m linking the Joint Statement of BJ Hensley and Frog God Games
NOTE 2: This campaign is available via IndieGoGo. Unfortunately, Kicktraq does not track crowdfunding projects on IndieGoGo as of this writing
“Contains two fully-detailed and highly-unusual taverns for you to drop easily into any setting.”

Teacher-Gamer Handbook by Zachary Reznichek

END DATE: Thursday, April 23 2020
NOTE: This campaign is available via IndieGoGo. Unfortunately, Kicktraq does not track crowdfunding projects on IndieGoGo as of this writing
“Bringing Role Playing Games to the classroom - 36 life skills developed with a tabletop curriculum.”

RPG ACCESSORIES

Board Game T-Shirts and Hoodies For Game Lovers by Colleen Williams

END DATE: Wed, April 22 2020 8:28 AM EDT.
“A collection of board game and meeple T-Shirts for the tabletop gamer.”

Elite Metal Dice of the Elvenkind - 7 and 11 Piece Sets by Easy Roller Dice Company

END DATE: Wed, April 22 2020 12:00 PM EDT.
“A new series of high-end, precision CNC aluminum dice featuring unique color blends and our hand-drawn, brand new Elvenkind font.”

Cthulhu Art Drink Coasters: Hospkatonic Pale Ale by Tom Woods

END DATE: Wed, April 22 2020 11:59 PM EDT.
“Cthulhu Art Drink Coaster 2. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and the Ancient Ones. $1 each. Made in the USA.”

Tavern Tales - Medieval Music for Taverns and Inns by Marco Mazzei