MCDM Joins Million Dollar Crowdfunder Club... For The 5th Time!

Matt Colville's MCDM was the first TTRPG crowdfunder to break $2M back in 2018 with Strongholds & Streaming, a supplement for D&D along with a livestream of a D&D campaign. That wasn't the end of the company's record-breaking run, though!

Draw Steel: Crack the Sun finished its crowdfunding run this week with a funding total of $2,617,323, making it the 5th million-dollar Kickstarter from MCDM. Crack the Sun is an official adventure path for the company's Draw Steel TTRPG, which raised $4.6M in 2024.

• Strongholds & Streaming (March 2018) raised $2,121,465.
• Kingdoms, Warfare & More Minis! (November 2019) raised $1,372,685.
• "Flee, Mortals!" - The MCDM Monster Book for 5e (May 2022) raised $2,084,117.
• The MCDM RPG (January 2024) raised $4,600,539.
• Draw Steel: Crack the Sun (January 2026) raised $2,617,323.

Not only does this make MCDM the most prolific member of the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club with a record-breaking 5 entries (closely followed by Hit Point Press and Free League with 4 entries apiece), it is also the second most successful TTRPG crowdfunding creator ever with a combined total of $12,796,129! This whopping total is surpassed only by Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG which raised an eye-watering $14,557,439 in just one single campaign.

2025 saw a slight decline in million-dollar crowdfunders with 7 in total (compared to a high of 11, mid-pandemic in 2021).

 

[bedir than]

because those shops are precious community resources

YES!

The value of a good local RPG shop, or any shop, is that they are more than a storefront to buy things but a resource for much more.

• tips on how to play
• guidance towards other games you may like
• a space to play
• information about local artists

Even outside of RPGs your local shops are the ones that will spend the time to guide you through issues with whatever it is you are struggling with.

 

[HatWearingFool]

...not calling-out MCDM in particular, but i've been fortunate to have local access to those rare well-stocked retailers, and i've made a point to buy their stock at retail (even when it's significantly discounted online) because those shops are precious community resources, but after being burned repeatedly on digital content i've learned that i'm vastly better-served buying directly from publishers who include PDFs, maps, and whatever other digital bonuses are thrown in with their direct sales...

...so: i no longer shop local retail for small publishers, which presents a signifiant disincentive to local retailers stocking their books, which in turn presents a signifiant disincentive to small-publisher distribution...i think goodman started bundling PDF codes with their books last year, so at least one publisher has the right idea for brick-and-mortar distribution...

Yes it’s a pain to miss out on the PDFs. There is some service bricks and something that is supposed to allow you to get the digital version if you buy physical copies in store.

But of course only some publishers are involved (I didn’t see MCDM in the list) and I couldn’t figure out how to use it. So it’s just easier to order online. Which is unfortunate because I think stores are important for the hobby but they are a pain point for established players.

Ah found the website: Home Page | Bits and Mortar

 

[Morrus]

The value of a good local RPG shop, or any shop, is that they are more than a storefront to buy things but a resource for much more.

I've never in my life had an FLGS. The closest is a chain called Forbidden Planet, and their RPG section (at least at our local branch) is woeful and doesn't even stock our products! So that's a side of the hobby I've never really interacted with or been invested in.

 

[bedir than]

I've never in my life had an FLGS. The closest is a chain called Forbidden Planet, and their RPG section (at least at our local branch) is woeful and doesn't even stock our products! So that's a side of the hobby I've never really interacted with or been invested in.

You do experience similar at conventions, I hope

At least when you're not in the booth and I know you spend a lot of time in the booth

 

[Morrus]

You do experience similar at conventions, I hope

At least when you're not in the booth and I know you spend a lot of time in the booth

Yeah, conventions are basically work for me. I might snatch an hour to wander round, but it's mainly work.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

Matt made a post not all that long ago about it over on Discord:

Very interesting take. I won't fault him for his perspective, but I bet other publishers do well by recognizing that some sales through the distribution chain eventually lead to more sales online. I'm a "whale" as gaming goes, meaning I spend an unhealthy amount of money on books, and often the first time I encounter such a book is at the local game store, which is also where I host my games. I bought Mork Borg and the sourcebooks from Free League through the FLGS which had them on the game shelves, and the Mothership 0E version at the same store; but go ahead and check out my accounts at Exalted Funeral, Free League and Tuesday Knight Games....those handful of FLGS sales led to me spending frickin' thousands of dollars on the indie zinescene and I have about 50 Mork Borg books and another 100 Mothership books.

Now, the FLGS in my area (Ettin Games) may be one of those special shops that Matt references, ones which are more dedicated to the sale of RPGs and for which he will sell directly. But despite that, they do not stock any of his games even though I've managed to get games ranging from Mork Borg to Thirsty Sword Lesbians there (well, maybe not that one, but they do stock it!).....and all because many of these small publishers do rely on some distributors such as IPR to improve their visibility and accessibility. I also know of an FLGS in my neighboring state of AZ that regularly opts in to the retailer option for most Kickstarters, so his store is an amazing place to get obscure RPGs.....and I still don't recall ever seeing Mercer's books on their shelves, either.

I don't know that I'm saying anything here other than: if you have a perception of how the market works for your product, then you may be self-fulfilling those expectations and missing vectors of growth.

(EDIT: I'll caveat what I said at the end with the comment that maybe he doesn't need to worry about digging down to the fine nitty gritty sales when his Kickstarters are so amazing. Either way, I went to his website, and it sounds like the game is a very tactical minis-grid based style of play, which is diametrically opposite what I do these days, so I am still ultimately not the target audience.)

 

[mearls]

IME, the key to making retail work is having a product suited for it. The latest D&D starter set is a good example. It's a hefty box with great cover art and a bunch of components. It sells itself. Dice and accessories are similar. They explain themselves from the shelf.

Board games are similar. The art draws you in, and the product photos on the back help make it clear what you are getting into. When my family goes to our local store, we almost always leave with a new set of dice or a new board game.

TTRPG books can really struggle, because if you aren't already a fan it's hard to figure out why you should buy it. My local shop actually carries Draw Steel, but unless you already know and want the game there's no way the book can convey its value in the minute or so someone might handle it.