Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarter Club

Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere RPG is currently the most successful TTRPG crowdfunder in history!

Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG leads the pack in an exclusive club -- crowdfunders for tabletop roleplaying game products which have broken the $1M barrier! It is currently the most successful TTRPG crowdfunder in history with a funding total of over $10M, and over 30,000 backers (and also the third biggest crowdfunded of any kind!)

[Update--Kickstarter integrated 'late pledges' in May 2024. The totals on this table are the totals at the time the campaign officially ended.]


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This list comprises crowdfunders specifically for tabletop roleplaying games or supplements which have exceeded $1M. It does not include crowdfunders which are primarily for miniatures, software, dice, or other accessories.
  • The first TTRPG crowdfunder to break $1M was 7th Sea: Second Edition (2016) by John Wick.
  • The first to break $2M was Strongholds & Streaming (2018) by Matt Colville.
  • The first to break $9M was Avatar Legends (2021) from Magpie Games.
  • The first to break $10M was Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG (2024) from Brotherwise Games.
  • The first to break $1M on its first day was Avatar Legends (2021) from Magpie Games with a first-day total of $1,150,566.
  • The highest ever first-day total was Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG (2024) from Brotherwise Games, with a first-day total of $4,380,024.
  • The first to break $1M without physical merch addons (minis, dice, shirts, pins, etc.) is Coyote & Crow the Roleplaying Game (2021) from Connor Alexander. The only other campaign to do this so far is Shadowdark (2023).
  • The average pledge level for a million-dollar campaign is about $100. This is usually reached by including add-ons and merchandizing. The lowest average pledge level is $66 (Coyote & Crow with just the game itself) and the highest is $294 (Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG).
  • Gloomhaven Grand Festival included an RPG, but was also a Kickstarter for a boardgame and 600+ miniatures.

Crowdfunders.png


$1M+ TTRPG Crowdfunders: The Official TTRPG $1M Crowdfunder Club

#​
Project
Platform​
D&D 5E​
Additions**​
Creator​
Date EndedBackersAmountFirst Day***Average Pledge
1​
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Brotherwise GamesAugust 202452,652$14,557,439$4,380,024 (30%)$276
2​
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
September 202181,549$9,533,258$1,150,566 (12%)$117
3​
Gloomhaven Grand Festival
bk-logo-icon.png
-​
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
July 202334,691$5,053,380$1,339,942 (27%)$146
4​
The MCDM RPG
bk-logo-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
MCDM Productions (Matt Colville)​
January 202430,177$4,600,529$1,985,398 (43%))$152
5​
The Crooked Moon: Folk Horror in 5E by Legends of Aavantris
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Legends of AvantrisNovember 202321,793$4,020,234$1,225,460 (30%)$184
6​
Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms - A 5e Tome
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
DnD Shorts (Loot Tavern)October 202326,376$3,327,204$712,290 (21%)$126
7​
Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt: A 5e Supplement
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
MonkeyDM (Loot Tavern)August 202219,723$2,692,698$411,135 (15%)$137
8​
Obojima Tales From The Tall Grass: A 5E Campaign Setting
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
1985 GamesAugust 202323,416$2,610,869$380,679 (15%)$111
9​
Fool's Gold: Into the Bellowing Wilds
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Hit Point PressNovember 202116,929$2,479,888$349,884 (14%)$147
10​
DC20
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
The Dungeon CoachJuly 202420,685$2,245,231$415,127 (19%)$108
11​
Strongholds & Streaming
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
Matt ColvilleMarch 201828,918$2,121,465$591,556 (28%)$73
12​
Tanares RPG - 5e
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Dragori GamesOctober 20219,403$2,100,242$993,228 (47%)$223
13​
Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
May 202215,061$2,097,715$679,748 (32%)$679,748 (32%)
14​
"Flee, Mortals!" - The MCDM Monster Book for 5e
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
Matt ColvilleMay 202227,009$2,084,117$788,976 (38%)$77
15​
The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game
bk-logo-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
September 202311,622$2,027,997$794,798 (39%)$174
16​
The One Ring Roleplaying Game, Second Edition
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
March 202116,591$2,025,288$521,908 (26%)$122
17​
Monty Python's Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
meeple-icon.png
d20-icon.png
November 202215,018$1,933,426$792,724 (41%)$129
18​
Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Loot Tavern (Hit Point Press)July 202118,082$1,845,422$259,382 (14%)$102
19​
BLADE RUNNER - The Roleplaying Game
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
May 202215,323$1,673,567$833,263 (49%)$109
20​
The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Eldermancy
(Ghostfire Gaming)
March 202117,921$1,650,076$211,563 (13%)$92
21​
Adventure Time: The Roleplaying Game
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
May 20247,334$1,568,387$238,556 (15%)$214
22​
Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG 1st Edition Boxed Set
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Alan GerdingDecember 202115,699$1,405,569$529,134 (38%)$90
23​
Dolmenwood Tabletop RPG
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Exalted FuneralSeptember 202310,862$1,389,313$639,002 (46%)$128
24​
Kingdoms, Warfare & More Minis!
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
Matt ColvilleNovember 201919,033$1,372,685$594,330 (43%)$72
25Shadowdark RPG: Old School Gaming, Modernized
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
-​
The Arcane LibraryMarch 202313,249$1,365,923$299,898 (22%)$103
26Grim Hollow: The Monster Grimoire
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Ghostfire GamingMay 202115,530$1,348,160$258,640 (19%)$87
27​
7th Sea: Second Edition
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
John Wick (Chaosium)March 201611,483$1,316,813$286,290 (22%)$115
28The Deck of Many Animated Spells, Tarot and More for 5e
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
Hit Point PressJune 20209,871$1,310,509$218,381 (16%)$133
29Dungeons of Drakkenheim
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Dungeon Dudes
(Ghostfire Gaming)
August 202113,376$1,279,240$370,638 (29%)$96
30​
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Palladium BooksNovember 20238,383$1,277,498$359,895 (28%)$152
31Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Warchief GamingMay 202110,218$1,260,863$493,947 (39%)$123
32The Griffon's Saddlebag: Book 2
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Griffin Macaulay
(Hit Point Press)
April 202211,710$1,237,197$297,192 (24%)$106
33Erevan's Guide to Death and Beyond - A 5e Tome
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Archvillain GamesJune 20246,826$1,236,738$336,253 (27%)$181
34​
Moria - Through the Doors of Durin for The One Ring RPG
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
September 202313,009$1,198,575$619,890 (52%)$92
35​
Tales of the Valiant RPG: Launching Black Flag Roleplaying
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
d20-icon.png
Kobold PressJune 202310,057$1,151,914$487,329 (42%)$115
36​
The Field Guide to Floral Dragons
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Hit Point PressMay 202412,532$1,110,056$297,687 (27%)$89
37​
Coyote & Crow the Roleplaying Game
kickstarter-icon.png
-​
-​
Connor AlexanderApril 202116,269$1,073,453$106,515 (10%)$66
38Monsters of Drakkenheim - 5E Monsters with Lores Lairs & Loot
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
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d20-icon.png
Dungeon Dudes
(Ghostfire Gaming)
April 20248,078$1,065,710$459,295 (43%)$132
39​
Sebastian Crowe's Guide to Drakkenheim
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
d20-icon.png
Dungeon Dudes
(Ghostfire Gaming)
September 20228,963$1,025,330$422,376 (41%)$114
40Humblewood Campaign Setting for 5e
kickstarter-icon.png
Ampersand-icon.png
meeple-icon.png
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Hit Point PressApril 201914,604$1,001,085$58,985 (6%)$69
meeple-icon.png
Miniatures |
yellow-t-shirt-icon-th.png
Merchandise |
d20-icon.png
Dice |
kickstarter-icon.png
Kickstarter |
bk-logo-icon.png
Backerkit |
Ampersand-icon.png
D&D 5E​

*Licensed or based on an existing IP (movie, novel, video game, board game, comic book, previous game edition, etc.)
**Merch means pins, shirts, dice trays, etc. Stuff which isn't the actual game.
***First day figures represent first calendar day, not first 24 hours, and are taken from Kicktraq's daily funding stats for Kickstarter or Backer Tracker for Backerkit.
Some unusual patterns can be seen above. Most crowdfunders follow the traditional 'U' shaped curved, with a large portion of the funding taking place in the first few and last few days of the campaign, and comparatively slower progress in the middle.
  • Tanares RPG did nearly $1M in its first day, but then support dropped off for the remaining month. This was due to a high-value giveaway to first-day backers.​
  • Humblewood started off slow and then got a big boost in the last 4 days. It's not clear what caused that, but an aggressive final marketing push is a good candidate--they have multiple marketing entries in their collaborators list.​
A crowdfunder which does well will tend to mean later campaigns also do well, as those backers are notified when new crowdfunders by the same creator are launched.

What Does A Million Dollar Campaign Look Like?
Look at the above campaigns, we can paint a picture of a million dollar TTRPG campaign.
  • 22/40 include minis
  • 36/40 include merchandise (pins, t-shirts, dice trays, etc.)
  • 31/40 include dice
  • 25/40 are D&D 5E related--but the top 4 are all non-D&D.
  • 12/40 are based on an existing IP (movie, book, older game edition, etc.)
  • The average pledge level is in the region of $115
  • The average campaign does 26% of its funding in the first day unless there are early bird rewards in which case it can be in the mid-40%s
  • The average campaign has 18.5K backers, with the lowest about 9K backers
Multiple Entries
The following creators have two or more entries in the chart. These 6 creators comprise nearly 50% of the chart with a total of 18 entries.

Creator
Entries​
MCDM Productions / Matt Colville
4​
Hit Point Press
4​
Dungeon Dudes
3​
Free League
3​
Monte Cook Games
2​
Exalted Funeral
2​

Some creators are also listed as contributors to other projects.
  • Loot Tavern (1 entry) is also listed as contributor to DnD Shorts and MonkeyDM.
  • Hit Point Press (4 entries) is also listed as contributor to Loot Tavern and Griffin Macaulay.
  • Ghostfire Gaming (1 entry) is also listed as contributor to Eldermancy and Dungeon Dudes (x3).
 

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EthanSental

Legend
Supporter
Is the Shadowdark pdf already released? I see they are being printed from some of the comments on the Kickstarter. Anyone that does have the pdf, any opinions yet?
 

Reynard

Legend
Supporter
Is the Shadowdark pdf already released? I see they are being printed from some of the comments on the Kickstarter. Anyone that does have the pdf, any opinions yet?
I late backed it and immediately got all the digital rewards. It's a great book. I can't wait for the hardcover to arrive in October.
 


Eyes of Nine

Everything's Fine
Dolmenwood should hit $1 million in the next few hours. They’re sitting at $995,000.
I'm actually more excited by the 7000+ backer count. I wonder if Morrus has any desire to find the projects with X thousand backers (say, 5000+ backers).

RPGs are so dependent on network effects, and the number of backers on a core system can be a more direct indicator of the strength of a given game's potential network (assuming the product ever actually ships)
 


CleverNickName

Limit Break Dancing (He/They)
I'm actually more excited by the 7000+ backer count. I wonder if Morrus has any desire to find the projects with X thousand backers (say, 5000+ backers).

RPGs are so dependent on network effects, and the number of backers on a core system can be a more direct indicator of the strength of a given game's potential network (assuming the product ever actually ships)
Here's what I could come up with. Here are the RPG results with 7,000 backers or more, sorted by the number of backers.
(I didn't have the strength to drag it out to 5,000...sorry.)

I might have missed a couple, double-check me.

RankTitleTypeAmountBackers
1​
Avatar Legends: the Roleplaying GameRPG
$9,535,317.00​
81,567​
2​
Strongholds & StreamingSupplement
$2,121,465.00​
28,918​
3​
Flee, Mortals! - The MCDM Monster Book for 5ESupplement
$2,084,117.00​
27,009​
4​
Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch HuntSupplement
$2,692,698.00​
19,723​
5​
Kingdoms, Warfare & More Minis!Supplement
$1,372,685.00​
19,033​
6​
Herbalist's PrimerSupplement
$814,806.00​
18,725​
7​
Heliana's Guide to Monster HuntingSupplement
$1,845,422.00​
18,082​
8​
The Seeker's Guide to Twisted TavernsSupplement
$1,650,076.00​
17,921​
9​
Fool's Gold: Into the Bellowing WildsCampaign
$2,479,888.00​
16,929​
10​
THE ONE RING Roleplaying Game, Second EditionRPG
$1,570,879.00​
16,596​
11​
Coyote & Crow: the Role Playing GameRPG
$1,073,435.00​
16,269​
12​
Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG 1st EditionRPG
$1,405,569.00​
15,699​
13​
Grim Hollow: The Monster GrimoireSupplement
$1,348,160.00​
15,530​
14​
BLADE RUNNER - The Roleplaying GameRPG
$1,673,567.00​
15,323​
15​
Old Gods of Appalachia RPGRPG
$2,097,715.00​
15,061​
16​
Monty Python's Cocirricular Mediaeval Reenactment ProgrammeRPG
$1,933,426.00​
15,018​
17​
Humblewood Campaign Setting 5ERPG
$1,001,085.00​
14,604​
18​
Dungeons of DrakkenheimAdventure
$1,279,240.00​
13,376​
19​
Shadowdark RPGRPG
$1,365,923.00​
13,249​
20​
The Griffon's Saddlebag: Book 2Supplement
$1,237,197.00​
11,710​
21​
7th Sea: Second EditionRPG
$1,316,813.00​
11,483​
22​
BREAK!! A TTRPG inspired by fantasy videogames and animeRPG
$623,929.00​
10,328​
23​
Obojima Tales From The Tall GrassAdventure
$1,133,269.00​
10,241​
24​
Auroboros: Coils of the SerpentCampaign
$1,260,863.00​
10,218​
25​
Fate CoreRPG
$433,365.00​
10,103​
26​
Tales of the Valliant RPGRPG
$1,151,914.00​
10,057​
27​
The Deck of Many Animated Spells, Tarot and More for 5ESupplement
$1,310,509.00​
9,871​
28​
Geologist's PrimerSupplement
$606,836.00​
9,547​
29​
Tome of Beasts 3Supplement
$767,501.00​
9,438​
30​
Tanares RPG - 5EAdventure
$2,100,242.00​
9,403​
31​
Sebastian Crowe's Guide to DrakkenheimSupplement
$1,025,330.00​
8,963​
32​
Vault of MagicSupplement
$474,240.00​
8,742​
33​
Odyssey of the DragonlordsAdventure
$456,332.00​
8,239​
34​
Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the UnfoldersRPG
$969,256.00​
8,215​
35​
Thirsty Sword LesbiansRPG
$298,568.00​
8,152​
36​
Anime 5E - Fifth Edition Fantasy Roleplaying ReimaginedRPG
$608,702.00​
8,073​
37​
Vaesen RPG - Mythic Britian & IrelandRPG
$593,591.00​
7,995​
38​
Quest-o-NomiconAdventure
$620,323.00​
7,737​
39​
Lewd Dungeon Adventures: A Roleplaying Game for CouplesRPG
$254,376.00​
7,706​
40​
L'Arsene's Ledger of Treasures and Trinkets - a DnD 5E TomeSupplement
$855,185.00​
7,659​
41​
Animal Adventures: The Faraway Sea (5E Campaign Setting)Campaign
$689,273.00​
7,611​
42​
Menagerie of MagicSupplement
$317,734.00​
7,370​
43​
Dolmenwood Tabletop RPGRPG
$995,716.00​
7,269​
44​
The Lazy DM's Forge of Foes for 5ESupplement
$268,601.00​
7,207​

Some notes and observations:
  • This list is only for products in the Tabletop Games category, on Kickstarter, that have 7,000 or more backers.
  • It does not include minis, dice, board games, card games, web apps, and computer software.
  • Obojima (#23) and Dolmenwood (#44) are still open, with 17 and 25 days remaining (respectively.)
  • The product that raised the most money per backer: Tanares RPG. They averaged $223.36 per backer.
  • The product that raised the least money per backer: Lewd Dungeon Adventures, with an average of only $33.01 per backer.
  • The highest-backed product that still didn't make it into the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club: The Herbalist's Primer. It's the 6th highest-backed product of all time with 18,725 backers, but only raised $814,806.
  • The lowest-backed product to enter the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club: Sebastian Crowe's Guide to Drakkenheim. It's the 31st highest-backed product, and became a millionaire with only 8,963 backers.
  • These numbers only reflect what I could scrape off of Kickstarter, and don't tell the whole story. For example, I'm one of hundreds of people who backed Old Gods of Appalachia through a different crowdfunding platform. These numbers should therefore be considered minimum values for a given product.
 
Last edited:

CleverNickName

Limit Break Dancing (He/They)
To your point about "network strength," by far the biggest determinant of whether or not a product will make it into the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club is whether or not it is compatible with 5th Edition D&D Rules. There are 25 products on the list, and 17 of them are explicitly designed for 5th Edition D&D (68%). This isn't counting system-neutral products, or the products that only imply compatibility with D&D 5E.

It's neither a guarantee nor a requirement, obviously, but that is the one thing that most millionaire RPG Kickstarters have in common.
 
Last edited:

Morrus

Well, that was fun
Staff member
To your point about "network strength," by far the biggest determinant of whether or not a product will make it into the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club is whether or not it is compatible with 5th Edition D&D Rules. There are 25 products on the list, and 17 of them are explicitly designed for 5th Edition D&D (68%). This isn't counting system-neutral products, or the products that only imply compatibility with D&D 5E.

It's neither a guarantee nor a requirement, obviously, but that is the one thing that most millionaire RPG Kickstarters have in common.
More important is whether it has additional merchandise/add-ons. Minis, dice, t-shirts, pins, all that stuff. That’s the thing most of them have in common.
 


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