RPG Crowdfunding News – Batman, Torg Eternity, Exalted, and more

This week, I look at RPG crowdfunding campaigns that end between June 6th to the 23rd, including two I couldn’t cover last week.

In this article, I share two notable publishers crowdfunding moves between different platforms. Ulisses Spiele brings Torg Eternity back to Kickstarter; their last Torg Kickstarter was in July 2019. Since then, they’d used GameOnTabletop for the property, producing exceptional results. Their last GameOnTabletop Torg campaign ended with 891 backers and $191,939 raised. However, nearly three years later, Torg returns to Kickstarter and it’s a success. Going a different direction is Onyx Path Publishing. Kickstarter stalwarts, OPP brings an Exalted project to IndieGoGo. They’re showing some great numbers for IndieGoGo. That said, it’s unlikely that IndieGoGo will produce the same levels as their last Exalted sourcebook from a year ago on Kickstarter (4,086 backers and $349,260 raised). Diversifying platforms is a worthwhile strategy, one that I’m glad to see the bigger tabletop publishers actively experimenting with.

Batman™ : Gotham City Chronicles - Season 3 and RPG from Monolith Board Games LLC

• END DATE: Fri, June 10 2022 5:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Untold Tales Modern
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook and more
• MOST POPULAR RPG PLEDGE: €149 + S/H for the three print books and GM screen. At this time, there are no PDFs for the RPGs, but the publisher is working on obtaining approval for them from the license holder
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Batman comes back to tabletop roleplaying games! Presented as a core rulebook to play as the Dark Knight and related characters, there’s also a Gotham City Guide, an adventure book, and GM screen. This is, arguably, another million dollar Kickstarter. Sure, it’s a board game with miniatures and an RPG all in the same campaign, so deciding if this is a million dollar RPG campaign is up for debate, but it is worth mentioning. If adventuring in Gotham using a d20 variant would spark your interest, this campaign is worth checking out for more details and the quickstart guide.

Torg Eternity - Pan Pacifica from Ulisses Spiele

• END DATE: Wed, June 15 2022 12:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Torg Eternity
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €199 + S/H for the boxed set with books, cards, screens, maps, soundtracks, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Torg’s answer to cyberpunk gets the Eternity treatment in this campaign. Torg Eternity brings back the classic game and, with this boxed set, closes out the first year of the Possibility War. If you’re a fan of multiversal settings with aspects of most every genre blended together, this is an epic game to get your hands on. With Pan Pacifica, expect classic ‘80s and ‘90s style cyberpunk with street samurai, corporate wars, hacking, and neon all informing this world. If you’re a fan of multiverse settings, cyberpunk, and amazing boxed sets, this campaign is worth exploring.

EXIGENTS: Out of the Ashes for Exalted 3rd Edition from Onyx Path Publishing

• END DATE: June 23 2022
• SYSTEM(S): Exalted 3rd Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE:
• NOTE: This campaign is available via IndieGoGo
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need more gods and custom character options in your Exalted campaign? The book offered here is a great resource for Exalted 3rd Edition fans, providing rules for creating your own Exigents, creations of the gods. More importantly, there are rules and guidance on creating a set of custom Charm sets. Coming in at over 300 pages, this sourcebook expands on how the gods create Exigents, the relationship to these lesser gods, the city of Ten Thousand Temples, how to create Charms, and more. If you’re an Exalted Storyteller, this is the book your campaign needs.

Animon Story TTRPG from Metal Weave Games

• END DATE: Thu, June 9 2022 8:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $65 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of both books plus a slipcase
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Looking for an RPG about kids and their monsters? This original game is for fans of Digimon and Pokémon. You’ll play as a kid and their animon companion as they fight, grow, and evolve. If you need a brilliantly illustrate, simple to play version of the kid and monster fighting other kids and monsters genre, check out the campaign page to sample the system.

Regency: A Spirited & Darling RPG of Love & Intrigue from Many-Sided Dice

• END DATE: Sun, June 12 2022 10:09 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you want to play in a world akin to Bridgerton or Downton Abby, this RPG may speak to you. Inspired by the works of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Julia Quinn, and Julian Fellowes, Regency crafts a Regency Era tale of politics, intrigue, and romance. This 200-page book includes rules for character creation, the family system, and a primer of etiquette and expectations common of this era. Expect a setting that’s based in history, but much more diverse with nods to modern day norms.

Earthdawn 4th Edition: Grand Bazaar from FASA Corporation

• END DATE: Wed, June 15 2022 12:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Earthdawn 4th Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 + $10 S/H in the US for the PDF and print version of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The Grand Bazaar: Throal's Crown Jewel weighs in at 256 pages, each dedicated to the exploration of their largest marketplace. Adding to the fourth edition of Earthdawn, this book gives you great detail and content for any fantasy setting, opening up a rich, diverse shopping experience. As an added bonus, the campaign offers a plushie of Mountainshadow, one of their blue dragons. If you need an extensive fantasy bazaar or a dragon plushie, this is worth checking out.

Secrets of the Vibrant Sea RPG from Nerdburger Games

• END DATE: Thu, June 16 2022 8:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rolebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + $6 S/H for shipping in the US for the PDF and softcover of the book
• DISCLAIMER: I’ve attended conventions with Nerdburger Games
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Craig Campbell brings another interesting RPG to crowdfunding with the sea-based sequel to Secrets of the Vibrant Isle. Craig technique involves working with a specific artist for each project, creating a uniform appearance and style for the books in each line. He’s got a great eye for talent, really picking the right artist to visualize his work. As such, each project is able to find an audience. With Secrets of the Vibrant Sea RPG, Gema “Ashenwave” Moratilla is crafting a wet world of wondrous weirdness. Designed for solo or group play, this RPG lets you explore a fantastical ocean. Since it’s meant for solo play, the adventures unfold through rolls and reference, excusing the GM from having to design the world. If you’re looking for a beautifully illustrated solo RPG about exploring the sea, check out this campaign page.

Sickness and Health: New Diseases For Your 5E Game from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Mon, June 6 2022 6:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £7 for the PDF of the book
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 30 pages of diseases for 5e. Do you need mundane, supernatural, or extraplanar diseases for your campaign? This book has 16 diseases and 2 adventures, all to help spread the disease. With options like demonic plague, ooze decay, or wyrm pox, which defines body horror as “pox wyrmlings (CR 1/2) emerge,” GMs will find the right disease to add some horrible twists to their campaign. If your character is sick, this book tells them what they have, and makes it an adventure.

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[Zehnseiter]

Ulisses Spiele, at least their US division, is pretty bad at communicating. I backed Torg when it first came out, but have missed many of the subsequent projects due to some other financial concern arriving at the same time, I signed up for their newsletter which has not even once provided any information. For the Orrorsh product, their website never even mentioned that it was available to order; you just had to know it was there.

Well if I go at the English version of the F-Shop I immediately find Orrorsh under the "New products" header.

New Products

www.ulissesf-shop.com

But to be fair I check the German version of the f-shop quite often given how big Ulisses in Germany and how many game lines they make or translate. So I probably won't miss much of what they do. Given that Ulisses is much less important on the English market I can imagine that missing stuff there can happen much easier.

 

[Staffan]

Ulisses Spiele, at least their US division, is pretty bad at communicating. I backed Torg when it first came out, but have missed many of the subsequent projects due to some other financial concern arriving at the same time, I signed up for their newsletter which has not even once provided any information. For the Orrorsh product, their website never even mentioned that it was available to order; you just had to know it was there.

I like the game, but I never know what's going on at the company and the releases are coming further and further apart to the point where most of my players have lost interest in the metaplot. We're already past the time length where the original game had come and gone and we haven't even finished year one yet. I understand why a lot of that has happened, but when you have a story based game, the story needs to progress. Needing 5+ years to tell the first year of a 5 year story is not a maintainable pace.

To be fair, they had to do some heavy rescheduling on account of Covid – and not just the same supply chain issues everyone else is having.

Back in oTORG, Nippon Tech was one of the least-used cosms, because it didn't really have much to offer other than Japanese stereotypes. Moderately advanced (but not so far it would arouse suspicion) tech, martial arts, and Big Bizniz. So for the reboot, it was given a pretty big makeover and expanded to cover not only Japan, but also China and both Koreas. And to give it more of an identity, they added a biotech element with a focus on horror: the Contagion, which kills people and turns them into biotech zombies. They apparently had plans to lean even harder into this element, by adding biotech kaijus and the like. That was a pretty cool thing, particularly given how lackluster oTORG's Nippon Tech was.

And just as they were getting ready to crowdfund the Pan-Pacifica sourcebook, Covid hit. At this point, it did not seem prudent to have a sourcebook where a large portion was dedicated to a mysterious disease ravaging east Asia, so Pan-Pacifica got punted to the back of the line. But presumably a fair amount of work had already been done, and had to be flushed down the biohazard disposal tube. Current Pan-Pacifica seems to be leaning more into cyberpunk, but with genemods instead of cybernetics (so, biopunk?).