RPG CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Beyond the Woods, The Dark Moon Rises, Battlezoo, and more

This week’s article looks at TTRPG crowdfunding projects that close between April 10 to 16. You’ll find 5e offerings, a few unique systems, and a haunted house that just wants you to take up residence.

Beyond the Woods: Open World Exploration and Survival for 5e from Old Oak Games

• END DATE: Thu, April 10 2025 3:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024)
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €38 for the PDFs of the books, maps, and stickers
• AI STATEMENT: “Old Oak Games firmly believes in human creativity. All of our projects are 100% human created and no generative AI is used in their creation.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Inspired by mythology and games like the Elden Ring, Beyond the Woods is a 5e sourcebook from Emmet Byrne, lead designer of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound and Broken Weave and other Irish creators. This book provides a dark fantasy setting with new rules for survival and hexcrawl exploration as well as new classes. Setting out from the last city, you’ll explore ruins, discover magics, and face a spectral legion. Offered as two books, you’ll get a setting guide and a core rulebook to explore the setting as your players try to survive it. If you’re a fan of Irish mythology and 5e, there’s a free PDF preview to grab on the campaign page.

The Dark Moon Rises from Archmage Press

• END DATE: Thu, April 10 2025 7:59 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £125 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the four books, four map packs, and cards
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 5e solo? GM-less group 5e? The Dark Moon Rises claims to be GM-less without being all random table encounters or GM round robin, instead they have a unique system to cover the GM’s role. Does it work? Try out their free PDF testplay to learn for yourself. If you want to play a solo or with a GM-less group using a simplified 5e, this project may be for you.

Battlezoo Ancestries: Living Legends for Pathfinder and 5E from Roll For Combat

• END DATE: Fri, April 11 2025 11:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024) and Pathfinder 2e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book in the system of your choice plus PDF and VTT files
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Roll For Combat is back with another Battlezoo offering. This sourcebook provides 14 new playable monster ancestries complete with characteristics, lore, religion, societies, and more. What monsters can you play as? Angels, devils, sphinx, lyncanthropes, and more. Available for 5e (2014 and 2024) and PF2e, this project features 650 VTT tokens for your online games. If you’re interested, check out the campaign page for a free PDF sample of their work.

Skyjacks Setting Zine vol. 2: The Magic of Spéir from James D'Amato of the ONE SHOT Podcast

• END DATE: Wed, April 16 2025 10:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): System neutral
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $36 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of both zines
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The idea behind this 36-page book is to provide an in-universe artifact to present to your players. This is a look at the nature of magic within Spéir. The contents are considered “heretical by the Church of the Slain God.” This book is going to add layers to lore and mystery to your game. Not tied to crunch, this book’s focus is a deeper immersion into the setting. If you want your setting to have a unique tonal feel from James D'Amato of the ONE SHOT Podcast, this may offer what you’re looking for.

The House At The End Of The Lane from Kids in the Attic

• END DATE: Sat, April 12 2025 5:24 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Trophy Dark
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 for the PDF versions of both books and the POD discount coupons to print both books
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A haunted house is so inviting. You received an invitation, when you arrive, you meet the other characters and together you’ll realize that you belong there, like you always have. Rick Hershey and Kids in the Attic present the kind of haunted house where the walls shift and leaving is not part of the adventure. Every door is a path to a new horror, the house is the enemy, but it isn’t interested in killing you, just making you feel at home. Forever.

Extra Ordinary: A Belonging Outside Belonging TTRPG from Kodi Gonzaga

• END DATE: Wed, April 9 2025 12:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Belonging Outside Belonging
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $100 + S/H for the PDF and signed print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? You are kids with powers and you’re on the run. You may be magical, heroic, or some other form of powered, but you have abilities others do not. As such, there are those that are hunting you. Extra Ordinary uses the Belonging Outside Belonging, a GM-less RPG system. The engine uses a token economy to generate collaborative storytelling. If the idea of kids with powers being hunted speaks to you, the campaign page has a link to the free PDF quickstart.

Potbellied Kobold's Guide to Villains & Lairs 5E from Jeff Stevens Games

• END DATE: Thu, April 10 2025 9:15 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024)
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $14 for the PDF version of the book
• AI STATEMENT: “The Artwork - NO AI!”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need 30 villainous NPCs and 10 lairs for your 5e game? How about a toolkit to help you create your own villains and lairs? This sourcebook provides some bad guys to put your players against. The creators behind this include Ed Greenwood, Ginny Di, Levi Combs, and many more, each contributing a bit here and there. If you’re a fan of villains and 5e, this may speak to your gaming table.

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[EthanSental]

4 of 7 are 5e related and funded…again, I guess Mearls wasn’t right with the doom a gloom for 5e

My point isn’t that they are big crowdfunders but rather his implication that people aren’t building with 5e due to whatever his hypothesis was.

 

[mamba]

4 of 7 are 5e related and funded…again, I guess Mearls wasn’t right with the doom a gloom for 5e

Do you mean Ben Riggs? Mearls saw a slowdown but it clearly staying the dominant game by far, which is not contradicted by this

 

[EthanSental]

Do you mean Ben Riggs? Mearls saw a slowdown but it clearly staying the dominant game by far, which is not contradicted by this

I did Mike M as part of his discussion was it was slowing down and people weren’t using it like before. My post is more of a tongue in cheek reference to his comments.

 

[Lalato]

There was definitely a slow down from about November through February. Things are starting to look more normal now.

One problem with prognositcation... is that sometimes the tea leaves don't always lead to true conclusions. It remains to be seen whether this recovery will last though.

 

[Lalato]

Unfortunately, one of the campaigns I backed was cancelled (Gardar Realms).

Here are the 5e Campaign Setting and Adventure Path crowdfunding campaigns I'm keeping an eye on right now.

Closed and Funded:

• Avalantas: Book 1 Dark Rising

Closed:

• Gardar Realm (1 week, 54%)

Open and Funded:

• Zamanora: Ballad of the Witch (2 week)
• Echoes of Heaven (1 week)
• Beyond the Woods (2 week)
• Wyrmhollow (2 week)
• Dark Moon Rises (2 week)
• Emberland (2 weeks)
• Transform & Roll Out (3 weeks)

Open:

• Noctis (5 weeks, 4%)
• Battleforce Chronicles (4 weeks, 1%)

 

[Wangalade]

The description of dark moon rises annoys me. They say they use a "unique" system to guide you through the adventure without a DM but don't actually tell you want that is, you have to go download the sample first to even know if it's a style you would like. All it is is just a choose your own adventure with 5e rules. There's nothing new or special about it. TSR did it back in 1983 with the Basic Set. So yeah not new or innovative, just one more tool. It just really gets to me when people publishing for 5e act as if they invented everything on their own.

Also nowhere else to really post this as you can't leave a comment on a Kickstarter page without being a backer

 

[mamba]

All it is is just a choose your own adventure with 5e rules. There's nothing new or special about it.

yep, not sure what is unique about that. And I hate that the first item says ‘go to 11’ without any options. In that case make me go on to two, or just keep going with 1 (I assume it is a separate item because you can get there from other numbers too)