RPG Crowdfunding News – Carbon 2185, Black Void, and more

These RPG crowdfunding projects end by November 19th. Using the new “RPG Crowdfunding News” format in which I share links, images, and why I chose to spotlight these nine RPGs.

Carbon 2185 | A Cyberpunk RPG | Terminal Overdrive from Dragon Turtle Games

• END DATE: Fri, November 13 2020 2:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook and sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £60 + £17 US S/H for the PDFs and hardcovers of both books
• OTHER REPORTING: In 2019, I talked with Andrew J Lucas about his work on Interlinked | A Carbon 2185 Mission Book at the Tessera Guild (here). In May, Morrus and Pete spoke to Robert Marriner-Dodds on their podcast about the RPG and they followed up with him on this Kickstarter here. If you’re looking for a review of the game, I recommend Andrew Girdwood’s review at GeekNative.
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN?Carbon 2185 combines cyberpunk and 5e without the fantasy elements. Focusing on design, excellent artwork, and creating sourcebooks to expand the game (something lacking in many RPGs in the latter half of the 2010s), this campaign funds a new book of adventures to the line, Terminal Overdrive (150 pages), plus adding 10 pages to the existing core rulebook bringing it to 294 pages. If you’re looking for the cyberpunk 5e hack, try Carbon 2185.

Crown of the Oathbreaker from Elderbrain.com

• END DATE: Thu, November 19 2020 6:51 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Pathfinder 2e
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF and POD of the book plus additional PDFs
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Check out the 10-page adventure summary here (Warning: Spoilers)
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Much like last week’s The Ooze and You!, deciding to produce their work in both 5e and Pathfinder 2e makes this project stand out. This 300-page dark adventure covers levels 5 to 12, an interesting range compared to many paths, as your characters campaign through cursed ravaged lands, the shadowrealm, and Hell. This campaign is built from 2,000 responders answers to an elaborate surveyElderbrain conducted to find what gamers really want in a campaign. It’s worth looking at this just to see what a crowdsourced campaign looks like.

We Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost: Halloween Horror For 5E from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Fri, October 30 2020 7:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £7 for all five of this campaign’s PDFs
• DISCLOSURE: This project is published by EN Publishing, parent company of EN World
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Originally published in EN5ider Magazine, these five supplements total 40 pages of spooky 5e content just in time for Halloween (the PDFs will be distributed as soon as the campaign closes, as is EN Publishing’s hallmark). Two of the supplements add ghost-hunting player/class options, one offers magical Halloween masks, one is a collection of templates to add to your monsters, and the last is a 14-page adventure, all right for the season.

Perilous Roleplaying Game from Murder Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, November 19 2020 9:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $45 + $9 US S/H for the PDF and hardcover, print & play deck, GM-less deck, Role & Role20 modules, and a gift PDF
• OTHER REPORTING: Perilous interview coming soon. At d20 Radio, I talk about another game from Jordan Palmer, Arcana Academy. At EN World and d20 Radio, I’ve spoken with Spenser Starke about Alice is Missing and at EN World about Kids on Brooms
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Jordan (For the Dungeon!, Arcana Academy) Palmer, Spenser (Alice Is Missing, Kids on Brooms, Icarus) Starke, and other creators combine to make a dungeon crawling RPG that requires a d20 and uses descriptive problem solving instead of encouraging HP elimination. Optionally, using their guide cards you can run this without a GM. While I’m a fan of both creator’s work, if you’re not sure if Perilous is for you then try the preview of the game on the campaign page.

The Excellents RPG & Princess Accessories from 9thLevelGames

• END DATE: Thu, November 12 2020 1:58 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Polymorph
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook, sourcebook, and extras
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 + $4 US S/H for the physical copies of both books
• OTHER REPORTING: Interview with Chris O’Neill and Adriel Wilson coming at d20 Radio
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 9thLevelGames produces a range of game including the fantastic Free RPG Day anthology, Level 1 2020 (with another coming in 2021). In The Excellents, you’re a princess in a cartoon world ready to be amazing and awesome! The rules light core book was nominated for two ENnie Awards, and this Kickstarter adds to that with a sourcebook, dice, and more.

MORTASHEEN: a weird, MONSTROUS pen & paper RPG world! from Jonathan Wojcik

• END DATE: Sat, November 14 2020 4:18 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $55 for the hardcover
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The art. This 100 to 150 page book should be loaded up with bizarre images and that’s where its strength lies. Jonathan Wojcik shares a lot of the vision for the setting in which you play as weird monsters (of which there are many), but not a lot about the RPG’s mechanics (though there are some hints here). There’s heavy emphasis on the unique and gonzo nature of this world combined with the fact that they started developing the RPG in 2009 and hope to have it out in 2021.

Black Void: Under Nebulous Skies from Modiphius Entertainment and Black Void Games

• END DATE: Sat, November 14 2020 9:00 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: DKK 230 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover of the book plus an MP3
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: BLACK VOID: FREE Quickstart is free at DriveThruRPG
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This unique setting makes you part of the lost tribes of humanity scattered across the cosmos. It’s an RPG that requires more intellectual investment in the world than, say, D&D or Pathfinder. To climb onboard, you’ll need to read about concepts like Llyhn, the Eternal City of the cosmos that humanity survives in, and accept them in order to invest in the wider game and system. To help define that setting, this 250-page supplement offers a campaign for your Black Void games with player and GM options. If you’re looking for a detailed, original setting, then I’d recommend the quickstart as your tour guide to this RPG and campaign.

Dragonbond: Great Wyrms of Drakha from Draco Studios

• END DATE: Thu, November 19 2020 3:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module and miniatures
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Great Wyrms of Drakha offers seven, four-session adventures across a 180-page book in which you fight seven dragons. Beyond the adventures, there are new monsters, NPCs, treasures, and more. But the standout is the art and miniatures, they look incredible and give depth to the concept of facing off against great wyrms.

WanderSquares: The Underwood Tunnels from Matthew Carlson

• END DATE: Thu, November 19 2020 10:20 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + $16 US S/H for the boxed set and twelve player pieces
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign brings to life a tabletop RPG with board game elements. Designed for players age 9 and up, you explore the world by connecting location tiles, each promising an adventures including boss fights. This boxed set of 32 tiles, 32 treasure cards, multiple books, dice, and character pieces will provide characters to play and build out a world to solve, one that’s filled populated with easy-to-use adventures.

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[imagineGod]

With Carbon 2185 revised for 5th Edition D&D, there is no need for any other cyberpunk game. Even the earlier Altered Carbon will probably never get played by my group when we have the rules of Carbon 2185 for use. Just need a good translation of Altered Carbon into Carbon 2185.

This new OGL is the perfect solution for Third Party Publishers.

 

[Warren Ellis]

With Carbon 2185 revised for 5th Edition D&D, there is no need for any other cyberpunk game. Even the earlier Altered Carbon will probably never get played by my group when we have the rules of Carbon 2185 for use. Just need a good translation of Altered Carbon into Carbon 2185.

This new OGL is the perfect solution for Third Party Publishers.

How does Genefunk 2090 compare to Carbon 2185?

 

[dwayne]

I backed the Carbon 2185 and the We Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost: Halloween Horror For 5E, i am kind of collecting alternative rule books for 5th edition relating to modern and sci fi.

 

[TheIdeaOfGood]

How does Genefunk 2090 compare to Carbon 2185?

I own both books but must confess not having read through Carbon yet. Our group plays GeneFunk and it works really well. There is only a barebones description of the world in GeneFunk, though.

 

[Warren Ellis]

I own both books but must confess not having read through Carbon yet. Our group plays GeneFunk and it works really well. There is only a barebones description of the world in GeneFunk, though.

I find it slightly annoying Genefunk is in metric, at lewst the bits I saw in a sort of early access vereion of it. Maybe that has changed.