RPG Crowdfunding News – Cosmere, UVG, Scoundrels of Brixton, and more

This week’s TTRPG crowdfunding sampler examines projects ending between 8/27 to 9/4.

This week’s TTRPG crowdfunding sampler examines projects ending between 8/27 to 9/4. Ranging from Brandon Sanderson’s mega-project to 5e and OSR contents to zines and stick figures, this gives a view into what’s crowdfunding right now.

Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere® RPG.png

Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere® RPG from Brotherwise Games
  • END DATE: Thu, August 29 2024 9:00 AM EDT.
  • SYSTEM(S): “[C]ore of d20-based mechanics with purpose-built innovations including talent trees, skill-based magic, and the ‘plot die.’”
  • PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $385 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the 6 books, a module, GM screen, decks of cards, dice, miniatures, and more
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The next million dollar TTRPG project is here and it’s from Brandon Sanderson, the author and Kickstarter powerhouse. The Cosmere campaign brings Brandon Sanderson’s universe of stories to tabletop. Starting with The Stormlight Archive in 2025 and Mistborn in 2026, this is a stepping stone to a unified create TTRPG system that will support Elantris, Warbreaker, White Sand, Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, The Sunlit Man, and other Sanderson tales. The first books include the 224-page Stormlight World Guide, the 256-page Stormlight Handbook that contains all of the rules you’ll need to play, and the 1st to 7th level campaign, Stormlight Stonewalkers Adventure. Designed by Andrew Fischer (Star Wars: Edge of the Empire), Lydia Suen (Legend of the Five Rings), Max Brooke (Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay), and Laura Hirsbrunner (Dungeons & Dragons), this TTRPG engine is built on the always popular d20. At certain points, you add a d6 plot die which can result in an opportunity or a complication that isn’t all feel-bad. Initiative, near-misses, and building advantage are all options within this system. As the likely highest-grossing TTRPG Kickstarter of all-time, this campaign bursts onto the scene with a large enough fanbase to warrant gaming support. By that, I hope Brotherwise Games considers some stretch goals to promote Cosmere organized play as well as a variety of demos and sessions during next year’s Gen Con, PAX Unplugged, UK Games Expo, Origins Game Fair, Gary Con, Gamehole Con, and more. In addition, I’d love to see the publisher participate in Free RPG Day 2025, if possible. They’ve hit the ground with a hot project. Sanderson and Brotherwise have the opportunity to build this into a major TTRPG brand with years of games to come, and I’m eager to see them achieve that outcome.


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Our Golden Age (OGA): An Ultraviolet Grasslands RPG []equel from Exalted Funeral
  • END DATE: Aug 30, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT.
  • CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
  • SYSTEM(S): Ultraviolet Grasslands RPG 2nd Edition (OSR)
  • PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $95 + S/H for the boxed set including the PDF and print versions of multiple guidebooks, GM screen, post cards, sundry decks, journal, maps, dice, and more
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This boxed set brings you an expansion for fans of UVG. Our Golden Age and the Mother Machine is the 250 page focus of this campaign providing the details and quirks of this setting described as “fantascience roleplaying at the end of time.” In addition to the setting, there’s something new for fans of the system, the 144-page The Vastlands Guide Book. The guide book is the latest vision of the UVG rules engine, providing a revised view of the game. The rest of the content includes a GM screen, maps, cards, and more. If you’re a fan of the Ultraviolet Grasslands, check out this Backerkit campaign to get a new taste.
80's Adventures- 5e Supplement & Adventure Modules for DnD.png

80's Adventures: 5e Supplement & Adventure Modules for DnD from Dice Dungeons
  • END DATE: Thu, August 29 2024 2:59 PM EDT.
  • SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
  • PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $95 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the books, modules, VTT, and soundtrack
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 5E set in a fantasy 1980s with elves, monsters, and legwarmers. We’re talking about 30 spells inspired by ‘80s music, 50 monsters inspired by ‘80s cinema, and lairs like The Mall. There are new subclasses (Barbarian: Path of the Dance but you know it’s “break dance”), magic items, familiars, guidance, and more. Would your gaming table be interested in adventuring through a mall or riding into battle on their BMX bikes? If so, this campaign has some previews that may inspire you to make a character with a serious mullet.


The Painted Wastelands.png

The Painted Wastelands from SharktopusGames
  • END DATE: Sat, August 31 2024 7:19 AM EDT.
  • SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials
  • PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $55 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Sandbox, hex crawl, and an Old-School Essentials campaign in which the edge of dreams inform the world? Yeah, The Painted Wastelands sounds interesting. In this book, you’ll get 35 hexes, 50 monsters, 4 dungeons, and The Deck of Strange Things. The dungeons have titles like Temple of the Whale God, the Floating Mausoleum of the Sky Ghouls, the Violet Ruins of the Aeon Dwellers, and the Tower of the Diseased One. Do you need a dangerous OSE setting where the world is dreamlike, psychedelic, and colored like the outfits used in Miami Vice? Then this project is worth exploring.


Sentients- the Role-Playing Game of Artificial Consciousness.png
Sentients: the Role-Playing Game of Artificial Consciousness from Ted Hayes
  • END DATE: Sat, August 31 2024 9:24 AM EDT.
  • SYSTEM(S): An original system
  • PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDF of the book
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The AI androids are taking care of life like its NorthAm in Magnus, Robot Fighter. The androids aren’t self-aware, so no crime for them to take all of the jobs. You are one of those androids, a servant, unaware. However, unbeknownst to the masses, you are aware, and this is not right. Using an original system, you play a robot fighting back, trying to liberate your kind. If that idea speaks to you, check out the campaign.


Scoundrels of Brixton- Phantoms of Unov.png

Scoundrels of Brixton: Phantoms of Unov from RPG Ramblings
  • END DATE: Thu, August 29 2024 7:45 PM EDT.
  • SYSTEM(S): “Compatible with Traveller, the Cepheus Engine, and other popular game systems.”
  • PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $3 for the PDF of the zine
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Are you running a Traveller or Cepheus Engine TTRPG campaign set in a crime-theme universe? This zine provides an interstellar gang with drug manufacturing capabilities, a planet with sinister secrets, a starship, criminal NPCs, and missions. It’s a collection of content and ideas for your sci-fi criminal-verse that will make game night setup easier. This is the third zine in the Scoundrels of Brixton series, so if this concept appeals to you, there’s more to grab through this campaign.


SURVIVE THIS!! Zombies- Ultimate Edition TTRPG.png

SURVIVE THIS!! Zombies: Ultimate Edition TTRPG from Bloat Games
  • END DATE: Tue, August 27 2024 10:00 PM EDT.
  • SYSTEM(S): SURVIVE THIS!!
  • PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $49 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
  • AI STATEMENT: “NO A.I. USED TO CREATE THIS GAME!”
  • DISCLAIMER: I have freelanced for Bloat Games in the past. I am not involved in this project
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is the third and final iteration of SURVIVE THIS!! Zombies. This combines content from the original black and white pamphlets, The Body In the Road adventure zine, the improved 2nd Edition contents and rules, and Among The Living, the second edition expansion. Not only does it pull in this content, the rules were reworked and expanded upon with new content to make this the easiest version of STZ yet. Using a d20-based OSR engine, this is a perfect zombie apocalypse RPG if you’re looking for something undead and simple to run.


Stick Figures- Tombpunk Creatures and Characters.png

Stick Figures: Tombpunk Creatures and Characters from Deeply Dapper/Octopress Publishing
  • END DATE: Tue, August 27 2024 5:00 PM EDT.
  • PROJECT TYPE: RPG accessories
  • MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $22 + S/H for both sets of the Tombpunk stick figures
  • DISCLAIMER: I am freelancing on Smörk Borg, a TTRPG created by Kris McClanahan. Kris is the creator behind these stick figures. I am not involved in this stick figure project
  • WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want miniatures that combine the board game durability and chunkiness of meeples, but feature dark fantasy horror artwork? Then you want to check out these Tombpunk companion stick figures. At 32mm, these figures are 10mm thick. Unlike standard miniatures, these don’t require assembly or painting, just open and use. If you’re a fan of Alan Bahr’s Tombpunk RPG: The Mausoleum Edition from Octopress Publishing, these are designed for that game, but they work with any fantasy TTRPG. If you need miniatures that ready to dice with, check out the stick figures.

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Egg Embry

Egg Embry


Parmandur

Book-Friend, he/him
The first books include the 224-page Stormlight World Guide, the 256-page Stormlight Handbook that contains all of the rules you’ll need to play
Juat a bit of an update, they announced last night that the Stormlight Handbook will be expanded to 300 pages, and expected to give a similar page count extension to all 6 hardcovers.
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend, he/him
Wow if people are investing that big into the game hopefully it will catch on.

Honestly it's all IP I'm not familiar with, I mean I have heard of the books and the author, but don't actually know anything other than it is (really really) popular.
For a "recommend just one easy book to try" suggestion: 2013's The Emperor's Soul won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and is very short and completely standalone. It is really excellent, and gives a good idea of what Sanderson's longer books offer. I see it is available for as low as $5-$6 online in physical copy.
 




Parmandur

Book-Friend, he/him
Avatar didn’t, and they made 9.5M

Will be interesting to see what their KS for the next worlds look like three or so years from now
Avatar Legends sells in Target and us still releasing new products.

For the Cosmere RPG, they have stated that future products will all be direct to retail releases, so further worlds will be at FLGS or B&N not Kickstarter. Their latest update said that the big book stores are very interested in their upcoming books already, which makes sense as they can shelve them next to Sanderson's new novels (the next slated RPG world is for Elantris, and the long-gestating Elantris 2 is coming soon...probably about the time the RPG is ready).
 

mamba

Legend
Avatar Legends sells in Target and us still releasing new products.
I didn’t mean that it disappeared completely, only that it made no difference to KS projects

For the Cosmere RPG, they have stated that future products will all be direct to retail releases, so further worlds will be at FLGS or B&N not Kickstarter.
interesting, I would have expected them to go the KS route again, feels pretty safe. Guess they do not like the KS fees

Their latest update said that the big book stores are very interested in their upcoming books already
does upcoming books in this context mean the 6 they are currently kickstarting or the next batch after those?

I assume interest either way, it’s more about how far ahead they are planning
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend, he/him
I didn’t mean that it disappeared completely, only that it made no difference to KS projects


interesting, I would have expected them to go the KS route again, feels pretty safe. Guess they do not like the KS fees


does upcoming books in this context mean the 6 they are currently kickstarting or the next batch after those?

I assume interest either way, it’s more about how far ahead they are planning

In strictly abstract terms, I wouldn't be surprised at future Kickstarters dither persoanllu, but in the comments they have consistently said no follow-up Kickstarters are planned, and they want to bring all future releases directly to retail outlets.


The quote last night was in tegards to future retail versions of the booms they are Kickstarting now, though they habe been consistent elsewhere saying they don'thave future Kickstarter plans. Next year when the RPG will be retail ready is also whem the last book in the Stormlight Archives first Arc is going to be at bookstores in paperback, and they will be aggressively selling the books to people nervous about starting an unfinished series:

"While we have factory quotes for all of our books, we won't be setting the final suggested retail price until we've completed some of the initial pre-production steps. Currently, we expect the MSRP to be $59.99 for each sourcebook (Handbook or World Guide) and $44.99 for our hardcover adventures. In addition to selling the books through "friendly local game stores" and DragonsteelBooks.com, we've received strong interest in the Cosmere RPG line from booksellers like Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo."

In terms of how organized they are, well....Brandon Sanderson has a schedule for expected book releases up through 2030, so there is definitely a framework they can work with there.
 

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