RPG Crowdfunding News – Critical Role, Contagion Chronicles, Forbidden Library, Castles & Cats, and

Between April 19^th and 25^th, there are at least 18 RPG and RPG-related Kickstarters ending. Of those, I look at ten including the largest animation/RPG project ever on Kickstarter, Critical Role, as well as five third-party products for Dungeons & Dragons, two original systems, some odds and ends, and a Storyteller game. Let’s kick it off with:

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Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina Animated Special by Critical Role

• END DATE: Fri, April 19 2019 2:59 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Animated Series
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $100 plus S&H for The Legend of Vox Machina dice set, playing cards, art print, sticker set, and four versions of the “Your Turn to Roll” song

“Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina reunites your favorite heroes for a professional-quality animated special! Critical Role is a weekly livestreamed tabletop roleplaying game featuring a group of prominent voice actors, who happen to be best friends. Each week, veteran Game Master Matthew Mercer leads the cast through epic adventures set in the world of Exandria! Trust us — it’s rad. Our original storyline centered on a group of heroes known as Vox Machina — Pike Trickfoot (gnome cleric, Ashley Johnson), Keyleth (half-elf druid, Marisha Ray), Percival “Percy” Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III (human gunslinger, Taliesin Jaffe), Grog Strongjaw (goliath barbarian, Travis Willingham), Scanlan Shorthalt (gnome bard, Sam Riegel), Vex’ahlia (half-elf ranger, Laura Bailey), and Vax’ildan (half-elf rogue, Liam O’Brien) — as they battled the forces of evil and learned to work as a team. Their epic tale concluded in November, 2017 after 115 episodes and 373 hours of gameplay. This campaign allows us to create a bitchin’ high-quality, fantasy cartoon set in a world created by one of the most accomplished storytellers, Matthew Mercer. With heart-stopping action and side-splitting comedy, it will have something for everyone. The first few episodes of our animation will focus on a brand new Vox Machina adventure, which takes place before our show began streaming live on Twitch. But because of your incredible generosity, we’re following your lead and going for it, diving right into a series that begins the retelling of the saga of Vox Machina. The Briarwoods arc is one of the most exciting and popular storylines of the Vox Machina streaming campaign. The Briarwoods arc story so far… Vox Machina arrive in Percy's hometown, Whitestone, to avenge the murder of his family and the corruption of his city at the hands of the evil Briarwoods. Danger and betrayal lurk around every corner, and it will take all of Vox Machina's abilities to combat this deadly threat. Episodes 1 & 2: A brand new story centered around Vox Machina at level 7. Episodes 3, 4, 5, 6: Briarwoods arc! Episodes 7 & 8: Continuation of Briarwoods arc. Episodes 9 & 10: Continuation and conclusion of Briarwoods arc.”

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Hidden Oddities: A Witch's Primer by Eva Brown

• END DATE: Fri, April 19 2019 11:46 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF of Hidden Oddities: A Witch's Primer

“A Witch Class for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition with worldbuilding, 50+ spells, 2 backgrounds, and 7 Archetypes for the class. Witches have been in the world before many other magic users. The magic they wield is old, ritualistic, and powerful. They don’t have to rely on gods, pacts, or untold years of study as their power comes from the hidden knowledge of the world. This knowledge once thought to be lost, is being shared once again by Otherworldly beings who feel drawn to a certain few individuals. Those who form a companionship with these beings, start down the long road of the Witch. Not all survive the early stages of this path as the structured magical orders of the world see witches as a threat. With their Sacred Secrets, each witch has access to powerful knowledge that only they know and that others want. Because of this, far too many witches have been hunted down, persecuted, and interrogated for what they know. Most witches have survived by hiding and pretending to be druids, warlocks, or wizards but with the turning of the age a record number of new witches are coming into their power and refuse to be hunted in the dark. Hidden Oddities: A Witch’s Primer contains 100+ pages of new game material and world-building content for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. In this book you’ll find the brand-new Witch Class, 11 new Archetypes called Sacred Secrets, 2 new backgrounds, 100+ new spells, new items that any spellcaster could benefit from, and advice how to place witches into your world. This supplement is designed to work inside the system and to expand the options for Dungeon Masters and Players. The Witch is a full caster without spell slots and instead uses Curios as minor magical items that can be filled with either spell slots or wondrous effects. These Curios can be kept all to the Witch or be handed out to party members to help increase their effectiveness. Improved Ritual Casting lets you cast any spell inside your spellbook as long as you have enough time and people to perform a Greater Ritual. Instead of preparing spells after every long rest you get to choose which Curios to recharge after any rest.”

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Ruin Masters by RiotMinds

• END DATE: Fri, April 19 2019 12:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An updated version of the Drakar och Demoner system rooted in Basic Role-playing and RuneQuest
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: SEK 450 + SEK 200 US shipping for the Ruin Masters rulebook, PDF adventure, deck of cards, character sheets, 3d10s, a box, and more

“Classic Fantasy Roleplaying game. Enter the world of classic fantasy and old school tabletop gaming. Adventure in the ruins of the past, set out on a treasure hunt in Ruin Masters. Published for the first time in 1982, and with its roots in Steve Perrin's Basic Role-playing and RuneQuest games, the Swedish "Drakar och Demoner" was known for its basic and fun-to-play system and rules. Throughout the years the game has been one of the best-selling roleplaying games and the "retro version" that was released in Swedish 2016 is still one of the top selling games in Sweden. Now we want to expand this system with an updated, and re-designed English version of the classic game, including a rich portfolio of new art and design, a cover from Adrian Smith, interior art from renown artists such as Jesper Ejsing, Johan Egerkrans and not least Alvaro Tapia, who is well-known for his fabulous art in Trudvang Chronicles. Rulebook including character creation, general rules and the Caldarox world setting (the official world of Ruin Masters), dungeon crawling rules (drop lists, challenges, spawn lists, etc.) and monster stats. Softback, approx. 150-200 pages (pending on final format). This game is designed and produced by RiotMinds that brought you Trudvang Chronicles (Voted "the MOST ANTICIPATED GAME 2017" by the EN World community) and LexOccultum (named as "one of the top five games of 2018", Yawning Portal).”

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The Forbidden Library 5E by Alligator Alley Entertainment

• END DATE: Fri, April 19 2019 11:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 plus S&H for the PDF and print versions of The Forbidden Libray

“Adventure & sourcebook for D&D 5th Edition by Gregory A. Wilson, with contributions from many speculative fiction and RPG writers. Originally presented to authors in the Gen Con Writers Symposium as a series of adventures in front of a live audience, Tales and Tomes from the Forbidden Library is a fully compatible D&D 5E adventure for character levels 1-3, written by speculative fiction author Gregory A. Wilson. The adventure leads characters into the Eastern Wing of Hearthglow Academy's Library- where they will discover why it has been forbidden to students and teachers for twenty years. But Tales and Tomes is not only a three part adventure which can be placed in any 5E compatible setting; it is also a sourcebook, with prominent SFF authors and tabletop gaming professionals lending their talents to describe various books which can be found within the library - from grimoires of spells to weaponry manuals, from atlases of vanished lands to bestiaries cataloging legendary fauna, to fragments of lore, poetry, and art - and everything in between. Published by Alligator Alley Entertainment, ENnie-nominated publisher of Witch Hunter 2nd Edition and Esper Genesis, and featuring beautiful cover art by Sarah Dahlinger in both high quality print and PDF editions, Tales and Tomes from the Forbidden Library brings together mysterious creatures, a vibrant setting, and a compelling story into an adventure which DMs will love to run and players will love to play - and a sourcebook which will help enhance many future adventures as well.”

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Dungeon Crawl Classics: Soul for the Ocean Dark by The Keep Studios

• END DATE: Sun, April 21 2019 7:54 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeon Crawl Classics
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 plus S&H for the PDF and print Soul For The Ocean Dark as well as Sword In The Jungle Deep

“An original 0 level funnel adventure made for DCC RPG: The world is on the brink of destruction - Now is the time to test your mettle! Isolated in an ocean of eternal night, a lighthouse’ divine light protects people eking out a living against the ever-encroaching chaos. One day a thunderous howl echoes across the land. A flicker… a shudder. Then. Darkness. Even torches threaten to burn out as the creatures of the black Void crawl out to consume all they can catch. Can you relight the beacon of salvation before all you know, and love is devoured by the crawling dark? Soul for the Ocean Dark is a 0-level funnel adventure designed for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG system. It is the story of an impossible call to adventure with the highest of stakes: save a world interrupted or face certain doom. Players will create characters from a dark and isolated world which has never known a sun. A towering, mystical lighthouse provides the closest thing to natural light for this world. Since time immemorial, it has pushed back against the oppressive darkness of the Void, providing salvation from the endless horrors that await in the dark. Suddenly, the world is plunged into darkness. With the hope of their people on their shoulders, and sputtering torches in their hands, the players must seek the missing light. Judges, get your players ready for 20+ pages of adventure! In Soul for the Ocean Dark, the archipelago dotting the Shadow Sea is a hidden legend unto itself. Created eons ago by a pair of gods, not everything went according to plan. Even gods have limits, and the growth of this world has long been stilted. The ancient village of Omera’Palissada has always been on a razor’s edge of survival, fishing the dark waters for sustenance under the unfaltering lighthouse of their patron gods.”

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Brassman’s Adventure Club by William Fisher

• END DATE: Mon, April 22 2019 1:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Subscription service
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for three months worth of PDFs of 30-page adventure book, player handouts and maps, 30-page supplement book, and printable encounter and NPC quick cards, locations and maps

“Are you ready to get D&D 5e Adventure sent to you every month? How about a subscription box with everything you need to get right into action of your games with less prep time. As lifelong gamers and DM's, we remember really looked forward to getting the monthly Dungeon or Dragon magazine to find new great ideas to throw in to our games - and the frustrating hours of prep work that comes with crafting those unique stories and adventures for our players. So we created Brassman’s Adventure Club, a subscription service for DnD 5e content offering ready-to-play adventures and supplement books - just like the classic magazines - but with all the maps, minis, and play aids that give you everything necessary to get right into the fun parts of your game with less prep time. In every shipment are 2 books (60+ pages of content) - 1 adventure and 1 supplement - to help run your game smoother, with player handouts and durable chipboard quick use cards for creatures, NPC's and encounters. Digital subscribers get these as a .pdf download. We just got prototypes in for our amazing 24"x36" printed canvas Battlemaps - shipping every month to our top two subscription tiers. The "Instant Adventure" box and above include 10x die cut chipboad miniatures and stands that match each monthly adventure. These are a great way for new groups to start their library of play minis! For the top tier "DM's Toybox", every box will contain custom dice - In our first month we will have the "Kill it with Fire!" dice box, because when you cast that lvl 5 fireball, you're going to want 10 matching fireball dice, right? And we have a lot of ideas for things to aid your game in sublte ways, such as coasters listing all of the status condition rules (because every game needs coasters and it's always handy to have the difference between Restrained, Paralyzed, and Stunned...). Monthy Subscription Service for DnD Adventures and Accessories.”

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Castles & Cats by Christine Pruett

• END DATE: Thu, April 25 2019 8:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $140 + $20 US shipping for PDF and print of the 2- and 4-player Castles & Cats, PDF and print of 3 adventures

“Castle & Cats is a Tabletop, Role-Playing Game, for Preschool and Elementary aged children. Castles & Cats sets itself apart from other role-playing games by providing quick combat, original visually engaging components, and simplified game mechanics. With the help of a game master, kids will explore, fight and role-play their way through any adventure. My goal for Castles & Cats is to introduce young kids to the world of role-playing games while also building on age appropriate, social, communication, and critical thinking skills in a fun and imaginative environment. Castles & Cats is designed for a game master and 1-2 players. For larger groups the Full Party Expansion can add up to 2 more players onto the base game. Unlike many other pen and paper role playing games, players do not level up in Castles & Cats. Instead, players will gain abilities and progress through class items they buy or find on their adventures. Classes, Weapons, Armor and Companions add special abilities or spells which allow players to customize their characters. Each Class will have 5 sets of Armor, 4 companions, and 5 weapons. Castles & Cats strikes a balance between exploration, combat, and role playing. Similar to other roleplaying games, players will use a D20 die to check the success or failure of their role playing actions. I started working on Castles & Cats when my oldest son was three and my youngest only one. It was quite a year, both started speech therapy and my youngest was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder later the same year. The game sat in the dark for quite some time but as life settled progression on Castles & Cats grew. At that point I had a solid combat mechanic, but the game was still missing art and other key components. My youngest son is nonverbal and has been using a PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) to communicate with us for the past couple of years. The system allows a nonverbal child to use a series of pictures to request items or convey information, which would otherwise be spoken or written in text. It was my youngest son, and his way of communicating through pictures, which inspired the Castles & Cats’ visual character-building system, bringing my game the breath of life it was missing.”

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Broadsword Magazine by David Hamrick

• END DATE: Thu, April 25 2019 3:19 PM UTC +00:00.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Magazine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $42 including US shipping for PDFs and print of 3 issues of Broadsword Magazine

“Monthly Fifth Edition adventures in old school printed magazine format (available in PDF, too!). From popular internet game master and game designer, Dave Hamrick and cartographer and painter extraordinaire, Justin David Russell (Epic Werkes Studio) comes BroadSword Magazine, a throwback to the old RPG magazines of the '80s and '90s. Over 60,000 words of Fifth Edition compatible EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH. In fact... It's not a "magazine"... it's a monthly expansion BOOK! If you never experience the old RPG mags, they were more than just a collection of articles. The old magazines were expansion sets and rules supplements and they were PACKED with content. Each issue is like getting a NEW jam-packed full-sized Fifth Edition supplement in the mail. Full-length adventures. Never run out of campaign material with playtested, full-length adventures for all levels. Sub-classes. Add variety to your game with brand new sub-classes for all class levels. Monsters. Need more challenges? Look no further than brand new monsters with full stats and ecological notes. Spells, Magic Items, Rules Supplement and more! There's so much content that all of it could exist in a book by itself. Each dynamic issue of BroadSword Magazine includes four NEW and ORIGINAL Fifth-Edition compatible adventures, plus new monsters, races, subclasses, magic items, and more every month in both print and digital PDF formats.”

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Contagion Chronicle - a Chronicles of Darkness crossover by Onyx Path Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, April 25 2019 1:59 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Chronicles of Darkness
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 plus S&H for PDF, POD, and hardcover of The Contagion Chronicle

“Let's get the Contagion Chronicle crossover Chronicles of Darkness book into stores! The Contagion Chronicle is an overarching compendium of chronicle hooks, riveting settings, and Storyteller aids to help present all the Chronicles of Darkness game lines with one consistent story. In the chronicle, the Contagion acts as a motivational force and inspires the formation of factions where vampires, werewolves, mages, mummies, etc. come together in new and unique ways. Once joined together to deal with the Contagion, these factions will never see their world (or each other) the same way, and will be forever changed. Each time the Contagion emerges to threaten the fabric of our world, the only beings capable of manipulating, slowing, weaponizing, or halting it, are the unnatural denizens from across the Chronicles of Darkness. The Contagion permeates Infrastructure and warps the known antagonists and supporting blocks present in the lives of every inhuman being. The Chronicles of Darkness, which debuted in 2004 as the new World of Darkness, drew upon the roots of the original World of Darkness and introduced a new look into a shadowy, dangerous world. Players could step into the everyday shoes of mortals, or they could vie for power and control as a vampire, werewolf, changeling, geist sin-eater - and more. Now, some 15 years later, the Chronicles of Darkness and its supporting lines are flourishing, with each game receiving second editions, starting with the 2013 release of the Chronicles of Darkness rulebook. All of that development will be for naught, however, if the Contagion spreads, taking the supernatural world with it, and writing a single bleak end to all tales told in the Chronicles of Darkness. This Contagion Chronicle Kickstarter is designed to enable us to create a prestige hardcover edition designed to match the look and feel of our other Chronicles of Darkness core rulebooks such as Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, or Changeling: The Lost. We want to create an 8.5" x 11" hardcover with a beautifully designed, striking cover image printed on a metallic under layer, and featuring an emboss/deboss of the logo. We estimate the book to be more than 280+ pages, with a two-color interior and endpapers on high quality paper stock. Exceptional funding may allow us to add Stretch Goals that further develop the setting and add additional materials for play, including rules for multi-type supernatural interactions and new locations and manifestations of the Contagion!”

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Wyrmkeep Dungeons TZ2: Curse of the Desert Outpost by Wyrmkeep Entertainment

• END DATE: Thu, April 25 2019 5:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $12 + $3 US shipping for the PDF and softcover of the Curse of the Desert Outpost

“5th Edition fantasy RPG module for a party of 2nd to 4th level characters who seek to retrieve a critical token from a cursed outpost. Are you a gamemaster looking for a fun and challenging adventure to add to your ongoing campaign? Or maybe you just want a scenario you can run for your players that can be completed in one or two sessions? In either case, I have just what you want… Wyrmkeep Dungeons TZ2: Curse of the Desert Outpost is a fantasy role-playing-game adventure module designed for a band of 5-8 5e DnD characters of 2nd to 4th level. A mansion, once an oasis and outpost for a sheikdom and its clan, has mysteriously reappeared after being lost to the desert sands decades ago. This mansion’s location is significant in possibly resolving a simmering border dispute between multiple clans, which has lead the current sheik to hire a party of adventurers to scout the building and recover a token of authority that should be found within. Rumors state that the entire place was cursed by the attackers (or maybe the defenders). Even if that is true, with courage and resourcefulness, the explorers surely can overcome the many threats of the Curse of the Desert Outpost and collect the riches that remain.”

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[Pagansexy]

You miss an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT kick starter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gametogrow/critical-core/description

END DATE: Thu, April 25 2019 8:00 AM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): An original system
PROJECT TYPE: Facilitator's Guide - Player & Game Master Guides - Adventure Modules - Dice (4 sets) - Character Sheets - Game Cards - Game Tokens - Reusable map
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: Pledge US$ 50 or more STARTER SET - FOR YOU

"Critical Core is a tabletop role-playing game designed to help kids on the autism spectrum build social skills and confidence. It's a great way for parents to engage with their children at home, and for professionals and experienced gamers to use as a group social skills tool.'

 

[Travis Henry]

In Castles & Cats, I'd suggest replacing the word "combat" with "scuffle."

 

[QuestsandChaos]

You also missed this amazing one from a fast growing company. https://www.kickstarter.com/project...y-the-dreaded-accursed-for-5th-edi?ref=ab52gc

 

[QuestsandChaos]

Oh. This one just started sonits not ending in this window.

 

[Egg Embry]

You miss an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT kick starter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gametogrow/critical-core/description

END DATE: Thu, April 25 2019 8:00 AM EDT.
SYSTEM(S): An original system
PROJECT TYPE: Facilitator's Guide - Player & Game Master Guides - Adventure Modules - Dice (4 sets) - Character Sheets - Game Cards - Game Tokens - Reusable map
MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: Pledge US$ 50 or more STARTER SET - FOR YOU

"Critical Core is a tabletop role-playing game designed to help kids on the autism spectrum build social skills and confidence. It's a great way for parents to engage with their children at home, and for professionals and experienced gamers to use as a group social skills tool.'

Pagansexy,

This game is near and dear to my heart!

What's interesting is I have a different end date showing up on my KS page as ending on "[FONT=&quot]Fri, April 26 2019 3:00 AM EDT.[/FONT]" As such, Critical Core is on my list to lead next week's column. :-D

 

[Thoth11]

Nice article, as always!

 

[Balistyx]

This one just dropped yesterday:

https://www.gameontabletop.com/crowdfunding-189.html#project-block-details

A new updated version of the classic GDW Dark Conspiracy. It is being run by Clockwork Publishing, the same group that produced the most recent version of another GDW classic Space 1889.

https://clockwork-publishing.com

 

[messy]

vox machina is an interesting group -- two gnomes, three half-elves, and no arcane casters (not counting the bard).