This week’s RPG crowdfunding review looks at campaigns that end between September 12th to October 3rd. The order was determined by each RPGs tenuous connections, Drakar och Demoner publishers to products that touch on Asian-inspired ideas to 5e games offering additional system support to companies I freelance for to individuals I’ve talked with or gamed with. This week’s article was a lot of fun to write as I connected some dots.
Drakar och Demoner / Dragonbane from Free League Publishing
THE WORLD OF KENSEI - For 5E from RiotMinds
Asian Monsters for DnD 5E, Pathfinder 1E, & Pathfinder 2E from Legendary Games
Dungeon Delver's Guide: A Sourcebook for D&D 5E and A5E from EN Publishing
Sebastian Crowe's Guide to Drakkenheim from Dungeon Dudes and Ghostfire Gaming
Hexagram #10, an Old-School RPG Zine for The Fantasy Trip from Steve Jackson Games
A Selection of Slimes, Odd Oozes for RPGs by Philip Reed Games
Ice & Dice Tabletop Gaming Convention 2023
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.
Drakar och Demoner / Dragonbane from Free League Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, September 22 2022 3:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: SEK 798 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the boxed set, GM screen, and map
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 2022 is the 40th anniversary of Drakar och Demoner, “Scandinavia's first and biggest tabletop RPG.” Originally published as a Swedish translation of Steve Perrin's d100 Basic Role-Playing, the game evolved through a number of editions to have core mechanics as different as d100 and d20. Among its English language accomplishments, Drakar och Demoner formed the basis of RiotMinds’ d100 based Ruin Masters. For Free League, the new custodians of this legacy, they’re leaning into the edition’s d20 history, but with an eye towards modernized mechanics. Want to try this RPG out? Check out the campaign page for a free quickstart with pre-gen characters. I recommend reading through the pre-gens to get an idea of the gonzo team members you can put together: Mallard, wolfkin, halflings, elves, and humans. If you’re looking for a fun, beautifully illustrated fantasy RPG that employees a d20 in combination with the Year Zero Engine push your rolls feature, this is worth checking out.
THE WORLD OF KENSEI - For 5E from RiotMinds
- END DATE: Wed, September 21 2022 10:54 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: SEK 400 + SEK 250 S/H to the US for the PDF and print versions of both books
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: The World of Kensei - Quick View
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Speaking of RiotMinds, THE WORLD OF KENSEI - For 5E is live, offering two books, a core campaign setting and an adventure. These books present a new school of 5e magic, the Sanzang school (Death Magic), as well as the mythology, culture, and lands of Tatsu, a continent of old evil. Expect sub-classes, monsters, ancestries, and locations to add to your campaign. While the artwork and names might draw from real world mythologies, the campaign page has two sections discussing that this is both a fictional fantasy setting, and that the team will listen to feedback provided it is presented in a positive tone. If you’re curious about this setting and what it reads like, check out the campaign page for a free preview.
Asian Monsters for DnD 5E, Pathfinder 1E, & Pathfinder 2E from Legendary Games
- END DATE: Fri, September 23 2022 8:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, Pathfinder 1e, and Pathfinder 2e
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $16 for the PDF of the 5e version of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Legendary Games is crowdfunding another sourcebook giving D&D and Pathfinder fans a wealth of new monsters to combat. 100 creatures pulled from the mythologies of Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, written by a list of indigenous creators. If you’re looking for a volume of real world spirits, dragons, and supernatural beasts to encounter, this book offers something new for your gaming table.
Dungeon Delver's Guide: A Sourcebook for D&D 5E and A5E from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Mon, October 3 2022 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Level Up: Advanced 5E
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £50 + £14 S/H to the US for the PDF and print versions of the sourcebook
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Continuing to look at products for 5e and other systems, let’s talk about the Dungeon Delver’s Guide. 300 pages of Level Up: Advanced 5E content including character options such as ratling decomposer druids, doppelganger shadow stalker rogues, heritages, subclasses, monsters, spells, and everything else you’d need to build dungeons and an underground world in A5E. In addition, these rules are backwards compatible with 5e. If you’re a fan of Level Up: Advanced 5E, EN Publishing’s upgrade of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, then this book is an essential add to your library. If you haven’t tried out Level Up, then this campaign lets you catch up and add on the prior core books. Check out the campaign page for a preview of the book. If you’re eager to get the books, remember that the PDFs go out as soon as the campaign ends.
Sebastian Crowe's Guide to Drakkenheim from Dungeon Dudes and Ghostfire Gaming
- END DATE: Sat, September 17 2022 12:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $65 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book and the player’s journal
- DISCLAIMER: I blog for Ghostfire Gaming
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need even more content for your 5e campaign? How about a new Apothecary class, a sort of magic meets science combination, that’s the type of content that Sebastian Crowe's Guide to Drakkenheim provides. This book has new subclasses for every class, all focused on the dark fantasy world of Drakkenheim. As well, GMs and players will get new spells, feats, and more. If you’re a fan of the Dungeon Dudes, check out the campaign page for some free downloads to try out this project.
Hexagram #10, an Old-School RPG Zine for The Fantasy Trip from Steve Jackson Games
- END DATE: Mon, September 12 2022 5:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): The Fantasy Trip
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine and more
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the vault plus the PDF and print versions of the zine and book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? At Dragon Con 2022, I talked to Steven Jackson about this project, and it sounds like a great addition to The Fantasy Trip. This RPG zine is a collection of articles to enhance your TFT campaign. These include tips and tricks from many of the TFT experts including Steve Jackson. For me, one of the coolest parts of Hexagram #10 is Steve Jackson interviewing RPG artist, Rick Hershey. Because of their respective positions in the industry, I’m interested in reading what Steve and Rick share. In addition, the campaign offers a nicely printed box to store your zines in, that doubles as an interactive random loot table. But the hook of this campaign is David Pulzer’s 92-page, The T’reo School of Martial Magic, a deadly school where only the best survive its hazing of duels and training, this school is a great addition to TFT or any fantasy RPG.
A Selection of Slimes, Odd Oozes for RPGs by Philip Reed Games
- END DATE: Wed, September 14 2022 5:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): OSR
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $1 for the PDF of the project
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Speaking of Steve Jackson Games, its CEO, Philip Reed, has another RPG Kickstarter, the 10th of his planned 12 for 2022. Eleven different slimes for your OSR game await in this 32-page zine. Of the eleven, these three speak to me: Druid-Touched Slime, Merchant's Slime, and Necromancer's Slime. I don’t know what they are, but they sound like the ones I’d throw into my encounters. If slimes and related encounters sound like something your OSR campaign needs, check out this project, $1 gets you the PDF.
Ice & Dice Tabletop Gaming Convention 2023
- END DATE: Fri, September 30 2022 5:00 PM EDT.
- LOCATION & DATES: Cincinnati, Ohio from January 20th through 22nd, 2023.
- PROJECT TYPE: Gaming convention
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 for a weekend badge
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? At Gen Con, I was able to talk to the Ice & Dice Con team about their plans for the show. This convention promises a Dark Reunion, World of Darkness creators such as Mark Rein-Hagen, Bill Bridges, Phil Brucato, and many more appearing at the convention together. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the make-up campaign for Ice & Dice 2022, which, unfortunately, could not be held. With the 2023 edition, they’re honoring the original backers and opening up a campaign for new attendees. Sponsored by 2KingsGames, Lostlorn Games, Maximum Roll Entertainment, and Storm Bunny Studios, their guest list promises the Dark Reunion and a great deal of indie, small press, and third-party RPG games and experiences. In addition, they’re supporting charities like Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Extra Life, and Tabletop Gaymers Inc. Hotel rooms are discounted to $89 a night, letting you stay at the host hotel. If you’re a fan of indie RPGs and the World of Darkness and live in the Ohio area then this convention is worth checking out.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.
