The holidays cause a glut followed by a famine of RPG crowdfunding projects and quickstarters. With this week’s article, we are past the famine as I look at the last of the January projects, all of which look amazing. To boot, all of these reviews were requested. Fans and creators reached out to ask if I’d take a look at these, and I’m glad that they did. I can’t cover every request, but when I can, I’m happy to, and this week includes a list of winners.
Limitless Encounters vol. 3 from Limitless Adventures
Rune and Steel from R&S_Developers
Mythos Monsters: 40+ Lovecraftian horrors for DnD 5E from Legendary Games
Enchanted Trinkets II for D&D 5th Edition from EN Publishing
The Chronicles of Aeres: A classical fantasy setting for 5E from Dueling Dragon Adventures
Space Aces: TNG (The New Guidebook) from T-Rex Games
Beyond this week’s project, Kickstarter announced that Zine Quest 3 is coming this February! I’m impressed with this initiative because it has, more or less, single-handedly restored RPG zines to the prominence they enjoyed in the early days of gaming. I already know this year will be a deluge of great content and I can’t wait to check out all of the zines!
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG and Amazon.
Limitless Encounters vol. 3 from Limitless Adventures
- END DATE: Sat, January 30 2021 12:59 AM EST.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure modules
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDF of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need 100 Fifth Edition random encounters in a 100 page black and white book? How about having the hundred encounters divided into ten different environments so the location and encounter type can be matched up? On the campaign page, you’ll find a sample page showing what the encounter is like with the location, setup, stats, strategy, treasure, and further adventures related possible coming out of this adventure. Getting to see the ideas behind this project grounds what this book offers. Add to all of this, it’s from Limitless Adventures, the creators behind thousands of pages of well-received 5e content over the years.
Rune and Steel from R&S_Developers
- END DATE: Fri, January 29 2021 6:15 PM EST.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $80 for the hardcover of the rulebook, GM screen PDF, starter adventure PDF, dice, and runes
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This RPG spotlights the Viking Age with an original system that highlights the society and mythology of that world. Created by a father and son team, this RPG gives more attention to the social side of this era. Not to say it shies away from combat, it does not, but there are specific mechanics for social standing and influence. How much it delves into the horrors of day-to-day Viking life, I could not say, but it’s worth considering that Vikings lived a different lifestyle that we practice today. Leaning into that, you not only get the deadly encounters of the Vikings, you also get a more structured society than many RPGs offer. Combined with magic and crafting, this game engineers crunch in non-typical directions. Visualizing this project is Martin Sobr, who crafts some beautiful imagery to inspire your games. If you’re looking for a new take on how to run Vikings, this RPG is worth exploring.
Mythos Monsters: 40+ Lovecraftian horrors for DnD 5E from Legendary Games
- END DATE: Wed, January 20 2021 11:59 PM EST. (Quickstarter)
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + $6 US S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 72-page, full-color book offers 5e horrors based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth. The list of 5e Mythos monsters includes deep ones, faceless stalkers, shantaks, gugs, nightgaunts, primal shoggoths, the mi-go, elder things, Cthulhu, and more. But the most interesting option are a collection of tools and templates to turn other 5e monsters into pseudonatural xenoid monstrosities. While this is not the first attempt to bring the Mythos to 5e, this one is crafted by Legendary Games, creators with a great track record for making RPGs, well, legendary.
Enchanted Trinkets II for D&D 5th Edition from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Tue, January 19 2021 5:00 PM EST. (Quickstarter)
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £7 for the PDF of the book
- DISCLAIMER: EN Publishing is the parent company of EN World
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is the sequel to EN Publishing’s 65 Enchanted Trinkets for D&D 5th Edition Kickstarter. This time around, you can pick up that original book as well as the new one, which offers 53 additional magical trinkets. These aren’t artifacts or game changers, instead these are unique ideas, items that will give character to your character. This collection of five mini-supplements offers you all of these tools in a single location. For example, the first booklet, Enchanted Trinkets: Relics of a Lost Age, features eight magic items that hint at fallen kingdoms, which might be used as wonderful plot hooks or clues. Thanks for the Memories gives eleven items with in-game bonuses plus memories of items creator or users. The other three booklets follow a similar pattern of multiple items that offer roleplaying opportunities as well as plot hooks. It’s worth checking out to spice up the treasure hordes of your campaign.
The Chronicles of Aeres: A classical fantasy setting for 5E from Dueling Dragon Adventures
- END DATE: Sun, January 31 2021 8:16 PM EST.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF of the book
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: The Chronicles of Aeres Preview: The Witch Class is free at DriveThruRPG
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 160-page book offers a campaign setting that draws heavily from old school traditions as well as from the ideas of Tolkien’s body of work, all serving as a touchstone for further adventures. (To be clear, this is not a Middle-earth product, officially or otherwise. It builds on the fantasy spirit of adventure.) You’ll get 18 player ancestries cultures, 3 new classes (Witch, Dreamcaller, and Alchemist), a pantheon of deities, NPCs, monsters, organizations, story hooks, and more. If you’re looking for larger than life adventures with a classic D&D feel, this project may speak to you.
Space Aces: TNG (The New Guidebook) from T-Rex Games
- END DATE: Fri, January 29 2021 10:07 AM EST.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $5 for the PDF of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 25-page RPG zine lets you conduct lighthearted sci-fi adventures using an OSR inspired system that includes structural ideas taken from Powered by the Apocalypse style games. What’s most interesting about this RPG are the number of options: GM led games, co-op games, and solo RPGs, all are possible with this system. Due to the length of the zine, I believe the pages of this zine will be packed with information to cover these options. If you’re still not sure if this is for you, T-Rex Games offers two Pay What You Want previews (Space Aces Supplemental: That One Where and Space Aces: TOS (The Original Sheets)) to sample and decide.
Beyond this week’s project, Kickstarter announced that Zine Quest 3 is coming this February! I’m impressed with this initiative because it has, more or less, single-handedly restored RPG zines to the prominence they enjoyed in the early days of gaming. I already know this year will be a deluge of great content and I can’t wait to check out all of the zines!
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG and Amazon.
