RPG Crowdfunding News – Nightfell, Mechanical Monsters, A5E Gate Pass Gazette Annual, and more

This week’s list of RPG crowdfunding projects ends between January 24th to February 9th. There are a lot of quality projects floating out there, and I’m sharing a sampling of them here. Beyond this week’s projects, it’s that time of the year again, pre-ZineQuest. ZineQuest is a Kickstarter initiative that promotes RPG zines. In January of each year, I get multiple daily requests to cover various zines. I adore these requests because I adore zines. That said, I don’t get to cover every zine or even respond to each of the requests. But, as many of them as I can, I will share during February. Until then, enjoy some of the coolest offerings available via crowdfunding.

Nightfell - Children of the Moon from Grim Moon Studio

• END DATE: Wed, February 1 2023 4:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €45 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want lycanthropy in your 5e campaign? Like, over 200 pages of werewolves including a new class (Werebeast), new types of magic, a bestiary, lycanthrope religions, their conflicts with vampires, and so much more. If you are a fan of monsters, this promises to be a great book coming from a group of Golden Ennies Award winners (Best Monster / Adversary in 2022). If you are interested in hybrids and the like, check out this project’s free preview linked on the campaign page.

Action-Heroes RPG from Outland Entertainment

• END DATE: Tue, January 24 2023 11:58 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for the PDF and discounted POD versions of the book
• ADDITIONAL REPORTING: I interviewed Christopher Helton about this project and its ashcan edition here
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need a nostalgic taste of superheroes but created with a modern RPG sensibility? Action-Heroes brings a polished street level superhero RPG to your gaming table. Designed by Christopher Helton, a creator from both RPG and comics (and my former editor here at EN World), this is his love letter to many of the great four color funnies including those from Charlton Comics. Did you collect Charlton Comics’ Action Hero lines? From the late 1960s, this line of comics included future DC Comic characters like Blue Beetle, Peacemaker, and The Question. It helped to inspire this project as did other fun books. If you’re a fan of superheroes and action, this RPG is worth checking out.

Mechanical Monsters: Clockworks & Cyborgs for 5E from Legendary Games

• END DATE: Fri, February 3 2023 9:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, Pathfinder 1e, and Starfinder
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $19 for the PDF of the 5e version of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a monster compendium featuring 140 constructed beasts to add to your gaming table. Designed for 5e and PF1e (with support for Starfinder), you’re getting constructs born of pure fantasy to steampunk to sci-fi. If you like clockworks, constructs, animated beings, and cyborgs, this book offers a variety of CRs to pit your players against.

GrymWyrd Tales - Volume 3 & 4 from STONEworks Gaming

• END DATE: Tue, January 24 2023 11:30 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventures
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $6 for both PDFs
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need weird horror adventures? This pair of adventures adds some additional options to the GrymWyrd series. Coming in at 12 to 24 pages each, these adventures give you something less common for 5e, horror. The third volume is written by Zac Goins, the fourth is by Graham Ward of Darkplane famous. If you’re looking for some mature audience weird adventures, this may fit the bill.

Azrael's Guide to the Apocalypse from Red Panda Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, February 2 2023 10:00 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $199 (with free shipping) for the PDF and print versions of the book, deck, miniatures, dice, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 5e campaign covers higher levels, 10 to 20, which isn’t the unusual element of this project (though being higher level is unusual). No, this is different because the story, events, and NPCs are based on the biblical book of Revelation. Featuring Azrael, the Angel of Death, and the Seven Seals, it’s not common for RPGs that take a specific page from the Bible and turn it into a game. If you’re curious to see if the results worked, check the campaign page for a link to a preview.

Adaptable Encounters - The Lance and Starship (5e & OSR) from ND Hobbies

• END DATE: Fri, February 3 2023 2:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and OSR
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventures
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: MX$60 for all 3 PDFs in both systems
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? For about US$4, you get three PDF collections of encounters with titles like Knight & Dragons, Space Perils, and The Bridge of Suffering. Each one has ten themed encounters to drop into your adventures. These encounters are largely system agnostic, but the monsters have 5e and OSR stat blocks, so you can use them in a range of system.

Realms Of Elghrune Box Set from Super Bloodmoon Studios

• END DATE: Mon, February 6 2023 5:57 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the boxed set and contents in PDF and print
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a complete, rules lite science fantasy RPG available as a boxed set. On a world with millions of dungeons, you’re tasked with clearing them, with helping kickstart the dawn of a new era. The world and original system are shared through multiple sub-100-page books. If a world honeycombed with dungeons appeals to you, check out the campaign page for a free preview of the project.

Paranormal Power from Steampunkette

• END DATE: Thu, February 2 2023 1:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Level Up! Advanced Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 for the PDF of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Psionics for your 5e and Level Up! This 64-page book gives you psionics with a new class, wild talents, powers, what the mindscape is like, monsters, and a serpentfolk culture and heritage. In terms of artwork, the project is replacing its AI art with traditional pieces as stretch goals are unlocked. Regardless of the art, it’s cool to see more third party A5E products popping up such as this book, Mike Myler’s Oops! All Dragons, and PJ Coffey’s projects. Paranormal Power is an ambitious project as it gives both 5e and A5E a fresh take on one of D&D’s oldest powers.

Level Up: A5E Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2022 from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, February 9 2023 10:52 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Level Up! Advanced Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £40 + £5 S/H in the United States for the PDF and print versions of the book
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Speaking of A5E support, EN Publishing has their latest Level Up! book on Kickstarter. 220 pages of archetypes, the Artificer subclass, backgrounds, cultures, feats, monsters, spells, combat traditions, and more. This is a robust sourcebook for A5E combining all of the material from the Gate Pass Gazette issues in 2022. Like Unearthed Arcana combined with a collection like the best of Dragon Magazine back in the day, this book gives you what you’re looking for in terms of new gaming options. The table of contents is broken down by issue so this has the feel of reprinting the magazines, not just pulling the contents from them. If you are a fan of A5E, then you need these features to add to your game. If you missed out on the magazine, this is a great chance to catch up.

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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.

 

[Steampunkette]

It meeee! <3

If anyone has questions about Paranormal Power, or how the psionics in it works, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[Egg Embry]

It meeee! <3

If anyone has questions about Paranormal Power, or how the psionics in it works, don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks for making great games and offering to participate!

 

[Steampunkette]

Biggest benefit of being on a forum with designers: You can actually -ask- how things work and what their intent is for clarity.

And I'm happy to do it!

 

[ART!]

Action Heroes is very tempting!

 

[Corinnguard]

With regards to your Esper class, it looks like it's four archetypes are going to be pyrokineticist, telekineticist, psychic surgeon and psychic warrior. I am basing my assumption of these four archetypes off of the Esper class' description on the Kickstarter. Am I correct?

And do the Wild Talent heritages just cover those heritages in the Adventurers' Guide?

Only 2 more weeks to go before we all find out!

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Action Heroes is very tempting!

I agree. Street level heroes with its own rules system is something I'm always interested in checking out. It is also good to see that Christopher is the creator.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Realms Of Elghrune Box Set is my favorite kind of kickstarter. Fun creators, unique system, lots of love for their game, and a preview and overview by the creators

I didn't think I needed another dungeon RPG but I might just be wrong.

Just look at this stuff:

 

[Steampunkette]

With regards to your Esper class, it looks like it's four archetypes are going to be pyrokineticist, telekineticist, psychic surgeon and psychic warrior. I am basing my assumption of these four archetypes off of the Esper class' description on the Kickstarter. Am I correct?

And do the Wild Talent heritages just cover those heritages in the Adventurers' Guide?

Only 2 more weeks to go before we all find out!

Those are four of the five, more or less.

Thymokineticists are a combination Pyro/Cryo/Electrokineticist. So you get to pick your favorite flavor of emotionally charged psionic mastery.

The fifth is the Medium.

As for the Wild Talent Heritages:

There is a single "Wild Talent" Heritage trait that humans and any other heritage the Narrator chooses can use. But three of the other heritages from the AG get some unique options.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Nightfell is a good example of a 3PP with new, fresh and interesting ideas, but without a right window to be known, they can fall in the oblivion too fast.