This week’s RPG crowdfunding sampler looks at projects ending from April 21 to 27. Because there are so many great games, I can’t cover them all, but I can highlight a few. For more RPG crowdfunding options, check out Kickstarter, Backerkit, Crowdfundr, GameFound, GameOnTabletop, and IndieGoGo for additional options.
Magical Kitties Noir from Atlas Games
Mall Kids 2023 from Matthew J Gravelyn
Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised Rulebook from Mythmere Games
Into the Dung-eon: an Adventure for 5E, Pathfinder 1, & O5R from John R Davis
Wetrunner: Cyberpunk Fishing Heist Action from Weird Age Games
Wayfaring Strange from Drowning Moon Studios
L'Arsene's Ledger of Treasures and Trinkets - A DnD 5e Tome from Loot Tavern
To Save A Kingdom—An Adventure Path for 5E & Level Up: A5E from EN Publishing
Mythic Space from LaCara Games
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.
Magical Kitties Noir from Atlas Games
- END DATE: Thu, April 27 2023 5:30 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG sourcebook and accessories
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the hometown book, GM screen, and map plus more PDFs
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Part of Atlas Games’ Magical Kitties Save The Day line, this campaign offers expansions on their RPG of cats with humans that have human problems only magic cats can correct. This RPG pits magical kitties again aliens, hyper-intelligent raccoons, and more. With a new sourcebook about your kitty’s town, a map, a GM screen, and more options, you’ll be able to expand the world of the campaign. Better than that, Magical Kitties Noir is about hardboiled cat-tectives using their nine lives to solve crimes. Designed for all-ages, it’s a great alternative to dungeon delving for your table to young gamers.
Mall Kids 2023 from Matthew J Gravelyn
- END DATE: Fri, April 21 2023 3:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): “Mall Kids borrows mechanics from the popular Honey Heist by Grant Howitt”
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of all three Mall Kids zines
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The third Mall Kids RPG zine is coming! Set in the ‘90s, before malls began to lose their luster, this RPG gives you teens versus capitalism. This game evolved with each new book, starting as a world where you’re playing as teens in a mall, normal enough. Then the second expansion offered up supernatural elements. With the third zine, it seems like there will be an engaging blend of vampires, fights, shopping, and malls. If the idea of teens consuming Americana while detecting ghosts speaks to you, this expansion awaits.
Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised Rulebook from Mythmere Games
- END DATE: Tue, April 25 2023 12:58 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): OSR
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The ENNIE award-winning retro-clone of OD&D is back. This updated version of S&W contains some tweaks to the rules to either bring them more in line with the original 1978 engine or to create a more balanced experience. This version of the rules moves away from Wizards of the Coast’s OGL over to the Creative Commons release of the rules. They’re also working on a compatibility license to allow "compatible with Swords & Wizardry" products. It’s everything you’ll need to game like they did nearly 50 years ago. If one of the earlier OSRs interests you, check out the campaign page for a link to a sample of the rulebook.
- END DATE: Thu, April 27 2023 7:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, Pathfinder First Edition, and O5R
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £9 for the PDF of the adventure
- DISCLAIMER: I contributed to a John R Davis production via a Kickstarter reward level. I am not involved in the current project
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The City of Graygale’s sewer system needs you to fix it. Long ago, druids built an ecosystem to balance the waste, creating a world beneath the city. However, their works are breaking down and you’re needed to fix it. This adventure is 75 pages with 125 locations meaning there’s a lot of sewer to get lost in. For a variety of systems, if you want a sewer option for your adventures, this is worth exploring.
Wetrunner: Cyberpunk Fishing Heist Action from Weird Age Games
- END DATE: Thu, April 27 2023 8:01 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Fate Core
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: AU$30 for the PDF and POD discount versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Cyberpunk meets every fishing sidequest from a video game! Inspired by Cyberpunk, Leverage, and the Black Lagoon, you’re an elite criminal stealing fish in a globally warmed world. Fish are rare, the rich hoard them meaning you have to steal an eel and heist a herring. Imagine if cyberpunk were... beachy. That’s the bait, are you hooked?
Wayfaring Strange from Drowning Moon Studios
- END DATE: Apr 27, 2023 at 4:00pm PDT.
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- SYSTEM(S): An original diceless system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $135 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of all six booklets plus a map, wooden nickels, and more
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: The Wayfaring Strange (Ashcan Edition) is PWYW on DriveThruRPG
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Along the hidden highways of North America is a network of supernatural waypoints and travelers. You’re a wayfarer, traveling these unseen routes, learning more about these powers. Inspired by American Gods, Alice Isn't Dead, and Gravity Falls, this RPG lets you travel our world in a way you’ll never be able to in life. I reviewed the Wayfaring Strange (Ashcan Edition) in a recent issue of Knights of the Dinner Table, which is to say that I get what this project offers and wholeheartedly recommend it. If the idea of rolling down the hidden byways of America speaks to you, check out this project on Backerkit.
L'Arsene's Ledger of Treasures and Trinkets - A DnD 5e Tome from Loot Tavern
- END DATE: Thu, April 27 2023 9:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF version of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need a magic item? This book is 400 pages with 300 magic items that level up with the characters to become more than they were plus 30 spells, new subclasses, treasure hunts, and more. That “more” includes Biomancy, an art that allows you to craft new familiars. If you’re in need of magic items with lots of in-game utility and supporting magical options, this may be for your gaming table.
To Save A Kingdom—An Adventure Path for 5E & Level Up: A5E from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, May 4 2023 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Level Up! Advanced Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 400 pages of adventure, leveled up! Three adventures featuring a gnarly looking dragon, a vampire that looks like the deadliest kind of Hellboy villain, and a fiend that must be defeated to save the town. While the adventure is for levels 3 to 13, the book offers a lot of crunch including 75 monsters, spells, 40 exploration challenges, and so much more. While the main adventure is levels 3 and on, there’s also a starter adventure, 100 pages for levels 1 to 3 that serves as a prologue to this story. While a number of artists contribute to this project, Claudio Pozas’ cover and character portraits are iconic. Just as Level Up! sets a high bar for other 5e variant engines, this book sets a new artistic level, bringing beautiful, yet haunting artwork to the game. If you need a 5e or Level Up! campaign, this may be the right option for you.
Mythic Space from LaCara Games
- END DATE: Thu, April 27 2023 8:36 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 for the PDF and POD discount versions of the book
- AI-ART NOTICE: The playtest version and Kickstarter campaign contain AI-artwork. The creator states this on the campaign page: “The final book will ship with zero AI-generated images.”
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Taking inspiration from Halo, Mass Effect, and Cowboy Bebop, this project offers an original sci-fi RPG. The campaign page calls the engine a “mash up of XCOM and D&D 4e” that’s meant to make combat more tactical while taking inspiration from Forged in the Dark narrative options. With spaceship combat options as well as character combat, this RPG may be right for gaming tables looking for new sci-fi options.
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.
