RPG Crowdfunding News – Skullcrusher, Time Without Tide, Jadestorm, and more

This week’s crowdfunding sampler looks at campaigns on Backerkit and Kickstarter that close between September 17 to 30. This list includes an incredible bargain, something new from Chaosium, an original came from Onyx Path Publishing, multiple D&D sourcebooks, and more.

If you’re attending Dragon*Con in Atlanta this weekend, I hope to see you at their gaming venue.

Skullcrusher - Dark Fantasy Roleplaying Game from Bloat Zines

• END DATE: Tue, September 15 2026 9:04 AM EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $1 for the PDF versions of Skullcrusher Dark Fantasy Roleplaying Game Player's Handbook and Game Master's Guide
• AI STATEMENT: “No A.I. was used in the creation of this game!”
• LISTED CREATORS: Eric Bloat, Eric Lofgren, Dean Spencer, Phil Stone, and Josh Palmer
• TRY BEFORE YOU INVEST A BUCK: SKULLCRUSHER - Dark Fantasy Roleplaying Game - KICKSTARTER PREVIEW is PWYW at DriveThruRPG
• DISCLAIMER: I’ve freelanced for Bloat Games. I am not involved in this project
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This crowdfunding make the top of the list because Bloat Games delivers on their promises and the $1 backer tier gives you two PDF books. Two books, hundreds of pages, and only 100 pennies. That’s an amazing deal. You’ll get a complete gaming system for less than the cost of practically anything at any retailer you can think of. Inspired by old school gameplay with new school d20 mechanics, this game celebrates Conan the Barbarian and 1980s sword-and-sorcery films like The Beastmaster. Think low-fantasy, grimdark, sword-and-sandals, and pulp fantasy, but offered for a single US dollar. Bloat Games, with a stellar track record for delivering their commitments, demonstrate their belief in this project with such a low entry point. Adding to that, they’re offering a free community gaming license in case you love the game and want to write content for it. Take a chance with your dollar and get both the Skullcrusher Dark Fantasy Roleplaying Game Player's Handbook and Game Master's Guide through this Kickstarter campaign.

Time Without Tide: Mirth & Misery in a World of Fog from Chaosium

• END DATE: Sep 24, 2026 at 3:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $160 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the Core Rulebook, Into the Fog, Keeper Pack, and the Delver Decks
• LISTED CREATORS: David Naylor, James Cooquillat, Ty Carey, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Chaosium brings you a new “foggy, faux-Victorian post-apocalypse” TTRPG to delve into. The house that brought you Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, and other classic games is branching out with a new project. Using a d6 dice pool system, you’ll deal with a fallen moon (hence the “Without Tide” in the title), monstrous horrors, and worse as you dig into the ruins of this world. The core rulebook is over 250 pages and the adventure book, Into The Fog, is over 100 pages, giving you plenty of rules and options to delve into. If you want to sample this project, check out the Backerkit page for a free quickstart to see if Chaosium’s next beautiful project is right for your gaming table.

Treacherous Traps 2 for 5E/5.5E D&D from Nord Games

• END DATE: Fri, September 25 2026 12:00 AM EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and 5.5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 for the PDF versions of Treacherous Traps 1 and 2
• AI STATEMENT: “[H]umans write our books and humans illustrate our books.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Nord Games has a new book of traps, puzzles, and more to pit your players against. Inside this book you’ll get 250 simple traps, 25 complex traps, a random trap generator, options to increase or decrease how lethal the traps are, and trapsmith NPCs plus hazards and riddles for your players to overcome. If you’re interested in seeing what devices they have on offer, on the Kickstarter page you’ll find multiple previews and an option to submit a trap that may be shared with the backers of this campaign.

Jadestorm from Onyx Path Publishing

• END DATE: Sep 17, 2026 at 2:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Storypath Ultra
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for the PDF version of the book and a POD discount coupon
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Onyx Path Publishing presents a new TTRPG using their Storypath Ultra system. Jadestorm offers a version of wuxia, xianxia, and jidaigeki epics, focusing on mastering magic jade, defeating other jadebearers, and learning who you truly are with this power in-hand. The jade, fragments of fallen demonic demigods, pollutes the land, granting dark powers but requiring training and a willingness to use evil means to achieve your objectives. Using these powers risks turning the good to ill. If you’re interested in a wuxia TTRPG using Storypath Ultra, check out this Backerkit.

Arium Complete Box Set from Adept Icarus

• END DATE: Wed, September 16 2026 9:00 PM EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Arium
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $54 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the boxed set
• AI STATEMENT: “Adept Icarus makes free companion web tools for EVERY ONE of our 100% human-made games.”
• LISTED CREATORS: Asha Ence, Drew Gerken, Will Munn, Diogo Nogiera (Discover), Steffie de Vaan (Evolve), Daniel "Drakoniques" Oleh (Evolve), Char Irrgang, Fernando Salvaterra, Andreas Rocha, Tithi Luadthong, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Arium is a collaborative worldbuilding TTRPG. Want to build a detailed setting with your players, but use your favorite RPG engine for the gameplay? This toolkit can make that happen. This campaign offers the latest Arium books as a boxed set, combining all of the tools from this Ennie Award nominated kit. Developed as three books – Arium: Create, Arium: Discover, and Arium: Evolve – you’ll get the rules to build the setting, add twists, and set your story within that world. If you want tools to build a setting, this Kickstarter awaits.

UNVERIFIED SIGHTINGS: D&D 5.5e Monsters of Myth & Legend! from Rye Alboa

• END DATE: Mon, October 5 2026 11:00 AM EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons 5.5e
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £25 for the PDF of the book
• AI STATEMENT: “Will you be using AI Art or Text Generation? No - Absolutely not.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This book offers 5.5e monsters, monsters, and monsters. Cryptids, mythological creatures, monsters inspired by folklore, NPC antagonists, and more types of adversaries populate this book. If you want to add more monsters to the mix, this Kickstarter has some samples and, in addition, each backer gets a free code to share the PDF with friends and family via Rye Alboa’s website, which is a helpful extra.

Critical Codex DELUXE from Jerry Joe Seltzer

• END DATE: Mon, October 12 2026 8:45 AM EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): System neutral
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $12 for the PDF of the book
• A NOTE TO PREVIOUS BACKERS: “If I have the original PDF, will I get an updated version? Yes. When the updated version is uploaded, you will get a notification from DTRPG to download the update at no cost.”
• LISTED CREATORS: Jerry Joe Seltzer
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is the deluxe edition of Jerry Joe Seltzer’s options for how to narrate crits. Do you want your storytelling to have a flair to it? This book suggests ways to cinematically elevate the successes and deepen the failures gamers experience at the gaming table. System neutral, this book works with any fantasy TTRPG. If you want to elevate specific moments in your adventures, this Kickstarter is for you.

Mars Watch | PBTA space military + survival horror from Ash Kreider

• END DATE: Fri, September 25 2026 8:45 AM EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Powered by the Apocalypse
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$41 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• AI STATEMENT: “AI will not be used in any capacity at any stage of this project.”
• LISTED CREATORS: , and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 150 years ago, space travel was cut off between Earth and Mars. Martians managed to survive in a subterranean society balanced against limited gravity and a deadly surface. 6 months ago, zombies came into being. This calamity forced a drastic shift across Mars, leading to a world under siege. With this Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign you’ll get a sci-fi setting in our solar system using the second edition of the Powered by the Apocalypse rules.

20XXPNKS - Firefight City from Octopress Publishing

• END DATE: Sep 14, 2026 at 12:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rule zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $12 for the PDF of the book and POD discount coupon for the book
• AI STATEMENT: “We strongly believe in the vitality and importance of supporting people and using real human creativity to make our games. No generative Artificial Intelligence was used in the creation or production of this game.”
• LISTED CREATORS: Alan Bahr, Rick Hershey, Simone Tammetta, and Kris McClanahan
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? From the creator of the TinyD6 TTRPG system, you’re getting a rules-lite cyberpunk TTRPG. This 60-page zine has a cyberpunk city setting, a complete ruleset, and options for drones, hacking, cybernetics, and all sorts of neon-situations. If you’re a fan of Alan Bahr’s TTRPGs, RPG zines, or cyberpunk games, check out this Backerkit.

Alpha Star Magazine Issue 3: Sci-Fi Resources for D&D & A5E from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Sep 24, 2026 at 3:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Advanced Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: TTRPG magazine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £11 for the PDF of the magazine
• AI STATEMENT: “These magazines contain no art or any other content created by generative artificial intelligence. We work with a large, international team of talented freelance artists and writers to create Alpha Star Magazine, overseen by magazine editor Russ Morrissey.”
• LISTED CREATORS: Thomas Pugh, DJ Shepard, Theodore Kacavas, Michael Woods, Russ Morrissey, and more
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The latest magazine from EN Publishing offers new Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Advanced Fifth Edition content tailored for sci-fi games. This issue expands on EN Publishing’s sci-fi 5e/A5E TTRPG Voidrunner’s Codex. This issue offers a new heritage, an adventure with NPCs and monsters aplenty. The articles have titles like “The Holds of Vendalyr,” “Unsafe Harbor,” “Starlane Scum,” and “It’s a Jungle Out There,” each matching the setting and creatures with crunch and adventures to hook your players. If you like sci-fi content for 5e/A5E, check out this Backerkit page.

See you in two weeks.
Egg Embry does not use AI in any of his writing. He participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon. If you like the articles at EN World please consider supporting the Patreon.

 

[Lord_Blacksteel]

Well I suppose Onyx Path has to make Jadestorm a book with the complete Storypath Ultra system in it since they haven't finished fulfilling their crowdfunded Storypath Ultra Core Rulebook from two years ago. Buyer beware - you might be fine with a PDF only option but if you want a printed book they are having a hard time getting that over the finish line.

 

[stormwriter]

Well I suppose Onyx Path has to make Jadestorm a book with the complete Storypath Ultra system in it since they haven't finished fulfilling their crowdfunded Storypath Ultra Core Rulebook from two years ago. Buyer beware - you might be fine with a PDF only option but if you want a printed book they are having a hard time getting that over the finish line.

Their turnaround for the physical books is currently like 2-4 years from the kickstarter dates. It's a lot. Jadestorm is already set to 2029 on the backerkit page. I'm actually kinda pausing backing their stuff for now, I think I have like 6 still unfulfilled books from them. They also keep the pre-order page open later, so I can always pre-order it 2 years from now.

 

[Toriel]

I have the Critical Codex and me and my players really like it. We use it in D&D in addition to the regular critical rules.

 

[EthanSental]

Nord games tends to make quality book so I may knack the trap book 2. And Unverified Sightings also might be something to get in pdf version. Different unique monsters that the group isnt used to will make them hesitate before charging in to fight.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Some day soon, 75% of all RPGs in the world will have been created by Eric Bloat.

 

[ErisIndomina]

Oooh, first I'm hearing of Time Without Tide, but it looks cool.
Jadestorm on the surface seems like exactly the kind of thing I'd be into, but it's just not hitting for me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on.

 

[ErisIndomina]

EDIT: Sorry, doublepost due to a hitch in my internet

 

[Egg Embry]

Some day soon, 75% of all RPGs in the world will have been created by Eric Bloat.

We can hope for paradise on Earth!

 

[Lalato]

Here are the 5e Campaign Setting and Adventure Path crowdfunding campaigns I'm keeping an eye on right now.

3rd party 5e content is on a bit of lull the last couple of weeks. But one of the more interesting projects that I've seen has a new crowdfunding campaign: Blight Upon Godflesh (aka B.U.G.). In it you play as a humanoid insect living on a dead god.
Closed and Funded:

Closed:

• Tidesong: On Singing Seas (23%)

Open and Funded:

• Beyond the Golden Horizon ($4K, 17 days)l
• Circus of the Damned ($448, 27 days, AI Content)

Open:

• Blight Upon Godflesh Vol II (56%, 19 days)