RPG Crowdfunding News – Space 1889, TableTone, Grim Hollow, and more

This week’s article covers crowdfunding projects that end between December 15th through the 20th. Some are the return of popular franchises like Space 1889 and Grim Hollow while others are one-shots and original concepts. This is a sampling of what RPG projects available via Kickstarter, Backerkit, GameFound, GameOnTabletop, IndieGoGo, and more during the holiday season.

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Space 1889: After - 5e / Empyrean Steampunk RPG from Strange Owl Games

• END DATE: Thu, December 15 2022 9:59 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Empyrean System
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 for PDFs of the book in both game systems
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Space 1889 is back with a new iteration, this one for either 5e or the Empyrean System. Invoking Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and A. Conan Doyle as touchstones, this RPG is set in an alternative Victorian era with steampunk elements used to explore the Earth, Moon, Mars, and Venus. This RPG has the task of bringing all of the lore and ideas of the prior versions of Space 1889 together in one package. With the new version, there’s a need to unite the lore from the older versions which, in this case, the creators opted to move the timeline up to 1899. With that move, they should be able to address the prior editions and make sure everyone’s idea of the setting is respected. If you’re a fan of steampunk, this campaign brings an RPG that is one of the most storied visions of steampunk back to tabletop.

Grim Hollow: Citadel of the Unseen Sun by Ghostfire Gaming

• END DATE: Dec 15, 2022 at 4:00am PST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure path
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $120 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the six books, slipcase, maps, and tokens
• DISCLAIMER: I blog for Ghostfire Gaming. I did not work on this project
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Ghostfire Gaming and Grim Hollow are part of the million dollar RPG Kickstarter club. Ghostfire is breaking new crowdfunding ground by campaigning on Backerkit instead of Kickstarter with a six-book adventure covering levels 1 to 13. This campaign offers over 500 pages of dark fantasy 5e content with dozens of monsters and spells already available as a PDF, but not offered as a collection of hardcovers for the first time. Set in Etharis’ Ostoyan Empire, you’ll discover an artifact and battle your way through Necropolis. If you’re looking for a 5e adventure path of grimdark fantasy in an extensive world, this is worth exploring.

Lightspeed RPG from LightspeedRPG

• END DATE: Thu, December 15 2022 9:27 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$10 for the PDF of the RPG
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This original sci-fi RPG offers an experience akin to Firefly, the Millennium Falcon, or any crewed starship looking for profit through adventure. Expect classes, spaceships, combat, aliens, and, above all, outerspace adventures. In a different galaxy, you have spaceports, dark alleys, and megatowers, a setting designed for light space-based stories. If you’re looking for ships to pilot and an original system, this RPG may be the right fit for you and your crew.

TableTone, an Interactive Audio App for TTRPG Game Masters from Richard Tretzel

• END DATE: Thu, December 15 2022 10:02 AM EST.
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG accessory
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €219 (early bird pricing) for a lifetime subscription to this app and its soundscapes
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Need background music for your tabletop experience? This app lets you select music based on your character’s location, the intensity, and the scene’s mood. Using a few buttons, you can select the soundtrack in seconds. The app looks very intuitive so you’re able to dive in with only minimal instruction and use it on the fly. If you want music that fits the scenes you’re narrating, this app may be of interest to you.

Midwinter Ghost Stories: Spine-Chilling TTRPG Scenarios from Ex Stasis Games

• END DATE: Thu, December 15 2022 11:03 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): System neutral
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £10 for the PDF of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This collection of five adventures prides itself on being system neutral. I write “prides” because there’s a section that extols the reason system neutral makes sense for this project and they’re all valid reasons. For many adventures, the GM has to rewrite the content to fit their system, house rules, and the setting that they’re using, this eliminates the stat blocks and other clutter so you can get at into the re-write as easily as possible. For the adventures themselves, these stories are loosely linked by a wedding dress which ends up at a ball, a theater, made into pillowcases, torn into shreds in a ritual, and an attempt to animate itself. If a series of adventures that have a connecting thread (oy!) sounds good to you, then this might be the right set of ghost stories for you.

A 5E GM-Friendly Adventure - The Divine Forge from Quest Nest

• END DATE: Thu, December 15 2022 5:59 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €55 gives you a lot including books, tokens, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This adventure has a great deal of content per level with over 300 pages of 5e content dedicated to an adventure for levels 6 to 9. Averaging 75 pages per level, you’re getting a lot of detail. Your characters are learning about the Divine Forge, locations, deities, and factions as you deal with puzzles, riddles, new monsters, and more. If you’re looking for an adventure that is content heavy (again, roughly 75 pages per level), then this may be the one. Check out the campaign page for a free PDF preview of the book.

Vol 1. The Crimson Willow, Lovecraftian One-shot for 5E! 1$! from Steadfast Studio

• END DATE: Fri, December 16 2022 2:06 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $1 gets you the PDF of the adventure, cards, and map
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Inspired by Lovecraftian and SCP stories, this one-shot pits you against The Crimson Willow. You’ll investigate a town, search its tunnels, and encounter human-animal hybrids as you look for an enemy that may be a lesser evil. This project features an original creature, cards, a map, and a low price point. If you’re interested in gambling a dollar, this might be a safe bet.

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The Edinburgh Horrors, Long Dead Ink from Peter Hollinghurst

• END DATE: Tue, December 20 2022 2:17 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$60 for the PDF and POD discount for the books and Tarot cards
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project offers a new RPG system utilizing Tarot cards and an adventure to introduce you to a new ruleset. Set in a 1920s full of mystery, this RPG comes with a rulebook, a setting book, an introductory adventure, and Tarot cards to power your adventures. In 1925, you’re approached about recovering a book that may have the lost secrets of magic. Are you in?

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[humble minion]

I'm definitely going to back the Space 18X9 project, but not sure which version yet. I'm predominately a 5e player (and a better 5e spaceship combat system than Spelljammer would be nice), but the 5e conversion seems a little bit of an afterthought that's being thrown together by one guy, and I'm not sure how well the original will map to a 5e paradigm.

 

[Stormonu]

There were hints in the original Space: 1889 that the War of the Worlds was brewing in the background (cannisters had been shot from Mars and there was speculation it would take them 10 years to reach Earth...). Wonder if they will keep that, as 1899 was the year it was expected to start.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

There were hints in the original Space: 1889 that the War of the Worlds was brewing in the background (cannisters had been shot from Mars and there was speculation it would take them 10 years to reach Earth...). Wonder if they will keep that, as 1899 was the year it was expected to start.

You sure about that? The British mucking around on Mars, with full-on colonies there and on Venus, is already a pretty huge part of the setting of the original, and Martians certainly aren't high-tech tripod invaders. They're borderline racist "savages" that hurl spears with their feet. And travel between Earth and Mars using liftwood ships sure doesn't take a decade.

 

[Stormonu]

You sure about that? The British mucking around on Mars, with full-on colonies there and on Venus, is already a pretty huge part of the setting of the original, and Martians certainly aren't high-tech tripod invaders. They're borderline racist "savages" that hurl spears with their feet. And travel between Earth and Mars using liftwood ships sure doesn't take a decade.

Pretty sure, besides the standard Canal, Hill and Cliff Martians, there was a secret race (originally from exploded Vulcan) that the the Terrans did not know exists hiding underground in Mars (the originators of the Cult of the Worm). It was these Vulcans who sent the canisters. The canisters aren't using Ether drives, they were shot from Mars like bullets out of a gun (BTW, liftwood provides in-atmopshere flight, but not the speedy travel between worlds). I'm probably off on the time scale though, ten years IS an awfully long time for space travel.

Of course, I can't find the text that hints at this now. I thought I remember it being in the Core rulebook (in the timeline) or possibly in Conklin's Atlas or Canal Priests of Mars, but I'm not finding it now.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I wonder if the current speculative fiction based in the Victorian age could be affected by the newest elements of the "mythology about conspirancies", not only about secret societies but also about the bloodlines among the elites of the establisment (Rotschild and company) are secretly members of some Lovecraftian cult, promoting puppets dictatorships in the rest of the known worlds, and these puppets could create lots of debts to be paid to the banks owned by these bloodlines. Or promoting conflicts in everywhere because they enjoy with the deals of both sides, no matter who is the final victor. In the eyes of some members of the youngest generations certain points of view about the Victorian age are based in "wasp supremacism".

 

[beta-ray]

I remember Space: 1889 back in the day… Never delved into it but was a bit curious. I know it is different, but I did end up picking up Castle Falkenstein and that was a lot of fun.

 

[ruemere]

Edinburgh Horrors system premise is quite fascinating. I am somewhat bored with 5E stuff (sorry 1889), so why not try some Tarot-based system?

 

[Bill Zebub]

Gotta admit that Citadel of the Unseen Sun is pretty tempting.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I am somewhat bored with 5E stuff

I have basically zero desire to play a 5e based game in anything other than a classic fantasy setting. It's like my brain is wired to associate D&D mechanics with using swords and spells to kill monsters in dungeons, and I have fun doing that, but in any other setting the reality of just how bad of a system it is becomes startlingly apparent.

 

[ruemere]

5E D&D is about taking low-chance high-risk actions with characters padded with hit points against vagaries of fate. Melee is being personal, magic is being in control, while rogues are for Russian roulette afficionados.

OSR systems is very open about its need to bribe, cajole or blackmail a GM to improve the odds (it's called thinking outside the box, but let's be frank, killing 200 orcs with first level fighter is not a good idea).

This unfair summary is meant to illustrate my weariness with D&D gaming. I want my characters to be badass, competent and reasonably complicated, not random casualties of dice. Yes, they should be failing, struggling and coming back with vengeance, not dying at 0 HP.

Hence, 13th Age EE soon. And CortexPrime hack of Miserable Secrets now.