RPG Crowdfunding News – Venture Maidens, Blue Planet, We Die Young, and more

This week I share a range of tabletop RPG crowdfunding projects and quickstarters ending between April 20th and May 9th. This article is full of 5e options for your campaign as well as a Powered by the Apocalypse offering and more.

Venture Maidens Campaign Guide for 5th Edition from 2CGaming

• END DATE: Sun, May 9 2021 9:00 PM EDT.
• 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? This campaign brings the Venture Maidens 5e actual-play podcast to your tabletop. This sourcebook offers 12 new subclasses, native monsters for the setting, and lore as the project gives you more details on the world of the Venture Maidens. If you’re a fan, this is a great way to enjoy the world and support the podcast’s players.

Blue Planet: Recontact from Biohazard Games and Gallant Knight Games

• END DATE: Tue, May 4 2021 10:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Blue Planet v2’s Synergy
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $100 + S/H for the PDFs and print versions of the Player’s and Moderator’s Guides as well as PDFs of all of the previously published Blue Planet books
• NOTE: Interview with Jeff Barber and Alan Bahr coming tomorrow
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Over a century ago, a wormhole was discovered connecting our solar system to the planet Poseidon, a waterworld composed of island archipelagos and limitless possibilities compared to the wasted remains of Earth. Colonists came, Earth fell into environmental ruin, Poseidon gave up the secret to immortality, more colonists came as did the corporations creating a Wild West/Gold Rush planet of humans and a single intellect native species fighting over the resource that will make humanity into something greater. With this new edition, Blue Planet is back and you can return to its shores to stake your claim.

Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure - Magic Items for 5e from Penny Dragon Games

• END DATE: Sat, May 8 2021 12:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook and adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £32 for the PDFs of both books
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN?Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure is a 300-page sourcebook with over 300 magic items for your 5e game. Order of Elemental Chaos is s 200-page elemental-based adventure for levels 1 to 10. Originating from a magic item in Aizendore’s Vault – Bottle of Djinn – this adventure pits you against an order of genies as you deal will all of the elemental planes.

Here There Be Dragons: Unique Dragons For Your D&D Game! from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Tue, April 20 2021 11:05 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £10 for the PDF of the book
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you need five unique dragons, draconic rules, and player options in a 28-page softcover by some of the best creators at EN Publishing, this project awaits. The dragons come in at CR 9, 10, 19, 25, and 27, each sporting unique lore to make them stand out as more than just numbers. There’s a new background, draconic environmental objects, a plot generator, and, neatest of all, an original inspiration option named Draconic Favor that gives you some cool extras. If you’re interested, check out the campaign page to learn more.

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We Die Young RPG, Supernatural Roleplaying in the 1990s from Bloat Games

• END DATE: Thu, April 29 2021 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): OSR
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $1 for the PDF
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? $1 for the 300-page PDF of the rules, that’s why. I feature a lot of Bloat Games products because they’re fun. We Die Young is the spiritual sequel to Dark Places & Demogorgons, one of Bloat Games’ better known titles. Set in 1990s Seattle against the alternative music scene, you play as a human, vampire, werewolf, mummy, fey, or other types of creatures that would exist in a world composed of darkness. Just as Dark Places & Demogorgons captures the kids on bikes 1980s, this project promises to capture the 90s with its mix of goths and grunge. If you have not sampled any of Bloat Games’ products, this is the perfect price to join in.

Devil Dice Island from Jason Hughes

• END DATE: Thu, May 6 2021 10:05 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Powered by the Apocalypse
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $3 for the PDF of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This micro-RPG comes in at 12 pages of archetypes who are abandoned on the island and left to die. However, the island is a puzzle box and you, as various character archetypes, use the Powered by the Apocalypse system to see if there’s a solution and if it helps your dire situation. If a mystery island intrigues you and you’d like to explore it using an easy to understand system, this project has you covered.

What a lovely adventure – romantic LGBTQ+ one-shot anthology from Transparent Games

• END DATE: Sun, May 2 2021 9:59 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: PLN 80 for the PDF of the adventure
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project offers eight romantic adventures for your 5e gamers. To help 5e with navigating relationships, this project offers a new relationship manager. While the adventures focus on relationships, there are still exploration and combat encounters so you feel the bones of D&D in this. Designed for levels 1 to 5, this project brings a different type of adventure to the table and diversity is always a win.

The Broken Cask from Shoreless Skies Publishing

• END DATE: Fri, April 23 2021 1:27 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM: An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDF and POD versions of the book
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: At DriveThruRPG, try out The Broken Cask Free Preview
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In this solo RPG, you’re the owner of the inn that adventurers meet at. You run the inn, hire and fire, trade and expand, and, of course, send heroes off to be heroic. If your “main” campaign revolves around an inn, this solo RPG option could be a great GM tool as you roleplay through the parts of the campaign that occur after the adventurers leave for their next quest. It may help to flesh out the wider game with well rounded NPCs and story hooks.

Seidkona Saga: Wizards of the High Tower from Eric Smith

• END DATE: Thu, May 6 2021 9:03 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure module
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF and POD of the book plus PDFs of the maps
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This 5e project is one of a trilogy that can be run as a solo/co-op campaign with or without a DM. In addition, there are rules to upgrade this to a full party adventure in the back of the book. This book hits 105 pages with six adventures including one that features a naval battle. If you’re looking for a solo/co-op series of adventures, this campaign page is worth the read.

RPGnet 2021 Membership Drive from RPG.net

• END DATE: Thu, May 6 2021
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for an annual membership including a variety of PDFs
• NOTE: This campaign is available through IndieGoGo
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign supports RPG.net, one of the better known websites for tabletop RPGs. They’re funding their annual improvements to the site and offering some nice rewards for your support: ad control, early articles, and PDFs from publishers such as Onyx Path Publishing, Pelgrane Press, Rogue Games. If you’re a fan of the site, it’s a chance to help them out.

Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG and Amazon.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Using early 1990s Seattle for a WoD parody/homage is a sensational idea. The Lost Boys was released in 1987, right before Guns N Roses hit it big, and thus predates grunge, but it wouldn't be hard to shift the events of that movie north a few hundred miles for a We Die Young game.

And Devil Dice Island sounds like Lost: The RPG, which is also a great idea.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Using early 1990s Seattle for a WoD parody/homage is a sensational idea.

I mean, it's spot-on for my generation particularly, I'd say, because not only were we huge fans of that kind of music, we were huge fans of WoD stuff, and regularly considered setting stuff in Seattle - indeed if I remember correctly our WtA game was set there.

Kind of hoping they'll do a 2000s one which is a brutal parody of 3E. I fully expect the cover to feature various ridiculous D&D characters toting spiked chains, double-bladed swords, fullblades and so on.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would run Mage: The Ascension in Seattle before I ran Werewolf -- if Jimi Hendrix wasn't a Cult of Ecstasy mage, I don't know who would be -- but flannel-clad urban fantasy is such a good idea, I feel really dumb for not thinking of it years ago.

 

[MGibster]

Blue Planet is the best RPG I've ever owned and never played. I am seriously interested in their current Kickstarter.

 

[CleverNickName]

I just backed the Venture Maidens kickstarter. I don't know much about the podcast (it's on my radar but I haven't gotten to it yet), but I'm all about fey-themed monsters and adventures. Less than 24 hours to go.