RPG Crowdfunding News: Auroboros, Grim Hollow, Sirens, and more

This week I look at projects that end between May 5th and 22nd. Right now, there are six RPG products and three RPG-related projects that are funding at six figures or more. While I don’t look at all nine of them in this article, the totals demonstrate that the audience for RPGs on Kickstarter continues to grow.

Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent from Warchief Gaming

• END DATE: Fri, May 21 2021 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Campaign setting
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $200 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover with slipcase of the sourcebook plus another hardcover, Under the Sun, character sheets, dice, cards, GM screen, world map, city map, and more
• ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: Read Morrus’ announcement about this project here
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Chris Metzen, Mike Gilmartin, and Ryan Collins of Blizzard fame and more bring a new campaign setting to 5e. With a new world, new magic system, five new PC ancestries, and four new subclasses, this game offers a lot, but the creators and their track record give this project a seal of quality. In the near term, this setting is headed past the million dollar mark before the campaign ends, and it’s likely going to be discussed at length over the years as, at a guess, this is the first step in a multi-media push. I’m basing that on the creators video game roots, but I believe this book is just the start and that, one day, this world will appear in pixels and more.

Grim Hollow: The Monster Grimoire from Ghostfire Gaming

• END DATE: Sat, May 22 2021 10:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $55 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover plus a ten map pack
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In need of over 400 monsters for your 5e game? If you’re like me, there can never be enough creatures to choose from, so this book is tempting. Add to this, Ghostfire Gaming has done several large projects under their banner and Eldermancy, so you can gauge the quality from those. The creatures offered in this book are tailored for a dark fantasy campaign. In addition, there’s new treasures to be collected and templates to ramp up your current foes.

Sirens: Battle of the Bards from Apotheosis Studios

• END DATE: Sat, May 22 2021 11:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Campaign setting
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $59 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover plus a PDF map pack
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Satine Phoenix and Jamison Stone bring over 300 pages of an artistic and rebellious city of bards to life. This campaign setting gives bards the spotlight as they tour this skyscraper-esque city in which artists are the most important citizens. You don’t have to play a bard to enjoy this city, you can simply take in the show as you adventure through a metropolis in the throws of a carnival like rebellion.

Corsairs of Cthulhu - A Call of Cthulhu® Campaign Book from New Comet Games

• END DATE: Thu, May 20 2021 10:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $110 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book, the map folio, STL and printed map and key, doubloon, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Set during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650 to 1730 CE), you’ll play as pirates, privateers, foreign agents, and more as you face off against the Mythos. At 360 pages, this project is both a sourcebook and a campaign titled, “The Map of the Astronomer”. Among the neat extras available with this campaign are a metal replica doubloon from Norse Foundries and The Astronomer's map by Alyssa Faden which can be 3D printed with a key that fits into it. If you want to mix pirates and Mythos, this campaign is worth seeking out.

Comets & Cockpits - Original 5e Setting from Daylight Publications

• END DATE: Sat, May 15 2021 8:59 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $45 for the PDF and PODs of both books
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign will create two junker space fantasy 5e sourcebooks. Geographica Adelphos details a massive, unexplored world that once housed one of several civilizations with rules for 5 new ancestries, 7 new subclasses, a new magic system, 30 monsters, a 6th-level adventure, and more. Technologica Epoch puts you on a thriving satellite city with additional ancestries, subclasses, mechs, starships, two adventures, and more. If the ideas of space, a satellite city, and an unexplored planet for 5e sound good, this project is for you.

Into the Feywild: Fey Critters For D&D 5E! from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Wed, May 5 2021 12:53 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £10 for the PDF
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need 18 fey creatures and a fey-specific adventure for your 5e campaign? The adventure, originally from EN5ider's 100th issue, is a special affair in which you navigate the labyrinthine Hedgegrove of the Princess Daneliean Dandelion. It’s a fun adventure with a number of supporting monsters to incorporate into your campaign.

Fantasy City Sites and Scenes III, for use with Fantasy RPGs from Philip Reed Games

• END DATE: Wed, May 5 2021 5:07 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): System neutral
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $1 for the PDF of the supplement
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you’ve followed Philip’s other campaigns, you’ll be familiar with the setup: quality, affordable RPG material in a convenient package. This one is the third in the Fantasy City series adding 16 more locations to play in. Each of the locations gets two pages of info and hooks while the rest of the book is dedicated to unique encounters.

Ekemon's Exotic Mounts | A 5e Compatible Supplement from TheAlpineDM

• END DATE: Wed, May 5 2021 7:42 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In need of 30 (with more coming) exotic mounts for your PCs to ride across your campaign world? This project pulls double duty as a collection of creatures to travel upon or with, as well as a monster manual. Want to try a sampling? Here’s a few mounts from their website.

Endless Encounters: Dungeons from Pacesetter Games & Simulations

• END DATE: Wed, May 19 2021 6:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and B/X
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In this 200-page 5e and B/X supplement, you get an adventure generator designed for 1st through 8th level characters. This can be a level specific dungeon generator or a full adventure guide, whatever the DM needs that night. Over and above that, the book includes new magic items and monsters to contend with.

Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone from Monster Fight Club

• END DATE: Thu, May 13 2021 1:59 PM EDT.
• PROJECT TYPE: Tabletop skirmish game based on the RPG
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $200 + S/H for the core game plus two sets of gangs and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? With the roll out of Cyberpunk RED, the newest edition of the Cyberpunk RPG franchise, plus the video game and action figures, it’s time for a good skirmish game pitting the gangs of Night City against each other. Pick the scenario, choose your gang, and fight it out with a 3D board and miniatures.

​

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

 

[philreed]

Thank you for sharing my work . . . again!

 

[Morrus]

And two more potential $1M+ kickstarters to add to the list. Q2 2021 is going to have more million dollar TTRPG Kickstarters in it than the preceding 8 years combined!

 

[Eyes of Nine]

And two more potential $1M+ kickstarters to add to the list. Q2 2021 is going to have more million dollar TTRPG Kickstarters in it than the preceding 8 years combined!

Based on that and the fact that WotC represents 75% of Hasbro's operating profit and I'd say RPGs are having a moment.

 

[Morrus]

Based on that and the fact that WotC represents 75% of Hasbro's operating profit and I'd say RPGs are having a moment.

I think we've been saying that for about 5 years now!