This week, I look at RPG crowdfunding projects ending between August 1st to 18th. This sampling includes games crowdfunding on Kickstarter and Backerkit. These are running around the Gen Con timeframe. As the San Diego Comic Con of roleplaying games, Gen Con takes up space on the calendar so it’s always interesting to see its impact on RPGs around this time.
Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt: A 5e Supplement from MonkeyDM
Box of Terrors, a third-party storage box for Mörk Borg from Philip Reed Games
Land of Eem from Exalted Funeral
Scrap Rats: Mothership 1e from Bite-Sized Gaming
Pathfinder Revolution! from Steve Jackson Games
GrymWyrd Tales - Volume 1: Siblings from STONEworks Gaming
Dustbunnies: Life Under the Couch from Dog House Rules
Calls To Action: Extraordinary Party Backgrounds for 5e from Doug Levandowski
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.
Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt: A 5e Supplement from MonkeyDM
- END DATE: Thu, August 18 2022 9:59 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF and hardcover of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In this project from MonkeyDM in conjunction with Loot Tavern Publishing, you’ll get a new madness mechanic for 5e, eight moon phase based mechanics, twelve ancestries, fifteen subclasses, fifty monsters, plus grimdark adventures. The key elements are grimdark, madness, and the lunar cycle, as this is 350 pages worth of a 5e nightmare setting where the dawn will not save you. If this speaks to you, the campaign page includes a link to a free 4th level adventure. As of this writing, this project is headed into the million dollar RPG Kickstarter club, so if you want to see why, check out this project.
Box of Terrors, a third-party storage box for Mörk Borg from Philip Reed Games
- END DATE: Mon, August 8 2022 5:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Mörk Borg
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG accessory
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + $10 S/H in the US for the box and two mini-poster/adventures
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you’re a fan of RPG zines and Mörk Borg, you’ve likely had a problem: Where to store your zines. Philip Reed has a solution, a Mörk Borg themed storage box that includes a chart to roll on for encounters and two 12” x 12” mini-posters that include adventure hooks. Measuring at 6.25" x 9.25" x 2", there’s room in the box for the Mörk Borg core rules, zines, or dice and miniatures. If you’ve followed Philip’s other Kickstarters, you know his work fearlessly pushes the physical form of RPG products to create original articles. If you’re an RPG zine fan, it’s a nice looking box. If you’re a fan of new RPG ideas, follow Philip’s Kickstarter page.
Land of Eem from Exalted Funeral
- END DATE: August 11, 2022 at 6:00pm PDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $110 + S/H for the the box, the two hardcovers, another book, a fold out game board map, and more, plus the PDFs
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? There pitch is “The Lord of the Rings meets The Muppets,” and that’s self-aware. Built on Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo and Dungeoneer Adventures, this is a world that went sad and doom with an apocalypse before it got glad and happy with lots of adventurers. This campaign is building it all with a 200 page core rulebook, 180 page bestiary, a mammoth 400 page campaign setting, The Mucklands, and so much more. Using an original d12 system, you’ll explore and have odd, hilarious adventures. If muppets and fantasy speak to you, check out the campaign page on Backerkit for a free quickstart.
Scrap Rats: Mothership 1e from Bite-Sized Gaming
- END DATE: Sun, August 7 2022 8:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Mothership
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $32 + S/H for the PDF and print version of the zine, cards, stickers, map pack, and more
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Salvaging in space? This zine gives you Mothership content like five salvage scenarios, stations, NPCs, and more. This zine promises an item that I would describe as the best random table money can buy: A technobabble generator. (I’d use that in daily conversation at work.) Fun for the whole family… as long as they’re a family of spacefaring salvagers bent on their next haul. If you’re a fan of Mothership, this has the potential to be a fun zine to pull ideas from.
Pathfinder Revolution! from Steve Jackson Games
- END DATE: Thu, August 4 2022 6:00 PM EDT.
- PROJECT TYPE: Board game
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the board game
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project reinterprets Steve Jackson Games’ Revolution! board game with a Pathfinder setting. It acts as a brand new edition, pulling in some features from non-core rules to make this a better game. Add in the city of Korvosa from Pathfinder and you have a new take on two classics. The reason I’m covering this board game is its connection with Pathfinder. Much like the recent Pathfinder for Savage Worlds Kickstarter, we’re seeing Paizo’s intellectual property being used as a license. If the Dungeons & Dragons movie is a hit, its wake will make other RPGs more desirable, Pathfinder among them. This board game and the other instances of Pathfinder’s license indicate its popularity now, but this may be the tip of the iceberg after March 2023 and Honor Among Thieves.
GrymWyrd Tales - Volume 1: Siblings from STONEworks Gaming
- END DATE: Mon, August 1 2022 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF of volumes 0 and 1 as well as some PDF maps
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This adventure is described as grimweird. Based on my reading, this is meant to be director David Lynch GMing a grimdark world of weird. If the idea of a grimdark work of bizaar speaks to you, these are heavily illustrated 12 to 24 page adventures that cover one to two sessions for low level characters. If you’re a fan of 5e and want something that breaks the mold, this campaign may be it. But hurry, this one ends soon.
Dustbunnies: Life Under the Couch from Dog House Rules
- END DATE: Thu, August 11 2022 8:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 for the PDF and POD versions of the core book, adventures, cards, and more
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This all-ages Savage Worlds RPG turns you into the dust in the carpet. You’ll go on adventures around the house dealing with mundane items that take on a fantastic and whimsical nature when you live in a home’s carpet. Clocking in at 108 pages, this is a good stepping stone for younger players interested in learning SW. Complete with rules and guidance, this RPG offers fun for the whole family. If you want to get your kids into Savage Worlds, this might be right for you.
Calls To Action: Extraordinary Party Backgrounds for 5e from Doug Levandowski
- END DATE: Thu, August 4 2022 9:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $8 for all of the PDFs
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Ever needed something in your 5e game to jumpstart the party camaraderie? This book gives you questions to answer or roll to learn more about your character’s background and their connections with everyone else. It’s a pretty simple idea but the payoff is huge: More party connectivity from the first session of the campaign. Coming from several creators including the award winning Doug Levandowski (Kids on Bikes, Kids on Brooms), expect something useful for storyhooks and greater player engagement. The campaign page has a few examples to get a better idea of what this has to offer.
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.
