Shadowdark Setting Looks Set To Be 2025's First Million Dollar TTRPG Crowdfunder

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Just launched today, the new Western Reaches setting for the Arcane Library's popular Shadowdark roleplaying game (which itself raised $1.3M in 2023) has flown past half a million dollars in the first few hours, and looks certain to join the Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarter Club imminently!

[[Edit/Update--and it's done it! $1M less than 12 hours into the Kickstarter campaign!]]

2025 has been quiet so far this year on the million-dollar crowdfunding front. This new setting is a sandbox environment with new classes and ancestries, and various areas such as the Gloaming Forest, Djurum Desert, and Myre Swamp. It comes in two 200-page digest-sized hardcovers. Also included are new issues of the game's Cursed Scroll zine. The full core set will cost you $129, or $149 for a premium version, with fulfillment expected in December 2025.

At $670K at the time of writing, just 3 hours into the campaign, The Western Reaches is already the 7th most first-day funded TTRPG ever, having just passed 2024's Terry Pratchett's Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork. It looks set to pass 6th place very soon, which is 2023's Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms - A 5e Tome. Only five TTRPG crowdfunders (so far!) have ever hit the million-dollar mark on the first day. You can see the full ranking at the Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarter Club.

The Western Reaches are an unexplored land of fragile civilizations, majestic landscapes, and forgotten horrors that lurk in the dark.

In the Reaches, you could play as:

• A painted witch from the steppes hunting for the secrets to deeper magic
• An armored knight from the City of Masks guarding frontier villages from attack
• A silent monk from the mountains searching for the assassin who killed his teacher
• A scarred pit fighter from the desert looking to make her fortune outside the arena
• A quick-witted explorer from the jungle who can find any artifact for the right price
• A seafaring warrior from the northern isles who fights for the glory of the Old Gods

This sandbox setting is fast, elegant, and flexible in the signature Shadowdark style. You don't have to memorize lore; you'll discover it as you go. The world moves and grows with you as you explore it.

 

[zottel]

No, its better than that IMO. For example, I did a rat-men bestiary spread for a recent project (read Skaven) and I could have used all the rat-adjacent entries fomr the main book in full if I had so desired. I ended up just using references to conserve space, but I think it's more useful than just making cards. Same with spells and being able to add them to NPCs or whatever.

Any chance one could have a look? Skaven are always fun!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

For that campaign, was there a cutoff date to add physical rewards later?

Limithron still hasn't formally locked Backerkit yet, so no, you can still order new physical items at this point. It helps that, in this case, they were and are still finalizing some of the details of the physical reward, specifically the improvements to the two new supplement books, the players guide and the starter box.

In contrast, it seems like that's not happening with the Shadowdark books, which they hope to have in everyone's hands in nine months. (Impressive if she pulls it off.) So that may be the thinking here -- have a few pre-set physical options, and be able to pull the trigger on the orders to the suppliers the moment Kickstarter pushes the money through, and use Backerkit to preorder from the additional units she purchases at the same time.

So yeah, I think you're probably right. Still, it's a little disappointing for a campaign where people are routinely shelling out almost $200 at this very uncertain economic moment to not provide a little more time for people to scrape together their funds.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Apparently Kelsey doesn't like how the variable sized bestiary entries format onto cards. Shrug. We may have to take that one on ourselves.

That issue is one of the problems with the Gale Force 9 monster cards for 5E, IMO. It's impossible to sort those cards into a truly useful way as a DM when storing them, since there's two main sizes for all of them.

 

[Reynard]

Speaking of the license, have they mentioned whether the new books will be covered (maybe someone already answer this in this thread and I scanned over it)?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Speaking of the license, have they mentioned whether the new books will be covered (maybe someone already answer this in this thread and I scanned over it)?

Not that I've seen.

 

[Bae'zel]

That issue is one of the problems with the Gale Force 9 monster cards for 5E, IMO. It's impossible to sort those cards into a truly useful way as a DM when storing them, since there's two main sizes for all of them.

YES this was a huge pain for me. I eventually gave up.

 

[Retreater]

I got cold feet after baking the $300 premium set - since I've not played it yet and don't have a group currently to play it. I cancelled that pledge and was about to go in at a lower tier that's more financially responsible (PDFs of everything and the print core book.)
When I did this I keep getting an error on the app and notice on the desktop that the print core book is no longer available as an add-on choice.
Has anyone else run into that?

 

[Reynard]

So, if this comes out in December 2025, that means I can run my 5E 2024 game through the end of the year and I bet by then folks will be ready for something lighter and less, well, 5E 2024...

 

[Lidgar]

So, if this comes out in December 2025, that means I can run my 5E 2024 game through the end of the year and I bet by then folks will be ready for something lighter and less, well, 5E 2024...

That’s exactly the plan for our group. Timing should be perfect - going through Age of Worms right now using 2024 5e and should wrap up by then.

Not to derail the thread, but we can’t get over how fiddly 5e has become. The fighter in particular has so many options and things to remember- can slow combat down to a crawl. We are still having fun, but craving something lighter and more free form. We played Pathfinder for years, and dont really want to go back to that style of play.

 

[darjr]

I got cold feet after baking the $300 premium set - since I've not played it yet and don't have a group currently to play it. I cancelled that pledge and was about to go in at a lower tier that's more financially responsible (PDFs of everything and the print core book.)
When I did this I keep getting an error on the app and notice on the desktop that the print core book is no longer available as an add-on choice.
Has anyone else run into that?

Can you ask in the discord?

If not if I get a chance I’ll forward this there.