This week’s RPG crowdfunding sampler looks at a range of campaigns that end between August 31 to September 21. This is a long list this week, so let’s jump in.
Dolmenwood Tabletop RPG from Exalted Funeral and Necrotic Gnome
Shadow of the Weird Wizard from Schwalb Entertainment
The Secret Art of Game Mastery from The DM Lair
FIRE & ICE THE MINIATURES BOARD GAME from Dynamite Entertainment
Enclave: A Tableless Roleplaying Game from Robby Howell
Growing Our Family! - Our Family Plays Games 2023 Campaign
Combat Banes and Boons, Unforgettable Crits in Fantasy RPGs from Philip Reed Games
Castle Vordanrok (Print Edition) from Limitless Adventures
Delver 10: Old School RPG Resources for GMs and Players from The Tabletop Engineer
Closet of the Eye Wizard from Planet X Games
Puzzling Encounters from EN Publishing
Prison-Pit of the Agelast King - for the Shadowdark RPG from ThrowiGames
You Carry the Fire: An Original Shadowdark Adventure from Chris Lohkamp
The Swamplights of Erestes (5E/OSR/Shadowdark/Pathfinder) from Ancient Sage
Unnatural Selection: A Supplement for use with Shadowdark from Dungeon Damsel Creations
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.
Dolmenwood Tabletop RPG from Exalted Funeral and Necrotic Gnome
- END DATE: Fri, September 8 2023 11:59 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook and sourcebooks
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $95 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core books plus digital soundtrack
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Dolmenwood Preview is free at DriveThruRPG
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need an OSR ruleset and campaign setting that’s joined the million-dollar crowdfunding club? From the publisher behind Old-School Essentials? Then the Dolmenwood Tabletop RPG is a campaign setting and OSR rulesets inspired by the fairy tales and lore of the British Isles, and it’s for you. Offered as three books (Campaign, Player’s, and the Monster Book), this RPG promises a streamlined system and focus on original monsters and encounters with a dark and whimsical bent. The differences between this project and other settings might be spotlighted by looking at the playable kindreds: goat-headed breggles, starry-eyed elves, tricksome grimalkin cat-fairies, everyday humans, fungus-riddled mosslings, and bat-faced woodgrues. Those options give you a sense of the world this RPG envisions. If you need an OSR that combines the best of OSE with a fresh take on an English fantasy setting, this may speak to you.
Shadow of the Weird Wizard from Schwalb Entertainment
- END DATE: Thu, September 7 2023 9:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Shadow of the Demon Lord
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $99 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the books and more
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: Weird Wizard Quick Play is free at DriveThruRPG
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Robert J Schwalb, designer of Shadow of the Demon Lord and contributor to many major tabletop RPGs over the past few decades including 5e, is creating an updated SotDL RPG, this one less focused on death and demons and, instead, given to the spirit of fighting an evil wizard and saving those innocents that are caught up in his dark designs. This project offers two books: Shadow of the Weird Wizard and Secrets of the Weird Wizard. Shadow is for the players, Secrets for the GM. If you like the SotDL system, but want some updates to make for epic campaigns and a tone that is more general audience friendly, this RPG is worth checking out.
The Secret Art of Game Mastery from The DM Lair
- END DATE: Thu, September 7 2023 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): System neutral
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for the PDFs of all three books
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project offers three system agnostic books of GM advice from some of the best known GMs in the industry. The Secret Art of Notetaking, The Secret Art of Game Mastery, and The Secret Art of Preparation all provide essays, guides, advice, charts, and universal gaming truths to improve your GMing. Not sure if the advice will help you? Check out the campaign page to download a sample to see if their words of gaming wisdom are is for you.
FIRE & ICE THE MINIATURES BOARD GAME from Dynamite Entertainment
- END DATE: Tue, September 12 2023 11:59 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Board game and core RPG ruleset
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $75 + S/H for the core boxed set plus digital comic book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A version of the Fire & Ice animated movie from director Ralph Bakshi, painter Frank Frazetta, and authors Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas is coming to tabletop. As part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the movie, Dynamite Entertainment launched a comic book series and this tabletop board game which includes RPG rules. Described as a rules lite RPG, this option gives you a new way to enjoy the Fire & Ice setting. Check out the campaign page for the complete board game and RPG rules.
Enclave: A Tableless Roleplaying Game from Robby Howell
- END DATE: Fri, September 8 2023 11:59 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This TTRPG is a truly diceless roleplaying experience. By “truly”, I mean there’s no dice, cards, or other randomizing agent in play. Instead, there is character creation and rules, but the driving force is player engagement. Based on the campaign page, if you roleplay it and it makes sense, it happens. You have a character class, you have some areas where you’re more likely to succeed, but ultimately it seems like the idea is the more you put in, the more you get out. In terms of setting, this is a fantasy RPG that has some other genre elements to pull from. You’re part of the Enclave, a world-spanning organization on a mission. If you want to try a randomization removed RPG, this may be of interest.
Growing Our Family! - Our Family Plays Games 2023 Campaign
- END DATE: Tue, September 5 2023 11:01 AM EDT.
- PROJECT TYPE: Tabletop streaming series
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for a digital thank you
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a streaming series in which the hosts play and review board games as well as talk to a diverse set of creators. Yes, this is RPG-adjacent as the series discusses tabletop board games, not RPGs. However, the core of their mission is what speaks to me. Opening up the gaming table to all players is important. Series like this take existing games and open them to new gamers, and that’s important because getting gamers into any tabletop opens the doorway to tabletop RPGs.
QUICK STARTER CAMPAIGNS
Quickstarters are short crowdfunding campaigns, and I don’t get a chance to cover that many. This week, a number of friends of the column have campaigns that I want to share. Ranging from Phil Reed to EN Publishing to creators I’ve had a chance to game with, this is a list of short campaigns from amazing creators.Combat Banes and Boons, Unforgettable Crits in Fantasy RPGs from Philip Reed Games
- END DATE: Fri, September 8 2023 3:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): System neutral
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook and source deck
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $10 for the PDF and POD discount for both decks and the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? In any fantasy RPG, you’ve rolled the dice and failed, badly. But what does that mean? Philip Reed and Lex Morgan have a deck of cards that explain what happened: Crit the roll, draw a card, learn the outcome. In any fantasy RPG, you’ve rolled the dice and succeeded, handsomely. But what does that mean? Philip Reed and Lex Morgan have a deck of cards that explain what happened: Crit the roll, draw a card, learn the outcome. To be clear, these are separate decks, one of Banes, one of Boons. Also, there’s a book with the same information in a random chart. If you want to spice up critical successes and failures, this project was made for your gaming table.
Castle Vordanrok (Print Edition) from Limitless Adventures
- END DATE: Fri, September 1 2023 8:30 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need a castle? One that can be used for adventures, a base, or just a recurring location? The idea behind Castle Vordanrok is combining existing material and adventures to create a memorable location. Among the adventure options you’ll find investigations, errands, and a solid adventure: Save the castle from a siege. If you need a location for your campaign, this castle awaits.
Delver 10: Old School RPG Resources for GMs and Players from The Tabletop Engineer
- END DATE: Fri, September 1 2023 11:59 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $11 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the magazine (USA only)
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 36 plus pages of OSR thoughts and content in an RPG zine. This issue offers another excellent assortment of useful random charts, GM advice on creating a sandbox setting, and an OSR adventure for level 7 and 8 characters. I’ve played with James Floyd Kelly, The Tabletop Engineer, so this project gets my highest recommendation because I know how creative he is at the table.
Closet of the Eye Wizard from Planet X Games
- END DATE: Tue, September 5 2023 8:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC)
- PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $20 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the zine
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Another OSR zine, this one leaning into the weird fantasy for DCC. Planet X Games brings together an amazing number of creators, each one delivering one unique page of DCC content. Each page features different art, different layouts, and different content. Monsters, treasures, adventure, each page brings something new but well designed and worth adding to your campaign. Select and drop whatever interests you. If you’re looking for outstanding art, layouts, and ideas, or introductions to a number of creators, this is worth your time.
Puzzling Encounters from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, August 31 2023 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £8 for the PDF of the book
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 28 pages of puzzles and riddles for your 5e campaign. These include a pictographic language puzzle, a puzzle that requires character secrets to solve, a puzzle related to food, and an adventure for levels 5 to 9. Most important, this book offers advice on how to create original, organic puzzles, ones that your table will love. If you want more puzzles in your adventures, this is worth fitting into your campaign.
SHADOWDARK
The new OSR hotness is Shadowdark, a project that reached 13,249 backers and over a million dollars on Kickstarter in March of this year. The system is designed by Kelsey Dionne of the Arcane Library. Crowdfunding numbers reflect fan interest, but there are other popularity tests including how often creators design for the system. Considering how new the system is (the physical copies ship in October), there are several third party publishers creating new content for the system. All of these are adventures or sourcebooks with the best funded of these four is Unnatural Selection: A Supplement for use with Shadowdark from Dungeon Damsel Creations, which has a solid base already.Prison-Pit of the Agelast King - for the Shadowdark RPG from ThrowiGames
- END DATE: Wed, September 6 2023 10:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Shadowdark
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $12 for the PDF and POD discount for the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? 24 pages and designed for 1st and 2nd level characters.
You Carry the Fire: An Original Shadowdark Adventure from Chris Lohkamp
- END DATE: Thu, September 7 2023 8:40 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Shadowdark
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook and adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for the PDF and POD discount of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? A 100-page sourcebook that includes a 40-page zero-level dungeon crawl meets Pitch Black.
The Swamplights of Erestes (5E/OSR/Shadowdark/Pathfinder) from Ancient Sage
- END DATE: Mon, September 11 2023 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, Shadowdark, Pathfinder 1e, and PF2e
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $2 for the PDF of the adventure
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Designed for 5th to 7th level characters, this adventure has new monsters, lore, encounters, and maps.
Unnatural Selection: A Supplement for use with Shadowdark from Dungeon Damsel Creations
- END DATE: Sep 21, 2023 at 9:00pm EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Shadowdark
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $55 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core book plus additional extras
- CROWDFUNDING ON: BACKERKIT
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Featuring artwork by Bunni Daniel, this 120-page sourcebook offers new classes, spells, beasts, and more for Shadowdark. Want a preview? Check out the Backerkit campaign page for a free option.
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.
