This week’s TTRPG crowdfunding sampler focuses on campaigns ending between September 22 and October 4 plus Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Starter Box from EN Publishing. The list features projects found on Kickstarter and Backerkit, but there are other options forth reviewing on Crowdfundr, GameFound, GameOnTabletop, and IndieGoGo.
DUKK BÖRG from Gem Room Games
Brambletrek - A GM-Less RPG Adventure Gamebook from Crossed Paths Press
Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns for 5th Edition D&D TOV from Kobold Press
50 Faces in the Crowd, Systemless Fantasy RPG Cards from Philip Reed Games
Era: The Empowered 5th Anniversary - Superhero Tabletop RPG from Shades of Vengeance
Shadows Over Lake Geneva: Modern RPG Adventures for D&D 5E from Gaxland
FIST Paranormal Mercenary RPG Box Set from CLAYMORE
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Starter Box from EN Publishing
Zine Spinner Rack for A5 Size Books from Severed Books (Justin Sirois)
Paths of Sona by Richard A. Knaak – Hardcover from Wraithmarked Creative
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.
DUKK BÖRG from Gem Room Games
- END DATE: Tue, September 26 2023 10:00 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): MÖRK BORG
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure zine
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 + S/H the PDF and print versions
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This idea is so stoopid it’s genius: DuckTales but it’s MÖRK BORG. Don’t read “stoopid” as bad, I mean it in a gloriously fun sense! I’ve backed this book because the previews look outstanding, but moreso because this is the RPG I didn’t know I was waiting for. Ducks at the end of the world. Ducks of danger. Poor ducks that want to be rich ducks. But no Howards, at least not the movie version. In the DUKK BÖRG module, you’re fantasy ducks with fantasy swords in a fantasy world in pursuit of, I hope, fantasy duck-bloons. DuckTales with pseudo-medieval anthropomorphic ducks in a character grinder, expect tales of derring-do, bad and good luck tales. Woo-hoo! Heck, between this and Dragonbane’s mallards, I bought the latest issue of Dynamite’s Darkwing Duck at my local comic and game store because I’m feeling duck-stalgic. If you’re looking for a night of serious roleplaying then you done ducked up because this ain’t it. That’s to say, this adventure is a call to endless, memorable laughs that is worth diving into Uncle Scrooge’s Money Bin, grabbing some coins, and getting a copy.
Brambletrek - A GM-Less RPG Adventure Gamebook from Crossed Paths Press
- END DATE: Sep 28, 2023 at 7:30pm EDT.
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £15 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book and a soundtrack
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a solo RPGing experience where you play as an anthropomorphic mouse. Yep, we went from ducks to mice, and this list is just a sampling of what’s available so be on the lookout for other anthropomorphic tabletop offerings. Offering a movie style motivation, you’re a quiet mouse from a quiet life but the world of adventure calls out to you. To join in on these solo adventures, you’ll read the details, make decisions, drawn from a deck of cards, and journal the results. While this is a solo, GM-less RPG, there is a multiplayer option. If a solo RPG as a mouse appeals to you, check out this Backerkit campaign.
Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns for 5th Edition D&D TOV from Kobold Press
- END DATE: Wed, October 4 2023 7:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and Tales of the Valiant
- PROJECT TYPE: TTRPG sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $49 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project is for 5e and 5EC (5e compatible) homebrew campaigns in need of tools to improve the worldbuilding. This is the second in a series and focuses on the castles and governments of the land. What can you expect from Castles & Crowns? Well, Campaign Builder: Cities & Towns Map Folio, the precursor to this book, was nominated for an Ennie Award for Best Cartography in 2023. Since it comes with dozens of dry erase maps, that’s a positive sign in terms of quality. If you’re interested, check out the campaign page for a free preview of the book.
50 Faces in the Crowd, Systemless Fantasy RPG Cards from Philip Reed Games
- END DATE: Fri, September 22 2023 4:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): System neutral
- PROJECT TYPE: TTRPG accessory
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $4 for the PDF of the deck
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? I believe this is Philip Reed’s 18th crowdfunding project so far in 2023. 18, and yet I’d say his method is the definition of what speed and quality look like. Each campaign is short, the products are items that Phil is eager to put out into the world, and the results are more than most multi-freelancer publishers are able to achieve. 50 Faces in the Crowd builds on his 50 Patrons of the Market and 50 Guests of the Inn, adding randos any GM can throw into a fantasy crowd. Here’s where this is useful: Red herrings. As a GM, you need a face, name, and hook for a meaningless NPC. Since this deck of cards is situational, it could be a great random encounter generator for the streets, especially when the PCs ask if there were any witnesses to X event. If all of those NPCs interest you, $12 will get you the PDFs of all three decks or $20 for the PDFs and POD discount coupons. There’s utility and value in these offerings.
Era: The Empowered 5th Anniversary - Superhero Tabletop RPG from Shades of Vengeance
- END DATE: Sun, September 24 2023 4:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Era d10
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £70 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project combines superpowers, the Era d10 system, and the advantage of 5 years of gameplay. Ed Jowett and team are working on taking everything they’ve perfected about their superheroes RPG and putting it into a definitive volume. The mechanics, setting, and NPCs return with more art and fresh edits. This project includes work from Angus Abranson, the originator of, and my predecessor on, this column, so I count that as a win. Want a preview of the system, the Kickstarter page includes a link to the fundamentals.
Shadows Over Lake Geneva: Modern RPG Adventures for D&D 5E from Gaxland
- END DATE: Mon, October 2 2023 9:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons First and Fifth Editions
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $55 with free US shipping for the PDF and print versions of the books and map as well as dice and additional PDFs
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Because it’s co-created by a Gygax. Heidi and her husband, Erik Garland, are back with adventures for 1e and 5e that take place in 1948 Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. You play as a government operative of the Guarded Operations Directorate. Tasked with stopping supernatural monsters, you’re brought face-to-face with several in these adventures. Taking D&D’s ruleset to post-WWII America for The Beast of Bray Road and A Sanguine Horror, these adventures offer a different type world than the stock standard fantasy options and might be fun for your gaming table.
FIST Paranormal Mercenary RPG Box Set from CLAYMORE
- END DATE: Fri, September 29 2023 7:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An OSR version of Powered by the Apocalypse
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $100 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the boxed set
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? What if James Bond weren’t tied to a government and fought the supernatural? As Cold War mercenaries, you deal with international powers that delve into the occult and other strange powers. As a member of FIST, you fight those powers to save the world. It’s deadly and no one knows about it due to your opposite, CYCLOPS, an international organization which hides these dark truths. Using a version of the Powered by the Apocalypse system, you’ll deal with the dark powers of other worlds and the greedy powers of humanity to keep the world safe. The creators cite John Harper's World of Dungeons, Ben Milton's Maze Rats, and Chris P. Wolf and Olivia Gulin’s Offworlders as inspirations for their system. If saving the world from all that is evil appeals to you, this might be your RPG.
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Starter Box from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, October 12 2023 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition and other 5EC systems
- PROJECT TYPE: Starter set
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £30 + S/H for the PDF, VTT, and print boxed set
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Are you curious about Level Up, but stopped shy of it because the system and three books were a tad intimidating? I know it was my concern. But, Morrus is a smart gamer and businessperson, so he created something for us, a boxed set to sample the Advanced 5th Edition system. The box has basic rules, adventures, pre-gens and more. I’ll be talking about this in the coming weeks, but if you’re looking for crunchier 5e, this is a great place to test out the new options.
Zine Spinner Rack for A5 Size Books from Severed Books (Justin Sirois)
- END DATE: Sep 30, 2023 at 12:00pm EDT.
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- PROJECT TYPE: TTRPG display rack
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $299.99 with free S/H to US, UK, EU, Japan, and China for the spinner rack
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? If you love TTRPG zines then this is the way to display them. This spinner rack, like the old school comic book spinner racks of your youth, comes with RPG zine signage and stands over 7 feet/2.15 meters tall (though you can make it about half that height). With 32 pockets, you can fit about 500 zines or 400 comics, and you get signs for/from: Mörk Borg, Cy_Borg, Mothership, Kids on Bikes 2e, 9th Level Games, RPG Zine Club, Rowan Rook and Decard, Exalted Funeral, Old-School Essentials, and Vast Grimm. If you’re a zine head and want a cool way to show off your zines, this is a beautiful option with a great throwback vibe, and it’s available on Backerkit.
Paths of Sona by Richard A. Knaak – Hardcover from Wraithmarked Creative
- END DATE: Fri, September 29 2023 9:01 AM EDT.
- PROJECT TYPE: Novel
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 + S/H for the autographed hardcover
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Novelist Richard A. Knaak, author of Dragonlance: The Legend of Huma, Dragonlance: Kaz the Minotaur, and the Dragonrealm series is bringing his prose to Sona. This novel takes place in Sona, a world of divine chaos with overlapping timelines, shifting realities, and gods given to decisions taken at a whim. This setting is based on the miniatures from Squidmar Miniatures, and this novel gives life to this setting. This book is in addition to Richard’s upcoming Dragonlance project, THE JOURNALS OF KAZ THE MINOTAUR: THE LOST COLONY with the DL Nexus and a Jeff Easley cover. While this project is tabletop RPG adjacent, I love to celebrate the author that gave us some important parts of Dragonlance when I can. If you’re a fan of Knaak’s work or the Squidmar Miniatures setting, check this campaign out for an autographed copy of the book.
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.
