The week’s sampling of tabletop RPG crowdfundings includes games, sourcebooks, and conventions, all of which collect their funds between August 2 and 10. In this article, I cover TravellerconUSA 2023, a Traveller-centric gaming convention. In a similar category, I want to shout out Decepta Con TX (Texas) in San Antonio, Texas on October 7 and 8. It is a tabletop gaming convention, but I didn’t give it a full write up because it’s not TTRPG-specific. The con spotlights “all things social deception gaming.” Still, all tabletop gatherings serve to benefit the wider hobby.
Nightmare Over Ragged Hollow from The Merry Mushmen
Octhorrorfest Special Edition from Appendix N Entertainment
The Straight Way Lost - Adventure & Sourcebook for 5e from Vortex Verlag
Dungeon Scribe's Magical Oddities: Item Tome for D&D 5e. from Dungeon Scribe
Slash! - The Horror Movie RPG from Skullcamera Games
This and That: Print Collection from Sneak Attack Press
Graveyards of Arkham from Chaosium, Inc.
TravellerconUSA 2023 - - 20 - 22 October 2023
What's OLD is NEW Starter Box: Fantasy/Modern/Sci-fi TTRPG from EN Publishing
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.
- END DATE: Wed, August 2 2023 6:30 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €22 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The Merry Mushmen and other reviewers liked Joseph R. Lewis’ Ragged Hollow Nightmare so much, that TMMM picked up the adventure, expanded its content, and gave new, outstanding artwork by Li-An. Advertised as a great introduction for GMs and players to old-school gaming, this 80-page adventure centers around Ragged Hollow, a haunted strip of land. This setting balances dungeon crawls with folklore and whimsy. If you’re a fan of OSR adventures, this one has proven its worth, and this campaign offers a fresh coat of paint before showing up at your gaming table.
- END DATE: Thu, August 3 2023 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Old-School Essentials
- PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? After three printings of the Octhorrorfest adventure as a zine, Appendix N Entertainment is adding new content and more pages plus a hardcover in a special edition that will be out in time for Halloween. With more information about Samhain, three new classes, monsters, and new magic options, this adventure is perfect to ring in the holiday, OSR-style. If you’re looking for an OSR Halloween adventure, this is worth checking out.
The Straight Way Lost - Adventure & Sourcebook for 5e from Vortex Verlag
- END DATE: Thu, August 10 2023 4:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €70 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: I interviewed Melina Sedó about this project
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, this 5e campaign lets you save Florence, Italy as you adventure through the world of Dante’s story. In a fantastic version of Renaissance Italy and the netherworlds: inferno, purgatorio and paradiso, you’ll face off against demons, creatures, and powerful enemies eager to bring their agenda to fruition. This 400-page book offers crunch to add to your campaign including new classes. If the idea of experiencing a magical Renaissance world using 5e’s ruleset interests you, check out the campaign page for a PDF preview of the setting.
Dungeon Scribe's Magical Oddities: Item Tome for D&D 5e. from Dungeon Scribe
- END DATE: Thu, August 10 2023 10:01 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This is a lot of content born of a singular idea: 500 magic items designed for the GM and the players. This campaign offers a tome and cards with over 500 illustrated magic items for 5e. Where it stands out are the cards, 500 oversized cards featuring those same magic items to pass out to your players. The GM has a copy in the book, players on oversized cards, both have the same information so there’s no need to pass them back and forth. Because of the massive number of cards, they’re indexed for reference. It looks like the digital version of the cards are the right format for phone screens, which is a plus for phone-centric players. Designed over four years, you’re getting a lot of playtested content that will make for balanced magic items. If you need a sourcebook and cards that feel like they’ve been well thought out, this is a winner.
Slash! - The Horror Movie RPG from Skullcamera Games
- END DATE: Thu, August 10 2023 11:56 AM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): An original system
- PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $19 for the PDF versions of the books
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need more slasher horror at your gaming table? In this RPG, there’s a slasher, you play as the victims, and the story format is the three act structure. The core mechanics use proprietary six-sided dice that represent skills, bonuses, and fear-driven penalties, each with a different number and symbols. Characters have to manage their fears to prevent penalties even as the slasher stalks them. The full set of this game provides options for quickstart slashers and locations to be stalked, plus adventures and, of course, core rules. The core rulebook is over 150 pages to convey the system and ways they’ve set this up for horror and humor. If you’re a fan of slasher horror, this may be for you.
This and That: Print Collection from Sneak Attack Press
- END DATE: Aug 10, 2023 at 10:00am EDT.
- CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
- SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, Pathfinder Second Edition, and Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
- PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $30 for the PDF and POD discount coupon for the print book in the system of your choice (5e, PF2e, or SWAdE)
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This book offers gear, some common, some magical, but all important to fantasy RPGs. Rarely detailed in other books, this one looks as locks, keys, ropes, lanterns, packs, wagons, and everything between. In addition, there are new monsters and spells. Offering this for 5e, PF2e, and SWAdE means you’ll find a lot of utility within these pages.
Graveyards of Arkham from Chaosium, Inc.
- END DATE: Tue, August 8 2023 12:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): Call of Cthulhu
- PROJECT TYPE: Steaming actual play series
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $32 for the PDFs of three adventures plus a map and your name will appear in each episode
- WGA and SAG-AFTRA STRIKE NOTE: At the time of this writing, actual plays are not subject to work stoppages related to the writers and actors strike in the United States
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project is part of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu actual play anthology series. Showcasing high-end production values including professional sets, costumes, and walk-on NPCs, this is a stunning actual play series. How good is this project? The first project in the anthology, Bookshops of Arkham, is nominated for Best Podcast in the 2023 Ennie Awards. Hosted by Mark Meer, the players for Graveyards of Arkham include Patrick Logan, Josephine McAdam, Lucia Versprille (creator of The Islands of Sina Una for 5e), and Noura Ibrahim as well as special NPC cameos. This Kickstarter campaign allows you to support the next chapter in this series. If you’re a fan of beautifully told actual plays, this is worth checking out.
TravellerconUSA 2023 - - 20 - 22 October 2023
- END DATE: Sun, August 6 2023 11:59 PM EDT.
- PROJECT TYPE: Gaming convention
- DATE & LOCATION: October 20 to 23, 2023 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $35 for the weekend pass to the convention
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you love the Traveller RPG? If so, this is the gaming convention for you. TravellerconUSA is a convention dedicated to Traveller and its fans. As one of the oldest tabletop RPGs, I love to see its fandom go all out in support of their RPG. Easily accessible from Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and all of the areas between, this convention is held in a DoubleTree hotel with food on-premise and reasonable badge prices ($35 for the weekend pass and vendors can reserve space for $35). If you’re a fan of Traveller or just a local gamer interested in playing some Traveller, this convention is worth the trip.
What's OLD is NEW Starter Box: Fantasy/Modern/Sci-fi TTRPG from EN Publishing
- END DATE: Thu, August 3 2023 6:00 PM EDT.
- SYSTEM(S): W.O.I.N.
- PROJECT TYPE: Starter set
- MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £24 + S/H for the PDF, VTT, and print versions of the boxed set
- DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
- WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This campaign has just over a week to go! EN Publishing’s W.O.I.N. (What’s OLD Is NEW) system is a universal tabletop option with specific rules for fantasy, modern, and sci-fi. This starter set includes a 68-page rulebook, three adventures, pregenerated characters, dice, VTT, tokens, and a license to write your own content via the OGL, Creative Commons, and/or ORC. For those wanting to sample W.O.I.N., this is the place to start.
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.
