RPG Crowdfunding News - Faster, Purple Worm!, Get It At Sutlers, Storypath Ultra Core, and more

This week’s TTRPG crowdfunding sampler looks at projects that end between September 26 to October 2. It’s time to review an adventure anthology where your character will push up daisies, a sourcebook that makes your character get a job, the core rulebook for a system that’s been around since 2017, and options for 5e, Dragonbane, Powered by the Apocalypse, and the Year Zero Engine.

Faster, Purple Worm! Everybody Dies, Vol. 1 from Beadle & Grimm's Pandemonium Warehouse

• END DATE: Thu, September 26 2024 3:01 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventures
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Actor Matthew Lillard of Scream and Scooby-Doo fame along with the rest of Beadle & Grimm’s Pandemonium Warehouse and some of the most popular actual players in streaming have an idea, offer the one-shot adventures that they played on their streaming series so you can take a crack at them at your gaming table. These adventures come from Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!, the comedy series streaming on the D&D Adventures channel. On the hour long show, the conclusion is assured: A total party kill (TPK). Since this anthology is based on that series, when you run a Faster, Purple Worm! Everybody Dies adventure, you’re choosing a short adventure where each player can recklessly throw their character into the action because death is their destiny. If you’re interested in the streaming series, the campaign page has links as well as a bit of context and history behind the show. If you want some outlandish 1st-level adventures, this anthology promises a great premise and some memorable character moments.

Get It At Sutlers: A Troika Adventure Generator from Melsonian Arts Council

• END DATE: Sep 26, 2024 at 1:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): TROIKA!: The Science-Fantasy Roleplaying Game
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £32 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book as well as the welcome pack
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Ok, Troika! is one of the touchstones when you think of gonzo roleplaying. This game takes random to a scary place, one where trying to predict what’s coming next is best left to the pathological. I mean those statements in the best possible way. You run a Troika! game for the love of chaos. Case in point: The latest official Troika! project is a book about the ultimate adventure: Getting a job at a department store. Sure the world’s sci-fi and the store is dangerous, but at its core, Get It At Sutlers is about obtaining gainful employment in retail. A job. This is the state of sci-fantasy, you’re using your free time to fill out applications and lie on interview questions to get a pretend job and it will be a blast. How. Random. Is. That?! Troika! succeeds on a level that few games could ever hope to achieve by making work exciting. My hat is off to Daniel Sell. Starting with an introductory adventure, you find paid work, and then it’s random micro-adventures, random NPCs, and random encounters. If you’re interested in seeing an adventure that has shades of sci-Clerks and sci-American Psycho, this Backerkit campaign is a must!

Storypath Ultra Core Manual from Onyx Path Publishing

• END DATE: Sep 26, 2024 at 2:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Storypath Ultra
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book plus a POD discount coupon
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Onyx Path Publishing offers a core rulebook, no specific setting or lore, just the system. Since 2017, Onyx Path used the Storypath Ultra engine to power Trinity Continuum, Scion Second Edition, and They Came From! series. Storypath Ultra Core Manual takes those rules, refines and clarifies the points, and makes the engine available for those that want to use the rules in their home games. Using d10 dice pools, you roll against a Target Number, total your successes and compare it to the Difficulty. Any excess successes allow you to choose Tricks, bonus effects available to your character. The advantage to this book is the 3 game lines that use these rules and 7 years worth of gaming experience that led to this book. You’re not getting an untested ruleset, you’re getting a refined, detailed engine that will be ready for your gaming needs. OPP is known for their lore-heavy games including the Chronicles of Darkness and more. It’s exciting to see them provide a pure rules book, forgoing any lore in favor of crunch. If you’re a creator interested in using the Storypath Ultra system for your next project, this campaign opens up options to showcase your work at the Storypath Nexus Community Content Program. If you want to learn more about this engine, check out the Backerkit campaign page.

Project Cerberus from Knight Vision Creative

• END DATE: Sep 27, 2024 at 3:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of a Creed’s Codex book of your choice plus $80 worth of credit towards the Creed’s Codex store
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? The Creed’s Codex 5E series of books offer a less common take on fantasy, one influenced by cyberpunk tropes like the megacity and body modifications. This campaign adds new books with the Creed’s Codex: Echoes of the Shattered Age, a hardcover campaign setting, and two supplements: Paths of Power and Rift Wardens of the Nexus. This series already has a full book of psionics with a dedicated class, five subclasses, and a fungal species, all of which pairs nicely with the concept of body modifications, meaning you can unlock the power of your character’s body and mind. If you want to see what Knight Vision Creative can offer, check the Backerkit campaign page for a free preview PDF of the series.

Don't Pay the Ferryman (2E) Dragonbane & PBTA from Blake Ryan

• END DATE: Thu, September 26 2024 10:30 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dragonbane and Powered by the Apocalypse
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: AU$25 for the Dragonbane versions of the PDFs as well as POD discount coupons
• AI STATEMENT: “A.I was not used in any part of this product.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This pseudo-Bronze Age fantasy campaign and adventure is available for the d20-based Dragonbane and the 2d6-based Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) rulesets. One system deals in “To-Hit” and Hit Points while the other works through Playbooks and Moves for the Players and GM, making for a different gameplay experience from each option. With Dragonbane, you get 2 new spells lists, 2 new kin, and new equipment. With the PbtA option, there are rules for chases and journeys, 6 playbooks, and more. This is what interests me about this campaign, it’s not for one system or several related systems, it’s for two systems that offer differing mechanic concepts and styles of play. That alone makes this an ambitious and interesting project, and I’m curious how the contents of the world will feel different from each system. Offered as three books, you’ll get the 126-page core rulebook, the 70-page Pandemonium of Perils, and the 50-page Cacophony of Characters with the player materials. If you’re a fan of Dragonbane or PbtA, this is worth a look.

Sleepy Hollow: A Tabletop Roleplaying Game of early 19th Century Folk Horror from Kids in the Attic

• END DATE: Oct 1, 2024 at 5:08pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Year Zero Engine
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $25 for the PDF of the book as well as a POD discount coupon
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Want to try a beautifully illustrated folk horror TTRPG set 20 years after the ride of Ichabod Crane? Then this is worth exploring as the Backerkit campaign offers the right combination of setting, system, and artist. Sleepy Hollow, the location of the tales of the headless horseman, combined with the suspense and tension that comes from the Year Zero Engine paired with Rick Hershey’s artwork is a perfect creative storm, making this a game you’re going to want to add to your collection. Beyond the core rulebook, you’ll get spells with the Folk Magic: Spells and Charms of the Hollow, a bestiary in Ichabod Crane’s Field Guide to Uncanny Creatures, and A Little Darkness: Scenario Book of 4 Adventures. If you’re a fan of folk horror, artist-led TTRPGs, and Sleepy Hollow, this is worth a look at Backerkit.

Tales of the Old West from Effekt

• END DATE: Thu, October 3 2024 11:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Year Zero Engine
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £40 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Another historical Year Zero Engine offering, this one featuring the American Old West. Set in and around 1873 in the American West, this TTRPG is a simulation of the realities and drama of the Old West. Not so much about the white hats and black hats, this is around 200 pages of the world closer to the way it was. Written by dedicated researchers combined with sensitivity readers, this game could be right for players looking for a grounded take on this segment of American history. Using d6 dice pools, you’ll explore the world as a Gentlefolk, Grifter, Homesteader, Tracker, Ranch Hand, or Trader, facing realistic dangers. If this option interests you, check out the Kickstarter page.

​

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.

 

[sevenbastard]

you’re choosing a short adventure where each player can recklessly throw their character into the action because death is their destiny.

" I don't belive in no win scenarios"

My plan is to hack the files before they are sent to the printer to make them winnable.

 

[Lalato]

Here are the 5e Campaign Setting and Adventure Path crowdfunding campaigns I'm keeping an eye on right now.

Closed and Funded:

• Monster Trainer's Handbook
• Giant's Rage

Closed:

• The Lord Navigator's Almanac to Chorus (36%)
• The Blue Divide (5%)

Open and Funded:

• Creed's Codex: Echoes of a Shattered Age (1 week)
• Shadow City Mysteries (2 weeks)
• Terra Incognita (3 weeks)
• Mists of Akuma Bundle (4 weeks) (new adventure path)
• Sink! (4 weeks)

Open:

• Thirteen Phylacteries of the Lich Lord (28%, 2 weeks)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Thirteen Phylacteries of the Lich Lord (28%, 2 weeks)

That's a pretty cool idea for a campaign. I hope they try again if/when this crowdfunding attempt fails.

 

[Lalato]

That's a pretty cool idea for a campaign. I hope they try again if/when this crowdfunding attempt fails.

The goal isn’t too crazy. They have a chance.

 

[Lalato]

I missed one. Added Sink! It didn't come up in my search. I only found out about it because I saw an ad on Facebook.

Kickstarter's search leaves a bit to be desired.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Wildest Kickstarter campaign of the week: These guys who insist that they have a "legal team" that will give them a statement to post in the next few weeks, stating that it's OK for them to use the name "Forgotten Realms" for their 5E monster book.

Even if that's true -- and I really doubt it is -- do you really think the number of people signing up as a result is going to outweigh the headaches a large corporation is going to inevitably subject you to?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/231027753/bestiary-of-the-forgotten-realms-dandd-5e-bestiary/comments

 

[talien]

Wildest Kickstarter campaign of the week: These guys who insist that they have a "legal team" that will give them a statement to post in the next few weeks, stating that it's OK for them to use the name "Forgotten Realms" for their 5E monster book.

Even if that's true -- and I really doubt it is -- do you really think the number of people signing up as a result is going to outweigh the headaches a large corporation is going to inevitably subject you to?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/231027753/bestiary-of-the-forgotten-realms-dandd-5e-bestiary/comments

There's nothing under "risks" about it either. None. Not a whiff that it might be a problem.

 

[Lalato]

Could have just used "Lost" Realms... and dropped a bunch of hints about having a foggy memory.

 

[talien]

Could have just used "Lost" Realms... and dropped a bunch of hints about having a foggy memory.

In my experience, these sorts of controversies are often cultural. That is, in the U.S., copyright/trademarks are top of mind, and concerns about intellectual property are at the forefront of many creators minds. Internationally, due to laws being different and a more relaxed approach to sharing and developing content in some countries, it's something of a shock to see how protective companies and creators are of their IP. It's a tough way to learn about how protective folks are of "their stuff" given that D&D is all about sharing and playing in other peoples' worlds.