RPG Crowdfunding News – Discworld, Historica Arcanum, Rue From Ruin, and more

Happy (day before) Halloween! This article looks at a sampling of TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns that end between November 7 to 13. Ranging from the multi-million dollar Terry Pratchett's Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork to 5e options set in Renaissance Venice to a variety of indy games including vampire and werewolf options, there are different options to read through.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork from Modiphius Entertainment

• END DATE: Thu, November 7 2024 3:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): The Narrativium system uses the d100, d20, d12, d10, d6, d4 and a “d7A (because we can't say it's true name, so let's just call it...) the Narrativium die!”
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £130 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book, toolkit, adventure book, and dice
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you like Terry Pratchett's Discworld? Would gaming in his fantasy setting speak to you? Are you just going to ignore Pratchett’s effort in GURPS? Then Modiphius heard your pleas and they are prepping Terry Pratchett's Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork roleplaying game for your gaming table. For this game, Modiphius is going the extra mile by creating an original system instead of utilizing their 2d20 house ruleset. Considering Modiphius’ expertise and passion for the 2d20 System, they’re taking a big step by creating the Narrativium system specifically for this setting. Doing so shows their belief in designing the right engine for Pratchett’s much loved world. This crowdfunding promises rules, a setting (Big Wahoonie), and on-brand humor. If you’re interested in Discworld and want to see what the rules offer, check out the quickstart preview linked on the campaign page.

Historica Arcanum: Echoes of Renaissance (5E+) from Metis Media

• END DATE: Fri, November 8 2024 11:00 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $50 for the PDFs of books and VTT package
• AI STATEMENT: “No finished artwork has AI in it. Everything you see in the final product and marketing material is drawn by real, human, and very talented artists!”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Is your gaming table interested in a fantasy version of the Italian Renaissance? What about exploring 1500s Venice? This campaign offers a fantasy version of the era and city complete with 5e rules and two sourcebooks: Echoes of the Renaissance and A Serenade for the Damned. This version of 5e offers new rules including a battle stance system and a revised inspiration mechanic spiced with random, class-specific boons. A Serenade for the Damned campaign book includes NPCs like Leonardo da Vinci and the Doge of Venice to make the adventure more likely. If the idea of 5e in Venice sounds like fun, check out the campaign page for a free quickstart guide.

Necromancers of Monastis from Brave Alice Games

• END DATE: Fri, November 8 2024 7:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition and Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £12 for the PDF with both edition’s rules
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This book offers a new character class for your AD&D 2e and D&D 5e games, a True Summoner. Inspired by the Diablo video games, this class includes 85 new spells, 20 undead summons, combat feats, and 25 miniatures. The Necromancers of Monastis is a full class with 4 new schools of magic. The idea for this class will fit with dark fantasy campaigns that center around the undead. I’m curious about this since it’s designed for 5e as well as AD&D 2e, a rarer engine to see new content for. If you want a new class and STL figures to support this idea, this campaign may speak to your gaming table.

Chorogaiden(チョロ外伝): Sunflower - Expansion Analog Horror from NeonRot

• END DATE: Sat, November 9 2024 6:24 AM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Chorogaiden(チョロ外伝)
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core zine and two expansions plus postcards, stickers, and more
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This series of RPG zines provide a horror mystery game set in small town Japan. Using Itou Junji-inspired horror, you’ll create a town full of eldritch terrors. As you solve mysteries and help its citizens, the ultimate horror, the Eyes, fall upon your characters. Your investigators must stop the Eyes before they take over the world. The core zine is 40 pages of rules while the new zine for this campaign, the Sunflower zine, provides an additional 30 pages of rules plus new mysteries. In addition, you can pick up the All-Hallows Eve zine to get three more adventures. If you’re a fan of homages to the works of Junji Ito, RPG zines, and small town Japanese horror mysteries, this campaign is worth a look.

Paint The Town Red from SoulMuppet Publishing

• END DATE: Nov 7, 2024 at 7:00pm EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): “The rules of Paint The Town Red are built on the engines of Orbital Blues and Best Left Buried but expanded to tell emotional stories of undead.”
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £60 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book, quickstart, and envelopes
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This game’s logline is also a bit of a warning talking about “depression, partying and falling in love, and explores themes of trauma, vice and loneliness.” After reading this campaign page, if you have issues with depression, this game may be cathartic or it may trigger additional challenges. I’m going to approach this review from the cathartic angle. What makes Paint The Town Red interesting is that your character is undead, but feels like they are lifeless and rotting. Therefore, your goal is to feel alive. Unlife is a party, an attempt to chase the highs of living through drink, smoke, music, and debauchery. Your character has boundary pushing obsessions that they must feed to feel alive. You don’t drink blood for a biological need, you do it to feel the rush of life in your cold heart. This game is about a world of hidden supernatural beings in which you are trying to recapture something you lost when you died. Your stats reflect your joys and sorrows and connecting with life gives your vampire satisfaction. If the idea interests you, check out the Backerkit campaign page for a free PDF quickstart.

Rue From Ruin - Lone Werewolf Solo TTRPG from Adept Icarus

• END DATE: Wed, November 13 2024 8:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): The Lunar Call System
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $29 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core rulebook, journal, postcards, and the digital soundtrack
• ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Will Munn of Adept Icarus shared this about the game: “You’ve been made a werewolf, but your creator left you high and dry. No pack. You don’t know who to trust. And the full moon is coming. It’s much more in the tradition of cinematic portrayals of werewolves than most werewolf RPGs. It’s called Rue From Ruin and it’s written and designed by myself and Katie Young (a relative newcomer). It's the only solo game I ever wanted to write. I wrote a novella with the same subject matter 10 years ago, but couldn't land an ending I loved. When I started researching solo games, I knew the werewolf story had to be one.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Solo RPGs don’t always appeal to me, but this one has an easy to engage premise: You’re a new werewolf, better figure it out. Or not. It’s up to you. Someone betrayed you and left you as a werewolf. Isolated and filled with rage, you must learn to deal with your inner-wolf amid an escalating list of troubles. Moving through the phases of the moon, you’ll learn about being a werewolf and the uncontrollable anger that comes with your affliction. If you want to play through a werewolf story, one where you’re trying to quiet your inner flame before it burns you alive, this campaign is worth seeking out.

Trash to Treasure - A Trash Goblin Magical Girl RPG from Jonathon Boyle

• END DATE: Thu, November 7 2024 6:00 PM EST.
• SYSTEM(S): Havoc Engine
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $15 for the PDF of the core rulebook
• AI STATEMENT: “Trash to Treasure is human made, as are all of our games. We do not employ generative AI at any step of the process.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Play as trash goblin magical girls that Captain Planet their way through the world, cleaning up the environment as they fight varied forms of evil. Taking inspiration from Rowan, Rook and Decard’s Eat the Reich engine, this TTRPG is an 80-page guide to saving the world from trash by the trashiest. The game is designed to run with their pre-generated characters, though they provide alternatives such as altering the pre-gens or using the “Homebrew Section” to create your own magical girl trash goblin. If you want a game of trash goblins saving the planet, this campaign awaits your review.

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[sevenbastard]

AD&D 2e

On the surface, but when you think about it most retro clones they stick closer to 2e than 1e. I mean 2e with the PHB is just 1e better laid out and with simplfied combat.

 

[TheBanjoNerd]

I think it'd be hilarious if they kept the "ARTWORK TO BE CONFIRMED" on the Discworld DM screen.

 

[Egg Embry]

On the surface, but when you think about it most retro clones they stick closer to 2e than 1e. I mean 2e with the PHB is just 1e better laid out and with simplfied combat.

No lie detected, that's for sure. ;-)

 

[Thakazum]

On the surface, but when you think about it most retro clones they stick closer to 2e than 1e. I mean 2e with the PHB is just 1e better laid out and with simplfied combat.

Hard disagree there. Most try to hew close to OD&D. To each their own interpretation though!

 

[Lalato]

Forgot to post this last week. The 5e train keeps chugging along.

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

Closed and Funded:

• Labyrinth
• Empire of the Dying Sun
• Grim Hollow Transformed

Closed:

• A Tome of Aether and Iron (22%, 1 week)

Open and Funded:

• Brotherhood of the Catacombs (1 weeks)
• Witchfyre (2 weeks)
• Atlantis: War of the Tridents (2 weeks)
• Draconis: The Peaceful Way to Play (3 weeks)
• Belome: Secrets of Shadow and Vapor (3 weeks)
• Horror at Yishushu Landing (3 weeks)
• Konigsdörfen (3 weeks)
• Wicked Echoes: Whispers of Samodiva (3 weeks)
• Cursed by Frost (3 weeks)

Open:

• Wildergrove (3 weeks, 36%)
• Project Starborne (7 weeks, 7%)
• Myths of Mythscara (7 weeks, 12%)