Category: Crowdfunding

Survival of the Able – An Interview with Jacob Wood (Accessible Games)

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Jacob Wood of Accessible Games reached out to share the press release for his RPG crowdfunding project, Survival of the Able. We talked briefly which led to this short interview about the project.

EGG EMBRY (EGG): What’s the pitch for your project?

JACOB WOOD (JW): You’re a person with a disability living in a Medieval almshouse when the Black Death comes to your village. People who are dying of the plague are rising again, and they’re hungry for flesh. It’s up to a handful of you to make your way out of town and away to safety.

You may not be the biggest, the strongest, or the fittest, but you’re determined to survive.

At its core, Survival of the Able is a game about empathy. You’ll play as someone with a disability tasked with surviving a zombie plague, but the real villains of the game are injustice, inaccessibility, and ableism. You won’t have modern protections like the Americans with Disabilities Act to offer you protection against discrimination, and you won’t have modern technology to make your life easier. You will have your wits, your guts, and your determination.

Our hope is that by putting yourself in your character’s shoes, you’ll start to feel angered and incensed at the way they are treated. You’ll see the injustices that still impact people with disabilities to this day. You’ll also feel a great sense of accomplishment when you overcome the odds and survive grueling challenges despite the setbacks you face. Finally, you’ll recognize how to translate this experience to the real world.

EGG: What system are you using, and why is it the right one for this game?

JW: Survival of the Able is built on the bones of the Fudge System™, but it was 100% written from the ground up to include only the elements which are essential to the experience.

I’ve written in the past about how Fudge is inherently one of the most accessible RPGs in terms of game mechanics. Fudge Dice are tactile and easily read by blind players, the Trait Ladder is great for people who are math-minded and people who aren’t, and the system as a whole is simple enough for newcomers to understand with little difficulty.

Fudge is also customizable to an incredible degree. I have used it for crunchier cyberpunk games (such as Psi-punk), print-and-play board games (Monster Kart Mayhem), and now a survival horror game. Mechanics can be picked up, set aside, and altered to taste. Using it has allowed me to build precisely the experience I wanted for the game without sacrificing anything that makes the system familiar to so many players.

EGG: What is the reward that is the best value?

JW: The $50 tier gets you a PDF, a code to purchase the print-on-demand book at-cost, and an online game session with me. After that game session, I’ll stick around for a Q&A to help players and GMs learn how to run the game for their own groups. That’s 4 to 5 hours of my time plus the game for a pretty reasonable price.

The other great value is the $60 accessibility consulting tier for other developers. It’s the $20 print-on-demand tier and two hours of my time as a consultant for your project. Typically I charge $25 to $30 per hour, but through this tier it’s effectively $20/hour.

EGG: Assuming there are stretch goals, which one are you most excited about?

JW: I’m excited about the opportunity to deliver the game in an audiobook format. I know it isn’t the best way for a lot of people to learn a new game, but for some people having that audio transcription of the book will be invaluable. It’ll also be handy for people who want to learn while commuting to work or a gaming convention.

[Author’s Note: Here’s the description of the audiobook format from the campaign.

“Audiobook: We’ll partner with Russel Collins of Robot Claw Entertainment to develop an audiobook format for the game. This accessible audio file will be completely DRM-free, so you can copy it to as many devices as you need. It’s great if you have trouble reading printed material or like to listen to books in the car.”]

 

 

EGG: What other projects have you worked on?

JW: My first release was Psi-punk, a Fudge cyberpunk RPG, in 2013. Since then I have worked on many other games for myself and others.

I’m most proud of my work on Infestation, an RPG of Bugs and Heroes (by Third Eye Games) and Baby Bestiary 1 and 2 (by Metal Weave Games). These were ENnie-nominated and ENnie-winning titles, respectively.

I’m also currently contributing to A Kid’s Guide to Monster Hunting (Third Eye Games), and I can’t wait until it’s out. This game is going to be stellar.

EGG: Where can fans learn more about you and your project?

JW: If you back the Kickstarter, you’ll get updates delivered straight to your inbox. There’s no better way than that.

You can also follow along on my website, Twitter, or Facebook. The website is a great resource for links to our other interviews, podcast appearances, videos, etc.

 

[Author’s Note: I did not ask Jacob about himself so I decided to paper over my laziness by quoting some of his Kickstarter bio:

“I began losing my sight in my mid teens and had difficulty adapting. Accessible computer software wasn’t the norm at the time, and as my condition worsened it seemed like I would never get to achieve my life goals. All I had left, it seemed, was tabletop gaming. As more of my time became consumed with games, I realized I was spending a lot of time adapting them for low vision play or struggling with inaccessible PDFs. One day my vision became clear: I would make it my life’s work to design and promote accessible games.”]

Survival of the Able by Accessible Games

End Date: Mon, November 18 2019 10:00 PM EST.

“A Survival Horror RPG about People with Disabilities”

Want to try before you buy? Try out Survival of the Able Beta from Accessible Games for free at DriveThruRPG.

 

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NOTE: This article includes affiliate links to DriveThruRPG. As a DriveThruRPG Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

ABOUT BOILERPLATE INTERVIEWS.

Sometimes schedules keep me from performing in-depth interviews with RPG creators. When I can’t do a proper interview, I still like to give space for creators to share their projects. To that end, I conduct boilerplate interviews, short and generic but still an outlet for creators. If you have a product you would be interested in participating in a boilerplate interview, reach out here.

PRESS RELEASE: Survival of the Able Now Infecting Kickstarter

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Survival of the Able Now Infecting Kickstarter 

The Black Death has come to your village. Everywhere around you people are succumbing to the plague. Quarantines are doing little to stem the tide of decay that is coming your way. Worst of all, you and the others in your almshouse have been left to fend for yourselves. 

 

Oh, and did we mention plague victims are rising as zombies? 

In Survival of the Able you’re a person with a disability living in a European almshouse when the Black Death arrives. Little is known about where the plague originated or how to stop it, but those who die from it are rising again—and they’re hungry for flesh. Since everyone else has succumbed to the plague, it’s up to a handful of you to make your way out of town and away to safety. You may not be the biggest, the strongest, or the fittest, but you’re determined to survive. 

What is Survival of the Able? 

Survival of the Able is a tabletop RPG about empathy. In this game, you will play as a person with a disability in the Middle Ages. The world isn’t very hospitable to you and your kind, and that’s before plague-ridden zombies started rising up to devour everyone around them. As you struggle for survival, you’ll get a feeling for what it is like to endure discrimination, to struggle with inaccessible surroundings, and to overcome adversity. This isn’t a game about heroic people and their heroic deeds. It’s a game about ordinary folks who have no choice but to challenge the stereotypes that keep them down. It’s a game about overcoming 14th Century plagues and 21st Century discrimination. 

About the Campaign 

Accessible Games is raising $8,000 in 30 days to fund production for the book. The game is already written, but it needs art, editing, and layout to be complete. You can contribute to get a PDF, a printed book, a custom illustration, or an online game with the game’s designer. 

Survival of the Able was developed by Jacob Wood, a blind game designer, and is being produced by other disabled and marginalized contributors. 

Scramble over to the Kickstarter campaign to get your copy today. http://www.bit.ly/SotALive  

 

About Accessible Games 

Since 2010, Accessible Games has been advocating for people with disabilities in the tabletop games industry. Originally a board game review blog focusing on the accessibility of game mechanics and components, they eventually branched out into making their own RPGs. 

“I was getting frustrated over the inaccessibility of RPGs in electronic formats,” said Jacob Wood, owner of Accessible Games. “I knew the technology was available to make PDFs accessible to screen readers, but most companies weren’t taking advantage of it. I realized I needed to learn how to make usable products so I could teach others how to do the same.” 

In 2013, Accessible Games released Psi-punk, their first complete RPG, after raising funds on Kickstarter.  The game uses tactile Fudge Dice and straightforward mechanics to showcase how complex games can be simplified without sacrificing fun. Perhaps just as importantly, the PDF was designed to be screen reader friendly so it can be read by people with a variety of print disabilities. 

Since then, Accessible Games has produced several other products, including two educational resources for other publishers. “Game Publishing Lessons” and “Accessible Guide to RPG Layout” have both reached hundreds of publishers and game designers, several of whom have directly credited these titles for helping to improve the accessibility of their games. 

After making an impact on the publisher side of the hobby, Accessible Games is now reaching out to players to continue the quest for inclusion and representation. With “Survival of the Able,” on Kickstarter from October 19th to November 18th, 2019, their goal is to foster empathy and understanding for people with disabilities. Using a version of the Fudge System tailored for the job, the game is designed to give players and unpleasant taste for what it’s like to experience discrimination and injustice. 

“We want to make you feel discomfort,” said Jacob. “I’ve learned that people don’t bother to change unless they are uncomfortable.”  

Learn more about Accessible Games and follow what they’re doing at http://www.accessiblegames.biz 

Join the quest for inclusion and representation at Kickstarter. http://www.bit.ly/SotACampaign  

 

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Survival of the Able by Accessible Games

END DATE: Mon, November 18 2019 10:00 PM EST.

“A Survival Horror RPG about People with Disabilities”

The Wolves of Steadwick Kickstarter – Interview with Richard Davis (Explorer’s Guild Publishing)

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More quick interviews. This week, Richard Davis of Explorer’s Guild Publishing talks about his D&D 5e, Pathfinder, and PF2e Kickstarter, The Wolves of Steadwick.

EGG EMBRY (EGG): What’s the pitch for your project?

RICHARD DAVIS (RD): This module is an RP-heavy in-depth mystery with horror elements. It allows players to complete the majority of the adventure in an open map taking whatever route they wish.

 

EGG: What system are you using, and why is it the right one for this game?

RD: Dungeons and Dragons 5e as well as Pathfinder and Pathfinder 2e. They’re systems I’m familiar with and provide extreme flexibility.

EGG: What is the reward that is the best value?

RD: Either the $9 tier or the $24 tier. $9 Gets you the adventure in the system of your choice and $24 gets you the adventure in all it’s forms as well as a paperback copy in your preferred system.

 

EGG: Assuming there are stretch goals, which one are you most excited about?

RD: As for how unique it is, I’m excited the $1,750 stretch goal. As a mystery, the first time is normally the best experience. When this goal is met, there will be different endings the DM/GM will choose from the beginning to change the ending of the mystery, culprits, and experience.

EGG: What other projects have you worked on?

RD: I’ve made an introduction to D&D/Pathfinder adventure called Hawkwood Hideout available on DrivethruRPG. It’s available on a pay-what-you-want basis on that site. As for other Kickstarter projects, this is my first! I’m very excited for how well it’s gone thus far.

 

EGG: Where can fans learn more about you and your project?

RD: I post updates on the Kickstarter quite often, but the twitter and Facebook links above also have their own updates.

 

EGG: Let’s get some links to Richard’s work:

– Crowdfunding project

– Facebook

– Twitter

– DriveThruRPG page

 

The Wolves of Steadwick by Explorer’s Guild Publishing

END DATE: Thu, October 24 2019 4:19 PM EDT.

“A mystery-horror D&D/Pathfinder module.”

 

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NOTE: This article contains affiliate links to DriveThruRPG.

ABOUT BOILERPLATE INTERVIEWS.

Sometimes schedules keep me from performing in-depth interviews with RPG Kickstarter creators. When I can’t do a proper interview, I still like to give space for creators to share their projects. To that end, I conduct boilerplate interviews, short and generic but still an outlet for creators. If you have an upcoming or active RPG crowdfunding campaign and would be interested in participating in a boilerplate interview, reach out here.

Interviewing Martin Lloyd about The Big Book of Amazing Tales Kickstarter

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Martin Lloyd of Amazing Tales has a new Kickstarter expanding his all-ages tabletop RPG. For an article I did for GAMA’s upcoming magazine, Around the Table, Martin offer his thoughts as an all-ages RPG publisher. As such, when he announced his The Big Book of Amazing Tales, I knew I wanted to capture a few words about this campaign.

EGG EMBRY (EGG): What’s the pitch for your project?

MARTIN LLOYD (ML): The Big Book of Amazing Tales is a collection of four campaigns, especially written to introduce young families to the wonders of role-playing games. It will feature epic, kid friendly adventures and extra advice for anyone who wants to use RPGs in the classroom, or to support children with additional needs.

 

EGG: What system are you using, and why is it the right one for this game?

ML: Amazing Tales is an RPG especially written for kids aged four and up to play with their parents. Flexible enough to cope with anything your kids can come up with, and simple enough that a four year old can explain the rules, I think it’s the perfect tool to introduce kids to role-playing games.

EGG: What is the reward that is the best value?

ML: Any reward that includes a hard copy of the core Amazing Tales rulebook is effectively giving you $5 off the regular DriveThruRPG price. And Amazing Tales is pretty good value to begin with!

 

EGG: Assuming there are stretch goals, which one are you most excited about?

ML: I think I’m most excited about Time Mission Critical, a time travel setting from Josh Fox and Becky Annisson of the Black Armada. It’ll be the first Amazing Tales material written by someone who’s not me. I’m promised there will be dinosaurs. I think the goal the community will be most excited about is superheroes. A superhero setting is the one that’s been most requested since Amazing Tales came out, so if we make it, it will be exciting to deliver that.

EGG: What other projects have you worked on?

ML: I haven’t done much beyond Amazing Tales. I did write a scenario for Zweihander called Bad Debt which has been the hottest selling title in the Grim and Perilous library for five months now. It’s set in a debtors prison and very much not for kids. I also put together some popular form fillable character sheets for Zweihander and WFRP, and as a side project I’m working on a game called Dark Nation. Again that’s not for kids, it’s about ordinary people struggling for justice under a totalitarian state. But that’s on the back burner until the Kickstarter is out of the way.

 

EGG: Where can fans learn more about you and your project?

ML: You can learn all about the Big Book of Amazing Tales at the Kickstarter page. But if you check out the Amazing Tales website you’ll find a weblog with loads of extra ideas and information about gaming with kids.

 

The Big Book of Amazing Tales by Martin Lloyd

END DATE: Sat, November 9 2019 8:01 AM EST.

“A collection of adventures for the Amazing Tales RPG. Aimed at kids aged 4 and up.”

 

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ABOUT BOILERPLATE INTERVIEWS.

Sometimes schedules keep me from performing in-depth interviews with RPG Kickstarter creators. When I can’t do a proper interview, I still like to give space for creators to share their projects. To that end, I conduct boilerplate interviews, short and generic but still an outlet for creators. If you have an upcoming or active RPG crowdfunding campaign and would be interested in participating in a boilerplate interview, reach out here.

Gods and Masters Kickstarter – Interview with JC Thompson of Twitchy Butcher Studios LLC

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JC Thompson of Twitchy Butcher Studios has a crowdfunding campaign going for Gods and Masters for Savage Worlds. We did a quick interview discussing it.

EGG EMBRY (EGG): What’s the pitch for your project?

JC THOMPSON (JC): Gods and Masters is a guerrilla fantasy setting that takes place in a single city. Player groups choose one of three factions, and gain a host of faction-specific Edges, Hindrances, gear, and Arcane Backgrounds, which they use to wage covert war on the other powers in the city.

 

EGG: What system are you using, and why is it the right one for this game?

JC: I’m using Savage Worlds, because it is generic and balanced enough to offer a large number of approaches for PCs to solve problems, but still crunchy enough to allow for tactical play, and quick, bloody combat.

 

EGG: Any examples of the game to share?

JC: Gods and Masters: Jumpstart at DriveThruRPG. That’s my free JumpStart with pregens, for anyone who wants a playable preview.

 

EGG: What is the reward that is the best value?

JC: If you want a print-on-demand hard copy, get the Hero level for $25. If you want a PDF only, get the Warrior level for $20.

 

EGG: Where can fans learn more about you and your project?

JC: Twitchy Butcher Studios LLC’s website and Facebook

 

Gods and Masters by Twitchy Butcher Studios LLC

END DATE: Thu, October 24 2019 8:01 AM EDT.

“An urban guerrilla fantasy RPG for the Savage Worlds rule system.”

Find it on Kickstarter here.

 

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ABOUT BOILERPLATE INTERVIEWS.

Sometimes schedules keep me from performing in-depth interviews with RPG Kickstarter creators. When I can’t do a proper interview, I still like to give space for creators to share their projects. To that end, I conduct boilerplate interviews, short and generic but still an outlet for creators. If you have an upcoming or active RPG crowdfunding campaign and would be interested in participating in a boilerplate interview, reach out here.

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE: Major Expansion To Multiple Award-Winning Fantasy RPG Forbidden Lands Now On Kickstarter

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Free League Publishing

Major Expansion To Multiple Award-Winning Fantasy RPG Forbidden Lands Now On Kickstarter

Free League Publishing – Sep 12, 2019 14:22 BST

Get ready for a long, cold winter. The Bitter Reach, a huge expansion to the multiple award-winning sandbox survival retro fantasy roleplaying game Forbidden Lands by Free League Publishing, is now live on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter is also for a second printing of the core Forbidden Lands game box, which is completely sold out everywhere.

Written by RPG veteran Magnus Seter, illustrated by Alvaro Tapia, and with maps by Tobias Tranell and Niklas Brandt, the The Bitter Reach will expand the game world and includes new rules, monsters and encounters, as well as the complete Wake of the Winter King campaign. Beneath the ice and snow in the cursed lands north of Ravenland, an ancient power is stirring…

The second printing will include rules updates and clarifications as well as some new art, and backers can opt to have it shipped shortly after the end of the Kickstarter.

Forbidden Lands, released last December, won four ENnie Awards this year, among them Gold ENnies for Best Production Values and Best Cartography, and Silver ENnies for Best Rules and Product of the Year, and was voted Best RPG at the UK Game Expo.

“It’s like somone took hazy childhood memories of a classic D&D game and mixed them with a dash of bleak Scandinavian darkness.” –Tabletop Magazine

“Feeling. Excitement. Adventure. Forbidden Lands nails all of it. I can’t describe it easily: just opening the boxed set, perusing the faux-leather rulebooks and checking out the art is enough to make you want to play this game. I don’t know what sort of subliminal messages the designers have embedded in this, it is however mesmerizing.”–RPGNet Review

“Superbly packaged, Forbidden Lands is a pleasing combination of Old School nostalgia and fast, simple mechanics with unobtrusive narrative elements designed to bring aspects of the character into play. Its setting offers scope for the player characters to develop not just personally, but also in terms of their place in the world.” –Reviews from R’lyeh

“This may be the most perfect role-playing game product I’ve ever seen.” –Plot Points RPG Podcast

Free League Publishing is a Swedish publisher dedicated to speculative fiction. We have published several award-winning tabletop role-playing games and critically acclaimed art books set in strange and wondrous worlds.

Our upcoming games includes the alternate 90s Things from the Flood RPG, the sequel to the award-winning Tales from the Loop RPG and Crusader Kings the Board Game, a medieval soap opera of war, assassination and marriage.

The post-apocalyptic Mutant: Year Zero was awarded a Silver ENnie for Best Rules 2015. The sci-fi adventure Coriolis – The Third Horizon, was awarded a Judge’s Spotlight Award at Gencon. The dark fantasy roleplaying game Symbaroum has earned several nominations and awards, including a Best Game nomination at the Origins Awards 2016. And we are proud to say that our roleplaying game Tales from the Loop RPG based on Simon Stålenhags iconic artbooks made a grand slam at the ENnie Awards 2017, winning five Gold ENnies – among them Best Game. Our latest fantasy RPG is Forbidden Lands, recently named one of the best RPGs of 2018 by Geek & Sundry.

We have also released the critically acclaimed art books Things from the Flood and Tales from the Loopby artist Simon Stålenhag. His third book The Electric State has been released by Free League Publishing exclusively to the backers of the kickstarter campaign.

Website: www.freeleaguepublishing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FriaLigan
Instagram: http://instagram.com/frialigan/
Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/FrialiganSe
Twitter: http://twitter.com/FriaLigan
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[UPDATED] Rick Loomis, Rex Draconis, Justice Velocity, Wranglers of Westhallow, Broken, and More – It’s an RPG Project and News Roundup!

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One of my buddies, Wolf (read some of the articles he did here and here), requested I help to spread the word about one of gaming’s greats and his struggles.

“Rick Loomis was one of the founding members of the Game Manufacturing Association, serving as its president several times. He started Flying Buffalo Games, was one of the first people to ever run a Play-by-Mail game, and published numerous pieces of gaming goodness including Tunnels & Trolls and Grimtooth’s Traps.

Unfortunately, he was also recently diagnosed with lymphatic cancer.
There is a GoFundMe set up to help his family to pay his medical bills.”
Another option to help launched yesterday at Bundle of Holding. From their site:
“Adventurer! In a good cause we’ve revived our July 2017 Catalyst Bundle, featuring the Catalyst line and other tabletop fantasy roleplaying game .PDF ebooks from Flying Buffalo. Rick Loomis, founder of Flying Buffalo, publisher of Tunnels & Trolls, and designer of the first-ever solitaire adventure (Buffalo Castle), is facing overwhelming medical bills from his treatment for lymphatic cancer. Rick’s family has started a GoFundMe campaign, and we’re also helping with this great collection of Buffalo’s Catalyst supplements that work with any fantasy RPG. Notably, the CityBook series presents dozens of individual shops, establishments, and characters you can add to any urban fantasy adventure.”

***UPDATED 2019-08-24 at 20:00***

From Steve Crompton’s post to the GoFundMe page:
“Fate is a strange mistress. For today is August 24th and that is Rick’s Birthday. Unfortunately today is also the sad, sad day that I have to tell you all that Rick Loomis passed away, just seven hours before his birthday of complications of his cancer.”
More in the link here.
The industry has lost a legend and many people have lost Rick in their lives. My heart goes out to Rick’s family and friends in this tragic time.

 

Pictures taken from the Rex Draconis Facebook page.

Rex Draconis RPG, based on the novel series by Richard A. Knaak, and the RPG by Richard, Phil Beckwith, and Micah Watt, is available in-print via DriveThruRPG. Rex Draconis is something I’ve written several articles about as I see it as the best love letter to Dragonlance there is.

 

Speaking of Phil Beckwith, he has a 5e RPG on Kickstarter ending soon.

Wranglers of Westhallow (for D&D 5E) from P.B. Publishing on Kickstarter

END DATE: Sun, August 25 2019 8:57 AM EDT.

“Wranglers of Westhallow is a rootin-tootin, yeehaw Wild West D&D 5E adventure book with focus on lighthearted comedic fun.”

 

Dungeons&Lazers sent a message about how well their tabletop miniatures Kickstarter is going. The Facebook post above gives an idea of what they’ve unlocked so far. Check out the Kickstarter here before it ends on Tuesday, August 27 2019 1:00 PM EDT.

 

The Esper Genesis Threats Database is available with over 200 sci-fi monsters and NPCs for 5e at DriveThruRPG.

 

Justice Velocity from Polyhedra is live at DriveThruRPG and worth checking out! My copy arrived yesterday and it looks great! Check out their press releases here and here for more details.

 

M.T. Black, my fellow journalist at EN World, has another DMs Guild project live:

The Lonely Scroll Adventure Contest: Saltmarsh

“Lonely Scroll Adventure Contest: Saltmarsh book. This volume contains 47 “one-page adventures” created for the Lonely Scroll Adventure Contest around the theme of “Saltmarsh”. The entrants included new talent, rising stars, and a few veteran designers as well.

The competition was founded and curated by M.T. Black. The judge was Tony Petrecca.”

 

Another project that’s worth looking at before it ends:

Cities of Hârn by Columbia Games

END DATE: Mon, August 26 2019 2:59 AM EDT.

“Cities of Hârn is a medieval RPG setting. All seven cities will be updated, colorized, with more content than ever before!”

 

I had a chance to do a short interview with WS Quinton about his Broken RPG Kickstarter.

 

Broken! ~ A Break KickStarter created TTRPG from Sinopa Publishing LLC on Kickstarter

END DATE: Wed, September 11 2019 11:59 PM EDT.

“Get the game for $1 Get the game and vote on design for $5 Exercise the power of your voice & vote to create a fun RPG 5E or M.A.R.S?”

 

EGG: Looking at Broken, I’m into the idea of what you’re doing and think it has a lot of potential. That said, the goal is $15k, but the pledge levels are $1 and $5. That requires 3,000 backers at $5. What do you have in mind to reach that number of backers? Or will there be higher pledge levels?

WS QUINTON: Nope, $5 is highest. We’re looking for those 3k backers. The $15,000 is needed for all the art and layout, editing etc. I’m just hoping we can stir up enough interest to bring out a well crafted game that folks want to play. It’s ambitious as hell and will be hard to fund. But I want folks to be able to get the game regardless of their means. Which is one big reason the tiers are so low. As far as reaching backers, I’m reaching out to every blogger, podcaster and YouTuber I know, and several I don’t. I’m asking backers to advocate on social media for their choices to help bring in more backers to their own preferences.

 

EGG: Are you planning to run this for thirty days or longer so you can get more feedback from backers?

WSQ: Thirty days, then we’ll work and get the playtest out in December and spend the next six months digesting feedback to make the final version the best we can. Also I showed the preview to one of the directors at Kickstarter. Because they’re really pushing the Break Kickstarter theme. I got a response back that was very encouraging as well as her saying she was showing it to folks at Kickstarter so they could watch for it. With luck maybe we’ll get a project we love nod.

 

EGG: That is excellent news! Do you have any thoughts for backers who vote for an option that does not come to pass?

WSQ: Yes, enjoy Broken in its final form. Let us know what you want in the flavor that didn’t come out on top. If there is enough interest we’ll bring that option again to a future campaign. In the meantime, enjoy the game.

 

EGG: Going back to the number of backers, you’re looking for around the same number as Grimmerspace, Old-School Essentials, Kids on Bikes, and Pugmire, to name a few. If you achieve that kind of reach, what are you expecting in terms of product? Size, shape, contents?

WSQ: We’re aiming for at least 160 pages for first book. Probably more like 200 if we get MARS selected as game mechanics. Again these are our minimum projections. 6-by-9 inch digest format as that was very well received with Whispers of Persephone. Its also an economical option for print on demand copy cost considerations. We really want this game to be high quality at low cost and easily accessible to everyone. Yeah, we need huge numbers of backers. But that is the burden we bear for low tier costs and a lot of full color original art. It is clearly unconventional so the Break Kickstarter theme fits nicely.

 

I want to thank Scott Woodard and the Pinnacle Entertainment Group for writing a post about my review of their book, Flash Gordon™ Roleplaying Game core rulebook. I really enjoyed the game and I’m glad that they liked my review enough to honor me by spilling some digital ink onto the [web] page. Check out Pinnacle’s post.

My review on d20 Radio.

 

This week, I had a ridiculous number of articles published:

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

  • Tessera Guild – This article right here. It was a good week.

PRESS RELEASE: DUNGEONS&LASERS AFFORDABLE AND MULTI-PURPOSE RPG TERRAIN IS COMING TO KICKSTARTER

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On August 13th this year, Archon Studio will bring a brand new plastic terrain system to Kickstarter. The terrain system will be compatible with a large array of popular tabletop RPG games.

Currently, on the tabletop market, there are no RPG terrain systems, as a vast majority of those are designed for wargaming, „not pen and paper” gaming.

To create the perfect dungeon, RPG fans often had to draw them on a piece of paper, handcraft it by themselves or even buy 3d printed elements from 3rd parties.

Archon Studio provides an easy to use, hard-plastic walls and floors, which can be assembled without a drop of glue and allow players to quickly and efficiently create their fantasy environments.

Dungeons&Lasers is designed with two major design themes in mind: fantasy dungeons and sci-fi modern environments.

As a bonus, each set will feature unique animal companions. These are miniatures stylized for either fantasy sets or sci-fi areas featuring cats, dogs, weasels and more.

The system is created with popular RPG games in mind, this is scale is 28/32mm compatible and floors are featuring a visible grid of 25mm/1 inch squares.

Thanks to proper dimensions, Dungeons&Lasers can be used with Dungeons&Dragons, Starfinder, Pathfinder and many more tabletop games.

“We have previously created plastic terrain for wargamers. Among them, there are many fans who have asked us about something for RPG games. So we have designed our first dungeon since our childhood – says Michal Hartlinski, Project manager from Archon Studio.

“The aim of the game is to make it multi-purpose – there are also sci-fi fans out there, who have an especially hard time getting terrain for their games. This is where Dungeons&Lasers come into play”.

The campaign starts on August 13th on the Kickstarter platform.

The Kickstarter edition will feature plenty of bonuses, available only during the campaign – to get notified on launch subscribe on dungeonsandlasers.com.

Archon Studio is an EU based company, with 7 Kickstarters campaigns already funded, registered, 1 and it’s located in Pila, Poland.

Press Release: L’gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures Volume 3 on Kickstarter!

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01-July, 2019 – Power Up Gamer (PUG) is proud to announce the launching of its third Kickstarter for the next volume of its series of monster manuals, L’Gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures series. Continuing from volume one and two, the new product will include 26 new, flavourful creatures for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, this time focusing on the fantastical hostile and hellish denizens of L’Gat’s Prime Material Plane. The book will also carry the company ethos of supplying gamers with ways of making their games more accessible to a wider variety of people, especially those with sensory impairments and learning disabilities. This is done by suggesting language and methods that evoke the senses as well as outright descriptions of the beasts and their habitats.

As part of the marketing effort to raise awareness for the company and its Kickstarter, we are offering to outlets a PDF copy of our second release: L’Gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures Volume 2 for the purposes of review, as well as the opportunity to interview the team to discuss the Kickstarter and the company mission statement of increasing the accessibility of role playing games for those with special needs.

Power Up Gamer started in 2015 as a single YouTube channel for the company chairman, Jarin DND the Disabled DM, as a place for him to talk about his experience as a disabled roleplayer. This quickly grew to become a Facebook group where others shared their experiences as well. All facets of Power Up Gamer hold two clear goals:

  • To provide a place for disabled players to feel safe in discussing how their disabilities affect their gaming in Tabletop Roleplaying Games
  • To strive to bring awareness of disability issues to the larger RPG community.

In November 2017, the Kickstarter for volume one of L’Gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures launched and was successfully funded. In August, 2018, the Kickstarter for volume two was successfully funded. The Kickstarter for volume three of L’gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures is now live and will run until 12 P.M. EST on August 1st, 2019. Our initial funding Goal is $1,200 USD to cover the cost of artwork with stretch goals that offer backers of $25 USD or more the chance for a Custom Monster T-shirt featuring the Sky Kraken and an adventure module wrote specifically in the Setting of L’gat using the monsters from all 3 volumes. In addition, we also have a special pledge tier of $150 USD that offers a limited Edition Hardcover Signed Collector’s Volume which contains everything from all three Volumes of L’gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures rolled into one convenient Package. However, be forewarned, this tier is limited to the first 10 Pledges of the required funding.

We look forward to seeing you there to enjoy the imaginative horrors contained within the third volume of L’gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures.

Modern 5e Tabletop Roleplaying Game “The Spy Game” goes live; Contributors Include Eric Campbell

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Modern 5e Tabletop Roleplaying Game “The Spy Game” goes live; Contributors Include Eric Campbell 

LONDON, ENGLAND – July 2nd 2019: Black Cats Gaming’s modern 5E roleplaying game, The Spy Game, goes live on Kickstarter. 

The Spy Game is standalone 5E adaptation, independently developed by Sam Webb (Head of RPG Development at Modiphius Entertainment), that invites you into the world of the agencies, to take your place as a world-class spy. Together with your crew of specialists, infiltrators, con-artists, and hackers, you fight an array of shadowy villains and high-tech megalomaniacs. 

The Spy Game is being published under the Open Gaming License, for a modern take on the world’s most famous roleplaying game. You can choose from a range of brand new character classes and new takes on old favorites, as well as choosing from a range of incredible gadgets, tools and equipment to allow you to complete your missions. Any play style, from true-to-life thriller experiences to high octane action movies, is possible in this standalone roleplaying game. 

 

The game is the first tabletop roleplaying game by Black Cats Gaming, the independent publisher founded by Sam Webb and James Barry in 2018. They plan to use Kickstarter “as it was originally intended,” with a core hardback rulebook on offer as its first reward, with adventure material and accessories, such as a game master’s screen and dice, to be unlocked. 

The writing team includes well known writers and streamers, including some from Geek and Sundry and established games studio Modiphius Entertainment; Eric Campbell, Rob Wieland, Charlie Smith, Oz Mills and Virginia Page.[Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]Eric Campbell (Shield of Tomorrow, Callisto 6, Your Best Game Ever!) is offering his game mastering talent to the “Running the Game” section, as well as an original spy adventure as a stretch goal. 

Rob Wieland (Geek & Sundry, Star Wars Saga Edition, Firefly RPG) will also lend his voice to the game, guiding game masters with his incredible knowledge of the spy genre. 

Sam has previously produced several award winning tabletop RPG titles for Modiphius Entertainment in recent years, including Star Trek Adventures, Conan the Barbarian, Achtung! Cthulhu, and John Carter of Mars, and is currently developing the Dune and Fallout roleplaying games for the company. James helped produce Dropzone Commander for Hawk Wargames, as well as Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, Kung Fu Panda, and Star Trek Adventures for Modiphius Entertainment. 

Speaking about the game, Sam Webb said, “I’ve always enjoyed modern roleplaying games, I loved playing Spycraft, and see this game as a spiritual successor to games like that and d20 Modern. 5E is such a flexible, refined set of rules, and The Spy Game should feel familiar but be a great toolkit for any kind of spy story you want to play.” 

To back the game now, head over to Kickstarter now!  

For more information you can go to www.blackcatsgaming.com 

Press Release: For Immediate Release Limitless Adventures to launch a DM-less adventure path

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(Chenoa, Illinois – June 26, 2019) On July 1st, 2019 Limitless Adventures will launch a Kickstarter campaign for their new 5th Edition adventure path, The Blood Queen’s Defiance (BQD). The three-adventure arc is distinctive because it requires no dungeon master. The adventure features unique mechanics that allow for high replay value to ensure that it will be a different experience each time.

“This DM-less adventure is meant to reduce gamemaster burnout, as well as provide those groups that don’t have a dungeon master a way to still get together and roll dice with their friends. Everyday we hear from DMs on social media who wish they had a chance to play their favorite characters, but that they are the only member of their game group who will run a campaign” said Andrew Hand, co-founder of Limitless Adventures.

The Blood Queen’s Defiance will be Limitless Adventures’ tenth Kickstarter and it will run from July 1st until July 31st . BQD will be available as a print and play PDF or a premium box set. Both domestic and international shipping will be available.

Limitless Adventures was founded in 2016 by Andrew Hand and Michael Johnson. Limitless Adventures offers high-quality 5th Edition gaming products. They specialize in DM-friendly products that minimize your prep time so you can spend more time at the table playing and less time writing.

“With our new DM-less product, Limitless Adventures helps you battle the ultimate RPG boss fight… the schedule” says Michael Johnson, Limitless Adventures co-founder.

Additional information about The Blood Queen’s Defiance and its DM-less mechanics can be obtained by e-mailing Andrew Hand directly at andy.hand@limitless-adventures.com.

Limitless Adventures

Website: limitless-adventures.com

Facebook: facebook.com/Limitless2016

Twitter: twitter.com/Limitless5e

E-Mail: support@limitless-adventures.com

Kickstart the Comic – Mine To Avenge: Book of Layla #2

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With many of the Kickstarter projects, you are never entirely sure that the thing (comic, game, etc.) is actually going to see the light of day. So it is always nice to see a Kickstarter you supported for issue one get an issue 2. It’s those comics that we should be celebrating.

I wrote about the first Kickstarter here.

***

Mine to Avenge: Book of Layla #2

Creator/Writer – Robert Jeffrey II

Artist -Matteo Illuminati

Colorist/Letterer – Loris Ravina

 

Kickstarter Campaign ends on Thursday, July 4, 2019 at 2:00 PM EDT.

***

The Pitch:

The  history  books  call  it  a  house  of  horrors.  A  testament  to  the  true  depravity  that  inhabits  the  souls  of  man.  

 

The Story:

The  little  girl  who  escaped  the  demonic  forces  which  occupied  the  LaLaurie  New  Orleans  mansion  on  a  sunny  day  in  1833,  though,  called  it  something  else:  the  site  of  a  rebirth.  The  little  girl  swore  on  that  day  that  she  would  never  be  anyone  else’s  victim,  and  so  began  a  centuries  long  campaign  of  bloody  revenge.  The  Retribution  Cabal  (RC)  was  born,  protecting  only  those  descendants  of  America’s original sin.  

Now  on  a  cyberpunk  stage  where  technological  wonders  leave  no  place  for  creatures  of  legend,  the  LaLauries  and  their  denizens  reappear,  continuing  their  blood-soaked  quest  for  obtaining  ultimate  power.  Time  will  tell  if  the  remaining  members  of  the  fractured  Cabal  can  stand  as  the  bulwark  between  humanity  and  the  rising  hordes  of  darkness.

 

John’s Thoughts:

Robert Jeffrey II was a regular contributor to TesseraGuild, where he talked about comics and sci-fi and Sliders (he and I actually did a Sliders panel at a local convention this year!). I know that he eats, breathes, and everything else comics.

Mine to Avenge is letting him really stretch his legs and prove over and over his talent as a writer.

The Rewards:

If you supported the first issue, it is a minor thing to either get the digital copy of Issue 2 ($5) or a print copy ($10). However, if you are catching up then digital for both issues is $8 and print for both is $15. There are different artists covers and $90 gets you everything. But if you’d like to have a custom cover, for $250 you can get one where you design it (an option I’m not sure I’ve seen before).

 

The Verdict:

Ancient evil… a family’s quest and burden… and now, in the future, the evil returns, but is there anyone left to fight it?

Heck, I don’t know, but I’m certainly going to find out!

***

To find out more about Mine to Avenge: Book of Layla #2, check out the Kickstarter Page here.

***

John McGuire is the creator/author of the steampunk comic The Gilded Age. The Trade paperback collecting the first 4 issues is finally back from the printers! If you would like to purchase a copy, go here!

Want to read the first issue for free? Click here! Already read it and eager for more?

Click here to join John’s mailing list.

His other prose appears in The Dark That Follows, Hollow Empire, Beyond the Gate, and Machina Obscurum – A Collection of Small Shadows.

He can also be found at www.johnrmcguire.com

Press Release: The Spy Game

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Modern 5e Tabletop Roleplaying Game “The Spy Game” Coming to Kickstarter in July, Contributors to include Eric Campbell 

LONDON, ENGLAND – June 11th 2019: Tabletop roleplaying is about to go covert, as Black Cats Gaming announces a modern 5E roleplaying game, The Spy Game, coming to Kickstarter on July 2, with a preview quickstart PDF available now from DriveThruRPG.com  – See https://bit.ly/2KzAoZJ  

The Spy Game is billed as an action & espionage tabletop RPG, independently developed by Sam Webb (Head of RPG Development at Modiphius Entertainment), that invites you into the world of the Agencies, to take your place as a world-class spy. Together with your crew of specialists, infiltrators, con-artists, and hackers, you fight an array of shadowy villains and high-tech megalomaniacs. 

The Spy Game is being published under the Open Gaming License, and is powered by 5E for a modern slant on the world’s most famous roleplaying game. You can choose from a range of brand new character classes and new takes on old favorites, as well as choosing from a range of incredible gadgets, tools and equipment to allow you to complete your missions. Any play style, from true-to-life thriller experiences to high octane action movies, is possible in this standalone roleplaying game. 

Eric Campbell (Shield of Tomorrow, Callisto 6, Your Best Game Ever!) is confirmed as a guest writer on the book, offering his game mastering talent to the “Running the Game” section, as well as an original spy adventure as a stretch goal. 

Rob Wieland (Geek & Sundry, Star Wars Saga Edition, Firefly RPG) will also lend his voice to the game, guiding game masters with his incredible knowledge of the spy genre. 

The game is the first tabletop roleplaying game by Black Cats Gaming, the independent publisher founded by Sam Webb and James Barry in 2018. Sam has previously produced several award winning tabletop RPG titles for Modiphius Entertainment in recent years, including Star Trek Adventures, Conan the Barbarian, Achtung! Cthulhu, and John Carter of Mars, and is currently developing the Dune and Fallout roleplaying games for the company. James helped produce Dropzone Commander for Hawk Wargames, as well as Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, Kung Fu Panda, and Star Trek Adventures for Modiphius Entertainment. 

Speaking about the game, Sam Webb said, “I’ve always enjoyed modern roleplaying games, I loved playing Spycraft, and see this game as a spiritual successor to games like that and d20 Modern. 5E is such a flexible, refined set of rules, and The Spy Game should feel familiar but be a great toolkit for any kind of spy story you want to play.” 

For more information you can go to www.blackcatsgaming.com, @followblackcats on Twitter, /BlackCatsGaming on Facebook, and find Sam on twitch.tv/RPGWebby and @RPGWebby on Twitter. 

 

Monday Kickstarters – Touch of Class, Vigilante City 2, and World of Revilo

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It’s Monday and several of my friends put out RPG Kickstarters today. I thought a quick roundup of some of the good that’s available for your gaming table was appropriate.

A Touch More Class: 9 New 5th Edition Classes by EN Publishing

END DATE: Fri, July 19 2019 6:00 PM EDT.

“Beast-tamers, gunfighters, tinkerers, savants, and more! These new classes expand your 5th Edition game in exciting new ways! Nine new player classes in A TOUCH MORE CLASS, a 100-page full color book! A TOUCH MORE CLASS: This new book contains the bloodweaver, fatebender, gemini, geomancer, gunfighter, lodestar, monster tamer, savant, and tinkerer.”

NOTE: I freelance for EN World (a subsidiary of EN Publishing).

PREVIEWS/SAMPLES: [5E] A Touch More Class Exclusive Preview: The Geomancer and [5E] A Touch More Class Exclusive Preview: The Savant

 

SURVIVE THIS!! Vigilante City RPG 2 Book Quickstarter by Bloat Games

END DATE: Tue, July 2 2019 8:00 PM EDT.

“Punch the criminals of Vigilante City in the teeth one adventure at a time! From the creators of SURVIVE THIS!! Dark Places & Demogorgons comes SURVIVE THIS!! Vigilante City, a gritty, street-level, superhero game set in the near future. Vigilante City is heavily inspired by Batman: The Animated Series. Along with the X-men, Spider-man and TMNT cartoons of the 1990s. Vigilante City utilizes the familiar ruleset of the world’s most popular fantasy RPG, mixing the old-school with modern mechanics for the best possible gaming experience. With its modular system design, you can easily play the exact style of super’s game you want!

SURVIVE THIS!! Vigilante City Book 3:  Superhero Team up! Comes with the inclusion of many new classes, goes through the steps of team building while greatly adding to the equipment and vehicles.  It shows how to build new superhero headquarters and stock it full of the valuable tech and tools every team needs to be successful.  There will be new combat rules to include Team Moves and so much more!

SURVIVE THIS!! Vigilante City Book 4:  Into The Sewers takes you underground to maze of tunnels that travel underthe Metropolitan of Victory City, into the world of subcultures, gangs, Mutants & Anthropomorphs.  Into The Sewers will feel like a new setting and greatly expands upon the already robust Mutant and Anthropomorph classes and powers.”

NOTE: I have a bit of writing coming from Bloat Games (but not for this project).

PREVIEW/SAMPLE: SURVIVE THIS!! Vigilante City – FREE SNEAK PREVIEW

 

World of Revilo Campaign Setting & Bestiary for 5E DND by Creature Curation

END DATE: Fri, July 19 2019 9:00 PM EDT.

“Revilo is a campaign setting for 5E DND that includes new player races, new sub-classes, new monsters, new magic items and more! In the past 30 years humans, elves, and dwarves have crashed onto the coast of Revilo, discovering a land the other side of the world had never seen. One human has built an army and hired the vile, marauding Greyskrulls to aid him on his conquests. Will the rest of Revilo be able to form an alliance before this army conquers them? The hardcover World of Revilo Campaign Setting book contains over 100 pages of setting, playable races, backgrounds, sub-classes, and story arcs unique to Revilo! The hardcover Revilo Bestiary book contains over 100 pages of monsters unique to Revilo!” 

NOTE: I interviewed Brian Colin about his prior Kickstarter on the Open Gaming Network.

PREVIEW/SAMPLE: CHECK OUT PARTS OF REVILO THROUGH NORSE FOUNDRY!

 

NOT A KICKSTARTER!

 

M.T. Black from EN World (among others) is a part of the Saltmarsh Encounters on the DMsGuild.

“Bring your campaign to life with this companion supplement for Ghosts of Saltmarsh! Saltmarsh Encounters presents 60 short encounters for the town, coast, and sea. Over 150 variations are included, making the encounters highly replayable and allowing you to customise them to fit YOUR game. The supplement is great for Ghosts of Saltmarsh or any coastal or high seas campaign!

This is a DMs Guild Adepts product. The DMs Guild Adept Program was started and is managed by Wizards of the Coast. It brings together talented creators to produce quality content for the DMs Guild.”

Kickstart the Comic – Lineage: Clockmaker Issue 2

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Many moons ago I did a regular Friday feature here on Tessera which looked at all things Steampunk. Having written Gilded Age, it seemed a natural match to signal boost some things I might enjoy in that genre. But time gets the best of everyone, and I haven’t done one in a while.

So let’s rectify that…

 

***

Issue #1’s Cover

Lineage: Clockmaker Issue #2

Writer/Creator – Nathan Zwilling

Art – Jok

This Kickstarter Campaign ends on Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 9:03 PM EDT.

***

The Pitch:

Told in two parts: kidnapping, spirits and the genesis of the Clockmakers in fog-shrouded Victorian London, a haunted house, malaise and a hidden evil in the Clockmaker’s present as super-heroic royalty. Uniting both is a centuries-old curse that dooms each generation of Clockmakers.  

 

The Story:

“Interested in the world of dark magic and the occult? A fan of maniacal villains and bold heroes battling across timelines? Then this is the story for you! In Chapter 1, we join Albert Zillinger and his grand-daughter, Anna, in 1880s London as they battle the curse of the menacing Black Jack with help from Albert’s invention, the Clockwork Man: a mysterious man comprised of complex gears and concealed weaponry. Meanwhile, Chapter 2 propels the reader to present-day London and the adventures of Caylin St. Croix, the latest focus of Black Jack’s curse.”

(from a review on the Kickstarter page for issue 1 by Alyssa Ryan)

From issue 2’s Kickstarter page:

Told in two interconnected parts: In Victorian London, the legacy of the Clockmakers takes an unexpected turn when the Clockwork Man becomes part of a murderous plot that ensnares Anna and Albert with disastrous consequences. In the present, The Curse is poised to end the line of Clockmakers forever.

 

John’s Thoughts:

One of the things I’ve learned about myself is what things jump out to me when I’m scrolling through the comics on Kickstarter. And this one had that kind of artwork which is both stylized but seems a perfect fit for a kind of Bonzo Steampunk story. It’s the type of thing that even if I don’t have a clue what’s happening in the book for that particular page – I really WANT to know what is going on in the book.

(I mean, what is going on here? I don’t know, but it looks amazing!) From Issue 2, Chapter 4, Page 3 – Art by Jok

 

The Rewards:

If you just need this issue, the pdf is set at $8 or if you need to catch up (like me), then it will run you $12. At the $25 level, you can get both issues. And then at the higher end, you have the opportunity for an original sketch ($125) or some Original Art ($300).

Issue 2, Chapter 4, Page 1 – Art by Jok

The Verdict:

Again, it checks so many of my boxes:

Steampunk – Check

Cool artwork – Check

Neat story – Check

A story told across timelines – CHECK!

What boxes do you need to check?

 

***

To find out more about Lineage: Clockmaker Issue 2, check out the Kickstarter Page here.

***

John McGuire is the creator/author of the steampunk comic The Gilded Age. The Trade paperback collecting the first 4 issues is finally back from the printers! If you would like to purchase a copy, go here!

Want to read the first issue for free? Click here! Already read it and eager for more?

Click here to join John’s mailing list.

His other prose appears in The Dark That Follows, Hollow Empire, Beyond the Gate, and Machina Obscurum – A Collection of Small Shadows.

He can also be found at www.johnrmcguire.com

What RPG Kickstarters Excite Creators? Pirates of Pugmire, Hearts of Wulin, Big Bad Con, and Memento Mori

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This week, the creator of Pugmire, Big Bad Con, The Gauntlet Gaming Community, and Luna Publishing share what RPG Kickstarters they’re following.

Beyond sharing creator’s crowdfunding picks, for this week’s column I’m sharing a few picks of my own. But, they’re *not* crowdfunding projects, instead, they are products that are available to purchase now through DriveThruRPG or Modiphius Entertainment’s site.

 

Pirates of Pugmire – A Realms of Pugmire Tabletop RPG by Pugsteady and Onyx Path Publishing

END DATE: Thu, June 20 2019 1:59 PM EDT.

“Contribute to help us create a traditionally printed game book featuring pirates in the Realms of Pugmire – and get it into stores.”

Eddy Webb (Pugsteady) recommends:

“Grimmerspace: A science-fiction/science-fantasy horror game with Sean Astin as the creative lead. And the art looks really fantastic. I’m curious to see where this goes!

Victorian Gothic & Adventure Soundscapes: I am a huge sucker for good, well-made background music, and there really isn’t much in the way of Victorian music. Now I can listen to these while I play Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective!”

 

Hearts of Wulin by The Gauntlet Gaming Community

END DATE: Sun, June 16 2019 8:00 PM EDT.

“A tabletop roleplaying game of wuxia melodrama, Powered by the Apocalypse.”

Lowell Francis (The Gauntlet Gaming Community) recommends:

“I just backed Hard Wired Island, an anime cyberpunk rpg with its own unique. It leans into an anime aesthetic, in particular drawing inspiration from 1990s media like Ghost in the Shell. I’m old enough to have lived through our local groups’ discovery of anime, passed around on VHS tapes. It reshaped how people played and saw R Talsorian’s Cyberpunk 2020. Hard Wired Island brings that back, but with an approach that explicitly considers the political dimension. I’m excited to see how it handles that. If you asked me five year ago what I thought of cyberpunk, I would have dismissed the whole genre. But that’s changed with new releases like The Veil’s PbtA approach and The Crisp Line for Fate. There’s a ton cool stuff being done with cyberpunk and Hard Wired Island feels like a new direction.

I’m also really excited for Good Society: An Expanded Acquaintance. I missed the original Kickstarter, so I’m glad to have the chance to get everything this time. Over the last year I’ve seen lots of people run Good Society on The Gauntlet, and I’ve been amazed at the variety of settings and reframings used. It says something about how the strength of the core concept. All of the expansion variants appeal to me, but I most dig the idea of doing a Jane Austen-esque game with a Harry Potter-Wizarding backdrop. Plus the books look amazing—first class. I love smart layout and presentation.”

 

Big Bad Con 2019 by Sean Nittner

END DATE: Thu, June 6 2019 9:59 AM EDT.

“Big Bad Con is a tabletop and live action gaming convention built on great games and a welcoming community. Join us October 10-13 in Walnut Creek, CA!”

Sean Nittner (Big Bad Con) recommends:

“I’m excited about two games that both evoke some real nostalgia for me.

Raid Boss looks all kinds of fun to me. Like a mix of raiding in World of Warcraft (First 10-Person guild to end the Lich King on Malfurion, woo!), D&D 4th Edition (which was great for tactical combat), and the Dresden Files Co-Op (which I got to playtest early version of an have played so many times my cards are nearly worn through). I love seeing how different roles can synergize and and I just want to grab all those dice and chits and tokens. *grabby hands*

When you get down to Dungeon Crawling, let not mince words. I want to grab treasure and level up! The Maze is all about that. What happens in play is always so much more rewarding than backstory developed before the game so I’m very excited about the Renown Rule: Every character starts without a name. You earn one (and a title) through your great deeds! If Raid Boss takes me back to WoW, The Maze takes me back to Gauntlet and Rogue. Q that potion!”

 

Memento Mori : D&D 5E Victorian Gothic Campaign Setting by Luna Publishing

END DATE: Mon, June 17 2019 2:15 PM EDT.

“Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) 5th Edition Compatible Campaign Setting”

Gregory Lucas (Luna Publishing) recommends:

“Monster Adventure Terrain- 3D Customizable D&D World Builder. Monster Adventure Terrain is probably one of the best 3D terrain projects I’ve seen. It looks good. Comes Painted/Unpainted so you can customize. It’s probably a 7/10 in the looks while being 1/10 in complexity. Seriously these things are as easy to use as Legos. Makes building quick scenes a literal snap. Speed and flexibility are necessities at a game table for a GM when it comes to props and game aids. This has it all for me.

Afterlife: Wandering Souls. High Fantasy is a dime a dozen in the market. We’ve seen a lot of it. Unique visions are ripe on Kickstarter, and Afterlife: Wandering Souls is one of them. It reminds me of those odd one-off games DM’s used to play back before entire adventure paths were published. Afterlife has a beautiful and unique premise, while retaining a stunning and unique visual style.”

###

Beyond crowdfunding, there are some great products that recently dropped. I’m sharing my recommendations that I’m currently reading and playing.

City of Mist from Modiphius Entertainment. A large release using the Powered by the Apocalypse engine from Modiphius Entertainment (Star Trek, Conan, and, soon, Dune), this game is a high-end project that lets you play a noir superhero. The books look great, the concept is evocative, and I’m eager to play this game. More details in their press release here.

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins from Modiphius Entertainment. Another Modiphius Entertainment Powered by the Apocalypse offering, this one goes a different route, setting-wise. As well, this is three books, with two that focus on L:LAtR’s core setting – the post-post apocalypse where you’re the first wave of those rebuilding the world – and one that rewrites the game for a new setting. Free From the Yoke rewrites the game for a gritty medieval setting where you’re a restored nation that has just thrown off an empire. The GM runs a powerful family that each player must live with or fight against. More details in their press release here.

Heroic Dark (Early Edition) from Will Power Games. The creator of Synthicide, a bit of sci-fi RPG so good that after a test drive one-shot, we went directly into a campaign. Heroic Dark is a new game from the same creator, and its early edition is free on DriveThruRPG. I’m even more excited about this one because the GM of our Synthicide campaign, John McGuire, picked Heroic Dark as a must-play Gen Con game this year and we managed to snag one of the sessions. Really looking forward to it! 

The Art of War for D&D Players from M.T. Black. M.T. Black is, among other things, a fellow freelancer on EN World, and he shared his DMsGuild product with me. The concept – “Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, the seminal work on military strategy. Discover how you can use these ancient secrets to master the game of Dungeons & Dragons!” – is really solid and worthy of a read. It offers in-game strategy that feels right for a wuxia campaign or any d20-based game. Grab it for your table.

Keeping It Classy: The Barbarian from Kim Frandsen. I interviewed Kim, my former editor on the Open Gaming Network, about this project (here). If you’re looking for more spice and variety for your 5e barbarian, Kim has you covered. An Electrum Seller in it first few days on the DMsGuild, this project resinates with players looking for new Barbarian Paths (15 of them), a new race (Redscale Lizardfolk), and more. Want to do a party that’s a barbarian tribe, this book will make each tribe unique, power-wise.

Press Release: Hearts of Wulin funded in less than an hour on Kickstarter

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Hearts of Wulin, an RPG of wuxia melodrama, funded in less than an hour.

 

Driven by the characters’ duties, desires, and entanglements with other characters, Hearts of Wulin draws on films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chinese wuxia TV series like Legend of the Condor Heroes, and Chinese martial arts novels from the second half of the twentieth century. The game focuses on letting players tell stories steeped in wuxia melodrama, giving them roles as skilled martial artists in a world of rival clans, conspiracies, and obligations. Romance is as dangerous as a blade – and just as often hidden. Everyone has ties to factions, loves they can’t express, and secrets whose possible revelation will shake them to their core.

Launched on May 14th, 2019, the Kickstarter funded in less than an hour. Since then the stretch goals that it has met include full color interiors, enhanced material on the supernatural, an essay on combat description from the co-hosts of the Jianghu Hustle podcast; and an expansion using the system to explore turn-of-the-century San Francisco from designer Banana Chan. Upcoming stretch goals include settings and materials for Joseon dynasty Korea, Musketeer-era France, and cyberpunk.

Hearts of Wulin comes from The Gauntlet Gaming Community. For several years the Gauntlet has offered a massive online gaming calendar covering story games, OSR, and beyond. The community features multiple podcasts (including ENnie winner Fear of a Black Dragon), active moderated forums, a monthly zine (Codex), blog (featuring ENnie winner Age of Ravens). Hearts of Wulin co-authors Agatha Cheng and Lowell Francis have a deep love of the wuxia genre. Agatha co-hosts the Asians Represents Podcast (@aznsrepresent), while Lowell co-hosts The Gauntlet Podcast.

Playtest materials are available. An early version, the playtest packet includes only a fraction of the support text that will be in the final product. Nevertheless, it provides a tantalizing and addictive sense of what the final game will be like, and anyone with a basic understanding of how Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games work will be able to run a short campaign of Hearts of Wulin.

“Hearts of Wulin is a joyous exercise in capturing the heart and soul of a beloved media genre in the the sublime form of a well-designed roleplaying game. Lowell and Agatha have seamlessly blended action, romance, humor, pathos, and a deep appreciation of source material ranging from classic Shaw Brothers films to modern serialized TV dramas, to produce a dynamic play experience that’ll make great stories even if you’re only passingly familiar with those works.” – Jim Crocker,JimLikesGames.com

The campaign ends Sunday, June 16th.

The Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gauntlet/hearts-of-wulin

For more about the Gauntlet Gaming Community, check out gauntlet-rpg.com

The Gauntlet Gaming Community on Twitter: @gauntletrpg

The Gauntlet Gaming Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GauntletRPG/

Press Release: Sci-fi horror RPG Grimmerspace, developed by beloved actor Sean Astin, launches on Kickstarter

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Sci-fi horror RPG Grimmerspace, developed by beloved actor Sean Astin, launches on Kickstarter
Grimmerspace is set in a non-magical, science-fiction horror universe, and the citizens of Grimmerspace (“Grimmers”) are veterans of fighting alien abominations from the depths. Despite its strangeness and its terrors, their’s remains a rational, scientific reality. Until now.
The Kickstarter for Grimmerspace is now live and has already smashed it’s goal!
Grimmerspace is a sci-fi horror RPG setting for the hit Starfinder™ roleplaying game by Paizo Publishing, co-developed by beloved actor/director Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things), along with award-winning game designers Lou Agresta and Rone Barton.
Grimmerspace offers a unique blend of hard-sci fi with fantasy as it’s core tension involves a group of powerful magic wielders known as the Sundermages invading the Gliding Rim Galaxy.
The Grimmerspace: Sci-Fi Setting and Adventures book offers over 14 adventures that explore 14 unique locales across the Gliding Rim galaxy. They include intricate detail about the universes regions, their riches, the civilizations that vie to control them, and the terrors that lie in wait. Actor Sean Astin is creative developer on Grimmerspace, injecting his considerable experience within science fiction and fantasy worlds into the eclectic mix of sci-fi horror that is Grimmerspace.
He is joined by Rone Barton, an award – winning game designer and podcaster who is now the co-founder of Iron GM games and co-producer of the Iron GM Tournament and Lou Agresta a game designer and novelist who delivered the five time Ennie- nominated Razor Coast and developed Heart of the Razor, its award – winning companion novel.
“How do you feel about magic invading your rational, sci-fi only setting? Ever want to shoot a mage in the neck? Or do you almost feel sorry for those jik-wielding bad guy wannabes? Almost. They have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into. “You’re in Grimmerspace now, jik-off!”
Multiple exciting stretch goals are on offer for the project. For fans who want to enjoy the game online there’s a series of stretch goals which will unlock Grimmerspace in Roll20, Fantasy Grounds and D20Pro as part of the ‘Digital Rewards’ goal. These three platforms are the most popular virtual tabletops online and will help make the game accessible to a vast online audience.
Iron GM Games have teamed up with Yarro Studios to create the first Immersive Battle Maps book for Sci Fi, with a specially designed Grimmerspace edition. These gorgeous, always lies flat, draw on them with dry erase, vinyl sticker Battle Maps These are the gorgeous always-lies-flat, draw-on-them-with-dry-erase, vinyl sticker Battle Maps that took Kickstarter by storm. We are so stoked to have them for Grimmerspace!
A series of special pledge levels are available to make it as easy as possible for backers to get stuck into the world of Grimmerspace. Pledging at this level will gain backers the Starfinder Core Rulebook and Starfinder Beginner Box right in the Kickstarter. These are designed so people new to RPG’s or Starfinder can begin to play Grimmerspace right out of the box.
Grimmerspace comes with a free, easy-to-download Jumpstart guide so you can get right into the action, whether you’re new to roleplaying games or haven’t played in years. You can find a copy of this quickstart guide by visiting the Kickstarter page here.
There’s also a free adventure you can pick up on the Kickstarter page. Formed by the twisted mind of horror master Richard Pett comes Abattoir 8, the chilling tale of a sub-orbital meat processing plant gone dark.
Modiphius Entertainment will be assisting Iron GM Games with marketing and logistical support to help Grimmerspace reach a much wider audience and is using their long experience with crowdfunding to consult and advise the team on delivering a successful Kickstarter project.
About Iron GM Games
Rone and Lou are the same duo who produce the Iron GM tournament, which, for over 10 years has sought the greatest Game Masters and challenged them to improvise powerful adventures that captivate players.
For Iron GM Games they’re adding their meticulous study of these masterful techniques to their experience as ENnie award-winning game designers.
With the help of talented and savvy friends throughout the industry, plus the belief and support of backers and fans like you, they’ll combine it all to bring you innovative games grounded in battle-proven storytelling methods that blow your mind.
About Modiphius Entertainment
Modiphius Entertainment is a London, England-based entertainment publisher of tabletop games and related hobby merchandise. The company launched its first game, the Achtung! Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, in 2013, followed by the Mutant Chronicles RPG, DUST Adventures RPG based on Paolo Parente’s DUST universe, Infinity The Roleplaying Game based on the best-selling miniatures game, Conan, Adventures in Age Undreamed of, the official roleplaying game of Robert E Howard’s barbaric universe, Matt Leacock’s Thunderbirds, a cooperative board game based on the classic 60’s show and the official Kung Fu Panda Boardgame.
Modiphius Entertainment seeks to inspire with its tales of heroism, adventure and courage. Modiphius also works to combat global child trafficking through raising awareness of and funds for Vision Rescue. For more information, please visit modiphius.com.
TM & © 2019 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Press Release: Creature Curation™ new campaign setting and bestiary World of Revilo for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Coming to Kickstarter

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Creature Curation™ new campaign setting and bestiary World of Revilo for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

Full campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5e launches June 18 exploring a new world and new player races

Carrollton, GA – May 18, 2019. Today, Creature Curation announced World of Revilo: Campaign Setting and Revilo Bestiary: Boheum’s Guide to Beasts.

Revilo is a high fantasy campaign setting where an entire continent is filled with unique races and monsters. The world Revilo had its first inhabitant in 2009 when its creator, Brian Colin sculpted a large taxidermy-style monster. After finishing the sculpture he knew the creature needed a backstory. Colin gave birth to the world Revilo, naming it after his unborn son’s middle name Oliver. He wanted this world to be something they could work on together. 10 years later, his son has created multiple species, helped with adventure modules, and aided in developing the pantheon of gods.

While continuing to add new fantastical beasts to his world, Colin recruited additional creators to fill out the setting. Revilo’s first foray into the roleplaying game market was through adventure modules that paired with Cardography: Dungeon Adventures in a Deck. Five distinct modules were written for different regions of Revilo. RPGs have always been a passion of Colin, and with this announcement, the Kickstarter for the Campaign Setting that is compatible with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition will launch on June 18, 2019.

About the Setting

In the past 30 years humans, elves, and dwarves have crashed onto the coast of Revilo, discovering the land. One human has built an army and hired the vile, marauding Greyskrulls to aid him on his conquests. Will the rest of Revilo be able to form an alliance before this army conquers them? Will the gods wake from hibernation to keep their people safe?

While the outlanders try to find their way in this new land, a revered sect of 18, known as the Keepers of Secrets, are slowly being hunted down by a new cult. Inside each of the Keepers of Secrets is a fragment of the evil god Ghyrma. The Keepers of Secrets fear that this new cult is collecting these pieces to try and resurrect the long-forsaken god.

The Kickstarter will launch with 6 new player races, 3 sub-classes, 2 backgrounds, and 70 monsters.

About Creature Curation

Creature Curations’ ability to design and create unique content, creatures and quests lead to the success of Cardography where they partnered with industry veterans Norse Foundry. The Creature Curation team also created multiple 5E adventures set in Revilo to be distributed by RPG Crate.

What RPG Kickstarters Excite Creators? Empire of the Ghouls, Good Society, Ultramodern5, Trilemma Adventure, and more

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Every week I ask RPG creators what Kickstarter they’re following and they are kind enough to share their insights. This week, among their lists are several games that appear more than once, like GeneFunk 2090 (twice this article and three times to-date), Fungi of the Far Realms (twice this article) and Hearts of Wulin (twice, as well). Check out the suggestions from the creators of:

Empire of the Ghouls: A 5th Edition Campaign vs. the Undead by Kobold Press

END DATE: Fri, May 31 2019 4:00 PM EDT.

“An alliance of cultists, ghouls, and vampires. A scheme of the dark gods against humanity. New maps, dark realms, monstrous societies!”

Wolfgang Baur (Kobold Press) recommends:

“Monsters of the Underworld for 5th Edition. So I’m all about the dungeons and the underdark, and Cawood Publishing did well by their prior volume so… Very intrigued by their Underworld Monsters volume, which seems like it will be useful for any mega-dungeon or the like. Art style leans toward comics rather than realism, which doesn’t bother me but fair warning.

Sea King’s Malice. Relative newcomer Alex Kammer is also the mastermind who runs the amazing GameHole Con in Madison every year, and this nautical adventure looks like it would fit neatly next to Ghosts of Saltmarsh. If you have an urge to set sail for adventure, the Sea King’s Malice seems like a great way to challenge your players with encounters and storylines from a rising talent.

Odyssey of the Dragonlords. Ok, with 6,000 backers and just two days left*, this doesn’t need a lot of help but… Greek myths have been fused to D&D since the beginning, and this looks like a visually lush take by a talented team. Worth checking out just to see how they bend and twist familiar tropes!

*EDITOR’S NOTE: I miscommunicated when this article would be published. This Kickstarter has ended but they do have a late pledge option.”

Trilemma Adventures Compendium by Michael Prescott

END DATE: Thu, May 30 2019 10:00 PM EDT.

“A compendium of 48 adventure locations, settlements, and regions for fantasy role-playing games.”

Michael Prescott (Trilemma Adventures) recommends:

“Hearts of Wulin. One of the amazing things about good PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse) games is how deftly they transport you into an unfamiliar genre with so few rules. Not in the sense of an avalanche of content for the GM to trot out, but in that subtle alchemy of how the players contribute to the tone and make the genre really vivid even for newcomers.

I’m a newcomer to the Wuxia genre, but hearing about this game on the Gauntlet got me longing to try it out. This gives me vibes of high production wirework films like Crouching Tiger, the fateful mismatched duels of Amber, all suffused with poignant melodrama.

Lowell Francis is a voracious gamer with incredibly broad system experience, and the playtest materials that he and Angela Chen have put out together look really tight.

Five Torches Deep. This project is like catnip for me. A simplification of 5e so it’s compatible with the lingua franca of fantasy adventure, but with an OSR attitude. A chunky resource focus that makes being underground really feel like you’re a long way from home. Simple rules that have teeth.

Ben Dutter (Vagabonds of Dyfed) has a history of hybridizing the various schools of gaming, and with Ben Milton (Questing Beast, Knave, Maze Rats) looking over his shoulder, this is definitely a project not to miss.

And holy snot, I love a good title and this one makes me jealous I didn’t think of it!”

Good Society: An Expanded Acquaintance by Storybrewers Roleplaying

END DATE: Sun, June 9 2019 9:59 AM EDT.

“Tell regency tales of magic, masked outlaws, servants & ambition with four expansions for Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG in one book.”

Vee Hendro (Storybrewers Roleplaying) recommends:

“Big Bad Con 2019. Based as we are in Australia, we had to think carefully when deciding which RPG convention in the States to attend. Time and time again, we were recommended Big Bad Con as the convention to be at, and it is easy to see why. With over 400 events, 40 private gaming rooms and hundreds of different games, it is a brilliant weekend of gaming, whether you are looking for story games, LARPs or board or card games. But beyond that, what makes it truly special is its strong commitment to diversity and community-building. This year marks the first year of the Babble On Equity Project, a collaboration between the convention and community leader DC, to bring more people of colour to Big Bad Con. This project is one of the reasons why we are able to even make it there this year! So if you’re looking for an unforgettable weekend, come along this year to BBC with us!

Fungi of the Far Realms – a fictional fungal field guide. Billed as an RPG game supplement / illustrated encyclopaedia of fictional mushrooms, I love seeing these more unusual kinds of projects being crowdfunded. As a physical artefact blending art and fiction, these types of books stretch our imagination, and reminds me that simply reading can be big part of play.”

Hayley Gordon (Storybrewers Roleplaying) recommends:

“Hearts of Wulin. I’ve always been a massive fan of Wuxia movies, so I am more than ready for this RPG. I’ve had a chance to playtest this game, and there’s a lot about it I love. The choice of playbooks is pretty stellar, it gives your characters a reason to be and throws you straight into the narrative. But my absolute favourite part is the entanglements, which create messy webs of relationships between the characters. So if you find yourself engaged to be married to your brother’s sworn enemy while also secretly infiltrating their clan in disguise, that’s just an average session!”

Ultramodern5, a 5E universal sci-fi sourcebook by Dias Ex Machina Games

END DATE: Thu, June 13 2019 11:59 AM EDT.

“Second Edition. Second Printing. New Rules. Full Color. One of the most popular books for 5th Edition is back!”

Chris Dias (Dias Ex Machina) recommends:

“I have backed 49 projects in the past year and a half. I admit, I think I have a problem. By a majority, the campaigns I back involve tabletop board games with role-playing elements because I love the hybridization of board gaming with pen & paper role-playing.

But with specific role-playing, a friend of mine is the creator of Endless Realms, and she has a new supplement on KS now called Tome of Spirits. The artwork is fantastic and the setting is original. Her campaign only has a few days left.  It uses an original rule system which I really appreciate. I hope this is the start of something amazing.

And as an odd addition to that, I am looking forward to seeing Fantasy Grounds Unity get funded. Obviously, I am biased as SmiteWorks were the first virtual tabletop software to support Ultramodern5, which is itself is on Kickstarter now, so I would obviously want to return to the favor. I love the idea of virtual tabletop and wish I had something like that ten years ago.”

Monsters of the Underworld for 5th Edition by Cawood Publishing

END DATE: Wed, May 29 2019 10:58 AM EDT.

“Only the bravest walk into the dark… Into the Underworld! Discover 100 new 5E monsters. A full-color 5th Edition book.”

Andrew Cawood (Cawood Publishing) recommends:

Genefunk 2090 by CRISPR Monkey Studios. In this biopunk/cyberpunk RPG,players take on the roles of mercenary characters. I like that this Sci-Fi game uses the very accessible 5E system and seems quite detailed. Corporations rule the world and the wealthy have discovered immortality. 

The ADVANCED: Pandemonium by Beirdo Games. This dystopian RPG game lets players create in a very open-ended fashion. I’d recommend any game with this type of customization. Players can alter their characters in unique ways and add many types of skills and weapons. It’s a very fluid d10 system that still has depth.”

Vintage Space: Disco-Era Sci-Fi RPG by Thunderegg Productions

END DATE: Wed, June 12 2019 9:11 AM EDT.

“A tabletop RPG of optimistic optimistic space opera featuring retro-inspired rules and aesthetics.”

Jacob DC Ross (Thunderegg Productions) recommends:

“I’m hugely interested in S3RPG, which is a simple and easy system designed for newbs and veteran players. Looks fun and cute.

I also really want to see GeneFunk 2090, because there just isn’t enough biopunk these days.”

 

The Beast of Thornbriar Hills (For D&D 5E and Pathfinder) by Ramen Sandwich Press

END DATE: Tue, June 11 2019 7:45 PM EDT.

“An RPG location module about sheep, the people who keep them and something that’s killing them. For D&D 5E and Pathfinder RPG.”

Douglas Sun (Ramen Sandwich Press) recommends:

“The Silence of Hollowind: Pin-Up Adventures. I like the mash-up goodness of combining two apparently different genres, film-noir and high fantasy. It’s something I tried myself, but with much less success than this fellow.

Fungi of the Far Realms – a fictional fungal field guide. It’s not an RPG as such, but RPG-related. And it looks whimsical and humorous, so I’ve have actually backed it. Whimsy and humor are qualities that I like to inject into my own work because I think that it’s worth reminding ourselves that it’s possible to take fantasy RPGs too seriously.”

Press Release: $340,000 raised for the Odyssey of the Dragonlords Kickstarter with just 2 more days left to go

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Odyssey of the Dragon Title Image
$340,000 raised for the Odyssey of the Dragonlords Kickstarter with just 2 more days left to go.
Hey Egg,
I’m writing to you today about the exciting culmination of the Kickstarter for Odyssey of the Dragonlords, the epic, 5e adventure book inspired by Greek myth and written by ex-bioware designers James Ohlen, Jesse Sky and Drew Karpyshyn. The project has been massively successful, raising $340,000 from an initial target of $50,000, multiple stretch goals have been unlocked and there’s still 2 days left to go to support the project.
There’s also a great interview you may be interested in with Odyssey of the Dragonlords designer Jesse Sky by Dael Kingsmill who runs the popular RPG YouTube channel Monarch’s factory and Jesse where they discuss some of the finer details Odyssey of the Dragonlords. You can find that here.
You can find a full press release below.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact to contact me by e-mail at panny@modiphius.com or by phone +44 207 736 7020 // +44 753 265 6855.
Kind Regards,
-Panny
London, England, 14-05-2019
For Immediate Release
Odyssey of Dragonlords has smashed it’s initial $50k Kickstarter target raising $340,000 and with just two days left to go there’s still time for you to support the project.
Odyssey of the Dragonlords is an epic, 330 page adventure book for 5e, inspired by Greek myth and created by ex-bioware lead designers James Ohlen and Jesse Sky (Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age: Origins, Baldurs Gate I & II, Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Old Republic)and Drew Karpyshyn, BioWare senior writer on Mass Effect I & II and Knights of the Old Republic.
Thanks to the huge amount of support Odyssey of the Dragonlords has received from over 6,000 backers a wide array of stretch goals have been unlocked. You can now look forward to two brand new Adventure Guides, The Sunken Kingdom and The City of Aresia packed full of new content for Games Master’s and players to explore. The Sunken Kingdom includes maps, encounters and adventure hooks for players exploring an ancient sunken city within the realm of Thylea with more than a hint of Atlantis to the themes. The City of Aresia lets players discover the land of the warrior monks, situated in the south east of Thylea within the Aresian Penisula. This adventure guide contains maps, regional lore and adventure hooks for adventures within the City of Aresia and surrounding lands.
A set of gorgeous deluxe maps have been unlocked, including a world map of Thylea, a map of the settlements of Mytros, Estoria and Aresia and a Trireme boat map. A beautiful Odyssey GM Screen has been unlocked packed with tables, useful reminders and Thylean names and lore information.
In addition 12 new monsters, 4 new playable character races including the Medusa, Siren, Nymph and Minotaur, new class archetypes for the Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, Ranger and Paladin, Roll20 support, a new Epic Path for heroes have all been unlocked thanks to the massive support Odyssey of the Dragonlords has received.
Dael Kingsmill who runs the popular RPG YouTube channel Monarch’s factory recently caught up with Jesse Sky in this interview where they discuss some of the finer details Odyssey of the Dragonlords including how the Greek source material was adapted, the art direction and how Jesse’s experience with video game design helped him craft the book. You can view it here.
Translation partners have signed up for the project with with Italian and Spanish editions of the game planned.
This project would not have been possible without the huge fan support and with just two more days left there’s still time for you to support this epic project here.
Odyssey of the Dragonlords contains everything you need to run campaigns in the epic, Greek myth inspired world of Thylea including an overview of the world, magic items, monsters and a diverse cast of Greek myth inspired allies and villains inspired by legend.
  • The World of Thylea: Includes an overview of the history, factions, kingdoms, and laws of the forgotten continent. Learn about the gods, the titans, and the legendary Dragonlords.
  • New Monsters: Includes a bestiary of over 15 new monsters inspired by Greek mythology, with lore, statistics, and full page illustrations.
  • New Magic Items: Includes over 20 new magic items inspired by Greek mythology. Find them scattered throughout the adventure or craft them using the legendary Mithral Forge!
  • Colorful Characters. In the tradition of our favorite RPG video games, we’ve got a colorful cast of villains and companion characters that players will encounter on their adventure.
  • Colorful Characters: In the tradition of our favorite RPG video games, we’ve got a colorful cast of villains and companion characters that players will encounter on their adventure.
You can download a free copy of the now revised Odyssey of the Dragonlords players guide here. The booklet contains everything you need to get started as a hero within the world including a brief overview of the world of Thylea, new character backstories, rules for the new Centaur and Satyr races and epic paths for your heroes. This revised edition includes two more martial archetypes as well as updated rules based on your feedback for the Satyr and Centaur races available within the booklet. This is now available from Modiphius.net and DriveThruRPG.
For a taste of what the world is like, check out this short story, Dragonlord’s Wager, from Drew Karpyshyn. This story takes place 500 years prior to the adventure, during the events of the First War between the mortals and the Titans.
Odyssey of the Dragonlords Kickstarter
Summary
“Pen and paper roleplaying games will never die. The combination of open-ended exploration, cooperative storytelling, and tactical combat is addictive and timeless. The 5th edition of the world’s greatest roleplaying game proves this. Like all of the editions before it, the game owes a debt to the classic fantasy stories of Tolkien, Lieber, Howard and the rest. It gives players the opportunity to be the hero of their own epic tale. And a world inspired by Greek myth is the perfect place to set a fantasy story where the players are the stars. It’s also worth noting that the selfish, conflicted heroes from Greek myths have a lot more in common with my usual play group than the chummy fellowships of modern fantasy…” – James Ohlen, Writer & Designer on Odyssey of the DragonLords and lead designer of Baldur’s Gate.
There’s a wide range of ways you can support the Kickstarter including bronze, silver and gold tiers.
BRONZE MEDALIST – Pledge US $25 or more.
This tier includes the PDF campaign book and digital versions of all stretch goals.
INCLUDES:
  • Digital player’s guide (PDF)
  • Digital adventure book (PDF)
  • Digital versions of all stretch goals
  • Your name in the book’s credits
SILVER MEDALIST – Pledge US $60 or more.
This tier includes the hardcover version of Odyssey of the Dragonlords, the softcover player’s guide, and digital versions of all stretch goals.
INCLUDES:
  • Hardcover adventure book
  • Softcover player’s guide
  • Digital player’s guide (PDF)
  • Digital adventure book (PDF)
  • Digital versions of all stretch goals
  • Your name in the book’s credits
GOLD MEDALIST – Pledge US $80 or more.
This tier includes the hardcover version of Odyssey of the Dragonlords, the softcover player’s guide, three fold-out poster maps, the Odyssey GM screen, and all digital stretch goals.
INCLUDES:
  • Hardcover adventure book
  • Softcover player’s guide
  • Deluxe poster map pack
  • Odyssey GM screen
  • Digital player’s guide (PDF)
  • Digital adventure book (PDF)
  • Digital versions of all stretch goals
  • Your name in the book’s credits
Join part of epic history and sign up to the Kickstarter here.
About Modiphius Entertainment
Modiphius Entertainment is a London, England-based entertainment publisher of tabletop games and related hobby merchandise. The company launched its first game, the Achtung! Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, in 2013, followed by the Mutant Chronicles RPG, DUST Adventures RPG based on Paolo Parente’s DUST universe, Infinity The Roleplaying Game based on the best-selling miniatures game, Conan, Adventures in Age Undreamed of, the official Roleplaying game of Robert E Howard’s barbaric universe, Matt Leacock’s Thunderbirds, a cooperative board game based on the classic 60’s show and the official Kung Fu Panda Boardgame.
Modiphius Entertainment seeks to inspire with its tales of heroism, adventure and courage. Modiphius also works to combat global child trafficking through raising awareness of and funds for Vision Rescue. For more information, please visit modiphius.com.
TM & © 2019 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Press Release: Legacy: Life Among the Ruins RPG launches trio of exciting new books on the back of successful Kickstarter

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Legacy: Life Among the Ruins RPG launches trio of exciting new books on the back of successful Kickstarter

“The World Before is fallen, torn apart by an apocalypse so extreme that reality itself was shredded and warped in its wake.“

Three exciting new releases are lined up for the Legacy: Life Among the Ruins RPG, Legacy: End Game, Legacy: The Engine of Life and Free from Yoke.  Each is a hardcover, approximately 120 pages long, Royal-sized volume (156mm x 234mm).  These books are currently fresh at the printers and Kickstarter fulfillment is to begin within a month. Here’s what you can find in them:

  • Legacy: End Game: This Legacy supplement focuses on the themes of death, decay and entropy. Your heroes will face greater existential threats and characters that can channel dark and terrifying powers. Will you seal away the evil that awaits you or flee from it all the way to the stars?

  • Legacy: The Engine of Life: This Legacy supplement is a mirror to Legacy: End Game and focuses on the themes of rebirth and cooperation. Your characters can celebrate in festivals commemorating ages past and engage characters and families devoted to the ideas of cooperation, art and exploration. Will you build a wonder that ushers in a green revolution or create a home for an impossible, godlike nature deity?

  • Free From the Yoke: This Legacy hack adapts Legacy: Among the Ruins to a gritty, medieval fantasy world inspired by slavic mythology with a focus on politics, intrigue and noble houses. Your kingdom was occupied by the Empire for generations, but now it’s free. What sort of nation will you build together?

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins Core Overview

Your ancestors survived thanks to luck, preparation or pure grit. Now it’s time to leave their shelters and start rebuilding the world. But the wasteland has other inhabitants: families with different philosophies and abilities, secretive factions with their own agendas, and bizarre monsters stalking the ruins. As generations pass and your family evolves to suit this new world, what stories will you tell?In this role-playing game you’ll build your own unique post-apocalytic landscape, home to scattered families of survivors. Take control of a family, play the brave heroes that define them, and guide them through the grand sweep of history.

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins – Key Features

From grand strategy to desperate struggle. Shift freely between commanding the movements of spies and armies and fighting monsters in a ruined wasteland, using the fast and dramatic rules of the Powered by the Apocalypse engine.

  • A Game of Histories: Write the saga of your family over generations and draw on your ancestor’s powers, even as you face the unexpected consequences of their actions.
  • Endless variety: 11 family types and 13 character types create hundreds of possibilities, each with its own meaning for the story you’re telling.
  • Hit the ground running: Start playing today with the included quick-start, complete with five pairs of families and characters, story prompts and a sunless world filled with hungry spectres.
  • Build your own post-apocalyptic world: Simple procedures help your group sketch out the wonders of the world before, the horrors of the fall, and the new communities built by survivors – resulting in a world that’s unique to your group and deeply integrated with your characters.
  • From grand strategy to desperate struggle: Each player controls a family of survivors, and will use that faction to rebuild the world. You tell this multi-generation story in snapshots called ages – each age you’ll define the current crisis and create a hero from your family to deal with it, able to draw on the powers of their ancestors.
  • Grand Scope: Shift between playing characters who explore the dangerous wastelands and then shift back to the Family level, rebuilding settlements and waging wars with rivals. If the narrative needs to focus on a particular heroes story, build supporting characters in minutes to act with them.

You can view an actual play of Legacy Life Among the Ruins here in this 5 session campaign. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s91efEMH79U&t )

You can purchase Legacy Life Among the Ruins here.  ( https://www.modiphius.net/collections/legacy-life-among-the-ruins  )

What Kickstarters Excite Creators – Fate of Cthulhu, The Fantasy Trip Decks of Destiny, Old-School Essentials, Sinopa Omnibus, and Monster Menagerie

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This week, the CEO of Steve Jackson Games, the Design Lead for Starfinder, the company behind Fate, the creator of one of the hottest OSRs in years, and my buddy, William Quinton, share what RPG crowdfunding projects they’re following. This column gets a great response because no matter the creator’s level, they have crowdfunding projects they’re backing and want to spread the word about. To that end, let’s hear from the creators and companies behind:

Also, I want to give a quick shout out to Kim Frandsen and the interview we did about his upcoming project, The Barbarian: Keeping it Classy.  

Fate of Cthulhu by Evil Hat Productions

END DATE: Tue, May 21 2019 3:30 PM EDT.

“It’s 2038. The Elder Gods have risen. You are our last hope. You’ve traveled back in time to 2020 to save humanity. Fate of Cthulhu: it’s Mythos meets Terminator.”

Tom Lommel (Evil Hat Productions) recommends:

“Trilemma Compendium. I’m a fan of low-prep options for play and Trilemma Adventures caters to that impulse in three ways. First, the maps are gorgeous. The isometric perspective is expertly captured, the line art is clean yet still detailed, and the locations themselves are evocative. I really appreciate how easy to reference these maps are. Second, the format is limited to a two-page spread. No flipping back and forth, no trying to decide what encounters are absolutely necessary and which ones to cut. It’s all right there, easily-digestible. Finally, because the format is so condensed, the descriptions of each area get straight to the point. There’s no box text to weigh against GM text, or excessive stat blocks or peripheral details. As an experienced GM, I can fill in those elements myself. It also makes the adventures system-agnostic. Whatever your personal flavor of fantasy RPG, this collection of adventure locales will inspire you. It’s especially well-suited for pulling off the shelf to run a one-shot for your friends or coworkers.

Big Bad Con 2019. The deeper I get into the hobby, the more I want to try new and different RPGs. Kickstarter has really launched a terrific wave of innovation in that respect. But sometimes it’s hard to get my friends to spend their limited social time trying out a game they haven’t learned or played already. Big Bad Con helps me solve this problem. It has an emphasis on a whole range of games, from open-ended story games like Fall of Magic to detailed, gritty RPGs like Torchbearer. The con has an arrangement with its hosting venue in Oakland to take over two whole floors of the hotel, dedicated just to gaming. They clear the rooms of beds and set up tables in each one. So while there’s some “open hall” gaming, there’s also a good chance you will play in a private gaming room. I’ve attended a lot of gaming conventions and it’s a real luxury to sit in a session where your GM is not fighting to shout over the din of everyone else. Big Bad Con also makes a deliberate, dedicated effort to being inclusive and welcoming. If you live on the west coast and want to expand your gaming experience, Big Bad Con is a top candidate for your time and money.”

The Fantasy Trip: Decks of Destiny by Warehouse 23

END DATE: Mon, June 3 2019 6:05 PM EDT.

“Many, many new cards and accessories for use with Steve Jackson’s The Fantasy Trip roleplaying game!”

Phil Reed (Steve Jackson Games/Warehouse 23) recommends:

“Tunnels & Trolls Cartoon Adventure. Tunnels & Trolls is a classic, first released in 1975, and this Kickstarter campaign instantly caught my attention with its fun artwork and the idea of a T&T comic book combined with new solo adventures. These days, with work and life taking up so much time, as well as many flights each year, classic solitaire adventures are very, very welcome. I’m hoping that this one succeeds. I backed as soon as I saw it!

The Cthulhu Alphabet. Goodman Games’ earlier alphabet books — The Dungeon Alphabet and The Monster Alphabet — are amazing works of art. Inspirational GM resources loaded with ideas; back when I was regularly writing D20 PDFs, I often wrote bite-sized collections of stuff, and these alphabet books remind me of those older projects wherein every letter brings new ideas. The addition of so many fun tables makes the books better than my earlier works; there was no way that I wasn’t backing The Cthulhu Alphabet the day the project launched. I trust Goodman’s team and know that this will be another spectacular addition to my gaming library.”

Old-School Essentials by Necrotic Gnome

END DATE: Sun, May 12 2019 2:00 PM EDT.

“A modular adventure game in the tradition of the beloved 1980s role-playing rules. 100% old-school rules, 100% modern design.”

Gavin Norman (Necrotic Gnome) recommends:

“Far Away Land Old School Role-Playing Game. I’ve been privy to a sneak peek at the PDF for this game, and the combination of the delightfully gonzo setting, the fantastic layout, and Dirk’s wild and colourful artwork really add up to something special. I’d read a bit about Far Away Land some years back, but as an old-school D&D purist (aka grognard) I was put off by the custom rules system. Now that Far Away Land is manifesting in an OSR form (based on Swords & Wizardry), I’m excited to venture inside!

The Cthulhu Alphabet. I’ll be honest here: I didn’t even read the description of this Kickstarter! It was an insta-back for me. I have Goodman Games’Dungeon Alphabet and Monster Alphabet books already, and they’re utterly captivating reads. These books ooze fantastic charm and creepy wonder, and I have no doubt that the Cthulhu Alphabet will deliver the same. Plus: Erol Otus cover art! Not to be missed.”

Sinopa Omnibus, Volume One: 5E NPC’s, stories and more by Sinopa Publishing LLC

END DATE: Fri, May 17 2019 11:59 PM EDT.

“A collection of NPC’s for your Dnd5e fantasy game Original art and content created for my subscribers, in one book RPG D&D TTRPG”

William Quinton (Sinopa Publishing) recommends:

“Arcane Invitation: Educating Magical Prodigies in DnD 5e. “A toolkit for running modern and fantasy D&D 5e campaigns set at magical boarding schools. Learn magic. Make friends. Save the world.”

I’m very fond of Harry Potter and this just screams ‘Hogwarts’ to me. As someone who has run a few campaigns myself, I appreciate the simplicity of the campaign, its clearly defined rewards and its affordability. If you ever wanted to play through getting your letter, pick this one up!

Empire of the Ghouls: A 5th Edition Campaign vs. the Undead. “An alliance of cultists, ghouls, and vampires. A scheme of the dark gods against humanity. New maps, dark realms, monstrous societies!”

Fighting against legions of the undead is task which is well suited to heroic campaigns. Couple that with the books being produced by Kobold Press and you’ve got a recipe for fantastic adventures. Don’t miss this campaign folks.”

Monster Menagerie: Gruesome Foes by Rogue Genius Games

END DATE: Fri, May 31 2019 3:00 AM EDT.

“A creepy collection of Pathfinder-compatible templates to help you customize your gruesome foes.”

Want a free preview of the Monster Menagerie? Check out Monster Menagerie: Gruesome Foes Preview here.

Owen KC Stephens (Rogue Genius Games) recommends:

“I am extremely interested in The Maze, by Alastor Guzman. The marketing hook grabbed me immediately: “A system agnostic Kick-the-door supplement.” I’m a big fan of flexible, fungible adventure material, and this looks like it’ll be chock full of ideas I can use, adapt, or be inspired by when running games.

I’m also keeping an eye on GeneFunk 2090, which describes itself as a “biopunk/cyberpunk RPG and setting made using the D&D 5E Open Gaming License. Players take on the role of elite mercenaries that specialize in investigation and violence. No magic or fantasy, but tons of cybernetics, genetic enhancements, nanobots, drones, hacking, androids, high tech guns and armor, and other amazing tech! ” I’m a fan of a lot of old school post-apocalypse games, from Gamma World to Marrow Project, and while this looks to have more of an updated-Cyberpunk-with-a-twist look to it, the idea of having some 5e-compatible high tech rules gets my mash-up ideas flowing!

Obviously as an employee of Paizo [NOTE: Owen KC Stephens is the Design Lead for Starfinder], I am biased in favor of the KINGMAKER 10TH ANNIVERSARY crowdfunding campaign on GameOnTabletop. [NOTE: GameOnTabletop is a tabletop gaming-focused crowdfunding site.] Even so, there are some things I think make it stand out.

First, it’s more than just an update of a popular Adventure Path to 2nd Edition Pathfinder. The Owlcat Games’ Kingmaker is also a huge hit, and has created a lot of its own content. This campaign will adapt much of that content back into a tabletop format, making this a tabletop game based on a video game based on a tabletop game (which was itself based on another tabletop game…)

Secondly, in addition to the hardback adventure, the campaign is offering Bestiaries that convert the monsters in the adventure to 5e or 1st Edition Pathfinder, allowing this one adventure to be run in three systems.

While I know I have rose-colored glasses on, I still recommend anyone interested in any of those game systems check this out!”

Press Release: RULE THE WORLD WITH THE KINGMAKER 10TH ANNIVERSARY CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

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RULE THE WORLD WITH THE KINGMAKER 10TH ANNIVERSARY CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

Make your pledge now for a brand new collected and expanded hardcover compilation of the Kingmaker Adventure Path, Kingmaker Companion Guide, a Kingmaker Bestiary for Pathfinder First Edition, and a Kingmaker Bestiary for 5E.

The Dead RoadsREDMOND, WASHINGTON (May 7, 2019): Today, Paizo Inc. launched the Kingmaker 10th Anniversary crowdfunding campaign at KingmakerCampaign.com. The campaign is based around four books: the Kingmaker Adventure Path converted to the newest Pathfinder edition, the Kingmaker Companion Guide inspired by the Owlcat Games CRPG, an old-school Kingmaker Bestiary for Pathfinder First Edition, and a Kingmaker Bestiary for 5E. More add-ons and unlocks will be revealed as the campaign progresses over two weeks on Game On Tabletop. The campaign will end on May 21 at midnight.

In 2010, Pathfinder’s Kingmaker Adventure Path raised the bar on what a tabletop fantasy RPG campaign could be. With open-ended sandbox-style adventures, Kingmaker beckoned players to claim their throne and carve a new nation out of the treacherous River Kingdoms, map hex by map hex. Tens of thousands of gamers answered the call, ranking Kingmaker among the best-known and best-loved tabletop campaigns in history.

Last fall, Owlcat Games released a best-selling computer game adaptation of the Kingmaker campaign, adding new adventures, new mysteries, and more than a dozen new companions to accompany the players as they expand their holdings from a single fortress to a burgeoning empire. A new generation of rulers have schemed and sliced their way to the heights of power in the River Kingdoms, and interest in the Kingmaker campaign has never been higher!

Paizo Publisher Erik Mona said, “We are excited to bring 10 years of development and innovative expansions back to the gaming table. The only question is… how ambitious do we get? That’s where you come in. Help us celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Kingmaker Adventure Path and bring this epic campaign to a new generation of gamers—and to your own tabletop!”

A stunning 576-page hardcover, the Kingmaker Adventure Path provides GMs everything they need to run this epic campaign. All six chapters published in 2010 will be updated to Pathfinder Second Edition rules, incorporating a decade of player and GM feedback and new characters, conflicts, and plots inspired by the best-selling digital adaptation of the campaign that released last fall—including a new prologue making its tabletop debut in this release! Detailed appendices provide GMs with flavorful gazetteers of the campaign’s myriad locations, from the Stolen Lands at large to the rival city of Pitax. The Kingmaker Adventure Path also features complete rules for hex-map exploration and kingdom building and management to bring the campaign’s most innovative elements to life at the table. Lastly, a bestiary of new and updated monsters that feature prominently in the Adventure Path give GMs of any campaign new tools to torment their player characters with! As the campaign levels up, the size of this book will grow to include new content!

The adventures don’t stop in Kingmaker’s core campaign, though. Inspired by the hit CRPG from Owlcat Games, the Kingmaker Companion Guide is a 32-page softcover compendium designed for Pathfinder Second Edition. Additionally, the book has the potential to increase in pages as the crowdfunding campaign levels up.

Paizo has old-school Pathfinder players covered with the hardcover Kingmaker Bestiary for Pathfinder First Edition, a 160-page monster and NPC resource that converts the new companions, NPCs, and monsters unlocked by this campaign into Pathfinder First Edition. They can play along in the new and updated encounters with this helpful conversion guide featuring back-converted stats for the entire Kingmaker campaign, plus other rules conversions, tips and tricks to run the campaign as smoothly as possible.

Why limit the fun of the Kingmaker Adventure Path to Pathfinder players? With the Kingmaker Bestiary for 5E add-on, GMs and players of the fifth edition of the world’s oldest roleplaying game gain access to more than 140 monsters and key NPCs from the Kingmaker Adventure Path! With 5E conversions by our industry-leading partners at Legendary Games, this 160-page hardcover volume is an add-on from day one. Whether used as a companion volume to help convert the entire Kingmaker campaign or as a handy way to add new challenges and foes to 5E campaigns of all varieties, these time-tested critters and foes are sure to keep players on their toes!

Go to KingmakerCampaign.com to learn more.

XXX

About Paizo

Paizo Inc. is one of the world’s leading hobby game publishers. Since 2002, millions of players have joined the goblin army by playing the Pathfinder® and Starfinder® roleplaying games across tabletops, at conventions, at their favorite local game store, and digitally on virtual tabletops. Paizo.com is an online retail hobby destination for gamers that carries the latest products from top hobby game publishers. Players also find accessories, like dice and maps, miniatures, T-shirts, goblin plush toys, and the newest releases to quickly replenish those adventuring supplies for the next dungeon run.

What Kickstarters Excite Creators? Lancer, Endless Realms, Afterlife, Far Away Land, GeneFunk, 2090, Relics, First Kings, and Fight!

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I put out the call asking RPG Kickstarter creators for the projects that excite them and, this week, I got eight responses. Lots of quality recommendations from the creators of these RPG Kickstarters:

Lancer by Massif Press

END DATE: Sat, May 11 2019 2:59 AM EDT.

“Lancer is a mud-and-lasers RPG about mechs and the pilots who crew them. Narrative play, gritty tactical combat and deep customization.”

Miguel Lopez (Massif Press) recommends:

“Sundown, A Queerpunk Roleplaying Game. I’ve been keeping an eye on Sundown: A Queerpunk Roleplaying Game which is active on Kickstarter until May 10th. It’s a revolutionary little game that combines accessible rules and roleplaying depth, one I think would be as good a teaching tool as a roleplaying system and setting. Sundown puts a clear focus on an empathetic, radical roleplaying that establishes player safety and player solidarity as much as player character, while equipping players and their characters to explore narratives that interrogate (either implicitly or explicitly) dominant depictions of gender, humanity, and power. From rhetorical changes to specific rules, Sundown centers character in a unique fantasy setting, emphasizes player freedom and safety around the table, and gives primacy to stories that are often suppressed or ignored.”

Endless Realms: Tome of Spirits by Lunar Games

END DATE: Thu, May 23 2019 12:59 PM EDT.

“Endless Realms: Tome of Spirits, Our first Tabletop RPG Supplement, and your gateway to the world of the spirits.”

UPDATE from Kirsty Garbe: “I put out a free creature promo set [for Endless Realms] a while ago [on DriveThruRPG here.]”

Kirsty Garbe (Lunar Games) recommends:

“Infinity’s Edge by Shawn Carman excites me because I think the whole concept of being inside an MMORPG as a character and interacting with NPCs, is just so fascinating. It also strangely feels more realistic then the current RPG format of slaying a creature and all this gold and items appearing, because its an MMORPG. Utilizing respawning, for strategic Player character deaths, and timing your deaths also is such an interesting concept. It means that even if my character dies ill just respawn, and BAM my game is not ruined because of a character death.”

Afterlife: Wandering Souls by Angry Hamster Publishing

END DATE: Fri, May 31 2019 9:22 AM EDT.

“Afterlife: Wandering Souls is a tabletop RPG about recovering lost memories and exploring strange worlds.”

Elizabeth Chaipraditkul (Angry Hamster Publishing) recommends:

“One Child’s Heart. I am always on the lookout for unique games, something I haven’t played before, and something that will impact me emotionally – One Child’s Heart is just that. I personally know the creator Camdon and the amount of thought and work he’s put into this amazing game means it can only be good. I love the idea of an RPG that is all about understanding and empathizing, it’s just a fantastic concept.

NOTE: I am a stretch goal for One Child’s Heart (my goal was met a while back), but I really do love the game and it is produced by some of the coolest people.

A Town Called Malice. The setting is what really got me interested in A Town Called Malice. There’s something about the idea of isolation that’s always drawn me in and a roleplay game with that theme is magic. I also think it can be a challenge to create a compelling collaborative game centered around the ideas of isolation so I am excited to see this one come out and tackle that problem.”

Far Away Land Old School Role-Playing Game by Simian Circle Games

END DATE: Wed, May 29 2019 11:45 AM EDT.

“OSR version of the Far Away Land RPG compatible with older versions of the world’s most famous game and its clones.”

Dirk Stanley (Simian Circle Games) recommends:

“Bloat Games’ The Blackest of Deaths. I’ve backed all of Bloat’s projects and have loved everything they have released. The Blackest of Deaths presents itself as a brutal world where the chance of survival is nil. I love the idea of no advancement, minimal gear, and an attempt to try and make it as long as possible in a hellhole that wants you dead. Cormac McCarthy said “Even the damned in hell have the community of their suffering.” The Blackest of Deaths seems to be the rpg version of that quote. I’m all about it.

Savage Worlds Rifts. I’ve always loved the setting in Rifts but had issues with the mechanics. We always house-ruled everything as we murder hoboed our way through the desolation of the future. It’s nice to see a facelift on a fantastic setting.”

GeneFunk 2090 by CRISPR Monkey Studios

END DATE: Thu, May 30 2019 10:45 AM EDT.

“A biopunk/cyberpunk tabletop RPG in the 5E system”

James Armstrong (CRISPR Monkey Studios) recommends: 

“The Koryo Hall of Adventures 5e Compatible Campaign Setting, on Kickstarter, by Aurelien Laine. This one’s easy, I lived in South Korea for 3 years, and think Korean folklore is a treasure trove of unexplored animistic awesomeness that has a distinct flavor, distinguishing it from the more well known mythologies of their neighbors. We’ve seen the “Korean Wave” with pop music and movies, but there’s so much more. It’s clear the creator has passion for the content, the art is killer, fantastic promo video, and it looks like incredible world building on ancient tried and true tales. Clear effort from top to bottom. Dae han min gook!”

Relics: A Game of Angels by Tin Star Games

END DATE: Fri, May 10 2019 5:59 AM EDT.

“A Roleplaying Game of Mystery, Mythology and Memory”

Steve Dee (Tin Star Games) recommends:

I’m always interested in humour games, and in different takes on things, so I’ve been looking at For the Dungeon! You play dungeon minions trying to protect your dungeon from homicidal murderhobos. Seeing things from “behind the scenes” is a great set up for comedy and for roleplaying, and comedy RPGs that are done well are actually really well – and this looks like it could be just such a beast. The art is excellent, the rules are simple, and it comes with a godsend for all RPGs – a deck of cards that aren’t encounters but inspiration prompts. It’s light but I like light, and the price is very reasonable.

Fellow Aussie designers, Smunchy Games, have come up with Paths: World of Adia. I’m really interested in this one because it is the “hybrid” design space. Just as so many board games are edging into being RPGs – the D&D board games, Gloomhaven, Batman, Conan, Descent, Mansions of Madness – here we have a game going the other direction. It is ostensibly an RPG but is card driven in character design, giving lots of depth like in a board game, and uses MMO ideas like threat and aggro to track encounters. It can even apparently be run without a GM, which is of course the real appeal of things like Gloomhaven. If the writing is good, then this could be the holy grail. Also, it has elephant people and dog people and the art is INSANELY gorgeous. Deserves a lot more attention!

Finally, I just stumbled onto Latchkey. It’s at the other end of the spectrum from Paths in that it is small and humble in its conception, and asking for just a small goal as a result. And it’s a small idea, in that the whole game takes place in a single town in Tennessee, and tells the story of a group of Latchkey kids in the near future fighting to take their town back. RPGs can be big and sprawling and epic but they can also be small and intimate and there’s a lot of power in a tight focus, it helps key into a great story that can really resonate. You can do a lot with a little in this hobby, and Latchkey leaps out as someone taking their first steps to really do some great work.”

FIRST KINGS (RPG in a Dark Fantasy Rome) by Epic Party Games

END DATE: Tue, May 21 2019 5:00 AM EDT.

“Dark-Fantasy RPG, where the descendants of the First King of Rome, Werewolves with divine powers, fight against the Old Dark World!”

Max Castellani (Epic Party Games) recommends:

“So, there are at least two RPGs – currently on Kickstarter – I’d like to talk to you about (as a sort of what-to-buy advice): the first one probably wouldn’t even need to be suggested at this point, I’m talking about the big hit “Lancer”; the second one, another good shot, is “For the Dungeon!” A fresh and funny RPG.

Now, we may sound superficial, but what we personally like the most about LANCER, is the artwork, in fact, we would have supported it even without reading a single page off the over three hundred available for free, on the project page (LOL). The fact is that we’re really hooked by its style, it brings up memories and feelings of the anime we used to love as teenagers (such as Dragonball, for example, which was like.. HUGE where we lived). So, at the end of the day, the gorgeous graphics and the game system, they also look like they’ve been tailor made for the setting. There you go, full package, right? We can’t wait to play a bunch of cool Lancers as soon as the game is delivered!

For the Dungeon! is a comedy role-playing game where you get to play as minions instead of as heroes. and this is something we deeeeeeply love to do!
It remembers us games like “Aye, Dark Overlord!”, and – once again – the artworks look on pitch and absolutely fun. We really think a game like this, could probably represent a nice runaway to get energies back, after a long-serious-dark-and-grim campaign (maybe a First Kings campaign!? LOL) with your party of friends!”

Fight! 2nd Edition by Divine Madness Press

END DATE: Thu, May 16 2019 10:41 AM EDT.

“The revised, expanded, and clarified edition of the TTRPG designed specifically to tell the stories of fighting game characters.”

Christopher Peter (Divine Madness Press) recommends:

“Necrotic Gnome’s Old School Essentials has simply beautiful production values. When I play the world’s most popular role-playing game, I prefer the older editions, especially B/X. I’m looking forward to seeing this new presentation of the classic rules set. Based on how well the project is going, I am clearly not alone in that.

I’m also interested in Deep Dungeon Games’ Seven of Seven. I can’t design a fantasy world without extensive attention paid to metaphysics, so complete and consistent pantheons are always appreciated. I especially like the breakdown of the gods into seven distinct spheres, which demonstrates thoughtful consistency. I look forward to seeing the artistic presentation of the final book.

Finally, I’m keeping an eye on Kobold Press’ Empire of the Ghouls. When I run 5th Edition, I prefer to run a full campaign arc, and my favorite enemies are demons and undead. Furthermore, Kobold Press has a great reputation for capturing the best parts of a classic fantasy feel, which appeals to an old guy like me.”

 

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of the Tessera Guild.

PRESS RELEASE: Unicorn Motorcycle Games presents One Child’s Heart

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Unicorn Motorcycle Games presents One Child’s Heart, a tabletop roleplaying game about empathy, hope, and human connection in the face of childhood crisis.

About the Game

In this game, players take on the roles of child welfare professionals, such as psychiatrists, social workers, and therapists, who enter the memories of traumatized children to help them reframe moments of distress and teach them resiliency. These memories are a chance to forge real human connections and make someone suffering feel less alone.

The game uses a basic stat system that tells players how many d6 they roll when they’re seeing how the child reacts to their attempt to connect with them. If they succeed by hitting the target number, the child trusts the professional more, and forges a connection with them. If they fail, they risk losing trust with the child, traumatizing them, or even violating their professional ethics.

As the professionals move from memory to memory, the game’s difficult can lower as they work as a team to leave the child with the tools they’ll need to face the world. Every time they make a connection with the child, the professionals gain a therapeutic token. If they gain enough throughout the memories, they’ll leave a lasting impact on the child and help the child become more resilient.

The game is about compassion, human connection, and hope. It’s a game that focuses on moments where just asking if someone is okay can help that person feel less alone. It teaches the value of empathy, of listening, and of reaching out even when you don’t know what to say. Most importantly, it shows us that a loving, willing person can give someone suffering the gift of hope.

It is not a game about witnessing horrific abuse. It’s a game about trauma and resiliency. The memories being explored are about those smaller, quieter moments that from the outside might not seem like such a big deal, but because of the life the child has lived leading up to that moment, their perception of the world has changed. The game is about supporting someone in those moments.

About the Designer

One Child’s Heart was designed by Camdon Wright. Camdon Wright (he/him) is a game designer who passionately loves playing pretend, telling stories, and creating spaces for marginalized voices. Besides being known for being a staff writer at the ENnie award winning blog Gnome Stew and the Diversity Coordinator for the Indie Game Developers Network (IGDN). He’s the owner of Unicorn Motorcycle Games, co-host of the Misdirected Mark Podcast, and proud father of two amazing kids. Some of his incredible work includes the 200-word RPG Secret Person of Color and the game Madness and Desire. You can find him hiding behind a typewriter with a brilliant idea, playing pretend at various conventions, or holding loving conversations with those who need a friend.

Testimonials

“A tender, powerful game.

When I played, Camdon introduced us to Kelly, the child we would have the opportunity to try to help. She was strong and in pain. She had lost her mother, and was growing up in the foster care system. Kelly was challenged by life and what it hadn’t given her. Camdon told us this particular girl would only be in this one game. There was no game over for her, no respawning to try again. No one else could be her knight in shining armor that next time. We three and our fumbling attempts to help were going to have a lasting impact. In the way choices each of us makes each day, to try to be there for one another. We leave impacts, leave scars. And we can offer hope. Kelly found a thread to hang onto in our game. She connected with a teacher. Found something with meaning to her, creativity and art. She became a teacher herself, extending the helping hand she’d been given to others. Kelly challenges me to live up to her model. To remember that each moment we can give or be there for another is a moment we can never get back if it is squandered.

Play One Child’s Heart and let it change you. Camdon guides us to learn, witness and open our own hearts for the better. “

– Emily Care Boss

“I loved playing One Child’s Heart. It’s the kind of game that lingers with you long, long after you play it and it’s a genuinely moving experience.”

– Jeff Stormer

“It’s a really real emotional palette that this game works with and it does so in a way that’s really subtle. A way that doesn’t get enough recognition in games.”

– Jabari Weathers

“Camdon Wright’s One Child’s Heart is a game unlike any other I’ve ever played. It’s beautiful. It really strives to make better humans through role-playing.”

– Michael Conn

“After playing One Chld’s Heart by Camdon Wright, I was struck by how completely unique it is among tabletop rpgs. One Child’s Heart demands that you engage with your feelings in sometimes uncomfortable, but powerful ways. It’s intense, hopeful, and despite the fact that it’s primary framing device is fictional, very, very real.”

– Chuck Lauer

Media

The fantastic Jeff Stormer of the Party of One Podcast brought Camdon on to the show to play the game. If you want to check out what the game feels like and how a one on one game would go, check out this really awesome podcast. Thank you, Jeff, for having us on and playing our game! We’re so excited to share this with the world!

Our friends at She’s a Super Geek had Camdon and Kate on to play the game. Kate ran the game for Andi Fox and Jen Adcock, two badass folks in the gaming world. To hear the first part of the game, check out the podcast! We’ll let you know when the second half drops. This actual play lets you hear how a session with three players goes. Thank you to Jenn, Senda, Andi, and the team behind She’s a Super Geek!

Finally, if you want to learn more about Camdon, the ever amazing Alex Roberts had Camdon join the show for Backstory. Hear Camdon talk about intentional and emotional game design, his hopes for the community, and learn more about how he designs games. Thank you to Alex for having Camdon join him and her thoughtful, compassionate interviews.

Have a listen and let us know what you think! You can also hear an actual play on the Kickstarter site with the folks from the Misdirected Mark Podcast. Thank you to all the folks from MMP and their continued and dedicated support of Camdon and One Child’s Heart!

The Lounge by the Misdirected Mark Podcast recently featured an in depth discussion with Camdon Wright about One Child’s heart. Jesse Edmond spends an hour to talk all things about the game, Camdon’s life, and his game design style.

Cover Art by Jabari Weathers

The Kickstarter is currently live and will be running until May 16th!

What Kickstarters Excite Creators? Pinnacle Entertainment, The Umerican Road Atlas and Umerica Unnatural, One Child’s Heart, Augusta Universalis, and Gordon’s Bluff

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This edition of What Kickstarters Excite Creators? is a special one in several ways. First, Shane Hensley of Pinnacle Entertainment, the company behind Savage Worlds and Deadlands, shares a list of Kickstarters he’s excited about. I’m eager to share projects that Shane wants to put a spotlight on. Second, the creators behind The Umerican Road Atlas and Umerica Unnatural, One Child’s Heart, Gordon’s Bluff, and more share their thoughts on what’s good on Kickstarter. Third, I’ll be at JordanCon (the annual celebration of all things Robert Jordan in Atlanta) this weekend. If you’re there, I hope to see you.

The Umerican Road Atlas and Umerica Unnatural by Shield of Faith Studios, LLC

END DATE: Mon, May 6 2019 10:00 PM EDT.

“Two new sourcebooks for your Umerican DCC Campaign! A combo meal of wasteland wonder and sweet salvage to enhance your apocalypse.”

Reid “Reidzilla” San Filippo (Shield of Faith Studios, LLC) recommends:

“I WAS A TEENAGE CREATURE by Ninjacat is a narrative-focused, urban fantasy tabletop roleplaying game that emulates a young adult paranormal TV show (or movie, or book series, etc.!) such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, or even the Dresden Files. The twist is that the mechanics of the game are not based on what can these supernatural characters do but Why they are doing it and What emotion is currently driving their actions. The author has been a friend of mine for decades and I’m really happy to see this campaign live.

Lancer by Massif Press is a mud-and-lasers tabletop roleplaying game centered on modular mechs and the pilots who crew them. I grew up playing BattleTech, playing with Shogun Warriors, and watching Robotech so giant robots are a favorite of mine. This new RPG has amazing art and just crunchy enough to do mechs well without going overboard. Plus, the Beta rules have been freely available for over a year as the author tweaked them into perfection.”

One Child’s Heart by Camdon Wright

END DATE: Thu, May 16 2019 10:00 AM EDT.

“One Child’s Heart is a tabletop roleplaying game about empathy, hope, and human connection in the face of childhood crisis.”

Camdon Wright recommends: 

“The Koryo Hall of Adventures. This is a really cool looking campaign setting based on Korean locations, myths and legends for Dungeons and Dragons 5e. It makes me so happy to see thoughtful content that moves beyond the generic “Asian themed” material that we’ve seen for so many years. If you play D&D and are looking for something new to play please check out The Koryo Hall of Adventures! Please help them reach their funding goal!

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu. A wuxia-inspired Powered by the Apocalypse game that features some of my favorite writers! Sen-Foong Lim, Banana Chan, Rob Abrazado, and Elizabeth Chaipraditkul are all onboard as stretch goals! I love that it features the quick creation of unique characters in a setting that celebrates the diversity of Asia. As a bonus, Gallant Knight Games has always been great at delivering on the projects I’ve backed.”

UPDATE 2019-05-09. Unfortunately, the Kickstarter for Once Upon a Time in Jianghu has been canceled. It was done for the right reasons as the company investigates accusations made against the creator, but it’s still unfortunate news all the way around. Gallant Knight Games and WunderWerks share a statement about this situation and their next steps. http://www.rpgnews.com/once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu-canceled/

Gordon’s Bluff – A 5E DND and Pathfinder Adventure Module by Zan’s Adventures

END DATE: Sun, April 28 2019 3:12 PM EDT.

“A Lighthouse, evil magic, murderous monstrosities, and an innocent hamlet caught in the middle of it all. A 5E and Pathfinder Module”

Paul Rodenburg (Zan’s Adventures) recommends:

“Odyssey of the Dragonlords blows me away. The artwork is amazing, and the production values look outstanding. The people behind it (James Ohlen, Jesse Sky, and Drew Karpyshyn) have a great history when it comes to CRPG’s. It looks exciting and fun. I wish I could design something that looks this good.

Deniable Assets is about being a horrible corporate villain, in the 80’s, working your way up the corporate ladder. I like anything where you can be the bad guy. Bad guys are more fun, and the setting is very intriguing. It’s an awesome concept.”

Rifts® for Savage Worlds: American Armageddon by Pinnacle Entertainment Group

END DATE: Mon, May 6 2019 9:00 PM EDT.

“Three New Worldbooks Exploring the North America of Rifts® for Savage Worlds!”

Shane Hensley (Pinnacle Entertainment) recommends [WRITER’S NOTE: I added the logline descriptions].

Several I’m looking at or have backed recently. Top of the list would be:

WiseGuys – “Wiseguys, a Las Vegas Mafia setting and guide to organized crime for the Savage Worlds Roleplaying Game.”

Movie Empire – “A medium-weight movie production strategy board game for 1-4 players. ‘I love the smell of worker placement in the morning.'”

Milito – “Milito is a card-based, diceless wargame by Martin Wallace, putting you at the head of an Ancient army.”

Girl With No Name Comic – “An orphaned girl raised by her bounty hunter uncle sets out for revenge after he’s murdered by a band of outlaws.”

Augusta Universalis RPG by Acchiappa Sogni

END DATE: Tue, April 30 2019 4:22 PM EDT.

“The Uchronic Role-Playing Game of Humanity and Empires beyond the Stars”

NOTE: Daniele Fusetto, a writer and a friend of Luca De Marini, creator of Augusta Universalis RPG, wrote me to share his friend’s RPG. I thought that was cool and the fact that I do my best to promote the international RPG scene, I decided to ask him to contribute his thoughts to this article (hence the recommendation for Augusta Universalis in the Augusta Universalis’ section).

Daniele Fusetto recommends:

“There are two tabletop RPGs from Italy that I would like to suggest: one is Augusta, of course, the other is Primi Re – First King.

Augusta Universalis is a uchronic RPG set in a world where the Roman Empire doesn’t fall and conquered the stars. You will be a Pretorian, a cyborgs guardian of the Empire used to conquer distant and wild exoplanets and fights against unspeakable cosmic horrors. The game uses the Dark Destiny System, which is capable of pushing a lot a player’s feeling of identification with his Player Character, the description of one’s actions and the narration.

Primi Re – First King is a historical-fantasy RPG with strong dark-horror atmospheres that brings you at the days of the foundation of the Urbe (“City”), telling the “true” story and nature of Romulus and Remus. The gameplay emphasizes the interpretation as the protagonist of the whole game, using an elaborate and very special D12System that unites dice-pool, zodiac, numerology and lunar phases to create a rule set and a characters building, basically unique in their kind.”

Press Release: Odyssey of the Dragonlords: Interview with designers ex-Bioware designers James Ohlen and Jesse Sky

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Odyssey of the Dragon Title Image
Odyssey of the Dragonlords: Interview with ex-bioware designers Jesse Sky and James Ohlen
London, England, 25-04-2019
For Immediate Release
Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?
James Ohlen – I’ve worked in video games for more than two decades and during that time was the lead designer for Baldur’s Gate 1 + 2 and Neverwinter Nights. I’ve also Dungeon Mastered for more than three decades. So I have a great deal of love for Dungeons and Dragons.
Jesse Sky – I worked at BioWare for 8 years, where I was a lead designer and ultimately the creative director of a few Star Wars: The Old Republic expansions, including Knights of the Fallen Empire. I’ve been building tabletop games and video games as a hobby since I was about 10 years old. One day, I hope to be good at it.
When did the muse visit you for Odyssey of the Dragonlords and how did that initial idea form into being?
James Ohlen – The part of working on video games that I love the most is designing the characters, the narrative, the setting and then figuring out how to make it work in an open world. I hadn’t really worked on that aspect of games since Dragon Age: Origins. So, Odyssey was a side project I started up to do what I love, except in a pen and paper setting.
Jesse Sky – A year and a half ago, James told me that he wanted to make a giant, ridiculously ambitious role-playing book. I told him he was crazy, and then we ended up doing it anyway.
Why did you choose a Greek myth inspired setting for 5th edition?
Jesse Sky – I studied Greek mythology in college, and I realized that it’s about a thousand times more interesting than a lot of fantasy fiction. Not just the myths – the comedies, tragedies, and histories, too. European artists and poets referenced this stuff for centuries instead of innovating, because I think they just couldn’t come up with much better.
And then James and I were looking at all the monsters in 5th Edition that are inspired by Greek myth—satyrs, centaurs, minotaurs, medusae—and we realized that there really wasn’t a narrative for any of it. Those elements are just in there because they’re fantasy tropes at this point. We wanted to create a world that connected those elements to their origins, but without just making it ancient Greece.
In what ways do you think Odyssey of the Dragonlords reflects the unique epic mythos of the ancient Greek world?
Jesse Sky – When we started out, we just sat in a coffee shop and brainstormed all the coolest things we could think of from Greek history and mythology. We were reading Edith Hamilton’s Mythology for inspiration. And then we were like, how do we fuse all this together into a functional game world, with a narrative that fits a D&D campaign?
‘Epic paths’ were one of the first answers we came up with. The idea was to put players in the role of epic heroes, so we had to come up with the same kinds of conflicts, challenges, and goals that characters like Odysseus and Achilles struggled with. And then we designed the world and its history around the idea – what sort of crisis demands that such heroes band together, and how will they be tested along the way?
Odyssey of the Dragonlords includes many new playable races including Centaurs & Satyrs, how did you go about translating these into 5th edition?
Jesse Sky – The first place we look is the existing bestiary, because those creatures already have well-developed entries. Obviously, we have to modify them a bit. We try to give each one a unique reason for existing. For example, why would I choose a Satyr instead of a Tiefling? They’re similar in a lot of ways. So we emphasized the Satyr’s musical abilities and fey heritage to set them apart.
Can you tell us the story of your first role-playing game experience?
James Ohlen – I was 10 years old and visiting my mother’s friend. She had a son named Anders Bengtsson. He DM’d Keep on the Borderlands and I was hooked.
Jesse Sky – My first tabletop role-playing game was a homebrew that I played with some friends in high school, because none of us could afford a set of hardcover books. Everyone ended up angry at each other, and then we ordered a pizza and watched The Fifth Element. I didn’t have a successful tabletop role-playing experience until college, where I ran a homebrew Star Wars campaign. I used a chessboard because I couldn’t afford miniatures. Notice the pattern?
What aspects of tabletop role-playing games influenced your video game work at Bioware?
James Ohlen – Spending time as a Dungeon Master is one of the best training grounds for designing narrative and worlds in a video game. A successful DM has to create interesting stories that still give the players agency. You also have to get good at balancing combat with story and role-playing. Some players love the tactics of combat and strategy of character advancement, while others are more into the role-playing and story. A DM needs to run sessions that satisfies these different motivations.
Jesse Sky – I took a lot of ideas from my own campaigns and put them in SW:TOR. The stories you get from playing at the table with real people are usually way more bonkers that what you get when you write stories by yourself. So it’s a great way to generate ideas.
We often hear about video game developers being role-players too – was there a lot of people playing RPG’s at Bioware? Do you think tabletop RPG’s are an important part of the video game development process for major video game like Baldur’s Gate or Mass Effect?
James Ohlen – Yeah, BioWare was full of fans of tabletop RPGs. There were many fans of LARPing as well. In the early days I ran a campaign that had Mark Darrah playing Boddyknock (gnome wizard) and David Gaider playing Evangeline (a half-orc cleric). Ray Muzyka would sometimes play a wizard named Davaeorn.
What lessons have you learned in designing Odyssey of the Dragonlords?
James Ohlen – That at this point in my career I need to do what I love.
Jesse Sky – I’ll second that. Also I’d say this is the first project where James and I really collaborated without a giant studio attached, so it helped us figure out which pieces each of us prefers working on and how to riff off of each other’s ideas.
What brought you back to the 5th Edition of the worlds greatest role-playing game?
James Ohlen – My friend Sean Carriere introduced me to a campaign he was playing in when I was visiting the BioWare office in Edmonton. Another friend, Jeff Veitenheimer was also playing, so I attended several sessions. Fun fact – Sean’s childhood character was named Edwin and Jeff’s was named Sarevok. They were the inspiration for the characters in Baldur’s Gate.
Jesse Sky – My first time playing 5th Edition was in James’ campaign at BioWare Austin. He ran Princes of the Apocalypse with several twists and brought in a lot of my favorite characters from Baldur’s Gate as major NPCs. I buddied up with my friend and former coworker, Michael Backus, and our characters had an awesome time together. Sean was also in that campaign and his cleric was a huge jerk to my slightly-evil tiefling wizard. Hi, Sean!
What other RPG’s, Miniatures or Boardgames have you played and enjoyed?
James Ohlen – I loved Battletech and West End Game’s Star Wars. My experiences with pen and paper Star Wars had a major influence on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Jesse Sky – I absolutely loved Decipher’s Star Wars CCG and Magic: The Gathering. Also there was this weird little card game called Wyvern that I used to buy for $1 per box, because I guess no one else wanted it, but it was full of awesome dragon artwork and I was ten years old! I could get like 300 dragon cards for one week’s allowance!
If we’re talking about the last decade though, my favorite board games are: Lord of the Rings, Blood Rage, and King of Tokyo. I love the Warhammer 40k universe, especially Dan Abnett’s books and Relic Entertainments’s Space Marine, but I’m afraid of collecting miniatures because my cats will eat them.
What are you most excited about in Odyssey of the Dragonlords?
James Ohlen – Finding out how different GMs use the book to do things that we never expected.
Jesse Sky – I’m excited to run the adventure out of an actual, physical book instead of a Microsoft Word document.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Jesse Sky – Just that we appreciate all the support Modiphius has given us throughout this project. James and I are newcomers when it comes to publishing books, but in spite of that, Chris and his team have helped us produce something incredible.
Odyssey of the Dragonlords
SUMMARY
280-page lavish fully-illustrated hardcover adventure book
  • Compatible with the 5th edition of the world’s greatest roleplaying game
  • Presents an epic campaign that takes players from level 1 to 11 and beyond
  • Describes the lost continent of Thylea—a forgotten land inspired by Greek mythology that is compatible with other popular campaign settings
Written and designed by:
  • James Ohlen, lead designer of Baldur’s Gate and Dragon Age: Origins
  • Jesse Sky, creative director of Knights of the Fallen Empire
  • NYT bestselling author Drew Karpyshyn
Odyssey of the Dragonlords Kickstarter
Summary
“Pen and paper roleplaying games will never die. The combination of open-ended exploration, cooperative storytelling, and tactical combat is addictive and timeless. The 5th edition of the world’s greatest roleplaying game proves this. Like all of the editions before it, the game owes a debt to the classic fantasy stories of Tolkien, Lieber, Howard and the rest. It gives players the opportunity to be the hero of their own epic tale. And a world inspired by Greek myth is the perfect place to set a fantasy story where the players are the stars. It’s also worth noting that the selfish, conflicted heroes from Greek myths have a lot more in common with my usual play group than the chummy fellowships of modern fantasy…” – James Ohlen, Writer & Designer on Odyssey of the DragonLords and lead designer of Baldur’s Gate.
There’s a wide range of ways you can support the Kickstarter including bronze, silver and gold tiers.
BRONZE MEDALIST – Pledge US $25 or more.
This tier includes the PDF campaign book and digital versions of all stretch goals.
INCLUDES:
  • Digital player’s guide (PDF)
  • Digital adventure book (PDF)
  • Digital versions of all stretch goals
  • Your name in the book’s credits
SILVER MEDALIST – Pledge US $60 or more.
This tier includes the hardcover version of Odyssey of the Dragonlords, the softcover player’s guide, and digital versions of all stretch goals.
INCLUDES:
  • Hardcover adventure book
  • Softcover player’s guide
  • Digital player’s guide (PDF)
  • Digital adventure book (PDF)
  • Digital versions of all stretch goals
  • Your name in the book’s credits
GOLD MEDALIST – Pledge US $80 or more.
This tier includes the hardcover version of Odyssey of the Dragonlords, the softcover player’s guide, three fold-out poster maps, the Odyssey GM screen, and all digital stretch goals.
INCLUDES:
  • Hardcover adventure book
  • Softcover player’s guide
  • Deluxe poster map pack
  • Odyssey GM screen
  • Digital player’s guide (PDF)
  • Digital adventure book (PDF)
  • Digital versions of all stretch goals
  • Your name in the book’s credits
Join part of epic history and sign up to the Kickstarter here.
About Modiphius Entertainment
Modiphius Entertainment is a London, England-based entertainment publisher of tabletop games and related hobby merchandise. The company launched its first game, the Achtung! Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, in 2013, followed by the Mutant Chronicles RPG, DUST Adventures RPG based on Paolo Parente’s DUST universe, Infinity The Roleplaying Game based on the best-selling miniatures game, Conan, Adventures in Age Undreamed of, the official Roleplaying game of Robert E Howard’s barbaric universe, Matt Leacock’s Thunderbirds, a cooperative board game based on the classic 60’s show and the official Kung Fu Panda Boardgame.
Modiphius Entertainment seeks to inspire with its tales of heroism, adventure and courage. Modiphius also works to combat global child trafficking through raising awareness of and funds for Vision Rescue. For more information, please visit modiphius.com.
TM & © 2019 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Press Release – STL Game Developer Kickstarter Launch

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ST. LOUIS – April 25, 2019 – Local indie game developer HopePunk Press launched a Kickstarter today for their flagship game, Spaceships & Starwyrms. The crowdfunding campaign has a goal of $7000 and will run until May 30th.

Spaceships & Starwyrms is a science fiction tabletop game based on the d20 system rules made popular by Dungeons & Dragons. It introduces rules and options tailored to the sci-fi genre and comes with a fully-realized setting known as the Nacora Galaxy. The Core Sourcebook promises nearly 400 pages of content. “I think this product is a great option for running D&D in space, both thematically and mechanically. It’s well designed, clear, and attractively laid out,” said Mephit James, a St. Louis game reviewer.

 

HopePunk Press founders and St. Louis natives, Benjamin Quiggins and Audrey Stolze, describe their company’s philosophy as one that “seeks to tell stories about light in the darkness”. With an emphasis on inclusivity, accessibility, and “radical optimism”, HopePunk Press strives to create games that appeal to a wide audience.

 

Spaceships & Starwyrms was published digitally in December 2018 on drivethrurpg.com. With their Kickstarter, HopePunk Press is aiming to publish a print version of the game, as well as to release new supplementary content in both digital and physical form. “Tabletop games aren’t a niche hobby anymore. We wanted to share our enthusiasm for tabletop and the sci-fi genre with other folks,” said Stolze.

 

More information about the product and HopePunk Press can be found at https://hopepunkpress.com/.

 

View the Kickstarter here.

PRESS RELEASE: GeneFunk 2090 Kickstarter Coming Soon!

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A BIOPUNK WORLD MADE FOR 5E

Imagine a world in the not too distant future, 2090, where technology has entirely shaped the very essence of human nature, and where fiscal interests, the international arms race, and consumerism have entirely shaped that same technology. This is the world of GeneFunk 2090.

Supercomputer in your Bloodstream

The human condition as a whole has become something somewhat different. Somewhere along the way almost every single human has been modified to have a powerful supercomputer coded directly into their DNA and physiology, one that has merged with their consciousness. In this world the internet has become as real as the physical world and hackers have become manipulators of the very stuff of the human psyche, probing and rearranging memory and mind the way a potter molds clay.

Plasticity of Genes, Form, and Human Nature

Large sections of the human population have had their genes chosen before birth to breed success, while others have had foreign DNA included to produce wholly different physical traits that were once thought inhuman. On top of all the innate genetic tweaking, individuals modify themselves through cyberware surgeries and biohacks, to the point where some are considered entirely “posthuman”.

Violent, Shallow, and Unequal

Multinational corporations have gobbled each other up, producing ever larger entities until only nine remain, each of which is a superpower bigger than most of the world’s countries. Corporate executives have the power to shatter entire governments in the name of their company’s share value and their own ambition. Gangs and organized crime saturate every urban environment. This world, bloated from overpopulation and consumer greed, has become one of the most violent eras in human history. The rich segregate themselves from the poor, and the tension caused by this wealth gap is causing the world to burst at the seams.

Virtual Immortality

Recent innovations have allowed the rich to undergo a process that maps their entire nervous system, connectome, endocrine complement, DNA and gene expression, and every other feature relevant to the human mind. This digitization of consciousness allows the world’s wealthy and powerful to essentially live forever, switching from one bioengineered shell to another as they see fit.

Cadre of Professionals

You and your allies are a cadre, a lean start-up corporation that specializes in investigation, intelligence, protection, and violence. To keep their hands clean, the syndicates often outsource this kind of work to smaller outfits, like yours. Your cadre’s skillset is in high demand in this intrigue filled world, being sought after by megacorporations, nation-states, organized crime, or wealthy individuals. As an autonomous entity, your cadre of elite agents take contracts as you see fit, navigating the shadows of corporate espionage and savagery with competence and panache.

A cyberpunk/biopunk TTRPG using 5E rules, due to hit Kickstarter on April 30th, 2019!

 

Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H8ntUYDndY

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeneFunk2090/

Twitter: GeneFunk 2090 @GeneFunk2090

Discord: https://discord.gg/ncVeStC

 

FREE Setting Book: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/273002/GeneFunk-2090-Setting-Book

Or: https://crispr-monkey.itch.io/genefunk-2090-setting-book

 

Kickstarter Preview: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crisprmonkey/276683761?ref=810848&token=af145b27

 

Interview with @Garmbreak1, from @Midgardia:

https://youtu.be/Pt1_ye8mTF4

 

Art Credits:

William Liberto, Dean Spencer, Enmanuel Martinez Lema, Dimas Raviandra, Trung Tin Shinji, Brad Maesa, Nate Artuz, Abel Bardalez Arica, Tony ‘MrKrane’ Carter, and Sonnaz