[UPDATED] What RPG and Comic Kickstarter Christmas Gifts Did You Get?

Happy holidays! It’s gift time 2017 and Egg found several Kickstarter rewards under his Christmas tree. I thought I’d shout out and thank a few projects that went the extra mile and got their work out before the egg nog carried them away!

 

Egg Embry, RPG KS Ph.D.
(Charles Schulz would have done this better!)

 

UPDATED – 2017-12-26 AT 12:19AM EST – This one rolled in during Christmas day.

REVOLUTIONARIES — American War of Independence RPG by Make-Believe Games sent the first installment of their RPG on Christmas day. The game is about a version of the American Revolution and the timing of this piece has a light connection to Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in that both occurred on Christmas.

“… for your enjoyment is the first installment of the Revolutionaries game, Fires of Liberty. This exclusive PDF sampler is loaded with bonus game content. It includes the Newport, RI setting and your first taste of the secrets behind the Culper Ring.”

 

With that, I’m at four Kickstarter gifts for Christmas 2017. I also heard that the rest of the Mindjammer KS came in as well as the v0.9 Unity RPG. It’s been a good Christmas!

 

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UPDATED – 2017-12-26 AT 08:00AM EST – This one came in not two weeks before Christmas day (12/14), it still deserves a mention.

Tiny Dungeon 2e gave its backers the Player’s Guide.

  • This is a bonus product, but it’s comprise of stuff you’re gonna get in the final product. It’s basically the first half of the final book, all the rules.
  • It does look exactly like the rules section in the final product (in content and layout.)
  • This will never contain micro-settings. You’ll get a separate corebook for that (which will have rules + micro-settings.)
  • This will be going on sale soon-ish (likely after the New Year), so we wanted to give it to you first.
The cover of the book! Design by Robert Denton, Art by Michael Leavenworth
The cover of the book! Design by Robert Denton, Art by Michael Leavenworth

 

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Let’s start with the white elephant gift – Free League’s Forbidden Lands – Retro Open-World Survival Fantasy RPG and what they sent for Christmas.

[NOTE – I removed all of the backer-only links.]

  • … download the full 186-page Swedish Alpha PDF of Forbidden Lands, under the Swedish title Rov & Ruiner.
  • … the PDF of the combat cards used for the hidden combo system in close combat, and you can download initiative cards…
  • The current (Swedish) draft of the character sheet can be downloaded…, and the big map of the game is to be found… (Swedish, same version as has been shared before, English version…).

What makes this a white elephant gift? It’s all (mostly) in Swedish.

For the international audience – we will complete the English Alpha in the weeks ahead, and we will try to share each chapter as they are completed to get the material to you as soon as humanly possible.”

Seriously, this is by no means a bad gift because it means that we’re well on our way to getting the finished (i.e., English) product. It gives me something to look forward to in 2018!

 

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Up next is one that I have a short contribution in, Sensational: A Superpowered RPG where Empathy Matters.

“Twas the night before the night before Christmas…
…and just after 3am, I sent you all the rulebook!”

This is a superhero RPG where superpowers are derived from emotions. I’m still reading it but so far it’s a good product and I’m looking forward to slinging some dice using it. For my part, I created one of the criminal NPCs, N. T. Edison, aka Unsequence. If the game sounds interesting to you, I’d suggest contacting Thomas Constantine Moore on Twitter about picking up a copy.

 

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The only physical Kickstarter product I got for under the tree was a comic I’d been eager to check out, GROND Book Three, Oublar’s Revenge. My buddy, Michael Phillips, spread the holiday cheer with two copies of the comic, three prints, three post cards, and three metal cards. His Kickstarter update with the shipping notice had an amusing holiday moment to share:

“I am glad to let you all know that your rewards, including the international orders have been shipped on time. It was interesting standing in line at the post office for 10 mins with only 6 people ahead of me before I got to the counter to start mailing all 55 packages. Minutes later, I looked backed to see that the line had grown to more than 25 people staring angrily at me while the clerk was checking each package one at a time. My wife was with me but soon left to go sit in the car and wait, fearing for her life that someone would go “POSTAL” on me for having so many packages at once. I was determined to get your rewards mailed before Christmas like I promised, so you can get them before the holidays.”

Want to give Grond a try? Ping Mike here.

OUBLAR PRINT
OUBLAR PRINT

 

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This is not an exhaustive list of what Kickstarters (and RPGs/comics) dropped for Christmas, it’s just what I got. Did you get any Kickstarter products under the tree (or in your inbox)? If so, feel free to comment them below.

I hope your holiday was as full of little pieces of happiness! For my part, I want to thank everyone in my life and all of the warm wishes I received.

 

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Want your RPG Kickstarter reviewed? Have some RPG wanna-lancer thoughts to share? Contact me here or on Facebook (Egg Embry) or on Google Plus (+Egg Embry).

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to DriveThruRPG.com and Amazon.com.

Savage Worlds: Fast, Furious, and Fun! - Available Now @ DriveThruRPG.com

 

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Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer™

Wanna-lancer™ Checklist T-shirt available at Cafepress

Interested in being a wanna-lancer? Start with the official Wanna-lancer Checklist t-shirt or wall clock or ice tea glass!

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Egg Embry wrote comic book short stories, edited comic book series, wrote and drew a webcomic, and contributed to comic book journalism across the 2000s. Now, he buys the opportunity to write for a variety of tabletop role-playing games in the tradition of vanity press. His purchases have been published by:

Want your RPG Kickstarter reviewed? Have some RPG wanna-lancer thoughts to share? Contact me here or on Facebook (Egg Embry) or on Google Plus (+Egg Embry).

Three RPG Kickstarters You Need To Back (by March 31st, 2017)

Looking for adventures, or maps, or a whole new tabletop RPG experience? Want to create an emotion-driven supervillain, or a weird magic item, or a custom dungeon map? Well, Kickstarter has three tabletop role-playing games that end this Friday, March 31st that cover all of that and more. The countdown is on!

3) Trinity of Awesome Returns! by Kort’thalis Publishing

Ends on Friday, March 31 2017 12:01 AM EST.

Get three adventures (one fantasy, one 80s sci-fi, and one pulp horror) for $7 or get the adventures and write content for them for $17. This Kickstarter is funded and close to reaching its first stretch goal! Want more details on the vanity press option, click here.

Trinity of Awesome Returns Art

2) Sensational: A Superpowered RPG where Empathy Matters by Thomas Constantine Moore

Ends on Friday, March 31 2017 3:48 PM EST.

A full superhero tabletop role-playing game for $5 or create content for it starting at $20. The core mechanic – your character’s powers are based on their emotional state – is destined to inspire in-character role-playing at the gaming table! Funded and working on the stretch goals! Looking for a more details on how Hulk Mad = Hulk Smash? Click here.

1) The Big Book of Maps (for Tabletop Roleplaying Games) by Justin Andrew Mason 

Ends on Friday, March 31 2017 10:oo PM EST.

Over 150 RPG fantasy maps served up three ways (several GM and player versions) starting at $10 or get a map commissioned for $80 (with lots of options in-between). Fully funded and wrecking stretch goals (adding sets of map icons)! This one may cover every lair and encounter your party will crawl for the foreseeable future. Need to see some samples and a little more detail on the custom map? Click here.

The Big Book of Maps

If you have the spare coin and love tabletop RPGs or, if you’re like me and building a RPG resume to jump from wanna-lancer to freelancer, these offer golden opportunities!

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Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer™

Wanna-lancer™ Checklist T-shirt available at Cafepress

Interested in being a wanna-lancer? Start with the official Wanna-lancer Checklist t-shirt or wall clock or ice tea glass!

* * *

Egg Embry wrote comic book short stories, edited comic book series, wrote and drew a webcomic, and contributed to comic book journalism across the 2000s. Now, he buys the opportunity to write for a variety of tabletop role-playing games in the tradition of vanity press. His purchases have been published by:

Vanity Press: What Kickstarter RPG Rewards Are Available? – Sensational: A Superpowered RPG where Empathy Matters

Want to make a supervillain? Want to have others play your villain and use her/him/it in their adventures? Want to see your villain published in a new tabletop role-playing game? Want to be credited for it? If you answered yes to any of these, read on.

Sensational: A Superpowered RPG where Empathy Matters by Thomas Constantine Moore
Kickstarter campaign ends on Friday, March 31 2017 3:48 PM EST.

You’re a 19-year-old runaway in an unfamiliar city. You have superpowers–but you can only use them when you’re happy. So yeah… you might be screwed.

Jump into a superhero RPG unlike any other, where your character’s powers can only be accessed through a specific emotion. Lift cars over your head, heal your friends, punch holes in the Moon, but only if you’re sad, or sickened, or surprised.

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Pledge $25 or more

The Hole You Punched in Your Wall

You were so angry, you decided to make a supervillain about it.

INCLUDES:

  • Name and Design a Canon Villain in the Core Setting
  • ‘Backer’ Credit in Core Rulebook
  • PDF of Core Rulebook
  • Digital Shout-Out on Twitter

Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

Name and Design a Canon Villain in the Core Setting: You can choose the name of a villain, as well as their power set, background, characterization, etc. The villain will appear in the Setting chapter of the Core Rulebook, and you will be credited by it. This includes a half-hour video chat meeting with me to discuss your villain’s design, probably in June.

Stretch Goal Note: If this campaign reaches $2,000 or more in funding, then it will unlock the Villain Illustrations.

I will commission illustrations of all the canon villains as well. Same deal if you chose the “The Hole You Punched in Your Wall” Pledge Level.

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Pledge $30 or more

Your Support Network

Without people like you, it would be really hard to get through the day.

INCLUDES:

  • Name and Design a Canon Faction in the Core Setting
  • ‘Backer’ Credit in Core Rulebook
  • PDF of Core Rulebook
  • Digital Shout-Out on Twitter

Name and Design a Canon Faction in the Core Setting: You can choose the name of a faction, as well as its purpose, notable members, power structure, and logo. The faction will appear in the the Setting chapter of the Core Rulebook, and you will be credited by it. This includes a half-hour video chat meeting with me to discuss your faction’s design, probably in June.

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Thomas Constantie Moore Character Sheet

Egg’s Thoughts:

For $25, you name a villain, create their powers, design them (emotionally and physically), have a call with the creator of the game, and, possibly, be a part of a custom illustration of the character. If you want to do a whole faction, it’s $30. For the money, it’s an amazing deal.

For my quest to become a role-playing game freelancer and my RPG resume, this adds another unique gaming system, puts me on the ground floor with a new publisher, and lets me unleash a villain on the world of Sensational. This is a good opportunity no matter how I slice it.

Let’s talk about the system and its unique feature. Thomas Constantine Moore is thinking beyond the dice to create a system that pushes role-playing over stat min/max-ing. He’s matching superpowers to emotional states. Hulk Mad = Hulk Smash! It’s easy to equate anger to punching harder. But what if you expanded on that ala Geoff Johns’ take on the Lantern Corps of the DC comic universe? The DC Green Lantern idea matched colors to emotions and created factions for each color/emotion. Sensational will match emotions to powers levels so the deeper the character is into the emotion – the more emotional that the player plays the character – the more powerful they’ll be. The concept speaks to me.

Egg Whine! Egg Most Powerful Whiner of Them All!

(John McGuire and J Edward Neill can testify to that in court.)

I think this project will be fun and I am interested in seeing what the mechanics he creates look like. Out of the gate, his system is about emotions and his pitch and rewards have put a smile on my face so that tells me he’s on the right path.

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I gotta shout out Thomas’ website. His resume is a character sheet (storyteller system). $#%&ing genius. When I re-do my bio, it’s because his idea was too good to not mimic.

 

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Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer™

Wanna-lancer™ Checklist T-shirt available at Cafepress

Interested in being a wanna-lancer? Start with the official Wanna-lancer Checklist t-shirt or wall clock or ice tea glass!

 

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Egg Embry wrote comic book short stories, edited comic book series, wrote and drew a webcomic, and contributed to comic book journalism across the 2000s. Now, he buys the opportunity to write for a variety of tabletop role-playing games in the tradition of vanity press. His purchases have been published by: