[KICKSTARTER] The RPGsite Thread for Information About Kickstarter Projects

[RPGPundit]

This is the thread for users (any users, not just publishers or people involved with a KS project) to let the community here know about current Kickstarter RPG-projects

PLEASE NOTE this thread is ONLY for:

a) announcements about Kickstarter projects (either by the people doing the KS, or by members of the site who found out about the kickstarter and want to let us know).

b) Commentary about the Kickstarter project itself, NOT about the game. So you could post about KS updates, problems with the KS, warnings about the people running it or things like that. But NOT about how cool the game is or how bad the game is or discussions about mechanics in the game, etc. Those could be done in separate (normal) threads on the main forum.


Also please note:

-Publishers can STILL post their own threads about their KS projects in the News & Advertising forum. They'll probably want to do both, and that's fine.

-Gamers can obviously still post individual threads to talk more in-depth about KS projects or express discussion of the content/rules whatever.


Please only post about CURRENT KS projects or projects that are upcoming. This thread is principally so that members of theRPGsite can find out about what's out there on kickstarter right now, without having to search elsewhere.

[DouglasCole]

The Dungeon Grappling Kickstarter

The Dungeon Grappling Kickstarter went live on November 7, and will run through Dec 5.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]523[/ATTACH]
What is it?

First and foremost, this book contains rules based on Open Gaming Licence content from several editions of the industry's most popular RPG to make grappling fun, exciting, and easy to play.

It contains rules and examples from three different flavors of the most popular fantasy RPG – from S&W, PFRPG, and Fifth Edition – in order to finally give grappling its due as a method of combat.

It's a short supplement – right now it clocks in at about 40 pages, but will likely grow to about 46-48.

Don't take this short blurb as entire story, though – go read the pitch. You'll see layout examples, artist bios, and details about what's in the book.

How Risky is This?

Given the manuscript is done, the layout is well advanced, the indexing is in the process of being entered into layout . . . the only thing that is not done is the art.

And that's what the Kickstarter is for.

I'll be spreading the 16 (or 20, if stretch goals are hit) pieces through four artists, so each one will be making 4-5 pieces each. The art direction starts when I get the next layout pass from Nathan, so delivering on or ahead of schedule should be achievable unless something truly unforeseeable happens.

Please help me out

This is Gaming Ballistic's first product, deliberately small to get experience with the process and show people that I've got the project management chops to handle it and deliver on time.

That being said – this is the real deal. I'm excited about this product and I think it's at least as good as any such rules that have been published to date, and better than most. I've been using them with great success in my trial campaigns since February for Dragon Heresy (based on SRD5.1), and the "control point" methodology formed the core of GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling, which Peter Dell'Orto uses to great effect in his Felltower Campaign, which you can read about over on Dungeon Fantastic.

So I'd very much appreciate your support, as a backer, spreading the word, or both.

FUNDED!

Things moved pretty fast!

Gaming Ballistic is thrilled to report that the Dungeon Grappling Kickstarter, with rules examples for Swords and Wizardry, Pathfinder, and 5e, has met its minimum funding goal and will now start working on stretch goals.

The manuscript is now going to be made available in both full-color PDF and print, and the first stretch goal is an eBook format, laid out in one-column simplicity for tablets and small screens.

Once we get that, we'll start upgrading the art to full color, piece by piece.

Give grappling its due, finally.

Live to Grapple. Grapple to Live. Dungeon Grappling.

[Chainsaw]

The Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea second edition Kickstarter ends in about 24 hours - currently funded over 400% by 780 backers, all the stretch goals met. There's another thread HERE in the News and Adverts forum with more details. Also, check out the Kickstarter updates page for many art previews. Should be a really awesome refresh of the original - same rules, more content (monsters, spells, magic items) and hundreds of great new illustrations.

[DouglasCole]

A lot has happened!

• We met our basic funding goal.
• We met our first stretch goal, and a text-and-charts-only eBook comes with any pledge that includes a PDF ($5 and up)
• A print version has been added

I was also invited on a session of James Introcaso's The Round Table. We talked for over an hour about Dungeon Grappling, Dragon Heresy, RPG design, Fifth Edition, GURPS, and a bunch more.

I was also invited on a session of James Introcaso's The Round Table. We talked for over an hour about Dungeon Grappling, Dragon Heresy, RPG design, Fifth Edition, GURPS, and a bunch more.

Last Week of the Campaign

Dungeon Grappling is entering its final week of the crowdfunding campaign.

It’s been a great ride so far, and we’ve solidly funded and passed the first stretch goal. I’ve also (in a prior update) noted that I’ve placed all of the art orders in color already, so even though we’re not at the stretch goal for it yet, we’re tracking there, and I’d rather get you a great book early than any other option.

Welcome to the party, pal

How can you help me hit those last goals? Bring friends.

This is the time to share that you’ve backed the project with others, including perhaps the proprietor of your FLGS. The KS price is likely going to wind up being roughly half what the retail price will be, as it turns out. So you’re getting in at the right time.

The Art Cometh

As I showed on the prior update, I have started to get final art images. I suspect they’ll continue to come in through the end of December.

What might that look like?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]576[/ATTACH]

Is that final? No. Nathan may come up with something brilliant (the above is me and a really low-quality image editor), and that’s what layout pros are for – to take raw material and make it brilliant.

Speaking of Layout

I got some good feedback on the book from a reviewer. He was completely fired up about grappling, especially when he realized how many monsters really should be grappling as a primary attack mode.

There were some things that he recommended in layout and structure that would make it easier to use in play, and streamline knowledge uptake. Nathan and I are working through these bits.

Some are easy, such as reorganizing the Quick Reference section by game instead of by topic. So if you’re playing the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, there’s a Pathfinder section for you. Same with Basic/S&W, and Fifth Edition. The grappling techniques reference also got some shorthand to define the mechanics to be used (Attack Roll vs. Grapple DC; if successful, stunned for 1d4 turns). A few things were deleted, and some things were substituted or added that really should have been there the whole time.

There was also a monster tweak (Constrictor Snakes are now PFRPG instead of 5e) so that there are four example monsters for 5e and PFRPG, and three for S&W.

I’m also going to add a combat example for each rules system.

Good feedback, then, and actionable, so action was taken.

What’s in a Fechtbuch?

So, if you’re in at the Fechtbuch level ($18+$5 shipping to almost everywhere), what do you get?

• A full-color, layered, hyperlinked PDF that will likely be 48 or 52 pages long.
• A text-only eBook in black and white, with just content and charts, for easy loading and easy reading on small screens and tablets.
• A full-color, premium quality softcover book printed and shipped through DriveThruRPG.
• Your name in the book on a thank-you page.

Probably $35-37 plus shipping if purchased piecemeal after the Kickstarter campaign ends.

Finish Strong

If you've already backed the project, thank you for your trust. I’m definitely on schedule to deliver on time, and (knock on wood) at the moment “on time” looks like a worst case situation.

[Skullz]

Warsong. A tabletop rpg where you get to literally break the world. A game where you play an agent of destiny trying to save the world from being swallowed up by the Void. A game where you get to play a powerful character engaging with even more powerful adversaries. A game where you get to come to a session and change everything. Your imagination is the only limit to what you can achieve.

With a successful Kickstarter campaign for the core book under our belt we were not only able to create a magnificent high fantasy game, but we were able to deliver a bigger, better core book much earlier than the deadline. We want to do the same thing for the Fatemaster's Guide. With your help, we can make this, too, a reality

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2103913595/fatemasters-guide-warsong-game-supplement

We're hoping you'll come in and back the project. Thank you!

You can also visit us at //www.highergroundspublishing.com

[FASA_Bogie]

1879 Game Master's Guide. Part of the 1879 RPG (Player's Guide is already published)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]616[/ATTACH]
This isn't your great-great-grandfather's London!

Victoria and Albert rule over a steam-powered British Empire that spans two worlds. Thanks to the portal known as the Rabbit Hole, a train ride away from London lies the Grosvenor Land, a new world of fertile plains, towering mountains, giant insects, and Babylonians with battery powered zombies. Seems they got there first, three thousand years ago, and they're not exactly the welcoming sort. The Saurid tribes, lizard-like folk who ride theropods and pteranodons, complicate matters further. Back home on Earth, clockwork engineering has brought mechanical computing to the world, and micro-steam engines drive airships through the sky. Stranger things are afoot, too, as a bit of magic seems to have come into the world with the opening of the portal. People are changing. Secret societies are finding their ancient occult practices a bit more effective. Who knows what might be lurking in the forests these days, or in that shipment from China?

Play as Aristocrats, Soldiers, Big Game Hunters, Weird Scientists, Airship Pilots, Mediums, and more! Explore the Gruv! Maneuver for favour in court! Perform deniable actions for firms that would like their rivals impeded! Confront the terrors of the spirit world, or face off against the lethal fauna of a lost world!

The game is set in an alternate history version of Victorian London with steampunk elements.

Campaign status: 24 hours left and sitting at about 120%.

1879 GM Guide Kickstarter Campaign and more information here at FASA Games Website

[Whippy]

Sounds lame.

[MrLangers]

Red Scar will be taking the Devil's Run RPG to kickstarter imminently.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]657[/ATTACH]

The producers of the Devil's Run board game, Word Forge Games, have already enjoyed two successful kickstarters: Route 666 and Hell's Highway. Now we'll be opening up the setting and exploring the setting at full throttle!

Like a pheonix rising from the ashes of a nuclear fire, we (Red Scar) announced earlier this week that we're very much alive and looking to kick, so please head over to our facebook page or website and sign up for regular updates! Strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]658[/ATTACH]

[MrLangers]

Red Scar will be taking the Devil's Run RPG to kickstarter imminently.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]643[/ATTACH]

The producers of the Devil's Run board game, Word Forge Games, have already enjoyed two successful kickstarters: Route 666 and Hell's Highway. Now we'll be opening up the setting and exploring the setting at full throttle!

Like a pheonix rising from the ashes of a nuclear fire, we (Red Scar) announced earlier this week that we're very much alive and looking to kick, so please head over to our facebook page or website and sign up for regular updates! Strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]644[/ATTACH]

And now you can join in on the action! Head to Red Scar's facebook page, like and share the linked post and help spread the word. At 500 page likes we'll pick one lucky random winner to be written into the background as a character: http://bit.ly/DRComp

[JamesV]

I'll cop to this recommendation coming late as there's less than 9 hours left, but check out Hex Kit. It's a hex mapping program that already has a fantasy tile set, and is looking to expand it's current fantasy tiles and add a space/scifi set too. The hook is that all of the hex art is hand painted by the creator, with a cool and distinctive style.

I think it's a safe bet since this is just funding an expansion to the current program, and I think a $20 pledge for the whole thing is a modest price.

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cecil-howe/hex-kit

[Ghost]

Atlantis Miniature Dwarves. This campaign is over at the end of March.

[crkrueger]

Atlantis Miniature Dwarves. This campaign is over at the end of March.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.  Those are some nice sculpts.

[DiscoSoup]

Hi, guys! I'm smack dab in the middle of my 7-day challenge Kickstarter campaign for Kaigaku: The Ruined Kingdom. It's a follow up campaign for Kaigaku, the samurai RPG that funded in September and released in January. This adventure plays like Shadow of the Colossus meets Dynasty Warriors.

We just need 400 buck more to make the basic goal. If you fund at 25 bucks you also get a copy of the Kaigaku core book following the campaign's completion. This book is more than a simple adventure, it also has many character options, especially for characters inspired by Mongol, Chinese and Persian history.

A bit about me. I used to write for L5R back in the day (plus Traveller and some other games) and I now work on Star Trek Adventures for Modiphius. This game is my way of scratching the samurai itch in the absence of supported games.

[Apparition]

I came across this today: "World Engine: An Online Map-Making Tool for Tabletop RPGs."

World Engine lets you seamlessly combine freehand drawing and tile-based painting tools. The application runs in your browser on virtually any device – and because World Engine is designed from scratch for touch, all its capabilities are being optimized with touch and stylus in mind.

Creating great looking maps for your campaign has never been this simple or fun. Build your maps, export them for print or use inside your favorite virtual tabletop and get playing your game!

[...] World Engine supports all the mapping features you’d expect – pens, brushes, fills, layers, snap to grid, scaling, rotating – and more. It also provides the advanced tools that artists need to take their maps to the next level.

[...]  Making great maps requires solid building blocks. World Engine comes with a built-in library of hundreds of high-quality pre-made tiles, textures, and objects to build truly unique maps for your campaign.

But if that isn’t enough, World Engine’s marketplace puts an ever-expanding library of premium art from top fantasy artists at your disposal.

If you can imagine it, World Engine will let you build it.

It looks really nice, and it runs on a web browser so it supports all operating systems, (including Linux).  However, it's subscription based, running $5, $10, or $20 per month.  That's a bit of a downside, but the Kickstarter campaign has already reached over 90% of its goal in less than three days, so what do I know?

[crkrueger]

I came across this today: "World Engine: An Online Map-Making Tool for Tabletop RPGs."



It looks really nice, and it runs on a web browser so it supports all operating systems, (including Linux).  However, it's subscription based, running $5, $10, or $20 per month.  That's a bit of a downside, but the Kickstarter campaign has already reached over 90% of its goal in less than three days, so what do I know?

Awesome program, but there's no way I'm making my campaign in a SaaS product.