RPG CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Shadowdark, Castle Zagyg, ZAMANORA, and more

Shadowdark RPG: The Western Reaches Setting from The Arcane Library

• END DATE: Wed, April 9 2025 9:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Shadowdark RPG
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook and zines
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $129 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the sourcebook, three zines, and GM screen
• ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Read Charles Dunwoody’s amazing interview with Kelsey Dionne here. Read Morrus’ thoughts on the project here and here
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Before we get into the latest crowdfunding, let’s talk about why the Shadowdark RPG is such a winner. Shadowdark RPG combines the spirit of old school D&D with a sense of urgency that leads to energized gameplay. There are so many well tested ideas present in this RPG such as having fewer hit points like old-school games but lots of powers like 5e. Magic-users can spam a spell over and over until they fail at casting it, at which point it’s gone for the rest of the adventure. Items, traps, bombs, torches, and events all happen in real-time, so anyone taking a long turn can lead to failed plans. Monsters aren’t balanced, but gameplay isn’t set in stone. These designs led to four Gold Ennie Awards (Product of the Year, Best Game, Best Rules, and Best Layout + Design) and a 2024 Three Castles Award for Best Old School Product of the Year. Effectively, if you want an experience where your decisions have consequences, this game is likely to speak to you. With this Kickstarter, Kelsey Dionne and The Arcane Library crew deliver several new items. First, there are three new Cursed Scroll zines delivering 64 pages each of character options, rules, adventures, and more. Second, there’s a new, official sandbox setting delivered in two hardcovers: Player’s Guide to the Western Reaches and Game Master’s Guide to the Western Reaches. These 200-page books expand on contents taken from all six of the Cursed Scroll zines giving you a lively, dangerous world to loot and live in. If you want old school gaming with great gameplay, check out this Kickstarter campaign.

Castle Zagyg Galleries of the Arch Mage from Troll Lord Games

• END DATE: Apr 4, 2025 at 1:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Castles & Crusades
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $230 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of all three books and a slipcase with a pay over time option
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This Backerkit campaign brings back Gary Gygax’s Castle Zagyg. The castle was Gary’s playtest dungeon, started in the 1970s and first published in the aughts but not completed. This campaign offers the first three volumes, The Citadel (which features the town of Yggsburgh across 250 pages), The Ruins (which focuses 250 pages on the castle, East Mark, Mouths of Madness, and the 1st level of the dungeon), and The Cellars (featuring levels 2 to 5a of the dungeon detailed across 250 pages). Coming out as multiple books for the Castles & Crusades system, these come from Troll Lord Games in collaboration with Luke Gygax and many others. If you’re a fan of what Gary created, check out this Backerkit campaign to use his personal dungeon at your gaming table.

ZAMANORA: Ballad of the Witch from Eren Chronicles

• END DATE: Thu, April 3 2025 11:57 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024) and Legend in the Mist RPG
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €95 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the core rulebook, sourcebook, GM screen, and art prints
• AI STATEMENT: “Real art by real humans.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This project interests me because it combines Balkan and Slavic folklore with 5e and/or Legend in the Mist RPG mechanics. Fantasy using a d20 like D&D makes sense, but offering the Powered by the Apocalypse-inspired LitM ruleset is an interesting companion. Offered as two books, you’ll get 400 pages of rules and monsters with ZAMANORA: Ballad of the Witch: Core Book and ZAMANORA: Ballad of the Witch: Monsters & Fables. If you like fantasy inspired by the real world and want to see where d20 meets 2d6 rulesets, this campaign is worth a review.

Professor Primula’s Portfolio of Palaeontology from PalaeoGames

• END DATE: Mon, April 7 2025 12:00 PM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024)
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £45 + S/H for the print copy of the book, no PDF
• AI STATEMENT: “There will be no AI image generation or AI writing used in this project.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need authentic, well-researched dinosaurs and neanderthals for your 5e game? This book may be right for your game because, as the campaign page states, its creators are “expert research scientists, palaeo-artists, and game designers” creating content based on “real fossil animals, interactive environments based on real fossil sites, and a host of other palaeontology-themed content.” I love the idea of D&D and dinos, so this book is worth a quick review if you feel the same way.

Secrets of Magic: Lore & Magic Toolbox for 5E and Fateforge from Studio Agate

• END DATE: Fri, April 4 2025 2:00 AM EDT.
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition (2014 and 2024) and Fateforge
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $110 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the Secrets of Magic (Red Dragon Edition), spellcaster sheets (x8), Secrets of Magic Spell cards, and Beyond Transcendence, a collection of 5 scenarios
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? From the studio behind Fateforge, you’ll get a new look at magic for 5e including 250 pages of lore, player options, rules, potions, crafting, and more. With a new subclass for every 5e spellcaster, you’ll find something to excite your players. There are rules for geomagic, sublimation, and other schools of magical thought. Designed as a toolkit, you’ll be able to cherry pick the best elements for your gaming table.

Brambletrek – Tales in the Hundred Acre Woods from Crossed Paths Press

• END DATE: Apr 3, 2025 at 4:00pm EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): An original system
• PROJECT TYPE: Core rulebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £78 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book, journal, cards, and map
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? It’s the Hundred Acre Wood and Winnie the Pooh in a solo, GM-less RPG, though there are rules for group play. Designed for journaling, you encounter the characters of the Woods, solving their problems, and healing their wounds. No fights, just heroism. This takes the fun and whimsy of Winnie the Pooh and adds original rules to make this something special. Check out the Backerkit page for a comic explaining the game.

Enemies of the Night from By Night Studios

• END DATE: Apr 5, 2025 at 2:59am EDT.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Backerkit
• SYSTEM(S): Mind’s Eye Theatre
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebooks
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $75 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of both books
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? This Backerkit campaign offers two books for the Vampire: The Masquerade Live-Action Roleplay (LARP). Since it’s not a traditional TTRPG, but the most widely known LARP, this project gets a quick shout out. You can pick up two books: Mind’s Eye Theatre: Enemies of the Night Softcover (Pocket Edition) and Laws of the Reckoning Softcover Book (Pocket Edition) if you’re a fan of the core game.

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