Kickstarter - Worlds Without Number RPG: Offset Reprint

First, it is Kevin Crawford. So, even if you aren't crazy about his ruleset, the tools he includes for GMs and running a sandbox are prices. Second, Kevin always gives back with his Kickstarters. Initially, it was putting the art commissioned for the project into the public domain. Now, he is releasing SRDs under the CC0 license, essentially the public domain. Wow. Simply wow.

Worlds Without Number is simply a beautiful ruleset. Bringing it back in an offset printing is awesome. A mini Gazetter is even better. An SRD under the CC0 license? Priceless.

Those backers who pledge at $80 or more will get the true prize of the campaign.

The Worlds Without Number offset-print book will be dispatched to them. Unlike the glued-binding print-on-demand books of the present age, these 400-page books have their pages folded into bundles and sewn directly into the spine of the book. The higher-quality printing also allows for richer ink colors, heavier matte paper for the pages, and fully-printed endsheets on the inside of the front and back covers. These books will be entirely identical to those issued as part of the initial offset print run except for the absence of the ribbon bookmark. If the campaign does well enough, I might be able to remedy that absence in the final release.

Offset-print backers within the United States will get their books shipped to a US address at no additional cost. International backers will be prompted for an additional fee for international shipping when they make their pledge. This fee does not include any duty that may be charged on receipt, as international tariffs are sadly too complex for me to manage on my end.

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Kickstarter - The Village of Omelette a DuckQuest Adventure

The Village of Omelette is a homage to the legendary EGG. A duckly humorous adventure set in the wondrous, wacky world of AquaLoonia.

If you don't take your fantasy with a bit of silly at times, you're missing out on a nice change of pace. Silly with a dose of realism, or vice versa, can really strike home. Thus it is with DuckQuest and The Village of Omelette.

My first knowledge of Ducks as characters in an RPG was in the old RuneQuest RPG books. Played straight, but also silly as hell, DuckQuest is a homage to those old RuneQuest adventures with ducks, and possibly even Howard the Duck. The Village of Omelette is a homage to the Village of Homlett by EGG. Homeages within homages ;)

You can snag The Village of Omelette for about 10 bucks US in PDF on Kickstarter.

Remember the old days when adventuring was fun? You set off from the village in the morning to explore the nearby ruins, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to discover if the tales whispered in the tavern the night before were true. Welcome to Omelette, a quirky little village nestled in rolling hills a few leagues north of the Temple of Eggsistential Ennui. The villagers are keen to see what the adventurers will find, and are placing bets on who will come back in one piece. Will it be the bold knight, the clever tinker rogue, the eggcentric lizard wizzard, or the bawdy bionic bard?

The Village of Omelette

The Village of Omelette is an Adventure Zine for the tabletop roleplaying game DuckQuest, but is easily adapted to other classic RPGs. This digital release is part of Zine Quest 2023, supporting the Table Top Roleplaying Games Community globally. Join in the fun! Bring The Village of Omelette to life by backing with some ducats, and sharing the adventure with your friends!

 

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Far West Kickstarter - Is This an Actual Update from Gareth?

On Twitter, of course. The real question is, will it release under 11 years late? 

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Kickstarter - The Valley Out of Time series for S&W DCC MCC Part 3&4

The Valley Out of Time is a series of 'zine-sized adventures borrowing heavily from classic dinosaur art, books, and movies.

This is the part where I reveal my connections to Skeeter Green. Suffice to say, I watched him with my own eyes passionately assault Bad Mike at Gary Con back in 2016. Bleach could not remove that image burned into my brain :) Despite that, I consider Skeeter both a friend AND a skilled writer of RPG material. So, if there are any biases in how I view Skeet's work, now you know why.

That being said, the first two entries in The Valley Out of Time series were top-notch. Well written, excellent art, quality paper, and delivered promptly (and safely). They kind of hit all of my Kickstarter benchmarks.

Skeeter is currently Kickstarting The Valley Out of Time Parts 3 & 4. Both PDFs of Parts 3 & 4 are 8 bucks (choose your system, I choose S&W). Books 3&4 in Print plus PDF are 18 bucks plus shipping(again, choose your system). There are other options, but these are the ones I found to be the best fit for me.

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Kickstarter - The Valley Out of Time series for S&W DCC MCC

Okay, let's start with the part most folks don't say out loud. I consider Skeeter a friend. I know, for some that is a scary concept, but I actually like and respect Skeeter. I also consider Skeeter to be a highly skilled adventure designer. He has a skill that many believe they have, but few match.

Now that that part is out of the way, Skeeter's newest Kickstarter is The Valley Out of Time series for S&W DCC MCC. Yep, The Valley out of Time comes in three flavors, and not one is 5e. Good for Skeeter ;)

You can back for the first entry in the series (planned at six) or for the first two entries in the series. I'm in for print copies (plus PDF) of the first two entries in the series for the Swords & Wizardry system.

The Valley Out of Time is a series of 6, 'zine-sized adventures from SGP. This valley can be placed in any ongoing campaign and is set in the "Neanderthal Period" of tech development. Huge monsters – both dinosaurs and otherwise – and devolved humanoids plague the area, and only the hardiest of adventurers will prevail! This series of adventures borrows heavily from classic dinosaur art, books, and movies; if you have ever seen a classic Frank Frazetta or Roy Krenkel painting, or read or watched The Land that Time Forgot, The Lost World, Journey to the Center of the Earth, One Million Years B.C., The Flintstones, any Ray Harryhausen film, etc., you are going to feel right at home.

Get your friends to pack-attack these encounters!

Each book is a 5 1/2" x 8" saddle-stitch (stapled) "zine size" offering, ranging from 2X to 3X (or more!) pages. The price for the books is based off calculations for the 2X page book, so the larger books are just more content! Enjoy!

Welcome to the Valley

Welcome to the Valley is Part 1 of the series, suitable for entry level characters and those beginning their explorations into the Timeless Valley. Four to six characters of level 1–3 should find the encounters presented herein challenging but manageable. This entry to the Timeless Valley series introduces the characters to the valley, some of its peaceful and helpful inhabitants, as well as several of the less hospitable ones. The characters encounter a humanoid camp, and 3 additional animal encounters to give them a taste of what they're in for with further exploration. Welcome to the Valley includes 4 new/modified valley inhabitants, an Appendix showcasing where to find existing adversaries for the valley, and a brief explanation of what the Timeless Valley "is"; it is 20+ pages in length, with a map of the initial humanoid camp, original art, and a convenient, easy-to-follow layout. 

Exploring the Valley

 Exploring the Valley is Part 2 of the series, suitable for more experienced characters in the valley. Four to six characters of level 2–5 should be challenged by the encounters provided, including stumbling upon a humanoid hunting group taking down a giant bison, a massive saber-tooth cat having some lunch, and the Timeless Valley's version of an owlbear (think owlbear, BUT THINK BIGGER!). In addition to these encounters, 6 new valley inhabitants are presented, and Appendix B offers Random Encounter Tables, suitable for fleshing out the valley, or for use in any hex crawl involving the jungle, grasslands, or rolling hills. The encounters presented cover 13 pages of classic "Appendix N" and "Frazetta-esque" adversaries to give the classic stop-motion movie experience! Exploring the Valley is 30+ pages in length, with original art, tables and charts galore, and plenty of information to aid Gamemasters to fill up hours of overland adventuring!

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Kickstarter -Journey Into The Madlands: A Post–Apocalyptic RPG Zine

Let me start by saying I am certainly NOT impartial when it comes to the Journey Into the Madlands Kickstarter. Jeff Jones is one of the creators behind Journey into the Madlands, and he is also the layout artist behind the Torchlight Zine and the upcoming Swords & Wizardry Continual Light Digest Sized Edition. Jeff has done some great work on the layouts I mentioned above, and we wouldn't have such projects without his participation.

As I've said in the past, when I have a connection to a project creator, I put my cards on the table. That being said, Jeff isn't just a highly skilled layout artist, but he's also a skilled content creator.

Journey Into the Madlands is Jeff's latest Kickstarter. He is joined on this journey by Buck Crutchfield (cartographer), Mark Finn (writer), and Jose Manuel Gonzalez (artist). If you frequent the RPG Zine Community on Facebook, you may recognize a name or two.

You can snag a PDF copy of Journey Into the Madlands for 12 bucks, Print plus PDF 19 plus shipping (4 bucks in the US). Personally, I'm in for Print plus PDF.

So, what is Journey Into the Madlands?

This zine started out small, but as contributions of art and writing rolled in, we realized that the traditional digest–sized format could not contain all the apocalyptic goodness. Almost overnight, the humble, little zine mutated into a “mega-zine.” We jam–packed these pages with intriguing locations, dangerous ruins, insidious enclaves, mutated monsters, and nefarious NPCs.

The locations, NPCs and creatures, while written into a mini-setting, are modular, making it easy for you to pick only the elements to fuel your game.

We don’t stop with mere write-ups of people, places and thing. We provide an abundance of plot hooks to give your game solid guidance.

Did I mention I'm a sucker for settings? 

Next Wednesday on the Talking Crit LiveStream, Jeff Jones will be our special guest. Ask him anything. Not that he'll answer everything, but you might just get lucky :)

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Kickstarter - Dungeon Dangers & Devices (Stock Art)

I'm a huge fan of stock art. Not just for smaller publishers, which I am on occasion, but as a blogger. A good piece of art can inspire a whole post, and knowing you have legal rights to use such art somehow makes the creative juices flow even more, or so it seems to me.

James Sheilds has a very large and very deep catalogue of stock art. The pieces are great, at a minimum, and some reach the level of "Awesome", such as the art I used for the cover of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. As my niece, Shannon (age 6 at the time) told my wife Rach when she saw the proof copy for the first time: "This art SELLS Auntie!" There can be no greater endorsement. ;)

James just Kickstarted Dungeon Dangers & Devices, Stock Illustrations of Fantasy Traps and Tricks. 10 illustrations for 25 bucks or 25 illustrations for 50 bucks (all B&W) Color is a stretch goal and available at a higher backing point. I'm currently in for 50 :)

This project will be a collection of twenty-five illustrations of various dangers and devices that one might find within the depths of a fantasy dungeon. They will be in A5 format (5.8 x 8.3 inches) and will initially be in black and white.

In my opinion, the licensing terms are extremely fair:

All illustrations may be used for personal and commercial projects.

          The following apply to any commercial use:

• May be cropped, flipped, or colored.
• Signature mark should be included in the final composition.
• Signature mark must remain in its original orientation.
• Must credit 'Jeshields' for any use.
• May be used indefinitely.
• May NOT be used in products sold primarily for artistic value.
•            (Stock art, tokens, posters, etc)
• May NOT be used in works overtly deemed racist, sexist, or sexually explicit.

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Kickstarter - Strange Citizens of the City, a Third-Party Mörk Borg Book (by Phil Reed)

Phil Reed is one of my favorite Kickstarter creators. His work is always top-notch and one time (or early) and you can usually buy-in for the PDF version of his latest project for real cheap - in this case Strange Citizens of the City, a Third-Party Mörk Borg Book (by Phil Reed) can be snagged - with stretch goals - for a single buck!

I own the Mörk Borg RPG in print, and while I'm not sure I'd run it, it oozes with inspiration that I could (and will) use in my net OSR campaign.

(you can listen to some further thoughts on Phil's pricing scheme at the Tavern Chat Podcast)

From the Kickstarter page:

NOTE: The $1 PDF reward includes Strange Citizens of the City in PDF and, if the stretch goals are unlocked, the two other 32-page zines.

When the third-party Mörk Borg license was released (find the license here), I knew I would have to craft something for use under the game's delightfully light and streamlined engine. Personally, I prefer roleplaying game systems that do not block the gamemaster's creativity . . . and getting out of the way of creativity is exactly what Mörk Borg does. 

The game's openness to imaginative play suits me perfectly. Add to that the game's visual design and there was no way my mind was going to let me ignore the existence of that third-party license.

Strange Citizens of the City is a 32-page 5.5" x 8.5" zine that will be printed at Mixam. This is a digital mockup and is not 100% accurate. The finished booklet will vary slightly in appearance. Color and graphic details may change in small ways.

Strange Citizens of the City is a collection of characters, possibly monsters, and was written to assist the gamemaster in populating the game world. The characters described within the pages of this slim booklet are divided into three categories:

 Strange Citizens of the City, a 2d6 table to characters and the bulk of the book. Each of these eleven different characters fills a two-page spread and offers background info on the character that the GM may run with or ignore. (twenty-two pages)

 Hired Goons, a 1d8 table of minor characters who are far less detailed than those characters described in the previous section of the book. At times, the 2d6 characters within the Strange Citizens of the City chapter will list "hired goons" as a special ability of sorts. When that happens, feel free to select a few of those goons from this section. (four pages)

 (Possibly) Harmless Wanderers, 2d6 characters that are mostly intended as bizarre encounters the player characters may stumble into when walking the city streets. These characters include no game statistics and are purely descriptive. (four pages) 

Strange Citizens of the City is a 32-page 5.5" x 8.5" zine that will be printed at Mixam. This is a digital mockup and is not 100% accurate. The finished booklet will vary slightly in appearance. Color and graphic details may change in small ways.

And that is it! When we add the front and back covers, we reach the book's total of thirty-two pages and have no more space left to discuss. Strange Citizens of the City could technically be used with almost any fantasy roleplaying game -- so long as the gamemaster isn't afraid of adapting concepts and inventing the stats necessary to use the characters with other games -- but it works best with Mörk Borg. 

Simply good stuff :)

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Kickstarter - Mythic Mugs - 3D Printable Fantasy Can Holders

"STL-files of accessories designed for the tabletop RPG community and anyone who loves nerdy decoration."

It seems like every couple of weeks there's another Kickstarter telling me why I need a 3d printer. The Mythic Mugs Kickstarter is simply another Kickstarter to add to the long list. Well. that and your bartender already collects beer steins - how far off is s=this Kickstarter? Not very ;)

The Mythic Mugs is a series of 14 highly detailed can holders, taking classic fantasy elements and putting them into mug form. They come as 3d-printable, hi-res and supportless stl-files.  

They are able to hold a wide variety of can sizes by using a unique can holding system that comes with the mugs. The Mythic Mugs can inserts allows the following cans to be used: 25cl, 12oz sleek, 33cl, 12oz, 16oz and 50cl. OR, scale the mug up by 10,625% and it will be able to hold 23oz, 23.5oz and 25oz (73mm diameter cans). The Mythic Mugs have been designed as can holders and you should not drink from them directly. We have listed alternative usages and ways to drink from them in the bottom of the page. 

Fuck me. I need o buy a new home of I want a 3d printer. Le sigh.