A WTF? Kickstarter - Rose Whip Dice II: Unique Metal Polyhedral RPG Dice Set

A distinctive Rose Whip-inspired collection, meticulously crafted to enhance your role-playing with a flourish of elegance

Sometimes, things sound good but aren't feasible in real life. Such is the case with Rose Whip Dice II (there was a first?) If you can't read the numbers on the dice, it's worthless. The Rose and Blue dice pictured above and below? Totally worthless. Unless you are looking to cheat in your RPGs - in which case, totally worth it ;)

Why make, let alone sell, dice that aren't readable without holding it up to your eyes?

Thankfully, it isn't going to fund, and these dice can be relegated to the circular file.

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Kickstarter - Beautiful Hot Female Miniature for 3D Printing - Daniela

3D printable hot female miniature STL file for RPG, Tabletop Games, DnD, D&D, Collectibles and Rolepaying. 75mm, 54mm and 32mm scale

If a picture is good for a thousand words, I guess I don't need to say much more. The idea that this can be the subject of an entire Kickstarter SHOULD surprise me, but sadly, it doesn't.

Multiple poses if you need them. More explicit visuals are on the Kickstarter page.

I won't critique the grammar and spelling beyond saying he should have used a proofreader.

Kickstarter - Atlas - Rise or Die: a tabletop roleplaying game

An indie, vintage, sword&sorcery RPG, full of blood, brutality, and barbarism. New races, classes and a new 2d10System on a new world.

Atlas – Rise or Die is a classic, vintage sword & sorcery tabletop RPG. In its style and mood, Atlas brings about the renaissance of the epic RPGs of the '80s with a modern, clean design and breath-taking illustrations.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." The Princess Bride

vintage - The word vintage literally means "of age." How can a new game with a "new" resolution system be "vintage"?

Do I need to say more? Let's add in typos and grammar mistakes on the Kickstarter page. Doesn't make one confident

Oh, and fully compatible with D&D 5e, assuming you use 2d10 instead of a D20.

Hard pass.

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News - Luke Crane Resigns from His VP Position at Kickstarter Due to "Perfect RPG" Fiasco

Go figure.

Apparently, Luke Crane was not able to weather the storm that resulted from the Perfect RPG Kickstarter fiasco. I'm not going to say Luke abused his position at Kickstarter to further his own projects, but it's apparent that he felt that the rules that applied to everyone else did not apply to him.

Luke snuck Adam Koebel into the Perfect RPG Kickstarter. Adam is "Best known as the co-designer of the popular Dungeon World game system, Koebel in 2020 broadcast a TTRPG scenario involving in-fiction sexual assault live on Twitch. His handling of that scene was widely criticized by viewers and fans, and ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the actual-play series in which it occurred."

Kickstarters official announcement:

After a discussion about what is best for Kickstarter and our team, we came to the mutual decision with Luke Crane for him to leave Kickstarter. We recognize the many years of work Luke has done to help bring creative projects to life at Kickstarter and we are committed to ensure continued support for our team and for our backer and creator community through this moment of change.

Luke Crane was the main man behind The Burning Wheel RPG.

Read the full article at Polygon 

Luke's statement was shared as an update on the Kickstarter project:

Hello.

I apologize for such a long silence in the wake of the project launch last month. I’ve been in a lot of conservations, and doing a lot of listening. I waited to post anything because I wanted to be sure to be as thoughtful and considered as possible:

When we began the Perfect RPG project, my only goal was to launch a small collection of micro-games designed by my friends and others whose work I respect in the community. On the day it launched, while the project was falling apart, I did not fully understand what was at stake and what had happened—in the shock of the moment my communications were insensitive and desultory.

So here and now I wish to unequivocally apologize to you, and everyone affected, for the harm I’ve done to the community with this project. I am grateful for your input over the last month, and have done my best to listen with an open heart. I thank you for sharing your opinions and feelings, and know that I have violated the trust you placed in me. I am sincerely, deeply regretful.

In creating the project, I made a series of missteps and miscalculations that added up to a gross oversight on my part and, accordingly, I am fully responsible for the current situation and its effects. So I would like to add some clarification around some of the particular points raised, in the hope that it will help the community as a whole move forward in a productive way: There was no deceit, deception or bad faith in any of my actions around the project. I understand that I should have disclosed the participant list to all contributors beforehand, and I feel terrible that my poor planning placed some creators in a difficult position. Likewise with the unusual order in which contributors were listed—I was seeking to highlight the first creator on the list, who was my primary playtester for this project. In hindsight this was a poor idea that came off as duplicitous, for which I apologize.

The Indie RPG community is close-knit and passionate—it is one of the things I've loved the most about being a member. I have worked for 20 years to build and advocate for this community and expand it past its roots. It is very much my life’s work. To see it hurt through my actions has been devastating. Therefore I am now doing my best to repair the harm I have caused and make restitution to anyone negatively affected by my actions.

I recognize that this statement reflects an as-yet incomplete understanding of the impact of my actions, and only a start to making things right. I am actively looking for other ways to redress the wrong I’ve done. To begin this process, I have reached out to all the contributors of the project and I am in discussions with them, listening to their perspectives and asking them for input. I hope that with their help, and the help of this gaming community, I can demonstrate my continued commitment to building better games for all of us.

Sincerely,

—Luke

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A WTF Kickstarter - More Gaming! The 2020 Upside Sticker for Roleplaying Gamers (Yay COVID-19!)

I kid you the fuck not. The More Gaming! The 2020 Upside Sticker for Roleplaying Gamers Kickstarter is subtitled: A souvenir sticker to celebrate all the virtual RPG gaming that happened in 2020.

Tone deaf?

Clueless? 

A slimy attempt to cash in on the pandemic?

Simply pretty shit perhaps...

The fact that the sticker is ugly as sin doesn't earn it any points either.

94 bucks raised of a $500 goal with a week left. (only $50 is currently reflected in the pledges placed.)

Three 3"x3" stickers for 5 bucks. Wait, 7 bucks if you include shipping.

This won't fund, as well it shouldn't.

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Offered Without Comment...

because I am literally without words.

note: not a hack

Ever Get Totally Derailed by Something You Can't Currently Discuss?

It just happened to me. Not something good. On the level of WTF!?!

I'm going to drink now.

Maybe it will make sense after a few beers.

I'll share if / when I can. Maybe it was a hack.

Kickstarter - FantaSOAP Tears of Unicorn, Sputum of Troll & Chant of Dryad

A collectable series of magic potions, filled in awesome flasks containing RPG dice and creamy soaps inspired to fantasy creatures!!!

Yep, it's another Soap-n-Dice Kickstarter. What makes FantaSOAP Tears of Unicorn, Sputum of Troll & Chant of Dryad Kickstarter different?

So, what makes this one different? Liquid soap and potentially glass bottles.

Everyone knows how much Role Playing game players like their dice. They are a little treasure for all of us. We want to create special items designed to RPG, boardgames and tabletop games lovers, the perfect gift for your lovely master or for those who dream of dice just closing their eyes... :)

Ah, a nice bottle of Scotch!

In this first phase of the FantaSOAP campaign we want to create awesome flasks, with the aspect of a magic potion, inspired to fantasy creatures, spells, mith and folklore, filled with special customized creamy soap, enriched with special related soap flakes. After using the soap you'll find a special set of RPG Dice hidden in it. We will attach to each flask a scroll with a special spell, related to the "magic potion". 

The Flasks: We will send to you cute ampoules in glass or plastic, with a paper scroll attached on it. Flask's models will be sent randomly, according to availability. 

The Soap: We will fill flasks with HQ creamy soap, enriched with HQ soap flakes. A specialized company will create it for us, according to our requests. Soap will not be HOMEMADE, but professionally produced. We consider it a good warranty. Scent and soap will be related to the subject of the model, please see specific description below. 

The Dice: You'll find a special set of RPG dice into the soap. Dice will be professional crafted and HQ. Colors will be related to the fantasy "setting" of the magic potion.

Fuck, not Scotch!

Wait, I can't choose between glass and plastic? I don't want glass and slippery liquid soap in my bathtub.

Death Threats from a Kickstarter Project Creator to a Backer - A Real WTF Kickstarter!?!

There are times I am simply left speechless. This is one of them. Thanks to Jamie Chambers for sharing these screenshots on Facebook. As an aside, the project looks like a simple cash grab IMHO.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edtrice/conservatives-vs-liberals-board-game/comments

Pay to Play Gumball Style Machines Kick Out In-Game Magic!?!

Red is fireball spell, pink is a healing potion, white is a light spell...

From an article at ICv2:

"A number of stores have also adopted a pay-to-roleplay program with participants paying for a seat in a RPG game offering an upscale experience. One store runs two sessions on a Saturday with six spots in each game, charging players $15 each for a seat at the table. Other stores with successful pay-to-play programs further monetize the sessions by stocking gumball style machines with plastic capsules containing in-game bonuses such as a +1 to hit, a potion of healing, or a certificate giving the player a rare pet. Sometimes these machines clear $50 to $200 per day with huge profit margins."
(Emphasis mine)

WTF is the world of tabletop gaming coming to?

What DM/GM is going to allow in-game bonuses from an in-store gumball machine?

Where the fuck are the stores with these machines?

A WTF Kickstarter - Age of Uranus

Sometimes, the name says it all. I'm sure it was a language issue that failed to see the issue with the title of this Kickstarter - Age of Uranus before launch.

I guess they released after launch, as it was canceled after not meeting projections.

So, what is the Age of Uranus? Yes, that was a bad joke, but it is funny ;)

Age of Uranus is a role-playing game in which art and mystery blend to create a unique and fascinating setting: a sublime and tormented world where signs invisible to ordinary mortals lead to weird and wonderful places and where codes hidden within works of art reveal paths to powers and long-forgotten truths. 

Players take on the role of hyper-humans, supernatural beings of great power, who covet supremacy over humans and their peers, but in hyper-human society nothing is as it seems. Characters will have to navigate this world of Mystery, Intrigue and Passion...

Ah well. It's never good to play with Uranus. Yes, I'm in high school again - signed, Dick Hertz ;P

Totally Unofficial D&D Sweatshirt (with ripped off MM 1e art)

Listen, I get it. Lots of us want some of the classic D&D and AD&D art on shirts and shit. For personal use, have at it. But when you sell stuff using a trademark you don't have rights to and art that you haven't licensed, that's where you cross the line.

Case in point:

Alien Body

52.50 for the sweatshirt above. Only available in Small - all other sizes are "Sold Out".

Besides the fact that the design is shitty, using a trademark and art you don't have rights to is even shittier.

A "WTF are they Thinking?!?" Kickstarter - Role Playing Games Television (Funds at $800k)

"A grand showcase of production and performance, with table top miniature photography and role playing dramatized by actors."

You know how I point out some projects on Kickstarter have no clue what Kickstarter is and how it works? Well, the Role Playing Games Television Kickstarter certainly knows what Kickstarter is for - printing money - $8,000 bills at a time. What do I mean? There is only one backer level:

Now, you get a % of the company. How much a percentage, he doesn't say. But to fund, we'll need 100 backers at 8k apiece. And you though Destination Fantastic had lofty goals.

Then there is the video. Beyond listening to just how smart the project creator is, we get horrible jump cuts, uncertainty over the stock offering (with all of the jump cuts why not edit this piece?) and a shirt that is much too tight at the belly button. I was simply fascinated with what appeared to be a belly button outside his shirt. Why the hell did he have to spotlight this?

The Youtube channel mentioned? It has 8 subscribers:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpvFkvx8guUAj7dcVOml2g?app=desktop

Role Playing Games Television Kickstarter is a product of hubris, delusions, psychosis or perhaps all of the above.

While we are aiming to produce Television Shows using former famous Dungeons and Dragons modules produced by TSR (currently owned by Hasbro and managed by Wizards of the Coast), new properties are encouraged and have been developed. More ROI can be garnered by producing newly minted RPG settings, providing a income for new developers and writers. 

Whether it can contract for popular licenses from Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast, is to be determined over 5 months. It is not essential to get other properties but the fastest track to profit is to get licenses to famous Dungeons and Dragons modules from Hasbro/Wizard of the Coast.  

I have never done that, but it is just a matter of the right price?  

The process uses modules to develop storylines and characters, and previously famous modules SHOULD BE produced as movies and TV. They will be! 

The second round of funding will be the affirmation of the proof of concept as a showcase for developing properties, so a second round of investment may come from Wizards of the Coast, and this company would be continuing to develop properties and also developing movies from Wizard of the Coast Dungeons and Dragons modules. 

I thought the D&D movie license was subject to an ongoing lawsuit. I'm glad I was corrected. ;)

Thankfully it's not a product that will see the light of day at this rate...

When you Have to Pay to be on a "Top XX List" is it REALLY a List of Value?

ENWorld last week had a posting about their being #2 on the Top 100 RPG Blogs List. Now, there are some really obscure sites listed on that list - which currently only goes up to 75. There is some sort of equation using Twitter, Facebook and Alexa ranking that pulls it all together.

Following the link to the Top 100 RPG list I found on ENWorld, I noticed you had to submit your site for consideration. I figured, what the heck - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Then I received the above email this morning.

So, in order to be listed, I would need to subscribe for 3 bucks a month. A list of 100. The list can potentially bring in 300 bucks a month, 3600 a year.

And Feedspot has "Top XX" lists for everything.

But if you have to pay to be on such a list, what is the true value of the list?

First, they aren't all blogs. Youtube channels and Reddits are also on the list. Which is why the competing titles are confusing.

Second, Congratulations for paying to be on a list!

Third, the list is FAR from the "most comprehensive list of best RPG blogs on the internet." But I guess Anuj is "honored" to take your cash every month.

Last, as I said above - the list doesn't even hit 100.

In any case, I won't be paying to play and neither should you.

A WTF Kickstarter - Erotic Adventures - Third party sexy adventure rules (for 5e)

Alright. See the pic above for the Erotic Adventures Kickstarter (for 5e). That literally tells you more than the boilerplate.

Yep, that's the whole "sell". I get it. Its over the top. There is a way to do this with some class (Venger comes to mind) and then there is this. And yes, its funded.

Oh, I don't think you can actually mention D&D in the backer levels - and my, what backer levels they are. Here's just a sampling.

Wayward Kickstarter - Dice and Danger Dragon's Lair (It Simply Doesn't Add Up)

There are multiple problems with the Dice & Danger Kickstarter, but I'll stick with the obvious one. Math. Seriously, when your funding is simply based on "hidden monies" I don't care how cool your project looks, your dishonesty leads the way.

So, lets look at the math, shall we?

Average backer is in for $91.67

Total backing according to backer levels is $1,220

Backing according to Kickstarter is $2,750

Goal is $2,500

Miracle and unaccounted for backing is $1,530

So, what percentage of the backing of this project can't be accounted for?

56%

Holy shit! What a fucking facade!

Fuck the rest. This by and of itself is an obvious sign of bullshit backing.

So, There is "Apparently" a Swords & Wizardry White Box Light on the Market - How Could This Go Wrong?

There are right ways to do things and there are wrong ways to do things. White Box Light does it the wrong way. And than does it wrong again. And again.

First, its the logo. The Swords & Wizardry graphic is obviously a screenshot.

Notice the fuzziness to the lettering? I don't think you can title your product as shown. But they didn't, kinda. Its listed as White Box Light on RPGNow.

But wait, here's the copyright claim in the OGL:

I'm pretty sure you can't claim trademark to Swords & Wizardry White Box Light. Not only is Swords & Wizardry trademarked by Frog God Games / Matt Finch, but so is Swords & Wizardry White Box and Swords & Wizardry Light. Also, they are laying claim to the logo for such. Which logo is that? The Swords & Wizardry logo? Or the cover page itself? Is THAT the logo?

Actually, I enjoy this from the RPGNow product listing. Its quotes praising the product. Guess what? No one is credited...

This was brought to my attention as it was questioned if myself or FGG was involved in said product. Obviously, the answer is no, we are not.

But hey, at least they fixed fighters:

Spells are listed for clerics and magic-users but are not explained or described.

Now, either this is an AC chart where classes improve in AC per level, or its a to hit chart where its harder to hit as you gain level:

Fuck it. My head hurts. If imitation is the better part of flattery, this is simply painful.

ENnies - Breaking Their Own Rules When it Comes to Judges (Disregard - I Can't do Basic Math)

edit: This is what happens when you are your own editor - 2016 to 2018 is 2 years? right? wrong, as we are only in 2017 - Yes, three of the four perennial judges are NOT running this year - I guess they decided to get a head start on the impending new rules THAT ARE NOT YET IN EFFECT. Kurt is within the rules to run this year - but not next. The three not running this year CAN run next.

So, read this post as an example of what happens when I do fuck up - I correct, retract but I do not delete. Enjoy my embarrassment. It is well deserved - Tenkar

Look at the highlighted part of the rules to apply to nominate yourself to be an ENnies judge:

So, you can't be a judge if you've been a judge for the last two years. Simple enough, right?

I guess two consecutive years is no good, but SIX consecutive years is just peachy! Please tell me how both the applicant (Kurt Weigel) and the ENnies "powers that be" just overlooked this.

Its all on the level kids. Its all on the level.

What the Hell is Going On with the New Vampire Game? Pedophilia this Time?

I'll be blunt - I haven't followed World of Darkness since the various first editions. So when this was brought to my attention by David Knighthawk from the GamersonGamers Youtube Channel I thought "no fucking way!"

Wow. Way.

Whatever drama Zak S. brought to White Wolf pales compared to these throwaway pedophilia pieces. You want bad publicity for RPGs? White Wolf has you covered.

Right. So, vampire kids "could be" 100s of years old. Or 5. Doesn't matter. Amelina is pedophile, pure and simple. You're meant to roleplay this character? In a campaign?

There is a line between edgy and sick. It isn't fine or thin. It isn't indistinct. Its pretty fucking solid.

Yes, its only a game. Maybe it should be marketed to pedophiles. I'm sure they are an ignored market.

But wait! Maybe its taken out of context. Nope. Its actually giving you context.

A WTF Kickstarter - Solstice (D20 Hack)

Look at that inspiring logo. Grey always helps, right?

So, what is Solstice and why am I even looking at it?

Well, Solstice is apparently a D20 Hack and I'm looking at it because one of the Taverners brought it to my attention ;)

I'm going to go with a simple screenshot of the project, because its one of the shorter (description-wise)projects that I've come across:

K - he needs to pay artists, multiple editors and multiple lawyers to get Solstice published. But wait, he also apparently needs to find a publishing company. And he plans to deliver in July. 2017. These are the "holidays" he speaks of.

But wait! There's more! You haven't seen the reward levels yet.

Now, nowhere is it discussed what exactly is in the basic rules, but that's okay - we don't know what is in the rules, either. But hey, 25 bucks gets you the intro chapter.

$125 for the entire Beta. An extra $500 gets you a conversation with the creator.

Who the hell is worth 500 for a "conversation"?

You wanna talk to me? Reach out and we'll find the time. My charge is that you are stuck listening to me yap away. I'll talk your ears off with the topic "Swords & Wizardry Light" and it won't cost you a dime, just your time.