A Look Inside the New Deadlands Kickstarter

This isn't a normal "Tommy's Take", because I don't have a full book in front of me, but a review copy of the new Deadlands book on Kickstarter right now. It's still incomplete - it was noted to me that it's missing a bestiary still - so rather than do a full review of the book, I'm putting it side by side with the Player's Guide and Marshal's Handbook to get an idea of just what has changed and what's staying the same in this new edition.

Disclaimer: I'm not telling you to pledge. I just didn't have a cover image for this article.

Tommy's Take on Lankhmar: Savage Seas of Nehwon

Pinnacle has a new Lankhmar book on Kickstarter, with a couple of days left to go. They asked me to take a look and provide an honest review, and I'm, always down for cracking into a new Savage Worlds book, so here we go.

Interview with Sean Patrick Fannon (Freedom Squadron)

Freedom Squadron throwing down with VENOM

Hey guys,

I had a chance to have an email chat with Sean Patrick Fannon, writer of the upcoming Freedom Squadron Savage Setting currently on Kickstarter. I'm pretty excited about this book, being a fan of the Deckbuilding Game by Spyglass games that it's based off of (Venom Assault).

I'm a terrible interviewer, but I wanted to do a bit more than just say "Hey guys, check out this Kickstarter!" and, as a fan of Venom Assault, wanted to ask a few questions about the game anyway.

With that said, let's get to the interview.

Buccaneer: Through Hell or High Water, The Blackwood and Tall Pines Kickstarters

A trio of Kickstarters caught my attention, so I thought I would bring them to yours:

Buccaneer: Through Hell or High Water

Powered by Savage Worlds, Buccaneer looks to pretty much cover the Pirates of the Caribbean niche (and just in time for the new movie), being more grounded than fan favorite 50 Fathoms, but more fantastical than Pirates of the Spanish Main. Being released through a partnership between Fabled Environments (of Olympus Inc fame), and Yellow Piece Games, Buccaneer promises new ship combat and customization, new Edges and Hindrances and even a new Encounter mechanic. It's already passed its funding goal and is working on stretch goals. You can buy in for the PDF at $15, the print book at $25 and there are all kinds of interesting add-ons you can get, such as gold doubloons, captain's journals and even a telescope. This isn't Fabled Environments' first rodeo, so I'd classify this as a pretty low risk prospect, and worth looking into if you're wanting to scratch that Pirates of the Caribbean itch this summer.

The Blackwood

Another Savage Worlds Kickstarter (shocking that I gravitate towards those, right?), The Blackwood promises a wuxia setting inspired by American and German folklore. Per the Kickstarter, you will need the Fantasy Companion in addition to the core rules, but they have a free setting primer, archetypes and four one sheets up as a bundle on RPGNow so you can get a taste of it yourself. With 6 days left to go, it's struggling to the finish line, which is a shame as it's one of the more unique settings I've seen come down the Kickstarter pipeline lately. You can get the PDF for $10 or the print book for $20. It's got some top lads involved, whose works I've been a fan of, such as Eric Lamoureux, Richard Woolcock, Karl Keesler and Nathan D. Paoletta. Download that free bundle and check it out this weekend before the Kickstarter ends.

Tall Pines - A Surreal Murder Mystery Roleplaying Game 

I love quirky games I never get to play, and I love quirky small town shows. This Kickstarter is timed perfectly with the revival of Twin Peaks, and seeks to emulate just that kinda storytelling. And no, this one's not powered by Savage Worlds. I don't know as much about this one other than the Kickstarter looks neat, but it's a card based game divided into three acts. They say it's already finished, they're basically just trying to raise the art and printing budget. $10 gets you the print and play, while $25 gets you the print game plus any stretch goals. They have 15 days to go and are juuuust under budget right now.

Shaintar: Thundering Skies Campaign Ending Soon

The Shaintar: Thundering Skies Kickstarter is 6 days away from ending, and could use your attention.

The Kickstarter is for a full campaign book, the first plot point campaign for Shaintar, which is pretty much the gold standard for fantasy in Savage Worlds. It kind of pioneered, if informally, some of the higher powered mechanics that Sean Patrick Fannon brought to bear in the Savage Rifts adaptation. After Sean moved on to other projects, the setting landed into the capable hands of Darren Pearce, who has exhaustively detailed seemingly every nook and cranny of the setting.

The Kickstarter is still more than $3000 away from funding, and the full PDF can be had for the $20 pledge, while the physical book is a $45 pledge. You can bump up your pledge to get anything currently available for Shaintar, if you're new to the party...and, if you're a Fantasy Grounds gamer, you can sign up for the Fantasy Grounds version of the campaign for $20.

Shaintar is explicitly heroic in nature, which actually kinda separates it from the pack in this age of antiheroes and dark settings, and if you sign up for one of the collaboration tiers, you can make your mark on the setting by helping create villains, allies or even plot twists.

I'm a big fan of the Shaintar setting (especially loving the higher powered slant of the Legends Unleashed book), and would love to see it carry on into the future with this campaign, so check it out, see if it's your thing, and sign up if it is!

Tommy's Take on Arthur Lives! 2nd Edition

I do like Greek Myth, and  I like Arthurian Myth just as well. So it makes sense to end the week reviewing Arthur Lives! 2nd Edition as it closes in on the halfway mark of its Kickstarter.

A Pair of Kickstarters From a Pair of My Favorite Writers

Two of my favorite writers have Kickstarters running right now, so I thought I'd bring them to your attention.

Arthur Lives! 2nd Edition



Powered by Fate Core, Arthur Lives! 2nd Edition is an urban fantasy RPG by Jason "Doctor Comics" Tondro. Jason, who was actually my first (technically only) D&D 5th Edition DM, is a big Arthurian nut, and wrote Arthur Lives! for the True20 system.

Arthur Lives! is an RPG about aspects of the Arthurian legends returning to life via reincarnation in modern times. The interesting hook is that it is only aspects that are reincarnating, meaning that there are multiple "Arthurs", multiple "Lancelots" and so on kicking around.

I read the old first edition years ago, but haven't had a chance to read the Fate Core version yet. You can - sans art and layout, by backing at the $5 level (the full eventual PDF release requires a pledge of $20 or more).

The Kickstarter is a little over 50% funded with 24 days to go.

Leagues of Gothic Horror: Ministry & Mordavia Books and Dice



Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams - whose impressive resume includes Hellfrost, All for One: Regime Diabolique and Leagues of Adventure - is expanding the Leagues of Gothic Horror line with the Guide to the Ministry of Unusual Affairs and the Guide to Mordavia: Land of Horror books.

Leagues of Adventure is a pulpy, globetrotting game, powered by the Ubiquity system. The Leagues of Gothic Horror line expands that pulpy adventure into darker, more horrific places, and is already supported by guides to Apparitions, Mummies, Black Magic, Vampires and Shapeshifters. This Kickstarter will shed light on the Ministry of Unusual Affairs, the Crown's response to the horrible things in the world, and the land of Mordavia. The Mordavia book promises flexibility, as each major character will have two backstories, and you pick the one that applies in your campaign.

The campaign is just over $1000 away from reaching its goal, and has 11 days to get there. A stretch goal is out there to unlock a Guide to the Walking Dead as well.

Tommy's Take on The Goon RPG

Got a chance to crack into the second book in Pinnacle's current double shot Kickstarter, The Goon. People say they sometimes like to hear my thoughts on these things, so here we are.

Tommy's Take on Fear Agent The Roleplaying Game

As I noted the other day, Pinnacle has a pair of new Kickstarters running: Fear Agent and The Goon, both based on comics by Dark Horse.

Today, I decided to take a look at Fear Agent.

BAMFsies, Kickstarters and Patreon, Oh My!

Been a couple of days since I posted, so I thought I'd mention a few things that popped up recently.

THE BAMFSIES

The BAMFsies returned, with superhero experts like Steve Trustrum, Steve Kenson and Jacob Blackmon. Check it out for the only RPG awards that focus specifically on superhero RPGs.

Zenith Comics Patreon



Andrew Collas and Zenith Comics have launched a Patreon for the Zenith Comics Heroic Handbook, which will provide game stats for the HEROIC universe, Zenith Comics' superhero setting.

Pip Core System Kickstarter

Eloy Lasanta and Third Eye Games have launched a Kickstarter for the Pip System Core Book. This will be a core book for the system that powers family games such as Mermaid Adventures and Camp Myth. In addition to the rulebook, they are trying to unlock The Kid's Guide to Monster Hunting. Buy in is as low as $15, and Third Eye Games has a great track record with Kickstarter fulfillment.

Fear Agent & The Goon Kickstarter Double Shot



Pinnacle, makers of Savage Worlds, have launched a pair of licensed RPG Kickstarters, for Dark Horse Comics' Fear Agent and The Goon! The Goon is outperforming Fear Agent just a hair, but both are funded and working on stretch goals. You can go as simple as PDFs, but there are minis and bennies available for both books as well. Written by John Goff (Fear Agent) and Matthew Cutter (The Goon), Pinnacle is bringing their "A-Game", as usual...and Pinnacle's Kickstarter fulfillment track record is impeccable.

I have a slew of reviews I'm working on. No promises on the schedule, but check out all of these worthy endeavours and allocate your gaming funds accordingly.

Keep the dice dizzy!

T.

Tommy's Take on Adventurers! Revised Edition

So close to three years ago, GRAmel released Adventurers!, touted as being an RPG in only two pages. They recently hit me up about reviewing the upcoming Adventurers! Revised Edition, and so here I am.

Tommy's Take on Faith: A Garden in Hell

So I've had a chance to take a look at the Faith: A Garden in Hell preview kit for the boxed set currently on Kickstarter, and I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Tommy's Take on Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game

A couple of years ago, I became a big fan of The Dresden Files, in turn turning my wife into a fan of The Dresden Files. I own the RPG (though I have never ran it), but when Evil Hat announced a cooperative card game, I was intrigued.


I was so intrigued, in fact, that I spent almost as much as I'm pledging on the Kickstarter in order to have the Print and Play core game printed up to try it out.

Superhero Kickstarters to Check Out

Hey all, just checking in with a couple of Kickstarters to recommend for you...

SENTINELS OF THE MULTIVERSE: OBLIVAEON



Greater Than Games is doing one of the ballsiest things you can do...they are killing their cash cow while it's still HOT. They insist they always had a plan, and this is the grand finale of that plan: A final expansion in which the heroic characters of the Sentinels of the Multiverse will join forces with some of their fiercest foes to battle an epic Galactus/Darkseid/Thanos-like entity that wants to eradicate the multiverse.

I am a huge fan of Sentinels of the Multiverse. It is, simply put, the greatest card game I've ever played and I have logged hundreds of games and hundreds of hours. For those who are unfamiliar, you have a number of hero decks (generally 3-5), a villain deck (or a team, more on that later) and an environment deck. Then it's (generally) a slugfest until either the heroes fall or the villain does (some villains and environment decks introduce alternate win or lose conditions). The game has continued to grow, with multiple boxed expansions (gritty street-level, mystic and cosmic themed), new variants (two boxed sets introduced the concept of taking on teams of villains) and numerous single-deck expansion packs, as well as promo cards that provided variant heroes and villains to play with. The game is completely co-op, with the villain decks essentially being "automated". There's even an amazing video game version on Steam, Android and iOS devices.

Details about the gameplay in this expansion are still scarce, but it's known that multiple Environments will be used, as well as a Mission Deck. I freely admit, I have a ton of confidence in these guys to deliver, as I have yet to regret a purchase for this card game.

It is worth noting that the larger Sentinels line will still continue with their miniatures/skirmish game Sentinel Tactics (which I also enjoy, but rarely get to play) and the upcoming Sentinels of the Multiverse RPG (which I intend to get due to my love of the universe).

Heck, you can even get an ultimate collector's box in this Kickstarter that promises to hold every official card they have released (even sleeved!).

Highest recommendation for one of the greatest games I have ever played, from a company with an impeccable track record. I would  love to see that million dollar stretch goal shattered.

AGAINST THE AXIS - WORLD WAR II ERA PLAY IN STARK CITY

My friends over at Fainting Goat Games are hard at work on Against the Axis, an ICONS World War II book that is now also getting Savage Worlds and SUPERS! support. They have even joined forces with Heroic Publishing to tie in with several of their Golden Age style characters.

The ICONS manuscript is complete, and this is a full blown sourcebook that ties in with the Stark City setting released a few years ago, not simply an adventure (of which ICONS has seen several of).

Pinnacle's own Clint Black (who was the man behind one of my favorite campaigns of all time, Necessary Evil) is signed on to write a stretch goal book if it gets that far, but right now the campaign is struggling. Fainting Goat is a good company with great quality and reliability, and the ICONS manuscript is complete, so there is very low risk in backing this one, which still needs just under two grand to hit its funding goal in a week.

Three Kickstarters and a Sale

Hey all, just popping in to boost the signal for three Kickstarters and a sale that you need to be aware of (see, it's right there in the title)!

DARKMOOR RPG

The Darkmoor RPG is a zany, over the top, video game inspired RPG that pulls from all kinds of pop culture elements. You define your race and class, and even have to provide all of your own drawings (actually talent hopefully not needed). You beat the cash out of enemies, level up in glowing bursts of light, and create hyper awesome special moves. Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams, of Triple Ace Games, has agreed to write a minisupplement for the game, and you can download an Introductory Guide that gives you a better idea of how the game works. The project is already funded, though not by a comfortable margin, with four days left to go, and you can pick up digital, softcover or hardcover rewards.

RIPPERS RESURRECTED

With five days left to go, Rippers Resurrected has demolished its funding goal and all but one of their stretch goals - a print compilation of the adventures unlocked as stretch goals, which will be given free to backers of the print levels. Rippers Resurrected as a sequel to the Rippers setting/plot point campaign (which is included as one of the stretch goals) in which Victorian monster hunters find and defeat monsters and "rip" their body parts and special abilities and add them to their bodies to gain an edge against the monsters...all while trying not to lose their grip on humanity. Pinnacle has a stellar track record on Kickstarter fulfillment, and the PDFs are set for delivery before Halloween so you can run Rippers for your group if you like. You can also add Savage Tales of Horror to your pledge, including my Deadlands adventure in vol. 2!

THE NINJA CRUSADE 2ND EDITION

Hot on the heels of the fulfillment of the Apocalypse Prevention Inc. 2nd Edition Kickstarter, Eloy Lasanta is overhauling Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade into a slightly less "crunchy" and more cinematic RPG. I have made no bones about what a fan of the first edition I am, and I was both nervous and intrigued by this upcoming 2nd edition. Dispensing with the d20-based Dynamic Gaming System, the 2nd edition will use the Chakra System, a d10 die pool system. Another huge improvement is supposed to be a system for making enemies up on the fly, very useful for a game such as The Ninja Crusade that leans heavily on PC-like foes over a bestiary. The Ninja Crusade still needs over $3,000 to hit their funding goal, but they have 19 days left to hit it. Third Eye Games has a sterling track record for Kickstarter fulfillment as well, so you can pledge with confidence.

NEOPLASTIC PRESS PAY WHAT YOU WANT SALE

In the Halloween spirit, Rafael Chandler - one of the sickest, most twisted RPG authors I know, and I mean that as a compliment - has offered seemingly everything in his back catalog (aside from SlaughterGrid, it seems) as Pay What You Want (including nothing) through Halloween. I, personally, recommend Pandemonio, which is his revision of his Dread and Spite RPGs, but you really don't have anything to lose by taste-testing any of his stuff, do you? And if you like what you read, go back and "buy" the PDFs. That's kinda how Pay What You Want works.

Tommy's Take on The Super Villain Handbook

There is currently a Kickstarter running for the Super Villain Handbook, written by the author of The Field Guide to Superheroes by Vigilance Press, Jason "Dr. Comics" Tondro. What is the Super Villain Handbook? Well, that's the point of the blog post...so read on.

Tommy's Take on Packs!

Games with animal characters certainly aren't unique, but Packs!, an upcoming English translation (and Savage Worlds adaptation) of a German RPG, features the players playing as rats, competing for survival in the Ratlair, an abandoned department store.

Tommy's Take on R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars: Reformation

RA Salvatore, arguably most famous for the Drizzt Do'Urden novels, also has a series called DemonWars. He and his sons, Geno and Bryan, recently released the DemonWars: Reformation roleplaying game, and have a Kickstarter in progress for DemonWars: Allheart, the first supplement for Reformation. The thing is, I've dug around on the internet for information on this RPG and can't find much, and I've seen other people have the same problem...so I'm reviewing Reformation for your benefit and mine.

Tommy's Take on Stone & A Hard Place

This one is kind of a special treat: A plot point campaign focusing on Stone, major antagonist of the Deadlands setting (he was the guy on the original Deadlands book), reintroducing elements that were streamlined elements out of Reloaded...and my group and I actually playtested some of the mechanics in this book!

Plot Armor: Off...take your shot!

Tommy's Take on Era: The Consortium

Running a bit late on this one...Era: The Consortium is a new sci-fi RPG that is in its final week on Kickstarter right now.