Kickstarter - Stalwart '85 (Supers RPG)

The World's Niftiest Superhero Roleplaying Game

I've been a fan of Mike Desing and his works, such as The Splintered Realms and Army Ants, for over a decade. I did some work for Mike on The Splintered Realms WAY back in the day. Mike is passionate about RPGs, which shows in the games he publishes.

Stalwart '85 is Mike's fifth Kickstarter, and you can back for everything in PDF for as little as 10 bucks. Everything in print is 25, and that's where I'm happily at :)

Stalwart '85 is the World's Niftiest Superhero RPG. Set in a 1980s that only happened in my imagination, and based on a comic series that was published there, Stalwart '85 is the game I wish I would have had in 1985, set in the comic book universe I wish I could have created then.

It is a low/medium crunch tabletop superhero RPG system, using dice ranging from D4 to D20 (with the awesome D16 joining in the fun). A few key design concepts include:

A consistent focus on authentically emulating comics of the era. The game leans hard into simulating 'comic book action'. This is supported by a hits system where your character can be 'felled' (knocked out of combat), but can repeatedly get back up. 

A simple action management system that allows you to either take a few big actions each round or several smaller actions; you can decide from round-to-round how you are managing your actions. You can try to take out several thugs in one round, or you can land a few haymakers on Simian Prime, because his battle suit is harder to bust through.

The "In Real Life" sub-system, where the events outside of your heroic life have a direct bearing on your performance as a hero. If Uncle Marty didn't get his medicine and you bombed your physics test, it's going to impact your effectiveness.

A focus more on character building and being awesome, and less on game balance. Some gifts (powers) are simply better than others; the game makes minimal effort to ensure that wall crawling is as cool as true magic. It's not.

A simple hero point system that gives you opportunities to push your powers and abilities far beyond their normal capacity, or to use them to create unique stunts on the fly. 

Options for either random or custom character generation. You can build the character you want to play, or you can let the dice determine your fate.

 

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Humble Bundle - Beamdog & Owlcat RPG Masters (Neverwinter, Planescape, Pathfinder, Warhammer 40k& more)

I'm only highlighting the classic D & D titles, available for play on Windows, OSX, and in the case of the classic D & D titles - Linux. Neverwinter is the Enhanced Edition, with 4 adventures included. The $15 bundle also included a fairly complete collection of Pathfinder CRPGs. 35 bucks add in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader for Windows and OSX (a Dec 2023 release with a 92% rating on Steam. 5 bucks gives you all the D&D titles except for Neverwinter. The $10 bundle includes Neverwinter. Phew! I'm in for 35, as I enjoy the Warhammer 40k universe.

Link for the Beamdog & Owlcat RPG Masters Bundle

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Bundle of Holding - The World's Largest Bundle!

While the bundle title might not be 100% accurate, it probably is close. 

The World's Largest Bundle, Starter Collection is on sale 12.95. The Bonus Collection is currently under 27 bucks.

Adventurer! This revived May 2019 bundle of tabletop d20 System fantasy roleplaying supplements and adventures includes The World's Largest Dungeon and World's Largest City, so once again we're calling it – that's right! fight us! – The World's Largest Bundle. A peerless 900-page megadungeon originally produced in 2006 by Alderac Entertainment and now published by World's Largest RPGs, The World's Largest Dungeon has 1,600 encounters – a dungeon crawl that can entertain you for years. The City, with its quarter-million humans, dwarves, elves, humanoids, and (ahem) others, fits smoothly in most fantasy campaign worlds. And this offer adds the stunning 400-page Ultimate Toolbox, plus comprehensive d20 sourcebooks like War, Empire, Gods, Relics, Dungeons, and Dragons – more than 4,000 pages of fantasy gaming goodness. The World's Largest Bundle! Yeah!

For just US$12.95 you get all nine titles in this revived offer's World's Largest Starter Collection (retail value $72) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete Ultimate Toolbox, the d20 sourcebooks Empire, War, Mercenaries, Gods, Magic, and Relics, and the scenario collections Adventure I and Adventure II.

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $26.22, you'll level up and also get this revival's entire World's Largest Bonus Collection with four more titles worth an additional $75, including The World's Largest Dungeon, World's Largest City, and a catchy pairing of two more d20 sourcebooks: Dungeons, and Dragons.

Earlier this year Studio 2 Publishing acquired the entire Alderac d20 line. The new owner has big plans to Kickstart a new Redux Edition of World's Largest Dungeon: "Expanded with all new content by a host of master RPG designers, and an epic contest for YOU and other aspiring game designers to contribute to the project in print!" Get up to speed with this massive dungeon-crawl and the many other great books in this revived May 2019 World's Largest Bundle!

 

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Free Beta - Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere® RPG

Currently on Kickstarter and setting funding records.

The Cosmere RPG is a tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) in which you and a group of friends collaboratively tell a story of heroes in a fantasy universe called the cosmere. The first campaign setting for this system is the world of Roshar, based on the acclaimed novels of Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive. In this game, you take on the roles of characters from around the world, working together to determine how their stories unfold as they face a cataclysmic era of global conflict.

The Cosmere RPG Beta Rules Preview

This guide is an early preview of the Cosmere RPG, designed to give you a clear understanding of this system and enough rules to run a playtest adventure, Bridge Nine.

As a Beta test, these rules have not undergone final editing, and elements of gameplay may change between now and the finished product. However, these rules have been shaped by hundreds of playtesters since our Alpha testing began in 2023, and should reflect an accurate preview of the final system. If you would like to provide input about your experience, you can find a feedback form linked in the PDF. As a rules preview, this is a condensed set of rules that reflects only a portion of the content we’ll include in our first three hardcover releases.

What's Inside

Part 1: Overview walks you through the basics of playing a tabletop RPG, introducing the Cosmere RPG’s dice and core mechanics.

Part 2: Your Character explains your character’s attributes, defenses, resources, skills, senses, and expertises. It also touches on backstory details like your purpose, obstacle, and goals.

Part 3: Items provides a list of basic gear for your character, including weapons, armor, and equipment.

Part 4: Adventuring describes the flow of play, and when to use different scene types. This chapter also presents rules for the conditions, damage, and injuries you’ll face while adventuring, plus rules for resting and recovery.

Part 5: Combat provides more detail on combat scenes, including the general actions every character can take and the rules for targeting abilities, making attacks, and moving through the battlefield.

Part 6: Gamemastering is an abridged guide on when to call for skill tests and use the plot die, tools for creating a comfortable space, and how to use adversary profiles.

Part 7: Adversaries shows how to read adversary profiles and includes a few sample adversaries.

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Kickstarter - Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere® RPG (Setting Funding Records)

Beginning with The Stormlight Archive and expanding to Mistborn, this original tabletop RPG will grow to support the entire Cosmere!

I have no dog in this race. I never heard of Brandon Sanderson as an author, nor am I familiar with his fiction. So, for Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere® RPG Kickstarter to pass the $7.3 Million mark with over two weeks left to fund is simply stunning. 25,000+ backers is amazing.

This is what WotC feared when they were playing with their new OGL. This is WotC's money, at least in their eyes, even if it doesn't use the 5e SRD. I am sure this is the water cooler talk in the halls in Renton.

In 2023, Dragonsteel Entertainment and Brotherwise Games announced the Stormlight™ tabletop roleplaying game, set in the acclaimed epic fantasy world of the Stormlight Archive. But there's always another secret, and Stormlight was just the beginning...

The Cosmere® Roleplaying Game is a new system that encompasses the entire universe of Brandon Sanderson's best-selling novels. This original RPG launches in 2025 with the Stormlight World Guide, Stormlight Handbook, and Stormlight Stonewalkers™ Adventure. It expands to include Mistborn® in 2026, with a steady rollout of new worlds and adventures for years to come!

This is a living RPG that will grow as Brandon Sanderson expands the universe of Cosmere novels, designed to tell standalone stories in each setting or sweeping Worldhopper™ campaigns that move between different planets.

 

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Bundle of Holding - Mongoose 2300AD 2E

I played some of the original Traveller 2300AD RPG back in the early 90s from Game Designers Workshop, and it was a fun game and an interesting setting. I'll admit I haven't thought much of it since then. So many games, and so many choices.

Bundle of Holding is currently offering a Mongoose 2300AD 2e  Bundle. The Starter Collection is 14.95 and includes the Traveller Core Rules 2022, 2300AD Mongoose 2E, and 2300AD Tools for Frontier Living. For approximately 30 bucks, you add 2300AD Project Bayern, Ships of the Frontier, Vehicles of the Frontier, and Aerospace Engineers' Handbook.

Traveller! This Mongoose 2300AD 2E Bundle presents the 2021 Mongoose Publishing Second Edition of 2300AD, the tabletop science fiction roleplaying game about humanity discovering the stars. Three hundred years from now, humanity is claiming worlds far from Earth. Despite nearly destroying itself in the Twilight War, despite all the wars since, humanity has held on and kept its dream alive. Campaigns in 2300AD are about interstellar exploration – war on the far frontier – new colonies on hostile worlds – discovering and understanding alien species – even espionage in the gritty megacities of the Core worlds. Using the Mongoose Traveller 2E core rules, expect a grittier experience – less Space Viking, more Aliens.

This new offer presents the entire 2300AD 2E line, plus the current Traveller Core Rulebook, for an unbeatable bargain price. For just US$14.95 you get all five Mongoose Publishing titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $122) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete Mongoose Traveller 2E Core Rulebook Update 2022 and the Mongoose 2300AD 2E core rules set (2021), the equipment catalog Tools for Frontier Living, and the 2300AD 2E Referee's Screen.

Second EditionAnd if you pay more than the threshold price of $29.66, you'll level up and also get our entire Bonus Collection with four more titles worth an additional $135.50, including the massive Project Bayern campaign set, Ships of the Frontier, Vehicles of the Frontier, and the Aerospace Engineers' Handbook.

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Pub Crawls! Adventures of All Sizes, Coming Soon from The Tavern & Wizard Tower Games

Pub Crawls! Damn, this was on the back burner for a while, but now it will start turning into reality thanks to The Tavern and Wizard Tower Games.

Pub Crawls will come in three sizes:

Flights - short, 1-sheet (2-page) adventures

Pints - generally 8 to 16-page adventures, likely requiring more than a single session to complete

Kegs - an anthology or compendium of adventures, linked by level, theme, or whatnot.

I'm really excited to see the various balls get in motion ;)

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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