What was the RPG Pipeline

The RPG Pipeline was a posting board to keep track of upcoming tabletop rpgs from 2015 to 2021 (this Blogger version began in 2019). It covered new English language ttrpgs and ttrpgs going into crowdfunding.

Tuesday, 19 February 2019

Monday, 18 February 2019

Tormented

Tormented:

Tormented
Publisher: Isolation Games

Condemned. Damned. Tormented.

You are one of the Tormented; a soul condemned to the Twelve Hells for crimes you no longer remember. For time immemorial you have been damned; tortured and twisted by the punishments of your captors, until you no longer remember or even resemble your past self. The agonies you have suffered have left you scarred, but from those scars you now draw strange and terrible powers.

Tormented is a Gothic Horror roleplaying game inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy and Milton’s Paradise Lost. It is intended to be a storytelling game in which a group of friends come together to tell stories of loss, revenge, guilt, repentance and redemption.

In this book you will find:

  • A rules-light system designed to encourage storytelling. Characters have 4 Aspects and 10 Aptitudes, which can be combined in almost any combination as the situation requires.
  • Rules for spending Conviction points to allow characters to perform normally impossible feats of skill and luck
  • Rules for Scars; the otherworldly abilities granted by the tortures inflicted on your characters
  • Details of the Twelve Hells and the myriad demons that call them home
All you need besides this book is a handful of 6-sided dice, some friends and a dark imagination.

Price: $3.23


Friday, 15 February 2019

Jinkies! the Roleplaying Game

Jinkies! the Roleplaying Game: Click here to view Jinkies! the Roleplaying Game

A roleplaying game about solving a mystery with the gang, animated hijinks, talking animals, and plenty of Groovy Snacks. - [currently $11 (0%) of $3,500 goal]


Jinkies! the Roleplaying Game -- Kicktraq Mini

BLOOD CHROME NEON

BLOOD CHROME NEON: Click here to view BLOOD CHROME NEON

A cyberpunk tabletop RPG zine. - [currently $56 (11%) of $500 goal]


BLOOD CHROME NEON -- Kicktraq Mini

Storybook RPG

Storybook RPG: Click here to view Storybook RPG

An easy-to-learn Role-Playing Game based on literature. - [currently $101 (1%) of $8,000 goal]


Storybook RPG -- Kicktraq Mini

Lighthouse System Core Book

Lighthouse System Core Book:

Lighthouse System Core Book
Publisher: Dancing Lights Press

An All-New Edition!

The entire Learn the System section can be read in the Full-sized Preview link, above.

This book is written in an informal tone, because I’m tired of rulebooks that read like automotive user manuals. I’ve written some of those books, and they’re no more fun to create than they are to read. Let’s just pretend that we’re hanging out, having a conversation. That’s the core of roleplaying anyway.

I don’t even like calling the Lighthouse System a rulebook. That implies a level of rigidity that I don’t enjoy. If a rule says so, it has to be that way. There’s no allowance for context, what works best for the story, the characters, or the setting. It. Says. So. Right. Here. No, not everyone plays that way, but that’s mostly what’s supported by the official text. People forget that the original rules for Dungeons & Dragons were pretty fast and loose. Gary Gygax only created Advanced Dungeons & Dragons to codify the rules for tournament play, so gamemasters would all be on the same page. You can’t have an apples-to-apples comparison of results if everyone is doing their own thing.

My preference is for the word “system”, which is a method of doing things. Knowing how things work on a fundamental level, it becomes easier to make things up on the fly. You can handle things that aren’t explicitly spelled out. It also significantly cuts down on the size of the book, because once you get the gist of things you can figure out the fiddly bits on your own. Some people find that limiting. I find it freeing. It reduces stress for the gamemaster, and it lets players exercise their imaginations. The Lighthouse System is a toolbox to help you make things, not a catalog of things someone else has already made.

When you’re designing a system, you need to know what problem you’re solving for. The things that I enjoy most about roleplaying are the fundamentally creative elements. I love character development, not just crunchy bits where you gain new abilities, but the way that the fictional people you’ve created will learn, grown, and become more interesting and realistic. Worldbuilding is a must. I’m one of those people who had binders upon binders of setting ideas for my favorite games back in the day. Storytelling is at the root of it all, really. You can create characters and worlds all you want, but the story is where those other elements get used.

The intersection of those three elements, character, setting, and story, is where the Lighthouse System lives. They’re the three pillars of roleplaying. Any one, without the other two, doesn’t feel complete to me. That means, by extension, that the system is about creativity. The fun comes from making stuff, and then using the stuff that you’ve made. It means that roleplaying is about cooperation, not just between those elements but the people who create them, utilize them, and play them out.

This system also leans into a style of play commonly called “theater of the mind”. Players describe what’s happening and work things out through discussion. Miniatures, maps, and other props are entirely optional. Use them if you want, but they’re not required. It’s not a board game or a war game where those pieces are essential. All you need here are pencils, paper, and standard polyhedral dice.

Instead of gamemaster, I use the word “guide”. Roleplaying has always been on the fringes of what can be defined as a game. There are stacks of systems that talk about how it’s not a competition, emphasize that there are no winners and losers, and play up the cooperative elements. Any sort of “master” sounds too much like an authority figure, the person that knows more than you do and wields all of the power. It’s way too confrontational for my tastes. To me, “guide” fits the actual role better. That’s the person who helps the players, fosters that essential cooperation, and keeps things moving forward.

On a final note, I wanted to mention why this is called the Lighthouse System. A lighthouse is a navigational aid, used to help ships get where they’re going while avoiding hazards. The metaphor should be clear. This book can help you, but it’s not the ship or the crew. The name is also drawn from the fact that this is the Dancing Lights Press house system, used as the basis for all of the games we publish.

I hope that you enjoy the Lighthouse System. It’s a labor of love, a manifesto expressing my opinions on roleplaying, and a solid basis for creating a shared storytelling experience. In the end, though, it’s whatever you use it for. The characters, worlds, and adventures that you create using this book are what matter most.

Price: $8.00


Super Destiny High School Rumble!!

Super Destiny High School Rumble!!: Click here to view Super Destiny High School Rumble!!

A Powered by the Apocalypse role playing game about super-powered anime high school students - [currently $167 (4%) of $4,500 goal]


Super Destiny High School Rumble!! -- Kicktraq Mini

Arcanum 30th Anniversary Edition

Arcanum 30th Anniversary Edition:

Arcanum 30th Anniversary Edition
Publisher: ZiLa Games

In the mid-1980s, a small publishing company released a genuinely original role-playing game. While most other companies were releasing clones of the larger press games, or generic systemless suplements, ARCANUM took a bold, fresh look at the infinite possibilities of fantasy gaming.

ARCANUM has unconventional races, more than 30 professions, dozens of skills, a way to track fame, and an approach to alchemy and magic that has not been equaled in the three decades since its initial release.

The 30th Anniversary Edition of this classic is an evolution, not a revolution. It cleans-up, modernizes, and re-organizes text, fills gaps, and fleshes out concepts.

Re-discover the wonder of ARCANUM.

Price: $19.99


Beamswords and Bazookas

Beamswords and Bazookas: Click here to view Beamswords and Bazookas

A Tabletop RPG about Mech Pilots at War - [currently $495 (50%) of $1,000 goal]


Beamswords and Bazookas -- Kicktraq Mini

Star Crossed

Star Crossed:

Star Crossed
Publisher: Bully Pulpit Games

Star Crossed is a two-player game about really, really wanting to, when you really, really can’t. It's about the excitement, tension, and heartbreak of romance!


In Star Crossed, you’ll craft characters who are powerfully attracted to each other, but have a compelling reason not to act on their feelings. Some of the things you’ll want your character to do are going to increase that attraction— and when that happens, you are going to pull a brick out from an increasingly shaky tower and place it on the top. If the tower falls, your characters act on their feelings! Will your love be doomed, triumphant, or something in-between? Find out in STAR CROSSED!
Besides two players, this game requires a tumbling block tower and about two hours to play.
Two seated nuns, startled as their brick tower falls
Fire and Ice Elementals Building Their Block Tower
A mermaid and a harpy playing Star Crossed by the water
Two Star Crossed players pulling wooden bricks from the tower

What's Included?

This digital edition includes three PDFs: the character sheets, the print-and-play Event cards, and the rules and examples of play in a convenient, US Letter-sized, 44 page file.

NOTE: playing Star Crossed requires a 54-brick tumbling block tower to play, which is naturally not included in the digital edition!

Price: $12.00


Thursday, 14 February 2019

Good Cop, Bird Cop

Good Cop, Bird Cop:

Good Cop, Bird Cop
Publisher: Nicholas Johnson

Good Cop, Bird Cop is a short 2 page RPG where you play as birds fighting crime. This rules-lite game makes use of popular police show tropes as it follows the story of members of the "Feathered Birds of Investigation," also known as the FBI. This game is inspired by (but not affiliated with) games like "Honey Heist" by Grant Howitt, and draws some design and thematic inspiration from that. I hope you enjoy this game and the lighthearted take is allows for. I also hope you like birds, because there will be a lot of them here.

Price: $1.00


Launch

Launch:

Launch
Publisher: Purple Aether Games LLC

LAUNCH follows the story of a pilot fleeing a battle in their damaged combat mech suit. This game is for a single player and is played in a single session.

LAUNCH was designed as part of the Emotional Mecha Game Jam. Learn more by checking out #SadMechaJam on social media.

Price: $2.99


Fireball

Fireball:

Fireball
Publisher: Skavenloft

Heroes needed right away! Fantastic world is waiting for the daredevils who will face bloodthirsty monsters and restore the tranquility of its inhabitants! Adventure awaits!

Fireball is a fast and simple role-playing game that allows participants to direct the fate of brave adventurers in a fantasy world full of dangers and monsters. This handbook contains all the rules necessary to play, including five species (human, elf, dwarf, orc and halfling), five character classes (warrior, rogue, priest, wizard and adventurer), an useful quest generator and twenty-four types of monsters (from goblins to dragons).

Thanks to the very fast character and quest creation process, Fireball is perfect for casual meetings with friends, sessions in clubs, conventions and short, dynamic adventures with lots of fights, explosions and slain goblins!

Price: $1.00


Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Comrades: A Revolutionary RPG

Comrades: A Revolutionary RPG: Click here to view Comrades: A Revolutionary RPG

A tabletop roleplaying game about life in the revolutionary underground, where a roll of the dice can change the world. - [currently $39 (8%) of $500 goal]


Comrades: A Revolutionary RPG -- Kicktraq Mini

Demesne - A FitD Dungeon Building game. (Pre-Alpha)

Demesne - A FitD Dungeon Building game. (Pre-Alpha): Demesne - A FitD Dungeon Building game.  (Pre-Alpha)Publisher: b-design

This is the pre-alpha release of Demesne, a Dungeon Keeper inspired Forged in the Dark Game.   FitD uses the base systems created by John Harper for his excellent Blades in the Dark.

In Demesne, you play to find out whether you and the dungeon you’ve built can survive in a world that despises your very existence, a world where monstrous races have been forced into the dark recesses of the land by the powerful and ever expanding forces of good. You play as a group of these monsters building a dungeon and venturing forth into the Overworld to raid and increase your hoard.

You once belonged to a different dungeon, ruled by a powerful master, but after heroes came calling and overthrew them, what was left of the dungeon fell apart. It was then that you realized that there’s strength in numbers, so you’ve banded together to start building your own dungeon under group leadership. Even if one of you falls, the dungeon will survive. While you begin the game with the intent to create a prospering dungeon, events in the game tend to pull characters in different directions and complicate the situation.

As you dig deep into the earth, building rooms, and recruiting minions to do your bidding, you must build your hoard of gold and secure resources to grow stronger. But as you raid the world for these, the terror you cause spreads and you build notoriety - leading to adventurers taking notice of you and aiming at ridding the world of your presence. Can your minions, locks, and traps fend them off?


I'm actively looking for comments and feedback!  Currently, I'm running two weekly playtest games that have been going really well.  If you're interested in playtesting, or even better GM'ing a playtest, please get in touch or hop on the Discord to chat!  I'd be more than happy to help arrange online games!
Price: $0.00


Do You Remember Rock? A game of mecha, love, and rock & roll

Do You Remember Rock? A game of mecha, love, and rock & roll: Do You Remember Rock? A game of mecha, love, and rock & rollPublisher: Highmoon Press

Earth is being invaded by fearsome Aliens, but the Space Navy is ready to defend the planet, armed with variable-form fighters and awesome rock & roll. In the middle of war, the Human Pilot, the Music Idol, and the Alien Ace fight battles while figuring out their feelings for each other.

Do You Remember Rock? is a roleplaying game for a gamemaster and one to three players inspired by the popular anime of transformable fighters, love triangles, and rock music. Players take the role of an iconic character, and play to resolve their emotional issues with the use of a music Playlist to drive conflict resolution.

Jump in your mecha, grab your microphone, and bare your feelings to an awesome soundtrack.

Price: $1.00


zz

Sorceress and Witch: an RPG Zine: Click here to view Sorceress and Witch: an RPG Zine

An open world, light on rules, full of mystical places, magical items, sorceresses and witches. - [currently $62 (25%) of $250 goal]


Eisen Path RPG Core Rulebook

Eisen Path RPG Core Rulebook: Click here to view Eisen Path RPG Core Rulebook

Reclaiming Space Opera. - [currently $180 (6%) of $3,000 goal]


Eisen Path RPG Core Rulebook -- Kicktraq Mini

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

MAZES The RPG of Dice, Danger, and Dungeons #ZineQuest

MAZES The RPG of Dice, Danger, and Dungeons #ZineQuest: Click here to view MAZES The RPG of Dice, Danger, and Dungeons #ZineQuest

Adventuring like it was 1979, gaming designed for 2019. MAZES is powered by Polymorph a new role-playing system from 9th Level Games! - [currently $122 (6%) of $1,979 goal]


MAZES The RPG of Dice, Danger, and Dungeons #ZineQuest -- Kicktraq Mini

CASKET LAND

CASKET LAND: Click here to view CASKET LAND

An occult western inspired RPG zine. - [currently $274 (11%) of $2,500 goal]


CASKET LAND -- Kicktraq Mini

Verona

Verona: A Shakespearean RPG of revenge and betrayal

Backers: 24

Average Daily Pledges: $100

Average Pledge Per Backer: $21

Funding: $502 of $1,500
Dates: Feb 8th -> Mar 10th (30 days)
Project By: Farthest Star Media



Verona -- Kicktraq Mini

The Seal Will Be Broken

The Seal Will Be Broken:

The Seal Will Be Broken
Publisher: Côme Martin

The Seal Will Be Broken is my mini-RPG for January 2019.

It's a GMless game in which you play Acolytes throughout the years as they try to balance their personal life and keeping an Old God asleep.

In the end, they will fail and the God will awaken.

Price: $1.00


Monday, 11 February 2019

Wobble: Transdimensional Roleplaying

Wobble: Transdimensional Roleplaying:

Wobble: Transdimensional Roleplaying
Publisher: Peryton Publishing

Wobble is the game which should not exist, but does. Come travel space and sometimes time and explore the multiverse!

Cyborg apes, space Nazis, saints of the Early Church, godlike beings called the Oracles, and the Easter Bunny. This RPG doesn't have it all, but it has all-but everything.

Price: $7.25


vs. the Wasteland

vs. the Wasteland:

vs. the Wasteland
Publisher: Fat Goblin Games

Welcome to the exciting world of vs. the Wasteland!

Using the vs. M Engine created by Phillip Reed!

vs. the Wasteland is a roleplaying game in which players struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Whether the end of the world came from an atomic war, an extinction level event, or a global pandemic; it doesn’t really matter. Now, your Survivors live in the ruins of society. Survivors fight for their food and their safety. They fight to continue surviving, in the best ways they can in this desolate world. The fate of the Wasteland is in their hands.

This book contains everything that you will need to play, besides just some friends and two decks of normal playing cards!



  • Quick Start rules to dive into the action!





  • Over 50 Gimmicks for your Survivor to choose!





  • Gain mutant powers to vanquish your foes!





  • Wasteland Codex — 12 creatures to battle against!





  • Twenty Adventure Hooks to get you started.





  • Sample adventure “Escape From Gravel Road” included!



Price: $11.95


Master of the Rogue Spire: A Classic Fantasy RPG

Master of the Rogue Spire: A Classic Fantasy RPG: Click here to view Master of the Rogue Spire: A Classic Fantasy RPG

Tabletop roleplaying game rulebook zines with pulp storytelling, tactical combat, and classic fantasy art in English and Japanese. - [currently $392 (16%) of $2,500 goal]


Master of the Rogue Spire: A Classic Fantasy RPG -- Kicktraq Mini

Goat Crashers

Goat Crashers:

Goat Crashers
Publisher: Rowan, Rook & Decard

You're a cheeky little goat who just wants to party. Problem is, the only party in town doesn't want goats to attend. But to hell with what they want, right?



A one-page roleplaying game.

Price: $1.00


Icarus: How Great Civilizations Fall

Icarus: How Great Civilizations Fall: Click here to view Icarus: How Great Civilizations Fall

Build The City-Nation of "Icarus" at the height of its power. Then watch it all collapse in this Macro-RPG Dice-Stacking game. - [currently $1,213 (12%) of $10,000 goal]


Icarus: How Great Civilizations Fall -- Kicktraq Mini

Sunday, 10 February 2019

Sixcess (6S) 2nd Edition QuickStart

Sixcess (6S) 2nd Edition QuickStart:

Sixcess (6S) 2nd Edition QuickStart
Publisher: Harsh Realities

A brief introductory look at the Sixcess (6S) 2nd Edition game system plus a short adventure complete with 4 pregenerated characters and character sheets.

Price: $0.00


Saturday, 9 February 2019

Mall Kids - RPG about teens and malls

Mall Kids - RPG about teens and malls: Click here to view Mall Kids - RPG about teens and malls

An accessible tabletop RPG in zine form, exploring the intersection of teen angst and crushing capitalism. #zinequest - [currently $101 (51%) of $200 goal]


Mall Kids - RPG about teens and malls -- Kicktraq Mini

Master of the Rogue Spire Quickstart Guide

Master of the Rogue Spire Quickstart Guide:

Master of the Rogue Spire Quickstart Guide
Publisher: Samuraifight LLC

QUICKSTART GUIDE for Master of the Rogue Spire.

Master of the Rogue Spire is a new RPG system with simple rules, lots of customization, and an old-school feel. Instead of trying to recreate the rules of the first tabletop role-playing games, we took all the polyhedral dice that we love and crafted a new system that captures the free-wheeling adventure of playing classic fantasy RPGs in the '80s. What we add to the mix is a tactical core mechanic where players must weigh the risk of every action. 

This guide only offers a small subset of the rules so that you can get acquainted with the base mechanics. Character creation, level advancement, purchasing items, advanced tactic options and more are provided in the full rules volumes.

Price: $0.00


Zombies and Humans

Zombies and Humans:

Zombies and Humans
Publisher: NerdBurger Games

Zombies and Humans


A 2-page hack of Lasers & Feelings by John Harper.

In Zombies and Humans, you've just been bitten and are turning into a zombie. You and your slowly zombifying compatriots have to make it to the outpost where a cure has been discovered.

Price: $0.00