What’s Cool on Kickstarter

There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, but these are the coolest ones this week.

Scroll and Codex Dice Tower and Rolling Tray
I got a beautiful hex chest from Elder Wood in their last kickstarter, and they’ve out done themselves with this one. You can get a couple of things from this. You can just get the Scroll, which is a beautiful collapsible dice tray that can roll up. There’s also the Codex, an amazing portable dice tower. If you get both, the Scroll fits inside the Codex when collapsed. Seriously, these are so beautiful together.

“Hello, we’re Quentin and Dan (the androids from the video). Today, we’d like to share Scroll & Codex, an ancient, leather-bound scroll and scroll case that brings elegance and a touch of the fantastic to your games. Codex transforms into a dice tower with a twist of its base, and Scroll unfurls into a personal rolling tray in moments. With a host of customizable wood, leather, and art options, each Scroll & Codex is crafted to be a unique, timeless relic transported straight out of your game and onto your tabletop.

Help us bring Scroll & Codex into the world, and together we’ll change dicetiny. We know some of you are thinking about the Holiday season, so scroll down to learn about our Holiday Gift Package. As always, if you have any questions, we are at your disposal.”
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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, but these are the coolest ones this week.

Filigree in Shadow
I wish I had a ton of money to sink into the Mysterious Package Company, because everything they release looks intriguing, high quality, and really, really cool. Filigree in Shadow is their latest package that they’re sending out, which is a Victorian thriller. I think there’s plenty of inspiration for a game in the mysteries surrounding their boxes, and the props seem incredibly detailed and cool. (And if someone wants to send me the King in Yellow package, I won’t say no)

“For several years, The Mysterious Package Company has turned the daily trip to the mailbox into an adventure by providing unique stories you can touch. These packages tell amazing tales in multiple chapters, each arriving weeks apart. Chapters are comprised of customized newspaper articles, diary pages, lab notes, photographs, objets d’art, and so forth. Together they place the recipient at the centre of the narrative, often even referring to long-lost (or non-existent) relatives.

These adventures culminate in a handmade wooden crate that has been nailed shut. Within, a custom-crafted artifact acts as the touchstone for the experience; a centerpiece that will spark the telling and retelling of the unexpected sequence of events that began with an unassuming envelope found in one’s mailbox.

We pay extraordinary attention to the details of each experience, right down to the accurately recreated postmark on each letter and how the paper is aged. We include real history in every story, which lends authenticity to the experience and disguises the point at which reality ends and fiction begins.”
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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, but these are the coolest ones this week.

Thank You for Screaming
We’re really big fans of Greg Stolze, and can’t wait to get this collection of short stories. A few of these stories are available on Stolze’s personal site, but additional stories are going to be available all in one place, for your reading pleasure (or horror).

“Over the last several years, I’ve written a lot of short fiction for a lot of different venues. I’d like to fund a bound, printed volume of those separate works and make it available for sale.

Backing Thank You For Screaming at a low level gets you eBooks of twenty-five short stories (and one nonfiction essay), released in PDF, ePub and a Kindle friendly .mobi variant.”

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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, but these are the coolest ones this week.

World of Aetaltis
Aser and I had the opportunity to sit down and chat about Aetaltis with Marc Tassin, and we’re really in love with the new ideas and rich world he and his team have put together. Aetaltis is a 5e setting with new monsters, expanded PC races, and some really intriguing new rules for magic. I think the extra content would be great for any GM, even if you don’t want to move your campaign to this intriguing new setting. If you like heroic fantasy gaming, definitely check out World of Aetaltis.

“Discover the fate of the last dwarves of the Donarzheis Mountains, reveal the strange and terrible wonders of the Elliyan Wilds, pull back the ancient shroud that conceals the truth about the first children of the gods. The veil of mystery that hides the truths of Aetaltis is heavy, but with your help we will reveal its story in this new 5E compatible RPG campaign setting.

We’re producing a complete 5E compatible RPG campaign setting called The World of Aetaltis. Your support will let us deliver all the books and accessories you need to run or play in an Aetaltis campaign. And by helping us to unlock our stretch goals, we’ll extend the Kickstarter campaign to include an entire line of Aetaltis products.”

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#RPGaDay 31: Best advice you were ever given for your game of choice

RPG a Day 2016 image

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 31, what is the best advice you were ever given for your game of choice?
Aser – I was told a long time ago that if you’re a GM and the roll goes against plot direction, just lie…
John D. – ‘Don’t worry about the rules; it’s more important for everyone to have fun. You can retcon or fix the plot later if needed but try to just roll with what the players give you.’
Jonn P. – Making sure everyone is having fun isn’t the responsibility of the GM, it’s the responsibility of everyone at the table.
Landan – I forget who said it but I really liked hearing someone say “Don’t let the dice get in the way of the Story” and in that vein people need to remember the books are guidelines to play. If something is not written in them and a player wants to do figure out a way for it to happen if possible.
Megan – I think the best advice I’ve gotten is to relax and let the plot go where it goes instead of rigidly depending on an outline.
Mike G. – I have a great, very experienced group that introduced me to games like FATE, Apocalypse World, and other systems that drive story instead of muddying things up with rules. Their advice was always to concentrate on the story and the rules will flow from that.
Patrick – Don’t be a dick.
Phil – Don’t get too attached to your character, it’s going to go mad or die.

#RPGaDay 30: Describe the ideal game room if the budget were unlimited

RPG a Day 2016 image

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 30, describe the ideal game room if the budget were unlimited?
Aser – I would like a large table lined with comfortable chairs. I would want access to a digital projector and adjustable lighting to help with mood.
John D. – A room with hi-fi surround sound with speakers and rumble sensors built into the chairs and table, motion-controlled lights and dimmers, smell-o-vision and monitors displaying all the charts from a GM screen. The room would be fully accessible for players with Braille pads, TDD and so on. An opaque electronic privacy shield would disable cell calls and texts inside while preventing outside noise. A robot butler for snacks and drinks would be nifty.
Jonn P.  – A room with plenty of standing room and shelf space around the game table.  The table would be slightly larger than two folding tables. In the center of the table would be a lazy susan large enough for a Chessex 34½” x 48” Battlemap that I could use for battlemap, game art or food.
Landan – It would take me a long time to describe it I think, but it would likely end up being as big as a house alone. I would also want billiard tables, bowling lanes, some pinball machines, shelves devoted for board games, shelves devoted to RPG books, etc.
Megan – A big room with plenty of tablespace and comfy chairs, with food and drink and good lighting. I always thought those projector setups for making a grid were awesome too.
Mike G. – Shelves of books, dedicated wifi, embedded laptop/tablets around a large gaming table with a wet/dry erase board in the center. Does anyone have $25k I can drop on this? Please?
Patrick – Dragonsreach from Skyrim, but with better heating. And you know, game tables.
Phil – Comfy chairs and table. Good acoustics. Donuts.

#RPGaDay 29: You can game anywhere on Earth, where would you choose?

RPG a Day 2016 image

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 29, you can game anywhere on Earth, where would you choose?
Aser – I would game wherever Megan was: no really, we had to play apart so long that I couldn’t wait to literally share these moments together.
John D. – I have no idea; ideally a setting similar to the game at hand (a cloud, underwater, the desert, etc)
Jonn P. – I would like to say someplace like Mesa Verde, Chichen Itza, or some other ancient place, but, in reality, traveling cause me anxiety. I am perfectly happy gaming at one of the local game shops.
Landan – Guinness Brewery in Ireland.
Megan – I think somewhere appropriate to the game we were playing. So an old library for a 1920’s Call of Cthulhu game, etc. But I think anymore I would just pick anywhere with a group in person!
Mike G. – A national park with lots of space (indoor and outdoor) where you can get the mood of the game without being disturbed by others. Did it twice, it was great.
Patrick – I would give my big toe to play a game of Better Angels inside the Westboro Baptist Church whilst broadcasting it live over the loud speakers. And just watch with glee all the vitriol they could spew out. Well, either Better Angels or any of the White Wolf games when it was still World of Darkness.
Phil – Wherever my groups are.

#RPGaDay 28: Thing you’d be most surprised a friend had not seen or read?

RPG a Day 2016 image

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 28, what is the thing you’d be most surprised a friend had not seen or read?
Aser – I would be surprised if anyone I knew had not seen Star Wars.
John D. – Read: Lovecraft or Conan, seen probably the Aliens, Predator or Terminator series.
Jonn P. – To this day, I am surprised by how many people I have met that DM without ever having read the Dungeon Masters Guide.
Megan – Lord of the Rings
Mike G. – Lord of the Rings. I would be very surprised.
Patrick – Labyrinth.
Phil – Firefly. Belgariad.

#RPGaDay 27, Most unusual circumstance or location in which you’ve gamed?

RPG a Day 2016 image

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 27, what is the most unusual circumstance or location in which you’ve gamed?
Aser – I’ve almost always gamed over an online interface. On one occasion though, I really played 5E on an actual kitchen table.
John D. – I got up at 3 am on my off day while deployed to the desert to run Black Crusade for the group; it was supper time for them back home! Aser thought it was funny I had good wifi in my room but had to go three buildings over to use the bathroom.
Jonn P. – I was running a pickup campaign of Keep on the Shadowfell at the local game store when one of the Assistant Directors at my job dropped by with his son to try out D&D. He was playing a paladin and his son a wizard. I had previously planned for the party to fight kobolds and a young brown dragon, a decent challenge for the party’s level.  Long story short, during the fight, I was faced with a moral dilemma, the squishy wizard had waded into the frontline, and I had to decide if I would spare the Assistant Director’s kid. I took the only morally correct option for a DM…blind the paladin with the dragon’s breath weapon before crushing the elf wizard in the brown’s claws. The integrity of the Dungeon Master must remain beyond reproach!
Megan – My first game sessions were in a conference room in the middle of a lab at grad school.
Mike G. – In the middle of the sidewalk in downtown Chicago. It was very odd.
Patrick – I’m pretty much a stone sober kind of guy but my most unusal game session invloved people who were coming down from five day speed benders and a lot of reefer.
Phil – On the internet I guess. Or at square dancing.

#RPGaDay 26: What hobbies go well with RPGs

RPG a Day 2016 image

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 26, what hobbies go well with RPGs?
Aser – I think reading and to other degrees consumption of other narrative media goes well with reading, as does history. The key is a love of storytelling and a desire to create or discover new stories.
John D. – Board games, reading comics, reading in general, to a lesser extent video games, writing, listening to podcasts.
Jonn P.  – Creative writing is something I think goes well with RPGs. I’ve been in several games that made use of character stories written between session as cannon and would dread them for ideas. Seeing the internal dialog and hearing the story told from the character’s perspectives made them feel real.
Landan – I think for some people the painting mini’s works really well. If you draw or do illustration you can always draw your characters or group you play with characters maybe NPC’s your party has helped.
Megan – I think a love or stories and books. You can incorporate almost any creative hobby into RPGs though, that’s what great about them.
Mike G. – Reading, math, and music.
Patrick – Miniature war-gaming, reading, movies, writing, math. Anything that allows you to flex creative muscles really.
Phil – Dice collecting, doing math for fun, earning money.