project-image

The Runewild - A Dark Fairy-Tale Setting for 5E

Created by Matthew J. Hanson

A 5e setting book and hexcrawl in a forest filled with witches, fey, and things that go bump in the night.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Milestones and Stretch Goals
over 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 02, 2018 at 12:15:31 PM

Hello everyone!

Just a quick update to let everyone know we reached a major milestone over the weekend: 200 backers! Even better, thanks to all of you 200+ backers, we also reached our first major stretch goal! All backers at the $6 or higher level will now receive PDF copies of two Seasons of the Runewild adventures (Bonedigger and All Through the Long, Dark Night).

The additional encounters keep adding up too! At the time I write this, we've funded 14 new encounter locations to be added to the Runewild Campaign Setting. I already have ideas for these encounters and can't wait to start writing them! If you have thoughts on the sorts of encounters you'd like to see, don't forget to share your opinions by filling out the survey here.

We're nearly halfway to our next big stretch goal: a major location with keyed map added to the Runewild Campaign Setting. Stay tuned for more updates as we approach that stretch goal and those beyond.

Thanks again Runewilders!

- Bill

Funded! (Also Extra Print Copies, Tales of Old Margreve, and More!)
over 5 years ago – Fri, Sep 28, 2018 at 09:45:21 PM

Hello Runewilders,

Guess what? We funded! Thanks to all of you, we are going to make a great book!

Now on to stretch goals! We've already earned enough to add two additional encounters, and I'm sure we can add a bunch more in the 20 days left on the campaign. If you haven't already done so, you can check out this survey to share your thoughts on the additional encounters.

Our next big stretch goal is for the third Seasons of the Runewild adventure, All Through the Long, Dark Night. When we reach $6,000, everybody who backs at the $6 level or higher will get a PDF copy of this adventure in which the heroes must save a solstice celebration after it's attacked by angry frosty fey. As I write this, we have less than $800 to go!

Extra Print Copies

A couple people have asked me about getting multiple print copies, so I've added that information in the add-on sections. Basically just increase your pledge by $30, plus the cost of hardcover or premium color upgrades if you want those.

You Might Also Like...

Do you enjoy 5e adventure set in a magical forest? (I sure hope so, because that's what this project is about.)

Then you would probably also like Tales of Old Margreve from Kobold Press, which just launched its own Kickstarter campaign yesterday and is already funded. It includes a player's book with lots of options like new races, subclasses, and spells, and also a GM's book filled with adventures. For those who play online, it also offers virtual table-top options.

Given their similar themes, it should be easy to drop adventures from Tales of Old Margreve in the Runewild or locations from the Runewild into Old Margreve.

More Shout Outs

I want to give a couple more shout outs to people who've mentioned the Runewild campaign.

First the Party of One Podcast said some nice things about us in their most recent episode. Party of One is an actual play RPG podcast where host Jeff Stormer sits down with a guest 1-on-1 and plays through a short, exciting roleplaying game.

Also Tesser's Guild included us in a recent article 4 RPG Kickstarters You Should Back. Tesser's Guild is another blog about all things nerdy, especially RPGs, comics, and art.

Did We Mention the Live Stream?

Yes, I know we did mention it in our last two updates, but it's the first live stream I've actually run, and I'm excited about it! It starts tomorrow (Saturday, September 29th) at 2 pm CDT. I hope you can tune in!

That's all for now,

Matthew

Stretch Goals, Encounter Preview, and Livesteam
over 5 years ago – Fri, Sep 28, 2018 at 02:59:46 PM

Greetings everyone! With our funding goal now in sight, it's time to start thinking about stretch goals!

Additional Encounters

The stretch goal I'm most excited about is the opportunity to add even more encounters to the Runewild Gazetteer section of the book. The Gazetteer already includes 100 encounters, but there are still some blank hexes left on our map. For every $100 we raise beyond the initial $5,000, we'll start filling in those hexes by adding another encounter to the book.

These new encounters should start piling up quickly, and we'd love to hear what you'd like to see in this additional content. To gather your input, we've created a short survey you can take here. The survey asks about the types of encounters you prefer (combat, exploration, or role-playing), the levels of encounters you'd like to see, and the kinds of creatures you want featured in the encounters. If you have more specific ideas you'd like to share, there's a place for that, as well. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments, too. I can't wait to hear your ideas!

Preview

If you're a backer, you already have access to the draft copy of the Runewild Gazetteer, which you can download from this Backer Only update. The Gazetteer should give you a good idea of the sorts of encounters we'll be adding to the book. If you're not a backer, here's a quick peek at one of my favorite encounters:

26. Dances with Bears (CR 4)

  • Five moon bears (as brown bears) dance in a clearing
  • PCs who join the dance may receive a boon: DC 14

PCs who chance upon this clearing witness a fantastic sight: five moon bears balanced on their hind legs, circling one another in an oddly graceful pavane.

The bears dance for several minutes before they drop to all fours and go their separate ways. At any time before the dance ends, the PCs may enter the clearing and join the bears. Those who do must make a DC 14 Charisma (Performance) check. Characters who dance in the form of a bear (via Wild Shape or other ability) have advantage on the check. On a success, the bears allow the PC to dance alongside them.

If a PC fails their Performance check, the bears become agitated. The PC must either abandon the dance or recover by succeeding on another DC 14 Charisma (Performance) check. If the check fails again, the bears end the dance prematurely and attack the offending PC.

PCs who successfully complete the dance receive a magical boon, which takes the form of a glowing moon shape somewhere on their body. Whenever a PC would make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Dexterity (Performance) check, they can expend their boon to gain advantage on the check. The boon disappears once used.

If the party ever returns to the clearing, there’s a 1 in 6 chance the bears have returned as well. PCs who wish may join the dance again, but a PC may benefit from only one boon at a time.

Other than their fondness for dancing, the bears are normal beasts. If the PCs speak with the bears via speak with animals or other magic, the bears have only one concern: the whereabouts of their missing queen, Ursula (see encounter location 100 for more information).

Live Stream

Finally, please join us at our first Kickstarter Livestream this Saturday, September 29th at 2 p.m. CDT (GMT -5). Matthew and I will sit down to talk about all things Runewild. If you there's anything about the Runewild you've been dying to know, the easiest way to submit questions is through the live stream's page here: https://live.kickstarter.com/matthew-j--hanson/live/runewild-q-and-a

Thanks again to all of you fantastic backers!  - Bill

Less than a Thousand to Go!
over 5 years ago – Tue, Sep 25, 2018 at 09:54:44 AM

Hello again Runewildians,

We are less than a thousand dollars from funding the Runewild! (As I write this we're need just $805). While we've slowed from the break-neck pace of first two days, we continue to get new backers every day, and should probably hit the funding goal within a week.

Live Stream

We're planning to do our first Kickstarter Livestream this Saturday, September 29th at 2 p.m. CDT (GMT -5). I'll sit down with Bill to ask him a bunch of questions about the Runewild. I'm already working on a list, but I'd love more. The easiest way to submit questions is through the live stream's page here: https://live.kickstarter.com/matthew-j--hanson/live/runewild-q-and-a

Shout out to the Other Side Blog

I want to take a moment to say thanks to Timothy S. Brannan from The Other Side Blog, from writing a nice post about the Runewild. If you have not checked out the blog, you definitely should. It features original RPG content and discussion, as well as other nerdy topics like comics and Buffy.

Spreading the Word

We continue to reach out to other blogs like the Other Side. If you have a site you know of that covers Kickstarters that hasn't written about us let us know and we'll get in touch.

I've seen a lot you already retweet us on Twitter or share our posts on Facebook and Google Plus. Thanks to everybody who has done so! If you haven't and you want to start, you can check out any of our social media pages, through the links above.

Finally, a great way to spread the word is through online forums. I've posted about the project in several, including ENWorld, RPG.net, and RPG Geek.

I want to give a particular mention to my Reddit post. If you are a Reddit user, one very quick and easy thing you can do to help the campaign is take a second to either up vote or comment on the post. This helps it stay on the front page longer, which helps it more people discover it.

That's all for now,

-Matthew