Topic: February 2013's Crowdfunding for Free RPG Day!

Here's the pitch and text and blah blah blah. Let me know what you think. (To be done in February just so it's not overlapping with outstanding current crowdfunding items.)

OPERATION: LOTFP RETAIL DOMINATION

IndieGoGo does not allow modification to your pledge and charges you upon pledging. Refunds are only given on projects which do not fund; there is no "oh I changed my mind" mechanism on this site and the campaign organizers (LotFP in this case) have no control or access to such things. Consider your choice to contribute carefully and be sure you mean it before you hit that payment button.

Saturday, June 15, 2013, is Free RPG Day. Hundreds of game retailers worldwide are GIVING AWAY free gaming stuff. LotFP wants to be a big part of that by putting thousands and thousands of copies of a brand new adventure into gamers' hands FOR FREE. The adventure we're going to present is Better than Any Man.

For more information about Free RPG Day and whether or not your local game store is participating, click here: http://www.freerpgday.com/

The release has to be top-notch. First-class artwork, the best adventure possible, and an all around magnificent presentation. This will be the first real exposure to LotFP for thousands of gamers - not reading reviews or thumbing briefly through a book in the store or downloading a PDF and taking two seconds to flick through in between looking at LOLcats and Youtube videos, but something they can take home and absorb at their leisure. It must make the best impression possible and make the reader want more more more. No expense can be spared.

Financing such a release - one with no direct sales revenue - is difficult for a small publisher.

That's where this crowdfunding campaign comes in. You're going to help. We're going to make sure every damn gamer out there gets a copy of LotFP's Free RPG Day adventure. The goals listed here cover the printing - LotFP will float the writing, art, editing, and layout costs. If we go over goal, well, thanks, less floating we have to do!

We've put together some great perks to get this financed. Here's what you can get:

  • The Contributor Edition of Better Than Any Man. Because the Free RPG Day version will be printed and shipped entirely in the US, I will never see more than a proof copy of it, and can't send it out to anyone. You'll have to visit your Local Friendly Game Store for a copy. But what I will do is print up a number of copies of an alternate version of the adventure, exclusive for the supporters of this campaign! No extras outside of this campaign, PERIOD. It will not be released as a free PDF as the Retail version will eventually be. The Retail version has to be clean and general-audience friendly... but the Contributor version will be the Uncensored LotFP style you know and love/hate. The adventure will be (mostly) the same in the two versions, but each will have different cover and interior art.

  • Oh, we're also making 8 different monster cards. They'll be A6 size, full color, double-sided glossy laminated cards with the monster pic on one side and the game status and mechanics of the monster on the other. One RANDOM monster card (we will not take requests for specific cards) will be included with FIRST LEVEL or higher perks. Pembrooktonshire Gardening Society members get two different cards. Want more cards? Add $10 for each additional card you want (no duplicates will be mailed in any shipment assuming you don't get more than 8 cards). The monsters are all taken from previous LotFP releases with all new art by Aeron Alfrey.

WHAT IS BETTER THAN ANY MAN?

(needs cleaning up, I know)

In the middle of a catastrophic war, one group of women has taken control of a ravaged city and declared "No more." Deposing the ruling elite and establishing their own government, they have made enemies of everyone in power - the Emperor on his far-off throne, the invading army, and the religious and merchant classes of their own city - while enjoying the popular support of the impoverished masses. Events are in motion that cannot be stopped, but the final outcome of these events will be decided by an unlikely group of adventurers who stumble upon the situation at just the wrong time.

Better than Any Man details what happens when the Player Characters stumble into a situation on the verge of a complete breakdown. Will they get involved? Who will they support? Will they survive? Will they find a way to profit in this failed state?

Thousands will die, and tens of thousands more lives will be ruined. The laws of God and nature will be violated. What happens here will never be forgotten by those who witness it, no matter how much they try... Welcome to No Man's Land.

Although the adventure will use the historical Thirty Years War as the backdrop to the adventure, it will be easily adaptable to your fantasy campaign milieu.

WHAT IS LAMENTATIONS OF THE FLAME PRINCESS?

(blah blah to be filled later)

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE IF LOTFP HAS A MAJOR PRESENCE AT FREE RPG DAY?

Sure, Free RPG Day can lead to greater awareness amongst gamers (and retailers!) which can result in more sales and that helps LotFP as a company and me as the owner of that company, but why does that matter to you as a fan of LotFP?

Glad you asked!

  • Greater interest means more players for the game. More online discussion about the game. Tabletop role-playing is an entirely social experience and a greater presence means a greater pool of people for you to play with, discuss with, and generally do all the things RPGs allow you to do.

  • More promotion means more sales, which just might mean bigger print runs for some items which would result in a lower retail price on each copy.

  • The spreading of the LotFP ethos further into gaming. Even if you don't care about LotFP per se, it's certainly hard to argue that it ever falls victim to the rather conservative wish-fulfillment attitudes displayed by most of the RPG industry. Whether it's "inappropriate" artwork or content, complete silliness, the willingness to intentionally put out campaign-transforming material disguised as a regular adventure, and generally uncouth, unbalanced, and unsafe attitude (and sometimes all of the above in the same release!), LotFP lights your brain up with every release. Maybe some more success down this way would loosen up the rest of the stuff showing up on game store shelves a bit.

  • You know how LotFP has stuff out or in the works by Kenneth Hite, Vincent Baker, Zak S, Dave "Oderus Urungus" Brockie and a bunch of others? Well we can keep the game fresh and varied by having more people do work for LotFP. You know those people from 2012's crowdfunding efforts that didn't get funded and people went "awww..." Let's get them on board! And the projects could come out more regularly so if there's some LotFP you don't like, you don't have to worry about it delaying the stuff you do like quite so much anymore.

  • Speaking of crowdfunding, I'd love there to be no need for crowdfunding bigger projects. Let's be honest, you'd rather just pay money when something is ready to ship, I'd rather not have the pressure of having taken people's money for a project I can't ship out for months yet, it's all a bit naff, and with more fans and more buyers of LotFP stuff, we never have to deal with all that nonsense. Until next year's Free RPG Day drive!

  • You want some random junk...errr...^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S ITEMS!

All perks will be mailed out Priority Class the week after Free RPG Day - that's a requirement stipulated in the Free RPG Day agreement. Free RPG Day is June 13, 2013.

GOAL LEVELS

$1,000 - 600 copies of the Retail Edition of Better Than Any Man will be printed for Free RPG Day.

$2,000 - 1800 copies will be printed.

$4,000 - 3000 copies will be printed.

$5,000 - 6000 copies will be printed.

$6,000 - 9000 copies will be printed and we get PLATINUM LEVEL Free RPG Day participation. As a bonus everyone pledging at SECOND LEVEL and higher gets the new retail version (fifth printing) of DEATH FROST DOOM added to their shipment.

$8,000 - Everyone pledging at SECOND LEVEL and higher gets the reprint of TOWER OF THE STARGAZER (including LotFP Quickstart) included in their shipment.

$10,000 - Everyone pledging at SECOND LEVEL and higher gets the reprint of THE GRINDING GEAR included in their shipment.

$13,000 - Everyone pledging at SECOND LEVEL and higher gets the reprint of NO DIGNITY IN DEATH/PEOPLE OF PEMBROOKTONSHIRE included in their shipment.

$15,000 - Everyone pledging at SECOND LEVEL and higher gets the reprint of HAMMERS OF THE GOD included in their shipment.

PERK LEVELS

$1 LEVEL UP
If you contribute at a lower level and later want to increase your contribution, use this perk to make up the difference.

$25 FIRST LEVEL
You get a signed and numbered print copy of Better than Any Man: The Contributor Edition. Add $10 for each additional copy.

$50 SECOND LEVEL
Everything from FIRST LEVEL plus a signed and numbered copy of the exclusive fourth printing of Death Frost Doom, with new maps and also special cover art exclusive to this printing. Add $20 for each additional set of 4th printing of Death Frost Doom you want.

$100 THIRD LEVEL
As SECOND LEVEL plus a signed and numbered copy of "Another Shitty Adventure" (a sewercrawl, 12 pages + cover/maps) by James Edward Raggi IV, the print version of which will be exclusive to this campaign. Add $20 for each additional copy of this adventure that you want.

Re: February 2013's Crowdfunding for Free RPG Day!

Great idea. I'll pledge at the second level.

And thanks for giving sufficient notice! My wife and I have to budget our finances a few months in advance, so I missed the last couple of campaigns. An early announcement like this pretty much guarantees my partcipation.

Re: February 2013's Crowdfunding for Free RPG Day!

Today Finland, tomorrow the world - or at least, the USA.

I heartily endorse LOTFP domination of North American game shops.  Commence product beatdown.

Crowdfunding is tough during the Xmas season, so I'm glad this is shaping up for Jan-Feb for the campaign.

Re: February 2013's Crowdfunding for Free RPG Day!

Damn you James Edward Raggi the Fourth!

You have once again figured out how to get my money! Now I have to make sure I have $100 US to blow in February. The slowest time of the year for my business.

Well played.

Re: February 2013's Crowdfunding for Free RPG Day!

At least i now know I need to set aside $100+ for February.