Steampunk on Kickstarter, Nov. 2016
Publishing
The Time Traveler’s Trilogy, Ends Dec. 20
It’s 1815, and Wellington’s badly-outnumbered army stares across the field of Waterloo at Napoleon’s forces. Desperate to hold until reinforcements arrive, Wellington calls upon a race of monsters created by a mad scientist 25 years before.
It’s 1815, and a discontented young lady sitting in a rose garden receives a mysterious gift: a pocket watch that, when opened, displays scenes from all eras of history. Past…and future.
It’s 1885, and a small band of resistance fighters are resorting to increasingly extreme methods in their efforts to overthrow a steampunk Empire whose clockwork gears are slick with its subjects’ blood.
Are these events connected?
Oh, come now. That would be telling…
My favorite reward: $5 pledge and you get the first ebook in the series by January.
Film
Outlawed Faith, Ends Dec. 16
GENRE: Sci-Fi/Western/Steampunk
LOGLINE: In a dystopian universe, on a dead-end back water world, an orphaned boy and his sisters, one of which is a mystic Seer, try to escape from the sway of their megalomaniac uncle by seeking out the help of a reformed gunslinger.
PLOT SUMMARY: Young Jonah’s faith carries him and his sisters, Celine, and Cora to the borderland town, Harpdale, a dusty crossroads on the edge of the galaxy, where law is what one makes it. They seek out his mother’s old friend, the infamous reformed gunslinger Kulta; but what they find is more than what anyone bargains for. Outlawed Faith is a science fiction action adventure which brings forward a strongly charismatic, but unlikely and reluctant, hero to the rescue of innocence in danger. The story brings together a mashup of genres (Steampunk/Western) creating a perfect blend for adventure.
My favorite reward: $10 pledge gets you a download of the short, plus a download of the finished full film
Gaming
Concept Crowd Gear, Ends Dec. 4
The Game:
The game will have a steampunk anime type stylized aesthetics. An unknown force brings magic to the equation, causing inexplicable phenomenon such as strange monsters and weird climatic changes that alter the setting and increase the conflict.
As the game grows, the core platform supporting the game will add new weapons, terrains, bosses, creatures, or mechanics. This allows for more repeat playing of the game.
The Process:
Rewards for support include participation in the concepts section, voting rights during development, and credit for any contributions that are used in the game. Whether backers have a passion for drawing, modeling, or just have great ideas for the videogame, access to the forums is gained based on backing.
My favorite reward: a $10 pledge allows you to be a part of the design process and give feedback
Steam Hammer, ends Dec. 15
Steam Hammer is the first hardcore sandbox-style RPG set in a dark and mysterious steampunk world. Experience the intensity as you try to survive on the mysterious Acribo Islands.
Steam Hammer features:
• a classic Victorian steampunk setting with wondrous mechanisms, machinery, weapons, armor, clothing, and—of course—steam and smoke.
• an open-class system that frees you from arbitrary constraints. Engineer, scientist, farmer, gunsmith, stormtrooper, sharpshooter, and more can all be combined and switched depending on your skill set.
• a huge open world for you to explore, travel, and terraform. Go where you will and master the land.
Craft your Glory. Craft your Victory. Craft your Steam Hammer!
My favorite reward: $25 pledge gets you the full game and your name in the credits
Pirates: Age of Gravitum, Ends Dec. 22
In Pirates : Age of Gravitium, you play as a pirate captain looking for a solution to the upcoming threat of the India Company. Whether you want to become famous, rich enough or well prepared to fight is for you to decide. To help you during your journey, you can recruit a large variety of fellow pirates. You can also grow your headquarter to unlock new skills, accept missions for other factions or simply explore the world in search for treasures or easy targets to rob. But be careful ! You are not alone, and the other factions – the British, the French, the Dutch, the Spanish and the other Pirates – will make sure you pay for your crimes.
Sea itself is treacherous if you travel for too long, as the moral of your crew, like the hull of your ship, is far from being unbreakable.
My favorite reward: 18 euros and you get the game, a chance to answer polls during development, and your name in the credits
Steampunk Crowdfunding July/Aug 2016
Summertime and the living’s easy… unless you are one of those people currently running a Kickstarter campaign and biting your nails as you watch for pledges!
My friends over at Aerolyth Enterprises reached their funding goal for Stars of Empire, but there are awesome stretch goals still to meet so check them out.
What’s Going on Right Now?
Publishing
Adventure: A Collection of Steampunk Short Stories, Ends Sept. 5
Watch the Video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/citizensofantiford/adventure-a-collection-of-steampunk-short-stories/widget/video.html
We are the Citizens of Antiford, a steampunk collective of amateur cosplayers, artists, and authors. Our fictional world was created about 6 years ago and we’ve been active in the steampunk community and growing ever since. We held a challenge for our members to write short stories worthy of publication. We selected six stories that represent the idea of adventure in the Citizens of Antiford’s world.
If you’re interested in discovering more about us and our world, there’s a plethora of stories, videos, comics, and more on our community’s website https://citizensofantiford.com.
My Favorite Reward: $15 pledge gets you a paperback copy and a choice of bookmark
Gaming
Airships of Oberon (Tabletop Game), Ends Aug. 5
Watch the Video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1132744086/airships-of-oberon/widget/video.html
Airships of Oberon is a fun, highly social strategy game in which you go on missions to pick up and deliver Flux Artifacts for experience points. The Artifacts are in short supply so you’ll be chasing other players and using Anti-magnetic Effects to get the ones you need. When you gain 36 experience you become a Flux Master. Then you can complete your final Mission: capture the three keys and bring them to Oberon City to win the game!
My Favorite Reward: If you can’t afford the $50 for the full game, you can get a “print and play” version for an $8 pledge.
Columnae: A Past Under Construction, Ends Aug. 9
Watch the Video:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1275603373/columnae-a-past-under-construction/widget/video.html
COLUMNAE: A Past Under Construction is a Windows/Mac/Linux nonlinear point & click adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world. The story of COLUMNAE is set more than a century after an environmental catastrophe made the air on the surface of the earth unbreathable, and the rich locked themselves up in Deus: a closed heavenly settlement built upon gigantic metal pillars called Columnae. Beneath Columnae, a huge apparatus Machina was built to automatically extract underground resources and pump them up via pipes, through Columnae and into Deus. Trying to escape the lethal environment on the surface, those not wealthy enough settled in Columnae, where they now live by parasitizing on resources coming from Machina. Not only unable to enter Deus, but also unwilling to cooperate with people living on nearby Cliffs, the society of Columnae is plagued by corruption, political manipulation, power struggle and poverty.
My Favorite Reward: $14 pledge and you get the game, plus lovely digital artwork
Tinkerbits Steampunk Meeples (Tabletop Gaming), Ends Aug 21
Meeples are iconic in the tabletop gaming world. They have many uses and are great little tactile toys. Giving them a Tinkerish steampunk twist is something that we’ve wanted to do for a couple of years. They started in Carcassonne, but meeples can find a home almost anywhere.
As for offering them in metal, well, that’s just one of the things that we enjoy. There’s just something nice about the heavier, solid feel of metal game components, and they bring a certain panache to the table. It’s not necessary for them to be metal to be playable, and yes, they are more costly than wood or plastic, but we think it’s worth it.
My Favorite Reward: $14 for 5 of these adorable little guys
Other Fun Projects
Time Flies: Levitating Nixie Clock, Ends Aug. 19
Watch the Video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lasermad/time-flies-levitating-nixie-clock/widget/video.html
From an early age we are aware of the laws of physics and their effect on how the world around us behaves. If we pick up an object, it has weight. If we place it on another object, such as a table, shelf or the floor, it will rest upon it. If we drop it, it will fall. We become so used to this behaviour that any exception is a surprise and delight. Remember the first time you saw a helium filled balloon, straining to escape, fighting the ties of gravity? Even though levitated objects have become increasingly common, there is still the air of magic about them. When the levitated object is radiating energy you know it cannot be generating in itself, the illusion of magic is complete…
Steampunk Crowdfunding: June/July 2016
It looks like a lot of Kickstarter folks must be on summer vacation, because there weren’t all that many projects going at the moment. But the ones that exist look really amazing, so check them out!
Gaming
Wrath of Anna, Ends July 19
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1118017763/wrath-of-anna-pre-orders-round-2/widget/video.html
I grew up playing competitive games at the highest level, and I have been actively developing Wrath of Anna since July 2015 (utilizing Unreal Engine 4). My name is Michael L. Fiorentino Gutierrez (a.k.a. hamtaro in the gaming world) and I’m presenting to you a competitive FPS with brutal 5 on 5 competitive play alongside other small and large scale combat modes. I have self funded the game up to this point with a small amount of private assistance, and I’m here now to utilize Kickstarter to raise extra funds mainly through pre-orders. These funds are important and will help provide a more advanced multiplayer early access experience.The early access focuses on multiplayer gameplay; with additional episodic campaigns planned for later release.
My favorite reward: For a $10 pledge you get an early access key to try out the game before the official release, as well as previews before anyone outside of the Kickstarter project.
Stars of Empire, Ends Aug 11
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/759107276/stars-of-empire-a-vsf-steampunk-rpg/widget/video.html
In 2016, a game publisher called Black Pigeon Press and I put out a Victorian Science Fiction Role Playing game titled Stars of Empire. We used their game engine and my Hive, Queen, and Country (HQC) setting. This fusion provided gamers with a tabletop experience where they could be challenged by the story and not by the rules. Unfortunately Black Pigeon Press closed its doors. Instead of letting the Hive, Queen and Country Universe just die I formed Aerolyth Enterprises LLC and began self publishing. With the help of a number of friends and a successful Kickstarter we’ve been able to produce a miniatures game and two source books. Now we would like to come full circle. With your help we will produce two core books, one for Referees and one for Players.
My favorite reward: For a $40 pledge you get the full library of 6 books minimum, and any additional books that get funded as stretch goals.
Film
Forbidden Two, ends July 9
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/114455469/forbidden-two/widget/video.html
Our team consist of independent filmmakers. We hope to raise a modest goal to make this project come to life! Right now we are aiming to make the Pilot episode as a “proof of concept” with the hope of shopping the show around and eventually moving onto a full season. Why Not a Web series? For us, “Forbidden Two,” is an immersive and lavish world, and with the complexity of the story, we don’t feel that a web series format would do the show justice. This is why we are aiming to create the pilot.
My favorite reward: For a $50 pledge, backers get a special screening (either over the internet or in person), plus cool rewards at lower levels like coloring pages based on the concept art and soundtrack.
Back Stars of Empire Now on Kickstarter
Creator Terry Sofian sporting my design for Aerolyth Enterprises
About a year ago, I reviewed a tabletop RPG called Hive, Queen, and Country which is about Victorian-era space travel and the strange creature that inhabit the solar system. A few days ago, my friends over at Aerolyth Enterprises launched a new Kickstarter campaign to produce new editions and a brand new companion book. The campaign will last most of the summer, but they have already gotten over 1/3 of the pledges they need so I am certain they will make their goal and deliver on their rewards.
Visit their campaign page and watch the video below.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/759107276/stars-of-empire-a-vsf-steampunk-rpg/widget/video.html
Steampunk Crowdfunding: May/June 2016
What’s Going on Right Now?
Apparel
Ungodly Goodies, Ends June 4
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2086989616/ungodly-goodies/widget/video.html
Ungodly Goodies is a multi-faceted Artisan horror company focused on Wicca, gothic, steampunk, pinup and oddity apparel that’s here for the long-term so join us and help grow this unique brand!
We ship anywhere in the world!
All shirts are available in Men’s and Women’s but all are black. Tank Tops also available.
Here’s a look at our tees:
My favorite reward: $25 pledge gets you a shirt of your choosing.
Film
Forbidden Two, Ends July 9
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/114455469/forbidden-two/widget/video.html
Our team consist of independent filmmakers. We hope to raise a modest goal to make this project come to life! Right now we are aiming to make the Pilot episode as a “proof of concept” with the hope of shopping the show around and eventually moving onto a full season…
The series follows Claudia L’Martinaire, a Nunne’hi on her first mission to Earth, and how her world is turned upside down when Tristan, an up and coming inventor, walks into her life as she searches for the human she is meant to protect.
My favorite reward: $20 pledge gets you a Steampunk coloring book!
Gaming
Mists of Akuma: Eastern Fantasy Noir Steampunk for D&D 5E, Ends May 30
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/verantheacodex/mists-of-akuma-eastern-fantasy-noir-steampunk-for/widget/video.html
My favorite reward: $20 pledge gets you a PDF of the game.
Ictus: Tabletop Warfare, Ends June 22
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/461393791/ictus-30mm-tabletop-wargame-in-the-steampunk-apoca/widget/video.html
Titan Zero Industries presents Ictus, a table top wargame set in the Stempunk apocalypse of 1909. Ictus features high quality miniatures, six unique factions, an all new stacking rule set and multiple game modes including cooperative play.
My favorite reward: $40 pledge gets a set of miniatures worth $50
Performing Arts
The Spectre of Knox Mill, Ends June 11
Watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamtheopera/steam-or-the-specters-of-the-knox-mill/widget/video.html
Between 2012 and 2014, we four musicians converged over a set of common grievances. The world in which we live sharply divided between “entertainment” and “art” with little room for overlap. It often felt like there was a vast ‘no-man’s land’ in between high opera and it’s closest relative, musical theater. Compelling pieces that appeal to modern sensibilities that are performed with a high caliber of vocal training and are few and far between. “Where are the mainstream operas?” Friends would ask. “We can have exciting, relate-able, stories with twists and turns AND beautiful singing with songs we want to hum, can’t we?”
My favorite reward: $20 for a download of the album.
Steampunk Crowdfunding – April 2016 Edition
Here’s What’s Going on Right Now
Special Events
Bask and Shadow – FP 3D Steampunk/Swordcery Dungeon Crawl, Ends May 19
A first person, single-player adventure where Sword and Sorcery meets Steampunk: based in a twisted city and the dark depths below. Crawl through multi-levelled dungeons riddled with tricks and traps, where exploration and route planning skills are as important as fighting. Difficult challenges await you in the city and dungeons as you encounter unique hordes, motley crews, legions, lieutenants and bosses . This is not a hoarders paradise. The treasures are unique to the quest.
My favorite reward: For $19 you can get the game and a your name added to the digital poster given as a reward at other levels
Publishing
Silent Meridian – Steampunk & Time Travel, Ends May 13
The Story
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is obsessed with a legendary red book. Its peculiar stories have come to life, and rumors claim that it has rewritten its own endings. Convinced that possessing this book will help him write his ever-popular Sherlock Holmes stories, he takes on an unlikely partner, John Patrick Scott, known to most as a concert musician and paranormal investigator. Although in his humble opinion, Scott considers himself more of an ethereal archeologist and a time traveler professor.
Together they explore lost worlds and excavate realms beyond the knowledge of historians when they go back in time to find it. But everything backfires, and their friendship is tested to the limits. Both discover that karmic ties and unconscionable crimes have followed them like ghosts from the past, wreaking havoc on the present and possibly the future.
Silent Meridian reveals the alternate histories of Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Houdini, Jung and other notable luminaries in the secret diaries of a new kind of Doctor Watson, John Patrick Scott, in an X Files for the 19th century. Stay tuned for A Pocketful of Lodestones; book two in the Time Traveler Professor series by Elizabeth Crowens.
My favorite reward: For $14 you get a paperback of the book
Modis – YA Steampunk Novel, Ends May 22
I’m excited about this story, and sharing it with others, so let’s start with what it is. The Modis is an action filled steampunk adventure set in early 1800’s England. It is about a boy, with an unusual gift, and a drive to be reunited with his sister. Along the way, he meets a motley array of characters, some warm, and others who are downright dangerous. More than just an adventure, this story carries with it some wonderful and challenging history, and the characters deal with some big issues. What happens when we magnify our internal issues into the physical realm and add in some high stakes peril? A wildly entertaining romp through the revolution of early Industrial England…
My favorite reward: $5 and you get the ebook. The goal is very small, I have no doubt it will be reached, so even a small donation will mean a lot to this creator!
Gaming
60 – A Steampunk Dice and Card Game, Ends May 13
Fresh from our successful No Dice Kickstarter we have another creative little game. Score points by rolling a die. Simple, yes? Not if you can trade up to a d8 or a d10, or double your score every turn. 60 is a combination of card and dice game in a 2oz tobacco tin.
Each player holds two cards (one if there are 5 or 6 players) and draws one more per turn. They must then play one of the cards in front of them either to benefit themselves or to hinder another player. Finally, rolling to score points for their turn, play passes to the next person.
Draw, Play, Roll, Score. It’s that simple…
My favorite reward: $22 pledge gets you the game.
Breach City Token Line, Ends May 19
The Project
The Breach City Token Line is a complete line of tokens for the table top miniature war game Malifaux™ produced by the company Wyrd™ Miniatures.
As you all know, a lot of abilities and effects in this game need to be tracked down. In their latest tournament packet, Wyrd™ Miniatures even added a section about tracking the different elements in the game, for the sake of clean play. There are a lot of different options on the market to help you with tracking, but most of these will only offer the most popular conditions and marker tokens but will leave out those that are used sparingly. This is where my project comes in…
My favorite reward: $12 pledge gets you 25 tokens of your choice.
Steampunk Crowdfunding November 2015 Edition
There are some great performances up on Kickstarter this month, and I am so happy to see more of these types of projects. I had such a great time at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest in 2014 when I had an opportunity to see lots of awesome Steampunk and Victorian content. It is one thing to read a Steampunk book or even attend a convention, but being part of a rapt audience at a performance or film screening is a whole other level of immersion. Keep it coming creators!
What’s Going on in November and December?
Performing Arts
Absinthe Heroes: The Darkly Humorous Steampunk Rock Opera, Ends Dec 15
Absinthe Heroes is a propulsive, darkly humorous rock opera which both satirizes and celebrates the weird, wondrous world which is Steampunk. It’s got a gorgeous score by renowned Steampunk headliner Psyche Corporation, whose work has enthralled audiences all over the world. Absinthe Heroes has been described as “a riotous blending of the ridiculous and the sublime”; “mad science in theatrical form”, and “A Steampunk rollercoaster”. It’s chock full of surprises, plot twists, Easter eggs, and, just as things are starting to get seriously silly, it arcs into exhilarating drama and storytelling.
My Favorite Reward: For a $15 pledge, backers can have their Steampunk business or event shared with 87,000 people who follow the Facebook page, as well as having an official Steampunk title bestowed upon them.
Beard and Bean: Steampunk Science live shows, ends December 20
Watch the video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beardandbean/beard-and-bean-steampunk-science/widget/video.html
Beard & Bean have entertained audiences on stage and screen. This two person comedy team entertains at conventions, expos and festivals engaging audiences in imaginative game shows, creative discussions and adding humor to informative panels on a variety of subjects. Beard and Bean become fan favorites and are repeatedly asked back to events year after year.
In 2015, after meeting with Doc Phineas, a Steampunker from Pawn Stars, Beard & Bean have been offered stage time at Steamathon 2016 in Las Vegas. What a great way to premiere two new shows for 2016! Currently there are two stage events in development: Micheal Faraday’s Life of a Candle and Beard and Bean: Science Pirates.
My Favorite Reward: For a $15 pledge you can get a thank you and a “stunt liver” bottle opener.
Film
The Circus Short Film, Ends Dec. 30
Watch the video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1222053339/the-circus-short-film/widget/video.html
‘The Circus’ is influenced heavily on the steampunk style: vintage, industrial, machinery and technology, in parallel with Victorian London itself. More than this, Victorian London was a dark, mysterious time: people disappeared unannounced, Jack the Ripper’s identity was and never will be known, London was poverty stricken, overcrowded and many went hungry. It’s a fascinating place to explore, therefore we have tried to convey that within our story…
My Favorite Reward: For 20 GBP you can get a digital download of the film before anyone else gets to see it.
Publishing
Nikola Tesla Trilogy: Steampunk Adventures Through Space and Time, Ends Dec. 7
Watch the video:
“WHO- Hi, I’m Sean Hoade. You may know me from my fiction and nonfiction books about zombies,Zombie School Confidential and Reviva Las Vegas!, my thriller Ain’t That America, my literary-historical fantasy Darwin’s Dreams, my unhinged collection of stories Inappropriate Behavior, my acclaimed horror-Edwardian mashup Deadtown Abbey, or my Lovecraftian trilogy, Cthulhu Attacks!
Or perhaps not. In which case, Hello! I create the novels you never even knew you were waiting for, and that is definitely the case with my upcoming series (each individual volume being released in 2016), The Tesla Trilogy.”
My Favorite Reward: For a $25 pledge you can get all three ebooks
Gaming
Dukes and Dirigibles, Ends Dec. 19
Watch the video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1107050469/dukes-and-dirigibles/widget/video.html
“Set in the skies over Victorian England, Dukes and Dirigibles enables players to perform exhilarating feats of aerial combat. Dare you enter the massive floating arenas filled with all manner of aircraft, turrets, and airships? Gun powder will flare, cannons will roar, and smoke will fill the skies… Test your skills against friend and foe alike. Giant airships will hunt you down in Singleplayer, and your own friends will hunt you down in head-to-head Local Multiplayer dogfights.”
My Favorite Reward: For just $10 you can get the game.
Other Fun Projects
Legends of Steampunk Miniatures, Ends Dec. 13
“For years they have walked among us… the dashing heroes and their extraordinary adventures, the bold engineers and their amazing inventions, the resourceful and steadfast leaders who take our hands and lead us gently and humbly through incredible worlds. They are the pioneers, the Legends of British Steampunk. and now they are to become immortalised in the showcases of collectors and on the tabletops of gamers across this wide world. Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding for the LEGENDS OF BRITISH STEAMPUNK!
Over the last ten years the UK Steampunk scene has grown insatiably and is now, dare I say it? Something of a fashion trend… but there have been and still are emergent pioneers from all over the globe who have broken and continue to break the cliches and assumptions and drive Steampunk forwards as a progressive craft movement that refuses to be defined and boxed. It is my longing to add some of these magnificent men and women to the growing number of ‘steampunk’ miniatures available as a tribute to their advancement of the name of Steampunk, thanks for the inspiration they have given me and as a reminder that we shouldn’t try to define these things too tightly.”
My Favorite Reward: For a pledge of 20 GBP you can get any set of 6 miniatures. These can be used for gaming or just to have on display, and feature some of the cool folks I met while I was on my Steam Tour last year.
Steampunk Crowdfunding: October 2015 Edition
Here’s What’s on Tap Right Now
Publishing
Boston Metaphysical Society #6, Ends Nov. 6
Watch the video:
Madeleine Holly-Rosing, writer/creator of the comic BOSTON METAPHYSICAL SOCIETY announced the launch of her campaign to fund the printing of the final issue of the steampunk supernatural six issue mini-series. “It’s been three years in the making and the team has done a terrific job. I know the fans will not be disappointed.”
With art by Emily Hu and colors by Gloria Caeli, the story is about an ex-Pinkerton detective, a spirit photographer and a genius scientist who battle supernatural forces in late 1800’s Boston. It also includes such notable historical figures at Bell, Edison, Tesla and Houdini as part of the story line. “I feel so honored to be working with such an outstanding team. You’d never guess that this was everyone’s first book with the exception of Troy and Shawn, our letterers.” The comic received an Honorable Mention at the 2013 Geekie Awards and was nominated for Best Comic/Graphic Novel in 2014. It has also been consistently nominated for best webcomic by the Steampunk Chronicles Readers’ Choice Awards for the last three years.
My favorite reward: A $20 pledge gets you all six issues in the series in a downloadable format.
The Ghost Rebellion:Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 5, Ends Nov. 15
Watch the video:
The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is a steampunk book series that has continued to make an impact in the science fiction community. Since its release in 2011, the series and its accompanying podcast have won several honors, including just this year the distinction of Best Steampunk of 2014 from RT Book Reviews. On signing our contract with Ace Books for what would be Dawn’s Early Light and The Diamond Conspiracy, we knew any additional novels in this series would fall under our responsibility. Based on our own love for this series (as well as the reactions of our readers and listeners) we knew on finishing the final draft of Book Four, the adventures of Eliza D. Braun and Wellington Thornhill Books were far from done.
Besides, we love writing in this world; and those who have joined us tell us often that the fun we have not only comes through in our storytelling, but it is quite contagious. We have a few more surprises up our sleeves, and cannot wait to share them with you!
If you’re new to us and new to our world, we’re offering for the run of the Kickstarter free eBook downloads and links to this free fiction in audio:
- The Evil that Befell Samson by Pip Ballantine (ebook | podcast)
(2011 Parsec Award Winner for Best Short Fiction)
If you want more, then welcome to our Kickstarter!
My favorite reward: For a $5 pledge you can get the newest book as a digital download. Can you read my review of book one in the series here.
Dark Steam Tales #1 – Steampunk Graphic Novel Series, Ends Nov. 17
Watch the video:
(English translation of Italian) In London, during the Victorian era, people were attracted by bloody and mysterious “Penny Dreadful” stories, sold for a penny from street criers. These were horror stories like Jack the Ripper or Sweeney Todd, a mix of real crimes and urban legends, full of spiritism, mystery, violence and scary things. In France the theatre “Grand Guignol” had set up countless stage plays where sex and blood were the main course, stories of serial killings, mad scientists and special effects, always including a lot of blood.
In 1890 London, is not just crime the center of people’s attention. A secret society (the “Lemegeton Society”) hires agents to investigate on particularly heinous crimes, where there is more than “just” serial killers behind the scenes. The London of Dark Steam Tales is born by the union of the historic city and a fantasy site inspired by the literature of masters like Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, with a hint of “Penny Dreadful” creep. The technology you will find in this setting is a fusion of clockwork precision mechanics, the newborn electricity –together with the fantastic suggestion of death rays— and amazing steam machines, all together to build a fantasy world, exotic yet never too far from the real one.
My favorite reward: For a 10 Euro pledge you get a digital download of the first three issues, plus a digital wallpaper.
Gaming
Steamcraft: A Steampunk Deck-Building Strategy Game, Ends Oct. 29
Watch the video:
Steamcraft is a strategic deckbuilding card game for 2-4 players (ages 10 and up) and plays in about 30 – 60 minutes. It takes place in a Steampunk universe where each player takes on the role of a different corporation hiring the best employees, constructing building, and manufacturing steam-powered machines. Players battle and sabotage each other to amass economic wealth and influence to win the game.
My favorite reward: For a $20 pledge you get a deck of 100 cards, which makes it a two-player game. This project has already reached its goal so you are guaranteed to get whatever reward you choose.
Antreya Chronicles Online, Ends Nov. 17
Watch the video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antreya/antreya-chronicles-online/widget/video.html
Antreya Chronicles Online or ACO for short is our vision of a mystical fantasy world where player and non-player actions as much as our live DM teams shape the course and development of the world of Antreya. ACO is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game with both old and never before seen aspects. Our primary objective is creating a virtual experience unlike any seen on the market today. A world which is alive, changes and where most everything can be interacted with.
ACO is created to provide an experience which sets it apart from other MMO’s currently on the market. The individual player experience will be unique and characters will be free to follow their own path through life.
ACO will facilitate thousands of players as they explore a mystical post-apocalyptic world, filled with danger and adventure. Unlike other Massive Multiplayer Online Games however, the players will not follow set paths, but instead decide their own course of action. Live DM-teams will ensure players enjoy unpredictable adventures apart from the normal content, which further both character progression, as well as world progression. Live DM Team operated events, player interaction and player run events will add to the list of things that shape the world of Antreya. Everything that happens in the world is in one way or another in the hands of players and sometimes fate.
Other Fun Projects
Watch Movement Cufflinks, Ends Nov. 6
These unique cufflinks I made from matching real vintage Russian watch movements (from between 1950-1970). They are approximately 3/4″ in diameter and come on a 3/4″ long cufflink stud with rotating cross bar.
My favorite reward: I have seen sets like these selling for $50 a piece, but for a $49 pledge you can get two sets through this campaign.
Steampunk Holiday Cards, Ends Nov. 9
Featuring full color watercolor art, each 4 by 5.5 inch card is blank inside for your personal notes and comes with an envelope. Each card is tent card, features a matte finish on both sides, and is created on recycled paper. The cards will have a crease to fold them. They will be shipped flat with the envelopes for ease of packing.
My favorite reward: A $24 pledge gets you a baker’s dozen of your favorite design. It may seem early to be thinking about holiday cards, but it is smart of the artist to start now to ensure she can get the cards out to backers well before Christmas.
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