Little Wolves

Little Wolves

A tabletop role-playing game about shapeshifting werewolves in a realm of folk and fae
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$29,632 🎉
of $19,500
387
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Little Wolves in the moon's soft glow. through dark shadows, they nimbly go. whispers in leaves, tales in trees. in the enchanted woods, they roam.


Softcover illustration and title design by JN Butler


The Basics

Little Wolves is a tabletop role-playing game of folktales, werewolves, and fae queens in The Enchanted Forest. In it, players craft and wear the masks of young-at-heart shapeshifters exploring a forest filled with magic and mystery.

As they complete quests and favors for their queens and the denizens of their courts, the wolves grow and players decorate masks to reflect the lessons they learn, experiences they share, and stories they create together.

  • Craft masks & change your form! Players craft physical masks and use them during play to switch between their Wolf and Mortal forms, which have access to different abilities and stats.
  • Mark your growth! Depending on the events of your quests, you’ll make different marks on your mask. Aiding the queen of the Witch court may grant you a witch’s hat or a bird’s wing, while protecting someone could have you marking it with a heart or an arrow.
  • Aid courts, befriend queens! Your story will take you to every edge of The Enchanted Forest to aid the societies all across the realm; from the pastoral goblins of Candlewick to the witty and windswept witches of Zephyr's Rest.

To play Little Wolves, you'll need:

  • 2-6 players, with one to act as the Guide
  • At least 4 six-sided dice (d6)
  • Pens, paper, and crafting supplies to start

Limited-edition hardcover designed by Julie-Anne "Jam" Muñoz with title treatment by JN Butler. This first edition will be printed once, then gone forever.
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Demo & Quickstart is available now!
✨ A free demo/quickstart for Little Wolves is available to download and play, get it here! ✨

a trail of paws is leading you into the forest... do you follow?
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Being a Little Werewolf

The werewolves of The Enchanted Forest are descendants of mortals who made a harmonious home for themselves within the realm. Over the ages, generation after generation became more in tune with the magic of The Forest, eventually solidifying an innate connection with it and gaining strength as shapeshifters.  In these stories, lycanthropy is not a vicious madness or a foul sickness to be spread. Rather, it's an innate power used with grace, pride, and intent.

Being a werewolf, you're able to shift your form between werewolf and mortal shapes represented by the masks you craft, wear, and alter through the course of your adventures. As you overcome trials and gain favor with the queens of the forest, new marks are added to these masks - altering your character's appearance as they grow and change.

A screenshot of instructions on how to assemble the Little Wolves Wolf Mask template.

With accessibility in mind, we want to make sure that everyone can use the masks they craft & wear with comfort and ease. To that end, we’ve written a few different ways they can be used at the table.


If none of those methods fit your needs (or if you aren't in the crafty mood) the same form-switching & mark-making functionality is built right into the Little Wolves character sheet, which is designed for double-sided printing and folding to always show everything you need for the form your character’s in!


In your Wolf form,
you have access to the benefits of your beastly Attributes, can sing magical Spellsongs, and can resist harm with your Resolve.

In your Mortal form,
you'll switch your Attributes, Spellsongs, and Resolve out for strong, flexible Mortal Powers that can turn the tide of any situation they're used in.

Through character advancement, you can strengthen yourself as you see fit. Perhaps you favor one form over the other, or you may switch between them frequently. The choice is yours. Check out the free demo to learn more!
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Venture into The Enchanted Forest


A sample spread from Little Wolves about the Forest You Call Home.


The story of Little Wolves is focused on The Enchanted Forest and the folk-lings that live within. It is a vast world filled to the brim with all manner of fae-born creatures and folktales come to life, even some you may have heard of... although they're not quite what the old myths say.

As you explore this dense forest you'll meet the powerful and mysterious Queens and aid them, and their courts, through all manner of quests and favors. As a werewolf, you're uniquely gifted in traversing the forest, capable of making it to every edge of the woods, meaning that only you can learn its deepest secrets.
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The Queens and their Courts


Art depicting four queens of The Enchanted Forest by Grendel Menz


Many residents of The Forest find themselves loyal to the various queens, who in turn are each loyal to the whole of the forest and those who call it home.

The Queens and their Courts share responsibility for specific aspects of Community and Forest alike, here's how each of these courts in the final release of Little Wolves contribute to the realm:

The Witch court connects the courts by delivering messages and keeping the skies clear for moonlight.
The Pumpkin court crafts new vessels and beacons for lost souls and homeless spirits.
The Troll court maintains the portals to other realms and considers the welfare of all living things.
The Mermaid Court nurtures the land with clear waters, sweet songs, prophecies, and reassurance.

Your adventures in The Forest will have you crossing paths with many of its denizens, from the calm leaf sheep of the Soothloch to the patient, hungry timber eels lying in wait underfoot.

Here are just a few you can expect to run into:



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Podcasts & Media

Want to see Little Wolves in action? Check out these previous podcasts & actual plays!

  • Two adventures on Plus One EXP: [Episode 1], [Episode 2]
  • A mermaid mystery one-shot on The Queer XP: [Link]
  • Interview on This Is Your Lifepath: [Link]
  • An interview with The RPG Goblin: [Link]
  • Little Wolves on Dicey Banter: [Link]

What people are saying about Little Wolves

“Little Wolves meshes a bright and imaginative world with mechanics that draw out the playfulness of storytelling, with a glint of danger to round out your adventure. There is such refreshingly bold and interesting choices for the game tech as well as the world-building in Little Wolves—I know its going to inspire players to make complex and vibrant folktales of their own.”
-Charu Chandni Patel - The Vale of Shifting Glass, Kick Rocks

"The team over at Dinoberry Press simply does not miss.(...) With their latest project, Little Wolves, Dinoberry Press is welcoming players into their own take on a realm of fae and folk. To create new within something as well-trodden as the fae realm is no small feat, but I’d expect nothing less from these two designers.”
-Elliot Davis via The Twenty Sided Newsletter, My First Dungeon, Rom Com Drama Bomb

“A great and whimsical entryway into the hobby that doesn’t pander and has something for everyone. The game “Best TTRPGs for Kids” lists are actually looking for.”
-
Kevin Thien Vu Long Nguyen, Volley Boys! & All Nerds Here
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Rewards & Add-ons
Product images shown are in-progress mockups, final designs may differ.







Bonus: Gazing Moon Art Print

A 5"x7" signed and numbered art print. Designed by Jam, created from hand-carved block prints.
The final design was voted on and chosen by our discord community!








Fae of the Forest Dice Set • $25 USD

A set of 4 six-sided engraved resin dice designed for Little Wolves, contained in a burlap dice bag decorated with a golden wolf charm. Each side reflects its mechanical effect in-game, tying it to an element, but they can easily be used in any other game that needs a d6!



Cloth Map of The Enchanted Forest• $20 USD

Never lose your way in The Enchanted Forest with this large 22" square sublimation-printed fabric map of the realm, illustrated by Jam!



Sticker Sheet Set, Marks Granted By Elemental Trials • $15 USD

A set of 4 half-letter sticker sheets illustrated by Jam! Use these marks to easily decorate player masks after facing elemental trials. Each sheet holds 26 to 28 stickers each.

For a group of four adventurers who may face one elemental trial per session, these sticker sheets may provide enough for a full campaign - or at least 26 sessions worth of rewards!



Giant Die-Cut Sticker Set • $9 USD

A set of two big 5" contour cut waterproof stickers. One design, by Jam, is a black wolf holding a die in its maw and printed on a clear material. The other 5" sticker features JN Butler's title design with a rainbow holographic moon.



Shifting Folk Bookmark • $4 USD

A 2"x6" double-sided gilded bookmark featuring a variant design of the Shifting Folk print. Decorated with a soft black tassel and a golden wolf charm. Save your place in any story with this bookmark!


For retailers, we have 2 options:

$5 - Pledge this amount if you'd like to order more than 10 softcover copies, or other products, and we'll reach out after the campaign.
$250 - Pledge this amount for 10 softcover copies at wholesale price.

All retailer orders will be shipped after backer orders have been fulfilled. Feel free to contact us through our website for any questions about our wholesale offers. Additionally, any of the add-on items, the limited edition, and other products from our catalogue are available for inclusion in retailer orders!
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The Team

Julie-Anne "Jam" Muñoz • Game & World Design, Creative Director, Art & Layout
Jam
is a queer, Latine artist with a passion for colorful design. She's known for her ARPIA award-winning layout work on Logan and for Dinocar, IGDN winner for best art and nominee for most innovative. She's an illustrator, layout artist, game designer, and co-founder of Dinoberry Press


Nevyn "Nova" Holmes • Game & World Design, Project Management
Nevyn
is a nonbinary game designer that loves making weird, experimental designs. Designer of GUN&SLINGER, Justicar, and co-founded Dinoberry Press. Their main goal in game design is to create projects that focus on feeling, story, and using the medium in fresh ways.


Tyler Crumrine • Editor
The designer and publisher behind ENnie Award-winning tabletop roleplaying game company Possible Worlds Games. As a game designer, Crumrine has been recognized as a "Rising Star" in the 2022 Tabletop Awards, as one of io9's "Tabletop Companies to Watch" in 2023, and twice in Dicebreaker's "Best upcoming TTRPGs you NEED to play in 2024." As an editor, he's worked on over 20 TTRPGs, including the Dinoberry Press titles Kitchen Knightmares and You’re in Space and Everything’s Fucked.


Basil Wright • Cultural, Accessibility, and Sensitivity Consultation, Writing
Basil Wright (he/they/xe) is a Game Designer and Cultural Consultant who loves puns, fantasy novels, and more bananas and cheese than one person should consume in a lifetime. His game design philosophy is to create games that promote community and have the lowest barrier of entry, so that everyone can enjoy playing games together!
 

Grendel Menz • Artist
Grendel Menz is an illustrator with a love for all things magical, mysterious, or green. She enjoys working with watercolor, pen, and gouache.


SharpiBees • Artist
SharpiBees is a cowboy comic artist, designer demon, and lover of ink and beasts. He is often chipping away at comics such as Devil Waltz, Missummon, and miscellaneous shorts and zines!


Fernando Salvaterra • Artist
Fernando Salvaterra is a Brazilian illustrator in love with TTRPG, fantasy cartography, random tables, strange places and mysterious trinkets. He can be found hiding in plain sight on BlueSky and who knows for how long on Twitter.


JN Butler • Cover & Title Artist
JN Butler, ichormancer & marquis of shadows, is an artist whose work explores the fantastic, the sublime, & the macabre. they can be found drawing skulls and encouraging everyday acts of communism on bluesky @jnb.art & on their portfolio site https://jnb.art
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Dreams & Stretch Goals

More art!

If we hit $22,000 USD, we'll be able to pack this book with even more incredible art!
Grendel will do a full-page piece for each of the queens in the book, Damien will do additional chapter art, and we'll be able to bring on the brilliant Fernando Salvaterra to do full-color maps for each of the court's main cities!




The Opus of Folk and Fae, an expansion for Little Wolves

If we reach $40,000 USD, we'll be able to work on a full expansion for the game!
The Opus will be a full-color, perfect-bound expansion where Jam and Nevyn dig into more details of those who live in The Enchanted Forest. New denizens, locations, quests, and more will all get packed into this fully realized expansion!



A Mystery Goal

If we go above and beyond, we'll reveal the details of another goal.
With this stretch goal, we'll invite the community to decide our fate!!

The far future for Little Wolves

This is just the beginning for our realm of folk and fae. There are early plans for more expansions, including eight more queens and their unique courts for you to meet! More craftable mask shapes, marks to wear, and more.

We hope to be able to bring in more artists and writers to help fill this world with creatures and adventures big and small.
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Crowdfunding Goals & Budget


The goal for this crowdfunding campaign is to fund the final development & release stages for Little Wolves. This includes paying our team (and ourselves) for our work, covering basic operating costs, and generally putting gas in the tank for Dinoberry Press to keep doing what we're doing!

Little Wolves is a project fueled by passion and excitement, and if it funds we'll be able to keep doing the work we love and bring awesome games and their worlds to life.

We're excited and committed to finishing Little Wolves so we can add it to our list of crowdfunding successes like GUN&SLINGER, Dinocar, Justicar, You're In Space And Everything's Fucked, and all the rest.

As for the budget, here's the breakdown:
  • $2,800 - Writing, editing, and consultation
  • $3,000 - Art & layout
  • $7,517 - Print & production
  • $1,300 - Packaging materials, marketing, & "just in case" coverage
  • $2,683 - Platform fees & taxes

a trail of paws is leading you into the forest... do you follow?
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Shipping

Exact shipping costs for this project are not yet known. Due to the ongoing worldwide pandemic, shipping costs range widely and delivery schedules for both manufactured goods and fulfilled orders are very volatile.

In order to make sure nobody is over-charged, shipping will be collected after the campaign, closer to fulfillment via Backerkit.

Domestic shipping is usually fairly straightforward thanks to media mail (on book-only orders), but international shipping can be anywhere from $10 USD to $40 USD (and sometimes more), depending on what's being shipped and where it's going.

As such, shipping will be collected post-campaign via Backerkit. Surveys will go out first, and once we're ready to begin fulfillment a few months later we'll send out reminders a couple of weeks before shipping gets charged, once the prices are in the system and accurate rates are set up globally.

If you believe that this project is not in compliance with BackerKit’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, you can file a report by sending a message via this link: Report this project