WARDEN is best described as a cinematic game, built on the bones of Pathfinder 2e, with its d20 resolution, Proficiencies, Feats and 3-Action combat procedure. But WARDEN also takes heavy influence from elsewhere: Genesys, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Powered by the Apocalypse, Old School Renaissance, and Blades in the Dark, to name a few places.
These games and movements have all contributed to the existence of WARDEN. It's a d20 game, but it'snot attribute-based. It has tactical combat, but also robust exploration, long-term and narrative mechanics. It has a node-based map system and clocks, but it also pushes players to explore their characters' own narrative goals.
All this, in a single, condensed game, of roughly 300 pages long, including the tools for creating your custom material: everything from custom opponents and abilities, to weapons and maps. The final game will feature 50 or so inked-style black-and-white art pieces, which are the primary reason I'm seeking funding.
WARDEN WILL BE RELEASED UNDER ORC LICENSE
How does it work?
WARDEN is a d20 RPG that focuses on characters' Abilities. And for that, there are more than 120 robust abilities spread into various themes (Technology, Magic, Knowledge etc), each with feats you can take to improve them or gain new actions to use. All abilities have either a mechanical or cinematic hook, making them engaging and intuitive to use. You may even figure out specific moments in media the rules coincide with.
A mechanic may give a vehicle Percussive Maintenance to force it to work. An investigator can retreat to their Mind Palace to revisit a location they were to previously. A spellblade may use Blink to teleport behind an opponent and kick them off a moving vehicle. A gadgeteer can use a spanner or wrench as effective weapons with Hardware. A mage can shoot Light Beams as they Fly.
These Abilities are just some of many, and each of them have additional Feats that modify and improve them.
More than just Fantasy
WARDEN is also built as a setting- and genre-agnostic game, allowing you to play with different tech levels (Classical, Industrial, Digital, Futuristic), and combine them with various Setting Alterations (such as Magic, Hacking or Superpowers). Almost any setting you can imagine is possible with the rules given, as long as characters work on a human scale.
The best part is that there's little to no integration necessary. Most of the Setting Alterations and Tech Levels are as simple as checking a box (and when VTT integration comes, eventually it might literally be just checking a box). It really is that easy.
If you do want to come up with custom material, anything from Abilities, Weapons or Items, there are rules for it. Additionally, almost all material in the base game itself is made using these same guidelines.
There are a thousand games vying for your attention right now, so what makes this one special? Here are some reasons that might speak to you:
You can read the game in full, right now, if you so desire. See the Playtesting section at the bottom.
Incredibly easy setup when starting a campaign. Like checking boxes to make any campaign setting you can imagine.
Fast Prep and open gameplay style, with focus on prepping situations, not plots.
Fast Action with Low Hit Points. A 10th level character can have as little as 10 Hit Points (note: This is very little). Going down means you are Defeated and gain an Injury, but dying is quite difficult.
Solid rules for Exploration and Horizon Phases for longer time scales. Characters can partake in projects and do various tasks during these portions.
Social mechanic based on actually speaking and making points, instead of just rolling dice. Additionally, it includes mechanics for interaction between player characters, as an important method of pacing the game.
Flashy and Cinematic Abilities outside of conflict and within it. Accelerate a car with an explosion, ricochet bullets from the scenery or use magic to stop time (depending on the type of setting, of course).
No level requirements for Abilities and Feats. That feat you want for your character? Available on 1st level, if you so desire. The only exception for this are the incredibly powerful Capstone Abilities, of which each character can gain just one at Level 10.
You can use any Ability or Feat in the game, even if you don't have it. It's just harder. Want to grab and wrestle someone down even though there is a feat for that? You can use the rules even if you don't have that Feat.
All official setting and adventure modules for the game will be free in PDF form, forever. You will only need the Core Rulebook to use them. If imported to a VTT platform, they will be free there, as well.
Thank You pledge means your name or nickname will be added to the Thank You section for the game. Take this pledge level if you want to support the game, but would prefer to not pay the full price for it. The digital version of the game will be available with Regional Pricing when it comes out (for roughly 10 euros or dollars). Obviously, all supporters gain the Thank You.
Digital Warden pledge means you will gain a PDF of the game. These copies will be distributed before the game's official launch, because going through the printing process and proofing copies of the game is usually takes a couple of months. Note that the PDF of the game will be available at regional pricing after the release!
Physical Warden - Softcover is a softcover version of the book. Includes the Digital Warden PDF and Shipping.
Physical Warden - Hardcover is the premium hardcover version of the book. Includes the Digital Warden PDF and Shipping.
Retail, 5x Softcover is for retailers or organizations that want to stock the softcover book. The MSRP for each softcover book is 40€/$. Includes digital download codes for the PDFs, meant to be included in the sale of the game.
Retail, 5x Hardcover is for retailers or organizations that want to stock the hardcover book. The MSRP for each hardcover book is 50€/$. Includes digital download codes for the PDFs, meant to be included in the sale of the game.
SHIPPING
The Physical Warden pledges include a shipping fee of 10€. The Retail pledges include a shipping fee of 30€.
The game's Playtest is free, and live right now. It is unedited, so it's not illustrative of the quality of the final game in writing, layout and art, but it has all of the mechanical bones of the game.
NOTE: If you have read the playtest version previously, this is a new version, 0.2.
If you're wondering what the 15k€ I'm asking for is going to, it's very simple.
10k€ of the money is going directly to the artists for commissions in order to make the game look pretty.
5k€ is going to the actual fulfillment of the physical copies, VAT and other taxes.
If anything is left over, I'm probably using it to pay the bills, or commissioning a few more artworks for the game.
That's it. What I care about is getting the game to a finished state and to the hands of players. This is a crowdfunder explicitly for the game itself, so I'm shying away from anything that would cause delays on the fulfillment of the pledges.
Stretch Goals
Of course, if the goal is exceeded (which I hope), I am going to mostly just funnel the money directly to the people I work with, and into free expansions for the game.
You can see the fulfillment of these real-time in the Community tab.
20k --> Bonus for the Editor.
25k --> 250 Community copies on itch.io
30k --> Bonus for the Artists.
40k --> VTT Implementation (TBD which service, probably Foundry, Owlbear.Rodeo, or both).
50k --> Hire a professional layout artist for the game.
60k --> Bonus for the Writer (me).
70k --> WARDEN Character Building Tool (like Pathbuilder or Comp/Con).
80k --> Commissions for the first setting supplement (A cyberpunk setting)
90k --> Extra commissions for various future settings.
100k+ --> 1000 Community copies on itch.io
150k+ --> Translations to other languages in the future (not available for preorder).
200k+ --> Pre-production of a Sprite-based WARDEN Digital Campaign Platform (WARDEN Tactics).
I don't like promising anything that complicates the process of Pledge Fulfillment, so all additional materials and projects are not hard promises, but rather pre-production and trying to enhance the overall gameplay experience.
If you want to find out more about the game, contribute to the ongoing playtesting, or just ask me some more questions, you can join the communities for the game:
You might be curious about the people behind this project.
Main Developer (Me)
I am Teemu Pennala, writing under the alias Raven Haunts / Ghost Spark. I am a Finnish Game Developer who has been doing this for a decade now. I released my first TTRPG in 2018.
I have written, researched and layouted the game to its current status. Basically, almost everything you see has been done by me, with the exception of editing and art.
Everyone Else
Now, that is not to say that this is simply the efforts of one person.
Art Team
The art team will expand as I hire more people to make the art for the game, but in its current iteration, the art has been made by:
