Welcome to the second News Roundup in February. ZineMonth is going strong, and, like always this time of year, the below entries will be heavy on ZiMo projects currently funding. It's not a release, but if you're a creator the TTRPG for Trans Rights -- Ohio Game Jam is currently accepting submissions. If you're not a creator, this is a great way to get ahold of a bunch of cool projects while supporting a worthwhile endeavor.
One of my favorite creators is Zedeck Siew, co-creator of A Thousand, Thousand Islands and Reach of the Roach God, among others. They're currently raising funds for A Perfect Wife, with illustrations by additional Roundup Favorites Amanda Lee Franck and Scrap Princess. This game explores Malaysian mythology and asks the question: what happens when a female vampire is married to a misogynistic asshole?
I'd missed adding Roguelike Dungeon last week (I meant to, just forgot) and wanted to make sure I got it this week. As someone who plays a lot of Pixel Dungeon on my phone in an effort to doomscroll less this is right up my alley; a procedural, analog toolbox for creating sandbox-style megadungeons. This project is actually the continuation of a project from 2022.
Nice Weather for Fish is currently funding on Kickstarter. It's a family-friendly game set in a fantastical version of 1000 AD Britain Peak District. The art is pretty amazing; it looks like J.V. West by way of Dr. Seuss.
Transgender Deathmatch Legend is one of our consistent best-selling zines at Sabre, and I just saw the other day that the sequel to it (Transgender Deathmatch Legends II) is now out in pdf on itch. Put the HRT in hurt in this indie wrestling game!
Soul to Keep is an interesting two-person game where you play one of two souls struggling for possession of a single body.
Alex Kingsley is a writer and game developer with a small catalog of indie games that have been consistently selling out at Sabre. They recently published their debut fantasy novel, that is accompanied by an rpg, and they're currently hosting a game jam on itch for submissions using the game.
Another interesting project currently funding on KS is When the Sky Comes Looking for You, an adventure written for Weird Frontiers and DCC that features a loan-shark luchadore and mutant bad-guys.
Another zine that does really well for us is Perils and Princesses. I saw recently that they've just published a quickstart guide on Drivethru, as well as two new adventures: The Sweet Escape and Sweet Revenge.
Written for the excellent Outcast Silver Raiders system, The Unfortunate Brotherhood is an introductory adventure designed for a party of 4-6 PCs.
Timothy Brannan consistently produces excellent work, and I've been enjoying his series of new classes that drop every so often. His newest one is the Swan Maiden class, written for OSE and similar BX-style games.
I'd mentioned Return to Perinthos a year or so back; it is the culmination of the Jennell Jaquays game jam on itch, a megadungeon written by dozens of creators and stitched together into a coherent whole by Luke Gearing. Backers should be getting their rewards soon, and if you didn't back but would like a copy of this tribute dungeon you can preorder at the link, above. All proceeds from the sale go to benefit Trans Lifeline.
I'm running a short Kickstarter for Issue 43 of Populated Hexes Monthly. This issue is the last in the three part look at the Shadowlands, and in addition to a small town of mortals it includes three playable race-as-class options: dark creepers, dark stalkers, and my personal favorite, the dhampir.