The Kickstarter campaign for the Knave RPG: Second Edition has raised over $155,000 from a $10,000 goal with 30 days still remaining on the campaign. The campaign, which ends on June 1, offers backers the chance to grab a copy of the Ennie-Nominated adventure The Waking of Willowby Hall, as well as print copies of Maze Rats and the Summer’s End one-page adventure collection. In addition, backers who pledge in the first 24 hours will receive a free Knave iron-on patch.
The Knave RPG: Second Edition is an exploration-driven fantasy RPG and worldbuilding toolkit that is inspired by the best elements of the Old-School DnD movement. This edition builds on the intuitive core of the original game, featuring elegant, modular subsystems for hexcrawling, dungeon delving, potion making, and downtime activities. The game is presented in an 80-page hardcover format that is lavishly illustrated throughout by Peter Mullen.
The game’s toolkit is a world-class GM’s toolkit that allows players to roll and combine results from over 75 d100 tables to rapidly generate dungeons, overworld regions, cities, monsters, items, spells, NPCs, and factions, or just scan the pages for inspiration. The game also features an intuitive, unified d20 mechanics system that allows new players to make characters and start playing in minutes.
One of the most innovative aspects of the Knave RPG: Second Edition is its classless character generation system that lets players draw from multiple archetypes at once. This system allows players to cast spells, call down miracles, and use any weapon or armor. Their effectiveness is only restricted by what abilities they choose to improve and how they fill their limited item slots.
The game also features a slot-based inventory system that makes tracking what you carry both easy and mechanically meaningful. If you take enough damage, wounds can begin filling items slots, forcing you to drop gear, treasure, or weapons. The game also includes a d6 Hazard Die system that condenses tracking encounters, clues, weather changes, fatigue, torch burn, and resource depletion into the roll of a single die.
Other features of the game include a utility-focused magic system that empowers players to alter the world in creative ways with 100 level-less spells, a relationship-driven divine magic system in which players make bargains with patrons for their blessings, and a monster-hunting alchemy system where players can hunt down magical creatures for their special abilities and then refine them into potions. The game also includes downtime activities where players can carouse, gamble, recruit hirelings, and build bases, as well as a tactical warfare system that resolves mass battles in minutes.
The Knave RPG: Second Edition also features straightforward GM and player principles for getting started running an old-school style game, designer commentary that explains the reasoning behind the rules to aid in hacking the game, sewn binding, ensuring that the book lies flat and lasts for generations, and an easy-to-use “control panel” layout that reduces page flipping.