Heads up, only a few days remain in LionWing’s Kickstarter for Fledge Witch: The Magical Apprentices of Elemeria, a Japanese RPG that’ll now be localised for a Western audience.
Why the short notice? Geek Native listed this crowdfunding campaign to highlight, but the team was curveballed by life. However, all is well, as LionWing asked for $10,000 for the campaign and is nearly at $40,000. You can join in at the last minute or check out more details from the pledge page.
Want to download Fledge Witch? There’s a Google Drive hosted sample, which we’re told does not reflect the final product. It looks pretty professional to me and is no ashcan version.
In the enchanting realm of Elemeria, witches are the guardians of mana. They are responsible for keeping the magical energy flowing throughout the land and do so with great care. In the past, those who have envied the witches’ power have caused great destruction. As a result, witches now live far from civilisation, deep in the wilderness.
But even though they live in seclusion, witches cannot live forever. They must pass on their knowledge to the next generation so that the cycle of mana can continue. That is why every witch takes on apprentices, who live and study with them for as long as is necessary.
The system has witches challenge their apprentices, who then use their Craft skills to pass. Die equal to the Craft are rolled, and enough successes mean the apprentice has passed or can call on their Heart to boost their score.
The game isn’t about winning; it’s about earning praise through hard work, the bonds that forge friendships and personal improvement.
In Elemeria, everyone can learn magic if they put in the effort. Fairies who come into being already able to conjure the elements may have a head start, but even a humble farm boy or farm girl can become their equal as a witch with enough years of study.
Backers who edge $15 or more will get a PDF copy of the game as a thank you, with a fillable character sheet, a fillable session sheet and appropriate stretch goals.
At $30, backers get the book’s hardcover but must pay shipping on top of that.
There’s a Kickstarter exclusive at $50, a leatherette and foil-stamped hardcover with a deep blue ribbon marker, similar coloured endpaper, full-page and full-colour chapter title pages and translation notes. At this tier, you get your name in the credits too.
The $85 tier is even more significant, adding a signed postcard, custom dice, and tray. However, the $110 top tier adds a copy of LionWing’s Picaresque Roman RPG, a box set exclusive booklet, a hand-numbered anthology box, and the PDFs of the RPGs Convictor Drive and Picaresque Roman.
LionWing estimates a November 2023 delivery for the PDF, but the hardbacks roll into April 2024; some of the book exclusives are coming earlier, but some of the larger tiers are coming as late as August 2024.
What are your thoughts? Strike up a discussion and leave a comment below.
