My Crowdfunding Activities in 2025

[ysabetwordsmith]

It is much easier to keep an accurate tally if I do it during the year rather than trying to backtrack after the fact. See my crowdfunding activities from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

I serve as a maintainer of the Crowdfunding communities on LiveJournal and on Dreamwidth.


Events

The allbingo community on Dreamwidth is always open for people to play creative bingo, and it is crowdfunding-friendly. Some people use bingo cards to inspire their crowdfunded projects, or in prompt calls, etc. See the Community Calendar for 2024.

Crowdfunding Creative Jam on crowdfunding or on LiveJournal
A two-day event (typically the third weekend of the month) where anyone can leave prompts on the current theme, or create anything based on prompts. Some material is usually shared free and some is available for sponsorship.


My Own Projects

I have a permanent "Feed the Bard" donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page. You can use that to support any of my projects, just make sure you tell me what the donation is for.

The Blueshift Troupers (sporadic)
This is science fiction about a team of shapeshifters who travel the galaxy solving problems. So far it has a bit of background material and a couple of poems. I'd like to find time to script the pilot episode.

The Poetry Fishbowl (monthly)
Live poetry activity where people give me prompts on a theme and I write poems based on whatever I get. Minimum of one free poem posted, and others available for sponsorship. Lots of different perks. Fishbowl Open posts have a donation button. The regular session is on the first Tuesday of each month. Sometimes there is a bonus session or a sale mid-month.

Schrodinger's Heroes (sporadic)
This project features an apocryphal television show supported by an imaginary fandom. It's science fiction about quantum physics and saving the world. The cast of characters is sexually and ethnically diverse. Content includes fiction, poetry, LOL_HEROES (LOLCATS images of characters who are cats, or have gotten changed into cats), and other goodies. I write for this project during the Poetry Fishbowl, Crowdfunding Creative Jam, bingo fests, and sundry other occasions.

Nineforthenebulasheart is based on several of my Creative Jam prompts bundled by alexconall into a feminist mythpunk science fantasy project. It's a collaborative fandom with multiple participants creating poetry, fiction, and other goodies, licensed via Creative Commons.

The Ursulan Cycle is a genderbent rendition of the Arthurian Cycle. It's an open source fandom with multiple contributors making poetry, fiction, and other stuff.


Projects I Sponsored

(Ordered 4/2/23)
All the Witches
All the Witches is an original TTRPG with deck building mechanics exploring the diversity of witches in a fantasy world!
Pledge $30 or more
The Practitioner
For those that want to get the book and digital resources.
INCLUDES:
High-Quality PDF
Original Music Compositions
Character and NPC Tokens
Stream Overlays
Emotes
All Digital Stretch Goals
ESTIMATED DELIVERY Apr 2024
SHIPS TO Anywhere in the world
485 backers

(ordered 4/27/23, received digital preview of The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development, Volume 0, Issue1: Git 10/22/24)
The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development (participant enigmalea)
Help us put the means of website production back into the hands of those best suited to receive them: fandom people.
Pledge $25 or more
GIT Physical
Are you a “a book worth owning is worth owning physically” devotee? Do you need to physically caress our cast's beautiful features to fully focus on your learning? Whatever your reasons, this reward tier is the most economical choice to get access to the printed edition. — physical zine + digital zine only.
Shipping will be paid after the campaign via Backerkit.
INCLUDES:
Physical Git Zine
Digital Git Zine
Digital Goodies Pack
Less
ESTIMATED DELIVERY
Feb 2024
SHIPS TO
Anywhere in the world
98 backers


(requested 1/1/24, received 5/4/25)
Spirit Fall: A Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG
by Kyle Watt in New York, NY
Explore the post-apocalyptic New York City in search for survival, hope and haven from the demons that surround you

Responder Tier
$19
This tier includes everything you need to play and run Spirit Fall! You will get 278 pages filled with obstacles, raiders, events, and demons. This also includes a copy of the Player's Book, for your responders. Tax and shipping (if you get a physical add-ons) are not included. Both will be added towards the end of the campaign.
Backers 11
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery Oct 2024
2 items included+ optional add-ons
Core Rulebook digital PDF
Player's Book digital PDF


(requested 1/29/24, already funded, ordered 1/29/24)
Bittersweetness and Light: Stories, Poetry, and Art
An illustrated collection of joyful fantasy/SF short stories, poems, and relief block prints.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art

$1,777 pledged of $1,700 goal
42 backers
14 days to go

Be a Lantern - The Book!
$18
One full-color paperback volume of "Bittersweetness & Light," before it's made available to the rest of the world.
Backers 13
Ships to: Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery: Nov 2024
1 item included+ optional add-ons
Paperback copy of "Bittersweetness & Light"


[Requested 3/21/24, ordered 3/22/24, received electronic copy 3/29/25, received hardcopy 11/29/25]
Time Tails RPG
A totally rad tabletop RPG inspired by the time-traveling, neon films of the '80s and '90s.

$11,024 pledged of $5,000 goal
156 backers
32 days to go

From the award-winning team at Snowbright Studio, Time Tails is a new time-traveling tabletop RPG where you can be the totally rad, history-bending time traveler that you’ve always wanted to be. Inspired by Dr. Who, Back to the Future, Bill & Ted’s adventures, and all of your favorite time-traveling films, shows, and games from the '80s and '90s. Get ready to activate your Time Bands and save the timeline!

Time Tails Core Rulebook $25
Totally rad hardcover book with all the rules you need to play.
Includes D4 Paradox system rules
Time Tails universe lore guide
Rules for time travel and alternate history multiverses
Setting guide for different historical eras
Aunt Josie’s favorite time traveling recipes
Starter Adventure: Forward to the Past
2 items included
Time Tails RPG Core Rulebook PDF
Quantity: 1
Time Tails Core Rulebook
Estimated delivery Feb 2025


(Ordered 3/26/24, received PDF 4/24/24, received hardback 2/20/25)
The Far Roofs
a game of talking rats, god-monsters, and you
$61,691 pledged of $25,000 goal
1,140 backers
10 days to go as of 3/22/24

This project funds production on the tabletop roleplaying game, the Far Roofs. With your help, we'll put the finishing touches on a rich and beautiful 220-page game book complete with core rules, setting, and a sprawling, multi-year campaign!

In the Far Roofs, heroic talking rats and monster-god "Mysteries" have taken up residence on your city's roofs ... and, on moody fantasy roofscapes extending beyond them. You'll play as humans who get swept up in the rats' adventures, confronting wonder and horror in this magical, secret world above.

Limited Edition (print) $50
Backers 592
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery Nov 2024

You'll receive a limited edition print copy of "the Far Roofs." You'll also get the ePub and PDF! (Plus additional digital stretch goals, as funded.) Shipping is not included in the tier and will be collected by Backerkit once the Kickstarter concludes.
5 items included
(cover for "the Far Roofs:" a heroic rat climbs through an expressionist roofscape)
the ePub for "the Far Roofs"
Quantity: 1
the PDF for "the Far Roofs"
Quantity: 1
limited edtion print copy of "the Far Roofs"
Quantity: 1
optimistically, this shows some Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine RPG stuff
additional digital rewards from stretch goals, as funded
Quantity: 1
PDF of "the Flood"
Quantity: 1


(Ordered 4/24/24, recieved)
The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters - A Sci-Fi Anthology
A diverse anthology of empowering, hopeful sci-fi stories, poetry, and art by and for neurodivergent folks

Campbell, California
$2,457 pledged of $5,000 goal
76 backers
18 days to go

PAPERBACK OF THE NEURODIVERSIVERSE $20
Backers 21
Ships to: Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery: Aug 2024

A physical edition of The Neurodiversiverse, perfect for beings with mass and the ability to interact with light.

Handy trade paperback size complete with 3" vinyl sticker. Antimatter editions not available in most regions.


[Received paperback in February 2025]
Anti-Caste Speculative Fiction - by Blaft Publications
An anthology of weird, fantastic, supernatural, Dalit futurist, & magical realist fiction by writers from South Asia and the diaspora.

Paperback $12
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery Dec 2024
Pledge $12
Paperback edition. Ships anywhere in the world! FREE shipping within India! (International shipping is a bit more costly--but then this book will be priced around $25-30 when it gets published in the US, so it kinda works out.)

Donate a Copy: Free Libraries Network +$8
When you choose this add-on, we'll donate a copy of the book to the Books for All.


[Requested 12/19/24, ordered 12/19/24]
Thinking.Cards
Thinking.Cards is a unique collection of prompts designed to spark deep discussion, provoke self-reflection and challenge reasoning.
$7,690 pledged of $7,500 goal
50 backers
7hours to go

Human minds are built for curiosity and the pursuit of inquiry, of the interesting, the unusual and the enlightening. “Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?” This is just one of the 50 thought-provoking questions, prompts, and scenarios in this unique pack of Thinking.Cards (Tarot sized) designed to spark explorative and illuminating conversations. Whether you're on your own, engaging in one-on-one dialogues, family gatherings, or larger group discussions, these cards are crafted to encourage mindful, meaningful exchanges about our inner thoughts and the world around us.

PDF Download $10
Backers 1
Estimated delivery
Dec 2024
Pledge $10
A downloadable PDF pack of Thinking.Cards One Mobile Wallpaper
2 items included
PDF Download Quantity: 1
Digital Wallpaper Quantity: 1


[Requested 12/19/24, ordered 12/19/24]
Children With Wands
A Rules Lite All Ages Tabletop Role-playing Game
$1,916 pledged of $600 goal
43 backers
26 hours to go (at 4 AM)

Children With Wands is a cooperative, all ages, rules lite TTRPG for 4 to 6 players. You play as children who have just come into their magic powers and aren’t great at casting spells yet. When you cast a spell you roll a D20 to see how strong your spell is, not how well you have cast it. Children With Wands is based on an original system by Joseph Kiewra, the games creator.

$12 digital
This tier includes a PDF copy of Children With Wands and the Adventure Halloween in Fairhaven.

$25 physical
A physical full color copy of Children With Wands. This also includes the PDF of Children With Wands and the Adventure Halloween in Fairhaven.


[Requeted 12/24/24, ordered 12/24/24, received 5/6/25]
Sherlock Holmes: Leviathan
Sherlock Holmes and Captain Nemo unite to unravel a global criminal conspiracy in a thrilling new graphic novel!
$12,129 pledged of $8,000 goal
311 backers
5 days to go (as of 12/28/24)
Chattanooga, TN

The world's greatest detective Sherlock Holmes has faced many challenges, but none has prepared him to deal with a wary shipping magnate grappling with freighters that are disappearing without a trace. When a lone survivor, clinging to a capsized lifeboat, blames the disappearing ships on an iron monster from the deep, the undersea mystery leads the world-famous investigator to the brilliant and enigmatic Captain Nemo, who has built perhaps the greatest war machine the world has ever known to embark on a quixotic quest to end global conflicts.

Softcover | Cover A $25
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery Mar 2025
Pledge $25
Grab a print copy of Sherlock Holmes: Leviathan featuring the main cover by Richard Bonk, colored by Gabe Eltaib.
1 item included

Cover A
Quantity: 1


[Requested 1/9/25, ordered 1/9/25, received draft PDF]
White Box: Cyclopedia
All-In-One White Box Roleplaying
$25,422 pledged of $5,000 goal
560 backers
28 days to go

The White Box Cyclopedia is a stand alone roleplaying game that takes the simple elegance Swords & Wizardry White Box rules and countless options to allow you to create a custom fantasy roleplaying experience. Modular and fully integrated, you can make your fantasy as fantastic, as gritty, as strange, as traditional, as gonzo as you want it to be.
Thirty classes and dozens heritages. Over 100 spells. Nearly 200 monsters. Strongholds and seafaring. Psychic powers and spell duels. Chivalry and natural-born sorcery. Custom rules for the Referee to run campaigns that mimic your favorite Appendix N inspirations. A treasure trove of magical items, both familiar and new.
Five Decades of Dungeon Crawling packed into a single, simple rules set.
The Heart of the Hobby
I love White Box. The raw simplicity that cuts straight to the heart of the hobby and the rapid-fire play where imagination trumps complex calculations and endless modifiers. When it was all over what mattered was the hard-won victory or harrowing defeat you shared with friends. All with the nothing more than a d20, a few d6s, and a tiny digest book.
White Box Cyclopedia builds on that rock solid foundation, unifying the original Swords & Wizardry White Box rules with two hundred pages of additional material. But White Box Cyclopedia isn't "White Box with a ton of options," it's White Box if Dave and Gary had remained friends and partners. It's a dream of how gaming would have evolved with the simplicity and elegance you remember it having, but brought into the 21st century. White Box Cyclopedia asks what would happen if we had rode nothing more than a d20 and a d6 into the same infinite well of adventure of the modern era? You'd get a complete fantasy roleplaying game we all loved, without the baggage of being "advanced." Remember those simple days? You had a few pages of rules, but somehow there was no limit to what you could do. That is the essence of White Box Cyclopedia.

Digital Only $15
Backers 88
Estimated delivery Mar 2025
Pledge $15
One PDF copy of White Box Cyclopedia, delivered via DriveThruRPG. Estmated MSRP is $20 USD.
1 item included
White Box: Cyclopedia (PDF)
Quantity: 1


[Ordered 2/20/25, fully funded 2/26/25]
Common Bonds 2
An Anthology of Aromantic SFF!

$5,678 pledged of $7,732 goal
223 backers
17 days to go

Common Bonds returns for another anthology! Five years ago, we put together a collection of nineteen speculative short stories and poems featuring aromantic characters and centering platonic relationships.

We had hoped to offer our community a collection centered on us, at a time when most such projects focused on asexuality. Common Bonds was incredibly well received and remains beloved by many. It is, to this day, the most recommended aromantic anthology… because it remains, to our knowledge, the only one.
So it’s time. We’re making another one. We’re making Common Bonds 2.
At the heart of this collection are the bonds that impact our lives from beginning to end: platonic relationships. Whether with family, mentors, friends, colleagues, or found family, these links pepper our lives and their importance is often overlooked. We seek to explore the powerful impact of these bonds on aromantic people through the lens of science-fiction and fantasy.
We dream of sisters on a roadtrip through space, of queerplatonic partners hunting dragons, of an alchemy teacher changing the course of their student’s life, of neighbours supporting each other through the apocalypse.

Common Bonds 2 - paperback | 22 CAD (~15 USD) | Early Bird 18 CAD (~13 USD)
Receive your copy of Common Bonds 2 as a paperback.


Aces & Aros #1 - Softcover Graphic Novel (requested 6/5/25, ordered 6/5/25)
$30

Backers 223
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery
Mar 2026

Get both Softcover Physical and Digital PDF copies of the Aces & Aros Graphic Novel!

This 100-page graphic novel collects twenty-one (21) brand new short stories about Asexual- and Aromantic-spectrum experiences!

Also includes the Indie Comic Book Bundle!
3 items included

Aces & Aros #1 (Softcover Graphic Novel)
Quantity: 1

Aces & Aros #1 (Digital)
Quantity: 1

Indie Comic Book Bundle (Digital)
Quantity: 1


(ordered 6/13/25)
Take Us North description
A narrative adventure/survival game that follows the journeys of migrants and asylum seekers on their way to cross the US-Mexico border

$6,056 pledged of $30,000 goal
95 backers
29 days to go

🎮 [Early Bird] Take Us North!
$25
Backers 52
Estimated delivery Dec 2026
🚨FIRST 24 HOURS DISCOUNT!🚨 Receive a digital copy of Take Us North (PC/Steam) and digital wallpapers!
3 items included
Digital Copy of the Game Quantity: 1
High-Resolution Digital Wallpapers Quantity: 1
Invitation to Virtual Community Launch Party Quantity: 1

Our debut original project, Take Us North, is a narrative adventure/survival-lite video game inspired by real-world stories that follows the poignant journeys of migrants and asylum seekers on their way to cross the US-Mexico border.


(ordered 6/16/25, received PDF)
May I Enter: A Vampire Game
Play vampires inspired by the question: May I Enter?

$5,938 pledged of $10,000 goal
82 backers
21 days to go

May I Enter is a game of shadows and honor, where you are not just a vampire, you are a guardian. In this world, power doesn’t come from domination but from the strength to restrain yourself. You are bound by rules older than the stones beneath your feet, rules carved into your very soul. Every choice you make is a delicate balance between the monster within and the humanity you strive to protect.

This is a game of consent, of connection, of trust. Vampires here don’t steal. They ask. They don’t rule. They serve. The myths of velvet cloaks and whispered threats are just that: myths. The truth is far more complicated and infinitely more dangerous.

Just Turned
$20

Backers 20
Estimated delivery May 2026
Pledge $20
You get a pdf copy of the game and a print on demand coupon via DriveThruRPG.
1 item included
PDF Copy of the Game
Quantity: 1


(Requested 7/25/25, ordered 7/25/25)
Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Cozy Academia Anthology
A collection of 22 delightfully queer, charmingly cozy stories that put a fluffy LGBTQIA+ spin on the dark academia genre.

$5,735 pledged of $13,000 goal
90 backers
17 days to go

Transforming the core settings of “dark academia” to be cozy and snug, Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories features 22 delightful, charming science fiction and fantasy stories set at colleges, universities, libraries, and other places where people pursue academic excellence – and all feature queer characters! From field research shenanigans to cooking adventures, from space station education departments to eldritch libraries, our awesome authors have brought their vivid imaginings to life in this anthology. We can’t wait to share it with you!

Scholarly Pursuits Trade Paperback
$25

Backers 28
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery Feb 2026
Pledge $25
3 items included
The cover for the anthology Scholarly Pursuits
Scholarly Pursuits Trade Paperback Book
Quantity: 1

The cover for the anthology Scholarly Pursuits
Scholarly Pursuits E-Book
Quantity: 1

A list of fake names that actually say "Backer 1, Backer 2," etc., with one name that says "Your name or a name of your choice here!"
Inclusion on the E-Book Backer List (Optional)
Quantity: 1


(ordered 9/4/25)

UNDERISLES: Roleplaying with Sign Language
The award-winning RPG trilogy concludes. Learn British & American sign language as you play!

$78,254 pledged of $13,361 goal
1,047 backers
Tabletop GamesBristol, UK

UNDERISLES is the final tabletop RPG in a groundbreaking trilogy that teaches players American and British sign language! The games were created in collaboration with the Deaf community and are accessible to beginners and players of any age. Building on the success of our previous games, UNDERISLES continues to promote empathy, cooperation and Deaf awareness.

In the games, you play Pendragons, the teen descendants of Arthur and Guinevere. To fulfil an ancient pact with the fey, you must travel to the Isles, a mythical version of Great Britain and Ireland. You will work together to earn Belief, prevent the spread of Disbelief, and learn the elemental art of Shaping, which teaches sign language!

Guinevere £25
ABOUT $34
Estimated delivery May 2026

4 items included
UNDERISLES digital PDF
Quantity: 1

OVERISLES digital PDF
Quantity: 1

INSPIRISLES digital PDF
Quantity: 1

All digital stretch goals
Quantity: 1


(requested 10/2/25, ordered 10/3/25)
An Author's Guide to Setting Design: Worldbuilding & Cartography
A full-color reference book for authors, game masters, and anyone else
who loves creating fictional worlds & maps.

$2,918 pledged of $2,000 goal
76 backers
20 days to go
Nonfiction
Essex Junction, VT

Cartographer $45
Backers 37
Ships to Anywhere in the world
Estimated delivery Jun 2026
Pledge $45
Get a full color hardcover edition of An Author's Guide to Setting
Design. It also includes the eBook for free! 2 items included Digital
eBook Quantity: 1 Hardcover Book Quantity: 1


Other Projects I Supported as a Fan

Land of Eem: Beginners RPG for Kids + Underlands Expansion
Dungeoneer Adventures Beginners RPG—an easy, fun, family game—plus The Underlands Sandbox, a brand new setting for Land of Eem.

Land of Eem: Dungeoneer Adventures is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-play, and easy-to-run tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) box set for kids. Players take on the roles of students attending Dungeoneer Academy, a school where kids train to become full-fledged adventurers and explorers in the fantastical Land of Eem.


SALTGATOR: The 1st Desktop SoftGel Injection Molding Machine
Rapid Soft Part Making | 10-Minute Ready | 3D-Printing Mold Support | For DIYers & Designers

$278,954 pledged of $15,000 goal
1,097 backers
38 days to go


SALTGATOR puts the power back where it belongs: on your desk, in your hands.
More materials. More molds. More freedom—all from your desktop.
SALTGATOR packs full-scale soft molding into a compact, desktop-friendly form. Heat, stir, inject—it’s all built in, no extra gear required.

See my post about it here.


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