Chimera Strain: Anime Superpower Setting Zine Shadowdark RPG

EARLY BIRD REWARD (FIRST 50)
ALL THREE PHYSICAL ZINES FOR $35

CHIMERA STRAIN - THREE FULL COLOR ZINES FOR THE SHADOWDARK RPG

Chimera Strain is a dark anime horror setting for the Shadowdark RPG where corrupted superpowers are humanity’s last defense against an alien virus determined to turn us into living weapons. This Kickstarter features three zines: Twilight Genesis, Fractured Impact, and The Hellscape Event. Each offering unique paths of power for Strain-Bearers who fight the fiends born from mutation and body horror. Packed with Anime Archetypes, terrifying enemies, and rules for corruption, Bonds, and devastating Limit Breaks, Chimera Strain delivers high-intensity action wrapped in a grim warning: every victory brings you closer to becoming the monster.

Chimera Strain Setting & Shadowdark Rules

• Fast-paced Shadowdark RPG gameplay infused with dark anime horror
• Power fuels corruption. The stronger you become, the closer you are to losing yourself
• Bonds are your only anchor. Damaging relationships (even with yourself) is the price of staying human
• Anime Archetypes. That define your role, personality, and dramatic presence
• Distinct Viral Strains. That grant thematic powers, and an inevitable monstrous evolution
• Explosive Limit Breaks where you become the monster to survive… and live with the aftermath

Here is what is in each Full Color zine:

Anime Archetypes

Anime Archetypes replace ancestries, in Chimera Strain they represent familiar character tropes drawn from anime, manga, and animation. They define how your character is perceived in the world. Their attitude, emotional gravity, and narrative role matter more than origin. Across the three zines, the eleven Anime Archetypes, such as the Heroic Badass, Honorable Warrior, Ice Queen, Charmer, and Scoundrel, provide additional anime flavor, a themed ability, and a clear sense of how your character fits into and is reacted to within this dark setting.

Stretch goals can add up to +2 additional Anime Archetypes, one in the Fractured Impact and one The Hellscape Event expansions.

Corruption, Bonds, & Limit Breaks

Corruption. Every time a hero uses their power, they gain corruption points. Corruption points are a measurement of how much control the alien virus has over the hero. Also, the more corruption the hero has, the more powerful they become.

Bonds. Emotional relationships are the human anchor that can keep the viral infection at bay. Human emotion/drama is alien to the virus, something it can't contain, control, or mutate. Without the bonds, the heroes will quickly become monsters.

Limit Breaks. Resisting the urges that the virus enhances builds a pressure of explosive power that eventually must be released. These highly epic displays of power are always horrendous and often reality breaking. In that moment, you have become the monster...

Strain-Bearers

These are one of the rare infected who can wield the Chimera Strain without being fully consumed by it. The alien virus rewrites their biology and nervous system, granting unnatural powers drawn from a specific viral strain, electricity, gravity, light, and more, while slowly optimizing them into something inhuman. Each use of that power strengthens the strain’s hold, pushing the Strain-Bearer closer to a new viral form, unless they cling to Bonds and resist the urge to become what they fight.

Pledge Levels

Digital Levels - Full Color PDFS

• Chimera Strain: Twilight Genesis - PDF Only  $10
• Chimera Strain: Fractured Impact - PDF Only  $8
• Chimera Strain: The Hellscape Event - PDF Only  $8
• All Three Zines - PDFs only  $20 

Physical Levels - Full Color Zines

All Physical Levels pledges include a matching PDF

• Chimera Strain: Twilight Genesis - Physical   $20
• Chimera Strain: Fractured Impact - Physical  $16
• Chimera Strain: The Hellscape Event - Physical  $16
• All Three Zines - Physical  $39
  (Early Bird is only $35 for the first 50 zines)

Stretch Goals

We have limited space in our print zine... due to the number of pages, so we will only have a couple of print stretch goals (those will happen first). But for digital stretch goals, we can do other creative goals... 

Physical Stretch Goals

• $1,500   New Anime Archetype: ECCENTRIC GENIUS. This new anime archetype will be added to Fractured Impact zine.
• $3,000   New Anime Archetype: FORMER CHILD ASSASSIN. This new anime archetype will be added to The Hellscape Event zine

Digital Stretch Goals

• $4,000   Fiend Vault PDF. A new PDF zine that combines all the fiends and antagonists from the three zine into one place. Plus, we will add another +10 adversaries.
• MORE DIGITAL AWARDS WHEN THE LAST ONE IS UNLOCKED.

Here are few ideas of digital awards that we may do: One Page Adventures, expanded power options, a new organization, new adversaries to add to the vault, more Anime Archetypes, A Hellscape Generator...

ABOUT THE ZINES

All 3 zines will be A5 size, with a soft touch, full color, laminate cover and full color (4/4) interior pages.

Here is a sample of 2 pages from the Chimera Strain: Twilight Genesis

Shipping & Digital Fulfillment

Shipping for physical zines is for the United States only and is estimated to be $5 for one book, and $7 for 2 or more books. 

If you are international - sorry but we will not be able to ship physical zines internationally. However, shortly after the project fulfillment, the Chimera Strain physical zines will be available on DriveThruRPG.com

Digital Fulfillment PDFs will be done using DriveThruRPG. When surveys are sent out, be sure to fill in your DTRPG email when we ask for it.

Shadowdark License

Chimera Strain: Twilight Genesis, Chimera Strain: Fractured Impact, Chimera Strain: The Hellscape Event are each an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.