Colonial Gothic: Revolution Edition The Second Volley

The Second Volley

I missed the mark the first time.

Badly.

I'm not going to dress that up. The first campaign did not fund.

But like any battle, there is always a second volley. You check your powder, you adjust your aim, and you fire again.

So I am ready to fire again.

The goal is lower, at $1,000.

Yes, you read that right.

The pledge is simple: $30 gets you all four PDFs. If you want the books in your hands too, $50 gets you the four PDFs plus all four print books, ordered at cost through DriveThruRPG. The books are the same. The setting is the same. The only thing that changed is how I deliver them.

So, let's try that again.

The Shadows Stir

The world is entering a new age. What Thomas Paine called the Age of Reason. Logic. Mathematics. Science. Most people believe the old superstitions are behind them.

They are wrong.

Colonial Gothic is supernatural horror set in Revolutionary America. You play ordinary people, clerks, soldiers, teachers, midwives, who discover the truth: magic is real, and something ancient moves through the colonies.

Witches who never left Salem. Vampires who followed European immigrants across the Atlantic. Secret societies pulling strings behind the Revolution. Men and women fighting the war for reasons no pamphlet will ever name.

History is exactly as recorded. The supernatural is exactly as feared.

Both are real.

What is Colonial Gothic

Colonial Gothic is a supernatural historical role-playing game set in the American colonial period, from the founding of Roanoke in 1585, or was it in 1587? Why the confusion? Who benefits? Sorry, I got sidetracked by a mystery. Anyway, to the end of the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.

Colonial Gothic gives you everything you need to set your games in this period. With a supernatural twist. It has been the standard for historical horror at the table since 2007. The classic 12° edition is still in print, still supported, and still the heart of the game.

So why a new edition?

For years, players have asked for a version that runs on the 20-sided die. Why? It is the system most players already know. The Revolution Edition is that conversion.

Same setting.

Same lore.

Same dread.

Built for a system you already understand.

This is not a replacement. The classic 12° edition is going nowhere. The Revolution Edition is a new way in. A doorway for those who always wanted to walk these woods but never picked up the dice.

2027 is both the 20-year anniversary of Rogue Games and the 20-year anniversary of Colonial Gothic.

Twenty years of lore, history, and horror carry forward intact.

One world.

Two ways in.

The Revolution Edition

As I have said already, but I will say it again, Colonial Gothic isn't going anywhere. The 12° system, in print since 2007, remains the heart of the game. This isn't a replacement.

If you've been curious but the 12-sided dice gave you pause, or you want a familiar way in, this version is for you.

20° is Colonial Gothic, built around the 20-sided die and using the same core mechanics that introduced millions to roleplaying.

Now you can walk the shadowed paths of Revolutionary America with a fistful of dice. Summon your faith. Stifle your fears. Prepare for a battle no one knows is raging. The enemy does not care which side you are on. They laugh at the flag you walk under.

Are you ready for a war no one knows exists?
 

How it Plays

Colonial Gothic: Revolution Edition runs on the 20-sided die. Roll, add your relevant trait and skill, and meet or beat the target number.

That's it.

What makes it Colonial Gothic is what surrounds that roll. Fear. Sanity. The slow creep of something you cannot explain.

Characters are ordinary people. Competent, capable, but completely unprepared for what the dark holds. The rules reinforce that. Success matters. Failure has weight. And some things in this world cannot be killed by a good roll.

Better yet, why not try it yourself? Click the link and download a copy of the Colonial Gothic Revolution Edition Quickstarter and find out for yourself.

What about the 12° version?

Still in print, still supported, and will not be replaced. Both games are compatible, so you can use what you use in one in the other.

Colonial Gothic already has a deep catalog in print, and I am currently sitting on approximately 15 manuscripts at various stages of development. These manuscripts use both the 12° and 20° systems, and every book will include conversion notes. Colonial Gothic has a future.

What you're backing

One if by Land ($30)

Digital copies only. You get all four PDFs for $30: the Core Rulebook, the Almanack, the Gazetteer (2nd Edition), and Angels on the Hill. How easy is that?

Two if by Sea ($50)

Everything in One if by Land, plus print-on-demand, at-cost copies of all four books through DriveThruRPG. Order them with a print code, and pay for printing and shipping at checkout. Nothing is held back, and nothing is exclusive. 

What you get

The Core Rulebook

This is the complete game. Everything you need to step into 1775 and never come back. Build your character from the ground up. Choose your profession, your skills, your place in a world on the edge of war. Learn to fight, to cast, to brew, to survive.

The Core Rulebook puts the full weight of Revolutionary America in your hands. The history, the horror, and everything hiding between two covers. Or in the electronic device of your choice. The PDF is part of One if by Land ($30) and Two if by Sea ($50). The hardcover, approximately 270 pages, built to haunt your table,is part of Two if by Sea.

The Almanack

The colonies are not what they seem. The Almanack pulls back the curtain on the world your character lives in: the smuggling networks that run beneath legitimate trade, the secret societies pulling strings behind the Revolution, the cults operating in the dark, and the hidden machinery of daily life in 1775. This indispensable guide makes the period easier to learn about and use.

This is your guidebook to the history, culture, and colonial life everyone needs.

Even better, this book is compatible with any edition of Colonial Gothic.

What?

You read that right.

There is no way it is compatible with the OG 1st Edition? If you have a copy, it is.

Even the Revised Edition? Yup

Surely not the 2nd Edition? Yes, and don't call me Shirley.

3rd Edition? Yes.

4th Edition? Come on, do I need to answer that question?

Revolution Edition? Oh, come on. Really? Do I need to answer this? Ok, yes.

The history, the horror, and everything hiding, lurking deep within the electronic device of your choice. Coming in at approximately 200 pages, the Almanack's PDF is part of One if by Land ($30) and Two if by Sea ($50). The hardcover is part of Two if by Sea.

The Gazetteer (2nd Edition)

Where is Waterbury? 

What mysteries lurk in Georgia? 

Just who exactly is Bloody Mary? 

You have questions; well, my friends, here are the answers.

This new edition of Graeme Davis's classic Colonial Gothic: Gazetteer adds more content, more mystery, and, hell, more adventure ideas than you can shake a stick at. So put on your favorite boots, grab your musket, and take a trip through the shadows of the American colonies.

The Gazetteer (2nd Edition) is about 130 pages. The PDF is part of One if by Land ($30) and Two if by Sea ($50). The hardcover is part of Two if by Sea.

Angels on the Hill

Peekskill, New York. A trading village on the Hudson River, growing fat on river commerce and apple harvests. Or it was, until the disappearances began.

First, it was hunters. Then travelers. Now, children are vanishing from their beds in the night, and no one can say why. The woods have gone quiet. Strange figures have been seen moving through the trees after dark. And somewhere above the village, on the bare rock summit of Jacob's Hill, something waits.

An adventure for both Colonial Gothic 4th Edition, and the Revolution Edition. The PDF is part of One if by Land ($30) and Two if by Sea ($50). The softcover is part of Two if by Sea.

Stretch Goals?

No. Not even secret ones. What you see is what you get.

Status of the Project

Here is where everything stands as of right now.

Core Rulebook

95% complete. A few sections need tightening, then I'll do a final pass before editing. Art descriptions are being written now. Some of the existing art from the 12° edition is in-house and will be used; I still need additional art.

The Almanack

95% complete. One chapter left to review and flesh out. Once that is done, the manuscript gets a final pass before editing. Some of the existing art from the 12° edition is in-house and will be used; I still need additional art.

The Gazetteer (2nd Edition)

100% complete. One pass from me, then ready for final editing. Maps are finished. Art might be needed.

Angels on the Hill

50% complete. The rough draft exists. It needs a thorough edit, a close review for plot holes, and stronger ties to Colonial Gothic lore. Art doesn't exist yet and will be commissioned to fit what the adventure actually needs.

Cool, what am I backing?

Great question. The answer is straightforward. You are backing the final edit and art needs.

Delivery

Estimated delivery is July 2027. DriveThruRPG delivers PDFs when the books are finished, and print codes go live once I have proof copies in hand and I approve them for print. From there, I send out the print codes. I won't send out print codes until I am happy with the quality and everything is as it should be. I learned my lesson before, and I am still mad at myself for the hiccups on the Colonial Gothic Fourth Edition campaign.

Print copies ship via DriveThruRPG when you redeem your code. DriveThruRPG shows you the real shipping cost for your address at that moment, so there are no guesses and no surprises. After the campaign, Kickstarter collects only applicable tax through its Pledge Manager.

I don't need to say it, but I will anyway. None of this goes up for sale until you get access to the titles first. Once the codes are out and there are no mishaps, everyone else can buy at retail prices.

Prices on this page do not include tax. Any taxes that apply to your pledge will be collected through Kickstarter's Pledge Manager once the campaign ends.+

Who I am

I am Richard Iorio, founder of Rogue Games and the creator of Colonial Gothic. I have been writing and designing tabletop RPGs professionally for a while (let’s keep age out of this. Ok?) and publishing them through Rogue Games for almost twenty years.

I also communicate. 

Constantly. 

Those who backed my Colonial Gothic Fourth Edition Kickstarter saw that firsthand, and this campaign will be no different.

Risks and Challenges

Production is planned as thoroughly as the current world allows. Timelines are mapped. The schedule is realistic.

I am also in remission from renal cancer. During the Colonial Gothic Fourth Edition Kickstarter, I was recovering from my first of two surgeries during the campaign and kept going. I finished it and delivered the backers' books on time.

This time around I am cancer-free, and I have no reason to believe my health will be a factor. I have also been public about managing my mental health. I am in a good place. I ran a campaign through cancer. I can run one through anything.

Other than being struck by lightning, I cannot see what would stop this. And even then, honestly, things will still be fine.

Trailer Credits

Music: “Predator” by Geoff Harvey, Purple Planet Music, CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Edited for timing. Voice: Carson McCamy. Art: Daniel Eskridge, Freddy Lopez Jr., James Olley. Angels on the Hill cover: Panupong (Adobe Stock). Core Rulebook cover: Maxime Billon (Adobe Stock). Gazetteer (2nd Edition) cover: “Daniel Boone escorting settlers through the Cumberland Gap,” George Caleb Bingham (public domain). Almanack cover: “Spirit of ‘76,” Tompkins H. Matteson (public domain). Opening battle scene: E. Percy Moran, c1909. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ds-17487. Public domain.