Raccoon Sky Pirates Classic

Raccoon Sky Pirates

What the...?

You are raccoons.

Chittering,  baggy-pants, ring-tailed burglars. Filthy bandits. Chaos gremlins.

You live in the junkyard, where you build an unlikely flying ship out of trash. 

Tonight, you'll sail it across town to a suburban house, get in, steal everything you can before the lights come on ... and try to make it back home without exploding. 

But things keep going wrong.

Because you're raccoons.

Raccoon Sky Pirates is a narrative, GM-less tabletop role-playing game for 3 to 6 players. It takes 2 to 3 hours to play, with no prep required. Generally, it's a one-shot, although people have been known to make campaigns out of it. It's the perfect game for first-time roleplayers..

This game has been super popular—the perfect beer and pretzels game—but we let it go out of print. We want to reissue it, with a tighter rules booklet and more cards, but still the same mailer-box game your friends have been raving about.

How in the Sam Hill...?

The game is story-focused, with lots of chances to narrate what your raccoons—or possums, pigeons, rats or roaches—do.

Since it's GM-less, everyone plays a raccoon and everyone provides narrative complications for each other. The story moves ahead in clear scenes, with a challenge in each scene: 

1. Fly to the suburbs... 
2. Get into an unsuspecting house and stealing everything you can find... 
3. And fly back to the junkyard.

Each scene, on your turn, you roll a d12—not to see if you succeed, but to find out what you do—what hare-brained idea enters your fuzzy little raccoon head. 

The fun comes from embracing the delightful havoc of random actions and seeing what ingenious things you can do with trash. 

Sometimes you do pirate things, like steering through fog or firing at enemy ships. Sometimes you do raccoon things, like gnawing on a chair or wriggling your way behind a hole in the siding.

Choose from six raccoons to play: Brisket Jack, Maria Triple-XL, Vibrissa, Torch Key, Kit, or Rabies Eddie. Customize them and their relationships. 

Build your ship out of a wrecked car, a home appliance, and an old carnival ride.

Then you're ready to fly.

Or as ready as you'll ever be.

Wasn't there another Kickstarter for this like a few months ago?

Yes, thank you for noticing. Very sharp. 

It had a much higher price point. But it didn't fund, so I took all the best parts and threw them in the Junk Drawer. Like spin-off technology from a failed raccoon space program. Pledge at a tier with the Junk Drawer in it and benefit from my hubris.

What people have said about it

"It has everything you could want in an RPG: raccoons, pirates, a flying ship, 200 pieces of trash with limitless uses, chaos, a mad dash through the house chased by humans, and an aerial battle with a zeppelin." 
—Lowell Francis, The Open Hearth

"Raccoon Sky Pirates is delightfully off-kilter! It knows exactly the experience it is promising, and it delivers. Pilot a janky-ass flying trash barge! Panic and make terrible choices! Steal a shiny toaster! This is madcap fun." 
—Avery Alder, author of Monsterhearts, The Quiet Year and Going for Broke

“It’s hard for a game to reliably create slapstick comedy every time, but somehow, Raccoon Sky Pirates does it.”
—Markus Widmer, 3W6 Podcast

"The mechanics are simple, the premise is fun and family-friendly, and the possibilities are near-limitless. If you’re already a fan of small RPGs, or are looking for a good one to get started with (particularly with a unique setting and engaging premise) then this is a perfect fit." 
—Morgan Carpenter, D20 Collective.com

"One of the most instantly popular games I have ever seen at Games on Demand." 
—Brian Liberge, Games on Demand

"Sincerely one of the best times in the hobby right here." 
—Andy Hauge, gadabout

Rewards for joining the crew

Pledge tiers!

PDF Pirate – $20

Get the PDF of the game, including the rule book, play sheets, and print-and-play Complications cards. 

We plan to make this available for download to all backers as soon as the project reaches its funding goal!

The Raccoon Box – $29

Get the real live box set for yourself. Inside, you'll find: 

• A 24-page rule book, illustrated in lavish black and white 
• 60 Complications cards in a tuck box, with designs by Strega Wolf Eden and illustrations by Chrys.
• A 12-sided raccoon die
• Looseleaf play sheets on letter-size paper, with:
  • The ship sheet
  • The illustrated neighborhoods map
  • 4 house maps, most with 2 floors
  • Character sheets for 6 raccoons, 6 possums, 2 pigeons, 2 rats and 2 roaches.

You also get the PDF—handy for printing new play sheets for repeat play.

We’re saying next June for fulfillment, but we plan to kick off the manufacturing process as soon as Kickstarter disburses the funds, so we hope to get it to you sooner.

Raccoons for Retailers – $43

For verified retailers! Get 3 box sets at wholesale – 50% off. You can add more to your order at this secret link.

You get the PDF too, which we'll also post to Bits & Mortar for your customers.

Just the Junk – $50

For folks who already have the base game, expand your horizons with this treasure chest. Behold:

The Junk Drawer contains a wild array of components, illustrated by amazing artists, to enrich your Raccoon Sky Pirates raids:

• 3 oversized custom maps designed by KB+BA Architects and printed on 10”x16” sheets, providing new vistas for your raccoons to visit—and steal from.
• 30 neighborhood locations on not-Catan hex tiles, illustrated by Kata Kemi, to make your aerial odyssey different every time.
• 36 vivid portrait cards illustrated by Robbi A. Burns, to visualize your trash animal with. In games with 5 or more players, flip them butt-side up to show when you've taken your turn.
• 6 custom bottle caps, cleverly designed by Strega Wolf Eden to match the character of your raccoons or possums.
• 5 extra raccoon dice, so everyone gets their own.
• ...and a wooden, 3-color dumpster-fire meeple.

Plus you get the print-and-play PDFs for the Junk Drawer's maps, tiles and cards.

Raccoon Sky Pirates Complete  – $70

Get the box set plus the Junk Drawer. The box set includes:

• A 24-page rule book, illustrated in lavish black and white 
• 60 Complications cards in a tuck box, with designs by Strega Wolf Eden and illustrations by Chrys.
• A 12-sided raccoon die
• Looseleaf play sheets on letter-size paper, with:
  • The ship sheet
  • The illustrated neighborhoods map
  • 4 house maps, most with 2 floors
  • Character sheets for 6 raccoons, 6 possums, 2 pigeons, 2 rats and 2 roaches.

Piled on top of that is the Junk Drawer—a wild array of components, illustrated by amazing artists, to enrich your Raccoon Sky Pirates raids: 36 portrait cards, 30 neighborhood hex tiles, 6 bottle caps,  5 cursed 12-sided dice, 3 oversized house maps, and a dumpster-fire meeple. 

Plus you get the print-and-play PDFs for the box set, as well as for the Junk Drawer's maps, tiles and cards.

Now you have everything you need to raid the suburbs—except a plan. Plans are for suckers.

Raccoon Royalty – $200

For the ultimate buccaneer-burglar! Get: 

• The box set, with 60 Complications cards in a tuck box, 18 trash animals, 3 houses, neighborhood and ship sheets, a rule book, and one cursed 12-sided die. See more photos in the box set reward above!
• The Junk Drawer, with 36 portrait cards, 30 neighborhood hex tiles, 6 bottle caps,  5 cursed 12-sided dice, 3 oversized house maps, and a dumpster-fire meeple. See close-up photos above and below!
• Print-and-Play PDFs of the box set and the Junk Drawer's maps, tiles and cards.
• A high-resolution PVC mini of a dumpster fire, lovingly sculpted by Derek Konyshak, cast at wargaming scale (42 x 40 x 42 mm including flames), and ready to paint.
• A sleek hard enamel pin of the panicking raccoon, measuring two inches from fingertips to tail, with two clutch closures on the back.
• A Kickstarter-exclusive dumpster fire dice tower, laser cut from wood. Ingeniously designed by Jaren, flat-packed and ready to paint. 6x3x4" when assembled. Rolling a 12 feels fairer when it tumbles out of a flaming dumpster.
• A gorgeous, deliciously soft Raccoon Sky Pirates T-shirt. Silkscreened on a ring-spun cotton blend, in your size from XS to 6XL. The perfect way to tell everyone you're barely coping.
• A special game of Raccoon Sky Pirates with Chrys! 

moar loot

Add-ons:

Community Copy – $10

Buy a copy of the Print-and-Play PDF for someone who can't afford to buy one for themselves. These will be available in a community pool on Itch.io after the campaign fulfills.

Panicking Raccoon Pin – $10

A sleek, hard enamel pin of the iconic panicking raccoon, in black, white and nickel. Two inches from fingertips to tail, with two clutch pins on the back.

Junk Drawer – $50

Herein lies a wild array of components, illustrated by amazing artists, to enrich your Raccoon Sky Pirates raids:

• 3 oversized custom maps designed by KB+BA Architects and printed on 10”x16” sheets, providing new vistas for your raccoons to visit—and steal from.
• 30 neighborhood locations on not-Catan hex tiles, illustrated by Kata Kemi, to make your aerial odyssey different every time.
• 36 vivid portrait cards illustrated by Robbi A. Burns, to visualize your trash animal with. In games with 5 or more players, flip them butt-side up to show when you've taken your turn.
• 6 custom bottle caps, cleverly designed by Strega Wolf Eden to match the character of your raccoons or possums.
• 5 extra raccoon dice, so everyone gets their own.
• ...and a wooden, 3-color dumpster-fire meeple.

Dumpster Fire Mini – $55

A high-resolution PVC mini of a roaring, rolling Dumpster fire. Sized to scale with D&D and Warhammer wargaming minis and ready to paint in all the colors of a raccoon's dreams. Lovingly sculpted by Derek Konyshak for you. 42 x 40 x 42 mm including flames.

Expansion: Black Flag Friday – $10

Raid a big-box store just before it opens for Black Friday, and steal all the best trash before the human shoppers rush in. PDF comes with a map, a hundred specially stocked items, and a custom Disaster Track.

Expansion: Haunted House – $10

Raid a haunted house and steal from the monstrous residents on Halloween. Black-and-white PDF comes with a four-story map, over a hundred items, and a custom Disaster Track.

Expansion: Fourth of July – $10

In this most patriotic expansion, sail across the National Mall pelted by fireworks and raid the White House. PDF comes with a map of the White House, a hundred special items to steal, and a custom Disaster Track.

Two Expansions in One: Raccoons Save Christmas and Raccoons Are for Lovers – $10

Two expansions in one add-on! 

• Save Christmas using Santa's magical items and leave the perfect gifts for a suburban family. 
• On Valentine's Night, win the heart of your secret trash-animal crush. 

After I deliver these PDFs to backers, I'll send them free to folks who bought their earlier incarnations on Itch.io.

Stretch Goals

Shipping comes later

While we charge the base pledge amounts when the campaign closes, we'll charge shipping later, right before we send out your rewards. Shipping costs fluctuate a lot between funding and fulfilling. With this in mind, we've kept most of the pledge tiers priced to move.

Shipping estimates for the box set, as of Sept. 2026

I don't have estimates for the other rewards, but this gives you an idea. The box set weighs just under 1 pound. The Junk Drawer weighs about 2 pounds.

Roughly in order of how far away they feel from Columbus, Ohio:

• Local pickup at Tabletop Game Cafe: Free
• Continental U.S: $17
• Alaska, Hawaii: $23
• APO: $20
• Puerto Rico: $22
• Canada: $38
• U.K: $13 
• E.U: $24
• Norway/Switzerland: $22
• China: $11
• Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam: $22
• Australia: $14 
• New Zealand: $20
• Rest of the World (including Mexico): $40 

All prices are in USD, rounded to the nearest dollar. They're Quartermaster Logistics' estimates, not guarantees, and they exclude fuel surcharges.

Meet your officers

Chrys is the publisher of Hectic Electron Games and the designer of Raccoon Sky Pirates and Defy the Gods. This is her first game, but her third time making it.

Cole Stephenson, PMP is an experienced project manager and forever GM. He makes game projects run more smoothly. Discover his work at MageHandPM.com.

Yuri Lowenthal is a BAFTA-nominated actor and award-winning writer and filmmaker most well-known for his work in animation (Ben 10, Naruto) and video games (Marvel’s Spider-Man). This would ABSOLUTELY NOT be his first time working with Chrys.

Robbi is an artist focused in inkwork, digital art and murals and one of the designers of Hinterlight, a Gothic worldbuilding ritual and role-playing game. They have made art for Jay Dragon's Prince of Hounds and many others.

Kate Barbaria and Brendan Albano have cultivated a design practice that takes an expansive view of space-making and user interaction that is sweet and curious, useful and cerebral, and of course, groovy and elemental. They also make games as Pony Press. Discover more at kb-ba.com. 

Strega Wolf Van Den Berg is a non-binary neurodivergent artist and designer making art for rough people in rough situations. They co-created Lichoma: A Card-based Meatpunk TTRPG, which was nominated for an Indie Groundbreaker award for graphic design.

Kata Kemi is a Finnish concept & illustration artist living in the US. She has illustrated for Darrington Press/Critical Role, The Sunken Isles by Ghostfire Gaming, Fable 2, Dungeons of Drakkenheim and many others. You can find her portfolio at katakemi.carrd.co/.

Jaren makes clever things out of wood for tabletop gaming in the Pacific Northwest. Follow him on Bluesky and Instagram @lasertoadco.

Derek makes organizers, miniatures, terrain, props and clothing for RPGs as Board Game Boss. He channels his creative juices into everything he does. And man, do those juices get everywhere.

Boda Games is an experienced, longstanding manufacturer in the board and card game industry, based in Shanghai and Wenzhou, China. They are certified by ICTI, FSC, CSTI, Disney FAMA and NBC Universal.

Quartermaster Logistics exists to make shipping and fulfillment Fast, Easy and Reliable for the tabletop industry and beyond. They are based in Orlando, Florida.

DriveThru RPG is the largest RPG marketplace for downloadable tabletop games.

A.I. and raccoons don't mix

This game is made by humans. Our philosophy is: better to have crude, hand-drawn scrawls than posh robotic pablum. I think the work bears that out.

Go forth and steal trash

The sky's the limit for your raccoon ambitions. Steal it all and live the life of pirate royalty.

Flying a ship takes coordination and discipline. 

Unfortunately, you're a bunch of raccoons.