Therapeutic RPG Guild Chronicles funds core rules for everyday gamers on Kickstarter

Andrew Harris is an educator and a game designer who has been working on a tabletop RPG called Guild Chronicles.

For a decade, the game has been used in hospitals and schools for educational and therapeutic reasons. Now Guild Chronicles is heading to a wider general audience with a Kickstarter that’s already hit funding goals.

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We’re told that the system is flexible, engaging, dynamic and, most importantly, designed to reward collaborative play.

Harris says Guild Chronicles is not just for first time-gamers or veterans but people feeling disenchanted with big-name games.

There’s more than a system; there’s a setting called Verden. That’s a setting shaped by myths and magic, with a timeline that takes up to a point in history where countries are modernizing into an uncertain future.

The most apparent sign of Planar influence on Verden is the presence of magic. In places where this influence is strongest, the Planes bleed into Verden, creating sites suffused with their energy. It is from these places that “rivers” of magic, known as leylines, spring forth, crossing the land. Over time, spellcasters have learned how to tap into these natural sources to empower their own magic and create powerful, permanent enchantments. Verden has native magic of its own, but most of its wellsprings were exhausted long ago, leaving it confined to the legends of old.

Sound worthwhile? You can support Guild Chronicles by sharing it on social media or offering a little money. Shops can even indicate interest and get a heads-up with a $1 pledge.

With access to Kickstarter add-ons, the core rules in PDF unlock as a reward for backers who can contribute $20.

With digital stretch goals included, the hardcover version swaps in at $50, although shipping is restricted to the United States only.

There are higher tiers, such as the $140 Gaming Group Package or the $1,000 school program and Lyndhurst Trustee tier.

The most expensive tier, which has backers, is $1,500, called Patron of Learning. That means you’re buying financial aid for someone who needs it on a program that uses the Guild Chronicles program.

Andrew estimates delivery of most of the tiers at January 2024.