The pitch for Astra Arcanum, the dark sci-fi TTRPG from Metis Media, is that Earth is lost, and the dangerous remains of humankind are carving their way through the stars.
What happened? It’s a dark secret. It’s rare to get a pitch video that says so little, implies so much and is worth watching for the entertainment alone, but that’s what we have here. The crowdfunding campaign for Astra Arcanum is already a success, with well over a thousand backers and more than $200,000 pledged against the $30,000 target. You can see progress on the pitch page.
Metis Media won ENnie gold for Historica Arcanum, and I’m certain their reputation for high production quality is helping boost Astra Arcanum.
It’s also interesting to note that they’ve ditched 5e and moved to their own system. They’re keen to stress you can target body parts in these rules.
There’s a free quickstart available as $0 purchase from Metis Media’s webstore. There’s a catch and half with that because not only do you need to have an account there, you also need to create one with your phone number. They don’t ask for your international prefix, so I assume it’s for local couriers trying to deliver Metis Media hardbacks.
The free PDF for Astra Arcanum‘s quickstart weighs in at 56 pages. There are rules in brief, some character gen, including cybernetics and levelling, combat, movement and the wound system in this tactical game.
Much of the rule system is on show at the Kickstarter story, but it’s all in image form, so you’re out of luck if you need or prefer an accessible version.
There will be two core rules: the sourcebook and the game master’s guide. The game has been designed for both tabletop and, given the tactical nature of the gameplay, VTTs too.
Backers who pledge $3 can buy into building their own Astra Arcanum bundle in the pledge manager, with that $3 returned to them as credit.
Those who pledge $29 (about £22) will get a PDF of their choice, which means they will pick either the core rules of the GM book.
At $49, the Astra Arcanum library is unlocked for backers, and that means both books, the maps, digital tokens, digital cards and three adventure zines.
As you’d expect, there are hardcovers on offer and one, backers’ pick, unlocks at $59.
Both core rulebooks in hardback plus the digital library is the their at $109.
There’s a higher tier as well. At $230, backers get an exclusive Astra Arcanum box set with paper copies of the zines, a GM screen, bestiary, spell and item cards, Astra Arcanum dice and maps. This tier also unlocks access to one VTT of your choice.
The crowdfunding campaign runs until June 21st, and Metis Media estimates delivery will be in December 2026.
