Thank you Backers for an incredible Kickstarter Campaign!
Miss the campaign? For a limited time only you can still get fantastic Kickstarter values and access to this campaign’s limited-edition items.
The woods are thick here, a tangle of ancient trunks and limbs that groan and sway like lungs breathing their last desperate gasps.
But these trees—moss-etched and rife with the hungry mouths of a thousand more hungry insects, these broken fingers grasping for the moon-hung sky—these trees are not what you or I would even understand as being… alive. See, that would be far too simple.
This cursed clutch of branch and shadow is something else entirely, something born of blood and betrayal, nurtured with petty thoughts and poison promises.
You breathe and they breathe. And through them, beneath them, all around them and therefore you, something else emerges. From all the tales you were told, all the books you read, all the ones who said “Don’t go,” you expected darkness.
She is light.
Ball lightning come to earth, tendrils touching each tree like a long-lost lover arrived home at last, the earth beneath her cracking deep as it gives itself up to her. Forward she moves, or maybe she moves you, and when she stops or you stop or the world stops, there are no woods, no grove nor ground. There is only her and you and what comes next.
Dazzled, your mind says mother. Your mind says beloved. Your mind says run and retreat and no.
This, this is what you have come for. She is who you have come for.
She lifts her blinding head, one eye black and deep as a coal mine, and she says, “Ask.”
What do you do?
This Is What You Have Come For
Welcome, Family, to the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game.
Old Gods of Appalachia is a roleplaying game of the Green, the Dark, and things even more ancient, in which player characters protect what’s important and try to know the unknowable. It is set in the Alternate Appalachia of the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast, a captivating eldritch horror anthology created by Steve Shell and Cam Collins, and the winner of the 2021 Discover Pods Best Overall Podcast and Best Audio Drama or Fiction Podcast awards.
The Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game is a standalone tabletop RPG driven by the Cypher System. It’s a hefty corebook with everything you need to play, including complete rules; character creation; extensive lore of Alternate Appalachia in the 1920s and 1930s (plus guidance on playing in other time periods); a bestiary of creatures and entities from the Green, the Dark, and elsewhere; magic; equipment; adventures; and more.
With the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, you step into the world of the podcast and bring your own stories of Alternate Appalachia to life.
Get All of This—See the Delver into the Dark Backer Level
- Autographed limited DELUXE Edition of the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, with reversible dust jacket
- Old Gods of Appalachia RPG standard edition in print and PDF
- Campaign journal
- Character Portfolios
- GM Screen
- XP Deck
- Resource Deck
- Premium dice
- Dice tray
- Early access and playtest
- Exclusive Barrow & Locke tin
- Old God Speak Audio Files
- Songs of Blood and Darkness Audio
- Digital Prop-crafting Kit
- Pocket Railroad Guide
- Cloth Map
Scroll down for details on these unique and beautiful items. The Walker of the Green backer level outfits your entire gaming group for a fantastic Old Gods experience. If you’re looking for an amazing, all-in deal that includes the exclusive items, autographs, and early access, upgrade to the Delver into the Dark backer level for only $75 more.
Download the Primer
Like most tabletop roleplaying games, this game is played with and in the shared imaginations of a group. One player takes on the role of the Game Master (GM), who crafts the adventure and controls the world in which it is set. The other players take on the roles of fictional characters within that world, describing—and occasionally rolling dice to resolve the outcomes of— the actions of their characters.
For a quick look at the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, download our free primer. It introduces the Cypher System, and offers a glimpse of what you’ll find in Alternate Appalachia, including a few examples of characters and items and entities you might encounter should you choose to step into these dark hollers and hills.
The Game
The Things that once slumbered in the hills and hollers, beneath the earth and beyond the eye, have begun to wake. They stir and breathe.
They see you and know your innermost heart, those long dark tunnels of pain and sorrow and secrets.
They call to you in voices deep and dark, voices ancient and unknowable, voices full of pain and promises—and no way to tell between the two.
Come to us, those voices say. We have only just begun.
The Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game is a complete standalone tabletop RPG driven by the Cypher System, the popular, critically acclaimed game engine lauded for its elegance, ease of use, flexibility, and narrative focus. Intuitive character creation, fast-paced gameplay, and a uniquely GM-friendly design make the Cypher System perfect for the world of Old Gods of Appalachia, and a joy to run and play.
Cypher System characters are built from the concept up. A descriptive sentence provides not just an easily-understood overview of the character, but also the mechanical basis for skills, abilities, and stats. And the Cypher System gives players amazing narrative engagement, rewarding player-driven subplots and giving players resources to bear on the tasks and situations they most want to succeed at.
Exclusive Items for an Amazing Experience
In addition to the standard Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, this campaign is funding a range of accessories and game aids that make your OGoA tabletop experience that much more compelling, fast-playing, and fun. Many of these items are limited edition, created especially for this Kickstarter campaign.
Limited DELUXE Edition: This stunning limited edition features a vegan leather cover, foil stamping and debossing, edge gilding, and a satin bookmark—all wrapped in a reversible dust jacket so you can choose your favorite cover design. At the Delver into the Dark backer level, your copy is autographed by Steve Shell and Cam Collins, creators of the podcast, and Shanna Germain, designer of the game.
Premium Dice and Dice Tray: An astonishingly beautiful set of large, hard-edged resin dice with a custom Old Gods design and a mesmerizing simmering coal interior. These are super-premium dice; the photos don’t do them justice. The Cypher System uses a d20, a d6, and percentile dice, and you get all four in this set. They’re complemented nicely by our custom velvet-lined, leather-backed folding dice tray.
Barrow & Locke Tin: This exclusive tin might once have contained cookies from the Barrow & Locke company store. Use it for Mamaw’s sewing supplies—or store your gaming goods in true Appalachian style. It’s perfectly sized to hold your Old Gods dice tray, dice, character portfolio or campaign journal, and decks, along with pencils and other gaming items.
Resource Deck: Creatures, NPCs, cyphers, artifacts, and similar resources are reproduced in a handy deck that’s convenient in play and GM prep.
Campaign Journal: A GM’s journal for building fantastic campaigns. Outside, the debossed “bible”-style cover has a unique feel, while inside it’s filled with terrific prompts for building and recording your adventures. The amazing features are rounded out by a ribbon bookmark that—like the entire journal—is both beautiful and functional.
XP Deck: In the Cypher System, players earn, use, and exchange experience points during play. As tangible tokens for experience points, XP cards are a simple but useful tool at the game table.
GM Screen: A four-panel GM screen printed in landscape format on heavy game board, making it as sturdy and durable as it is beautiful. It gives the GM loads of handy Alternate Appalachia and Cypher System info on one side, with evocative art on the players’ side.
Character Portfolios: A setting rich in lore and detail evokes characters equally deep and vibrant. These 24-page character portfolios do the job of a character sheet, but also give you room for notes, sketches, and details. Keep a campaign journal, make maps and location notes, keep track of NPCs, or flesh out your character’s backstory and relationships. This reward comes in a pack of five—one for everyone at the game table.
Scrip Set: You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Scrip was often issued by mining companies in lieu of cash on payday; families spent it at the company store. This set of 40 scrip coins in varying denominations represents many mining conglomerates of Alternate Appalachia, including Barrow & Locke. Available as an add-on only.
Pocket Railroad Guide: Railroads were an everyday form of transportation in Alternate Appalachia. Pocket guides were a common way to get route and schedule information. This is both a practical game aid (with information about train routes and times) and an immersive prop that will transport players’ imaginations into Alternate Appalachia as dependably as the trains transport their characters.
Cloth map of Alternate Appalachia: Immerse yourself and your players in the world of Alternate Appalachia with this cloth map of the area. The cloth map will be roughly 20” x 32” (50 cm x 80 cm) and printed with a vintage look and feel.
Backer Levels
PDF Family
The standard corebook in PDF.
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game in PDF
- Player’s Guide in PDF
- Old Gods Speak Audio Files
- Prop Crafting Kit
- Songs of Blood and Darkness
$25
Family
The standard corebook in print, plus the PDF for free.
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game standard edition in print
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game in PDF
- Old Gods Speak Audio Files
- Prop Crafting Kit
- Songs of Blood and Darkness
$70
True Kin
The limited Deluxe Edition of the corebook, made especially for this Kickstarter campaign, plus the PDF for free.
- Limited DELUXE Edition of the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, with reversible dust jacket
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game in PDF
- Old Gods Speak Audio Files
- Prop Crafting Kit
- Songs of Blood and Darkness
$120
Walker of the Green
A full poke’s worth of gaming goods for a complete and wondrous RPG experience. Includes both the limited DELUXE Edition, plus the standard edition.
- Limited DELUXE Edition of the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, with reversible dust jacket
- Old Gods of Appalachia RPG standard edition in print
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game in PDF
- Campaign journal
- Set of five character Portfolios
- GM Screen in Print and PDF
- Resource Deck
- XP Deck
Old Gods Speak Audio Files - Prop Crafting Kit
- Songs of Blood and Darkness
$190
Delver into the Dark
All of the exclusive items made just for this campaign, including autographs and early access to the game.
- Autographed Limited DELUXE Edition of the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, with reversible dust jacket
- Premium dice
- Dice tray
- Exclusive Barrow & Locke tin
- Early access and playtest
- Old Gods of Appalachia RPG standard edition in print
- Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game in PDF
- Campaign journal
- Set of five character portfolios
- GM Screen
- Resource Deck
- XP Deck
- Old Gods Speak Audio Files
- Prop Crafting Kit
- Songs of Blood and Darkness
- Cloth Map
$265
Company Store
Brick and mortar retailers only.
- Three copies of the Limited DELUXE Edition of the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, with reversible dust jacket
- Two sets of five character portfolios
- Two GM screens
$225
Add-Ons
- $70 Old Gods of Appalachia in print: An extra copy of the book in print
- $120 limited DELUXE Edition OGoA RPG: A stunning limited edition in print with faux leather cover, gilded edging, a satin ribbon bookmark, and a reversible dust jacket.
- $25 Exclusive Barrow & Locke tin: Store your gaming goods (or Mamaw’s sewing supplies) in true Appalachian style in the Barrow & Locke company store tin.
- $55 Premium Olds Gods of Appalachia dice: An astonishingly beautiful set of large hard-edged resin dice with a custom design, made by the masters at Metallic Dice Games.
- $20 Old Gods of Appalachia dice tray: A beautiful dice tray that folds flat for travel or storage and easily snaps into shape when you’re ready to go. Fits neatly into the Barrow & Locke tin.
- $40 Scrip set: This set of 40 metal scrip coins represents many mining conglomerates of Alternate Appalachia, including Barrow & Locke. Crafted by the wonderful folks of Campaign Coins. Available as an add-on only.
- $20 Sam Plushie: “Sam kept barking and growling, teeth bared, blind eyes staring into the void—feerless and good.” A hero of Season 2, now as an exclusive plushie! Available as an add-on only.
- $20 Cloth map of Alternate Appalachia: Immerse yourself and your players in the world of Alternate Appalachia with this cloth map of the area. The cloth map will be roughly 20” x 32” (50 cm x 80 cm) and printed with a vintage look and feel.
- $30 Campaign journal: An evocative and beautiful GM journal in print, formatted and filled with useful prompts for building and recording your adventures.
- $20 Character Portfolios: 24-page character portfolios in print that do the job of a character sheet, but also give you room for notes, sketches, and details. Set of five.
- $20 Resource Deck: Creatures, NPCs, cyphers, artifacts, and similar resources are reproduced in a handy deck that’s convenient in play and GM prep. Print product.
- $10 XP Deck: Tangible tokens for experience points, these XP cards are a simple but useful—and evocative—tool at the game table. Print product.
- $20 GM Screen: A four-panel board stock GM screen with useful game information on the GM’s side and stunning artwork on the players’ side. Print product.
- $50 Your Best Game Ever: A tool book, not a rule book, that unlocks the secrets of consistently awesome RPG experiences. By Monte Cook with contributions from a wide range of RPG luminaries. Print product.
- $25 Numenera Starter Set: Explore the unique and fascinating Ninth World, the setting of Numenera—the award-winning RPG that launched the Cypher System. Whether you’re new to RPGs or just new to Numenera, this box has everything you need to get started. Print product.
- $70 Cypher System Rulebook: Run Cypher System games in any genre—fantasy, modern, science-fiction, horror, superheroes, post-apocalyptic, and more. The Cypher System Rulebook gives you everything you need to run your own worlds using this flexible, engaging, fast-paced, easy-to-GM game engine. Print product.
- $20 NPC Deck: Breathe life into an infinite variety of NPCs—for any campaign! Generates details of NPC appearance, personality, abilities, and possessions—even names. Although it isn’t specific to the NPCs of Alternate Appalachia, it is nevertheless an effective tool. Great for time savings and inspiration. Print product.
- $20 GM Intrusion Deck: GM intrusions inject the unexpected into your Cypher System game, and keep the players on their toes. The GM intrusions in this deck aren’t specific to the world of Alternate Appalachia; they are broad and general enough to be highly useful in any setting. Inspire $20 your game prep, or generate intrusions on the fly, with this 100-card deck. Print product.
To select an add-on, simply click the Manage Your Pledge button on the right-hand side of the Kickstarter page. You can use Kickstarter’s add-on feature, or simply increase your pledge by the amount listed for the add-on. (For example, if you want Your Best Game Ever, add $50 to your pledge.) After the campaign closes, we’ll be using a service called BackerKit to collect your information, and at that time you can specify what add-on(s) the additional funds were for.
The Amazing Team behind the Old Gods Roleplaying Game
Monte Cook Games has been publishing highly praised, award-winning, innovative RPGs since 2012, including lines such as Numenera, Invisible Sun, No Thank You, Evil!, Ptolus, our 5e compatible books, and of course the Cypher System. We pride ourselves in works that are imaginative, fun, easy to play and GM, and beautiful—and Kickstarters that, for nearly a decade now, have consistently delivered big and on time.
Lead Designer Shanna Germain has been writing, editing, and designing for over 30 years. She’s won numerous awards for her work, including multiple ENnies, the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game of the Year, the C. Hamilton Bailey Poetry Fellowship, and the Utne Reader award for Best New Publication. A founder and co-owner of Monte Cook Games, Shanna’s design work includes Numenera, No Thank You, Evil!, Predation, and the forthcoming Tidal Blades RPG.
Old Gods of Appalachia co-creator Cam Collins is a native of Wise County, Virginia, where she cut her teeth on the spooky folklore of the region, and became a lifelong gamer. Before writing and performing on OGoA, she produced and cohosted Appalachian Arcana, a podcast featuring regional folklore, true crime, cryptids and other creepy tales.
Old Gods of Appalachia co-creator Steve Shell also grew up in Wise County, and has been fixated on the occult and supernatural happenings since childhood. In addition to writing and voicing multiple characters including the ever present Narrator for the Old Gods podcast, Steve has been a nationally ranked slam poet, a stage performer, and the producer of The Knowne World Bardcast, a podcast focused on the music and oral traditions of medieval reenactors.
MCG’s General Manager Tammie Webb Ryan is also a native of Wise County. She brings a wealth of Appalachian experience and lore to the project (and also happens to manage the company’s business operations on the side). The first non-founder to join the MCG team, Tammie has worked as an editor and businessperson in the RPG industry for over 20 years.
Cypher System designer Monte Cook is well known for his work on D&D (particularly as the co-designer of 3rd Edition) and titles such as HeroClix, Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Ptolus, Planescape, Arcana Evolved, Numenera, and Invisible Sun. Over a career spanning 30+ years Monte has won just about every gaming industry award, including a great many ENnies and Origins Awards, and is an inductee into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design’s Hall of Fame.
Our team also includes renowned and award-winning veteran game designers Bruce R. Cordell and Sean K Reynolds. Our Art Director Bear Weiter makes our products beautiful. Teri Litorco, Managing Editor, wrangles the words and projects. Jennifer Walls, LaTia Jacquise, and Charles Ryan interact with our fans and customers and keep the business rolling along smoothly.
Our team is small, but we deliver big!
Shipping
Here’s the gist: shipping and global logistics are disrupted everywhere. That said, working within our own warehouse and with trusted global fulfillment partners in Europe and Australia, we do everything in our power to get your rewards into your hands as quickly, reliably, and affordably as possible.
All backers pay for shipping when they redeem their rewards. We offer a variety of domestic and international shipping methods from which you can choose. As of this writing, basic domestic shipping is $7 per shipment, but we do not control future postal rates, so that cost is subject to change. International shipping is based on postal and shipping rates at the time of the order, and varies by destination and shipment weight.
For detailed information on shipping, visit our Kickstarter Reward Fulfillment page.
International Shipping
International shipping is expensive. We don’t have any control over shipping rates, and we can’t accurately predict what shipping rates will be at the time of fulfillment. To comply with international law, we cannot mark your reward as a gift or as a zero-value item. Here are details that apply to your region:
- Canadian Backers: Your rewards will be fulfilled by our shipping center in the United States. You will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable). Please note that our books are printed in Canada, and thus are not subject to import duties; however, they are subject to GST and provincial sales tax and items not printed in Canada, such as decks of cards, are subject to import duties.
- The Rest of the Americas: Your rewards will also ship from our shipping center in the United States. You will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable).
- The EU and UK: Your rewards will be filled by our shipping center in the UK. UK and EU backers will not pay import duties and taxes.
- Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, and Asia: Your rewards will be filled by our shipping center in Australia. Backers in Australia and New Zealand will not pay import duties and taxes; other backers will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable).
This project is customs friendly. Rewards bound to the UK, EU, US, AUS, and NZ will be delivered duty-free or duty paid. No extra import charges!
Promoted by BackerKit.
Risks and Challenges
Monte Cook Games has run over twenty previous Kickstarter campaigns. All of our campaigns have been successful and jam-packed with rewards, and we have a strong record of fulfilling on time—we’ve delivered literally millions of rewards to date. These include books ranging from less than 100 pages to over 700, boxed games both simple and amazingly complex, deluxe editions and personalized rewards, playtest access, special-access seminars, meetings and dinners with the creative team, online and in-person games, and so much more.
These are volatile times, and supply chains and international freight are both under a great deal of stress. We have trusted vendors we’ve worked with for years, and ample backup options already lined up should we need them. Nevertheless, like manufacturers around the world, in the current environment we can’t be ironclad in the guarantee of our timing.
We are extremely proud of our track record. There have been bumps on the road, but what are roads without bumps? While the unexpected can always arise, we have loads of experience making great rewards and overcoming hurdles to deliver them to our backers, as promised.