Iron Kingdoms: Requiem, a reboot of the 2004 tabletop role-playing game Iron Kingdoms based on Dungeons and Dragons, has raised over $500,000 on Kickstarter. Iron Kingdoms was a tabletop role-playing game that borrowed rules and systems from Dungeons and Dragons and then built upon them with a new setting and new mechanics. The world of Iron Kingdoms, which combines fantasy and steampunk elements, spawned a number of successors including the miniature war games Warmachine and Hordes.
Tabletop role-playing games such as Iron Kingdoms and Dungeons and Dragons may seem like a dying breed, but the genre is still very much alive. Television shows and video games continue to reference Dungeons and Dragons with easter eggs. In recent years the genre has seen a spike in popularity in the Philippines, with many referring to modern times as a Filipino Tabletop Gaming Renaissance. Games such as Karanduun: Make God Bleed and Gubat Banwa: The Warring States of Kitatak are very successful modern tabletop RPGs that reflect various themes that are relevant to life in the Philippines. Dungeons and Dragons itself, arguably the most popular TTRPG in the world, even continues to expand with additional rules and races. A recent free expansion adds new playable races to the game such as vampires and reanimated monsters. And new campaign books continue to be released.
Iron Kingdoms: Requiem, a planned reboot of the Iron Kingdoms series, has recently passed $500,000 on Kickstarter. This hugely impressive response to the game far exceeds the original goal of $100,000, demonstrating massive interest in bringing back this unique TTRPG setting. The rebooted game, which is still being published by original studio Privateer Press, will utilize the fifth-edition roleplaying game rules created for Dungeons and Dragons in 2014. The game is set to release in September 2021, and the pledge amount continues to grow.
Iron Kingdoms: Requiem, like Privateer Press' original game, will be based on the rulebook created for the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Therefore, playing Requiem will require a certain amount of preparation from new or unfamiliar players. Players will need a fifth-edition Player's Handbook, a copy of the Open Game License rules set, a set of role-playing dice, a pencil, and some paper. All of these tools, plus the setting book bringing sold through the Kickstarter, will allow players to get started with Iron Kingdoms: Requiem.
Tabletop role-playing games are an amazing source of fun, creative thinking, and jolly cooperation. While the genre may be considered outdated, these games offer an experience that can not be replicated through video games or other types of role-play. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tabletop gaming offers an opportunity to (safely) gather together with a small group and go on an epic quest together. This rise in popularity may have contributed to the massive success of Privateer Press' Kickstarter campaign. For diehard fans of Iron Kingdoms, or simple Dungeons and Dragons aficionados, Iron Kingdoms: Requiem presents an amazing opportunity to create unique and memorable stories when it releases in September 2021.
Source: Kickstarter