Today, the Shift RPG Kickstarter project has gone live. This new TTRPG, published by Hit Point Press, aims to be a more accessible experience for players new to the hobby. It’ a pitch that is paying off since the project was fully funded the day of launch.
The Shift RPG Kickstarter Campaign
According to the official Shift RPG Kickstarter campaign page, this new TTRPG is designed to bring a rich experience to the table without hundreds of pages of rules or additional supplements. On the GM side, it is designed to be less cumbersome thanks to streamlined rules.
The big unique selling point is the World Spark. These are a series of micro-settings with enough detail to get players’ imaginations going. These micro settings are designed by industry creatives. The ones mentioned in the campaign a sci-fi western world by Carlos Cisco (Daggerheart), and a post-apocalyptic setting by Joseph Carriker (Fantasy AGE).
The Shift RPG Kickstarter is transparent with its influences in the campaign page. It cites various genre properties as inspiration for its atmosphere and fiction such as Transformers, Batman: The Animated Series, and classic Final Fantasy, but mechanic-lite, storytelling rich TTRPG systems like FATE Core, Blades in the Dark, and Mothership.
The fundamental system involves the Trait and Shift Die mechanic. Traits represents a character, vehicle, item, or monster’s strengths and weaknesses. Those strengths and weaknesses determine what Shift Die you use to resolve a skill test, which ranges from a D4 to a D12. A 1,2, or 3 is a success, which means the lower the die face, the better. But if you roll the highest number on your die, the die face goes up.
The different pledge tiers for the Shift RPG Kickstarter are as follows:
- Print’N’Play PDF for $19: A digital copy of the game, a set of three reference sheets, and all unlocked PDF stretch goals
- Softcover Book for $29: Everything from Print’N’Play tier, and a physical softcover copy of the game
- Hardcover Book for $39: Everything from the Print’N’Play tier, and a physical hardcover copy of the game
- Deluxe Hardcover Book for $59: Everything from the Print’N’Play tier, and a deluxe physical hardcover copy of the game illustrated by Elliot Bouriot
- Shift Starter Box for $65: Everything from the Print’N’Play tier, and a Starter Set box that includes a physical hardcover copy of the game, a set of 3 notepads, and a GM Screen
- Shift Deluxe Box Set for $85: Everything from the Print’N’Play tier, and a Starter Set box containing a deluxe physical hardcover copy of the game
- All-In Bundle for $159: Everything in the Shift Deluxe Box Set and Shift Starter Box tiers, and four sets of dice
At the time of writing, the Shift RPG Kickstarter has raised $27,169, more than five times its initial funding goal of $5,000. The campaign concludes on November 6.
