A downloadable action-horror ttrpg

Buy Now$15.00 USD or more


Live on Backerkit!!!

Crowns 2e is an action-horror, adventure, roleplaying game about ordinary people becoming legends, not because they want to, but because if they don't, they won't be able to withstand the beasts of the wilderness another season. The game does this through blending old-school-style dungeon delving and modern sandbox generation. It's a complete game with all the tools you need to:

  • Fight epic Battles (man-to-man or en masse)
  • Explore dark Dungeons, full of over 80+ classic monsters
  • Advance some Nobodies into becoming mighty Champions
  • Generate your own RegionsDungeons, and interconnected Politics
  • Hand out exciting loot ranging from Jewelry and Gemstones to arcane Artifacts and eldritch Grimoires 

Crowns 2e is built to be compatible with all your normal old school adventure games, in order to enable you to use all of those dungeons you have on your shelf. Just because this is a new experience doesn't mean you should be expected to restart your TTRPG collection!

For Players

  • Fast and tactical combat that doesn't require miniatures or extensive note-keeping (but is still playable with both!)
  • 36 Titles to personalize your Seeker with over the course of their career (sound confusing? There's also premade lists in case you want to skip the specifics and just make a Fighter, Paladin, Wizard, Rogue, etc!)
  • Simple yet in-depth rules for strongholds, downtime, retainers, and warfare (become a conqueror, rule a kingdom!)
  • 20 spells, each rare and powerful (their casting effected by what's around you, your skill, and the amount of force you put behind it, you might turn a puny fire ball into a raging inferno!)


For Game Masters

  • A bestiary of 80+ classic fantasy monsters (each entry kept easily readable!)
  • Over 40+ interwoven tables of treasures (ceremonial arms and armor, cloth-of-gold tapestries, silver idols, potions, orichalcum rings, diamonds, magic artefacts, arcane foci, and more: all with gold values, modifiers, and quirks!)
  • Methods of converting modules and monsters from other RPG systems over to Crowns 2e (no need to throw out your old books, they're still good!)
  • The return of the acclaimed faction system (improved and better than ever!)

What Still Needs to be done?

  • The Backerkit will provide the funding for the final pieces of art

Quickstart Rules

Inside these rules is everything you need to run adventures using Crowns 2e for free! It also comes with a short adventure (The Abbey Lost to the Trees) to play through and all the stat-blocks and loot tables needed to do so. Try it out, and if you like it, get the full game!

Also try the free adventure below that comes with rules for Crowns 2e!


Updated 4 days ago
StatusIn development
CategoryPhysical game
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(3 total ratings)
AuthorWard Against Evil
GenreAction, Role Playing
TagsDungeon Crawler, Dungeons & Dragons, Horror, OSR, Tabletop role-playing game
Asset licenseCreative Commons Attribution v4.0 International
Average sessionA few hours
LanguagesEnglish
MultiplayerLocal multiplayer

Purchase

Buy Now$15.00 USD or more

In order to download this action-horror ttrpg you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Crowns 2e Core Rules 27 MB

Download demo

Download
Crowns 2e Quickstart Rules 17 MB
Download
Crowns 2e Compatibility Badges 2.2 MB

Development log

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Comments

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(+1)

Hi. very interested in this game. do you know how many pages it will be? I wanna have an idea of if I can home print it or not before deciding to back it. although I might either way.

~120 pages

(+1)

What does 2e add over 1e, other than additional content? Were mechanics tweaked or expanded on? Were there flaws in 1e that came to light and got solved?

(+1)

I’ll repost a reddit comment I made a little while ago on the subject, because that’s a really valid question:

The first edition took a lot of influence from Mausritter and Into the Odd, the second edition was mostly influenced by the Crowns 1e (can’t forget where you came from) and B/X D&D.

Here’s what 2e has mechanically (content-wise there is much more as well) that is different from the first:

  • Dedicated Peril/Fear system
  • Improved monster utility and tactical combat
  • Wounds (now there’s specific systems for breaking bones, getting limbs severed, being disembowled, etc)
  • Weapons are more unique
  • No more rolling for damage, there is only a to-hit roll which is transferred into damage
  • Experience is now called “Renown” and is gained from more than just treasure
  • A solid system for owning Keeps, expanding them, upgrading them, and ruling over holdings
  • Ability scores only increase through spending time training during Downtime, level ups are exclusively for new Titles

If you notice, most of that has to do with combat and Resolve. Here’s what has remained mostly the same but has been updated:

  • The dungeon delving is a lot more condensed and functional
  • Spells are still roll-to-cast with power dice but it’s a more fluid system, kind of a mix of Mausritter, GLOG, and Dungeon Crawl Classics
  • Monsters still have their sub-species tables but these are a lot more functional than they used to be, actually altering all monster’s stats
  • The settlements/refuge system has been greatly improved
  • Downtime is lot more useful and expanded on
  • The Region and Dungeon generators are WAY better now
  • The Feat system has been reworked into a Title system that is very very similar, but rebalanced and more succinct
  • The Inventory System is much better, and no longer arts-and-craft inventory
  • The Warbands system is greatly improved

Separate from mechanics, just content wise, here’s the new stuff:

  • 80+ monsters, with new rules for Elite and Solo monsters that make them act differently in combat and create dynamic fights with very little prep
  • Tables and tables of treasure with millions of permutations, almost all of it actually effecting the value of the item
  • 20 spells, each with their own custom Spellcasting Table, Ritual Components, Anima (source), and Obscura (limiter)
  • 36 potions, each with a unique taste and smell
  • 10 classes of artifacts (each with unique abilities, random lore tables, and different forms they can take)
  • 12 unique wonders (some with sub-tables)
  • And more

The games are very different, similar to a jump between 2e and 3e in terms of compatibility. It can be done, but if you’re bringing characters over it may just be best to remake them using the Crowns 2e system, which shouldn’t be very hard at all.

I hope that helps!

(+2)

I investigated this game in the strength of its art, but I bought it on the strength of its clever design, lovely layout, and wealth of content!


best of luck with the rest of development! Sad that I discovered this game too late for the kickstarter, but I hope to pick up a copy in print 

(+1)

Fantastic to see a second edition on the horizon!  Is there an official date for the KS yet?

February 1st!!! Thank you so much for the support! Click this link to get taken to the prelaunch page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reesersurles/crowns-2e-an-osr-rpg-of-peril-and-bloody-dismemberment

Share with friends to ensure we hit those stretch goals!

(+1)

Great work! Thank you!

But it looks like some of pictures are missing in pdf's :(

Yes! The Kickstarter is to get the money together for the art and print. Right now, I only could afford what there already is. Follow the Kickstarter and tell your friends about it to guarantee the full-art release! Thank you for playing!