Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting (5E & Pathfinder)

Apocalypse the Risen Expansion 1 Alert! AtR: Survivor Starter
4 months ago – Thu, Sep 05, 2024 at 01:52:56 PM

AtR: Survivor Starter Relaunch on Kickstarter!

Greetings Survivors,

You're receiving this update because you backed and have received the 5E+SPINE Powered Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting.

If you haven't previously seen the updates, we are getting ready to Relaunch the Kickstarter for the first Expansion to the Campaign Setting, the AtR: Survivor Starter. This is a full expansion, not a Primer or Starter Kit. We're calling it a Survivor Starter because it introduces Everyday Survivors, a great way to start a new Apocalypse the Risen home campaign.

This is also our way of introducing the campaign setting to even more players and protentional Actual Play streamers. Kickstarter Preview, Reward Tier details and everything you need to known in the update below. If you have questions, you know where to find us!

AtR: Survivor Starter Relaunch Preview

Reward Grid by Tier & Product + Stretch Goals

Rusted Portal Colony - All our Locations

Relaunch Timing: Our goal is to relaunch on September 17th at 7am Pacific time.

We received great feedback from some of you and hope you find this preview contains the information you need to make a decision on your reward tier and overall content value.

Top Backer Questions:

1) Is the Survivor Starter an intro product?

No, the AtR: Survivor Starter is a campaign companion and a full expansion to the Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting. 

This is NOT an AtR Primer to check interest.

this is a 360+ page full color hardback book and PDF.

2) Do you need the Campaign Setting to play Apocalypse the Risen? 

Well Yes and No...

• Here's the No. The AtR: Survivor Starter includes the all the 5E+SPINE Powered rules, which means you DO NOT need any Hasbro Products. And there are plenty of new Ancestry, Classes, and Creatures to keep your table busy for a long time. This is especially true if you're bundling the available add-on adventures (incidents & Hunts) which can take characters from 1st through 5th level.
• Here's the Yes. The Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting includes a massive amount of Earth-based setting content you can't get anywhere else. Original 12 Ancestry (Descended, Progeny, Humans, Lazarus). Original 9 Iconic Classes, 80+ Original Creature Catalog are just a few important things you can't get anywhere else. And Regional locations around the world (Portals & Channels, Dangerous Darklands, Important Colonies, Radiation Zones, intrigue and more). All 5E spells available in AtR have been rewritten and included in the Campaign Setting, plus the full list of Backgrounds, Personality System that replaces Alignment, and the complete Insanity System rules. Trading Post (Armor, Weapons, Gear, Vehicles, and more) are only available in the Campaign Setting. The only caveat to this are the pre-gen characters included with the Incident Fetid Farms which include their own Trading Post items. And the planes for the World's of the Portal Multiverse can only be found in the Campaign Setting.
• Better Answer: Play Apocalypse the Risen with just the AtR: Survivor Starter to run your own post-apocalyptic Earth campaign. 
• If you're interested in using an exceptionally balanced ruleset for a Buffy, Constantine, Dresden Files, or Supernatural homebrew campaign (set on Earth with just Pre-Rise gear) during the 13-year period where the 7 Seals were being broken before The Rise. Or homebrew your own Walking Dead or Last of Us during the first 10 years After the Rise without AtR magic.
• Better Choice: Back at a Campaign Tier that gets you both books and you get to play or Run what is one of the most fun and content rich campaign setting you'll find.

Rusted Portal Games is a small team that cut our game design chops in the incredibly well received Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting. When it comes to a campaign world filled with content, you won't find more than what we've crammed in these 580 pages. I said it!

We didn't license a well-known and beloved IP like Brotherwise Games did with the Brandon Sanderson Cosmere TTRPG. And we blindly launched the original Survivor Starter Kickstarter on the same day. Are we mad? Hell no! We also backed their Kickstarter and cheered for their success every step of the way. What an amazing build and well run run Kickstarter campaign. Love seeing other small press have success. Congratulations! Cosmere Boss Monster expansion? :)

instead, we created our own World's of the Portal multiverse found in our campaign setting.

Player Reviews of the 580-page Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting

Drive Thru RPG

"AtR is one of the first well written zombie apocalypse TTRPGs I have found. I love the level of detail they have put into everything from the world building all the way down to the vehicle system. Easily the best $50 bucks I have spent on a new book (PDF)." - Van

"Apocalypse The Risen is a great product. It is unique among 3rd party products in that it is completely independent from all of the feats, races, classes, and everything else from official and 3rd party sources. The authors' recommendation to only use AtR and limited core material allowed them to take a very different direction than you usually see. It is defined as much by the races and classes it includes as it is by the lack of high-fantasy trappings.

I'd say the mechanical theme running throughout the book is "almost familiar." You can look at something and say "that's almost a Tiefling" or "that's almost a paladin," but everything is built from the ground up specifically for a post-apocalyptic setting in which angels have fallen, demons risen, and the very depths of Purgatory shaken to their core. This game unequivocally takes place on Earth.

"Apocalypse the Risen is built for people who want a break from the usual. Buy it if you want a gritty, survivalist game that's incredibly well-written. You won't find anything else like it." - Jacob

"I am not a fan of 5e, but I do like what the team at Rusted Portal has done with the rules set. They have unique mechanics that fit with the world/setting. I recommend games to thousand of people through a traveling game library and now that we have a copy of this game it is in our recommendations for post apocalyptic games. I am nit part of their team nor paid by them, but I do like what they have done with rules that so many millions of Gamers know and use already. - David, Alexandria RPG library games curator.

Gen Con Player (4.5 hour Game Session).

"The unique feel of the original character classes was refreshing and well done.  Nothing out of balance or crudely designed. I expect the entire world will be just as well made and integrated.  I generally don’t like things that twist the rules into something they are not.   Your product does not.  It was fun and that is what counts at the table. - Richard. 

Creative Play and Podcasts Network LLC

"This is a really fun well thought out on every level story"

"I wish this could have been my first introduction to D&D"

"This book gives you all the keys to the kingdom"

And something extra special when we launch that you're the first to hear about. Make sure to click the Notify Me On Launch button!

Relaunch Date: Tuesday September 17th at 7am Pacific Time!

 

Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting Expansion #1, Live on Kickstarter now!
5 months ago – Sun, Aug 11, 2024 at 04:02:27 PM

Greetings Survivors,

We're back and bringing you even more amazing content for your Apocalypse the Risen 5E+ SPINE Powered Campaign Setting (the TOME).

If you haven't seen it yet, the AtR: Survivor Starter is live and ready for your help.

If you've already backed, we thank you!

Returning Survivor VIP! (Wrath) Reward Tier gets everything but the AtR: Campaign Setting.

That's a ton of adventures, 8 MORE Classes (Everyday Survivors), and 24 MORE Ancestry. The character options are through the roof, not to forget an additional 20+ new creatures.

Visit AtR: Survivor Starterto get all the new original content at roughly 40% off retail.

let's not forget to mention, this campaign also gets you access to a complete VTT compendium.

Roll20/Demiplane/Charactermancer full integration by Metamorphic Studios means you'll get all the latest and greatest features for a FULL Apocalypse the Risen Compendium. 

Frankly, I want to play this world with all of you. Gen Con '24 was a great reminder just how much I love playing and running Apocalypse the Risen with you awesome gamers. Let's Go!

Sincerely,
​Donaven Brines | ​​CEO​, Founder, Original Content Creator
Rusted Portal Games

PS. We're around for the long haul and we've learned the hard way how to bring you great content. Now we know what we're doing, have a great team, and there's more to come.

We are prepared to deliver the AtR: Survivor Starter by THIS Holiday!

Will you help us out now and back today? Thank you in advance for your support!

COMING SOON! 5E Compatible AtR: Survivor Starter
11 months ago – Tue, Feb 13, 2024 at 07:18:05 PM

Greetings Survivors!

The Rusted Portal Colony hopes this message finds you enjoying delicious consumables from the comfort of your own colony.

We also hope you've been reading the Apocalypse the Risen Campaign setting you've received to prepare for your home campaign. Either way, we're writing to let you know we're ramping up to make starting an AtR campaign that much easier.

COMING SOON!

AtR: Survivor Starter

Here's a look at the official promo video. We hope to have you back for an ever expanding campaign setting. We promised a ton of support for Apocalypse the Risen and you can bet it is on the way.

This 5E + SPINE Powered campaign starter is the first expansion for Apocalypse the Risen.

Follow the campaign now to ensure you get all 6 FREE Perilous Hunts (deadly encounters), and the free adventure only for backers in the first 48 hours.

This expansion offers fast-play conditions for AtR insanity, mutations, radiation exposure, and more.
We’ve added 24 new playable Darkland Human Variants, 8 all new PC Class Alternates, and 20+ new dreadful creatures to battle.

Free Encounters & Adventures

Returning Survivors, Early Backers

Just for you, our faithful backers, we have secured a deep discount for you to get the new book and all of the new content. Follow Now to make sure you don't miss out.

Print Deluxe Plus for Returning Survivors is all for you at $50 off. Limited quantity.

Roll20 Virtual Tabletop Support

Wanted: Inclusive & Awesome Action Play groups. We've got content for you with more support to come.

Our first stretch goal will ensure you can play AtR no matter where your table is filled.

If you haven't already, join now and let's build the Rusted Portal Colony together. Outpost Discord and Outpost Meta(l)! are just a couple locations where we can be found. More to come. And follow the new campaign today!

Donaven Brines | ​​CEO​, Founder, Original Content Creator
Rusted Portal Games
 

Apocalypse the Risen 5E + SPINE Powered: Shipping Update
about 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 27, 2023 at 03:16:16 PM

Hey Survivors,

Many of you have heard directly from me regarding your shipping status. Our printer has been working hard to print and ship orders. 

I have sent tracking information to 93 backers at this time, with more coming daily. That puts us at roughly 75% shipped as of today.

We are absolutely stoked that the majority of you will receive your AtR 5E Campaign Setting before the end of the year. Get your tables and players ready.

You will find form fillable character sheets available on DriveThru RPG. We decided commissioning AtR 5E form fillable character sheets would be most useful for our players.

Can't wait to hear your feedback about the books as they begin to arrive.

Thank you, backers!

Donaven, Rusted Portal Games

AtR 5E Compatible + SPINE Powered Update: Printing & Shipping Underway
about 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 09, 2023 at 01:40:23 PM

Greetings Survivors,

Apocalypse the Risen 5E Compatible +SPINE Powered scores a critical hit!

We are drop shipping your AtR 5E books directly from the printer. EVERY print order Worldwide has been placed unless there was an address issue. We have emailed the small number of backers/pre-order supporters with an addresses issue. Those will be ordered as they are corrected.

The printer’s schedule and delivery timeline ranges from 2-8 Weeks depending on the location. We are hopeful that by placing all the orders quickly, that the print runs will be consolidated so deliveries can start soon. Timing is simply in the hands of POD and delivery timing at this point.

Printing & Shipping will be ongoing during this timeframe. We will keep an eye on shipping notifications and attempt to alert each back when a book is on the way. If you get your book without notification, congratulations! We'd love to hear about it.

Leather Cover Backers: Originally cancelled due to availability during the pandemic. Now we are not providing leather covers because our minimum order quantity didn’t support it. So we're over delivering something even better. Another book!

Our Gift Instead: Those of you amazing backers who backed us at the PF or 5E Leather covers are instead getting an additional book. This is far and away beyond the cost of a few leather covers, and we are happy to do it. Our goal is to be the game of choice on your table. This puts a book in hands of GM and player alike, and prevents any further delays.

Pathfinder Backers: Because Paizo moved away from PF1E early in this process, we moved fully to supporting the 5E version of this game. We don’t want to leave some of our earliest supporters behind (Paizo Con fam, looking at you). To keep Apocalypse the Risen at your table, we are sending you an AtR 5E book. The tier you supported determined which book you are receiving. However, the proofs for each book has been awesome and we are confident that you will agree. Importantly, since 5E is an even bigger book, we are very impressed with the bindings.

5E Compatible: AtR 5E Compatible + SPINE Powered is more than just a 5E Compatible product. Because WOTC pissed off the D&D Community when they threatened to pull the Open Game License, they back peddled so fast that they dropped the 5E System Reference Document into Creative Commons. So we updated it with some Apocalypse the Risen and SPINE Powered System specific terms and rules, and printed the entire ruleset.

That means is that you do not need any other book to play AtR 5E. All 579 Pages!

* This book is a complete Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, and Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting. Rules not in Creative Commons are completely redesigned for AtR.

* All the AtR Ancestry, Classes, Creatures, Gear, Insanity, Mutations, and Multiverse Rules included.

* Plus, all the 5E rules for how to play the game, the complete list of spells rewritten for AtR, new encounter experience charts, new treasure (Scavenge) tables, and a complete magic item compendium. This includes random creation charts, because magic items happen by chaos or deed in Apocalypse the Risen.

That is why this will be the Core setting and system guide going forward, and why we ate the cost to print and ship more books as well.

That is also why this book is a massive tome that would fit right in at the Vatican.

Our Promise: We are proud to be printing and delivering what is truly the book stuffed with excellent content that we promised. We took way longer than expected, didn’t update you as much as you would have liked, but we never stopped working for you and are now delivering on our lofty promises.

* More than anything, we hope you agree that it's a great book, tell everyone about it, and continue to support the onslaught on new material we are producing to support Apocalypse the Risen.

* System matters, and no matter your previous opinion of 5E, we believe you will find our top to bottom AtR update utilizes the best of the system while keeping it uniquely Apocalypse the Risen.

* We hope you jumpstart an AtR campaign as soon as possible and that your table loves it.

With sincere thanks and excitement,

​Donaven Brines | ​​CEO​, Founder, Original Content Creator
Rusted Portal Games

​“Success is the ability to move from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm.”

​- Winston Churchill