Deathbringer Launches Tuesday, July 14th

Deathbringer launches on Backerkit on July 17th and you should back it, but let me tell you exactly why.

Let me begin by talking to you about Professor DM, a man who began as my favorite YouTuber on the platform. He’s a sharp, funny, and amazingly observant roleplaying game theorist whose observations and insights regarding tabletop RPGs are some of the best I’ve ever seen. His videos have influenced me as a writer, as a game designer, and as a gamer. I support him on Patreon and at one point, when finances were super tight, he was the one.

Then, one day, I got a direct message from the Professor via patreon’s direct message service. “James, I think it’s time we talk.” Not gonna lie, I was intimidated. What did the Professor want with a lowly roleplaying game designer like me? Well, after an exchange of pleasantries, he wanted to talk on the phone.

That was when he asked me to write on his beloved Deathbringer. I was shocked and honored and immediately accepted the offer. Under Professor DM’s direction, I began drafting. In spite of the bloody, grindhouse reputation he presents when behind the screen, the Professor is one of the most humble, most sincere men I’ve ever met. He’s a good man, genuinely. He was always available for communication, always willing to entertain new ideas or challenges to his notes - a true collaborator. As the weeks went by, Dan turned into a friend.

In addition to a very generous payment for my work, Dan also sent me a personal gift. You see, he is a watch guy. He knew I was in the market for a study watch that would stand up to the demands of a guy living a life raising two kids with profound special needs. So, he sent me a watch that was something I could never, ever afford on my meager income. Because Dan is just that kind of guy. He’s Good People.

I remember one conversation we had when I was working on the game. I asked him what his hopes are for Deathbringer. His answer was simple: “I’m a teacher, man. I just want to pay off my mortgage and leave enough money behind when I’m gone that my wife is going to be okay for the rest of her life.”

I give this preamble before talking about the Deathbringer RPG proper because I want good people to succeed. It gives me hope. And I have all the hope in the world for Dan and Deathbringer. Maybe Deathbringer isn’t your jam - and that’s cool. But maybe you’ll throw a few bucks in the till to support a good guy just trying to do right by his family.

Deathbringer is a stand-alone tabletop roleplaying game that is fully compatible with Shadowdark. You can play Deathbringer as its own game or integrate however many or as few rules as you want into your existing Shadowdark campaign. But you know what? That sounds really boring and technical. So, let me tell you what Deathbringer really is.

Deathbringer is every metal song you ever heard that left you head-banging so hard you had whiplash. Behold, the Battle Nun - just one of the classes available to player characters.

Deathbringer is every shocking image that Fredric Wertham believed hid in the pages of comic books in the 1950s - turned up to 11.

Deathbringer is every 80s sword and sorcery flick to ever have an “R” rating slapped on it and stuck on late night HBO or cable TV.

Deathbringer is every terrible nightmare you saw on the pages of Fangoria magazine and every sexy sorceress you saw in Heavy Metal magazine.

Deathbringer doesn’t care if you live or die, because it is larger than life and more dangerous than death itself.

Most other RPGs have something like a mind flayer for their “weird and shocking beyond human comprehension” type of monster. Nope. No half-assing it for Deathbringer. They cut right to the chase with the Eldritch Horror from Beyond.

Deathbringer demands blood. Blood in battle. Blood in sorcery. Blood is the cost for power. You’re not just a fighter - you’re a Deathbringer. You’re not just a mage - you’re a Doomscribe covered in unfathomable arcane tattoos that will get you lynched if they get revealed - if you’re not driven mad first.

The coolest thing about Deathbringer is that it knows what it is. It’s larger than life. full of muscle-bound warriors, sexy sorceresses, horrific monsters, and grindhouse grimdark vibes. It knows exactly what it is, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and puts it all out there on the line. And that’s something, as a creator, I not only absolutely love - but deeply respect.

Now, I was only one of the hands brewing the bloody badassery that is Deathbringer. Of course, this is Professor DM’s baby, but he’s assembled a helluva team to bring this thing to life. Naturally, a few of my words made it in there, but he also got Brandish “Crown and Skull” Gilhelm, Mark “Pathfinder, 2nd Edition” Seifter, Kelsey “Shadowdark” Dionne, Justin “The Alexanderian” Alexander, Luke “Pirate Borg” Stratton, and others.

Deathbringer launches Tuesday, July 14th on Backerkit. You can grab the core book, the deluxe set, and they’ve got plenty of extras if you wanna go in for the full nine.

Deathbringer is published by Roll for Combat. Show your support for an amazing YouTuber, a genius game designer and theorist, a truly good man, and an absolutely and unabashedly badass tabletop roleplaying game.