Swords, sorcery and weird science-fantasy: Hyberorea marches its way to 3e on Kickstarter

North Wind Adventures set a goal of $20,000 to bring a third edition of the swords, sorcery and weird science-fantasy RPG Hyperborea to life on Kickstarter.

The campaign for the game has slaughtered that target. It currently sits on a throne of over 1,000 backers and more than $120,000 in pledges. There are still three weeks left to go, and you can check progress on the campaign page.

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The full name of the tabletop RPG is Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, which I feel suggests a more cultured game than the weird and sometimes bloody encounters I associated with my (albeit limited) exposure to it.

Started in 2011 with a Kickstarter, Hyperborea saw a second edition in 2016, and this campaign makes a two-volume hardback for a third edition.

Ruins, lethal traps and puzzles with savage wilderness and borderlands under a dying sun and seas spill off this flat world. Hyperborea is inspired by writers like Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft and game designers Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

The four principal classes also suggest the tone of the game; fighter, magician, cleric and thief. Subclasses include berserker, cataphract, pyromancer, necromancer, runegraver, shaman, legerdemainist and purloiner. Some great words in there!

There are multiple pledge tiers, but at $19, you unlock three PDFs as rewards; the Hyperborea Player’s Manual, Referee Manual and Atlas. You can get it separately, but the adventure Late Trapper’s Lament joins in at $25.

At $45, the Player’s Manual in printed is added, at $90, then the Referee Manual and Atlas in print are also added, and this tier has the most backers at present.

However, at $100, a signed and numbered leatherette upgrade happens to the Hyperborea Player’s and Referee Manual.

The upgrades continue up to $500, and that tier is limited in number and more than 50% sold-out.

The estimated delivery, irrespective of format, is December 2021. Shipping added later will reach worldwide.

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