Indie tabletop RPG raises over $4.6 million on BackerKit in effort to create fantasy title 'unburdened' by Dungeons & Dragons

A party of heroic adventurers charges into battle

(Image credit: MCDM)

An indie tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) from veteran designer Matt Colville has raised $4.6 million on BackerKit, and intends to offer an experience that's "unburdened" by the legacy of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). The crowdfunding effort substantially exceeded its initial goal of $800,000.

Led by Colville, developer MCDM Productions' project is currently titled The MCDM RPG and promises a "heroic fantasy RPG" experience. Dispensing with the usual twenty-sided dice for which D&D is famous, The MCDM RPG promises modern innovations. Though very much still in development, Colville has revealed that the game does away with attacks that can miss antiquated initiative rules. Instead, every attack hits, and players decide for themselves the order in which their characters act in battle. This is intended to foster a sense of teamwork and drama, without "wasted turns."

Colville is known for his work on the Dune (2000), Star Trek (2002), The Lord of the Rings (2005) tabletop games, as well as his popular D&D Actual Play series, The Chain of Acheron.

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TTRPG juggernaut Dungeons & Dragons has become a household name in recent years, with D&D often being used interchangeably with TTRPG to describe pen-and-paper-based role-playing games. For good or ill, Wizards of the Coast's TTRPG titan has a huge amount of cultural influence, having inspired titles ranging from old-school Japanese RPGs to modern blockbusters like Baldur's Gate 3.

In a 50-minute-long video, Colville explained the thinking behind the project. It's a long watch, but well worth a look if you're interested.

The MCDM RPG is positioned as a direct competitor to Dungeons & Dragons. The latter is developed by Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, which has been enduring some tough times recently, with layoffs reported at the end of last year (via Forbes). This follows the disquieting trend of games industry layoffs we saw in 2023, which saw companies from Ubisoft to Bungie cut jobs.

In what has been a tumultuous period for game development, it's gratifying to see an independent project raise substantial funds in this way. Personally, I can't wait to see the finished product, and I'm excited to see whether Colville's effort to breathe fresh air into the fantasy TRPG space proves fruitful.

Looking for new adventures that live inside of screens? Our lists of the best RPGs and best story games have you covered.

An editor and freelance journalist, Cat Bussell has been writing about video games for more than four years and, frankly, she’s developed a taste for it. As seen on TechRadar, Technopedia, The Gamer, Wargamer, and SUPERJUMP, Cat’s reviews, features, and guides are lovingly curated for your reading pleasure.

A Cambridge graduate, recovering bartender, and Cloud Strife enjoyer, Cat’s foremost mission is to bring you the best coverage she can, whether that’s through helpful guides, even-handed reviews, or thought-provoking features. She’s interviewed indie darlings, triple-A greats, and legendary voice actors, all to help you get closer to the action. When she’s not writing, Cat can be found sticking her neck into a fresh RPG or running yet another Dungeons & Dragons game.