Because your game needs compelling villains. For 5e and Tales of the Valiant by Kobold Press.
This is a queer gothic horror campaign guide and setting book. The Vineyard is a fantasy corporation serving as the front for the new Undead God of Secrets.
Pre-order today and bring an exciting undead crime mob to your table.
Play Our Preview AdventureDue to fluctuating global shipping rates, we will be charging shipping fees at a later date.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
A new week, a new goal - plus check out our friends!
about 1 year ago
– Tue, Apr 11, 2023 at 08:14:45 AM
Our progress
We had a great first week, climbing to 34% funding! We still have a long way to go, though. Thank you to everyone supporting us with your pledges and those of you boosting our project - we could not do this without you. We've now entered the second phase of the KS in which you'll see me tirelessly out there trying to spread the word. New pledges in the next couple weeks (before our last week) are vitally important to getting us to where we need to be.
If you know of any retailers that would be interested in supporting us by pledging for one of our retailer tiers, please let me know how to contact them. Or they can email me at isfriday at gmail dot com.
Our team
We're a small indie team that has benefitted from a lot of help from freelancing contributors. Here's some info about our leadership team:
The project's co-creator is M Ebel, co-writer of Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. They're our narrative designer and resident "scope" watcher. You can find them at: https://mikaylaebel.com/
Our Lead Designer is Nathaniel Kreiman, contributor for MCDM's Flee! Mortals and other MCDM works. You can find them here: https://twitter.com/kreimnat
Our Art Director is Elaine Ho, artist for Uncaged Goddesses and with a variety of work experience including Disney. You can find her here: https://artofelaineho.com/
Our friends
Being a member of the TTRPG industry means making friends with folks who you'd like to support, so we'd like to spread the word on a couple projects that we think are super cool and totally worth supporting.
Forgery
Banana Chan does it again by presenting something completely bespoke and fascinating to behold. Enjoy a solo RPG that feels like a piece of art - not just because art is the subject matter. Also, having bondage and demon sex in the CW up front makes one more curious, naturally.
Hand-crafted premium dice? Tolkien and fantasy themes? Ember Dice have a variety of jewelry and dice options for you. Support their Kickstarter or buy from their Etsy shop.
Vineyard RPG: Director's Blog #2
about 1 year ago
– Thu, Apr 06, 2023 at 08:09:12 AM
The genderfluid BBEG really is a piece of work. Check out our preview of the head of the Vineyard!
Choose your form
Aisling is a tempter in whatever form is necessary to wring the secrets from mortals. A whispered voice that can be taken for one’s subconscious - a beautiful vision - a set of recurring dreams. Aisling will become anything to anyone and give them just what they want… if they serve. Everyone serves Their Majesty in the end.
Motive: Obfuscate their return and ascend to Godhood once again.
Flaws: Mortal form, reliance on scarcity of appearance, and ambitious subordinates.
Strengths: Lack of morality, skillful manipulation, and immense arcana knowledge.
A sub-plot:
Aisling has been running a centuries-long con on the God of Wealth, presenting themself as the divine entity of Beauty.
The God of Wealth and those loyal to the temple have been unintentionally funding the Vineyard.
The God of Wealth’s influence and power has waned as Aisling’s grew, resulting in the Vineyard expanding into this economic gap.
Short bio:
Aisling’s unification with the spirit of the Undead God of Secrets was crafted by the wishes of wizards seeking lichdom. Every secret incantation, murmured ritual, and inhumane deed done in the search for immortal power had its essence tucked away by the encubus. After a century of ritual, these notes manifested into the budding next cycle of the undead deity. The Wandering Mother harnessed this process to give life to a new people in the Guts - the Whisperborne - who contributed to the rise of Aisling’s metaphysical power. Given enough time: Their Majesty will acquire enough power to unlock the Undead God’s prison and coalesce into Godhood.
Dialogue options:
Combat
“You’ll make for a fine example.”
“After I have broken you, the shell that remains will serve me.”
“You believe that you’re heroic, don’t you?”
“You may tell me your secrets now - or I can rip them from your corpse.”
“You cannot destroy me - I’m the embodiment of this City. I am the avarice of your people. I am every hope and whispered bit of grief they know.”
Diplomacy
“You must remember: Everyone serves Their Majesty in the end.”
“Debts can be collected. Always.”
“Do not fool yourself into thinking there is something I do not know.”
Transition Into Encounter
Aisling stands slowly, their robes of charcoal ruffling, form drifting between the shapes of a hundred different persons before settling. The air is suddenly sharp with the scent of sulfur. A splatter of sizzling ink gathers at their feet in a pool - grasping hands reach out from the depths to worship them.
[Ask the players to describe the person they love the most. Tell them “That is what you see in Aisling.” If they do not give an adequate response, tell them “You see yourself.”]
Thank you so much to everyone who has pledged! It means the world to us. Any amount of signal boosting helps us immensely, too. We're looking forward to delivering on our promises of a horrifically queer time.
Vineyard RPG: Director's Blog #1
about 1 year ago
– Wed, Apr 05, 2023 at 07:29:48 AM
I entered the scene in 2020 as an open call performer to a D&D show. 6 months later: I was putting together an actual play show. I was freshly out of the military and had GM’d a single AP one shot a Candlekeep Mysteries adventure the same week the book released. I read the adventure at midnight and prepared for my first on camera GMing experience about 18 hours later.
When I first started getting involved in the channel I was eager to learn more. I found myself gravitating toward more managerial duties, production, etc. A lot of my inclination was to take everything very “seriously” because I very much was in love with the idea of theater once again being in my life. It was such a free-spirited place to exist after over a decade of regimented behavior, expectations, and gender.
I enjoyed mentorship, community, camaraderie - all of that - in the military. There was something uniquely different about it in the creative industry I was entering, though. It was just plain weird interacting with people “normally”. I remember weeping in my bed for hours because I’d misgendered a coworker. I wanted so badly to be accepted in this new group - a new community for me that might accept me for who I was.
I was not out yet. I didn’t plan on coming out. I didn’t really know. Then I saw and heard more trans stories. I kept saying “I can relate” often. Wait - why do I relate to all these trans people? Oooooh. Right.
When I came out to my wife she rolled away from me, asked me not to touch her, and we weren’t intimate ever again after that. Coming out to my wife and being rejected, then my father and being denied my identity, then ostracized by some people I thought were my friends in the Marines - 2021 was a lot.
It was around that time when I was developing that AP show and crafting this story I built of a city split into different districts. They were ruled by their respective merchant oligarchs with the law enforced by mercenaries. I included The Vineyard as a “cool idea” I hadn’t thought about too much other than: undead crime mob. There were some other factions, too.
While I retreated into playing various fem forms I had developed Aisling Rovehnna, a gender fluid crime boss. They were everything I wish I could be, wrapped up into a neat mysterious package. The AP party only encountered her once; Aisling warned the party not to take sides with a rival of theirs.
Our artists: Yorsy, Matt and Elaine (artist and Art Director) have done such a fantastic job recreating the intensity of Aisling. There’s something different from each interpretation that you’ll find in the paintings done by the artists. A new perspective on the same enigmatic figure.
Aisling Rovehnna with the thousand yard stare
I think it is important to say intentionally and meaningfully: I developed Aisling as I was introduced to queerness. For me, Aisling is a vessel for purity of purpose. They are absolutely devoted to themselves, who they are, and they’re selfish. He absolutely believes he deserves it, whatever it is. She is comfortable in every sort of presentation, masc or fem. Something I wish for myself someday.
They’re also a terrible corporate ghoul, but you know, everyone has a toxic trait.
If you enjoy these Director’s Blogs, please share them, comment, etc. Every little bit counts! Let's get to 30% this week!
Day 2, we're on the front page of r/DnD
about 1 year ago
– Tue, Apr 04, 2023 at 06:48:14 AM
I was surprised coming out of the movie theater last night by us having hit the front page of r/DnD! We're going strong up to 1k upvotes this morning - it'd mean the world if y'all went in there to comment and upvote it more!
We had a slow start yesterday and that's okay. We need backer support more than ever to get us to 30%+ before the end of the second day. It's so important for us to get past that mark within the first 48 hours because of how these crowdfunding campaigns work! Your support matters whether it be social posts, telling a friend about us and linking, or upvoting on Reddit.
Thank you!
And we're off!
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Apr 03, 2023 at 03:38:47 PM
Thanks so much for everyone who has backed! I'm very excited to be sharing the Vineyard RPG with you all. I'm incredibly thankful to my team for helping us get here.
If you're really passionate about the book or you like the adventure, please consider sharing this with a friend! Every little bit helps us reach our goal.
