Music Inspired TTRPGs: ProgCore Fantasy & Holomatixx

Plus new Ensiferum fantasy-inspired song

Two new music-inspired tabletop roleplaying game projects have recently started crowdfunding. One take inspiration from prog rock while the other is influenced by 80s music, toys, and cartoons. And the Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum has released a new song from an upcoming fantasy-inspired album. Below are the details on these intriguing projects…

ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer

Todd Stashwick and David Nett have launched a crowdfunding campaign for ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer, a “multimedia, multi-sensory guide to injecting your games with the excitement and energy many of us felt when we first picked up graph paper and dice.”

The project’s literature, music, and artist inspirations reference a lot of Critical Hit Parader favorites:

“The ProgCore Fantasy style is grounded in the intimate fantasy of the 1970s and 1980s: movies like Rankin & Bass’s The Hobbit, Dragonslayer, Legend, Labyrinth, Ladyhawke, and more; books by Tolkien, LeGuin, Zelazny, Leiber, and others; the music of Yes, Styx, King Crimson, Queen, Rush, and others; the art of the Hildebrandts, Michael Whelan, Alicia Austin, Erol Otus, Roger Dean, Bob Eggleton, and others.”

The campaign features an exciting sounding prog rock soundtrack described as follows:

“Much of the ProgCore Fantasy vibe is grounded in the Progressive Rock of the 70s and 80s - Styx, Yes, Tangerine Dream, Rush, etc. We're creating an original soundtrack for ProgCore Fantasy with the help of Jason Charles Miller - 3 to 6 original Prog Rock songs (depending upon funding), and 3 to 8 ambient Prog Rock tracks to vibe to. If we reach our stretch goal, we'll press our soundtrack on vinyl with amazing cover art, and offer it as an add-on.”

As mentioned in a previous Critical Hit Parader newsletter, Jason Charles Miller is both an accomplished musician and prominent figure in the D&D community. I hope they reach the vinyl album stretch goal! Pledge for the project here.

Holomatixx: A New Wave Order

Nerdy City is running a crowdfunding campaign for Holomatixx: A New Wave Order, which is a “table-top roleplaying game set in Nerdy City’s Radical Shadows universe, where the toys and cartoons of the 80’s come to life.” Here is a longer description:

“Get out the glitter, turn up the music, and come along on a pop-powered, nostalgia fueled ride into the world of Holomatixx! In this new game from Nerdy City, you and your friends were normal teens in 1986, until you were gifted with New Wave Rock Star Alter Egos by the musical Intelligence, Rhapsody. Now you can use the outrageous powers of the Videosphere and your own heart to inspire the world, fight against the riotous Shriekers and the alien Compellers, and still try to make it to history class on time!  One thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be Totally Audacious!”

The game is “inspired by Jem and the Holograms, Barbie and the Rockers, Kidd Video, and MTV itself.” You can pledge your support for this “80s Pop RPG of Totally Audacious Secret Rockstars” here.

Ensiferum New Song

Folk metal band Ensiferum has released a new song from their upcoming album Winter Storm. This Metal Blade Records article explains how the album is based on a fantasy concept story written by the band’s bassist Sami Hinkka:

“The way I see it, this album is more like a ‘musical’ than a traditional album,” says Hinkka. “The lyrics of Winter Storm are based on part of my unpublished fantasy book. One day it will be out… I don’t want to reveal the plot or details too much but ‘Winter Storm Vigilantes’ and ‘Fatherland’ tell of two factions in this long tale. The Vigilantes have gained knowledge to utilize certain rare elements, and even though there was already magic in this world, with this new epiphany they have reached a completely new level. This element seems to interact with living things in a way that even the wisest men don’t completely understand. And through generations of trial and error, they have refined a skill to expose their horses to the element and managed to break the law of gravity, making their steeds fly. But they became ruthless and greedy on their quest to gain more of this element. A small tribe in the north keep on fighting for their land, which the Vigilantes plan to take over. These North Folks will literally fight until the last man…

“Other characters include a Vigilante castaway, the last shaman of the North Folk, and a mysterious widow. The album ends with a great battle against the Vigilantes and the unholy alliance of the castaway and the North Folk shaman, who has transcended into a spirit wolf. Who will prevail? Will this be the final battle of the book? Time will tell… I understand that all this sounds very far out — well, it is a fantasy book — but believe me, it will be truly an epic story!“

The new album is scheduled to be released October 18th. While you’re waiting, dig into Ensiferum’s back catalog, which is filled with fantasy RPG appropriate songs like “In My Sword I Trust,” “One More Magic Potion,” and “Treacherous Gods.” And check out the official video for the new song “Winter Storm Vigilantes” here: