Xcrawl Rodeo is an RPG adventure using the Xcrawl/DCC game system. It showcases nine rodeo-style events that players compete in as individuals or as a team.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I am Harley Barnet, and this is Ian the Imp. Welcome to the Greatest Show on Dirt. The Ride or Die. The Hell on Hooves Rampage. Welcome to Xcrawl Rodeo!
Harley Barnet and Ian the Imp
Welcome to the show, folks! Let's all rise for our national anthem, and may only the best win!
Xcrawl Classics is a Goodman Games production where the most popular sport is Xtreme Dungeon Crawling. This is a fantasy world where professional adventurers face manufactured dungeons, and their exploits are broadcast throughout the North American Empire by spellphones.
Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose to show the working practices of cowboys and vaqueros throughout the world. These events are divided into rough stock (saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding) and timed events (tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, breakaway roping, and barrel racing). Professional rodeos generally have all nine events. Depending on the sanctioning body and region, there may also be two other events: goat tying and pole bending. World champion rodeo events attract spectators from around the world. These events have music, extensive media coverage, and fans in large arenas with digital viewing and replay screens. It is wild, dangerous, and very competitive. The animals in the events become just as famous as the contestants. These cowhands always reminded me of modern-day gladiators, putting their bodies and livelihoods on the line to tame what can not be tamed.
When I first saw Xcrawl, I thought of the American Gladiators TV show. When I was watching the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, I saw the actual similarities between Xcrawl and rodeo. The cowboys and cowgirls put on a show, gave extraordinary interviews, and earned fame by showing off in front of the camera (and were rewarded points for it!). There was music, fireworks, and a play-by-play announcer! It WAS Xcrawl. I hope you enjoy it as much as Bert, Joey, and I have had making it!
We’ve produced an ‘adventure’ for Xcrawl Classics featuring rodeo events. There are nine events that characters can compete in individually, as a team, or against each other. The event grounds hold small adventures where you can help vendors, sabotage your opponents, or cut side deals. Random event charts can change the pace of each event, and the mayhem caused by the headlining rock band’s pyrotechnics keeps everyone on their toes.
The adventure book is the opening offer. You can choose between PDF/digital only or a print-on-demand code for a physical and digital copy. These are both redeemable on DrivethruRPG. The last two options offer a box with a signed physical copy, PDF, bottle-cap mojo points, and a sticker sheet. The highest tier has this box and an online game with the creator.
Our stretch goals add value to the game and makes the All Around Cowboy pledges much more attractive. With each stretch goal that has a physical goods option, it comes in the box. Digital stretch goals are given to all backers at the PDF/digital level and up.
How is this delivered?
We partner with DrivethruRPG for both print on demand and digital distribution. Please note: Redeeming the POD (print on demand code) requires YOU to pay the base printing cost of the physical reward (under $4 at the time of this crowd funder) as well as shipping to your destination. All Around Cowboypledges are mailed directly to you and print costs and shipping costs need not be paid.
Each of these stretch goals will add digital or physical goods to your chosen pledge level. Our base offering is a great Xcrawl event, but these goals improve the final product, and we'll sweeten the pot as the campaign goes along with some surprise authors and items.
FUNDED! $2500 At this level, we are FUNDED!
FUNDED!$3000 Our first special guest author, Jim Meyers (DJ Unchained) of Xcrawl fame, will write an Xcrawl Rodeo class! We’ll include the new class in the main book for both PDF and physical versions.
?!$4000 A deck of cards showcasing Xcrawl Rodeo all-stars with art and statistics on each card. This includes the all-star challengers, mounts, and several score sheets to make your bookkeeping easier. A PDF will be included at all levels (other than the $1 level), a POD code will be include in the PDF/POD level (you will need to pay print costs and shipping costs), and a physical deck is included in the All Around Cowboy pledges.
$5000 Our next guest author, Brandon Goeringer (RPG Overviews on YouTube and Weird Frontiers writer) contributes to the book! Along with his pages, we'll add new art for trophies that you can print out and give to your event winners.
$6000 The Cat Wrangler Extraordinaire himself, David Baity (the man behind Weird Frontiers) contributes to the book, and we'll throw in (10) more bottle caps in the All Around Cowboy pledge levels.
$7000 A genuine Xcrawl Rodeo belt buckle! We've found a great vendor that will do custom belt buckles! We've got the art prepared and have the buckles sourced. We will include this in the All Around Cowboy pledge levels and offer it as an add-on to all other levels after the crowdfunder ends.
Buckle Mock-up
$8000 Mystery level! If we clear the prior level, we'll show off the last thing we have in mind.
Early Bird Backers (backed within the first 48 hours)
Early Bird backers (you back within the first 48 hours of this going live) that have U.S. addresses receive a free sticker sheet with art by Joey Docil. International backers need to pay the postage if they wish to receive this item (billed after the close of the crowdfunder in Pledge Manager).
Barrel Racing: Our crawlers are paired with one of the famous mounts of the Xcrawl Rodeo circuit, and as a team, they navigate a clover pattern around three barrels. You never know what's in the barrels or if the barrels are actually the renowned Manning Mimik triplets!
Barrel Racing
The Roping Events:
Breakaway Roping: While mounted, you must toss a lasso around a kobold competitor's neck or horns; the roper signals the mount to stop suddenly. The rope is tied to the saddle horn with a string, and when the kobold hits the end of the rope, the rope is pulled tight, and the string breaks.
Orc Roping N’ Rastlin’: You must rope an orc around both feet and drag them to the ground. Once the orc is grounded, the crawler dismounts, wrestles the orc into position, and hobbles them with a special hooey (rope).
Team Roping: Three of our star mounts pair with the competitors as they face one of the biggest and toughest stars of Xcrawl Rodeo, Irving "Backfire" Thunderbeast! The three riders need to rope all six of Irving’s legs with their lassos.
Tie Down Roping: A crawler must rope a fire beetle’s mandibles to keep it from biting, then drag it to the ground. Once the beetle is grounded, the crawler dismounts and wrestles the beetle to tie all six legs with their hooey.
Roping Events
Minotaurdoggin’: Paired with our star mounts, competitors need to chase one of our star minotaurs down. Once alongside, the crawler leaps from their partner's back and attempts to wrestle the minotaur to the ground and pin them.
Minotaurdoggin'
Saddle Bronc: Crawlers have to ride one of our all-star broncs for eight rounds without being bucked off, scoring as many points as they can.
Saddle Bronc
Ridin' Events
Bareback Ridin’: Crawlers try to stay on for that perfect eight-second ride atop one of our all-star competitors.
Bull Ridin’: The crawlers try to hold on for eight seconds and get away unscathed, but our bulls have different plans.
Bull Ridin'
Matt De Micco is the lead writer and designer and has been writing and playing role-playing games since the 80s and launched Cranky Clydesdale Publishing after writing his first published adventure, Massacre Grounds for Weird Frontiers. He's an avid horseman, and his adventures allow him to combine the two things he loves.
Joey Docil is our artist of excellence. He's worked on projects from the likes of Cranky Clydesdale, Lost Legacies Gaming, Throwie Games, Castle Entertainment, Cannibaal Publishing, and Wicked Studios—to name just some of his work. Find his art in such games as the Greyhawk Gazetteer Revised, ShadowDepth, ShadowPunk, Tower of the Forest Wizard, Curse on a Coastal Town, Tower of the Outer God, It Fell From the Sky, The Slumbering City, and so many more great titles.
Bert Isla is our editor and layout designer. He's been running RPGs, playtesting, and editing since the 80s for a variety of clients (Cranky Clydesdale, Cannon Otter Studios, Dragon Peak Publishing, Goodman Games, Shinobi 27 Games, Stiff Whiskers Press, Pocket Universe Productions, Bloat Games, and Evil DM Productions are some of the more recent) and runs a podcast and streaming channel of actual-play games.
