Sailor Moon, Steven Universe, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, The Vision of Escaflowne… all these properties and more inspire Girl By Moonlight, by Andrew Gillis!

Magical Girls grapple with destiny in this multi-genre tabletop RPG. Girl By Moonlight explores the heartbreak of denying who you really are, fighting for what you believe in, and the transcendent power of building relationships while embracing your true self. 

As a Magical Girl you will clutch your tragic struggles tight, seeking to score defiant triumphs against the darkness of an oppressive society. The game reinterprets the classic examples of the genre to create an allegory for self-discovery and queer identity. The text uses ‘magical girl’ as a shorthand, but your magical girls need not be girls, necessarily, but people whose identities put them at the margins.

Designer Andrew Gillis takes the rules engine beneath highly-acclaimed Blades In The Dark and tunes it to create a unique play experience representing the breadth of the Magical Girl genre.

Girl By Moonlight draws inspiration from many sources. When you sit down to play, your group will pick a Series Playset and tailor it with special rules, themes, threats, and more to make your game truly your own.

The four major Series Playsets include:

Plus, we've created four different Jumpstarts to help you dive into each of these dramatically different genres of Magical Girl adventures!

Each Jumpstart takes one of the Series Playsets and provides a cast of playable characters, some tailored choices around the series, and a starting situation. They're ideal for one-shots and convention games, or as a quick way to get your campaign going. The PDFs are included at every pledge level but you'll have to upgrade to one of the bundles if you want the separate, full-color printed folios.

Girl By Moonlight is a complete, standalone game. No other books or supplements are needed. The standard, retail version clocks in at 224 pages and comes in a beautiful hardcover edition, with full-color interior art. 

Girl By Moonlight. Your everyday existence is oppressive and full of compromises. Defy society’s expectations, assume your full power, and transcend into your true self.  Pledge now and get immediate access to the text-complete prototype PDF!!

Want to try before you buy? Check out the free 50-page preview on DriveThruRPG for a solid overview of the game, its powerful themes, diverse settings, and innovative mechanics.

As part of our crowdfunding campaign, backers can pledge for this exclusive Limited Edition Hardcover version of the game. It features alternate cover artwork by Zakiya Goggins embellished with beautitful spot-gloss varnish, distinctive endpapers, and two ribbon bookmarks. The interior text and artwork are exactly the same as the standard edition. We're doing a single print run of this edition, and while we may release some overstock copies to our webstore after fulfillment, pledging now is the best way to ensure you secure this keepsake edition of the game.

Before we get into the various pledge levels and rewards available in this campaign, we want to take a moment to acknowledge something. We realize how frustrating crowdfunding efforts can be when you are struggling with your finances. That’s why every pledge also funds at least one extra PDF which we will add to our itch.io page when the book is finalized. This pool of Community Copies will be available for anyone who’s experiencing financial hardship -- absolutely free, no questions asked.

Also: Between Brexit and the pandemic, the cost of individual shipping varies wildly by region. That means we will not be able to offer a shipping option during this campaign that will service everyone. We're frustrated by this, but the alternative is charging some customers $40 or more (not including VAT or import fees) on a $30 book. If we do not offer shipping to your country, consider backing at the PDF  or Roll20 level and picking up the physical book once it reaches your FLGS. It's a much, MUCH more affordable option.
 

$15 PDF + POD Edition

All backers at $15 and up get immediate access to the fully playable prototype PDF, plus get the final PDF (with all updates and full artwork) when it's done, a code to print-on-demand an at-cost copy with DriveThruRPG, AND get PDFs of all funded stretch goals.

$30 Roll20 Bundle + PDF

You get the Roll20 Girl By Moonlight Bundle plus the PDF at no additional cost. In addition you get all the rewards from the $15 digital level.

You get one physical copy of Girl By Moonlight plus the PDF at no additional cost. In addition you get all the rewards from the $15 digital level. Shipping to be billed separately via pledge manager after the campaign. ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO

$45 Limited Edition Hardcover + PDF

You get one physical copy of Girl by Moonlight Limited Edition hardcover plus the PDF at no additional cost. The Limited Edition will feature an alternate cover & endpapers, plus two ribbon bookmarks. It will not be reprinted after this campaign. The interior text and artwork will be exactly the same as the standard edition.  In addition to these rewards, you get all the rewards from the $15 digital level. Shipping to be billed separately via pledge manager after the campaign. ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO

You get one physical copy of Girl by Moonlight Standard Edition, a bundle of four Series Jumpstart folios (At the Brink of the Abyss, On a Sea of Stars, In a Maze of Dreams, and Beneath a Rotting Sky),  plus the PDFs at no additional cost. In addition you get all the rewards from the $15 digital level. Shipping to be billed separately via pledge manager after the campaign. ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO

$60 Retailer Tier
Confirmed game store retailers (you'll be asked to provide proof of store after the campaign, before we ship) can jump in here for 4 copies of Girl by Moonlight at a standard retailer discount. Ships free, only to a USA address (your store or a freight forwarder). If you want additional copies beyond 4, add $20 to your pledge for each. We recognize that now is a particularly difficult time for game store retailers, and appreciate your support!

$65 Magical Girl Bundle
You get one physical copy of Girl by Moonlight Limited Edition, a bundle of four Series Jumpstart folios (At the Brink of the Abyss, On a Sea of Stars, In a Maze of Dreams, and Beneath a Rotting Sky), plus the PDFs at no additional cost. In addition you get all the rewards from the $15 digital level. Shipping to be billed separately via pledge manager after the campaign. ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO

$99 Transcendent Girl Bundle

You get one physical copy of Girl by Moonlight Limited Edition, one copy of Girl by Moonlight Standard Edition, a bundle of four Series Jumpstart folios (At the Brink of the Abyss, On a Sea of Stars, In a Maze of Dreams, and Beneath a Rotting Sky), and the Girl by Moonlight Roll20 bundle, plus the PDFs at no additional cost. In addition you get all the rewards from the $15 digital level. Shipping to be billed separately via pledge manager after the campaign. ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO

$20 Jumpstarts

Add a bundle of four Series Jumpstart folios (At the Brink of the Abyss, On a Sea of Stars, In a Maze of Dreams, and Beneath a Rotting Sky). ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO

$30 Roll20 Bundle

Add the Roll20 Girl by Moonlight Bundle to your order. The bundle will include a module, art pack, and compendium.

$30 Hardcover copy

Add a Hardcover copy of Girl by Moonlight Bundle to your order. ONLY SHIPS TO: USA, UK, CAN, AUS, NZ, IE, and NO.

As our funding increases, we'll be able to add these rewards to the project!

$30,000 - Funding Goal

$40,000 Printed Endpapers - We'll upgrade the inside coverings (the "endpapers") of the front and back covers from plain, solid-color paper to Girl By Moonlight artwork.

$45,000 epub/mobi edition - We'll add eBook formats besides PDFs to the digital rewards for the game, suitable for reading on Kindles and other such devices!

Zine by Moonlight
For these stretch goals, we're compiling a magical girl zine! It will be a collection of art, essays, fiction, and play advice inspired by the game. From designer Andrew Gillis: "With this stretch goal I wanted to celebrate the magical girl genre, showing all the many ways that I and other creatives relate to it."

Zine by Moonlight is a handy little companion to the game, full of inspiration and fresh perspectives to support you in building your own magical girl stories. To find out more about our contributors, check out their bios info here.

$55,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$65,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$75,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$85,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$95,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$105,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$115,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$125,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$135,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$145,000 Zine by Moonlight - Girl by Moonlight Zine Contribution. These amazing creators will contribute essays, short fiction, and art on the topic of magical girls and the game's themes to the Zine By Moonlight.

$160,000 Stars for Core Book Contributors  - When we hit this stretch goal, everyone who worked on the core book will get paid 25% more (total of 25% increase)

$175,000 Stars for Core Book Contributors x2 - When we hit this stretch goal, everyone who worked on the core book will get paid 25% more (total of 50% increase)

$190,000 Stars for Core Book Contributors x3 - When we hit this stretch goal, everyone who worked on the core book will get paid 25% more (total of 75% increase)

$205,000 Stars for Core Book Contributors x4 - When we hit this stretch goal, everyone who worked on the core book will get paid 25% more (total of 100% increase)

First, a note: The shipping disruption caused by the pandemic continues to have follow-on effects. Pricing and delivery schedules remain extremely volatile. Our intention is to deploy shipping options that minimize risk and expense for both ourselves and our backers. That means we will not be able to offer a shipping option during this campaign that will service everyone. We're frustrated by the situation, but the alternative is charging some customers $40 or more (not including VAT or import fees) on a $30 book for a delivery that may be delayed by weeks or months. 

All shipping fees will be charged separately, AFTER the campaign, during pledge management. The prices below are estimates. Actual shipping prices will be determined after production is finished and we're gearing up to send out the books. Also, if you add-on additional physical copies of the game to your order, your shipping cost may increase.

Estimated shipping costs (for a single book):

If we do not offer shipping to your country you may consider:

Our expected delivery date for all rewards: January 2024.

We have a great team on this project. Evil Hat is an experienced RPG publisher. We've run nearly twenty successful crowdfunding campaigns and we've printed many roleplaying games in a variety of physical formats over the past few years.

This puts us in a fine position to take on the risks and challenges that will arise. Experience tells us that things don’t always go as planned.

Here's what we can anticipate as potential problems.

The Text: While Girl by Moonlight is largely done aside from the art and other polishing touches, it's possible backers will identify some glaring issue that we need to address before we take this fully to publication. That can add time, for sure. Luckily we have several talented writers available if we need a fix, as well as layout and editing people on standby, so any necessary changes should proceed quickly.

Printing: We have a strong, established relationship with our printers. We’ve got them on tap to print the books in whatever quantity we end up needing. But printers can run into problems all the same: supply shortages, unexpected delays due to company holidays or industry events, shipping problems, printing errors, and so on. We’ve got the experience to stay atop those potential problems and the flexibility to pivot and address them promptly. In the event of defective product, we will send a replacement at no cost to you. We print our books in the USA, so there's less of a chance the economic policies of the current administration will suddenly cause the cost of the book to skyrocket or otherwise introduce problems getting the books from the printer to us.

Shipping: Packages get lost. We'll send replacements. Shipping can take longer than expected. We won't put the book on sale until all backer copies are shipped out. As noted in the Shipping section above, we regrettably can't offer delivery to every country as part of this campaign. We will release the book into retail distribution overseas  soon after the delivery of the campaign rewards and for most (if not all) fans in areas where we can't ship directly this will be your most affordable option.

Finances: Although the ongoing pandemic continues to throw curveballs into production and shipping, we've made a nimble adjustment to expand our digital offerings and open up new revenue streams. We're solidly profitable and well-positioned in 2023 and for the foreseeable future.

One final note: We often run two or three crowdfunding projects per year. Each one is a carefully planned process based on our 18+ successful campaigns in the past. We pride ourselves on fulfilling rewards quickly, but even so, different crowdfunding efforts can sometimes overlap. We have not had an issue tackling that. We make space for each campaign and work to ensure that resources are available to take each of our projects across the finish line. If, on the rare occasion something does go wrong, we're committed to being upfront and transparent about the issue and what we're going to do to fix it.

If there's any risk or challenge YOU can think of that we haven't mentioned here, please write in and ask. We love to answer questions, and we do our best to provide an unparalleled customer service experience whenever possible. We intend to impress you.

So much love and labor went into creating Girl by Moonlight! Here is our incredible team.