Start off your next urban fantasy campaign with a bang! Work together using a deck of cards and any city map to build a magical setting. Leverage local history, landmarks, and transit to create interesting characters and communities!
Fantasy in My Backyard is a urban fantasy cooperative worldbuilding game made for 1-6 players.
Each player takes on the role of a magical community living hidden alongside the mundane world
Using a physical or digital map of any city to breathe life into real locations and creatures that inhabit them (like talking animals, gods, vampires, wizards and more)
Leverage the city's history, landmarks, and public transit to build a web of characters and relationships naturally connected to real world locations
Start your next Monster of the Week, Monster Hearts, or World of Darkness game off with a bang! Take a walk through the fantasy in your backyard!
Using a city map and a deck of cards, players take turns finding and adding locations to fill out different roles in their community. Maybe it's the electronic store that helps connect to other worlds or the city's libraries working as a magical mail system. Each card helps reveal a new service, tradition, or character dynamic. As players build up the city, they will be able to use special actions expand their community's relationships and resources.
At the end of the game players will walk away with a city full of colorful neighborhoods, characters, and history.
Playtests Examples for Pittsburgh, PA in person (left) and Eureka, CA online (right)
Communities
Play a variety of magical communities each with their own flavor and abilities such as:
The Fables - Storybook characters who have found a new home within the city such as talking animals, local fairytales, or "invisible friends".
The Myths - Creatures of mythology and belief who grow through worship such as gods of classic pantheons, new beliefs, or their servants.
The Anomalies - Mysterious beings of urban superstition, fears, or tragedy such as cryptids, eldritch monstrosities, or things that go bump in the night.
The Blood - Undead creatures of shadow that roam the dark with a need to feed such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves.
The Coven - Practitioners of magic, either inherited or learned, who have mingled with the supernatural world for generations such as witches, espers, or half-bloods.
The Pact - Beings with faustian intent who focus on growing their power at the cost of others such as devils, fae, and corporations.
Maps and Landmarks
Play using any old map you have lying around or a digital tool like Google Maps. Fantasy My Backyard is great for exploring a new city or sharing your familiar, local favorites. The game leverages each city's landmarks, history, and urban layout making each playthrough unique. Take notes and place pins to build a picture of your hidden magical world for your group to explore after the game (either fictionally or in person)!
Actions
Actions let each player explore their community, adding additional stories or characteristics:
Enrich a Location - Dig further into a location making it an even stronger pillar within your community.
Bridge a Connection - Cross community lines to tie two locations together with a shared ideal.
Establish a Neighborhood - Develop your community's influence over a larger area, detailing how it effects both the magical and mundane.
Events
After each round, all players collaborate to add lore to a local event or tradition. Events are the perfect opportunity to flush out what makes life in each city unique, where communities share common ground, or where they have conflicting history. Keep the game and round fresh with 24 different events to try!
No AI was used to generate, edit, or in otherwise influence the content of this project.
"This sounds like a super fun way to build a fantasy version of a real place...I'm so into it! Really happy to support Fantasy in My Backyard." - JP Coovert, Youtube
"It's been cool to watch it rocket it...Really excited to see where this one goes. We'll be hopping in on this one for sure." Plus One EXP, Youtube
"...a map-making game that uses one of my favorite RPG pastimes: futzing with Google Maps." - Cannibal Halfling Gaming
"This feels like a more map-centric, fantasy-framed version of i'm sorry, did you say street magic?, and I'm into it." - Nick, Deep Dark Games
"Fantasy in my Backyard is a project where you build a world of urban fantasy through Google Maps; a concept I'll admit I am fascinated by." - Chris Hulton, TTRPG Insider
"I’ve used Ex Novo and Quiet Year to build settings for RPGs. This looks like it’s doing the same sort of thing for urban fantasy games,..." - Faked Tales
"Not a designer I know personally, but I'm really digging Fantasy in My Backyard as a worldbuilding game. I love any game that explores a contemporary setting, and this one lets me do it with a real map and playing cards? So in." - The Neon Caster
"So Fantasy in my Backyard by Quigley was one of the highlights I playtested last year." - Jellyfishlines
Overview of each pledge level, cost, and what it comes with.
Fantasy in My Backyard Digital Core $10 Receive a PDF copy of Fantasy in My Backyard This includes a screen reader-friendly PDF and rules handouts.
Fantasy in My Backyard Print Core $15 Receive the physical copy and PDF copy of Fantasy in My Backyard. This digest-sized stapled zine will be 16-20 pages. Your pledge does not include shipping, which will be calculated and collected after the campaign.
Neighborhood Supporter $30 Receive the physical copy and PDF copy of Fantasy in My Backyard. Additionally, your name will be added as a Neighborhood Supporter in the acknowledgements section of the game. Your pledge does not include shipping, which will be calculated and collected after the campaign.
Neighborhood Art Patron $300 (5 Available) Support are illustrators by commissioning an additional interior art piece for the game! At this tier, you will be involved in our art commission process for one of our remaining interior art pieces. The art piece will feature Heroes that resemble original characters from your own game, story, or imagination! You’ll provide a short physical description for your characters (up to 3), and if available, reference images. The final composition of the piece will be determined by us. The art itself will be half-page and conform to the game's art style. You will also receive all rewards from the Neighborhood Supporter tier, shipping included.
Retailer (Retailers only) Are you a retailer interested in stocking Fantasy in My Backyard for your store? Contribute at this tier and we will collect your name and contact information after the campaign. We’ll then follow up with you before printing to lock in your order at a reduced price (must purchase a minimum of 5 copies).
$3,000 - GM Inspiration Tables We will add inspiration tables to the game with prompts for locations, characters, motivations, and more!
$3,500 - Community Reference Cards We will create of reference cards with each community's abilities and the core rules you can print for easy reference.
$4,000 - City Quick Starts We will create one-page quick starts for the game for 5 cities chosen by the backers, each with their own locations and minor variant rules.
$4,500 - Layout Upgrade We will increase the budget for the game's layout, enabling Rook to go all out.
Chase Call (he/him) - Designer, https://chasecall.myportfolio.com/ Chase Call is a game designer with a love for melding systems and story. He co-authored Afterworld along with its introductory adventure, published the grim-horror journaling game Memoirs of a Hunter, and Kindle a nostalgic camp fire RPG.
Chris Carson II (he/him) - Illustrator, https://ccarson750.wixsite.com/general-portfolio Chris is a concept artist, character designer, and illustrator who specializes in 2D artwork. He’s had the pleasure of collaborating with other artists on various projects, ranging from games to children’s books. In addition to being driven, self-motivated, and having a knack for detail. He always looks forward to working together with other skilled specialists and expanding his horizons. He is very excited and thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the Fantasy In My Backyard team, along with working on a TTRPG, and, hopefully, many more in the future.
Duamn is an illustrator and TTRPG game designer from Rosario, Argentina. His background as an RPG club and events organizer gave him a lot of experience teaching and playing games to a diverse array of players. Pairing this experience with a lifelong love with art, infuses each stroke of the pencil with decades of high adventure.
James Quigley (he/him) - Designer and Producer, http://quigjam.webflow.io/tabletop James Quigley (he/him) is a digital and tabletop game designer. He co-authored the card-based apocalypse rpg Afterworld, the doomed-world building rpg PREQUEL In his fulltime job, James works as a technical designer at Schell Games and has previously to a AAA titles such as Teamfight Tactics and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4.
Kodi Gonzaga (they/them) - Editor, https://www.kodigonzaga.com/ Kodi Gonzaga is a writer, editor, TTRPG designer, actual play performer, occasional cosplayer, cat parent, and storytelling nerd who uses they/them pronouns. They’re mixed race, nonbinary, and originally from Atlanta, Georgia but currently based in Los Angeles, California. One of their favorite things is urban fantasy media, and Beak Feather & Bone is a personal favorite TTRPG of theirs, so getting to work on this project is a real treat for them!
Lex Burney (she/they) - Illustrator, https://lexxarts.carrd.co/ Lex is an illustrator, gaymer, and storytelling junkie who dabbles in writing and game dev, and sometimes playtests TTRPGs. She grew up a little bit of everywhere and remains endlessly fascinated by the places that can be seen when you’re “just passing through.” There’s just a little spark of something that can be found anywhere, if you’re willing to look…
Rook Feld is a disabled, white, genderqueer designer and artist living on Lenni-Lenape land in the United States. They cannot pick a lane when it comes to artmaking – writing, acting, TTRPG design, collage, illustration, and audio/video editing take up his time outside his work as a library assistant. Rook’s art explores themes of connection, trauma, and healing. He is beyond stoked to join the Fantasy in My Backyard team and lend his passion for public transit to the project.
While developing a game about building communities and the connections between them, it became impossible to ignore current events within the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland security and the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) have been weaponized into an extra-judicial military force innating the agenda of the current Presidential Administration at the expense of immigrant communities. ICE's practices go beyond routine border enforcement, instead serving as shock-and-awe tactics to intimidate the opposition party and expand executive power.
In hopes of providing support to the communities unjustly targeted, 25% of all profit from this campaign will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Foundation.
The game's core rules are complete as available in the preview packet but we expect a need for additional revisions after the campaign funds. All additional writing along with a dedicated editing pass and any new stretch goal content will be completed from March to May. Illustration and initial layout exploration will run in parallel with the game's full text being laid out and prepared for printing from June to August. The goal is to have everything complete and fulfillment underway in September with backers received their books no later than November.
Estimating shipping costs is difficult at this time, so our best estimates for a single physical copy of the game are about $5-8 for US backers, $20-25 CAN, MEX, AUS, EU UK, $25+ everywhere else. International backers are responsible for handling any customs or VAT for their respective countries.
The campaign's funds will be used to pay our team members for illustrations, layout, and editing as well as a print run of 250 copies. Any additional profit after charity donations will be split amongst the team members.
The Budget
Expenses
Art ($800)
Layout ($650)
Editing ($900)
Printing ($300)
Fees and Taxes ($670)
Buffer ($540)
Investment
Revenue from selling 50 copies after campaign ($300)
Initial Collaboration Investment ($1000)
Total Funding Goal: $2500
💥 Zinetopia 2026
This project is participating in Zinetopia! A Small-format TTRPG event celebrating Zine Month running February 2–27, 2026.
📖 What is Zine Month? Zine Month is a month-long online celebration observed every February by the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) community where creators share and launch new DIY zines.
🔥 Unlock the Limited Zinetopia Freebie! Receive the limited edition Zinetopia 2026 Group Zine when you back 5+ projects featuring 60+ pages from participating creators full of mini-games, sketches, activity pages, and more!
