A Kids on Bikes Second Edition has been confirmed. This TTRPG, designed by Doug Levandowski and Jon Gilmour was heavily inspired by the works of Stephen King and Netflix's Stranger Things, and provides players with the chance to create their own childhood urban fantasy adventures. It has won its share of awards, been featured on several Actual Play productions like Dimension20 and KOLLOK, and has received several spin-offs. Now, the developers are returning for some changes to the rules, as well as adding new adventures.
The Kids on Bikes Second Edition Kickstarter Campaign
The official Kids on Bikes Second Edition Kickstarter page contains all sorts of useful information for those interested in backing the campaign. First and foremost, Kids on Bikes Second Edition is not a fundamental overhaul of the game's systems. While there are some major improvements and rules clarifications in the book, the fundamental core is still the same. Because of this, any and all supplements for the first edition of the game are completely compatible with this new one. Those very improvements include player-scalable stakes for violence, expanded Gamemaster rules to create more interesting creatures, and more collaborative storytelling sections with bike-ride-themed tools. The campaign also states that the book is already mostly complete and ready to go to the printer.
If you wish to support Kids on Bikes Second Edition, the Kickstarter backer tiers are as follows:
- Pocket Protector for $25: This provides a PDF of the book as well as virtual tabletop assets
- Library Card for $35: This provides a PDF, virtual tabletop assets, and a softcover version of the book
- Kickstand for $45: This provides a PDF, virtual tabletop assets, access to the Pledge Manager, and a Kickstarter-exclusive hardcover version of the book
- Wheelie for $75: This provides everything above plus Kickstarter-exclusive glow-in-the-dark dice, maps, and an adventure zine.
- Kickflip for $150: This provides everything above plus a Kickstarter-exclusive set of arcade tokens, a deck of NPC cards, and a backpack
- Championship Trophy for $250: This provides everything above plus two sets of Kickstarter-exclusive dice, arcade tokens, and character journals
At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign for Kids on Bikes Second Edition has already been fully funded. The campaign went live today with a goal of $20,000 and it has raised $33,599. But the campaign does include several stretch goals. All of these goals announced so far will add brand new adventures in a zine written by various talented TTRPG writers. These include Into The Mother Lands creator Tanya Depass, Co-writer of Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall Banana Chan, and professional GM Aabria Iyengar.
The Kids on Bikes Second Edition Kickstarter campaign does address some shipping concerns, as that has been a recurring issue with tabletop kickstarters during the pandemic. Beyond not allowing European shipping, they explain they are waiting to add shipping until later when costs are possible to have accurate figures about. The reason given is the fluctuating prices of international shipping prices due to the pandemic fallout. As such, they recommend you back the campaign for a dollar, which will give you access to the campaign manager. Once production is further along and prices can be more easily determined, there is a possibility of shipping items to Europe, and other international locations will have firmed up costs. Alternatively, you could get a digital-only tier avoiding the shipping issues.
The campaign will conclude on November 9th. The books and accessories are expected to ship in July 2023.
