Kobold Press Announces New RPG: ‘RiverBank’ is Cozy Cottagecore Fantasy – With No D&D
Kobold Press takes one giant step away from the familiarity of d20s with a new cottagecore RPG RiverBank, coming soon to BackerKit.
Kobold Press is known for their third party work with D&D. The company’s history is intertwined with D&D. Even before it was called Kobold Press, the company published third party D&D books for 3.5E D&D. Or, at least the d20 System. Then, in 2014, Kobold worked with WotC to create the initial big campaign for D&D 5E: Tyranny of Dragons. Or as it was known then, Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat.
And you might know them for their mythological Midgard setting. For the expansive monster books they create. Or perhaps for their sometimes overpowered but always creative and expansive spells. They make the kind of splatbooks that open up whole new sections of D&D.
Which is why it’s a pretty big step for the publisher to release something that doesn’t use any sort of d20 ruleset at all. In fact, Kobold Press’ newly announced game, RiverBank, doesn’t touch a d20. But it might just touch your heart.
Kobold Press Announces RiverBank Coming to BackerKit in April
RiverBank is, according tothe announcement, “a game of elegant animals, chaos, & whimsy.” If that sounds like The Wind in the Willows or puts you in mind of Possum Creek’s excellent Wanderhome, you’d be about right. RiverBank’s press release paints the picture of a world of polite animal society, where players might be trying to take a tour of the country while also getting wrapped up in being a badger.
There’s a sort of balancing act where players will find themselves torn between Animality and Poetry. I can only guess at how that plays out—but in my head it’s getting too wrapped up in being a society playboy to deal with the stark chaos of being a toad, or getting too caught up in jumping around everywhere to fit into polite society. I don’t actually know, as details are sparse.
What I DO know is that so-called cozy games are on the rise. I think with all the trouble the world is facing, people want a little comfort. So it’s not surprising to see more options for that cropping up. If we can’t just live the easy life of being a frog and going to teaparties anymore because some tech billionaire wanted to have even more pretend money, we can at least pretend to have that life for a few hours with our friends.
RiverBank – Whimsy and Chaos You Say?
Aside from the vaguely pastoral cozy society aesthetic in the artwork, here’s what we know about the game so far:
“In a RiverBank game, you join an intelligent society of anthropomorphic Animals and enter their life of cake and teatime by the slow part of the river. Here, the charm of cottagecore meets the whimsy of sophisticated critters as they navigate the intricacies—and often the bedlam—of polite Animal society.
Riverbank is a game about roleplaying, where your character choices directly impact the narrative. Weave farcical or dramatic tales of elegant characters on curious quests as you celebrate friendships, navigate social niceties, and weather the unique dynamics of Animal life. Attend tea parties, stroll through gardens, dance at fancy balls, and win the prize at the village fair—all while trying to keep a stiff upper lip and dodging difficult relatives.
AdvertisementKobold Press is putting down its shields and picking up some spats with the RiverBank RPG. This brand-new system is optimized for 3 to 5 players, using standard dice (d4, d6, d12) to resolve decisions while players keep the balance between their characters’ Animality and Poetry sides. Fall too far into one side or the other, and total disaster may follow!”
Won’t be long before there’s an animal crossing type RPG.
