Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant and explorer in the 13th century who travelled extensively throughout Asia. His book, “The Travels of Marco Polo“, detailed his experiences and introduced Europeans to the wonders of the East, including China, Japan, and India.
Italy’s Acheron Books have been inspired by this real-life adventure to craft a 5e setting around the Celestial Empire and cast PCs in the Brotherhood of Guardian Merchants. The Kickstarter is live until February 7th but has already smashed its funding target on the crowdfunding platform.
There are three books being made; Road to the Celestial Empire, which is the setting book, Monsters of the Celestial Empire and The Travels of Marco Polo. The last book is an illustrated edition of the iconic story, which has been made in collaboration with Chinese cultural consultants.
Weirdly, outside of the TTRPG space, an edit of this historic book with Chinese consultation is an attractive offer.
Back in the TTRPG zone, the trilogy brings more than 50 new monsters, 12 new sub-classes, the Starchosen species, eight new backgrounds and 5e rules for caravans and the Ars Mercatoria.
Curious? There are pre-gens and quickstart guides available for free (and via DriveThruRPG).
Marco Polo’s Legacy is a 5th edition historical-fantasy setting where players take on the role of members of the Brotherhood of the Guardian Merchants, a secret organization dedicated to safeguarding and studying the most powerful magic and artifacts from the farthest corners of the Khans’ domains.
You will travel along the roads of the Celestial Empire, where supernatural creatures and bandits with occult powers lie in wait for travelers in the shadows. You will investigate the presence of ancient creatures dwelling in remote Mongolian villages, explore the ruins of the Lob desert in search of lost relics, and navigate the crowded alleys of Khanbaliq to thwart the conspiracies of the Hundun cultists…
At €29, which is about £25, backers unlock PDF editions of all three of the Marco Polo 5e books as a reward and all the stretch goals unlocked by the campaign.
The physical book (and PDF) for The Travels of Marco Polo is the reward at the €35 tier.
The two 5e books, the setting and bestiary, in physical form and all the digital stretch goals are the thank you for backers at €85.
All three books and a GM screen plus those digital stretch goals are the reward at €130.
However, €189 backers get all of the above plus cardboard minis, an exclusive deck, dice and now the stretch goals include physical and digital rewards. This is the most popular tier in Acheron Books‘s campaign.
The publisher estimates a May 2026 campaign delivery, some 18 months away.
