Evil Hat organizes RPG charity bundle in support of Rae Nedjadi
The renowned designer was hospitalized earlier this year for upper respiratory failure.
Evil Hat Productions has launched a tabletop RPG charity bundle in support of Rae Nedjadi, the award-winning designer behind titles such as Apocalypse Keys, Once More Into the Void, and Our Haunt. The bundle was put together to help Nedjadi manage his ongoing medical fees and other expenses, in the aftermath of his recent hospitalization in April for upper respiratory failure, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, and other medical complications. While he was discharged in May, Nedjadi is reportedly still bed bound and receiving physical therapy along with ongoing treatment.
Organized by Sean Nittner, director of projects at Evil Hat Productions, the DriveThruRPG-hosted bundle features 22 tabletop RPGs such as Blue Rose, Paragons: The Roleplaying Game, and Defy the Gods, as well as several of Nedjadi’s own games.
Nedjadi’s impact in the tabletop RPG scene is particularly storied. He contributed to Thirsty Sword Lesbians, which clinched both the Nebula award for Best Game Writing and the gold Ennie awards for Best Game and Product of the Year in 2022, while Nedjadi himself was nominated for the Diana Jones Award as part of its emerging designer program. Having worked with Nedjadi on multiple occasions including the now cancelled Tomb Raider RPG, Nittner told Rascal over email that he first met Nedjadi when the latter was part of RPGSEA, an open group of game designers in Southeast Asia. Nedjadi was also an active member of the publisher and podcast network The Gauntlet, where he supported several indie designers by playtesting their games. “Rae's design invited people who might be unfamiliar with Filipino history and culture (like myself) to explore their myths and legends,” said Nittner. “Since working with Rae to develop Apocalypse Keys, he's also supported other creators working on Evil Hat projects like Godkiller and Abyssal: A Monstrous Undertaking.”
Some of Nittner’s favorite creations by Nedjadi are Apocalypse Keys, BALIKBAYAN and Our Haunt. “I'm quite biased, but Apocalypse Keys will always be Apocalypse Kisses for me,” he said. “We played ten sessions together and the pain the Omens felt and endured was incredible. Such dark and beautiful stories.” At the same time, he pointed out that there are several RPGs within the bundle he’s partial to, including Space Post, a game about intergalactic mail delivery and helping people find their way, as well as the works of designer Chrys Seller. “Having both Racoon Sky Pirates and Defy the Gods in the bundle is wonderful,” he said.
Nittner said that 127 bundles have been sold at time of writing, which amounted to USD$3,175 that will support Nedjadi’s expenses as DriveThruRPG have waived their usual fees for this charity effort. He hopes to raise at least USD$10,000 over the month of July. Every dollar raised will benefit Nedjadi immensely, given the strength of the US dollar against the Philippine peso in Nedjadi's resident country. You can purchase the bundle at DriveThruRPG, which is currently live until Friday, July 31.
