Today, performer and cultural consultant KP Upadhyayula launched a crowdfunding campaign for Project Dastan. It is an ambitious project designed to uplift diverse voices within nerd culture. Furthermore, it is one of the first projects under a new creative-owned platform, Moonbeam.
The Project Dastan Backerkit Campaign
According to its campaign page, the goal of Project Dastan is to produce the first TTRPG actual play show in India. The show will feature local talented artists, writers, technicians, and producers, including professionals from Bollywood and Tollywood. The show's campaign will be in Pathfinder 2e, and draw inspiration from the culture and history of India and South East Asia.
The talent attached to Project Dastan are distinct names in the tabletop community. These include Project Director Upadhyayula, whose work includes Critical Role, Eldritch Automata, and The Crooked Moon, and Creative Director Amaan, co-host of The Infinite Tavern podcast.
The campaign also has support from larger companies within the tabletop community. These include Paizo Inc, Roll20, DriveThruRPG, Demiplane, and Foam Brain Games.
Besides producing an actual play, Project Dastan wants to promote the creative and storytelling prowess of people from around the world. To directly quote the campaign:
In a time when creators are endangered due to AI, corporate layoffs, exploitive streaming platforms, etc, we hope that we can be a place for mutual growth for our creators, not just through visibility but also through monetary support.
On top of that, we hope to use this momentum to help create the very first, high-production value Indian TTRPG actual play, using studios IN India, as well as local talents and crew. We want to tell an authentic story, while also showing the world that there is so much that the non-western world has to offer!
This creative community-driven ethos pairs with the fact that Project Dastan is being cross-promoted alongside Backerkit campaign: Moonbeam. Moonbeam is a new creative-owned, tabletop focused live streaming platform. One dedicated to creator and community empowerment and fair monetization.
The different Pledge Levels for Project Dastan are as follows:
- Well-Wisher for $11: Access to the Project Dastan Discord community and your name listed in the credits of one episode.
- Enthusiast for $45: Access to behind-the-scenes material, high-quality digital character art from the show.
- Hero for $100: Limited Edition Project Dastan dice set, including ones using Indian numericals.
- Legend for $500: Invitation to an online Q&A session with the team, a personalized in-game item or character named after you, and special limited edition artwork signed by the cast and crew.
- Mythic for $1000: Exclusive access to to view Session 0 with the cast, a private online gaming session with the team, and a virtual cameo appearance in an episode as an NPC.
- Godly for $10,000: Sponsor one full episode of the show and have your company/brand featured, an in-person guest appearance on an adventure with travel and stay provided, and an Executive Producer credit on the show.
At time of writing, Project Dastan has raised $3,866 towards its funding goal of $15,000. The campaign concludes August 9.
