Bastion: Afrocentric Sword and Sorcery RPG Setting

Posted on October 24, 2017October 24, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

One of the stretch goals for the MYTHIC D6 Kickstarter is the World of Bastion. The original idea for Bastion was to do a traditional Tolkien fantasy game, but the more I worked on it, the more I got bored regurgitating the same themes and points of view as countless other games. I knew I couldn’t do that game and once I let go, I was free to make this something else. I got rid of a lot of western ideas that permeated the game and went looking for something else. African cultures have a lot to offer, and it gave me the bonus of learning about the myths legends and philosophies of West Africa.

I’ve already traveled that road with the revamp of ATLANTIS: The Second Age, and I wanted to do something new and untethered by conventional fantasy roleplaying. I’m not sure if I succeed, but I tapped a few friends (Matthew Bottiglieri and Elizabeth Chaipraditkul) to help bring my outline to life and started work on Bastion. I didn’t want to do a rehash of West African culture; I tried to borrow, shape and re-imagine some of the aspects to give the game a fresh perspective. That’s what I hope Bastion will be, a new perspective. I also wanted to showcase the MYTHIC D6 system and illustrate what the game could do.

What is Bastion?

Bastion is a post-apocalyptic fantasy game with an Afrocentric point of view, set in the last city at the edge of the world. A fantasy horror game where decay and the warping power of animated chaos twists everything it touches.

In the dying land of Ife Oodaye, Bastion is the last city of the free people. Its high walls shelter the survivors of the great devil that hungers to destroy them. It is here that the last embers of hope burn.

Influences

The following writers shaped and influenced the concepts in Bastion and without them, perhaps Bastion would be much different.

Charles R. Saunders: For the Imaro series of book.
Michael Moorcock: His Eternal Champion and the odd description of the warping influence of chaos.
Clark Ashton Smith: For all the weird world of sword and sorcery fantasy, he delivered in his time.
Glenn Cook: For the Black Company Series
Stephen King: For the horror novella, The Mist

What do Heroes in Bastion do?

Bastion is a post-apocalyptic game where the heroes go into the wasteland to find survivors of the global holocaust that corrupted all life. At its core, Bastion is about the sacrifice the heroes will make to push back the warping plague harrowing the earth.

The players of Bastion take on the roles of a Fihankra, the security, and shields of the people of Bastion.

The Fihankra are the greatest warriors that have ever walked the dying land of Ife Oodaye. The sigil carved into the center of their foreheads resembles a slash of blue of flame. The same blue fire glows within the pools of their eyes.

What kind of heroes can players, play?

The Akan

The proud men and women of Ife Oodaye. The Akan are the leaders of the free people of Bastion, and in them the gods found favor.

The Tunannu

Once the rulers of the world of Ife Oodaye, the diminutive reptiles now ally themselves with the Akan against the Overfiend.

Rijal-Alhajar

Rijal-Alhajar believe that oaths are as solid as their stone bodies. The stone men of Ife Oodaye are the most potent warriors god has ever made.

The Umbari

The Akan men have always known that the Umbari exist, but their encounters with them have been fleeting. The Umbari are things of shadow push from their shadowy homes in the eternal twilight of the south. They now ally themselves against the menace of the Overfiend.

The Solari

The solari are not from Ife Oodaye. They hail from another dimension or world altogether. The Solari are made from a spark of the sun and burn just as bright.

THE SHOUT OUTS!

Now for some more fun. There are many publishers/creators of color out there doing great things in the RPG industry, and I wanted to give a shout out. Please look at their efforts and be surprised by the depth of the creativity and drive. Do yourselves a favor and check out these talented creators.

Allen Turner

Allen Turner teaches game design at DePaul University. He’s a Black/Lakota/Irish game designer, storyteller, artist, dancer, author, and performer who believes in the power of play and story as fundamental, powerful medicines which shape our sense of self, relationships, and our connection to the cosmos.

Allen worked in the video game industry for 15 years creating for such studios as Bungie Software, Day 1 Studios, Wideload Games, and Disney Interactive Studios.

Allen utilized his design, storytelling, and cultural experience to create, and publish, a table-top RPG called “Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game.” A dark fantasy setting that pulls from the myths and folklore of Native American peoples and tribal peoples from all over the world, Ehdrigohr explores tribal themes and allegorical battles with depression, solitude, identity, and erasure.

Currently he’s working on a new project, Arboretum Imaginarium, which is a tool for exploring personal and social narratives.

More info at http://www.council-of-fools.com/blog.

Chris Spivey

Chris Spivey has a decades-old love of gaming, horror, history, and a mission to create a more inclusive gaming world. As CEO of Darker Hue Studios, Chris just released Harlem Unbound (compatible with both Call of Cthulhu and Gumshoe). Chris has written for other publishers and his work includes Cthulhu Confidential, Thousand Years of Night, Geist 2nd Edition, 7th SeaSourcebook, Scion 2nd Edition, Out of the Woods and some unnamed upcoming projects. Chris is a father and husband and has a strong penchant for scotch. In fact, he will write for scotch (the good stuff, at least).

More info at www.darkerhuestudios.com/

Eloy Lasanta

Eloy Lasanta started in the RPG industry in 2008, and has produced over many settings (i.e. The Ninja Crusade 2nd Edition, AMP: Year One, and Part-Time Gods. He’s also created a number of systems to support those games, like the Pip System, the Dynamic Gaming System, and the Chakra System. Eloy has even contributed to other publishers’ works, such as the Firefly RPG from Margaret Weiss, Geist: The Sin-Eaters from Onyx Path, and Call of Catthulu from catthulu.com. He stays busy.

More info at http://www.thirdeyegames.net/

The first Stretch goal is less than $3k away

Posted on October 21, 2017October 27, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

So, we know that game will be produced, that’s now a fact. We know that everyone is excited about the game. Do we know if the game will be glossy and full color? I guess that’s up to everyone involved.

Please share your excitement and tell a friend about a D6 system Kickstarter that’s genuinely Mythic.

MYTHIC D6, we just shot the Grinch in the face!

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

Hello All,

I changed the Tiers to be a bit more generous for the MYTHIC D6 Kickstarter. I suggest you read over the Tiers and adjust your pledge accordingly. This will change the amounted funded up to this point but, I hope that you guys find added value here.

Most bang for your buck is the 1D6+1 and 2D6 Tier

What changed?

I added the following

All the achieved Stretch Goals in PDF plus the following;

Receive PDFs of the following original GODSEND Agenda titles

GODSEND Agenda D6
GODSEND Agenda: Mythos
GODSEND Agenda: U.S.E.R.’s Most Wanted
GODSEND Agenda: ExtraordinAgents
GODSEND Agenda: GOD-Maker

PLUS, one Khepera Publishing PDF of your choice from the HELLAS: Worlds of Sun and Stone or ATLANTIS: The Second Age line

Why the Change?

Someone I respected pointed out to me that I was being stingy and a real ass. Once I realized how much of a tool I had been I decided to set out and make things right. (I wish they had said this before the campaign started, but no harm no foul)

It makes a lot of the tiers obsolete and a few levels more robust. This is actually, a cool thing. If I succeed, we all succeed. If I win, you win.

I sincerely apologize for the confusion and any trouble this may have cause.

MYTHIC D6 Kickstart is almost funded!

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

So close to the MYTHIC D6 funding goal. All we need is a little help to push it over the edge.

Please spread the word and let everyone know.

MYTHIC D6 Kickstart is Live!

Posted on October 16, 2017October 15, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

Hello All,

I have a new Kickstarter that just went live. If you enjoyed my previous project, I have something new to offer.

Please share the new

MTHIC D6 Game worlds

Posted on October 13, 2017October 13, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

Lots of places to play when using MYTHIC D6.

Project: Mythic
Bastion (not shown in the gif. Still working on art)
Irin
Terra Oblivion
GODSEND Agenda

Sneak Peak at the MYTHIC D6 Kickstart

Posted on October 11, 2017October 11, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

Click on the picture below to look at the Kickstarter for MYTHIC D6.

And if you feel inclined, please share the link and talk the project up on all your favorite social media platforms. The more aware people are of the Kickstarter, the easier it is for my soul, and the less work I have to do 😉

Thanks!

Project: Mythic

Posted on October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

Project: Mythic a MYTHIC D6 sample setting

MYTHIC D6 has a baked in sample background to show off the game system. The basics are done, and we are running through it doing a second pass to punch it a bit.

What can you expect from Project: Mythic?

Kiaju
Weird Cyrtids
Maniacal cultist, supervillains, and others tainted by the “The Otherworld”.
Some more Kiaju
And a Chupacabra

What do Heroes do in Project: Mythic?

The super humans of project mythic secretly police the world behind the scenes looking for areas of “Shallowing,” areas where the membrane between our dimensions and the Otherworld is the thinnest. The entities that do manage to break through cause physical, but psychic harm to the area around them. The entities are not alone and are allied with mundane cultist in our world that foster and environment that makes the coming of these beings easier.

Luckily for humanity, the Institute is there to stop them. Bolstered by men and women with superhuman abilities, the Institute fights a secret war against the horrors that want to bring Hell to Earth.

In the “Zone

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

I’ve been busy working on an assortment of things. MYTHIC D6 and ATLANTIS: The Second Age are consuming a lot of my time and energy but lately I started work again on my all-time favorite game (that I created), GODSEND Agenda. It was the first game I ever published and I’m moving back around to tinkering on it again. I’ve been working on and off on this version for a while and I started cranking stuff out that a madman this week.

It’s amazing how much you can get done when you get into the zone. At this rate, I may have a character to show as proof of concept in a few weeks. What’s great is the work I do here will dovetail nicely into new ATLANTIS and HELLAS content soon.

What I have done so far

Powers framework – 70% done
Character Creation – 50%
System – 25% done. Doing a total overhaul
Background- Revamp in the works

MYTHIC D6 Sample Character Creation

Posted on July 24, 2017August 12, 2017 by Jerry D. Grayson

Sample Character Creation

Gabriel decided that he would like to create a Hero that is somewhat of a cad, but at his heart good-natured and fun.

Bravo

Bravo (not his real name, but the name he uses in this era) is an immortal adventurer seeking to do right and atone for past wrongs.

Bravo is a carefree brawler that sometimes allows his impulses and poor decision making to get the better of him.

Step One

The players and the Game Master decide that all the Heroes in the adventure will be created at Power level 3 giving everyone 125 Creation Points to spend.

Step Two

Choosing an archetype

Gabriel decides that Bravo will have the archetype of Bravo (big surprise), and makes a note of the benefits and pitfalls of the Archetype.

Step three

Purchase Attribute.

Gabriel decides that Bravo will be faster and stronger than the average human. At his core, Gabriel wants Bravo to be a brawler that gets things done with action and the use of his hands.

Coordination: Bravo is a little above average here, so Gabriel gives him 3D (12 pts).

Knowledge: Bravo is about average intelligence, so Gabriel allots 2D here (8pts).

Perception: Bravo is a quick thinker and very perceptive, so 3D is placed here (12 pts).

Physique: Bravo is superhumanly strong and represents his one central power. 7D is set here (28 pts).

Presence: Bravo is charming and is very likable. He is also someone who can motivate others to follow him. Gabriel decides that he’s great but not that great and give him 2D (8 pts), and makes the decision that skill will compensate for the average attribute.

Reflexes: Bravo is agile and very adroit physically, 4D goes here (16 pts).

Finally, Gabriel buys 3 Pips to allocate to his attributes for a cost of 4 Points and adds +1 to Coordination and +2 to Reflexes.

On attributes, Bravo has spent 88 Points leaving him 37 points for skills.

Step Four

Purchase Skills

Gabriel decides to allocate points to skills using 29 points.

Step Five

Purchase Advantages

Gabriel wants Bravo to be good at everything but realizes that this isn’t going to happen with only 8 points left.

Gabriel decides that Bravo is a great wrestler with godlike physical strength and created the Advantage “Wrestler of Bulls.” The Advantage allows him to be incredibly strong when performing wrestling moves and can use the Advantage twice per game.

Step Six

Determine Disadvantages

Disadvantages for Bravo define who and what he is about. Gabriel decides that the following Disadvantages are appropriate for Bravo.

Relationship: Hesperos, the butcher. The butcher is a pirate ringleader who sold Bravo into slavery years ago.

Personality: Hot-blooded. Bravo is quick to anger when challenged or crossed

External: Indebted. Bravo owes a debt to Hastur for saving his life. Sometimes Hastur uses the debt to bend Bravo to his will making him do things he would normally not do

Step Seven

Determine Other Details

Stress Points

Gabriel rolls Bravo’s PHY dice and gets 1, 2,2,4,4,5, and a 5 on the Wild Die. Bravo has 48 Stress Points

BDV of 2 because he has the fighting skill

PL of 7 because of his high PHY attribute

Hero Points of 4

PDV of 2

Gabriel couldn’t afford any powers beyond Super Attribute Physique for Bravo and decided that with Experience Points he will be able to better realize the vision of his Hero in the future.

Step Eight

Go Play!

Bravo is ready for play!