#queen city rpg

[bowiewashington]

Drabble: Jewish or Whatever

Title: Jewish or Whatever Rating: PG-13 Word Count: 620 Characters: Bennett “Bowie” Washington, Ruth “Bubbe” Goldstein Washington, Maxwell Rosewood (mentioned), Olivia Erwin Washington (mentioned), and Benjamin “Benny” Monroe (mentioned). Relationships: Bennett “Bowie” Washington/Maxwell Rosewood (implied), Bennett “Bowie” Washington/Benjamin “Benny” Monroe (implied), Bennett “Bowie” Washington & Ruth “Bubbe” Goldstein Washington Triggers: Religion (Judaism), use of a kind of derogatory word for non-Jews, use of Yiddish/Ashkenazi words by reform Jews, references to Benny (since he is his own warning). Yiddish/Hebrew words: Bubbe - grandmother, fondly. Schmuck - used for idiot. Goy - a non-Jewish person, can be offensive. Feh - like a disgusted sound.

“So tell me about this new boy.” Bubbe requested. It was their weekly phone call, and Bowie knew she’d been holding off on asking for at least a week. He didn’t remember when their weekly phone call tradition started, but he did know that he spoke with her more frequently than he did with his father and Arianna combined. As always, he wasn’t sure how he felt about basically being no contact with his parents, but it wasn’t like Bubbe really talked to her son either. So that helped with some of the guilt he supposed.

“What boy?” Bowie asked, feigning ignorance. He was lucky as hell that Bubbe struggled with FaceTime and only ever called him in the traditional sense. He wasn’t sure what his face was doing, but he knew that Ruth Washington would have seen right through it if they were face-to-face. As it was, he already knew that she was going to sense that he wasn’t telling her the truth by the sound of his voice. “Are you talking about Benny? I thought you didn’t like hearing about him.”

His grandmother made a huffing sound, and he was damn sure she was rolling her eyes at him. “Bennett, I’m old. I’m not a schmuck. Besides, I read People, and I get alerts from the Timzey. I know you’ve been out and about with some blond boy. I also am under the impression that whatever is going on with Benjamin is a publicity stunt for the studio. Is it not?” She asked, and he could all but see her smirk.

Bowie sighed, and scrubbed a hand through his hair. He knew what her next question was going to be, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it. “His name is Max.” He finally admitted with another sigh. “And he’s a firefighter.”

She was quiet for a moment, most likely running through all the names in the Torah. “Max. That’s not a Hebrew name.” Bubbe said, and it sounded like she was still thinking about something.

“Bennett isn’t a Hebrew name either.” He pointed out with a shrug she wasn’t able to see.

There was a sound that Bowie couldn’t interpret, but he was pretty sure that it was something derogatory about Arianna. “So, what is he then? Ashkenazi? Sephardic? Mizrahi?” When Bowie didn’t respond, she began throwing out other options. “Reform like us? Conservative? Orthodox? Renewal?” 

He bit his lip, and shrugged even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. “He’s non-denominational, I think?” He tried.

“Non-denominational?” And he could hear the frown in her voice. “So is he secular? Or is he just culturally Jewish?”

Bowie closed his eyes. He could do this. He could definitely do this. Just blurt out that he wasn’t Jewish at all. He could do this.

“He’s a firefighter, and he’s great with kids.” Bowie tried to distract her. “I think he’s in one of those calendars they sell for charity.”

“Bennett.” And Ruth’s voice went sharp. “Is your firefighter Jewish?”

He sighed. “Isn’t it nice that I have a consistent type?” He answered instead. 

“Goys and immoral Jewish boys is not a type.” She snapped back.

Bowie couldn’t help the smirk from slipping into his voice. “I mean… from your logic then, maybe it’s a good thing that he’s not Jewish.” He pointed out.

“When does my darling granddaughter get back from camp?” Ruth redirected.

That definitely threw Bowie off. “Uh, two weeks?” He said. “And technically, isn’t she your great granddaughter?”

“Feh!” She dismissed. “It’s decided then. I’ll come and visit in two weeks. We’ll have dinner.” She decided. “And you’ll bring your firefighter.”

He blinked. “What?” But before he could say anything else, the call ended.

[dungeonofthedragon]

Explorers of the Forever City: Free Adventure

For the 20 Minute Adventure jam, I've written an adventure called Realm of the Deathless Queen! Grab it and six premade characters for pwyw today.

[broeckchen]

Currently working on some really fun villain characters for the Glitch campaign I'm GMing. This one is supposed to be a cat burglar inspired by Cat's Eye and Catwoman.

[hiddenwashington]

@lavendaers said : Was that [KIM SOOHYUN]? Oh no no, that was just [BAEK HYUNWOO], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [QUEEN OF TEARS]. They are [THIRTY-FIVE] years old, use [HE/HIM], and [ARE NOT] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.{ooc: it's l!}

accepted! welcome to washington d.c. baek hyunwoo [kim soohyun]! please send in your account within 24 hours! please be sure to take a look at the checklist now that you've arrived! we look forward to seeing you around the city! 

[prokopetz]

Standard fantasy RPG pantheon, except:

each god is also the patron of one of the setting's local city-states, and each city-state espouses their own version of the pantheon's org chart that positions their patron as King or Queen of the Gods. The gods themselves decline to weigh in on who's correct.

the god of war died in a bizarre trebuchet accident several decades previously; a coalition of other gods have been playing Weekend at Bernie's with their priesthood ever since, doing their best to answer their prayers with variable plausibility and success.

there are two separate gods of knowledge with two separate, non-overlapping cults. Each god's cult is apparently unaware of the other's existence. There's nothing obviously supernatural about this separation; they just never seem to bump into each other.

the supreme god of the Nice Pantheon of Goodness and Light and the supreme god of the Icky Pantheon of Evil and Darkness are clearly the same guy wearing two different hats. Most NPCs react to having this pointed out as though it's obviously absurd.

the obligatory Squiddy Alien Gods From Beyond The Stars are treated as just another branch of the pantheon alongside the usual faux-Greek deities. Nobody thinks it's at all odd that the god of thunder's sworn blood-sibling is a shapeless cloud of blazing eyes.

[bogleech]

If you're still taking mortasheen questions - Can you tell us any lore stuff about the ultimate bioconstructs like hestermoan?

Mortasheen's original three "legendaries," Hestermoan, Tormanshee and Mothneaser, all have names that are anagrams of "Mortasheen," which itself is the name of a disease spread by the Nuckelavee in folklore. They were imagined to be three "kaiju" that would be completely frightening and disturbing with none of the whimsy or silliness of other Mortasheen monsters, and also broadly represent their three common categories: a physical attacker, a mental attacker, and a bioweaponry wielder. Hestermoan is the biggest and strongest and basically Mortasheen's "Godzilla," Tormanshee was meant to have a nasty Silent Hill kind of vibe and spreads "madness" while Mothneaser collects your blood and turns it into other monsters. They're so old by now, they conflict with a lot of the "style guide" i have in my head. I know I just said that was kind of their point, but there's other internal guidelines I impose on the setting that I'd like them to follow by the time I introduce them into the RPG, and they might change a bit drastically, but hopefully they'll keep the same vibe.

Tormanshee in particular was based on one of the very oldest Mortasheen monsters, a simple embryo in a floating bubble, which I then brought back as the "tormite" here and tied them together, also giving Tormite one huge open eye so it can also read as a floating eyeball.

Now for the RPG I'm using Tormite again as the lowest-level and most common psychokinetic creature, though I turned it back into a sleeping embryo thing with its eyes closed:

If you liked the "simultaneous eyeball" gimmick, don't worry! I'm doing a thing with that! I don't know what yet, but one idea is that they kind of "wake up" and then they start to evolve various forms from there.

I think Tormanshee will still connect with them somehow, too, like their "termite queen," but my design ideas for it are a whole lot more elaborate. They still have the "silent hill pregnancy demon" vibe but with a whole lot more body, kind of from a "what if this was also an ultraman kaiju or an evangelion angel" angle.

The more current concepts I had for Hestermoan are odd enough I don't want to spoil it, and it was originally going to be included in the first book - sorta - but we're holding off on it for now and may release them as free supplemental monsters. I also kind of like the idea of doing so because it has a similar feeling to Mew and other "secret" legendary Pokemon. Maybe their first release would even be through a really silly and gimmicky exclusive medium, before they get released as free public downloads.

My newer concepts for Mothneaser are all over the place, but it still has nothing whatsoever to do with moths. I just really like the sound of the name. All three still have the lore that they wake up only when the city's existence is threatened. This is monumentally rare because the city is the size of a continent and it's alive enough to regenerate from almost anything.

[bowiewashington]

Drabble: A Novelization of Death After Life: Dead Again

TRIGGERS: Mentions of child death, ritual sacrifice, and just general themes of death and dying associated with the fictional show that is Death After Life: Dead Again. NOTE: If you spot the Welcome to Nightvale quote, we are automatically best friends.

There were days when Malcolm couldn’t help but to feel like his life was a little too perfect. He was twenty-three and already married with his first child on the way. On top of that he was already a best-selling horror author. It felt almost like it was a life someone crafted for him. Like someone picked up a pen and went: what life would make this old-fashioned boy happy? Half the time it felt like he was like a fake life. Could someone be in witness protection and not even know it? Nah, he’d remember that, right?

A part of what made his life feel so fictional was the dreams. He’d always had an overactive imagination, and he’d always had vivid dreams. A lot of the time his dreams were set in two places. The first setting was a subway car, and it was the same subway car every time. There was a poster tacked onto one of the walls that said: if you see something, say nothing and drink to forget. The other setting reminded him of a hotel lobby, but he knew it wasn’t actually a hotel lobby. What it was, he didn’t know, but he knew it wasn’t a hotel. There was a desk with a wall of keys, and then a line of guests that never seemed to go down.

Lately though his dreams have felt like something else. It was almost like he was reliving a memory. Like last night’s dream, or rather this morning’s dream. He’d woken up in a cold sweat, fingers tangled around his necklace. In his dream, he was no older than eight. The Seven Hills were suffering; they’d lost the favor of the gods. Mal had been chosen to appease the gods. He’d been lead to a sacred space atop one of the hills, and he’d woken up as a ritual dagger slit his throat open.

It felt so real, and for one wild moment, Malcom thought he was reliving his death, which made no sense! He was alive - not dead. So why was he having dreams of his death? And it wasn’t that either! He was dreaming of other people’s deaths, too. Like ones from the past. He could have sworn he was there when Lincoln died. But again… none of that made sense. His wife thought it was just stress because her due date was sneaking up, but Malcolm didn’t think it was just that… It didn’t explain the things he kept seeing when he was awake. If he looked into the shadows for too long, the shadows looked back.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Got any games about being a little creature out to cause chaos?

THEME: Chaos Gremlins.

Hello friend! I sure do!

Space Gerbils, by Penguin King Games

You are the galaxy's most famous bounty hunter, but nobody knows your real name, or what your real voice sounds like. In fact, you've never taken your helmet off in public, at least as far as anybody knows!

The interstellar tabloids have accused any number of public figures of secretly being you. They are, of course, all wrong. The real reason you never remove your helmet is that you're actually a bunch of space gerbils operating a human-size mech suit.

You're very keen on not letting this get out.

Space Gerbils is definitely the longest game on this list, with over 100 pages in the current iteration of the playtest. This is a game about teamwork, and the mech creation is the first indicator of that, as you’ll have to collaboratively create the robot the gerbils pilot in order to keep their identities a secret.

Play involves a series of phases (setup, operations, fallout, end) and a grid where your gerbils will strategically move in order to operate their bounty hunter effectively. While the premise of Space Gerbils is cute and funny, it has the potential for both humorous and dramatic scenes, you’ll likely find that your play table will approach the strategy of the game with dedication and the desire to succeed. As a result, I think Space Gerbils is going to produce a high amount of group investment.

Mutant Possum Cowboys, by It’s Eric! Games.

Mutant Possum Cowboys is a quick-play RPG where ya take the roll of talkin' possums who have taken it upon themselves ta help tha' townsfolk of tha' Wild West. 

Yer a Mutant Possum Cowboy. Yer posse is part of tha' Order of tha' Gun, dedicated ta wanderin’ from Town ta Town in “Roadkill County,” tha' Mutated Deserts of tha' Wild West, offerin’ help where needed against mutated critters and all sorts of Ne'er-Do-Wells. 

This game involves distributing points among three stats to indicate what your lil’ cowboy is good at. Your character also gets a special treasure in addition to their regular gear that gives them a little bit of kick - such as “Tha Rallyin’ Jaw Harp” which sounds like an instrument that can call for aid from miles away, or “Gold Lightnin’”, a famous double-barrelled revolver. The game feels like it draws a lot of inspiration from games such as Lasers and Feelings - particularly the roll tables provided to the GM to help them quickly generate a problem situation that the possums will have to wrangle with.

Sockgoblins, by poorstudents

You are a Sockgoblin! One of many loyal to the Great And All Powerful And Really Important Queen, living in the secret underground goblin city. Your Queen demands all sorts of items from the surface world; coffee, really big hats, the occasional hubcap. But what she craves most are Socks.

Every year, the Queen demands a sock tithe, which is where you, little sockgoblin, come in! Every other Sockgoblin has already got their Socks, but you have been slacking! You will need to venture up into the giant world of the humans and steal the last Socks! But the humans are ready. They have prepared their traps, trained their guard animals, and hired the dreaded Sockgoblin exterminator.

You and your crew of Sockgoblins venture into the world finding adventure, danger, and most importantly, Socks! No one knows where the Socks are now but you’re confident you know where they will end up; at the feet of your Great And All Powerful And Really Important Queen!

Sockgoblins is a Forged-in-the-Dark game inspired by media such as The Boxtrolls, Over the Garden Wall, and Home Alone, and provides adventures as little goblins stealing socks for the Goblin Queen. The danger of the each thing you try to do escalates in correlation to how many socks you’ll get out of it - and you can actually play using socks because they’re part of your inventory!

Sockgoblins can work as ether a one-shot or as an episodic campaign, so it’s great if you want to try out a game of it to see if your group wants to keep coming back to it.

Hotdog Princess, by jesthehuman

You are on a rookie team of Hotdog Hopefuls, wanting to join the ranks of HOTDOG: Hyper Optic Team DOG. There are a limited number of spots on the team, but one way to impress the Top Dog is by being crowned the Hotdog Princess at the local puppy pageant. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the Puppy Pageant and WIN. Alliances should be formed. Knowing when to break them is key. 

Hotdog Princess is full of puns and nods to various kinds of ‘dogs, with “Chili Dog”, “Veggie Dog” and “Danger Dog’ just a few of the dog options underneath the roll table that determines your character type. Players have two tracks: “hot” and “dog’, which you’ll fill out hangman-style whenever you fail a roll. Filling either one of the tracks prompts an end for your dog in some way. Your stats are, of course, “hot” and “dog”, with “hot” representing your charm, while your “dog” represents your jokes and pranks.

If you want a goofy game with an even goofier premise, you want Hotdog Princess.

Partners in Grime, by Michael Low

Partnerz in Grime is a story game in which the players take on the role of a crew of goblins: awesomely awful, magical critters hiding out on the edges of hooman society getting into all sorts of trouble.

The bones of this game is the Stories RPG, which is a one-page game that details some simple rules about how to use d6 dice pools to overcome obstacles or move the story forward. Partnerz in Grime is not just a story to run through with the base engine - it also comes with worldubuilding prompts, drama clocks, ways to power up your character, and a mechanic that improves’ players’ math as they play. The authorial voice is incredibly specific, sinking you into the goofiness of the game from the start, and character creation involves fill-in-the-blank prompts that fill out the character’s story.

If you want a game that is great for kids or that is really open about the kind of chaos you can unleash, you might want to check out Partnerz in Grime.

Heckhounds, by TheOtherTracy

Yours is a legacy of brimstone, fire, and damnation. You're a hunter of hell, sent to Earth to bring escaped damned souls back to the Eternal Fire.

You're also a good boy! Who's a good boy? You are!

Heckhounds is game of hellfire and tail wags. You and your littermates were sent to Earth to hunt an escaped damned soul. Business as usual, right? Except this time you got the bodies of mortal, Earth puppies rather than the hellhound bodies you'd normally get. The nature of the puppy in you is strong, and you've got to keep from blowing your cover while you hunt down your target!

This game feels directly inspired by the dog given to Adam in Good Omens, and I love the idea of it already. The three stats in Heckhounds are Hell, Hound, and Ineffability, with Hell relating to your infernal demon-dog strength, Hound relating to your puppy charms and virtues, and Ineffability relating to what the game calls “the odd surety of the unknowable.” The game is inspired by Honey Heist, which means that your stats will fluctuate in value and you are always at the risk of pushing a stat too high and triggering some kind of end-game state. If you want a game that sparks fun times by merging great cosmic power into an itty bitty life-form, then you want Heckhounds.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past…

Cryptid TV,by yanahn.

Something Is Wrong With The Chickens, by Elliot Davis.

Geese At The Beach, by Justin Joyce.

I’ll Be Taking That, by porchlightdusk.

Mouse Cult, by Mint-Rabbit (that’s me!)

[oinonsana]

Art by the refulgent @lntpblk!

Anitu is the word for ritual worship across the Sword Isles. Sometimes, it also refers to the gods, souls, and ancestors worshipped to: Anito, Hanitu, hantu. They all arrive from a shared culture in the distant past when even gods were not born.

GUBAT BANWA is a martial arts fantasy tactics RPG set in the refulgent lands of THE SWORD ISLES, inspired by Classical Southeast Asian cultures! We're coming to KS on the 27th!

Anitu lore below the cut!

Anitu is less of an organized religion and more of a catch-all term for most faiths in the Isles, where most of them practice ancestor veneration, sacred worship nature, and ardent ritualism. Each banwa might not even call what they do “anitu” and might refer to it as some other word in their language: in North Rusunuga it is called pagsamba, while in the Eastern Jamiyin Kulisa’s Arrows it is referred to as Qiparjeyuhun, which is just “faith” or belief.  For the most part, only those in Gatusan’s mandala of effect recognizes Anitu as a term for a larger belief form.

The most prominent form of Anitu is Kangdayanon Anitu, which is the one practiced in the Gatusan Mahamandala’s center of power, Kangdaya. This version of Anitu has fully syncretized the Saiwa branch of Ashinin Religion, which brought the idea of a fully fledged pantheon and the idea of cosmic forces of gods in this realm. One important syncretism is the adoption of some ancestors turned into Gods, who are performed rituals to. One such god is Apung Makangayaw, the Dragon of Raiding, worshipped as a distant ancestor of Amihan, who became Rani Amiyah, the queen that Shri Bishaya married into to stake his claim into the island of Tauhaw. The gods Jamiyun Kulisa and Indira Suga also arrive from Saiwa Ashinin. 

Another important syncretism is the understanding of a cosmic soul, or a supreme oversoul. This is meant to be Siwa, but that name was quickly indigenized and understood to be Laon, the Ancient One, the name of the tallest mountain that can be seen from Tauhaw, Kanglaon. Laon means old, aged, ancient. It is said that Laon is THE Ancestor, from where all things arise.

Another important aspect brought in by Saiwa is the construction of grand temples meant to emulate the stories of the gods both celestial and chthonic. By creating these they believe they are bringing in Favor and Merit, making their lives more fortunate and enriching them with good omens. An important belief, when in the Sword Isles, as every city is subject to the sacred whims of the souls of the world—hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, thunderstorms. 

The word in Kangdayanon Anitu for temple is MAGDANTANG, and smaller versions of these temples are known as lantangan. Natural sites are worshipped and offered to as if they were magdantang. This is why every lake, mountain, hill, giant tree, river and every important shore and beach have lantangan for offerings. Stone structures are rare and only appear in the larger cities of Gatusan—they carved onto the side of hills and mountains, or from the rocks of said mountains after performing rituals to ask permission from the mountain gods to take stones for creating merit. The largest stone temple is in Kangdaya, which also acts as the Palace of the Ponong Raja. Other important sites are the Pagodas of Put’wan, the Holy Mountain of Kihadi-an, and the grand (yet now lost) temple city of Biringan, crafted by an ancient Samrasat Devaraja in the island of Mairete, now lost in its jungles. 

Kihadi-an is a grand monument complex constructed to mirror the mountain of Semedu, the grandest peak in all of Gubat Banwa. This name in Kangdayanon, Put’wanon, Ba-enense, and Apunon Anitu is attributed to be one of the regnal titles of APU DAYAWA, the grand mountain that juts out from the island of Kalanawan.

Finally, Anitu now recognizes Ashinin-style regnal titles and even the concept of god-kings, as brought by Shri-Bishaya’s retinue and royal court. Ponong Raja Batara Ambas now has a claim to a divine right to rule by way of being an avatar or an embodiment of Laon on the Warring Realms. Titles such as datu are considered a step below the title of Raja, and Maharaja. Ponong Raja means head Raja, and is a coveted title amongst all. According to the Kangdaynon balyan, the gods in the sky speak of the Uniter of the Hundred Hundred Islands, which they call the Langidagandraja, a fusion of the words LANGIT + DAGAT + INDRA + RAJA. Together, this name means HEAVEN-SEA GOD KING, as the conquerer of the entire sky and sea. This name is fabled and no man has a claim to this title. It cannot be gifted by the gods nor can it be achieved through enlightenment. It must be seized from hearts and minds of people.

[capacle]

20 Brazilian TTRPGs I wish also existed in English

Today I offer you:

20 Brazilian TTRPGs I wish also existed in English (because I want the world to know about them)

Buckle up, because you won't BELIEVE the diversity of our indie scene.

[presented in no particular order, and only one per author]

1. Meu Brinquedo Preferido ('My favorite toy'), by Eduardo Caetano

A metaphor about a child's growing process by deconstructing their fears through playful situations.

2. SeanchaS, by Jorge Valpaços and Jefferson Neves

A game about myths, construction of identity and narrative around bonfires, about the time of ancient stories and the present time.

3. Gatunos, by Tiago Junges

A GMless/Solo game in which you play as cat thieves and mercenaries doing the dirty work of the five big factions that run the city.

4. Nômades (Nomads), by Marcelo Collar

A card-based RPG in which you play as beings who have the ability to find and pass through the cracks in the veil that separates the universes.

5. Infaernum, by Caio Romero

Create your own apocalypse while playing the game, and interpret characters who experience the last days of all things.

6. Áureos, Os Dançarinos da Lua ('The Moon Dancers'), by Rey Ooze

A game of fight and freedom where dice play capoeira. You play as an 'Áureo', a former slave who, in a fantastic colonial Brazil, receives the blessings of his Orisha to free his people from slavery.

7. Veridiana, by Alan Silva

You play as creatures that live in a large tree, embarking on a deeply sentimental journey in search of a cure.

8. Karyu Densetsu, by Thiago Rosa and Nina Bichara

A game inspired by action anime and manga, with tactical combat, philosophical conversation, and passionate ideals.

9. Imperia, by Jonny Garcia

A game of politics and intrigue in a medieval court, inspired by Game of Thrones. Create a kingdom collaboratively and assume the role of the most influential people in it.

10. Goddess save the Queen, by Carol Neves and Julio Matos

A pulp adventure game in which you play as secret agents of the British Crown during the interwar period, with their own agenda connected in some way with their home nation.

11. Abismo Infinito ('Infinite Abyss'), by John Bogéa

A narrative game of psychological horror in which the protagonists are astronauts, far away in space, involved in a web of lucid nightmares and manifestations of their own fears.

12. Mojubá, by Lucas Conti and Lucas Sampaio

An Afrofuturistic urban fantasy game inspired by Yoruba and Afro-Brazilian mythologies. Play as a person with fantastic powers who descends from the Orixás, fights evil spirits, and occasionally gets into a rap battle.

13. Chopstick, by Igor Moreno

A game inspired by action movies of oriental martial arts, gang fights and crime, with a twist on Fate Accelerated.

14. Contos do Galeão ('Tales of the Galleon'), by Encho Chagas

Create together the legend of a vessel that would have existed during the Golden Age of Piracy. Players will create the ship, its pirates, as well as its enemies, challenges, and rewards.

15. O Cordel do Reino do Sol Encantado ('The Cordel of the Kingdom of the Enchanted Sun'), by Pedro Borges

A narrative game set in the northeastern 'cangaço' region at the beginning of the 20th century.

16. Através das Trevas ('Through the Darkness'), by Ramon Mineiro

A post-apocalyptic fantasy game inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Witcher and Diablo.

17. Nihilo, by Andre Osna and Gustavo Rolanski

A world very much like our own—yet bigger, deeper, and stranger. Secret banks are run by Urban Dragons, Infernal mafias terrorize slums, interdimensional portals open in the basements of abandoned pizzerias.

18. Caçada ao Colosso ('Hunt for the Colossus'), by Jairo Borges Filho

Reenact stories such as Siegfried and the dragon Fafnir, the Greek Odyssey or legends centered on the opposition of two primary forces of humanity.

19. Perdidos ('Lost'), by Marcelo Paschoalin

Inspired by Bloodborne and Dark Souls, a world in ruins, fragmented to the point where only memories remain. You'll find relics of yesteryear, monstrous beasts, beings that have forgotten their purpose, and devious paths to tread.

20. Hitodama - A jornada das almas ('The Journey of the Souls'), by Alexsander Araujo

You are Shinigamis: creatures half divinity, half Yokai, who must carry out missions through different worlds, fighting formidable enemies and saving lost souls.

[indierpgnewsletter]

New Itch Games for April & May

Been quiet on here but I'm back now!

It’s the itch.io round-up of new games! Now coming to you once every two months because that sounds easier. Usual disclaimer: This comes from be browsing itch.io and people self-submitting through the form. I haven’t played these games and mostly am just going by how interesting they sound to me. Okay, let’s go:

The Hollow Queen: This is a GM-less horror game from Venezuelan designer, Felix Rios, about a dark force haunting the streets and the people trying to uncover it. It uses the diceless Ten Coins system and is available in Spanish.

Contact: A game where you use a music playlist and tarot cards to play through a story about trying to make contact with aliens. I think the idea is that the songs contain encoded messages from the aliens, which is a neat reversal of the Voyager Golden Record. By j strautman.

Tangled Blessings: This is a solo dark fantasy game set in a magic school. It’s a solo/duet game, building on Anamnesis by Sam Leigh. You explore the secrets of this weird school while dealing with a rival who’s making your life difficult. Designed by Cassi Mothwin.

Strike Force Omega: This is LUMEN game about science-fantasy supersoldiers coming back for one last stand, defending their homes in a time of war. By Chris Longhurst, designer of See Issue X and Pigsmoke.

Thirty Foes  (OR Once again, we are defeated): In a similar premise, but much more focused on the drama rather than tactics, this is Seven Samurai but cosmic cowboys. They sling cosmic power and defend against bandits. And they’re probably going to die. From Rat Wave Game House.

Thief and Druid: Two games from Stéphanie Dusablon. Both are solo games with an optional journaling element. Thief uses the Push system and Druid uses the Firelights system. I’m not sure if this is a series that will expand to all the D&D classes but it’s a neat idea.

Skyrealms: This is a fantasy bestiary, setting, and solo adventure game about three floating islands in the misty heights, full of secrets and strange creatures. It’s from Iko and Armanda Haller. You can also use the bestiary as a colouring book apparently!

In The Blind: This is a sci-fi horror game about working class people trying to do their job and instead facing the darkness of space. This is a free preview and showcases how good Riley Daniels, designer of As The Sun Forever Sets, is at visual design.

Queenless: This is another Firelights game from solo game blog, Croaker RPGs. You play as members of the hive, exploring the world and protecting your home from destruction.

When Prophecy Fails: Nick Wedig makes a game about cultists and what happens when their foreseen apocalypse doesn’t happen. I’ll give you a hint: they often get even more radical. Based on the For the Queen. (PWYW)

The Score: Tin Star Games GM-less storygame where you tell a heist movie in 18 minutes using 18 cards.

SDM: Eternal Return Key: Luka Rejec follows up Ultraviolet Grasslands with a full OSR-style rulset and more weird setting. It has the same much-loved psychadelic vibe from the original and there’s a free art-less version as well.

the city begins to exist: A citybuilding game with some solid prompts. I can always use more citybuilding games! Designed by kay w.

[fictionaldogcompetition]

Contestants!

Below the cut is the contestants and their matches!

Each poll will be 1 week long, and they'll go out 10 at a time. The exact date and time polls will start going up is a little up in the air right now, because I'm going out of town over the weekend. So they might begin as early as Monday 18th, but probably not later than Wednesday 20th. I'll let you know the night before.

Anyway, just think of this delay as time to write propaganda ahead of your dog's poll going up!

Ruff Ruffman (Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman) vs Muttley (Wacky Races)

Snowy (Tintin series) vs Dog (Columbo)

Maliketh, The Black Blade (Elden Ring) vs Wolfie (Until Dawn)

Unnamed Dog/The Imitator (The Thing) vs Whisper the Wolf (Sonic IDW comics)

Queen Teatinu (Healin Good Precure) vs Nigou/Tetsuya 2 (Kuroko no Basket)

Melody Amaranth (Super Lesbian Animal RPG) vs Pappy van Poodle (Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball)

Sunkist (HLVRAI) vs Dog that can Drive (Drawfee)

Hylian Retriever (Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) vs Wolf (Minecraft)

Bee/Bay (Dragon Ball Z) vs Shadow (Homeward Bound)

Blue (Blue's Clues) vs Ein (Cowboy Bebop)

Snoopy (Peanuts) vs Clifford (Clifford the Big Red Dog)

Argos (The Odyssey) vs Barkspawn (Dragon Age)

Diogee (Milo Murphy's Law) vs Winston (Hannibal)

Good Boy (DuckTales) vs Bear (Person of Interest)

Daisy & Winnie (The Mistholme Museum Podcast) vs Heidi & Jackie (Hello from the Hallowoods) 

Missile (Ghost Trick) vs Sparky (Frankenweenie)

Bond (Spy X Family) vs Goddard (Jimmy Neutron)

Scratch (Baldur’s Gate 3) vs Iggy (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Cujo (Danny Phantom) vs Cujo (Cujo (1983))

Momiji Inubashiri (Touhou Project) vs Tequila/Ernesto Salas (Arknights)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes) vs Scooby Doo (Scooby Doo media)

Shrimp (The Upturned) vs Holidog (Holiday World)

Rapunzel the Corgi (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) vs K9 (Doctor Who)

Blue (Wolf’s Rain) vs Shiba-Warrior Taro (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Annoying Dog (Undertale) vs Old Dan & Little Ann (Where the Red Fern Grows)

Chou Chou (Shoujo Cosette (Les Miserables anime)) vs Porthos (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Pompompurin (Sanrio) vs Krypto (DC)

Sorry-oo (Moomin) vs Tau (Palia)

Jake the Dog (Adventure Time) vs Lesser dog (Undertale)

Noodle (Nona the Ninth/The Locked Tomb series) vs Nina Tucker/Alexander (FullMetal Alchemist)

Lucky the Pizza Dog (Marvel Comics) vs Seymour (Futurama)

Wishbone (Wishbone Series) vs Angelo (Final Fantasy VIII)

Ox (Dimension 20: Unsleeping City) vs Hewie (Haunting Ground)

Bingpup (The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System) vs Elena (Spiritfarer)

Barnaby B. Beagle (Welcome Home) vs Charlie B. Barkin (All Dogs Go to Heaven)

Polterpup (Luigi’s Mansion) vs Gromit (Wallace and Gromit)

Santa’s Little Helper (The Simpsons) vs Slink/Slinky Dog (Toy Story)

Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog) vs Twig (Hilda)

Zosimos/Zozo (The Glass Scientists webcomic) vs The BTS Wolves (Midnight Burger)

Unnamed Dog (Teletubbies) vs Shigure Souma (Fruits basket)

Dachsbun (Pokemon) vs Hector J. Peabody (Mr. Peabody & Sherman)

Inuyasha (Inuyasha) vs Frank the Pug (Men in Black)

Sam (Sam and Max) vs Barnabas (The Sandman)

Duck Hunt Dog (Duck Hunt) vs Mira (Silent Hill 2)

Fairy (Mo Dao Zu Shi) vs Shiloh (Shiloh series)

Makkachin (Yuri!!! On Ice) vs Becquerel/Bec (Homestuck)

Rush (Mega Man) vs Dogmeat (Fallout 4)

Dog (Good Omens) vs Zamazenta (Pokemon)

[dynamiiiight]

tag game du rpg

règles du jeu : créer un nouveau billet en copiant-collant les questions ci-dessous, y répondre, puis tagger d'autres rpgistes !

Bon je ne fais jamais ces jeux mais si je suis taguée par @valhdia ET @timuschaos (entre autres), j'accepte mon sort. ✨

depuis combien de temps fais-tu du rp? — je ne sais plus exactement quand j'ai commencé et j'ai fait plusieurs pauses entre temps, mais je dirais facilement plus de 10 ans.

quel était le premier personnage que tu as créé? — une gigantesque connasse à la tête d'un empire multimédia, sous les traits de Natalie Portman. C'était une vraie attention whore qui faisait et défaisait les réputations au gré de ses humeurs.

quels sont les faceclaims que tu utilisais souvent à tes débuts? — j'ai abusé de Ben Barnes à une époque mais à part lui, je ne réutilisais pas tant que ça mes fc au départ. Par contre aujourd'hui j'ai mes petits chouchous -- notamment Riz Ahmed qui a volé mon coeur et que je veux jouer absolument PARTOUT, je me confesse.

y a-t-il un genre/univers dans lequel tu n'aimes pas du tout rp? — les forums city vraiment mega chill, de type slice of life, où j'ai beaucoup de mal à trouver une ligne directrice à mes personnages ; je perds la motivation s'ils n'ont pas vraiment d'objectifs.

quelles sont les dynamiques entre personnages/types de liens que tu aimes le plus? — j'aime beaucoup jouer des liens nuancés entre des personnages qui ont un passif très complexe, des relations qui s'étalent sur plusieurs années au cours desquelles iels ont pu être allié.e.s autant qu'ennemi.e.s à des périodes différentes. Dans la même veine, j'adore les ships enemies/rivals to lovers (bonus si c'est un slow burn).

dans quels fandoms ou univers aimes-tu le plus rp? — j'ai un faible pour les univers fantastiques, en particulier les forums avec des créatures surnaturelles. Je dirais que du moment qu'il y a de la magie, le forum a de fortes chances de m'intéresser (je dis ça mais en vrai je suis super picky, oops).

un personnage que tu ne joues plus actuellement mais que tu aimerais reprendre? — LUKYAN. 🐺 Un chasseur de créatures super vénère qui s'est fait mordre par un loup-garou un soir de pleine lune et qui l'a légèrement mal vécu.

y a-t-il des archétypes de personnages que tu joues souvent? — je suis abonnée aux personnages morally grey ascendant bitchy drama queens. 💅

y a-t-il un livre ou un écrit autre qui t'as beaucoup influencé·e pour écrire? — mhmm pas vraiment influencée, mais je citerais tout de même Leigh Bardugo pour l'inspiration que j'ai pu puiser dans ses œuvres pour inventer des univers ou des factions/gangs.

une recommandation pour finir (livre, film, ou pourquoi pas un forum)? — je suis en train de lire Yellowface par Rebecca F. Kuang, ça parle d'appropriation culturelle et de représentation. C'est une sorte de satire de la société actuelle et du monde de l'édition. Je ne suis pas encore très loin dans le livre mais pour l'instant, je suis curieuse de lire la suite!

☞ je tague : les bb @halxmshiral @lunnyii & @amaaaterasu + @maxeine-txt parce que je suis curieuse (sans obligation obvi) ♡

[unfriendlyamazon]

i remembered recently i fucking love video games and this is a fandom about a bunch of gaymers so anyway here's everyone's favorite type of games

yugi point and click adventure buff loooooves a puzzle plays a lot of smaller titles loves cozy games too he relaxes by playing a little to the left

joey rpg lover dark souls main probably does a lot of roguelikes too thanks to the random chance nature of them he loves a challenge oh also has modeled his life on link from legend of zelda

tristan not as big a gamer as his friends but i always give him old school snes games he looks like donkey kong he acts like donkey kong donkey kong country is his favorite video game

anzu not a gamer but she likes things that are cute and short plays any game where you unlock outfits also QUEEN of rhythm games canonically great at DDR brings just dance to every party

duke resource management and complex game they looooove a sim city or a cities skylines had mall tycoon like the boring kid i was instead of rollercoaster tycoon

seto anything that requires lightning quick reflexes and no thinking but i also think he's into video games for the story so he plays a lot of games that make him feel something can't imagine that man finishing journey without crying

ryou survival horror expert loves the classics silent hill the clocktower series you name it actually has played pathologic all the way through with the bonus endings he's a monster

mokuba minecraft master, can and will build anything you dream

marik discovers sims, immediately removes the ladders and drowns everyone in a pool

[eybefioro]

Hi, I'm Eybe!

I made this blog to have a place to obsess a little over my fixations (rn it is Good Omens obv).

I've been writing! If you want, check my ff on AO3 :) (English is not my first language, so expect mistakes. Não que eu seja muito melhor em português, mas sabe como é né)

Also... could I interest you in a ✨️ficlet or poem✨️?? Send me a word on the ask box and I'll write one for you!!

I mostly use tags for yapping. I don't tag things properly – I'm getting better at it, but don't expect trigger/content warnings. These are the ones I use with some consistency:

#woven words - Poetry stuff, apparently I'm doing that now.

#✨️Random fic rec✨️- I try to recommend a fic every so often! (It was weekly before but i couldn't keep it up LMAO. It takes me long to write the recs)They aren't spoiler free since it's a bit of a collection of my thoughts&experience reading it (I'm very enthusiastic about it)

#words after words - my ramblings about writing.

#sdrOwOrds - my fanfics & ficlets

#endless rewatch - for when I'm inevitably rewatching gomens and wanna talk about it.

#fanart i guess - hm this is new. I'm drawing sometimes. I'm not good but I have fun!

#tag game! & #ask game :D - for tag&ask games lol

#ask tag :) - all my asks.

#random ramble - more personal stuff. Whatever goes on my mind and i want to share for some reason.

I do love the ask thingy (and messages) so feel free to talk to me and send stuff! i won't bite, promise (unless you ask kindly)

(More about me under the cut)

🚧in construction 🚧

[Masterlists]

I'm too invested in music (I listen to a lot of different stuff) and fanfiction, and I do love anime and tv shows (Hannibal, Percy Jackson, The Good Place, Dirk Gently are some of them!). I like to watch people playing videogames, but don't play much myself bc I suck at them. Very much. It's comical. But I do love stardew valley, the Sims and Inscryption :)

Things that I like (and that you eventually see reblogs about (probably. Let'sbe honest this is 99% a gomens blog)):

Podcasts - Midnight burger, Magnus Archives, Dungeons and Daddies, Sherlock&Co, França e o Labirinto, Good Omens Radio drama, Paciente 63.

TV shows - Good Omens (obv), Dirk Gently, The umbrella academy, Hannibal, Percy Jackson, The good place, Interview with the vampire, Modern Family, This is Us, Dexter

Movies - Everything Everywhere All at once, Deadpool, studio Ghibli movies

Cartoons & Animes - Steven Universe, Adventure Time. Irmão do Jorel, Regular Show, Sponge Bob, Scooby Doo, almost anything hanna barbera actually, Barakamon, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Jujutsu Kaisen, Mob Psycho, Given, SK8, Dr Stone, YuYu Hakusho, HxH, DoroHeDoro, Fulk Metal Alchemist, Beastars (I do read manga too, but it's been a while. I liked Blue Exorcist, Golden Kamuy, Deadman Wonderland, Assassination Classroom)

Music - almost anything. Some: Ghost, Sleep Token, Cartola, Pet shop boys, blur, Secos e molhados, lady gaga, Orville peck, Sepultura, Rita Lee, Scorpions, Tracy Chapman, ABBA. Stromae, Lil Simz, Liniker, Hozier, Yellow Days, MacDeMarco, Alt-j, YinYin, Queen, Lil Nas X, The smiths, The Cure, Arctic Monkeys... so much more. (My tastes tend to be very 80s tho for some reason. In general terms, Disco, Rock, MPB & city pop are what I listen the most I think?)

Games - Stardew Valley, Inscryption, Minecraft, The Sims, Cities Skylines, Katana Zero

Other - Ordem paranormal (RPG livestreams), webtoons, architecture (in general)

Dividers by Enchantings!!

[elfhawk3]

A friend linked me a cohost post for an RPG that uses a tarot deck to build the city the game takes place in. I went ‘that’s the sort of GM solo play I love to do’ and grabbed one of my many tarot decks and a copy of the pay-what-you-want ‘just the city builder’ preview of the full book.

I don’t have a cohost and the area I inhabit here isn’t into RPGs, so this is going to do zero advertising for a cool-looking game,  but whatever, I’m making this for me and if you enjoy it, cool. 

Step One: The Central Power 

The first card drawn decides who rules the city. After pulling out all the major arcana per the instructions, I drew the 10 of Wands.

“The Cult of the God-King reigns. The Crow-Headed Queen will be deified upon her death, but through her sorceries she has reigned for over 120 years. The Temple of the God-Kings stands in the center of the City.”

So this is a place ruled by an immortal sorcerer. Did the Cult control the City before she took over or did it rise up around her? If the former, she might just be the latest in a line of God-Kings. The Cult might be getting antsy about her immortality. Can’t have a proper God-King if your King refuses to die and move on to their bigger duties as God. If it’s the latter, she formed it herself around her ambitions to ascend from mortal to divine. Going by some of the other text, this setting is one where magic is weird and distrusted. What effect has a century (centuries?) of a sorcerer on the throne had on the people of the City? 

I love the symbolism here of a woman holding up a city. It matches so well.

Step 2: Form the Core Districts 

The oldest parts of the city. What was the City originally like? Draw four cards and place them on each side of the Central Power card.

North - 7 of Wands - The Sidereal House

“This institution seeks to understand the lights of the sky and their significance for those who dwell on earth. The Sidereal House is home to a sect of natural philosophers. These astronomers calculate the motions and positions of various planets, their dance, conjunctions, and the timing of eclipses.”

The City’s northernmost district is astronomers on a high plateau away from the smog and lights of city life, tracking time as they watch the skies. As one of the oldest locations in the City, is it possible it started entirely separate from the rest of the City for its prime stargazing spot and the City’s growth expanded to include it? Their duties include tracking, recording, and naming new years; some previous ruler must have wanted better recordkeepers and there was a tower of detail-oriented philosophers just over there.

East - 4 of Pentacles - The Curio Curia

“Seditious materials, false coinage, human chattel, and dangerous sorcerous artifacts are never traded in the Omphalic Market. The answer to economic constraint is the black market. In the City, this takes the form of the Curio Curia, a shadow economy for any illicit good.” 

The Omphalic Market mentioned in the blurb is one of the constants of city design that gets placed after the cards decide the rest of the city layout, so let’s ignore that for now.

The City’s major eastern district is home to the blackest of black markets. I get ‘set up right by the water’ vibes from this. Easy to bring stuff in, easy for a fast getaway when you get into trouble peddling nudes of the Crow-Headed Queen. Perhaps the market is even entirely on the river, and city law stops at the edge of the piers. This would make the entire stretch of the river through the City  something of a no man’s land, which could be interesting. Also tricky to figure out which boat is just someone fishing and which is your smuggler friend’s actual contact pretending to fish.

South - Knight of Cups - The Old Queen’s Library

“Books were the singular obsession of the Old Queen. So much so that this was the one tax she imposed upon the City: any person passing the gates or docking ship must yield up any book in their possession.”

The City’s southern district is home to a major library, love it. A long-dead queen was obsessed with books and had her people collect books to copy. She’d have the copies returned and retained the originals. This is pulled straight from history- there’s Greek writing about the Library of Alexandria collecting books from ships that came into port and doing the same thing. The Curio Curia could even have gotten its start with people trying to get their first editions back and making the queen’s library keep the copy her scribes made. I imagine the library itself isn’t on the water, but on a main street leading directly from what originally was a major dock, though it might no longer be. Today the library is tended by librarian nuns and allows the Cult’s historians, scholars, poets, and lawyers to peruse their stacks. They definitely don’t lend the books out.

As a court card, this is a rich district. Considering the odds of drawing more, this might even be *the* noble district. This library is most certainly not open to the public at large. Devotees of the Cult might be able to swing a day pass, but not that often.

West - 8 of Cups - The Philosophers’ Forum

“There is a (currently popular) branch of philosophy that rejects modern educational standards, the esteem of the City’s various colleges, and even the utility of the written word. These iconoclast philosophers hang out in the district called the Philosophers’ Forum. In essence, these philosophers live as paupers (though they would use the term “aesthetic mendicant”), and make a poor living by selling their treatises, giving public recitations, and betting on rhetorical contests.”

The City’s western district is even more drawn from Greek history than the library. Turn the right corner in this district of eloquent illiterate paupers and you may bump into Fantasy Diogenes. (Be sure to wash afterwards.) Street philosophers debating anything and everything have got to make this a contender for the noisiest district. I imagine quite a few folks living here are just Something Awful forum members, egging philosophical debates into becoming fistfights. Visually speaking, I imagine most of the district is in a pretty heavy state of disrepair- the philosophers don’t brook with currency or upkeep.

It’s fascinating that three of these districts are about knowledge. The City could have gotten its start as a center for learning, but has it remained so? The librarian nuns probably beat the philosophers with sticks when they visit to debate the hoarding of books for just the Cult and the wealthy and then again when other philosophers show up to denounce reading as a crime against the natural order of the world. We’ll see what sprawl builds a buffer from the riotous thinkers of western district for their recordkeeping neighbors to the north and south. 

Step Three: Add The Sprawl

These are the younger districts, springing up as the City expands and contracts through history. The suit of each core district decides how many others have grown around it. Zero for the swords of the military, one for pentacles and the lower class, two for cups for the faithful and the institutions they fund, and three for the wands of the weirdos.

North and the Sidereal House:

As a wand district, three cards let me put the distance between the astronomy tower from the city center that I wanted.

1 - Queen of Pentacles - The Street of Beggars

“It hosts leper houses, orphanages, religious mendicants, and a vast homeless population. Despite its residents being in abject poverty, the Street of Beggars is the home to one of the City’s most powerful factions: the Beggars Guild. The Beggars Guild regulates all petty crime.”

Now this is a great card for the sort of sprawl connecting the City center to a tower on a plateau. People shoved out of the nicer districts to the south slowly growing towards the tower. And people trying to reach the City and just giving up and settling for here. I can just imagine everything sixty feet back from the king’s road connecting the administrative tasks of the tower to the heart of the City is shoddy row houses and even shabbier lean-tos. 

2 - 2 of Wands - Newt Row

“Sorcerers scoff at Newt Row. This hedge-witchery is basically junk (more or less). It’s essentially a tourist’s destination in the City: a place where folks from Far Away can get spooked by a sibyl and pay too much for a blue-eye amulet.”

So this is obviously along the main drag from the central district to our distant tower. The Las Vegas Strip where tourists spend 90% of their time because all around it is nothing. Makes sense that the Beggars Guild would take it over. The merchants probably pay the Guild for protection from getting robbed by the locals as both parties fleece newcomers for all they're worth. 

3 - 9 of Pentacles - The Lichyard Market

“The Lichyard Market is the main meat market, a gourmand’s delight, and a grotesque spectacle. It houses some of the finest taverns, popular thermopolia, and cesspools of biowaste in the City.”

Another market, with even weirder smells. I think the north gates are where most people arrive in the City, or at least this is shaping up to be where most of the commerce goes on. The river I’ve put going through the east district must go somewhere through the north district. Perhaps what separates the tower from the rest of the City is the river.

East and the Curio Curia:

1 - 3 of Cups - Stone

“Each architect displays their masterpieces in the district’s squares, forums, and thoroughfares. The bridges of Stone are colossal statues providing egress; the public fountains are instruments that play music as they burble; the apartment buildings rise as high as cathedrals.”

Oh perfect, engineers to build complicated bridges to connect our astronomers to the rest of the City. It’s amusing I’ve described the Philosophers’ Forum as dilapidated as this district offers plenty of masons and architects for fixing things up. Well, this is one of the newer districts, maybe they’re very new and have been rebuilding the whole city and haven’t made it that far yet. Which makes sense, those guys don’t have any money, whereas the librarian nuns have their Cult’s coffers. The residential parts of this district probably are safe to live in but also miserable due to the sounds of construction.

South and the Old Queen’s Library:

1 - 6 of Cups - The Madrasa of Maiden Wisdom

“Founded by the Crow-Headed Queen and renamed for the mother of Mythrys, the Madrasa of Maiden Wisdom is a public institution of learning. There are a dozen or so colleges inside the City, but the Madrasa of Maiden Wisdom is the largest and most esteemed. It is unique in that it offers free education to anybody, boy or girl, human or non-human.”

I feel like the Crow-Headed Queen founded this before she became ruler. Like it was part of her putting her name on the map. The school is split into two main parts - “the lower houses” cover general education requirements for a diploma, the “upper houses” are for your degree’s specialized main courses. Offering free education doesn’t necessarily mean everything they have is free, so I’m wondering if the lower houses is the free education and the upper houses require payment. This probably is in a buffer zone separating the rich district the library is in from their poor neighbors.

Considering the free education offered here versus ‘you must be a member of the Cult’ the library has,  I can see the two institutes being at loggerheads. Behind the scenes, of course. Both are funded by the Cult and don’t want to draw its attention to their drama. 

2 - 4 of Wands - Kobalosgaard

“The orcs consider their blood oath to the ruler sacrosanct and inviolable. They will fight to the death in defense of their charge. However, if the ruler does happen to die, they see no reason to join them in the afterlife. As part of their pact, the honor guard has the right to leave the City with as much booty from the treasury as they can carry.”

This district is dedicated to the needs of the honor guard of twenty fireblooded orcs housed in a palace here. They’re not local and thought to be completely loyal to the ruler, since they have no ties to any of the factions of the City by virtue of not being local. Side effect, though, is it implies mistrust of the citizenry. But I also haven’t drawn any swords cards yet, this isn’t a particularly militaristic city. 

I do like that they have a retirement option- leave after the boss dies with all the loot they can carry. I wonder how that works when the Crow-Headed Queen has been in charge for 120 years. How long do orcs live? Does their contract allow them an out after a certain number of years served? Or have several generations of orcs gone without the spoils this alliance was supposed to provide them and their people back home? How much trouble is simmering under the surface here?

West and the Philosophers' Forum:

1 - 3 of Pentacles - The Gambol

“It consists of ramshackle bridges spanning chimneys, attics, and garrets. Its residents spend days, perhaps even weeks, never setting foot on solid ground. There’s an old adage that runs, “People never look up.” As such, the Gambol is favored by those who want to disappear: debtors, revolutionaries, and deposed tyrants from foreign lands.”

An entirely aerial district, which means it’s built above another one, or even more. I get the feeling this district got its start with two different things- people trying to escape the philosophy discussions and people trying to hide from the Beggar’s Guild and other criminal elements. The factions make themselves.

2 - 3 of Wands - The Lotus Eater’s District

“The Lotus Eater’s District caters to lotus addicts, but also sells intoxicants of all descriptions. Many kith and kin have found surprising ways to get fucked up, and they can all be found here: dragonteeth blunts, rackety-tam, angelshit, troll spice, takalashi jelly, etc.”

The city has ended up with a lot of Greek references, huh? Stoned potheads probably make good neighbors for the rowdy philosophers. Or at least they don’t care so much as bakers who have to be up at 3 in the morning. The philosophers would be the district’s main customers were they not all broke. Alternatively- this is really why most of them are broke. The citizens of the Gambol probably try to stay off their roofs to avoid tripping in a whole different way than they usually worry about.

Step Four: Place the Constants

Every incarnation of the City has three features that never change- though the exact locations will:

The Grey is a major river that flows through the City. It’s just as important to the City as the Nile is to Cairo. It also has pirates. I think the Curio Curia just became an extremely dangerous place to do business.

The Ossuary is the City’s Paris Catacombs alternate though it’s a former plaster mine, not limestone. It’s most recent expansion uncovered a door carved of ivory that monsters poured out of. They’ve managed to seal it. This is going to go over on the plateau of astronomy, to give them lots of room. Being an underground operation, it won’t have a lot of light pollution.

The Omphalic Market is THE place to go to shop. The true beating heart of the city. Nowhere really jumps out for where to put it, so I’m just going to shove it in somewhere and call it a day.

And voila, a City ready to explore the Underground of. One that speaks of ancient knowledge and wisdom that swung towards commerce and has created a strict divide between the haves and the have-nots.

How very every college town ever of it.

Is the Crow-Headed Queen’s free college (and potential other good works) enough to keep the rumblings at bay or has she spent too long on the distant throne of her temple to remember her own days in the hard-scrabble scrum of survival?