Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 24, 2022, 12:21:31 PM
I think it would be cool to have that Moorish Spain connection in your alt-history Mayan game, too (speaking of my own preferences), though don't know if that would fit in as you have envisioned. At any rate, please keep us informed on the progress of your game. Are you using an existing system to build on, or completely home-built? (Sorry if this is off-topic.)
The game takes place well before the discovery of the continent by Columbus, won't be dealing with that, but I do have some Vikings landing on Mayapan and some cultural exchange happens, this might have also changed how the rest of the world developed by making both Mayas and Vikings a super-power.
Much to Pundit's dismay it's not historically accurate (It can't be since we know too little about the Maya civilization and what we do "know" is probably colored/contaminated by the Spaniards), but it's High Fantasy.
Ok, cool--Vikings will be a cool addition to that.
One "Mayan-flavored" movie that I've always enjoyed was The Fountain, though that does involve the Spanish (and a very, very historically inaccurate Spanish).
What kind of magic system? Any nods to a chocolate-based economy (or heck, chocolate used in religious or magical ceremonies) or wide-reaching trade networks?
Any thoughts on a Xibalba adventure? Any wild things like Ancient Astronauts (I know, a real trope) or even stuff from the Book of Mormon?
Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 24, 2022, 12:59:50 PM
Ok, cool--Vikings will be a cool addition to that.
One "Mayan-flavored" movie that I've always enjoyed was The Fountain, though that does involve the Spanish (and a very, very historically inaccurate Spanish).
What kind of magic system? Any nods to a chocolate-based economy (or heck, chocolate used in religious or magical ceremonies) or wide-reaching trade networks?
Any thoughts on a Xibalba adventure? Any wild things like Ancient Astronauts (I know, a real trope) or even stuff from the Book of Mormon?
Thought the Vikings would be a good addition.
I'm using White Box FMAG as the chasis so that magic system but the spells and ingredients will be changed to allow for the flavor.
Cacao was the coin of the realm, it was used on religious ceremonies and the Maya didn't make the distinction between arcane/divine magic.
Xibalba is a must, what I need to decide is what it is. Is it a metaphysical place or is it the hollow earth?
The ancient astronauts thing is sorta racist IMHO but I do make a nod to it.
No, no book of mormon mainly because I already have lots of shit to research, I'm deeply ignorant of my ancestors culture.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 24, 2022, 02:20:43 PM
Xibalba is a must, what I need to decide is what it is. Is it a metaphysical place or is it the hollow earth?
That's an interesting question. I guess I'd tend towards the "hollow earth" thing, it would allow a OS "dungeon crawl" with an interesting development at the very end...but metaphysical would be cool, too.
QuoteThe ancient astronauts thing is sorta racist IMHO but I do make a nod to it.
I hear you...the implication that "oh, those people couldn't have done it on their own, they must have had help." But yes, ancient cultures could and did perform great feats of engineering.
QuoteNo, no book of mormon mainly because I already have lots of shit to research, I'm deeply ignorant of my ancestors culture.
Ok, understood. I'm not a Mormon, but I do think it would be fun to have some BOM stuff in ancient America. But yeah, Maya in and of themselves is a ton of research and allows for plenty of storytelling.
Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 24, 2022, 02:27:48 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 24, 2022, 02:20:43 PM
Xibalba is a must, what I need to decide is what it is. Is it a metaphysical place or is it the hollow earth?
That's an interesting question. I guess I'd tend towards the "hollow earth" thing, it would allow a OS "dungeon crawl" with an interesting development at the very end...but metaphysical would be cool, too.
QuoteThe ancient astronauts thing is sorta racist IMHO but I do make a nod to it.
I hear you...the implication that "oh, those people couldn't have done it on their own, they must have had help." But yes, ancient cultures could and did perform great feats of engineering.
QuoteNo, no book of mormon mainly because I already have lots of shit to research, I'm deeply ignorant of my ancestors culture.
Ok, understood. I'm not a Mormon, but I do think it would be fun to have some BOM stuff in ancient America. But yeah, Maya in and of themselves is a ton of research and allows for plenty of storytelling.
Sorry oppresing my wife while we speak by cooking. (As in I'm doing the cooking)
Yeah, I also thought Xibalba as Hollow Earth was the way to go but I'm still undecided.
Since we don't know much about the culture I'm going with they believe they were able to visit the stars at one point, it might develop into further adventures trying to find the ancient spaceships.
As for the Cacao as money thing, it will be in the lore but not in the actual game since it's too much hasle, I'm going with cross-polynization among the Maya and the Vikings to justify using standard coins from the basic game.
Same thing is what led me to think they might become the first two superpowers, maybe even colonizing Africa.
Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 24, 2022, 02:27:48 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 24, 2022, 02:20:43 PM
X
No, no book of mormon mainly because I already have lots of shit to research, I'm deeply ignorant of my ancestors culture.
Ok, understood. I'm not a Mormon, but I do think it would be fun to have some BOM stuff in ancient America. But yeah, Maya in and of themselves is a ton of research and allows for plenty of storytelling.
Tangent, admittedly.
The Mormon mythology was one if the better parts of oBSG. An RPG based on that stuff would be a lot of fun.
This is not that RPG, though. This one sounds like fun for entirely different reasons.
Quote from: RandyB on August 24, 2022, 02:48:00 PM
Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 24, 2022, 02:27:48 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 24, 2022, 02:20:43 PM
X
No, no book of mormon mainly because I already have lots of shit to research, I'm deeply ignorant of my ancestors culture.
Ok, understood. I'm not a Mormon, but I do think it would be fun to have some BOM stuff in ancient America. But yeah, Maya in and of themselves is a ton of research and allows for plenty of storytelling.
Tangent, admittedly.
The Mormon mythology was one if the better parts of oBSG. An RPG based on that stuff would be a lot of fun.
This is not that RPG, though. This one sounds like fun for entirely different reasons.
Could be a lot of fun, but I'm not your guy, I've got my hands full, between doing research for the Mayan one, creating monsters and stuff for the others and doing research/creating stuff for my secret western project.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 24, 2022, 04:56:09 PM
Quote from: RandyB on August 24, 2022, 02:48:00 PM
Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 24, 2022, 02:27:48 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 24, 2022, 02:20:43 PM
X
No, no book of mormon mainly because I already have lots of shit to research, I'm deeply ignorant of my ancestors culture.
Ok, understood. I'm not a Mormon, but I do think it would be fun to have some BOM stuff in ancient America. But yeah, Maya in and of themselves is a ton of research and allows for plenty of storytelling.
Tangent, admittedly.
The Mormon mythology was one if the better parts of oBSG. An RPG based on that stuff would be a lot of fun.
This is not that RPG, though. This one sounds like fun for entirely different reasons.
Could be a lot of fun, but I'm not your guy, I've got my hands full, between doing research for the Mayan one, creating monsters and stuff for the others and doing research/creating stuff for my secret western project.
Your stuff sounds like fun for different reasons, like I said. And yeah; you've got a full plate.
I think a non-racist version of the ancient astronauts thing could be to make the ancient astronauts the literal ancestors of the mayincatec people.
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on August 25, 2022, 01:27:15 PM
I think a non-racist version of the ancient astronauts thing could be to make the ancient astronauts the literal ancestors of the mayincatec people.
How did you gain access to my documents in my computer huh?
Seriously tho, that's waht I'm doing, it also lends itself to making the game more Gonzo.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 25, 2022, 02:45:06 PM
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on August 25, 2022, 01:27:15 PM
I think a non-racist version of the ancient astronauts thing could be to make the ancient astronauts the literal ancestors of the mayincatec people.
How did you gain access to my documents in my computer huh?
Seriously tho, that's waht I'm doing, it also lends itself to making the game more Gonzo.
I'm not psychic, so I'm guessing that it's just an easy connection to make. Altho post-apocalyptic fiction most commonly takes place after the development of the nuclear bomb in the 20th century, there's no reason that you can't have ancient civilizations nuke themselves back to the stone age.
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on August 25, 2022, 06:02:51 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 25, 2022, 02:45:06 PM
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on August 25, 2022, 01:27:15 PM
I think a non-racist version of the ancient astronauts thing could be to make the ancient astronauts the literal ancestors of the mayincatec people.
How did you gain access to my documents in my computer huh?
Seriously tho, that's waht I'm doing, it also lends itself to making the game more Gonzo.
I'm not psychic, so I'm guessing that it's just an easy connection to make. Altho post-apocalyptic fiction most commonly takes place after the development of the nuclear bomb in the 20th century, there's no reason that you can't have ancient civilizations nuke themselves back to the stone age.
There was a war 50,000 years ago between the Atlanteans, Lemurians and Maya that drove all of humanity back to the stone age.
Except MAYBE some Atlanteans who managed to cover one of their cities with a dome and submerge it, the Lemurians in Hyperborea and the Mayas in Xibalba.
Some thoughts on the Warrior class:
When the warrior is created the PC must choose a path: The Eagle, The Jaguar or the Serpent.
This determines some of the class abilities and at 3rd level the warrior gains one ability of their animal totem, then one more every other odd level and at 10th level the ability to take hybrid form.
Thoughts?
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 26, 2022, 11:42:59 AM
Some thoughts on the Warrior class:
When the warrior is created the PC must choose a path: The Eagle, The Jaguar or the Serpent.
This determines some of the class abilities and at 3rd level the warrior gains one ability of their animal totem, then one more every other odd level and at 10th level the ability to take hybrid form.
Thoughts?
I like this mechanic! While I tend to prefer a certain "openness" of character creation, this is actually a good role-playing mechanic and not an arbitrary class limitation. It's based on the lore, rather than just some artificial mechanic to "balance things out."
Quote from: Osman Gazi on August 29, 2022, 11:45:22 AM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 26, 2022, 11:42:59 AM
Some thoughts on the Warrior class:
When the warrior is created the PC must choose a path: The Eagle, The Jaguar or the Serpent.
This determines some of the class abilities and at 3rd level the warrior gains one ability of their animal totem, then one more every other odd level and at 10th level the ability to take hybrid form.
Thoughts?
I like this mechanic! While I tend to prefer a certain "openness" of character creation, this is actually a good role-playing mechanic and not an arbitrary class limitation. It's based on the lore, rather than just some artificial mechanic to "balance things out."
Well, you could always say your warrior droped out of school (need to come up with a name for the mayan equivalent of the calmecac), or he's just a commoner but good at fighthing without formal training.
Or you could choose to be a hunter.
Edited to add:School in Maya.- nahil xook, kúuchil kaansah
An authentic "Mayan inspired alt-history fantasy game" does indeed sound interesting, especially if OSR.
I don't think there's any real information on the system available yet, but Mythicos Studios is working on an RPG adaptation of their Mythic Americas game.
https://www.mythicamericas.com/
(I'm not even sure the announcment is on their website yet, so it's probably a couple years off, but since this thread is a bit old anyway...:D )
Quote from: Eric Diaz on August 29, 2022, 04:10:55 PM
An authentic "Mayan inspired alt-history fantasy game" does indeed sound interesting, especially if OSR.
White Box FMAG is the chassis.
The spell list is gonna take some time, even if I'm modifiying most of the classic spells and coming up with just a few (so far).
Ditto the monsters, will use the same stat block but it needs Mayan/Mesoamerican inspired monsters, not your omnipresent cockatrice.
What I'm saying is it will take a while.
I would buy a Mesoamerican RPG.
Quote from: Brasidas on August 29, 2022, 05:29:05 PM
I don't think there's any real information on the system available yet, but Mythicos Studios is working on an RPG adaptation of their Mythic Americas game.
https://www.mythicamericas.com/
(I'm not even sure the announcment is on their website yet, so it's probably a couple years off, but since this thread is a bit old anyway...:D )
Yeah, that's their game, not probable to be like mine in any meaninful way.
This thread is what, a week 10 days old?
Quote from: GeekyBugleThis thread is what, a week 10 days old?
My mistake. I'm time traveling again. :)
Quote from: Brasidas on August 29, 2022, 05:37:37 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugleThis thread is what, a week 10 days old?
My mistake. I'm time traveling again. :)
LOL, no problem, been there done that.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 29, 2022, 05:29:34 PM
Quote from: Eric Diaz on August 29, 2022, 04:10:55 PM
An authentic "Mayan inspired alt-history fantasy game" does indeed sound interesting, especially if OSR.
White Box FMAG is the chassis.
The spell list is gonna take some time, even if I'm modifiying most of the classic spells and coming up with just a few (so far).
Ditto the monsters, will use the same stat block but it needs Mayan/Mesoamerican inspired monsters, not your omnipresent cockatrice.
What I'm saying is it will take a while.
Believe me, I know! I'm writing a "Brazilian Bestiary" and it already took me six months of study so I can give the monsters an authentic feel.
Quote from: Eric Diaz on August 29, 2022, 08:22:29 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on August 29, 2022, 05:29:34 PM
Quote from: Eric Diaz on August 29, 2022, 04:10:55 PM
An authentic "Mayan inspired alt-history fantasy game" does indeed sound interesting, especially if OSR.
White Box FMAG is the chassis.
The spell list is gonna take some time, even if I'm modifiying most of the classic spells and coming up with just a few (so far).
Ditto the monsters, will use the same stat block but it needs Mayan/Mesoamerican inspired monsters, not your omnipresent cockatrice.
What I'm saying is it will take a while.
Believe me, I know! I'm writing a "Brazilian Bestiary" and it already took me six months of study so I can give the monsters an authentic feel.
Yep, that's the thing, you need to find the monsters, then give them stats, then write them up in such a way as to preserve the feel without making it a wikipedia article.
Way easier to write my Venusian Bestiary.
Have you heard about Warlord Games 'Mythic Americas' product line? https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/mythic-americas
It's a Wargame not an RPG but it is very cool looking so may give you some ideas inspiration wise.
Quote from: HMWHC on September 20, 2022, 02:18:04 PM
Have you heard about Warlord Games 'Mythic Americas' product line? https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/mythic-americas
It's a Wargame not an RPG but it is very cool looking so may give you some ideas inspiration wise.
Yes, I know of them, thanks, kinda short of funds I can use to buy more books right now tho.
Quoteome thoughts on the Warrior class:
When the warrior is created the PC must choose a path: The Eagle, The Jaguar or the Serpent.
This determines some of the class abilities and at 3rd level the warrior gains one ability of their animal totem, then one more every other odd level and at 10th level the ability to take hybrid form.
Thoughts?
Dunno how it works with Mayan culture - but were all warriors supposed to be totemists in their legends? If not - maybe separate full-martial Warrior and mystical Totemist Warrior should be separated?