Spices, rivers, magic, gods.
More gods than people, more monsters than gods.
And very few shoes.
Kala Mandala is a 44 pg rules-lite, flavour-heavy fantasy roleplaying game centred on medieval Southeast Asia.
Foundations
- Centring on Southeast Asia, leaving Eurocentric fantasy.
- Exploring the region's shared histories and fluid identities, departing from ethno-nationalist narratives.
- Bolstering imagination and fun, beyond tokenism and representation.
Featuring
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Meddling as adventuring: Join a Meddling guild! Fulfill your irrepressible nosiness, monetize your busybodyness. You might even help people along the way.
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Skills as progression: Learn from NPCs you help, levelling up is organic and contextual. Be a dick and you might miss out on some cool stuff.
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Art, Dance, Food and Culture: Actual in-game utility to the Really Big Things in this region.
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Prayers and Rituals: Magic, ghosts and deities are everyday realities in Kala Mandala. Prayers are equally real and important too.
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Lineages and Heirlooms: You are always connected to something — immediate family and extended relatives, personal histories. Heirlooms are physical representations of such connections.
Including
- Character Creation, Skills, Weapons, 6d6 Spells and more.
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Over 60 illustrations of Southeast Asian fantasy, bringing the world to life.
- Writing, art, and layout by Munkao.
- Additional writing, consulting, and editing by Alia Ali (Food), Elizabeth Gimbad, and Mabel Ho.
