While doing some thinking through Dragonbane, I was reminded of this game’s existence. I’m not sure how I initially learned of it (for some reason, I recall an Instagram advertisement was involved), but I soon bought the book, read some of it, and promptly forgot about it (as one does). This book came out, I think, around 2020, which was a unique year for all of us.
During that time, I was eyeballs-deep in running Dwimmermount, plus my soon-to-be-ex-wife was pregnant and deathly sick, and I was making every effort to finish my Bachelor’s degree. In short, I didn’t have much margin to really sit down and read much of anything.
Now, with my life being what it is (rich in everything except money), I have enough free time to make a go of this book. From what little I remember (and have read since I reacquired the book yesterday), there’s a certain feeling similar to Annihilation or Roadside Picnic; a dangerous and unthinkably strange Zone, into which the brave and foolish venture. Its strangeness is juxtaposed by the normal world, called Akara, which is dying.
The book was created as a worldbuilding art project by Alexandru Negoita. Later, Marquis Hartis asked Alex if he could help develop those drawings into a proper world, and the world of Scavenger was born.
Like all art projects, this one is a representation of the artists who made it. In some places, the writing and layout are amateurish, but the art is consistently good, both technically and conceptually.
Key
(++) Love it
(+) Like it
(?) Confused by it
(-) Meh
(x) Hate it
(++) A quote from Ozymandias by Percy Shelley. A wonderful and flavorful bit of prose that suggests that, no matter the strength of an empire, it will all turn to ruin eventually. This bit of writing, this bit of art, outlived its writers and those he was writing about. It’s sharp, and I love it. Art perseveres; rulers perish.
(+) Introduction. The world (Akara) is dying. A slew of endless storms, droughts, monsoons, super-hurricanes, earthquakes, and all manner of natural disasters mean the world is becoming increasingly hostile to complex life.
An ancient monolith, the center of a great city, was the source of shardstones, magical chunks of stone that grant some degree of magical power. Fifty years ago, this monolith opened, and people began venturing inside. They discovered alien skies, bizarre landscapes, and the ruins of ancient empires.
Players can adventure in Akara, the dying world, or venture into Torn, the place beyond the monolith. The Great Dying is here.
Wow, there’s a lot here. One could probably coast on the vibes from this page alone and make a whole game (which I suppose they did).
(+) What’s in this book. This page explains the book’s scope. You get four great city-states and three adventure sites in Torn, plus the rules tweaks the designers made to 5th edition to make it more deadly.
(+) Seven Truths a Scavenger Lives By. 1. This is a Bronze Age world with very little access to iron. 2. Shardscience is only about 50 years old, which is this world’s magic system; this means it’s not scientifically “solved”. 3. The “Great Dying” started about 10 years ago: Mass animal extinctions and violent natural disasters have caused many refugees to flee to the last remaining city-states. 4. Torn was once inhabited by a race of advanced people. 5. The only way to Torn is through Tarnak, and they judiciously control access. 6. Most races have been killed off, and only 3 humanoid races remain. 7. Scavengers are both heroes and villains.
(+) The World of Akara. The land is old, but records have not been kept. We don’t know the age of the world, or even the age of the dominant culture in the region. Writing is a fairly new invention. Akara is only great by its willingness to kill and oppress other nations. It is the king of a graveyard of nations and peoples. “Are we the baddies?”
(+) Tablets. The gimmick of this book is that each major section is written upon thick stone tablets. This is a fun and thematic nod that I enjoy.
(+) Distance, Currency, & Languages. A lot of thought has gone into building this world, likely far more than will ever be practical for a D&D scenario. Lest we forget, most players are tired and a bit drunk during these games. I’m already beginning to suspect this book would better serve as fodder for a novel than a game.
(-) Languages, in particular, are well-thought-out, but not particularly gameable. I’m also getting the sense early (on page 10) that this world is already very alien and strange. The last surviving playable races bear no resemblance to our classic D&D races, and that can be a hard sell for some players. There are 17 languages here, lovingly described, and utterly useless to me.
(x) Calendar. The year is 300 days long, split into basically dry season and monsoon season. The months are named. I only have so much patience for this level of detail. I just don’t see how it’s gameable.
Thoughts after 11 pages
I’m going to pause this readthrough here, as I get to the chapter all about the city of Akara. I remember why I bounced off this game back in 2020: I think it needs a major editing pass, and about half of the content needs to be stripped down. The product markets itself as an art book/RPG book hybrid, and it shows. However, there is a lot of “wasted” or superfluous text that I simply don’t need. I may undertake an editing project of my own to shape the game into something I enjoy more.
What I like so far: The fantasy of stepping from a dying Bronze Age desert world into a lush, green, mysterious realm gives me the feeling of Returnal or any other kind of alien portal fantasy. It's the mystery of the world that intrigues me.
Having skimmed this book and its sequel, I can’t help but feel the game is a bit full of itself. Over 600 pages of content that, to my eyes, are largely inscrutable, or at least unusable for its intended purpose. I’ve searched around online and can’t find a single actual play report. Meaning, it seems that out of all 1000+ Kickstarter backers, not one has managed to play this game. Or at least, haven’t blogged, commented, made a forum or Discord post, or made a record of it in any way. I cannot say I am surprised, given my observations.
I may continue this readthrough at a later time, but I think I like the idea of this game more than the game itself. I may write some short fiction in its world, but outside of a solo gameplay experience, I suspect I am unlikely to ever play it with a group. Even solo play seems unlikely, given the bevvy of entertainment and shortage of free time I have.
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