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About Biashara
Biashara is an uchronistic medieval role-playing game inspired by the great animist African kingdoms and empires. Spanning the 1,000 years of the Middle Ages, the universe features the coexistence of civilizations from different historical eras.
During this period, the continent was a hub of encounters, conquests, cultural exchanges and trade. Linked to Asia by the Silk Roads and to Vinland (North America) by the Scandinavian routes, trade was as flourishing as it was diversified. Central to the universe, trade was one of the main channels for the circulation and dissemination of ideas. The Swahili word Biashara was chosen with this in mind, meaning exchange, trade and entrepreneurship.
Society is structured around the family. Often grouped into clans or tribes, families are all defined by a totem: a central symbol representing will (raison d'être), protection (divine) and function (profession). A clan is an alliance of several families united around the same totem, while a tribe is a group of families each possessing their own totem and living on the same territory.
Our game proposal
Within your family, you will work for the greatness and continuity of your totem. Whether you belong to a tribe or a clan, the nature of your relationships with others will depend on the totem you choose. Complementary totems will facilitate social and commercial agreements with other families. But beware: if they are too similar, they could cause conflicts of interest, leading to rivalry. It's up to you to make sure you maintain your influence and make yours prosper.
Bear in mind that your contribution to the totem has consequences beyond your lifetime. So when you die, your soul will be weighed by Oya and Shango, Orixas of Justice. If they judge that you have contributed significantly to your totem and honored your time spent among humans, they may allow your soul to regenerate, or be reborn.
For those who have made a significant contribution to the transformation of humanity, you will be elevated to the rank of Orixa. Your family will then be ennobled, and your next character will become the prophet of a new divinity: YOU.
Folklore
Rites and beliefs are mainly inspired by Yoruba animism and its derivatives in Latin and Central America. The pantheon and mythology are African, Brazilian and West Indian. The pantheon is populated by Orixas, former humans now deified. They are the guides of humanity, guardians of knowledge and holders of magic. Each Orixa is the exclusive protector of his own domain. Mythological creatures are divided according to the origin of their myth. The idea is to reinforce the identity of each region by relying on local fantasy.
In addition to the family, life in society is organised around access to natural resources. This defines the way of living. It is nomadic when it is mobile, depending on the migratory flows of herds, harvesting and seasonal events. It is sedentary when access to natural resources is based on permanent management of local territories.
Game mechanics
We've designed a game engine with no tracking, where a character's efficiency depends on their vitality (a combination of physical and mental health).
Each degree of sanity is associated with a type of die, which is used for all the rolls to be performed. Losing vitality therefore means losing efficiency, and invites players to adjust the way they deal with a situation.
