/tg/ - Traditional Games

There's New Fire but that's basically a system agnostic setting book with some shitty barebones rules nailed on.

>>206207

Is the writing and lore good at least?

Maztica, a Forgotten Realms expansion, takes place in a central-American expy. It's pretty well-researched, but it does little original stuff with the source material.

The premise:

Things are going downhill in the Aztec empire, and the party of heroes is their only hope.

They're tasked with starting the largest ever Flower War to gather enough sacrifices to summon the Aztec gods.

Once summoned, the players must beat the gods in a game of cosmic Aztec basketball.

Does anyone have that screencap explaining the Aztec sport creation myth / religion?

>>206428

And after the players win the gods curse humanity to one day have their society destroyed after a game of cosmic basketball is ended when a player unleashes the great chaos with a single move, making it the prequel to Shut Up And Jam Gaiden.

>>206425

This could be a race.

>Bonus to dexterity and wisdom/perception

>Bonus to Sneak

>reduced fall damage

>Low-Light Vision

>Claw and bite attacks

>Bad at swimming and crafting

Actual stats depend on the system.

It might make more sense as a prestige class though.

>the best warriors rise to the top of the military

>the Aztec priests know how to commune with the gods to imbue people with animal traits

>doing so is costly, so they only do it when it really helps

>it's an incremental process, so there are different tiers of Jaguar warrior represented by the levels available in the class

>>206425

>>206607

Just checked the Wikipedia article on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_warrior

>To become a jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec army had to capture twelve enemies during two consecutive battles.

This action could count as both a qualification for taking levels in a prestige class. The captured soldiers could be used as components in the ritual to transform a typical warrior into a jaguar.

>>206639

I dunno about making them races per se. Doesn't seem to gel with the culture from what I just read. There was a caste system, but all commoner men were sort of militia members who would join in when there was a fight. The Jaguars were the only full-time soldiers (acting as police during peacetime). It was also possible to move between castes, since common men could become Jaguars if they met the qualifications. Maybe you could do a thing where people are transformed into the most appropriate race for their caste, and them transformed to something else if they ever change.

>>206651

Should have said "Slaves turned into capybaras".

Interesting stuff.

>>206425

I'd say it ought to be expanded/drawn from any meso-american lore in general (and maybe some of the native cultures), much like how fantasy is drawn from a mish mash of european+greek stuff primarily.

>>206651

This looks pretty promising.

What kind of system could be used?

Does it have to Aztec specifically? What about the Maya and the Inca and even more obscure groups in Central and South America?

I mean, if you want to get technical, standard generic European fantasy settings draw from multiple distinct European cultures and traditions.

>>207147

Just those basics you ruled out made the idea sound twice as interesting to me. Put some meat on those setting bones.

>>207147

The Carlos Castaneda book series though of dubious (to say the least) veracity, could be used add a dark layer to the game.

Wherein, the Toltecs where the first civilization to use magic as their empire collapsed their teachings where taught/stolen by the newer cultures around them. The last remaing rulers and nobles of the Toltecs became liches in order to preserve their empire, their communal tombs are marked by the gigantics heads, and to use magic in their vicinity is to attract their attention.

>>207147

>How and why they disappeared is kind of a mystery. For the civilizations that were around when Europeans got there, the Mayans could be something like the Roman Empire - a bastion of civilization that crumbled for reasons not understood.

You do realize the Mayans were still around when the Spaniards showed up right? They were an absolute bitch to conquer since they had no emperor to hold hostage so they needed to keep subjugating the city states.

>>206206

>>setting based on ancient aztec culture and folklore

>Does this exist?

Maztica - all Mesoamerica

Dark Sun - some parts

Isn't Tékumel supposed to be based on the Aztecs?

>>213092

Among many, many other things.

It has some of the look, but doesn't run on obsidian-studded sticks and heart amputations.

There are axes, catapults and amusing ant-lizard aliens

>>213092

Kind of. Only about as much as Dark Sun is. Although as the creation of a single well-educated man instead of a committee of game writers, it's far more authentic and cohesive than Dark Sun.

What about a campaign set in any of these historical civilizations where the party are monster hunters?

There are the hunters, who hunt so that the tribe can eat and survive.

Then there are the PC's, who combat supernatural threats to protect their tribe, or seek out truly epic and/or unique beasts to kill because they might be able t?

>>214814

Monster hunter might make sense in journeying in Mictlan or Xibalba, where you had to defend yourself against monsters, crawling in caves full of knives, crossing rivers of puss and blood, in a world made of caves underground. Xibalba, the Mayan one, was controlled by the Lords of Death that would trick you, and they would hold corrupted trials.

Mictlan was meant for the average people that died of old age and didn't achieve much in life, after your journey of a decade, you ended it in a colorless empty room. Depends if you see it as a reward of rest after a long journey, or an ironic punishment for doing nothing in your life. In Xibalba, if you defeated the Lords of Death, you'd become one of the revered ancestors.

Mictlan sounds more brawn and Xibalba more wit.

>>206206

AD&D 2e had Maztica. I got the basic box set for this setting in a lot of AD&D stuff a few years ago. Its pretty good and tied into the rest of the forgotten realms. http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Maztica

See, the thing is, y'all think you're being original, but each and every one of these things is covered in Maztica.

>>213092

tekumel is original

i would love to help but i dont know shit about aztec/incan/mayan culture

>>214880

>tied into forgotten realms

>good

but yeah maztica is nice. its not very well known but it is in the middle when it comes to ranking of dnd settings.

>>216256

Historical-based anything being original is silly.

Actually, originality is overrated.

Good implementation is what's important.

Not that originality's bad, but it shouldn't be your goal.

>>216256

Historical-based anything being original is silly.

Actually, originality is overrated.

Good implementation is what's important.

Not that originality's bad, but it shouldn't be your goal.

>>206206

>What can be done with it?

You have to keep in mind that Native American Cultures were in the Bronze Age until the Europeans came. So their Societies were driven by the mixture of unique American Plants(caoutchouc, corn ect.) and Bronze Age technology.

Another thing that was common to American history is famine, more so than for the Old World. In the Old World, famine was a thing caused by climate change(small ice ages), war and pandemics.

The New World saw cyclic famines and societal collapses because populations repeatedly grew too large to be feed by the land. This in return caused the majority of wars they had and migration periods.

It was also what caused them to develop such intricate human sacrifices and commit cannibalism, its their answer to a soylent green type situation.

The American Rainforests, Deserts and Steppes are shit places to grow stuff.

The Ethnic Groups that build Kingdoms and Empires managed to got smart about Agriculture. Still it wasn't enough in most cases, they all crumbled after some centuries and then new people walked into their territory and everything began again.

What about an alt history setting where the native americans discovered metallurgy and metalworking?

>>217802

South and Central Native Americans knew metallurgy and metalworking, they just never moved past the Bronze Age.

This is nothing uncommon, there are also African cultures that kept being in the Bronze Age, while others independently developed Iron working.

Japan is a interesting case, as Bronze and Iron working reached them at the same time.

I've been flipping through this and think it would be pretty useful for someone out here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_religion

What I find interesting is that it regards certain creatures as "Goblins and dwarfs".

>>217802

I think Quetzalcoatl/Kulkukan was said to be who brought culture, art, architecture to the world.

As a kid I've had some small daydreams about going back in time and introducing some more advanced form of metalwork to the soon-to-be Mayans, who would later influence the wandering Aztecs. Also including maybe gunpowder, horses, and some prophecies. And I would basically become the inspiration for the legend of Kukulkan.

I once wrote a 1957 zombie setting based on aztech.

We had luchadroes fighting zombies from zeppelins.

>>217812

>nothing uncommon

Especially since you wouldn't ""want"" to leave the bronze age. Iron is a bitch to work compared to bronze and requires far more effort to make it worth using in combat.

>>220337

That isn't true, otherwise Nation American Tribes in South and Central America would have never adopted Iron tools when the Europeans came.

Bronze is a lot heavier than Iron and a lot more brittle. This is why Bronze Age tools always are limited to a certain size, are thicker and have features like spines to give them more stability.

>>216301

>>tied into forgotten realms

>>good

und vot's yer problem?

>>220337

>>221114

>>217812

Key thing is, the Aztecs had trouble finding iron but tons of obsidian, which makes great blades. Iron was too much trouble to work with when they had enough bronze and obsidian for their needs.