So my son ran a one-shot adventure set in a fantasy version of the Incan Empire, and now he's thinking of expanding it out to a full-fledged campaign. I've been trying to think of resources to recommend for him, and/or ideas to suggest. I know about The Yaurcoan Empire for Totems of the Dead (Savage Worlds) -- which I just picked up.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/100928/The-Yaurcoan-Empire
But I don't know of much else. The game is very much D&D (5th edition), only lightly re-skinned to fit with Incan traditions. The standard races and classes are all roughly the same, though there are some twists. This was his intro for the one-shot game:
QuoteOur adventure takes place in the Northern Quarter of the Solar Empire, in the Land of New Horizons, during the early years of the reign of Emperor Huaman Capac. It is a prosperous time for many, as the war between the Empire and the Dragon Lords of the North has ended at last. A mere two and a half centuries ago, the Solar Empire was just one of many small, feuding, highland kingdoms; now, civilizations of diverse races and creeds, from the coastal hills of the West to the wild jungles of the East and the arid deserts of the South, have all been unified under the Imperial tassel. Of course, unified doesn't mean that everyone is happy - so, during this time of peace, the Emperor and the nine Ancestor-Kings have been sending out their Imperial Agents to various provinces all across the land in order to assess & find solutions to any problems that may have arisen since they joined the Empire.
You (the players) are all Imperial Agents, who through one means or another wound up in the service of Ancestor-King Pachakuti, the father of the current Emperor who, after his death, was turned into a special kind of Lich through ceremonies known only to the royal line. Though some you Agents are truly Incan by blood and were recruited from the ranks of the Capital itself, most of your kind are actually the champions of various fringe provinces, whose labor was originally sent in as tribute when they first joined the Empire. At this point, you are an established team which has been adventuring for some time, and should already know each other fairly well (though that doesn't mean you can't keep secrets from each other, if you so choose).
Notably, undead aren't inherently evil in this game - and there are wise mummies and lichs from the past who serve as resources for the present empire.
I'd be especially curious for resources to recommend, but general ideas and reactions would be cool too. (Just no politics.)
I unfortuantely dont have any resources, but this is something ive wanted to do for a while too, but id wanna do it right and that would take a lot of research for me not to turn it into the Emperor's New Groove.
[video=youtube;9ki99YBVKyw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ki99YBVKyw[/youtube]
There's this : http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=2157 (http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=2157)
And also Nahui Ollin (https://www.nosolorol.com/es/aquelarre/805/guia-de-inicio-nahui-ollin-pdf) That's the free quick start, in Spanish, don't know how good is it.
I remember one other, it was free and also in Spanish but I can't remember the name nor can I find it.
Edited to add:
Found it, I'll never play it but it might have something to mine for 1492 (https://www.culturarecreacionydeporte.gov.co/sites/default/files/1492_web.pdf)
Do the old Maztica books (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/198112/Maztica-2e?filters=0_0_45371_0_0_0_0_0) count?
No recommendations, but the elevator pitch there is pretty badass.
Maybe Empire of the Petal Throne for some inspiration?
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1133501There's this : http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=2157 (http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=2157)
And also Nahui Ollin (https://www.nosolorol.com/es/aquelarre/805/guia-de-inicio-nahui-ollin-pdf) That's the free quick start, in Spanish, don't know how good is it.
Thanks, GeekyBugle! The GURPS Castle Falkenstein was interesting, but going in a different direction. I also have "Space Gods" for Torg, but that's similarly quite different as fantasy. I'm not fluent enough to read Nahui Ollin quickly - but my son's better, and I'll relay it on. While obviously I don't expect Castle Falkenstein to be historical, I was surprised at the bit about "The Inca clan has controlled their empire for thousands of years" -- when the historical Incan empire was very short-lived. It seems strange.
Castle Falkenstein and Torg went more with with pulp action and aliens as inspirations, while this is more of a high fantasy take -- more in the vein of Tolkien and classic D&D.
Quote from: Shasarak;1133509Do the old Maztica books (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/198112/Maztica-2e?filters=0_0_45371_0_0_0_0_0) count?
What I've seen of Maztica has all been Central American -- which doesn't really fit for Incan. (Though maybe there's an Incan parallel on the fringes of Maztica lands?) This isn't historical, but Incas are on a different continent -- it would be like using Greek myths for a Vikings game. That said, Maztica lands might be a cool as the weird exotic foreign land that PCs might go on a quest to.
No resources, but I like the idea of the Ancestor-Kings and non-evil undead taking on a consulting role. "Lich-ifying" past rulers was a nice touch. I've considered the possibility of non-evil undead in the past, but it was never really relevant to my campaigns, so I never developed anything with it.
Here's a website devoted to the Incan Empire
https://ancientincanempire.weebly.com/
I found this article on Incan inventions very interesting. I would definitely highlight these in a campaign.
https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/bolivia/articles/8-things-you-didnt-know-the-incas-invented/
There's so much info available online. There's Incan educational videos on YT as well. Just wandering around sites for two hours will provide enough fodder for a years worth of sessions, plus loads of pictures to show the players too.
Rob's Points of Light II: Beyond the Sunrise Sea includes North American, Aztec & Incan campaign areas, as I recall. Plus an Outer Plane/Otherworld for high level adventuring - I think it was primarily Aztec (Camazotz maybe?) but unless you're really anal on historicism it should be very useful.
Inca Mythology by Matt Clayton, I think it is a decent introduction, but I am not a subject expert by any means.
Quote from: jhkim;1133547it would be like using Greek myths for a Vikings game.
Greeks & Norse were both Indo-European cultures with the same root, they only seem disparate from a Eurocentric perspective, bigot. :p
Seriously, if Incan & Aztec are that similar, you can probably get some usable material from Maztica.
Quote from: S'mon;1133575Greeks & Norse were both Indo-European cultures with the same root, they only seem disparate from a Eurocentric perspective, bigot. :p
Seriously, if Incan & Aztec are that similar, you can probably get some usable material from Maztica.
Problem is, it is really hard to tell because pretty much everything we have is recorded after the civilisations involved collapsed/got stamped out (and in this specific case, good riddance), we actually have a similar problem with Viking and pre-Christian Saxon myths, so what is 'real' what is mixed up or misremembered, and what was flat made up, can be hard to determine.
Quote from: S'mon;1133575Greeks & Norse were both Indo-European cultures with the same root, they only seem disparate from a Eurocentric perspective, bigot. :p
Seriously, if Incan & Aztec are that similar, you can probably get some usable material from Maztica.
They were pretty different. But you can plausibly bring them into contact if you like. At contact (first attested in 1526), large capacity cargo balsas were plying the Pacific coast from Lima to Ecuador, and possibly at various times in the precontact period, as far north as Costa Rica, Soconusco, and even western Mexico.
Without question this massive primer on the Central Andes Art (an often forgotten cradle of civilization). It is A LOT of information in surprisingly digestible format, with TONS of mysteries to port wholesale. It starts you off with the major recurring cosmological underpinnings which gird you from Chavín to Inca and paint a truly fascinating world.
The topics of hallucinogenics as ritual cultural adhesion is properly jargonized into entheogenics, and similarly a level of respect is shown throughout all the arts on discussion. It also shows how trade is absolutely essential in a space where three of the harshest climates (coastal desert, tropical jungle, and high altitude mountains) share such a narrow band along the continent. And then the scale of art, cities, and complexity is given the jaw-dropping explanation they deserve to drive home the achievements made.
Bar none, easiest crash course on history, religion, politics, trade, & material culture through a breezy stroll down millennia of art -- in a tiny, tiny book! It also seeds wonders and mysteries ready to port into any campaign from fantasy to mythos investigator. Read it from the library and am kicking myself that this should be in my collection by now. :)
Happy travels for your kid!
Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca (World of Art)
Series: World of Art
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 3 edition (September 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0500204152
ISBN-13: 978-0500204153
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
PS: This should help world building massively, but if you or your kid have any questions feel free to ask. The book does a better job, but if you wanna do something like use quipu (the accounting language of fabric knots) into a fully complex writing system that can have let's say: novels, I say go for it! (I'd assume "spellbooks" in quipu to be a given, personally.)
Quote from: Zirunel;1133586They were pretty different. But you can plausibly bring them into contact if you like. At contact (first attested in 1526), large capacity cargo balsas were plying the Pacific coast from Lima to Ecuador, and possibly at various times in the precontact period, as far north as Costa Rica, Soconusco, and even western Mexico.
Well there's always Kon Tiki, isn't there? ;) Yes, you are right the reed boats and balsas show very much ocean navigation up and down the South American coast and likely the Central American coast. Even further there is art of Central Andean peoples regularly going to off shore islands to collect seals (particularly for their bezors -- uh, basically a hairball -- assumed for ritual usage) and bird guano, ranging from albatross to penguins (yes, I said penguins... in the tropics). There is plenty of nautical evidence to easily take one's campaign out to sea, the technology is there.
Quote from: Opaopajr;1133588Without question this massive primer on the Central Andes Art (an often forgotten cradle of civilization). It is A LOT of information in surprisingly digestible format, with TONS of mysteries to port wholesale. It starts you off with the major recurring cosmological underpinnings which gird you from Chavín to Inca and paint a truly fascinating world.
The topics of hallucinogenics as ritual cultural adhesion is properly jargonized into entheogenics, and similarly a level of respect is shown throughout all the arts on discussion. It also shows how trade is absolutely essential in a space where three of the harshest climates (coastal desert, tropical jungle, and high altitude mountains) share such a narrow band along the continent. And then the scale of art, cities, and complexity is given the jaw-dropping explanation they deserve to drive home the achievements made.
Bar none, easiest crash course on history, religion, politics, trade, & material culture through a breezy stroll down millennia of art -- in a tiny, tiny book! It also seeds wonders and mysteries ready to port into any campaign from fantasy to mythos investigator. Read it from the library and am kicking myself that this should be in my collection by now. :)
Happy travels for your kid!
Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca (World of Art)
Series: World of Art
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 3 edition (September 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0500204152
ISBN-13: 978-0500204153
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
PS: This should help world building massively, but if you or your kid have any questions feel free to ask. The book does a better job, but if you wanna do something like use quipu (the accounting language of fabric knots) into a fully complex writing system that can have let's say: novels, I say go for it! (I'd assume "spellbooks" in quipu to be a given, personally.)
Chavín iconography is fascinating. Moche is cool and super-informative
Quote from: Opaopajr;1133590Well there's always Kon Tiki, isn't there? ;) Yes, you are right the reed boats and balsas show very much ocean navigation up and down the South American coast and likely the Central American coast. Even further there is art of Central Andean peoples regularly going to off shore islands to collect seals (particularly for their bezors -- uh, basically a hairball -- assumed for ritual usage) and bird guano, ranging from albatross to penguins (yes, I said penguins... in the tropics). There is plenty of nautical evidence to easily take one's campaign out to sea, the technology is there.
Yes, Kon Tiki was specifically based on the Ecuadorian/Peruvian cargo balsas. Heyerdahl just took his in an odd direction!
As far as actual Incans go ...
When I traveled in Peru and visited various Incan ruins, the locals were eager to point out that the tremendous stones used in the building process were set in place by "Cyclopses".
Quote from: Zalman;1133593As far as actual Incans go ...
When I traveled in Peru and visited various Incan ruins, the locals were eager to point out that the tremendous stones used in the building process were set in place by "Cyclopses".
Well if you mean the type of construction in, say, Cusco and Sacsayhuamán, it is often referred to as "cyclopean masonry" ("construcción ciclópea"), so maybe a little misinterpretation happening there!
Quote from: Zirunel;1133598Well if you mean the type of construction in, say, Cusco and Sacsayhuamán, it is often referred to as "cyclopean masonry" ("construcción ciclópea"), so maybe a little misinterpretation happening there!
I'm not sure where you think the misinterpretation is occurring ... where do you think the term came from? I speak fluent Spanish, and I promise you that I was told numerous times with perfect candor that the ruins were built by one-eyed giants (and "obviously", since, according to the tellers of that tale, humans couldn't have possibly done it themselves.)
Of course, the
veracity of any particular legend should be wholly irrelevant for the purpose of creating a campaign world -- what matters is the myth itself.
Quote from: Zalman;1133600I'm not sure where you think the misinterpretation is occurring ... where do you think the term came from? I speak fluent Spanish, and I promise you that I was told numerous times with perfect candor that the ruins were built by one-eyed giants (and "obviously", since, according to the tellers of that tale, humans couldn't have possibly done it themselves.)
Of course, the veracity of any particular legend should be wholly irrelevant for the purpose of creating a campaign world -- what matters is the myth itself.
I did not mean to imply the misinterpretation was on your part. But the locals will almost certainly have picked up the jargon, and heard that it is "cyclopean masonry"...And taken it from there.
Oh and where the term comes from is Greece, referring to the massive irregular stones used at Mycenae etc. But it has long since been adopted to refer to the similar Inca construction as well.
EDITED TO ADD: yes, point taken, you can surely run with the myth and use it in an rpg
Quote from: Opaopajr;1133588Without question this massive primer on the Central Andes Art (an often forgotten cradle of civilization). It is A LOT of information in surprisingly digestible format, with TONS of mysteries to port wholesale. It starts you off with the major recurring cosmological underpinnings which gird you from Chavín to Inca and paint a truly fascinating world.
The topics of hallucinogenics as ritual cultural adhesion is properly jargonized into entheogenics, and similarly a level of respect is shown throughout all the arts on discussion. It also shows how trade is absolutely essential in a space where three of the harshest climates (coastal desert, tropical jungle, and high altitude mountains) share such a narrow band along the continent. And then the scale of art, cities, and complexity is given the jaw-dropping explanation they deserve to drive home the achievements made.
Bar none, easiest crash course on history, religion, politics, trade, & material culture through a breezy stroll down millennia of art -- in a tiny, tiny book! It also seeds wonders and mysteries ready to port into any campaign from fantasy to mythos investigator. Read it from the library and am kicking myself that this should be in my collection by now. :)
Happy travels for your kid!
Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca (World of Art)
Series: World of Art
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 3 edition (September 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0500204152
ISBN-13: 978-0500204153
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
PS: This should help world building massively, but if you or your kid have any questions feel free to ask. The book does a better job, but if you wanna do something like use quipu (the accounting language of fabric knots) into a fully complex writing system that can have let's say: novels, I say go for it! (I'd assume "spellbooks" in quipu to be a given, personally.)
And speaking of Chavín, your Incas can harken back to an arcane and mysterious ancestral civilization millennia older, and Chavín is your go-to for that. The roots are a bit more tropical forest flavoured than contemporary Inca were comfortable with, so caiman-gods, harpy-eagle spirits and jaguar shamans are the order of the day. And serpents, of course. All of it ancient, mysterious and outside the Inca comfort zone.
Also, a bit closer to period, maybe throw in the oracle centre and pilgrimage site at Pachacamac. The Incas did conquer it (there is an Incaic compound at Pachacamac) but it was too old and too religiously powerful for them to truly control it, they had to just reach an accommodation. Think the oracle of Delphi for an analogue. Good place to get mysterious divinations done.
Quote from: Zirunel;1133707And speaking of Chavín, your Incas can harken back to an arcane and mysterious ancestral civilization millennia older, and Chavín is your go-to for that. The roots are a bit more tropical forest flavoured than contemporary Inca were comfortable with, so caiman-gods, harpy-eagle spirits and jaguar shamans are the order of the day. And serpents, of course. All of it ancient, mysterious and outside the Inca comfort zone.
Also, a bit closer to period, maybe throw in the oracle centre and pilgrimage site at Pachacamac. The Incas did conquer it (there is an Incaic compound at Pachacamac) but it was too old and too religiously powerful for them to truly control it, they had to just reach an accommodation. Think the oracle of Delphi for an analogue. Good place to get mysterious divinations done.
So the Aztecs/Mayans with a bit of Egyptian in the mix? ;)
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1133717So the Aztecs/Mayans with a bit of Egyptian in the mix? ;)
You mean the Chavín part? I guess sort of yes. Chavín would be to the Incas what Olmec would be to the Maya, or what ancient Egypt would be to, say, the British Empire. Ancient, mysterious, somehow scary.
More specifically, I wouldn't say the flavour is ancient Egypt exactly. but you could almost go Cthulhoid with Chavín, except instead of tentacles, everything is fangs. Fangs, fangs, fangs, No matter where you look, you are staring at frickin sharp teeth.
Quote from: jhkim;1133493So my son ran a one-shot adventure set in a fantasy version of the Incan Empire, and now he's thinking of expanding it out to a full-fledged campaign. I've been trying to think of resources to recommend for him, and/or ideas to suggest. I know about The Yaurcoan Empire for Totems of the Dead (Savage Worlds) -- which I just picked up.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/100928/The-Yaurcoan-Empire
But I don't know of much else. The game is very much D&D (5th edition), only lightly re-skinned to fit with Incan traditions. The standard races and classes are all roughly the same, though there are some twists. This was his intro for the one-shot game:
Notably, undead aren't inherently evil in this game - and there are wise mummies and lichs from the past who serve as resources for the present empire.
I'd be especially curious for resources to recommend, but general ideas and reactions would be cool too. (Just no politics.)
Sounds fun!
I think the Maztica (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Maztica) blended some elements of Incan civilization with Aztec civilization (which are not related to each other but I can see why they'd choose them to combine).
Quote from: Zirunel;1133707And speaking of Chavín, your Incas can harken back to an arcane and mysterious ancestral civilization millennia older, and Chavín is your go-to for that. The roots are a bit more tropical forest flavoured than contemporary Inca were comfortable with, so caiman-gods, harpy-eagle spirits and jaguar shamans are the order of the day. And serpents, of course. All of it ancient, mysterious and outside the Inca comfort zone.
That's interesting, but it seems tricky to pull off.
Real Incan culture will be mysterious and outside the comfort zone of most of the players. But to the *characters*, the Incan culture is of course familiar and comfortable. In this setting, that's being conveyed partly by having high Tolkienesque fantasy instead of historical accuracy. So like how Rohan and Gondor didn't reflect many ugly historical realities of medieval England, the Solar Empire is a high fantasy empire with mostly good-aligned rulers. This isn't a gritty historical setting, it's high fantasy.
So how would we present Chavín to contrast it with Incan culture, so that Chavín seems mysterious and uncomfortable -- but Incan seems familiar and comfortable?
I'll have to ponder that a bit. Thanks for the ideas.
Quote from: jhkim;1133776That's interesting, but it seems tricky to pull off.
Real Incan culture will be mysterious and outside the comfort zone of most of the players. But to the *characters*, the Incan culture is of course familiar and comfortable. In this setting, that's being conveyed partly by having high Tolkienesque fantasy instead of historical accuracy. So like how Rohan and Gondor didn't reflect many ugly historical realities of medieval England, the Solar Empire is a high fantasy empire with mostly good-aligned rulers. This isn't a gritty historical setting, it's high fantasy.
So how would we present Chavín to contrast it with Incan culture, so that Chavín seems mysterious and uncomfortable -- but Incan seems familiar and comfortable?
I'll have to ponder that a bit. Thanks for the ideas.
You could try adding more fangs. No seriously, if the "modern" setting is a benign high fantasy empire, then make the mysterious ancients darker, maybe even evil (and/or maybe not entirely human). After all, dangerous arcane knowledge is encoded in their elaborate ancient sculptures if you can only learn how to "read" them. And perhaps the Chavín cult is still secretly a thing somewhere on the fringes of the empire. Maybe way downslope to the East in the steaming jungles of the Amazon, where the cult first began, where the power of the empire barely reaches and where sensible Quechua try never to go.....
Quote from: Mistwell;1133766Sounds fun!
I think the Maztica (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Maztica) blended some elements of Incan civilization with Aztec civilization (which are not related to each other but I can see why they'd choose them to combine).
Not really blend culturally as much as allocate the southernmost part of Anchorômé's massive southern peninsula into a very mountainous ersatz Andes region called Lopango, the land of fire. Basically Maztica is the known middle region of the large peninsula reaching south to Katashaka. The Maztica region is cut off by its version of ersatz Central America with a narrow strip of dense jungle and swamp before soaring mountain ranges of Lopango. Maztica also further isolated by the desert of Itzcala from Michaca to the north and the rest of Anchorômé.
Honestly, I strongly recommend the art book. It helps trace threads and that in itself answers your question of how to make Chavín feel uneasily ancient to Incans. Inca is a mountainous empire uniting the jungle and coastal desert into domain, resting upon the cultural foundation of necessary trade and (almost monotheistic, maybe more monomist) sky god/divine tutelage of mountainous revelation (Viracocha & Titicaca) atop the manifold entheogenic mystery cults of several cultures (including Paracas, Sipán, & Nazca) leading back to Chavín.
One could almost stretch the analogy to Christian & Islamic monotheism revelation & trade/military expansion on the ashes of a polytheist "old world." At least, it would be the easiest way for most people to digest the alien mystery of it all quickly. I mean, it sounds like a lot for a kid's campaign, but you do have the advantage that even though 'history does not repeat itself, it often rhymes.' (my apologies to Twain for butchering the quote)
Agree with Opaopajr, check out an art book or even do a Google image search for Chavin art to see its almost demonic qualities. Highlights might be the Tello Obelisk (basically showing two crocodilian deities, but complex and loaded with symbolism), the Raimondi Stele (depicting the Staff God, who shows up elsewhere in Peru as well and continues to rather later -but still pre-Inca - dates), and the Lanzon (depicting a very Lovecraftian-looking figure)
Quote from: Opaopajr;1133870Honestly, I strongly recommend the art book. It helps trace threads and that in itself answers your question of how to make Chavín feel uneasily ancient to Incans. Inca is a mountainous empire uniting the jungle and coastal desert into domain, resting upon the cultural foundation of necessary trade and (almost monotheistic, maybe more monomist) sky god/divine tutelage of mountainous revelation (Viracocha & Titicaca) atop the manifold entheogenic mystery cults of several cultures (including Paracas, Sipán, & Nazca) leading back to Chavín.
Thanks. I've got that book on order now. My son took a college class on Andean art, which was the inspiration for this setting, so he's pretty familiar with that stuff.
Oops! I thought your child was much younger! :o Yeah, he can handle that art book and that rather holistic integration helps organize all that info into self-researchable tangents.
IIRC that book has that image of the Chavín jaguar/human deity carved upon a wedge stele, both in situ (a cave), and as a double page panel showing the whole wrap around image showing its morphology from one art jaguar blending into snakes and all comprising a sort of human? -- and then goes on to further explain how it was near evidence of san pedro cactus (IIRC?) usage, an entheogenic fungus, and sets the scene that this would have likely been witnessed by others while deep in the bowels of the cave by candlelight. I cannot really do it justice by memory and quick topic post. :o
Hope it points you and your son in good directions! :)
Sadly, I've just found this topic well over a year after it was posted.
Dragons conquer America is a book focused on the Mayan, Aztec and yes, Inca empire. Been reading it for a few days and it is very nifty for somebody who doesn't know a lot about these native civilizations like me.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/270512/Dragons-Conquer-America-Core-Book
Wow. Great thread. I'm tempted to pull away from the standard "Europe, but...." campaign settings, especially if I can do earlier tech levels, but doing it *well* is the concern.
Quote from: Pampero on September 11, 2021, 09:57:24 AM
Sadly, I've just found this topic well over a year after it was posted.
Dragons conquer America is a book focused on the Mayan, Aztec and yes, Inca empire. Been reading it for a few days and it is very nifty for somebody who doesn't know a lot about these native civilizations like me.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/270512/Dragons-Conquer-America-Core-Book
Not just a book. An rpg, it uses cards or six siders. Clarifying just in case.
Not a source for Mythology as such, but if you want to get a primer for how the Incan empire should feel and what makes it different from other civilisations in history then this is a very good thing to watch.
The entire channel is very good, I've yet to see a documentary in the series that didn't make me think about running a game in whatever period was described, but this is the specifically Incan one.
I can't think of anything, written or otherwise, that I'd recommend more to someone interested in gaming an Inca-based setting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRB9dJmZhVk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GkNOT2Q2hk
Quote from: jhkim on June 10, 2020, 07:07:39 PM
So my son ran a one-shot adventure set in a fantasy version of the Incan Empire, and now he's thinking of expanding it out to a full-fledged campaign. I've been trying to think of resources to recommend for him, and/or ideas to suggest. I know about The Yaurcoan Empire for Totems of the Dead (Savage Worlds) -- which I just picked up.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/100928/The-Yaurcoan-Empire (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/100928/The-Yaurcoan-Empire)
But I don't know of much else. The game is very much D&D (5th edition), only lightly re-skinned to fit with Incan traditions. The standard races and classes are all roughly the same, though there are some twists. This was his intro for the one-shot game:
QuoteOur adventure takes place in the Northern Quarter of the Solar Empire, in the Land of New Horizons, during the early years of the reign of Emperor Huaman Capac. It is a prosperous time for many, as the war between the Empire and the Dragon Lords of the North has ended at last. A mere two and a half centuries ago, the Solar Empire was just one of many small, feuding, highland kingdoms; now, civilizations of diverse races and creeds, from the coastal hills of the West to the wild jungles of the East and the arid deserts of the South, have all been unified under the Imperial tassel. Of course, unified doesn't mean that everyone is happy - so, during this time of peace, the Emperor and the nine Ancestor-Kings have been sending out their Imperial Agents to various provinces all across the land in order to assess & find solutions to any problems that may have arisen since they joined the Empire.
You (the players) are all Imperial Agents, who through one means or another wound up in the service of Ancestor-King Pachakuti, the father of the current Emperor who, after his death, was turned into a special kind of Lich through ceremonies known only to the royal line. Though some you Agents are truly Incan by blood and were recruited from the ranks of the Capital itself, most of your kind are actually the champions of various fringe provinces, whose labor was originally sent in as tribute when they first joined the Empire. At this point, you are an established team which has been adventuring for some time, and should already know each other fairly well (though that doesn't mean you can't keep secrets from each other, if you so choose).
Notably, undead aren't inherently evil in this game - and there are wise mummies and lichs from the past who serve as resources for the present empire.
I'd be especially curious for resources to recommend, but g
eneral ideas and reactions would be cool too. (Just no politics.)
These might be helpful:
Legendary Games' Boricubos: Latin American Monsters and Adventures https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legendarygames/boricubos-latin-american-monsters-and-adventures
Frog God Games' Tehuatl available for 5e, S&W, or System Neutral: https://www.froggodgames.com/?s=Tehuatl&post_type=product
This thread is a great read. I ran an Incan campaign many years ago, and loved it. There was a Forgotten Realms novel that loosely recounted the history of the Spanish conquest of South America, and that got me into the history of the area. I found the Incans and Toltecs fascinating.
Anyway, the Dark Sun setting, the original books, were really useful in configuring my Incan campaign. They had rules for bone and obsidian weaponry, because metal was rare. A basic metal weapon was like finding a +3 sword. The players found that exciting, and it was definitely a fun twist.
Quote from: Pampero on September 11, 2021, 09:57:24 AM
Dragons conquer America is a book focused on the Mayan, Aztec and yes, Inca empire. Been reading it for a few days and it is very nifty for somebody who doesn't know a lot about these native civilizations like me.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/270512/Dragons-Conquer-America-Core-Book
Quote from: Tantavalist on September 11, 2021, 02:10:56 PM
Not a source for Mythology as such, but if you want to get a primer for how the Incan empire should feel and what makes it different from other civilisations in history then this is a very good thing to watch.
The entire channel is very good, I've yet to see a documentary in the series that didn't make me think about running a game in whatever period was described, but this is the specifically Incan one.
I can't think of anything, written or otherwise, that I'd recommend more to someone interested in gaming an Inca-based setting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRB9dJmZhVk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GkNOT2Q2hk
Quote from: VhaidraSaga on September 11, 2021, 02:16:59 PM
Legendary Games' Boricubos: Latin American Monsters and Adventures https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legendarygames/boricubos-latin-american-monsters-and-adventures
Frog God Games' Tehuatl available for 5e, S&W, or System Neutral: https://www.froggodgames.com/?s=Tehuatl&post_type=product
Thanks a lot, Pampero and Tantavalist and VhaidraSaga. I'll add that I just finished this novel by Antoine B. Daniel, which is nice for portraying life in the Incan Empire.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1097911.Incas
I'll try to collect links together for a resource page at some point.
There is this book on Amazon that could be a good book resource. I have similar books about Ancient Greece and Rome and these books are pretty comprehensive, as far as they can be based on current knowledge of these time periods.
https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Encyclopedia-Inca-Empire-Comprehensive/dp/0857234471/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=encyclopedia+of+the+incas&qid=1631553636&sr=8-1