During one of the recent sales at DriveThruRPG, I picked up a copy of Mythic D6: Bastion, a micro-setting for Khepera Publishing’s Mythic D6 system authored by Jerry D. Grayson. The Mythic D6 engine is a solid system from the handfuls of d6s category. Mythic D6: Bastion, as an “Afrocentric sword and sorcery fantasy” campaign setting, was high on my list to check out.
MYTHIC D6?
For Free RPG Day 2019, Khepera Publishing offered the zine-sized Mythic D6 Quick Start, a short guide to playing their Mythic D6 system. I did a review of it at EN World (here) and Linda Whitson did a review of it for d20 Radio (here). My opinion is that it’s a worthwhile addition to gaming. To quote Linda (because quoting myself is gauche), the Mythic D6 Quick Starter includes “not only dice rolling mechanics but clear examples in the short quickstart rules.” It’s a tight book with all you need to know if you like the system or not.
The engine involves combining an attribute plus a skill to get the number of d6s you’ll roll. You roll against a Target Number of successes (with a 4 or higher on a die being a success). The secret sauce is the use of a Wild Die (one of the d6s). If the Wild Die is a 6, it explodes (count that success and roll again) while a 1 from the Wild Die generates a critical failure.
MYTHIC D6: BASTION. HONOR * SACRIFICE * FIGHT * PROTECT
“Bastion is a fantasy game set in the last city at the edge of the world. Bastion consists of a post-apocalyptic setting where the heroes explore the wasteland to find survivors of the final great global holocaust. At its core, Bastion is about the sacrifice the heroes will make to defend the remnants of life left in a world corrupted by a wasting plague harrowing the land.”
Written by Matthew Bottiglieri, Elizabeth Chaipraditkul, Jerry D. Grayson, Kieran Turley, Allen Turner, Lloyd Gyan, and Doug Bramlett with edits by Jen Sadler, this book is 148 pages of post-apocalyptic Afrocentric sword and sorcery. This is a dark world in which your characters are the last shining lights of hope. They work to save what remains of humanity and rekindle its dying flames.
This game describes the PCs as “front-loaded” meaning you come out of the gate with enough options and powers to win battles. There’s no emphasis on grinding to level up to start having “real” adventures, you’re ready to go from jump.
While character creation and all of the rules for gameplay requires the Mythic D6 Revised & Expanded rulebook from Khepera Publishing, there’s still a great deal that can be pulled from this book. There are five races of Ife Oodaye to choose from (Akani [human], Rijal-Alhajar [rock people], Solari [Human Torches], Tunannu [lizardfolk], and Umbari [a race made of shadows]) and two additional Attributes for this world (Corruption Pool and Corruption Threshold). Each race has a description, a clear portrait, and two racial skills that create distance between the races. The characters have sigils which offer them powers over and above their inborn abilities. There are five professions that your character can be that offer Attributes and starting equipment. However, the biggest help to make this feel like a unique world is the extensive number of naming options. Knowing what to name your character is key to making this world feel authentic.
THE RITUAL OF LEAVING BASTION
What makes Bastion stand out? To ground the setting, the language and moments are inspired by West African stories and by Jerry Grayson’s version of Twi, a language spoken in Ghana. “Most of the words here are my form of pidgin Twi, and I apologize when I make an egregious error.”
You play adventurers leaving the last city in the world in the hopes of saving others or finding things that are needed. This is a big deal. Literally. Every time you leave the city it is a moment of pomp and circumstance as demonstrated in the Ritual of Leaving. This entails meeting at the city’s gates, being blessed in a ceremony that edges into religious reverence including a mantra with callbacks from the crowd. Then the heroes have their names recorded in the Book of Heroes. A child gives the final blessing before the gates open, a horn is blown, and the citizens offer prayers. It makes the world feel realized and unique.
THE ART
While limited in the amount of artwork in the book, each image is strong. The decision was to go for quality over quantity and that’s always the right decision. Who wants to see a number of poorly rendered pictures? Instead, Bastion features a curated collection of images and maps sprinkled throughout the book.
SHOULD YOU PLAY IN BASTION?
Mythic D6: Bastion from Khepera Publishing is an opportunity to break out of Forgotten Realms, and its derivatives, to find a fantasy world that feels unique for the simple fact that it’s not steeped in imagined western European tropes. This sourcebook offers details about the concepts, cultures, and equipment of the inhabitants of this world. With a focus on weapons, there are some cool options to arm your character. The bestiary includes eighteen monsters to fight, each with a half page of information and an image. That does not include the Obonsam, the enemy that is destroying the world. There’s more to the book with locations details, environmental concerns, a calendar, story hooks, and everything you expect to find.
Should you play Bastion? It’s a strong setting for a good rule system, yet it is manageable in size (no need to synthesis 500 pages of content). But if you want to test out the system, I recommend the Mythic D6 Quick Start which should whet your appetite for this engine and setting.
For more information on Mythic D6 and Bastion, try Khepera Publishing’s website.
Mythic D6 from Khepera Publishing is available at:
- DriveThruRPG (PDF)
- Noble Knight Games (Print)
- Indie Press Revolution (Print and PDF)
Mythic D6: Bastion from Khepera Publishing is available at:
- DriveThruRPG (PDF)
- Noble Knight Games (Print)
NOTE: This article includes affiliate links to DriveThruRPG and Noble Knight Games. As a DriveThruRPG Affiliate and a Noble Knight Games Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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