Opening Up Pathways Forward
As a freelancer in the TTRPG game design space, I take opportunities as I find them, or sometimes as they find me. Being in the right place at the right time plays a role in that, as does my overall schedule and available head space. But those passive elements are only half the story. At the end of the day I make a choice, an active decision to invest my time and resources into a project that will deliver some return on my investment. In simple cases, this is a fairly straightforward exchange: words for money at an agreed upon rate, to be delivered on or before an agreed upon time, with payment on completion and acceptance of the work. At other times however, an idea foists itself on my consciousness and won’t let go until I write it down, regardless of whether I expect to get paid or not. Then there are those happy moments where a freelance work opportunity and the restless need to write converge onto a single track and push forward together. Such was the happenstance with Tastes Like Heaven, Smells Like Hell, an adventure scenario I wrote for the Pariah TTRPG.
The Pariah game from ATELIER HWEI is a standalone, OSR compatible ruleset that captures “the weird world of proto-neolithic roleplay.” I backed the Pariah Kickstarter in 2020 right around the same time that I was writing for Unbreakable Vol. 1, an Own Voices, Asian-inspired adventure compilation for 5e (about which I’ve previously posted). Hot on the heels of Unbreakable‘s positive reception, volumes 2 and 3 (Revolutions and Pathways respectively) were quickly spun up as sequel projects to include adventures for systems other than D&D5e.
Writing and art commenced at a good clip, but 2020 was also a year of instability and global impact, and for a while, it seemed Unbreakable: Pathways might not see the light of day. But as they say, life finds a way, and through the persistence and efforts of the project’s leads Jacky Leung and Caroline Amaba, at the end of the day we have a beautiful book to share with everyone.
Unbreakable: Pathways book; cover by Caroline Amaba; interior illustration for Ghost Festival by Sonya Henar
Seven adventures for seven game systems might sound like a daunting task (or the title of an off-off-broadway musical), but the writing, art, and layout do manage to come together in a coherent and cohesive way that speaks to both the unity and eclectic tastes of those cast members who contributed to the production:
- The Ghost Festival by Hans Chun, Kevin Thien Vu Long Nguyen (for Year Zero Engine SRD)
- The Price of Fish by Ava Islam (for Errant)
- Meandering Rivers by Dr. Eric G. Yee (for Dungeon World or similar PbtA systems)
- A Family Affair by Liana Mackenzie (for Valor: the Heroic Roleplay System)
- Fly Me to (the Lady on) the Moon by Alyx Bui and Eric G. Yee (Powered by Lesbians)
- The Forgotten River by Peter Cargill (compatible with Old-School Essentials (OSE) and Godbound)
Produced by Jacky Leung, Jaye Eisinger, Doug Riechel. Layout & Graphics Design by Caroline Amaba
Edited by Rob Abrazado, Lexi Antoku, Max Fefer, Brent Jans, Doug Riechel
Sensitivity & Cultural Consultations by Mariam Ahmad, Omi Chun, Christopher Hurd, Pamela Punzalan, Colette Quacch
Cover Design by Caroline Amaba. Original Artwork by Alika Gupta, Angeli Rafer, Brian Phongluangtham, Cammiella Gwisdalla, H. "Ink" Kugler, Herman Lau, Kathryne Wilson, Mia Mercury, Nala Wu, Sonya Henar, Tiona Miche, Tor War
As for my small part, I wrote Tastes Like Heaven, Smells Like Hell (for PARIAH by Atelier Hwei), a short adventure set in the Bukubo Archipelago (inspired by notions of proto-neolithic Philippines) about a wedding, generational differences, tribal disputes, and of course food. As the title suggests, the king of fruits plays a focal role throughout. Turning the delicately delicious yet overpoweringly pungent fruit into an a potent Pariah enthoegen seemed a natural thing to do, and what better way to enrich the southeast asian inspired roleplay than to peel and eat some fresh durian at the game table? (For a milder olfactory experience, you might substitute a durian milkshake from your favorite restaurant or dessert shop instead.)
Writing about the Filipino foods and cultural experiences I grew up with took me back to simpler times, when my whole life was still ahead of me, a life of possibilities and infinite paths forward into the future. Upon the book’s release I now find myself once more thinking like my much younger self, looking forward with great expectations. I may no longer be the carefree twelve year-old I once was, but I still see life sprawling out ahead of me, full of promise. Perhaps it is my own children imparting on me their youthful outlook, or perhaps it is simply the wisdom of old(er) age granting me an optimistic lens through which to view the world. Whatever the case may be, I aim to walk the paths, not of least resistance, but those most fulfilling and rewarding to follow.
Adventure splash page; art by Kathryne Emily Erlano Wilson
Tastes Like Heaven, Smells Like Hell was recently published in Unbreakable: Pathways which is available now on DriveThruRPG.
Pariah is available as a pdf on itch.io or print on demand (POD) on DriveThruRPG.
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