The land of Tir is gorgeous but it is still rebuilding after a devastating war. It’s the setting for Angry Hampster Publishing’s Familiars of Terra RPG. The quickstart rules have been available on DriveThru RPG for free since February. I’ve read and enjoyed them. Familiars of Terra feels like a very different game from the publisher’s first Kickstarter Witch RPG. You can follow Familiars of Terra from this campaign page.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1568822309/familiars-of-terra-a-tabletop-roleplaying-game
[Back this Campaign]
Since the Quickstart rules are free a valid question to ask is about the pledge levels. A €10 (about £9) gets you the full colour PDF and all the unlocked PDF stretch goals. Step up to €25 and you’ll get a physical copy of the book too. Raise your backing to €50 and you’ll get the paper book, a familiar notebook, stickers and a quick reference card plus all the digital goodies. You can go higher but the top tier at €150 has sold out.
I don’t think it’s entirely wrong to be reminded of Pokemon. In fact, Elizabeth Chaipraditkul doesn’t shy away from this and notes;
If you love young adult fiction like The Golden Compass, Wild Magic, or shows like Digimon, then Familiars of Terra is for you! Mechanically we’ve taken inspiration from our favourite games like Blades in the Dark and Monsterhearts and a few card based games like Pokemon. Combining our favourite media and games with our passion for cool animals has created a unique card-based game.
The familiars in the game progress in a similar way as the characters do. Your familiar could grow horns or even sparkle with electric energy (like a popular yellow rat).
I think it’s important to note the Blades in the Dark inspriation too. This isn’t a four colour cartoon fantasy. This is a world recovering from a war – and it doesn’t feel finished to me. There’s still the Badlands, huge chunks of territory that’s been twisted by bombing, where spirits cry out in pain and hybrids wander. The enemy nation, Plinth, the aggressor in the war has closed its borders and there’s a darkness there. Every single person in Plinth acts as one and each with the name ‘Emilia’ on their lips.
