Pinoy-made tabletop RPG ‘Home Again’ to be released on June 18

“Home Again,” a tabletop RPG about reclaiming cultural heritage and identity, will be officially released this June 18, 2019.

The announcement was made by the game’s developer, Chicago-based Filipina game designer Nell Raban.

READ: Q&A: Nell Raban, the Filipina who developed 'Home Again,'a tabletop RPG about reclaiming one's lost cultural heritage

The full version of the game will be available this June 18 for $15 on the “Home Again” itch.io page. You can, however, already purchase the game’s Early Access version for $10.

The full version of “Home Again” will be available in PDF format. Players will receive an A5-sized rulebook with around 40 pages containing rules for playing and running the game; guidelines for character and setting creation; descriptions of the six playbooks (or “character classes”); and a sample scenario entitled “Applewood.”

Players will also be entitled to playbook sheets, move sheets, and other reference materials.

In addition, “Home Again” now features a full-color cover design (see below) by Filipina artist Bim Canoza a.k.a. Momatoes.

By Filipina artist Momatoes

“Home Again” is about “reclaiming a cultural identity that was once lost, and the challenges that marginalized people face in doing so,” said Raban. It explores issues such as otherness and community.

In the game, you play as one of the Tao people. Some 40 years ago, a mysterious catastrophe tore through their island, transporting them to a bustling metropolis not unlike modern-day Earth’s own cities.

Today, the Tao have all but forgotten their previous life on the island. Part of the player's goal is therefore to remember what came before the cataclysm. A chief source of conflict will be city’s institutions, who “block the player characters from being able to reclaim memories or correct injustice,” said Raban.

“The drive of the game lies in the player characters’ overcoming that amnesia and other stressors through magic and togetherness,” she said. “As they work together to fight the injustices that plague their community, they also discover who they are and improve the status quo.”

Raban aims to provide “the frameworks for stories about and by people who are underrepresented in media, specifically from a Filipino diaspora perspective. I think we have such a rich history and culture and it's a shame we don't have the visibility.”

Check out the game’s official page. — LA, GMA News