Hi everyone. I wanted to talk about a few things, given the lack of public updates and content.
The Kraken’s Wake
Tales of Jemmora: The Kraken’s Wake will not return until we are able to safely record at the TV station. We tried playing online, but as a group, we ultimately decided against it. The group will continue playing our game offline and off-stream until COVID is well under control. Once we return to the streaming, we will pick back up with a recap. We hope to do a soft reboot to refresh audiences and reintroduce the PCs, NPCs, and setting.
The Jemmora Setting
Jemmora’s lore and several nations are changing considerably. I’ve been listening to BIPOC creators in the TTRPG space about problems with settings (particularly D&D). I’m not sure if Jemmora was particularly problematic, but a number of things didn’t sit right with me.
Kirinjo is now Lunmolor. The focus on arcane rituals remains, but the tone of the empire has shifted from “mysticism” to neon artifice.
Lillinosti is now a kingdom of three provinces. All three varieties of elves are equals, and fey saboteurs are the primary source of tension in the kingdom.
Since fantasy is whatever we make of it, most if not all people in Jemmora enjoy some level of access to healthcare. This means that characters can find devices such as prosthetics or mobility aides if they wish. In particular, a character may start with mustangsart’s Combat Wheelchair as part of their starting equipment, if needed. Additionally, standard prosthetics in Jemmora do not require attunement.
In the vein of Arcanist Press’s Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5E, I’ve put in some work to make “folk” and cultural feats to replace “race.” This also has the added benefit of making Jemmora OGL compatible! One thing to note is that your choice of folk does not grant ability score modifiers – Jemmora uses the Class Modifier Module by GabeJamesGames.
Making the Game Better
In addition to the changes I noted above, there are some game mechanics changes and house rules I’m working on to improve the game. These include things like an alternative XP system, better frameworks for social interaction and debate (using Social Combat by Thomas Edrington and Scraigon Earthart-Stokes) as well as exploration (using some mods by the Angry GM), and some optional rules to give combat a little more bite to it.
As always, Tales of Jemmora is supposed to be fun for everyone. And that means you, too! So if there’s been something that’s part of the setting or the show that is a problem, please let me know.
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