About Biashara
Biashara is a fantasy role-playing game inspired by medieval African cultures. In this alternative universe, Dihya Al Kahina has not opted for a scorched-earth strategy to defend the Maghreb. Instead, she turned to the monarchs of West Africa for help. With their support, the Umayyad Caliphate was repelled, limiting its African expansion to the territories of Byzantine Egypt.
This victory of the African kingdoms led to a decline in the Mediterranean influence of the Byzantine and Sassanid empires, causing upheavals in political, economic and social dynamics. As the Silk Roads spread across the land and Mediterranean trade revived, the powerful competed to secure the lion's share of wealth. New alliances are formed and broken between African monarchs, but also with outside powers, in a constant quest for control and influence.
In this clan-based society, where each clan specializes in one or more fields, players must work to increase their family's renown. Families, often grouped into clans or tribes, are defined by a totem, symbolizing their purpose, divine protection and profession. Within a clan, families ally themselves around the same totem, while in a tribe, each family has its own. The more prestige a family gains, the greater its influence and decision-making authority within the clan, making the quest for prestige essential to ensure its domination and longevity.
Our game proposal
Within your family, you will work for the greatness and continuity of your totem. Whether you belong to a tribe or a clan, the nature of your relationships with others will depend on the totem you choose. Complementary totems will facilitate social and commercial agreements with other families. But beware: if they are too similar, they could cause conflicts of interest, leading to rivalry. It's up to you to make sure you maintain your influence and make yours prosper.
Bear in mind that your contribution to the totem has consequences beyond your lifetime. So when you die, your soul will be weighed by Oya and Shango, Orixas of Justice. If they judge that you have contributed significantly to your totem and honored your time spent among humans, they may allow your soul to regenerate, or be reborn.
For those who have made a significant contribution to the transformation of humanity, you will be elevated to the rank of Orixa. Your family will then be ennobled, and your next character will become the prophet of a new divinity: YOU.
Folklore
Rites and beliefs are mainly inspired by Yoruba animism and its derivatives in Latin and Central America. The pantheon and mythology are African, Brazilian and West Indian. The pantheon is populated by Orixas, former humans now deified. They are the guides of humanity, guardians of knowledge and holders of magic. Each Orixa is the exclusive protector of his own domain. Mythological creatures are divided according to the origin of their myth. The idea is to reinforce the identity of each region by relying on local fantasy.
In addition to the family, life in society is organised around access to natural resources. This defines the way of living. It is nomadic when it is mobile, depending on the migratory flows of herds, harvesting and seasonal events. It is sedentary when access to natural resources is based on permanent management of local territories.
Game mechanics
We've designed a game engine with no tracking, where a character's efficiency depends on their vitality (a combination of physical and mental health).
Each degree of sanity is associated with a type of die, which is used for all the rolls to be performed. Losing vitality therefore means losing efficiency, and invites players to adjust the way they deal with a situation.