African Adventures: I Want More!

[Silver Moon]

That Dungeon series had four excellent modules, all of which began at the same jungle trading post of Fort Thunder. My group recently played the one titled "Land of Men with Tails". I had also tied in the 1st Edition module "Drums of Fire Mountain" which also has an African theme.

 

[Voadam]

I think I once saw an ad for an Indiana Jones RPG supplement set in Africa. I'd expect some of the Pulp Genre RPGs to possibly have African themed stuff.

 

[ptolemy18]

I think I once saw an ad for an Indiana Jones RPG supplement set in Africa. I'd expect some of the Pulp Genre RPGs to possibly have African themed stuff.

I'd rather have the source material be at least D&D, if not 3.X, for ease of conversion. (Although that "Aesheba" thing is *so* tempting...)

Thanks for the suggestions for all the Dungeon articles. Does anyone remember the exact issue numbers?

Jason

 

[Tonguez]

My advice is to send your PCs to the 'Sahel/Sudan' analogue. The Sahel is the Savanah land south of the Sahara Desert whereas the Sudan is the more fertile pastur south of this area (its southern border mergers into the tropical 'jungle zone' which most associate with africa). The Sahel includes Ethiopia whereas the Sudan includes places like the Kingdom of Mali (and the city of Timbuktu).

This area has a few advantages that allows you to adapt all manner of adventures even those based in Medieval Europe

1. Many of its Rulers converted to Islam whereas the people maintained the traditional beleifs (thus allowing you to use the Zakhara/Arabian Adventures material freely)
2. The cultures of the area include horseriding 'knights' dressed in chainmail and metal helmets and armed with spears, swords and bows (ie its a got Medieval Kingdoms!!!)
3. A Metropolitan civilisation (eg Timbuktu in Mali was a recognised center of Trade and Scholarship) giving cities to explore
4. The abilty to range north (into the Sahara and Egypt) or South into the uncharted Jungles
5. A range of class analogues including Bards (Griot) and Scorcerers
6. Some amazing History/Legend
7. Some funky Magic items (for instance a flying ball that was made from the severed heads of two dead women)

I've run two campaign set in the this area basing things on a mix of the Kingdom of Mali, the Hausa states . I used the legend of Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa's pilgrimage as source material (liberally mixed with other legends and my own fancy)

 

[Tonguez]

Oh and never liked Aesheba - it was okay in some of its ideas but I couldn't help but get the feeling that it was painting everything African as primitive and everything Greek as civilised

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Um...since when is Nyambe discontinued? Its still up on the Atlas Games site, and I still see it in the stores.

BTW- Atlas just released Northern Crown- the RPG treatement of a New World America contemporaneous to Nyambe, and borrowing some of its elements. Its pretty good, as far as I can tell.

If Nyambe IS out of print, I can only imagine that if Northern Crown is successful, the fact that NC ties into Nyambe will force a reprint of some kind.

 

[William Ronald]

Oh and never liked Aesheba - it was okay in some of its ideas but I couldn't help but get the feeling that it was painting everything African as primitive and everything Greek as civilised

That was one of my grumbles about the product, and the assumption that some types of magic were inherently superior to others.

 

[Crothian]

Um...since when is Nyambe discontinued? Its still up on the Atlas Games site, and I still see it in the stores.
.

It might not be out of print at this time, but they are no longer planning on producing suppliments for it and haven't for a a while

 

[ptolemy18]

My advice is to send your PCs to the 'Sahel/Sudan' analogue. The Sahel is the Savanah land south of the Sahara Desert whereas the Sudan is the more fertile pastur south of this area (its southern border mergers into the tropical 'jungle zone' which most associate with africa). The Sahel includes Ethiopia whereas the Sudan includes places like the Kingdom of Mali (and the city of Timbuktu).

Interesting! I hadn't even heard the term "Sahel" before.

Technically, all the awesome Mali stuff is from a later period in history -- like the 13-14th century AD -- and my game is supposedly set around 100 BC -- but since I've already modified real history with, say, DRAGONS AND MAGIC I suppose it's okay to advance Mali to a cooler period of history...

jason

 

[Stormrunner]

One thing I was somewhat disappointed about in Nyambe was the near-complete lack of gnolls. I mean, Hello: Africa? Hyenas? I was expecting more on gnoll society (maybe even a non-Yeenoghu-worshipping one), perhaps a Lost Gnoll Civilization, etc. Instead we get yet another variatin on orcs. Meh. Real-world hyenas are so weird that I feel a lot could be done with hyeana-ish monsters/races. Ursula Vernon's online comic "Digger" has a hyenaish race who keep trying to eat our heroine - I love their theology, revolving around "She-Who-Is-Fiercer" and her mate, who was corrupted by "a dark whisper" (Yeenoghu?).