unfamiliar
A downloadable game
a game of magic familiars in unfamiliar places
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familiars
You were once a magic familiar, faithful animal companion to a powerful spellcaster. Over time you learned to wield your own magic, humble as it was compared to your master. It wasn’t an easy existence — sleepless nights, painful experiments, being thrown into the thick of battle at a moment’s notice — but it was certainly an exciting one. Whatever the costs, you paid them without complaint, like a loyal familiar should.
It was a strange life, but it was yours. Until it wasn’t.
strays
Those days are behind you now. Maybe you were separated from your master, beyond either of your control. Maybe they died, in the depths of some dungeon or slumped over their spellbook. Maybe they traded you in for a new familiar, or decided to build their own from scratch. Most likely they told you to wait somewhere and simply never came back.
However it happened, you were on your own, masterless and adrift, and for all your magic and cunning you were nothing more than a common stray.
adventurers
Luckily, you weren’t alone. The world is full of strays, including former familiars like yourself. Somehow a few of you found one another, and, united by your pasts, decided to make a future together. Now you travel without masters, towards new horizons and unfamiliar lands.
It won’t be an easy life — strange threats, empty bellies, a world that sees you as nothing more than simple beasts — but it’ll be an exciting one. More importantly, it’ll be truly your own.
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Development log
- unfamiliar - open playtestDec 21, 2024
Comments
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hi! first of all, i love love love the idea of playing as a group of (un)familiars. i don't think i've seen many narratives with that premise, and it has so much potential. it feels so tragic and so fierce at the same time. i love how the experience benchmarks change as your character grows, and how well it ties to the themes of the game. it was seriously a genius idea.
i'd love to learn more about this world, and my only wish is that there was more for the gamekeeper to work with in the way of creating conflict (although that is largely because i want to run the game for my friends and i am very much a beginner GM haha)
if you allow it, i would love to translate this game to brazilian portuguese. i'm working on my portfolio and i've made it something of a personal quest to translate as many games from the Mutal Aid Jam as I can, and this game was an absolutely delightful read. like i said, i want to run this game for my friends, and though some of them do speak english, i also have friends who don't, and i'd love them to read this. i'd send you the translated file once i'm finished, and i'd only ask that you credit me when you post it. of course, if you don't want that, it's no problem! i'll let you know if i do end up running a short campaign. i'm definitely excited to try it!
So glad you like it. I'd love to have a translated version, and will happily credit you when I post it.
I haven't thought too much about the specifics of the world, but I was picturing something with similar vibes to the Bone comics, if that helps. As for running it, I recommend Mutual Aid Missions for Small Towns by @OneTapAdventures, also submitted to the Mutual Aid Jam. Any of the scenarios in it could be tweaked to be about animal communities, or left as is.
Thanks again, and please share any feedback if you decide to run it. Cheers :)
Stray familiars is a brilliant premise… bravo! It prompted me to write a post on how I might incorporate it into my game. Thanks a bunch!
So glad to hear it. Just reading the post now, and checking out Of Yarn and Bone. Thanks for sharing.
Is there any particular order the Gifts are in? They're not sorted alphabetically or by cost, which makes them quite hard to reference.
They're in the order that they appear on the natures table. As in, the dog's gifts, then the cats, etc. I was worried that might be unclear though, so that's good to know. When I revise I'll consider simple alphabetical. Thanks :)
This is an open playtest of the game. If you have any feedback, please either leave a comment or send an email to the address below:
info.feature.creep@gmail.com
Thank you!