'Nuna' - BRP Design Challenge Winner Heads to Kickstarter This Month - TGN

Chaosium has announced that Nuna, one of the winning entries from their 2024 BRP Design Challenge, will soon be launching on Kickstarter. Created by Tedankhamen Bonnah, a NunatuKavut (Labrador Inuit) professor of Global Society Studies, Nuna presents a roleplaying game that blends elements of indigenous and modern cultures from Bonnah’s own background.

Set in Nuna (“the Land”), the game is based in a frozen world where ancient cities lie beneath the ice and mystical creatures roam the tundra. Using Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying (BRP) engine, players can take on roles such as Inuit or Settlers (Vikings, Whalers, and Scientists) who work together to survive in the environment, uncover lost technologies, and strengthen their communities.

The game offers a Social Interaction system that highlights the importance of community-building in Nuna. Characters who lose their community become Wanderers, facing challenges to their mental stability until they can integrate into a new community. Alternatively, players can opt out of these rules if they prefer a more traditional adventure-style experience.

Character backgrounds offer various abilities tied to their cultural heritage. Inuit characters communicate with the land and its spirits, Vikings invoke Norse gods, Scientists repair ancient technologies, and Whalers navigate the icy seas. The environment also plays a central role, with weather patterns and creatures like shapeshifters and fenris wolves adding challenges.

Nuna draws on four mythic traditions—Inuit, Viking, Scientist, and Whaler—each shaping the monsters and worldviews within the game.

The game will feature artwork from Canadian and indigenous artists, supporting the cultural communities from which it draws inspiration. Nuna is being published independently under Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying Universal Game Engine rules and the ORC license.

The Kickstarter campaign for Nuna will launch on October 22. Interested backers can visit the pre-launch page to sign up for updates.