Hi everyone, I am currently working on a pbtA-Hack set in Colonial Mexico, going by the title MOSAIC.

Hi everyone, I am currently working on a pbtA-Hack set in Colonial Mexico, going by the title MOSAIC.

Hi everyone, I am currently working on a pbtA-Hack set in Colonial Mexico, going by the title MOSAIC.

I uploaded what I have got so far, and would be very grateful for your help and feedback:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zELiZNrsQBk-JeSlMNwAGrwg8XMx6VpCrMytVTdxhfs/edit?usp=sharing

What’s the game about?

Adventurers from different cultural backgrounds have to learn to work together in this “New World”, while the threat of the walking dead arises.

– 5 Playbooks: Spanish Conquistador, African Freedman, Aztec Priest, Japanese Samurai and Chinese Wanderer

– “Multiclassing” as standard: Playbooks are mixed according to individual cultural heritages of the PC (aka the Mosaic).

– Character traits, bonuses to rolls, helping others and advancement fueled by one simple point economy.

– Violence through misunderstanding: Pay to Interact with NPC – or there will be blood.

– Trust and influence inside of the group deceide between cooperation and culture clash.

Everything is still very much WIP, but every comment is appreciated!

Cheers, Stefan

24 thoughts on “Hi everyone, I am currently working on a pbtA-Hack set in Colonial Mexico, going by the title MOSAIC.”

  2. I know nothing about the historical presence of Chinese and Japanese in Mexico! Tell me more?

    And hold up, the five playbooks are about your characters heritage? Neat!

  4. Meguey Baker: It’s a real thing! Spain established the so called “Manila Trade”, route from Mexico to China, and via this, chinese Merchants and Artisans migrated to Mexico. And it is also known that the Spanish employed Japanese Mercenaries to guard their interests e.g. on the Phillipines, so why not take them all the way to Mexico?

    Of course I took some liberties with historical dates and details (e.g. “Chinese” were often Philipinos etc.), but it’s just too great to leave out! 😉

    About Playbooks/Heritage: Not quite (although it is great idea by itself!) – you indeed play a Conquistador, Priest, Samurai etc., but you make some choices during character creation that tell us, where you come from and what cultural ties you have.

    For example: A Conquistador always has a link to Spanish Culture. But when he takes the Background “Explorer”, something about him is linked to Africa and Japan, as well! The Player deceides, how these connections play out – so he could have just aquired a taste for african cuisine and music, or indeed be an African himself, working for/with the Spaniards!

    Mechanically, this PC would choose some traits from the Conquistador (Spanish), but also from the Playbooks of the Freedman (African) and the Samurai (Japanese).

    This “multiclassing” means, that with just 5 Playbooks, you can get a wide range of different characters, all primarily defined by their cultural background.

  7. Oh, for serious, add in Philipino Sailor! Represent! Further questions: what’s the time period? I’ve just been reading A Voyage Long and Strange, which has great chapters on the Spanish invasion of South America and the surrounding lands.

  8. Meguey Baker: I will keep the Philipino in mind for a possible expansion, just as the English Sea Dog (dangerous lutheran heretic, this one!), Chichimeca nomads from the northern desert (or other native tribes, Zapotecs, Maya, Inca) … maybe as further “customization-pack” of the other playbooks … hmm … worth a thought! 🙂

    The time period will be the late 16th century, starting in 1571 (exactly 52 years = one “Aztec Century” after the spanish conquest). A lot going on there: Pacific trade established, english pirates at the coast, war with nomad rebels, Inquisition arrives …

  9. Oh goodness, all those playbooks are good! Let folks know you have those in mind! And yeah, this is totally an apocalyptic period for the region, with world-ending/shifting events happening. Cool.

  10. Stefan Droste With apologies for the light humor, but I now have a certain Monty Python line coming to mind as the Japanese and Chinese characters enter a scene, only to be met with the local equivalent of “what are you doing in Mexico?” from the first guards they bump into…  (grin)

    That said, this looks fantastic!  Thanks for sharing!

  15. Adam Goldberg thanks for your heads up on commas. They are bugging me even in my own language. 😉 I will look to it (and of course will seek out a native speaker for proof-reading sooner or later).

  16. Stefan Droste, I’ve barely stopped thinking about this game since you posted it. The setting is amazing, and it’s inspired me to go researching the period, which is fascinating. The mosaic mechanics look interesting too. There are some grammar and spelling issues, as others have mentioned, but I would be happy to proof read for you. If you’re interested, how would you like me to send feedback?

  17. Stephen Morffew Great to hear that! Yes, it is still a very rough draft, containing lots of errors etc. It is a look into early design process, if you will. Proof reading will be necessary, but maybe not yet, as there will still be changes.

    It would be great if you could comment Feedback directly into the Google Doc, so I can refer directly to the passages in question, and others could see them, as well!

  18. I really like the idea of this, but for some reason reading the Mosaic rules just made my eyes glaze over… I’ll save it for the weekend and try again once my brain isn’t overloaded from work.

  21. Allright, due to popular demand (and for many good reasons), I rebuilt the Playbook of the Chinese Wanderer to represent Filipino Travellers (Adventurerers, Pirates and Traders) instead!

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/m4mg7b8iugcf3hy/MosaicPlaybooks_FirstDraft.pdf?dl=0

    And by doing so, I even found a way to bring back the sex move from AW:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/the-strange-sexual-quirk-of-filipino-seafarers/278285/

    😉

  22. I definitely approve of the Filipino Traveller playbook. Although I’ve read the playbooks, I haven’t reviewed them like the main document, because they’re a pdf not a Google doc. Do you want feedback on the playbooks too, and if so how would you like it?

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