Aunter’s world

Aesthetics

Anime aesthetics (Ghibli, Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, Dragon Ball)

Human beings with animal heads and skins (possible hybrids and moults) but who eat, breathe and move like human beings (possible nod to their animal form) (Blacksad)

Traces of ancient civilizations destroyed by an ecological cataclysm

Unusual settings and life forms, constant sources of discovery and wonder (colossal, musical, luminous, floating, hybrid, etc.).

Culture

Complex ecosystems (secret, fragile, hostile, etc.)

Small, scattered rural communities with original cultures, often endearing, sometimes cruel, with an economy based on the ecosystem or the recycling of ruins.

SoL, the capital and state of the same name, embodying modernity with its mill towns, industrial revolution and commercial network of aircraft, suggesting a nascent colonial empire (although weapons are banned). The origin of SoL's power is not, as propaganda claims, a superior political model, but creatures sacrificed to tear the earth's crust and gain access to unlimited geothermal energy.

Aura

The Aura is a source of magical powers that makes the uniqueness of each being manifest, making it visible and amplifying it, sometimes to extraordinary levels: fairy-like machines, fantastic hybridizations, legendary martial arts, bewitching rituals and so on.

These fill-in-the-blanks elements give you the freedom to tackle themes such as truth,beauty, efficiency, community, and liberation.

Gameplay

2+ people, 13+ years old, 12 x 1h

In Aunter, you play different characters in an imaginary world. You'll bring them face to face with obstacles to help them evolve. Most of the game is spent inventing challenges and devising creative solutions.

Aunter lets you tell stories about growing up, stories of contradictions overcome, but also of tragic mistakes, disillusionment and renunciation.

The world will take shape in all its complexity as you multiply your characters and follow their paths, like so many mouseholes in a wheel of cheese.

In a nutshell, the rules balance three dynamics: creative open-mindedness, demanding and difficult challenges, and character development in a complex world.

Never played a role-playing game?

We tell imaginary adventures like children. Sometimes we listen and imagine in our heads what our character would do, say or think. Other times, we tell what our character is doing or what's happening, and the others listen. Since everyone makes things up as they listen, you never know what's going to happen next. So we discover our characters through different situations, and the stories of this world grow like beans. Sometimes there's an obstacle, a mystery, or something that stands in the way, and then one of us becomes “GM”. GM plays that something, and arbitrates and decides which solutions will unblock the situation. It's a chance to use your wits.

Have you ever played some commercial TTRPGs?

Here we'll be “playing the world, not the rules.” We do have characters with strengths and weaknesses, but we don't roll the dice to determine success. It's GM who decides whether the proposed solution is a good one. As a result, everything moves faster, and PCs come up with more original solutions. In exchange, everyone takes more creative responsibility. What's more, we play with GM rotating and with ultra-light preparation. We pay less attention to mechanical rules and more to each other and to the story in the making. If you adapt to this style of play, you'll go from character to GM more and more smoothly, relying on each other and random tables to improvise with less effort.

Ever played weird indie games?

This is essentially a freeform game. During conflicts, GM becomes a referee in the style of New School Revolution. PCs then play to win: player skill is expected to solve problems with astuteness. But what does “winning” mean? That depends on your character's perspective. A play to lose / play to lift approach is therefore also profitable. You can change your character, but not your world. Finally, a transversal mechanic, the Crowns, introduces some Belonging outside Belonging-style drama.

This work is still in development, feel free to comment!

cover by Luichemax

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