The Wagadu Chronicles is an African-inspired role playing game (RPG) steeped in the folklore, magick, history, and indigenous traditions of the continent – creating “an authentic experience for underserved and underrepresented players”.
The Afrofantasy massively multiplayer online game (MMOPRG), which is entirely focused on roleplaying, combines the mythologies of Africa with the fantasy storytelling tradition of Europe into a new and vibrant world.
In order to create this fantasy world, Twin Drums, the startup behind The Wagadu Chronicles, asked themselves: “What if Tolkien were black?”. Twin Drums explained: “Just as Tolkien did, a lot of time was spent researching the mythologies and traditions of people, but in this case across the African continent. The result is seven “lineages”, which are similar to fantasy “races” but more nuanced, with overlapping cultures and more fluid identities.
“Imagine skill trees, village management, craft systems and countless other features, all built so that you can create rich characters full of memories and quirks.”
Available as both a tabletop roleplaying setting compatible with Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) 5E and a planned MMO for PC focused on in-character roleplaying in its virtual Afrofantasy world, The Wagadu Chronicles’ lore was written in consultation with African biologists and elders to ensure it remained authentic.
Twin Drums CEO and Creative Director Allan Cudici describes the game as “Animal Crossing meets Dungeons and Dragons in an African sauce.”
Players can roleplay based on their character’s background and the lore of it’s fictional location Wagadu. Online, players can choose to be anything from fishers to hunters, magicians to traders, and roleplay in a way that best benefits their home villages. Those who want to experience Wagadu as a tabletop game can use a guide and rule book also created by Wagadu’s creators, Twin Drums.
The Wagadu Chronicles’ D&D 5E-compatible setting book includes detail on the world’s lore and cultures, as well as class options, character backgrounds, magical items and spells for players to use. It adopts D&D’s class system in its tabletop supplement, featuring the core roles of the fantasy RPG: paladin, bard, cleric, barbarian, druid, fighter, monk, hunter and rogue. Two adventures will feature in the book, complete with maps, locations, monsters and plot hooks.
The MMO videogame will offer a more flexible progression system that allows players to invest experience points in individual skills such as cartography, archery and animal husbandry to create a character with a unique set of talents.
Both the videogame and offline D&D 5E-compatible setting book are expected to launch in 2022.
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living, and entertainments
Life & Soul Magazine 