This week marks the finale of Beadle & Grimm’s latest Kickstarter: Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game — Voyage of the Unity, a collab with Nickelodeon and Magpie Games to create a brand new adventure in Magpie’s Avatar Legends game. With a whole range of in-universe handouts and gameplay tools, the campaign has already raised over $470,000 against a $50,000 goal.
Set in the Roku Era, Voyage of the Unity is a series of five linked adventures that can be played individually, or as a campaign that takes the companions from unknowns on their first journey to respected members of the crew. Journeying across the Four Nations, the Unity offers players and GMs a unique frame for a campaign—a globetrotting set of adventures that showcase everything the Four Nations have to offer.
“The outpouring of support for this collaboration with Magpie Games and Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game has been epic, but we have more stretch goals we want to unlock! We know that the more Avatar fans we reach during the Kickstarter, the better we can make the final product, so we really want to reach fans before June 19th,” said Matthew Lillard at Beadle & Grimm’s.
To learn more going into the final hours of the campaign, we had a chat with the project’s lead Charlie Rehor.
What’s your experience with the Avatar universe? How did you prepare to work on a box set there?
We are big fans of the original series! We watched with our kids, and liked it as much or maybe more than they did. When we saw what a great job Magpie did with Avatar Legends: The Role Playing Game, we wanted to work with them. Also helps that they are fantastic people and great partners.
Why set the adventure in the Roku era? How does this story fit into the Avatar canon?
The Roku era has a lot less canon material associated with it, so it was a bit more of an open playing field. But probably more importantly, we were really captivated by the Unity, and how adventures on the greatest sailing ship ever built could provide a road story narrative structure like the original series.
How did you decide on the ship-based theme for the adventure and the Unity theme?
We loved how the original Avatar series was a road story, and that structure allowed the band of heroes to travel the whole world. The Unity provided us a way to do the same thing, but in a different era, before the war, and with all the tensions and drama that ultimately led to the war.
How did you approach the representation of non-Western cultures in Avatar such as the Inuit inspired Water Tribe or Tibetan Air Nomads?
This is another reason it’s great to have knowledgeable partners as part of your team. Everything we create is made in close consultation with the writers and game designers at Magpie and Paramount, and they have such a deep and passionate knowledge of the game and the universe that they’re able to guide us and present the people of that universe in authentic ways.
Tell us a bit about the new legends you’re using. How do they fit into the wider world?
We’re taking three legends that are already part of the canon, Tiqriganiannig (Tiq), Air Nun Rioshon, and Uzuku Yuyan, and fleshing them out with artwork and statistics. Tiq in particular is critical to the story of the Unity, as it’s her creation! Our new legend, Minister Lanzig, is critical to the first adventure in the series since you need his help to get the Unity launched. All the characters, and how we weave them into the stories, were created in close cooperation with Magpie Games.
How did you decide what handouts to include?
For physical items that help tell the story of the adventure, we lean heavily on the author’s work. If we see something in the story that would help lend weight and authenticity to the story that the GM and players are creating at the table, we build it. Our goal is to immerse the players in the story, and physical items like handouts, maps, and coins, allow the GM to show the players the world, rather than simply describing it.
When did the bending scrolls come up as an add-on? How did you go about creating them?
Well, ever since I saw that scroll in the original series, I wanted one. I love the idea of knowledge of these ancient practices being handed down for generations, and that the possession of such scrolls, in the hands of someone with innate talent but no training, like Katara, could transform their world. I can’t help shake the feeling that if I get the right one, that I too could become a bender.
Could we see more B&G titles in the Avatar world?
We’ve had so much fun making this, that if people want more, we can hardly say no.
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game — Voyage of the Unity is funding through June 19 at 10 PM.
Images via Beadle & Grimm’s
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