#burnaway

[arnamantle]

Can a house be haunted even while it burns down?

A not-so-hypothetical question in a world with Embergeists – spirits so mournful or vindictive that their very ectoplasm combusts, setting their haunts ablaze. Players enter the scene as a brigade of Burnaways – mercenaries who must act as fire fighters, detectives, and ghost hunters to stop the Embergeists by means of force or empathy.

A near-future retropunk setting and “grimhope” tone puts focus on narrative growth, contrasted with a unique “level-down” advancement mechanic in a lightweight, accessible system geared toward one-shots and short campaigns.  

WHAT MAKES BURNAWAY UNIQUE?

🔥 Burnaway’s mechanics are easy to pick up for first-timers, while still offering depth and detail in skilled hands. The hit-based system allows the use of any type of dice, so bring your favorite mix to the table!

🔥 Each mission is a unique puzzle with many different solutions, though not all of them are satisfying, and the puzzle is constantly on fire. Characters’ decisions are the greatest determiner of their fate, with no railroading to hamper their actions (or to protect them from fatal disaster).

🔥 Who said anything about getting stronger? BURNAWAY eschews traditional TTRPG power up mechanics. In a line of work where retirement or death are the only prospects, it’s up to the characters to process their own Grief and avoid suffering permanent Burns at the end of each session.

🔥 Acknowledgement of hope is just as important as the acceptance of Grief. Characters may build Bonds with each other, relationships forged in literal fire, and gain mechanical benefits from their evolving interpersonal dynamics.

🔥 BURNAWAY adapts to how your group wants to game, providing a full ruleset for traditional, GM-lead or collaborative GM-less play.

KICKSTARTER FUNDING NOW!

READ MORE ON OUR SITE!

[bloomandbutterbakery]

[excited-insomniac]

To my audience of five mutuals and a hamster, if you are in any way interested in ttrpgs, please consider supporting this game! My friend has been working on it for over a year and the concept is so cool. They're really close to their goal! Please share!

The game concept:

Can a house be haunted even while it burns down?

A not-so-hypothetical question in a world with Embergeists – spirits so mournful or vindictive that their very ectoplasm combusts, setting their haunts ablaze. Players enter the scene as a brigade of Burnaways – mercenaries who must act as fire fighters, detectives, and ghost hunters to stop the Embergeists by means of force or empathy.

BURNAWAY is a game about making tough choices in the literal heat of the moment, and coping with the consequences when the ash has settled. A near-future retropunk setting and “grimhope” tone puts focus on narrative growth, contrasted with a unique “level-down” advancement mechanic in a lightweight, accessible system geared toward one-shots and short campaigns.

[kcrossvine-art]

first page of a mini-comic for Burnaway...

"Burnaway is a game about making tough choices in the literal heat of the moment, and coping with the consequences when the ash has settled. A near-future retropunk setting and grimhope tone puts focus on narrative growth, with a “burnout” mechanic perfect for short campaigns.

..Players are provided with two paths to stopping an Embergeist: they can forcefully overwhelm the spirit and drive it from the world via Exorcism, or try to understand and peacefully release its emotional tethers through Placation."

[void-tiger]

…wonder if being silly and trying to coax someone else to be silly is what makes me attractive? (Even when it’s honestly a defense mechanism on my part… thumbing my nose. Being belligerent to norms. Norms have always made itchy and depressed and anxious so I Ain’t Doin’ That Anymore, Deal With It.)

[bignoseagenda]

Can a house be haunted even as it burns down?

Just in time for Halloween comes an elegantly haunting game about stopping ghosts in the blazing inferno of their emotions. BURNAWAY is "a game about making tough choices in the literal heat of the moment,  and coping with the consequences when the ash has settled", and is now live on Kickstarter. Backing now (10/03) gets you early bird pledge rewards.

I had the pleasure of writing for this grimly hopeful game. Check it out and support here.

[vallkyr]

Firstly, when you get this, you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) <3

That's really sweet 🥺 5 things I like about myself in no particular order are: - my humour - my hair, I put a lot of effort into maintaining my curls and I'm really proud of them - my baking skills, I've gotten rather good even with more complicated stuff (I'm still really happy I managed to make the burnaway cake for my friend's birthday) - that I'm getting better at accepting and loving my body the way it is - my teeny tiny hands that make everyone who sees them drop all their uwus (had that conversation with a friend just the other day)

[sbowen]

Letitia Quesenberry

Burnaway recently published Jodie Bass’s profile from their visit to the studio of Letitia Quesenberry, a Louisville-based artist who extends the boundaries of visual perception. More #letitiaquesenberry

[bunnydethjesuschristsinner]

To Bear Witness: Real Talk about White Supremacy in Art Museums Today - Burnaway

WHITE SUPREMACY IS THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF THE ART WORLD

FRATERNITY OWNS MUSEUMS AND ART MUSEUMS

[atommachineryeximpvtltd]

Start your business with a breeze with our amazing machines that produce detergent cakes in minutes. #caketok #detergent #laundry #machines #burnaway #LiveMachineryVideos

Please Like, Share & Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@AtomMachineryEximPvtLtd

[arnamantle]

that’s what BURNAWAY’s all about! Sometimes it’s about creating a real weirdo and seeing how long they last before they retire or die

Tbh I'll always love downward spiral ttrpgs more than power fantasy ones. CoC, VTM, Spire(haven't tried that one though) and such where everything likely just gets worse and your character gets more and more fucked up and in debt or dying are my shit exactly, instead of D&D and other games's rise in power and fame. Not saying one is worse at ALL, I love both types, but I'm just a sucker for making a character and knowing they're gonna be unrecognizable by the end.

[arnamantle]

Last Chance to pre-order BURNAWAY!

hello there! It's been nearly a year since the successful crowdfunding of BURNAWAY: A ttrpg about Loss and Hope from the Ashes. A lot of writing, editing, layout and logistics have happened since then, and the result is going to be even better than I had been hoping for. Genuinely, this book is gonna look dope. If you missed out on backing BURNAWAY last year, or are just hearing about it now, here's one more chance to pledge for a digital pdf, a lovely softcover physical edition, and/or one of three limited 8x10 posters!

BURNAWAY is a lightweight, self-contained roleplaying game for three to five players. In the darkening days of a possible near-future, fire is still a common cause of lost homes and tragic deaths. However, not every spark is started by a flicked cigarette or a faulty wire. Some wandering spirits, whose sorrows lash them tight to this world, can become so distraught that their very ectoplasm combusts, starting a blaze wherever they seek to haunt; we call these troublesome phantoms embergeists. Regular firefighters aren’t trained to deal with this supernatural threat; extinguishing one fire means little when an irate ghost kindles many more at the same time.

Enter the Burnaways. A Burnaway is a professional, for lack of any other unifying factor, contracted by a private company to swoop in as soon as a report of an embergeist comes through. Burnaways come from all walks of life, though most are trying to leave dark pasts behind. Exceptional danger for unexceptional pay is a hard sell for anyone save those individuals motivated by desperation, personal atonement, or something else that’s worth walking through fire for. Disparate backgrounds bring together a team with all the skills needed to maneuver through blazing buildings, locate and rescue victims, and even exorcise an arson-inclined specter.

This is a game is about loss.

Fire destroys things we can’t ever recover, whether they be treasured possessions or beloved lives. Regardless of how much we try to prepare for it, we all inevitably lose things we care for, as lights that are snuffed out, leaving our lives darker in the void.

This is also a game about confronting and processing that loss.

When we suffer loss, we fill that void with grief. Sometimes, grief props us up and pushes us forward. Other times, grief threatens to pin us down until our pain buries us. But grief is an emotion, one which fades with time and care. Our relationship with grief determines what grief leaves us with when it’s gone. Grief gives purpose. Grief gives wisdom. Grief gives scars.

As a Burnaway, you are a thief entering the house of Death and snatching back its claim. However, what you leave behind is just as significant as what you choose to take. This is a game about choices; do you rescue the executive or the janitor? The priceless hard drive or the poodle dog? Do you leave your comrade bleeding out to banish the geist and save many others? Or do you leave it all in order to save yourself?

Finally, and just as importantly, this is a game about hope.

When we encounter situations in which we feel powerless or that suffering is inevitable, despair is a rational response, while hope seems illogical. Fortunately, human minds are illogical things, and thus we can find ways to carry on and heal even after an unbearable ordeal, even knowing there are more to come in our future. This is a game that encourages the exploration of these familiar feelings and experiences without denying ourselves the light that always returns from the darkness.

A huge thanks to all who have supported this project from the concept stage three years ago to this point of being a real ttrpg! And again, if this looks cool to you, you can jump on board here!

[coralmorphologic]

Eternally grateful for conversations with Monica Uszerowicz on the inspiration we receive from Miami's underwater world, and how it's led to our work with the Coral City Camera. Read 'Coral’s City' via Burnaway, here: https://burnaway.org/magazine/corals-city/

[excited-insomniac]

My friends do such cool things, guys.

Can a house be haunted even while it burns down?

A not-so-hypothetical question in a world with Embergeists – spirits so mournful or vindictive that their very ectoplasm combusts, setting their haunts ablaze. Players enter the scene as a brigade of Burnaways – mercenaries who must act as fire fighters, detectives, and ghost hunters to stop the Embergeists by means of force or empathy.

BURNAWAY is a game about making tough choices in the literal heat of the moment, and coping with the consequences when the ash has settled. A near-future retropunk setting and “grimhope” tone puts focus on narrative growth, contrasted with a unique “level-down” advancement mechanic in a lightweight, accessible system geared toward one-shots and short campaigns.

[kcrossvine-art]

LotR cooking will be returning shortly!

very busy with surgery recovery, working on stuff for the Burnaway TTRPG, and other commission works

(speaking of, do we have a preference between savory or sweet for the next LotR recipe?)

[mappingthemoon]

“I thought about Togo and Balto, the lead sled dogs who ran 675 miles over the frozen Alaskan tundra during the Great Race of Mercy, delivering the diphtheria vaccine to Nome. I thought about Louis Pasteur’s three assistants, who, while developing the rabies vaccine, would take turns ­­— holding the rabid dog down, collecting the dog’s saliva, and holding the gun — to shoot the other two, should the dog slip and bite them. I thought of the janitors who removed air conditioning units from the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, enabling scientists to swab for and discover the bacteria that caused Legionnaires disease. I thought about Spencer Cox, the young gay man from Atlanta who pushed the development of protease inhibitors, and redesigned clinical trials which changed HIV treatment overnight. I thought about Saint Roch, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers — invoked against cholera and epidemics, performing his miracles of healing those afflicted with plague— who famously saved a community of New Orleans Catholics during the epidemic of yellow fever in 1817, with not a single life lost.”