Spiffing news, dear backers!

On the back of our previous discussion of situations, campaigns, and the general tomfoolery of gameplay, it is with no small amount of excitement, and a morsel of sweaty-palmed trepidation, that we introduce the many denizens of the RiverBank RPG. 

Yes, today we expand on the Animal player characters, the animals of the world, and those most no-hoper of neighbours, Humans.

 

Resting comfortably in a voluminous easychair, imbibing a splendid tawny port between ordinary animals and Humans are the Animal player characters of the RiverBank RPG. Animals physically resemble their ordinary counterparts in the natural world, though most Animals stand only a foot or two in height. This means Animals can be larger or smaller than their ordinary namesakes; for instance, a Bear is smaller than a bear, a Squirrel is larger than a squirrel, and so forth.

 

The Animals of RiverBank live a romantic existence between the bustling towns and rolling farms of Humanity, enjoying creature comforts of hearth and home and engaging in the sorts of what-must-certainly-be-a-fascinating-hobby-but-no-thank-you-I-don’t-care-to-see-your-antique-stamp-collection sorts of pursuits that define country living. They live very much as humans do, and most have no interest in abandoning their cottages, their immaculately-decorated burrows, or even their posh warrens to live in the rough environs of the forest hibernating, migrating, flocking, or engaging in other somewhat unseemly animal behaviours. 

 

Animals may have work. They may court aesthetic disaster by creating works of poetry, literature, and art. They may build communities and friendships through the sundry engagements, gatherings, bake sales, flower shows, and get-rich-quick schemes that make life both welcoming and never short on opportunities to pillage a platter of watercress sandwiches. Simply put, RiverBank animals behave as people do, only smaller.

Though it has to be said there’s nothing ordinary about our oft-quadrupedal bretheren, it pains us to admit that a lowercase-b badger makes a particularly dreadful croquet partner, and your average lilypad-dwelling toad is more than a bit hopeless at charades. In the world of RiverBank, ordinary animals exist much as they do in our world.

RiverBank is a living, thriving community before you reach page one of the book, dear backers. As  discussed in the update on Sticky Situations, community and connectedness are the source of your adventures here, and many NPC Animal characters will feature in your narratives, both those that are a prepared part of the setting and those equally handsome or vile creatures of your own design.

This, of course, brings us to the dreaded subject of Appalling Relatives.

 

Appalling Relatives are—at least until someone dares to ask to play one—a special kind of NPC in RiverBank games. These objectionable relations are tied to the backstories of your Animal characters, often wielding the triple-headed cudgel that is family ties, deep familiarity, and financial promise. 

These NPCs may threaten to derail your birthday party with long-winded stories about the war (though which war, none can say), or they might commandeer your fishing trip to seek out a lost treasure trove. In practice, they work best as a source of Haphazardry, and one Appalling Relative can threaten the quiet reverie of your Betweentimes at the drop of an astonishingly large floral hat.

 

Commonly found (though uncommonly encountered) near Animal habitations, Humans and Animals share intelligence, a belief in the necessity of trousers, and a desire for peaceful, orderly existence (though on the final two points there appears some debate).

Humans are decidedly unusual, being overly focused on the acquisition of money and prone to attempting to pet even the most dignified of Animals. Humans are neither surprised nor unnerved by Animals, though Humans encountering Animals for the first time may regard them with the same embarassed surprise you might show a stern and disapproving uncle discovered practicing his mezzo-soprano in the garden.

 

Despite differences, Humans and Animals live in peace and mutual respect, with each regarding the other as possessing that quality of personhood that prohibits them from engaging in violence, aggression, or other unpleasantness against each other. While the occasional dust-up or brawl can break out, the world of RiverBank is a cozy, positive place full of well-meaning folk, and even an Appalling Relative has their merits now-and-again.

That concludes our discussion of Animals and humans, but we find that there's just one more thing to show you!

 

The image above and this link here are from our friends at Hit Point Press, who are expanding their Humblewood Tales with the new Beyond the Canopy project. We find it a joyous set of creature-centric material, and figure you might likewise consider supporting it. 

Give it a look, won't you?