Defy the Gods preview - exploring queerness and chaos in this Sword & Sorcery TTRPG

Defy the Gods takes place in a fantastical ancient Mesopotamia. You will make your own gods and city. Everything has a bronze age feel. City-states are independent and you don’t know what the rest of the world is like yet. Aesthetically, it emphasizes a material culture of chariots, massive stone architecture, and clay tablets. The core themes are adventure, romance, and the treachery of power. Gods, rulers, and wild animals threaten to destroy you. You can overcome them by reaching for your own cursed power and becoming a force in your own right, emulating the upward doom spiral adapted from Apocalypse Keys. You can become a god for the small price of your morals and your humanity.

Defy the Gods is out to critically examine Sword & Sorcery stories. This isn’t meant as attack or deconstruction as much as engagement with the core themes of dangerous magic and corrupt magic through the lens of queerness. Chris Sellers, the creator, is working to amalgamize the law vs. chaos dynamic with the way that society enshrines “normality”, excluding people from society who appear to be different from the norm, despite having a consistent, documented presence in society for millenia.

Having started with the Raccoon Sky Pirates RPG, Chris was gratified and surprised by its success, and set out to do as all designers must one day: create a fantasy heartbreaker. The idea became more formed from examining the modern resurgence of S&S literature, which sometimes seems regressive and nostalgia driven, moving far from the weirdness, aesthetics, and intellectual legacy that made S&S such a vibrant subgenre.

As Conan held no respect for authority figures or errant gods themselves, this itinerant and foreign view of civilization became an attractive focal point. Conan the barbarian, if you didn’t know, is not just a meaty murderer. He was an intelligent, careful person who had specific, justified critiques of civilization. Where the barbarians are “savage” because they engage in violence, civilization makes its violence structured and regular. It uplifts men without talent or strength and forces others into obedience.

Hearts are a currency in the game, given to others to help you stay human, which won’t be easy. Characters’ primary stats are their Epithets, phrases that describe their talents and individuality. Rolling too high eventually gives you Dooms, powerful phrases that replace your Epithets—literally overwriting your personality. Over time these new abilities will define you, not your original drives.

Every roll can have three results: a miss, a perfect success, or a burning success where you get more than you bargained for. When that third result happens, you get a currency called Fire. Maxing out your Fire triggers the move Defy the Gods, a climactic move that changes the course of the whole game. Rolling too high on that move is what gives you the cursed power of Dooms and begins to eclipse your personality.

At time of writing, the text for the core book and characters are functionally complete. They lack art and assets, but you can read them over right now here and sign up for the Kickstarter with a chance at a free set of dice. The game goes live on Kickstarter on April 29th.