ORICHALCUM
A tabletop roleplaying map game for 1-5 players
by Justin Quirit

Long ago, the Empire sat upon valleys of a magical substance called Orichalcum. It could produce miracles, and it fueled the Empires reign over our people, the Exiles. They were pushed to the fringes of the Empire and away from the Orichalcum, up onto the mountains.

The Empire knew its digging would bring about a great storm, but this portent did not forestall its greed. It continued to dig, and the storm came. The valleys became seas, and the inhospitable mountaintops the Exiles were forced upon became lush islands. Although devastated by the deluge, they eventually recovered and rebuilt.

Today, we are lost islanders. We were at sea when a storm swept us into the depths. The remaining Orichalcum we find keeps us alive, but the terrain is unfamiliar. To find our way home, we must sift through the ruins and our memories of the Empire. But in our remembering, we must not forget what we have created for ourselves.

Materials						
To play, you will need the following materials:
	> A flat play space
	> Drawing utensils for each player
	> Exile tiles or twenty-five (25) index cards
	> Pillar tiles or an index card for each player

Safety							
Any game may contain or produce sensitive content that could ruin a players experience. There are many safety tools that can help us advocate for our boundaries and create a safe play space for everybody. Not all of these will be useful to every group, so I instead ask that you find the toolset best suited for you.

Additionally, I ask that you treat your fellow players with respect and compassion. Keep channels of communication open, be honest, and listen. Playing a game, adhering to rules, or constructing a desired narrative should never take precedence over the wellbeing of another. Be mindful of yourself and each other. Your game will be all the better for it.

Flow of Play					
	1. Choose an Exile tile
	2. Shuffle Pillar tiles and draw five
	3. Place a Pillar tile
	4. Draw the Pillar
	5. Remember
	6. Draw island details
	7. Repeat steps 3-6 until the Empire is done
	8. Place Exile tile

Choose Your Exiles			
The Exiles each Remember the Empire through a unique lens. Choose an Exile tile to describe your people or make your own. On the back of the tile, draw a rough outline of your island home. Leave enough room to add in additional details, such as terrain and features.

Draw Pillars					
The ocean floor is littered with ruins of the Empire called Pillars. They have remained discarded under the waves since the cataclysm, but we have not forgotten them.

Shuffle the stack of Pillar tiles. Draw five tiles. (Note: You will only play three during the game.)

Explore the Empire			
Take turns placing Pillar tiles to build out a map of the ocean floor. When you place a tile, sketch the ruins on the Pillar tile, place it adjacent to any other Pillar tiles in play, and Remember.

To Remember, ask one player to describe the role of the Pillar within the Empire. Then, you draw a feature on your island related to that Pillar and explain how it shows you are different from the Empire.

(Note: If you are not the current player, you may still draw a related feature on your island.)

For your first tile, provide both physical and historical details of the Pillar. This will give you an opportunity to introduce the nature of your people to the other players. For the second and third tiles, have the players on your left and right, respectively, share the histories of those Pillars.
Once everyone has placed three tiles, Go Home.

Go Home						
Once you have fully explored the ruins of the Empire, you recall the path to your island. Place your Exile tile on the map island-side up.

Relax. Breathe.

Describe what it feels like to be back home.

Acknowledgments			
This game was created for the Mapemounde game jam (#mapemounde2019) on itch.io, hosted by Mammut RPG. The typefaces used in this text are Righteous by Astigmatic and Raleway by the League of Moveable Type. The cover photo is by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash.

Thank you to Oliver (@obliqueObloquy) and Ash (@smokeandash95) for helping me playtest this game. <3

License: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Example Exiles				
Here are some example Exiles and their relationships with the Empire.

	The Architects
	The Empire built an inadequate foundation.
	We filled in the gaps.

	The Exemplars
	The Empire coveted our gifts.
	We prospered despite them.

	The Resplendent
	The Empire could not contain us.
	We were too loud.

	The Trailblazers
	The Empire stumbled in darkness.
	We brought them the light.

	The Wardens
	The Empire dug deep.
	Our roots dug deeper.

The Pillars						
	> The Amphitheater  how we entertain ourselves
	> The Battlefield  how we fight our enemies
	> The Bridge  how we connect our people
	> The Cemetery  how we treat the dead
	> The Creche  how we raise our young
	> The Dungeon  how we punish lawbreakers
	> The Field  how we handle freedom
	> The Fortress  how we defend our home
	> The Garden  how we curate nature
	> The Gate  how we welcome others
	> The Hospital  how we heal the sick and wounded
	> The Library  how we archive information
	> The Longhouse  how we feed the hungry
	> The Market  how we trade goods
	> The Mine  how we strip the earth
	> The Monument  how we honor our heroes
	> The Port  how we explore the unknown
	> The Road  how we navigate the land
	> The School  how we distribute knowledge
	> The Shrine  how we revere the divine
	> The Spring  how we clean our bodies
	> The Treasury  how we seal our bounty
	> The Throne  how we rule our people
	> The Wall  how we deny outsiders
	> The Well  how we share water