INDIE SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR, 2017: Itras by: Menagerie

This Sub-Award honors the best supplement for an existing Independent RPG. It is judged on the same standards as the Indie Game of the Year, but applies to game supplements rather than games themselves. This can include additional rules, setting information, or anything that enhances an existing game. The supplement may be for purchase or free.

The Indie Supplement of the Year FOR 2017 IS...

Itras By: The Menagerieby Ole Peder Giaver et al. / with 21 points

Whooo hoooo!
So happy to be part of this project!

More (AUTHOR)ities updates!

Was very happy to have had the chance to run Itras By: Menagerie during the (AUTHOR)ities event this April 2018. My good friend Mark (dressed in blue with stripes) played a bookstore owner who awoke in Imperia Manila with no clear memory of how long he has been there. With him was Shop, the embodiment of his bookstore given human form.

We were having so much fun that I totally forgot to try taking any pictures of us.  Thankfully, my dear friends Maita and Magsi passed by the table to say hello. Maita had taken some pictures which meant I now have two pics of me at the TAG Sessions table for the day 1 of (AUTHOR)ities

Day 2 was a very busy day. While I had to handle things alone on day 1, Day 2 had my partner Rocky at my side to help me juggle the affairs of the day. Beyond just the table tasks of introducing role-playing games to the people (with the most common inquiry being, "Do I need a computer to play that?"), I was also tasked to moderate two talks that day. The first talk was all about Book to Game adaptations and the second was on Interactive Storybooks.

We tried to feature as many games as possible at our table. Josh T. Jordan's Heroine got a LOT of interested eyeballs on them, with people asking if they could purchase the books. I had to regretfully tell them that I had no stock with me and that they were more than welcome to order it online.

Many also marvelled at the beauty that was Itras By: Menagerie, loving the book's heft and artwork. I wish I had a physical copy of the first book too, but I only owned that one  in PDF format.

I also tried to showcase some of my PDF only games. That Night Out, Sickening Queens, and Bad Timing also had some display time.  Some people who approached were very happy to see our Pride Flag, which I insisted I have on display because we all deserve equality, no matter what bigoted government people may say.

All in all, (AUTHOR)ities was a tremendously wonderful event. I do hope to get copies of the photos taken by the CCP people and I realy hope that we will be invited again to return in the coming years!

Surreal ‘Itras By’ RPG expands with Philippine-inspired realm

Thank you again for the feature, GMA!   It was truly a wonderful experience writing for Itras By and being given the opportunity to add a dash of Filipino mythology to its surreal landscape. I do hope people find the story seeds I've inserted in there to their liking.

An excerpt:

“I will admit to having a soft spot for the Manananggal Titas,” he said. “The idea of them as social butterflies just strikes me as something so close to home and yet so visually unique. But my favorite would have to be Inang Bai, who was inspired by Carlo Vergara and his fantastic creation, Zsazsa Zaturnnah. Inang Bai was a lonely woman in Imperia Manila who could not find love until a star fell from the sky and embedded into her forehead. I do hope he liked that homage.”

The incorporation of Imperia Manila into “Itras By” is likely to give rise to plenty of interesting scenarios.

“I'm hoping to hear from people who have tried exploring Imperia Manila,” said Tobie. “I’ve already read one review which celebrated the setting as the most interesting since he noticed they were drawn also from old pre-Spanish myths. I’m excited to hear from others who might try the setting and find other ways the stories within relate or connect with them.”

Grab the book here:
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214386/Itras-By-The-Menagerie-English

Read the full article here:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technology/629011/surreal-itras-by-rpg-expands-with-philippine-inspired-realm/story/

Now available: Itras By: The Menagerie

Itras By: The Menagerie is a cabinet of curiosities: new scenarios, setting elements, short games, tools, cards, articles to help your group fine-tune the game for your purposes. An optional card deck is also available.

The book is presented to you by an international team of 40 creators, representing LARP and OSR, professionals and hobbyists, scholars and artists. All share a passion for roleplaying and the strange.

Emily Care Boss from the foreword (abbreviated):
“The game captured something for me. A period, a mind-set, a feeling. Surrealism, German expressionism, dada, modernism, poetry, dreams. All these were there. But also, a slipping feeling, where the ground beneath you becomes sand. The solid pillars of reality pass through your hands like smoke. Meaning comes into question. The realm of creative play in role playing games harnessed to embody that feeling. And yet keep us grounded in the shared story. With the Menagerie, we revisit this ground with new tour guides. They give us tools as players to embrace the surreal in our game, flexing our imaginations and abilities to encompass the unknown. The authors even lead us to look sideways at our own world. Raising prickly questions about the arbitrary nature of what exactly we all may believe to be real and true.”

This wonderful cabinet of curiosities contains stuff such as:
MANILA MYTHOLOGY | RADIO STARS | SEX WORK | CAPYBARAS WITH HATS | FRINGE SCIENCE | NEW CARDS | GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM | A FRENCH CONNECTION | SURREALIST GAMES | MAPPING THE UNREAL | GRIMASQUES | SUBDUERS/THE DARKNESS | DRESS TO IMPRESS | SAYING NØ | AUTISTIC ITRA | RIGHT TOOLS FOR A WEIRD TRADE

The companion book is perfect in enhancing your Itras By sessions.
But can also be used as tools for any other game.

I'm proud to have contributed Imperia Manila, which reimagines many Philippine mythological concepts to fit in the surreal world of Itras By.  For those who check it out, do let me know if you recognize the easter eggs I left in there.

Grab it today:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214386/Itras-By-The-Menagerie-English