I can finally tell you about the Secret Protect

You know that secret project I keep telling you all about? Well the nda is up so I finally get to talk out loud to you about it outside of code names and vague gestures.  I've been working on a new project with Evil Hat (developers of Fate, Blades in the Dark, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Apocalypse Keys) on arguably their biggest project yet, a licensed IP TTRPG of Tomb Raider

https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/24075225/tomb-raider-ttrpg-playtest-announcement-lara-croft-crystal-dynamics-rae-nedjadi 

Lara has always been somewhat of a problematic fave of mine and it was interesting to work on a game that wanted not to deny but explore that.

I think the biggest goal here was never to fix her. That's not something  you can do and it's a bad way to approach work with IP, but rather put her in a place to tell new types of stories that might have a bit healthier relationships with others and recognizing the human element pulp likes  to scrape over.

I think that's a goal that stays honest even to  the earliest concepts of the character on the ps1 and has stayed  consistent throughout her depictions in game and comic. Y'all have no  idea how much time baby me spent playing tomb raider 2 on the pc. It's been a big part of Protect the Sacred as well.

This team has been dedicated, professional, kind, open to conversation and feedback, and I think most materially (at least for me) created a work environment that is both comfortable and fun for folks with experience  with colonialism the world over. They also paid me. Big plus there.

It's vital to note; Protect the Sacred and Tomb Raider are not the same project and in fact vary greatly in setting, mechanics, tone, and goals. I'm only a content editor and cultural consultant on Tomb Raider, but everything on Protect the Sacred has been my own. I would argue the only things they share are genre and me.

I suffered a big setback on my progress because my computer chair broke earlier this month. Luckily thanks to y'alls support  I've been working from the business laptop and was able to order a new computer chair with the aid of birthday money.

But that doesn't mean I'm not working; progress has been nice and steady on the new Protect the Sacred playtest. I've added a fishing minigame, a new mechanic to the game called Alters, ripped out and replaced the entire health system, and adjusted small tweaks to the dice system, adjusted the exp system and gear systems, and I haven't even run the damn thing yet.

I might be taking my time writing this adventure, but it is supposed to be a multi-session excursion (A full serial!) and writing it has allows me a new perspective of how the game works and the needs of it in action instead of just theory.

But I'm on page 16 of it and have a little map for you.

I think a fundamental key difference between my game and a D&D-style dungeon is twofold. Your typical D&D dungeons are usually gauntlets  that often reward efficiency because it means less risks taken so when you find the big boss at the core, you're prepped, have the most resources possible, and are ready to go.

When it does deviate and allow for exploration, it's about treasure, loot, and toys. which is often exciting for a player and can carry a narrative weight, but plays into a very colonialist narrative where it's  about looting, pillage, and murder under a very different name with little consideration of the space as a space beyond the challenge it holds and the need to conquer.

Very little cares about who it belongs to and what role it plays outside of how it themes the space. It often plays into how players treat and interact with the space in turn. Who cares? It's the villains shit anyways. Anything goes. Burn it to the ground.

But, my game wants you to explore, because when you explore, you find story. You learn about the "dungeon", who makes it, why it exist, the stories behind it. And it's mechanically vital. You need to not only should want to know, but often need to. These are stories that are important and need to be told. You're not supposed to loot, you're here to learn, survive, and resolve.

Also, important note, my game actually rewards you for taking risks, even if  you fail. Part of the back and forth of a pulp narrative I'm looking to emulate.

I’m a big believer of “stop measuring your game up to D&D”, but very  specifically, for this very specific and narrow part of design, D&D  dungeons were very much the corner of discussion because I find there  is a great joy and fun in a thematic concentrated space that challenges  you. I just wanted to do a version of that that shakes up how we  interact with the spaces themselves.