Welcome to Roads From The Past TTRPG Game Jam - a celebration of heritage for Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month 2023. This jam is open to everyone and is all about celebrating your own personal heritage and history no matter what culture or background you come from. It's also about celebrating and exploring the concept of heritage/ the past in general and the vast treasure troves of myths and legends that exist throughout all of human history and culture.

SO WHAT FITS THIS THEME?

That's up to you to interpret as you see fit! Anything which you feel has some link to the past- or to culture, folklore, mythology, heritage, family, inheritance or history  is absolutely fine. Perhaps a twisted myth or fairytale? Perhaps an adventure where inheritance is at stake? Or a traditions or ways of life are under threat? Memories play a big part in the past, as do stories, what if these were lost? Or hidden and had to be re-discovered? Or perhaps a journey back in time to discover roots, right wrongs, or lay old ghosts to peaceful rest? The possibilities are open and endless.

 We all have roads from the past which have brought us to the place we are now. Some roads are smooth, others are bumpy, some are straight and clear, others are winding and complicated and may even have become lost, faded, eroded or overgrown so that they are not visible anymore. But whatever the case, all roads are valid and worthy of respect, acknowledgement and celebration. 

Celebration can be a difficult word - we might look back at the roads which brought us here and feel there is little to celebrate. For some of us the past can be painful, and that pain should be acknowledged, but surviving and thriving through adversity is also a thing that can be cause for celebration - so all stories are welcome here.

Certainly games which incorporate  the rich tapestry of myths, folklore and legends that enrich our histories and cultures are extremely welcome!

There are no prizes, awards, ratings or winners for this jam - instead I will try to showcase/ review as many of the submissions as I can either via my blog, my youtube channel or both and I strongly encourage every contributor to take the time to read, comment, share and celebrate at least some of the other entries. If we all work together we can make the month of June a true celebration of culture, heritage and history for our wonderful ttrpg community.

With this in mind, all submissions are welcome whatever the format and you are absolutely free to interpret the theme in any way that speaks to you, but I do ask that 

1) They be finished pieces that are playable rather than ideas, pitches or works in progress. Games at playtest / early draft stage are fine as long as they are playable.

 2) Preferably, they either be representative of your own personal culture, heritage or history or they be ambiguous or culture-neutral. Please don't borrow or appropriate real life stories from a culture or history that is not your own. Fictional and fantasy culture is fine of course, as are games which explore the past/heritage in general. If including myths and legends from a culture other than your own, please do so respectfully.

All formats are welcome including games, settings, supplements, magic items etc. If you are unsure feel free to ask. Please do not use AI 'art' to enhance your submission, anyone using AI as part of their submission will be disqualified from the jam. You may submit games that have already been created before the jam begins but please make certain it fits with the theme. Any submissions deemed offensive, abusive or aimed at inciting hatred to any group whatsoever will be immediately disqualified.

If you'd like to find out more about GRTHM 2023 or the history and culture of Romani People or Travelers, you can find the Roads From The Past video along with lots of other information on the Travellers' Times website.

Finally, this jam is an open invitation to explore aspects of our past and the roads which brought us to where we are now and, in that spirit, I warmly welcome submissions from all creators regardless of age, experience, background or heritage. I really hope you have fun exploring the theme and creating something beautiful for this jam and I'm excited to see what you come up with!