Hello! I recently saw the 11Dragonkid video for this. I must say, this is a fun idea, and officially labeling adventurers as meddlers AND them forming guilds around the practice is a genius little twist on a familiar concept.
Now, I have a question. In the hope that I can one day run this game, I would like to play a movie that would give my friends an idea of what to envision. Something to get them in the mindset of this world. Would you happen to have any suggestions for Southeast Asian-themed fantasy films? I can't imagine there is one that captures this idea perfectly, but I have to imagine there is at least one that helped in inspiring it!
Viewing post in Kala Mandala Playbook comments
Hey! Glad to hear you dig that idea!
Oof, this is a bit of a tough one. The project came about from not having enough Southeast Asian fantasy media, but there are a few that I really liked and inspired me for this project.
Nang Nak (1999) really shows the mood of the jungle, of living beside the river and how dark it can get. Also how spirits can be just so adjacent in SEA.
Wiro Sableng captures quite a bit of the fun and campiness that I sometimes step into, the wuxia-ness of it also feels similar to what I imagine for Kala Mandala.
Both films are easy to find, youtube and dailymotion.
I (and at least another Malaysian friend) also think Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away is relatively SEA coded.
Hope that helps a little!
haha, no worries. I'm the same, if I don't reply immediately, i will most definitely forget.
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Awesomeness! Oh, there's quite a bit. Ooooh, paper minis sound cool, I think I'll get those with the book to start when I can afford it.
By the way, about Heavenly Bodies and Earthly Beings, are those characters and the like for the game, or just art in general? They're categorized as "Art and studies", so I don't know quite what to think there.
So the art books from from me not being able to find enough SEA fantasy visuals (that I like), so it's an exploration of different possibilities/visuals. Sort of like a mood board for myself. So they are art for the project but not specifically a thing at the moment (might make it a thing in the future). I got DM friends who use the art just to kind of set the tone, help other folks imagine and immerse in this world.
The studies are for a few entries about cool actual objects in SEA, like What do folks use as paper? betel sets, etc.