Hillfolk

Description

Hillfolk

In the shadow of empires, an epic saga of ambition and desire!

In an arid badlands, the hill people hunger. Your neighbours have grain, cattle, gold. You have horses and spears, courage and ambition. Together with those you love and hate, you will remake history—or die.

With the Hillfolk roleplaying game, you and your group weave an epic, ongoing saga of high-stakes interpersonal conflict that grows richer with every session. Its DramaSystem rules engine, from acclaimed designer Robin D. Laws, takes the basic structure of interpersonal conflict underlying fiction, movies and television and brings it to the world of roleplaying. This simple framework brings your creativity to the fore and keep a surprising, emotionally compelling narrative constantly on the move.

As you build your story, you mold and shape the Hillfolk setting to fit its needs. Do you entangle yourself with the seductions of your wealthy cousins to the north? Do you do battle with the fearsome sea people to the west? Or do you conquer the scattered badlands tribes to forge a new empire of your own?

Detailed play style notes show you how to make the most of DramaSystem’s new tools. Once you’ve mastered DramaSystem’s nuances, you’ll hunger to take them to new vistas. A stunning talent roster brings you 30 additional series settings. From Cthulhu cult family drama to ninjas, pirates, and steampunk cowboys, Hillfolk offers years of play value.

What is DramaSystem?

DramaSystem is a roleplaying game system by Pelgrane Press designed for collaborative, long-term storytelling focused on interpersonal drama, similar to TV shows like Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, rather than tactical combat. It uses a unique mechanic of “petitions” and “granters” with drama tokens to drive emotional conflict, making characters want things from each other, with unfulfilled desires creating tension and rewarding players for yielding or resisting in dramatic ways. The Game Master (GM) acts more like a showrunner, guiding the narrative rather than dictating obstacles, allowing players to build surprising emotional arcs over time.

Also, check out Blood on the Snow, a Hillfolk sourcebook with LARP rules and much more.