Orc-Astra Beta Zine

Orcs are supposed to be the bad guys, right? They’re aggressive, ruthless, and unpredictable. But why not tell a story from their perspective? Why not step into the skin of the “bad guys” for the sake of a game, to search for and understand what motivates them, what their inner drives are?

Play a band of marred Troupers with a mystical link to the stars. Live on the edge of society, scorned for your appearance and lifestyle yet celebrated as freak show acts. You are given a rare chance to save a deeply flawed, corrupt, disgusting, and hedonistic world through wickedness and heroism. 

This is Orc–Astra. 

A Powered by the Apocalypse role-playing game with boisterous shows, reckless frenzies, elven disdain and orcish pride.

Players can choose from six Paths (the game's term for playbooks) to create a unique vaudeville show, and arm themselves with some Arts and Talents to get get ready for what the Master of Calamities (MC for short) throws in their way. 

The Troupers' Origins (their elven past) are woven into the uneven texture of the world of Elvenrich in which the orcs are not welcome, but they still form it, and hopefully transform it, with their actions.  

What You Get:

• After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game is released in a 120-page zine format.
  • All the rules and world building elements are included, ready for playtesting and some hilarious fun. The first dozen pages and the Appendices are free to download as demo.
  • The book is full with gorgeous art: some medieval, adapted from The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman by William Langland, and some constructivist, adapted from Tsirk I Estrada, a vintage Russian avant-garde magazine.
• Add-ons: 
  • A digital Safety sheet.
  • A digital character keeper, called Trouper Path Sheets.

You only need two dice, at least one more player, and you're set!

Orc-Astra assumes that even monsters are sentient beings, capable of connecting with each other and finding some way to accept their place in the world … somehow. The world where they live rejects them, making their fate seem predetermined. Yet the events that sweep them along may change their situation. Through their adventures, they might even transform the entire world. And what if they are not the real bad guys, after all?

This isn’t a game primarily about winning, although shaking up the world seems like a worthy goal. The aim is to portray, in a grotesque way or even as a burlesque, the relationships between orcs and elves, and within the troupe. The Troupers start from a severely disadvantaged position, but over the course of their adventures, they may earn respect and status for themselves and their troupe.

Silk and Smoke

Elvenrich is a feudal and oppressive realm. The exclusive culture of elves thrives in wealth, grandeur, and decadence, while orcs are cast to the fringes of society, usually living a criminal life in troupes. However, the story of the Troupers may reveal that orcs long for acceptance and faith after all, and perhaps for breaking the unjust existing order.

The world is a blend of medieval fantasy and dieselpunk, both chaotic and contradictory. To highlight the grotesque nature of the theme, and to balance out the violent tone, it’s worth handling the Troupers’ wild desires, outbursts, and rampages with humor. Not everything has to be taken seriously. The tone is a mix of absurdity, drama, and action, in that order.

Content Warning

Orc-Astra distinctly touches on themes of exclusion based on origin, just as we witness in our own world. If that’s not something you want to explore, this game might not be for you. The Troupers, marginalized by society, are scorned, despised, and oppressed by the mainstream community and ruling order, and even if we approach it with humor and hope, experiencing this can be heavy. Furthermore, themes of body-shaming, identity issues, harmful relationships, violence, and manipulation may appear prominently in the game.

Orcs live in troupes: wandering found families that perform together as well. This is the nucleus of their outcast society, which then organizes into larger tribes. Elven communities shun them, forcing them to retreat to forest camps and caverns, often living in complete isolation, though occasional mingling does occur. They frequently take on dirty or dangerous jobs for elves and often perform as entertainers in variety shows and circuses or as traveling performers.

For an orc, it’s fundamental that whatever they do should have emphasis, echo, and a spectacular impact. The performance should impress and, if possible, frighten onlookers, who the troupe considers their audience. Acting together generally brings advantages despite the eventual drawbacks of living in a troupe.

Orcs are theatrical, boisterous figures always up for a raucous celebration, doing everything with as much pomp as possible. They plan and act as if putting on a show, as if every action were a stage performance. But not just any kind; they resemble wandering actors of exaggerated self-expression, bold gestures, and stage effects. Their overwhelming need for fun and entertainment drives them, always seeking attention, reactions, and recognition.

Your Path

During adolescence, an orc undergoes a profound transformation, shedding the pretense of their elven origins and becoming their true self. This change reveals their calling that reflects their essence and their role within the tribe. Recognizing your Path is a rite of passage, and your tribe helps you develop what you were born to do. Orcs even name their Paths expressively. Each player should have a different Path.

• Keenhowlers are genuine entertainers, fronting the troupe with style and creativity.
• Irebearers are freakish forces of nature in harmony with danger and destruction.
• Wyrdguisers are ghostwalkers consuming the truths and myths of then and now. 
• Gritclingers are fierce warriors with a meditative mind and ethical code.
• Woodstalkers are children of the wild, one with the elements and seasons.
• Ratjesters are mischievous rascals, always seeking ways to disrupt and upset.

To set up your Trouper, choose…

• An Origin to describe a realm and gain a contact.
• Three Taints by default, up to five for benefits.
• Values for the Humors (starting between -1 and +2).
• A name and a magic effect for it.
• An additional Art on top of what the chosen Path grants.
• Two Talents out of the four on the chosen Path.

… And you’re ready to meet the other Troupers, and play!