Mythomorphosis

^{review by Kaleb}

Mythomorphosis is a game about how stories and myths shift and shape a society over generations. It can be used as a world-building tool to insert into your ongoing tabletop role-playing game setting, or as a basis to start building out societies within a world you want to play in. If you just want to pick up and play the game, the book also provides ten pre-generated societies to hop right into.

To play Mythomorphosis, you need 1-4 players, index cards, and something to write with. The index cards are used to create the timeline of the society’s myth and how it changes over time. To start, come up with a concept. This can be a time period, aesthetic, or theme that you want to center your society around. It could be something like a medieval village or even a remote planet on the outer edges of the galaxy. Optionally, you can create characters or locations within your society to use for role-playing moments or inspiration.

The next step is to create your myth that your society will be centered around that fits the aesthetic of your society. Once you have the basis of your myth, you will write on index cards different story beats. The writing on the cards should be brief, like bullet points for your larger story. Then, your group will describe how your myth manifests in the society - is it physical, social, or emotional? Is there a landmark that represents the myth? Are any laws in place due to the myth’s existence? How do the people of your society feel about the myth? 

Mythomorphosis takes place over five generations. Each generation will have its own timeline, represented by the index cards on the table. While establishing these generations, players will take actions. Player actions affect how the myth grows and changes over the course of the generations. Some new things will come to light about the myth, and some things will be forgotten in time. Player actions are a single turn, and each generation includes 4 player turns. The four actions available to players for their turn are: Erase, Metamorphize, Splinter, and Propagate. To Erase is to remove part of the myth, to Metamorphize is to change part of the myth, to Splinter is to create a different version of the myth from within your society, and to Propagate is to have new aspects of the myth emerge. New Manifestations occur when the myth is altered in any way - these are described at the end of a player’s action.

The game ends when all five generations of your myth have been solidified. The generation with the longest branch of index cards is the version of the myth that prevails. You can take a look at the cards and how they are laid out on the table and flesh things out to make it more cohesive. You can also decide the fate of your society - what will happen to them? Will the myth become forgotten entirely in a few more generations? You can also certainly answer these questions if you import this society into your tabletop role-playing game. You could also play new games of Mythomorphosis to build out even more societies and the myths that make them. Above all else, create a story that you care about.

Mythomorphosis is available now from our webstore.