5 Highlights For ORUN: Post-Apotheosis, Afro-Centric, Space Opera RPG

It’s always great to see a new publisher on the scene, adding to our ever-expanding list of games we need to play. It’s even better to see one putting out a game that jumps in front of (more than) a few games already on said list. New Agenda Publishing, with their first game Orun, is exactly that. Inspired by West African culture and with a wonderfully diverse production team, Orun funded on Kickstarter in less than 12 hours and looks to be a delight to play. New Agenda’s Misha Bushyager sat down and answered a few questions about the game and Kickstarter for us.

What is Orun and why should gamers support it?

In Orun, you play an envoy of the ascendant Oluru, called a Djali or Luminary. Not quite ascendant themselves, the Luminaries travel to different worlds as advisers, troubleshooters, and peacekeepers in the post-apotheosis galaxy. They explore lost star systems and ultimately help enlighten worlds and their people, waking the galaxy from its disordered indolence. It's a balance between more narrative games and crunchy games, with a system and worlds that allow for many stories to be told.


Orun is heavily inspired by West African culture. Does this extend to the various species and pieces of technology players will encounter in the universe?

Yes! We used principles and values from West Africa, especially the Yoruban culture when we were making design choices.

The Horizon system is intriguing. Could you give an example of what a Legendary roll might look like at the table?

Let's say you were trying to find out what bargaining chip would work best for a tricky negotiation. With a Legendary roll, you might know not only what button to push, but how to sweeten the pot for both sides so they'll both agree to it.

Why did you decide to go with a square book?

Four was an important number to us, so square just seemed to make sense. You'll find multiple of 4 all throughout the game.

This is New Agenda Publishing’s first Kickstarter. How have you prepared yourselves for the challenge, and how are those preparations paying off?

It's our first Kickstarter as a team but individually we have multiple Kickstarters under our belts. We waited until the book was mostly written to do the launch to minimize the time to fulfillment. We got our ducks in a row and quotes and artists lined up so we could hit the ground running once it was over. We've been working on this game for nearly a year now and we wouldn't be sharing it if we didn't feel like it was in a state that we could easily finish and fulfill it.

Check out Orun on Kickstarter here, and New Agenda Publishing’s Patreon here.

Phil Pepin is a history-reading, science-loving, head-banging, river-running nerd, who would like nothing more than to cuddle with his pups and wife.

Picture Reference: http://newagendapublishing.com/ ​