On the 17th of August, Legendary Games will launch their next Kickstarter for a softcover bestiary of D&D 5e monsters. The project is called Latin American Monsters, and there’s an 11-page preview on DTRPG for free.
The final book hopes to be at least 100 pages, with 80 different creatures all drawn from myths and legends of Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Now, these are dangerous waters. It’s not uncommon to find people who object to any attempt to present their culture and beliefs as fictional monsters or commercialise by foreigners making a quick buck.
Legendary Games has some experience in this area. At the start of the year, the company apologised and withdrew their entire Far East RPG range.
However, Legendary Games believes it is possible to page homage or, at least respectfully, be inspired by real-life cultures for fantasy gaming. This blogger is Scottish, and so is, after all, used to seeing dwarves, elves and all sorts of Celtic and European histories as standard tropes in fantasy gaming.
Legendary Games has a diverse team of nearly 20 Latinx authors, artists and cultural consultants on this project. That’s a new expert for every four creatures.
The preview includes the carnage-hungry denizens of the swamp, the Ahuizotl.
Also in the taster are the massive snake-creatures known as Araganqlta’a, who can shapeshift and enjoy a conversation.
There’s also the mystical oxcart shaped like a cross that the innocent need not worry about, but the guilty must fear, of the Carreta Nagua.
Another shapechanger in the preview are the graceful Encantado, fae-party goers with flippers.
Lastly, the download has stats and an introduction to the bad luck generating Black Cadejo.
Quick Links
- Free to Download Latin American Monsters preview.
Join (or start) the healthy debate. Share your observations below.
