What's Not in the NUNA Quickstart

The NUNA QuickStart stands at just under 50 pages.

For a game that melds arctic survival, adventure, super science, and the weird, lots had to go.

Here are the things that broke my heart to leave out but will shine in the complete Corebook.

1 Community rules - To me, this is the beating heart of Nuna. Why go on an adventure? Because your community needs medicine, or weapons, or more people to sustain it. And the more you give your community, the more it gives back to you. There are hints at this with the Player Character descriptions, but no time to stop and smell the roses.

2 Arctic transport - I used to care for the late great Tony Williamson, arctic expert, and the stories he told of travelling the arctic were the stuff of legend. I try to incorporate that in my game design, and so from massive Soviet ice ships, to super science land ships, to Inuit dogsleds, I have created systems of travel that allow people to traverse the land in all conditions. And choosing the right transport can be a question of life or death on Nuna.

3 Cultural powers - In Nuna, all characters have powers that seem supernatural to people from other cultures. Inuit can see far on tundra and are never surprised, while Whalers can swim in frozen waters. This type of superior ability is not unique to the Arctic. The Kalenjin of Kenya are marathon superpowers, and routinely win marathons the world over against professional full-time trained athletes. The Bajau Sea Nomads of Asia can hold their breath as long as world record divers. Culture is a superpower, and Nuna brings this to the fore.

4 Shaman magic & gonzo super science - Shamanism died out under colonization in Canada, but Nuna conceives this dead mystic art as a potent force trying to find its way back into the land of the living. Ditto super science, which is ancient knowledge unlocked with the Fall. Both can unlock immense power for wielders, but at great cost.

So when you hold the Nuna QuickStart in your grubby hands, remember that this is just the tip of the glacier.

S