beak

feather
+ bone
a map-labeling rpg
 beak
feather
+ bone
a map-labeling rpg

Words by Tyler Crumrine

Map by Jonathan Yee
Illustrations by Austin Breed
what is this?
B
Inspired by map-making games like Avery Alder’s The
Quiet Year and archetype-focused RPG systems like
Meguey & Vincent Baker’s Powered by the Apocalypse, Beak,
Feather, & Bone is a lightly competitive map-labeling
RPG as well as a tool for collaborative worldbuilding.

Starting with an unlabeled city map, players are

assigned community roles before taking turns claiming
and describing locations. You’re not building a city—
everything on the map already exists—you’re merely
fleshing out each building’s role in the community. As
buildings are claimed, a narrative for the town and its
inhabitants will emerge, including major NPCs and
shifting power-dynamics.

This game is designed for 1 to 10 players, but can easily

be played with more if you add additional community
roles. For solo play, simply assign yourself multiple
factions and alternate between them as you draw cards
and label your map.

TO PLAY YOU’LL NEED

• a stack of note cards

• writing utensils
• coloring utensils
• an unlabeled map (provided)
• a standard deck of playing cards
• a 10-sided die (optional)
how to play
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1. Identify the center-most and/or most eye-catching
structure on the map and draw a box around it. This
will be our Seat of Power, and won’t be labeled until
the end of the game.

On our provided map, some strong choices for your

game’s Seat of Power include...

...but any structure will do! Take a moment as a group

to look over the map and choose which landmark
feels the most significant to you.

2. Choose or assign Community Roles for each player.

Illustrations are provided for inspiration, but you
won’t be playing as the characters themselves. Think
of them as members of the community you’ll be
representing as you build out your map.

Each role is limited to one player, but players may

adopt multiple roles if they’d like (see multiple roles
rules). You can also roll a 10-sided die to randomize
assignments or invent your own factions!
the mages
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×i×
the miners
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× ii ×
the farmers
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× iii ×
the ranchers
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× iv ×
the thieves
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×v×
the soldiers
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× vi ×
the merchants
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× vii ×
the elders
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× viii ×
the clerics
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× ix ×
the strangers
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3. Give each player (or each role if portraying multiple)
a different coloring utensil for use during the
game. You’ll be distinguishing territories from each
other, so try to use a variety of colors for clarity.

4. Start play order with the person who most recently

used a physical map to navigate somewhere or
via another randomization method. Play proceeds
clockwise after.

5. Each turn a player will draw a card and place it face

up in front of them. The Card’s Suit determines the
what role that structure plays (or played) in your
community.

♥ = A social purpose
♦ = A financial purpose
♣ = A future purpose
♠ = A past purpose

Card values determine how much influence your

faction has in the community, and will determine
who controls the Seat of Power at the end of the
game. Face cards = 0 in Seat of Power calculations.

6. With your Community Role, Suit, and Influence

Value in mind, select a structure and claim it by
coloring it in. Write your turn number next to it on
the map for organizational purposes.

7. At the top of a note card, write the color and turn

number of the structure. For example, Green 3.

8. On the rest of the note card write three sentences

describing the building and/or its purpose, titling
those sentences Beak, Feather, & Bone respectively.
 beak
• What do people say about this place? How would
a non-player character describe it?

feather
• Describe the structure’s appearance. What does
it look like on the outside?

bone
• Regardless of its appearance or reputation, what
is the building like on the inside? This could be
a physical description of the interior or an insight
into the structure’s purpose.

Try to keep your descriptions brief and don’t feel

obligated to define every little detail of a location.
Some building’s roles in the community will become
clearer as other players flesh out the map, and some will
simply contribute to the local flavor. Either way, this
is a collaborative game, so build off of each other’s
choices and don’t contradict them. Instead, lean
into the rivalries, alliances, or distances that emerge
between communities.
9. If you draw a Face Card (a Jack, Queen, or King)
on the back of your note card also describe a Rival
from another player’s community who opposes
that building’s purpose. Similarly describe the rival
in three sentences labeled Beak, Feather, & Bone.

BEAK: What is your rival’s reputation?

FEATHER: What is your rival’s appearance?
BONE: What is your rival’s true motivation?

K
♣

♣
K

10. After describing a landmark and/or rival, move to

the next player. Repeat this cycle for a set number
of turns (5 per player, for example) or until you run
out of cards or structures.

After the final turn, each player adds up the cards

they’ve drawn over the course of the game. The
player faction with the highest total has the most
sway in the community and is given control of the
Seat of Power. They get to describe the Seat of
Power with their faction in mind.
multiple roles
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There are a few ways to handle Seat of Power math if
players would like to portray more than one community.

1. Make sure each community receives the same

number of turns. Turn order follows the numbers
under each role (1-10) or simply doubles back.

2. Give each player the same number of turns, but

they must decide which community they’d like to
assign each draw’s value and description to. Keep
Seat of Power sums separate and total them by
role, not player. For less competitive play, put
all chosen roles in a single pool and allow players
to pick and choose from any in play.

blank spaces
B
Any unlabeled structures still exist as part of the city!
They just aren’t defined in the city’s “canon” yet.

Ideally—should an RPG campaign utilize this setting in

the future—GMs will have enough of a fleshed-out map
to help inspire their story, but also enough breathing
room to add additional narrative elements to their city
as needed.
play example
B
Player 1 represents The Ranchers and draws the 9♦.
That means the building they define should serve a
financial purpose. They select a tent-looking structure,
color it red, and label it #1. On a note card, they write:

Red 1: The Slug Tent

Beak: Where ranchers showcase and

sell the giant slugs they raise in caves
surrounding the town.

Feather: Bright red & white cloth hang on the outside,

with banners and signposts marking entrances closest
to specific rancher’s stalls.

Bone: Giant slugs languish in pens, ranchers present

their herds to prospective buyers, and butchers run

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food stalls serving up premium cuts.

Player 2 represents The Mages and draws the 3♥.

That means the building they define should serve a
social purpose. They select a small, round structure,
color it green, and label it #1. On a note card, they write:

Green 1: The Brewery

Beak: A brew-house and social club

where alchemists gather to share their
latest potions with each other, some
magical and some alcoholic.
Feather: Shaped like a giant barrel, mages enter with
bags full of ingredients and stumble out after, singing
in each other’s arms.

Bone: The mages are intensely competitive about their

brews and constantly try to one-up each other, either
with the creativity of their potions’ effects or the quality

B
of ingredients used.

Player 3 represents The Clerics and draws the K♠.

That means the building they define should serve a past
purpose. They select a ziggurat-looking structure, color
it blue, and label it #1. On a note card, they write:

Blue 1: The Abandoned Temple

Beak: No one goes into the old temple

anymore—it’s been sealed up for years
after its congregation disbanded.

Feather: Once pristine, the old temple’s multi-level

structure is caked in graffiti and sand, with various
gangs tagging and re-tagging its multiple levels.

Bone: Secret rituals are still being held here, but

acolytes enter through tunnels from the caves beneath

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town to avoid being discovered.

Because Player 3 drew a Face Card, they also need to

create a rival in another player’s faction who opposes
(or opposed) their building’s purpose. Flipping the Blue
1 note card over, they create an entry for a rival Mage:

Cleric Rival: The Mage Cordell Cassis

Beak: Cordell is renown throughout the city as the
scientist, magician, and philosopher who first made the
case for ravenfolk evolving beyond wings rather than
having them removed as divine punishment.

Feather: A studious, lanky ravenfolk dressed in leathers

speckled with ink stains and acid burns.

Bone: A staunch atheist, it was Cordell’s teachings that

(intentionally) turned the local majority away from

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religion, earning him multiple sects’ ire.

Player 4 represents The Strangers and draws the 10♣.

That means the building they define should serve a
future purpose. They select a circular structure on one
of the city’s upper tiers, color it yellow, and label it #1.
On a note card, they write:

Yellow 1: The Observatory

Beak: Once a watch tower, whoever

owns it now seems more interested in
the sky than the city below.

Feather: No one is ever seen coming or going, but the

roof opens and a giant telescope emerges every night
without fail and gazes up at the stars.

Bone: The Strangers gather here and keep a silent vigil

each night, waiting for a sign from the cosmic horror

B
they know will some day descend upon the city.

After this round of play, the factions’ point totals are as

follows:
 The Ranchers: 9
The Mages: 3
The Clerics: 0
The Strangers: 10

If we were to stop here, then, The Strangers would

B
have the most points earning them the Seat of Power.

Player 4 colors the Seat of Power that was chosen at

the start of the game yellow, gives it the next number
in their sequence (in this case #2), and fills out one final
note card:

Yellow 2: The Palace

Beak: Abandoned by a civilization that

once lived here, the palace now serves
as both the mayor’s residence and as
city hall.

Feather: The palace appears emptier and emptier as

of late, with the mayor canceling most political events
and eerily quiet newcomers being spotted peering down
from its ramparts.

Bone: The Strangers have planted an alien parasite in

the mayor’s brain and now control the city from the
shadows, secretly preparing to serve it as a feast to a

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cosmic horror foretold long, long ago.

And you’re done! Your story can stop here or a GM can

gather both the map and note cards to use as setting
details in a future campaign.
on ravenfolk
B
Their people go by many names. Kenku, tengu, raven-
folk. And sometimes worse. Monster, minion, evil.

You’ve probably heard the legends too. That millennia

ago ravenfolk served a powerful god (or demon, or
warlock, or being beyond comprehension) and that they
somehow displeased them. And that displeasure led to
divine punishment.

The ravenfolk’s wings—once their pride and joy—

were taken from them, shriveling to stumps before
disappearing entirely. Not even skeletal signs of the lost
appendages remain (leading some to wonder if they
were ever there at all).

According to legend, the deity took their language as

well. A jealous god, they wished to protect their secrets,
leaving ravenfolk with only mimicry at their disposal.
This, however, is patently untrue. Ravenfolk are no
more limited in speech than any other sentient species.
On the contrary—many are more skilled in languages
than most, picking up on dialects’ nuances at astounding
speeds. Generations of mistrust have merely taught
them the value of silence—whether perceived or actual.

Similarly, because their wit had been employed against

their patron, the spark of creativity was supposedly
torn from their souls too, condemning them to a life of
eternal subservience to their betters. This last myth is
an apocryphal excuse for racism, pure and simple.
Still, ravenfolk stereotypes are hard to shake, even in
their own communities. Often ravenfolk will look to the
birds of the sky, flex their shoulders and wonder, “We’re
so alike in other ways, why this crucial difference?
What advantage is there to being confined to the
ground? Surely this was never the plan. Surely this is a
punishment. Surely we are a sinful people.” Thus, cycles
of self-hatred continue.

Many ravenfolk desire nothing more than to “return” to

the sky. They rigorously pursue magical knowledge with
the express purpose of regrowing their wings. Others
train as artificers, creating wings powered by gears,
leather, and steam. Still more travel the world in search
of magic carpets, enchanted boots, and witches’ brooms
to at least chase that high. They crave, even worship, the
sky—with the most influential of their communities
living in the tallest towers and structures.

Other darker impulses have emerged from the legends.

Bending myths for their own purposes, some will
punish ravenfolk by tossing them from high places as
a reminder of the flight that was stolen from them.
The worse the infraction, the farther the fall. Others
will discipline ravenfolk by forcing them to wear false,
gaudy wings for the length of a sentencing. Some
religious fanatics will even fashion penance wings of
their own, punishing themselves for whatever sins they
or their ancestors may have committed.

As with any creation myth, however, there are other

legends and interpretations as well. “The Fall” is merely
the most prevalent one.
For some ravenfolk, their lack of flight is seen as a
blessing, not a curse. In an alternate creation myth,
ancient ravenfolk once craved power beyond their
reach, but before they could be cast down another
power intervened. A divine being in and of the earth—
not the sky—removed their wings not to punish them
but to protect them, holding them close like a mother
holds a child. A once flighty and divided people were
grounded, building homes among nature rather than
the cold, empty expanses of sky.

Even more believe that their people never had wings

to begin with. That the myths are just that—myths—
and that they evolved from ground-living birds of the
Rallidae family than their raven namesake. Some prefer
kenku or tengu precisely because these names distance
themselves from raven stereotypes.

Populated by the atheists, apostates, and alternative

faiths that exist among the ravenfolk, a new community
was formed. One that was deeply skeptical of existing
ravenfolk narratives. A city in the desert, deep in the
ground (closer to the divine for some) and rich in
resources.

That city is Kcha’Kcha—a city by and for ravenfolk’s

outliers. It’s also our offering as a setting seed for Beak,
Feather, & Bone.
on language
B
So your campaign’s ravenfolk are already mute—
not a problem! You can still incorporate a ravenfolk
city into your game. Here are a few options for freeing
ravenfolk residents up to speak:

• Kcha’Kcha residents are in fact a separate species

from ravenfolk. They really did evolve from rallidae
rather than ravens.

• The Divine Earth Mother returned their powers of

speech after the fall, partially removing the curse
upon ravenfolk as a boon for their patronage.

• All ravenfolk in the world CAN speak but most

choose not to because of their religious convictions.
Their supposed punishment was to never speak
again, and adhering to that punishment is an act of
devotion/atonement.

Or, if you’d rather stick with your setting’s established

canon, ravenfolk may vocalize through mimicry, but
the entirety of Kcha’Kcha is fluent in sign language. At
the edge of the crater, visitors are encouraged to hire an
interpreter before taking an incline to the city below.

Because it’s hard to call out to individuals in a crowd,

residents also carry small mirrors on their hips. The
mirror is used to flash light into someone’s eye and
catch their attention. Once seen, gestures and the like
can be used to communicate further.
on roleplaying
B
Remember, these ravenfolk are smart. And some
of them won’t have patience for visitors who refuse to
learn sign language or hire an interpreter.

But visitors without either aren’t uncommon either.

Most merchants will have slates & chalk on hand or
signs with common words that customers can point
to. If someone has some control of earth magic, they
may also carry around a slab of stone that they carve
words into and magically smooth out again once they’re
finished.

At the table level, narrating that a character is using

sign language and then interpreting those gestures
EVERY TIME or always describing a character writing
words before showing it to the group will get old fast.
Instead, establish that this is how people communicate
in the setting and roleplay conversation as usual unless
there’s a plot reason not too (IE: if there’s something
obscuring someone’s vision or a secret is being shared).

What’s more, if you’ve had a discussion using a sign

language interpreter before, you’ll know that many
don’t say “He says…” or “She says…” or “They say...” every
time a friend or client speaks—they simply interpret in
real time, verbatim. Cut out the middleman and only
narrate the language divide when relevant to the story
you’re trying to tell.
alternate play
B
Looking for a more character-focused variant of Beak,
Feather, & Bone? Try playing as The Traveler!

Play as usual, but instead of defining landmarks in

relation to a community faction, describe them in the
voice of a single character. Tell us how the building
influenced the character’s social life, finances, past,
or future. For rivals do the same.

If The Traveler has the highest score at the end of the

game, describe how actions they took at the Seat of
Power location changed the course of the city forever.

bios
B
Austin Breed is a Chicago-based illustrator and dungeon
master as well as the creative director at Peer Insight.
More at austinbreed.com

Tyler Crumrine is a freelance editor, book designer, &

dramaturg and the founding editor of Plays Inverse
Press. More at crumrine.info

Jonathan Yee is a visual artist and illustrator currently

residing in Texas. More at jonathanhouyee.com
the traveler
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