Tail, Scale, & Bone

*NOTE: This supplement requires the full Beak, Feather, & Bone rules to play*

Following Beak, Feather, & Bone’s release in February 2020, it’s been amazing seeing all of the wonderful ravenfolk cities Austin Breed's illustrations have inspired. And I hope to see many more! But with players using the same community portraits in each of their games, I’ve also started to notice some similarities between sessions. Maybe you have too!

One of the fun things about BFB, though, is that you’re by no means tied to using the core game’s factions. In fact, inserting new communities or even just pulling inspiration from different illustrations can help you interpret Jonathan Yee’s map in whole new ways. 

That’s where Elizabeth Orji-Smith comes in! By shifting the game’s communities from ravenfolk to merfolk in Tail, Scale, & Bone, players are reminded there’s no reason the city’s map can’t be on the bottom of the ocean. In fact, it could just as easily be on the moon!

What’s more, Elizabeth has created 10 entirely new communities for players to represent in the game, helping you push BFB’s replayability even further. Feel free to mix and match as well—imagining how ravenfolk Couriers might behave or adding merfolk Miners to your underwater game. 

The BFB SRD (Systems Reference Document) also provides permission and guidance for artists, designers, writers, and publishers to build on and/or adapt the rules and ideas found in Beak, Feather, & Bone. Feel free to use this supplement as a template for your own expansion. 

This purchase includes a digital copy of the game booklet optimized for both screen and home-printing, and all proceeds from this supplement will be donated to the Bukit Bail Fund of Pittsburgh.

The Bukit Bail Fund of Pittsburgh is a coalition of individuals and organizations striving to provide support for those incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail, located in Pittsburgh, PA. ACJ has the second highest rate of suicides across the 50 largest US jails, and 81% of inmates have not been convicted of any crime.

Prison abolition is founded on the premise that prisons, policing and the current “justice” system do not work to reduce harm in our society. The current criminal justice system tortures, exploits, and demonizes Black, Brown, and poor people. As abolitionists, we understand that punishment is not an effective tool for healing. We believe that a world without prisons is possible and however slowly, we can work toward other ways to deal with conflict and harm.

Lastly, if you enjoy this supplement, hire Elizabeth Orji-Smith to work on your games! Elizabeth is a Bafta Young Game Designer winning visual artist based in the UK and is actively interested in illustrating for more tabletop RPGs. They were a joy to work with, and  in addition to their compensation for this project, I sincerely hope this first RPG product will help introduce others to their portfolio. More at elizaos.com