Mythic Bastionland

Mythic Bastionland is a mythic-age RPG of knighthood, glory, and the search for the City—an elusive truth at the edge of the world. Created by Chris McDowall (Into the Odd, Electric Bastionland), this standalone game immerses players in a fantastical medieval realm brimming with myths that shape reality, vassals who cling to order, and knights who ride out for honor and destiny.

You play Knights—oathbound individuals of skill and burden—seeking Glory through duels, ruling holdings, facing dilemmas, and uncovering the strange truths of Myths. The game emphasizes player-driven storytelling, dangerous choices, and long-reaching consequences across Seasons and Ages, allowing campaigns to span decades in-world.

🛡 What Kind of Game Is This?

• Tone & Setting: Low fantasy with dreamlike strangeness, evoking Arthurian myths and fairy tale logic.
• Structure: Each session represents a Season, and after several sessions, the world can advance by Ages (20+ years). Characters evolve dramatically over time or die seeking greatness.
• Playstyles: Myth-hunting hex-crawls, tense courtly intrigue, ruling over realms, or wandering knight-errantry are all viable styles.

🎲 Core Mechanics

Mythic Bastionland uses a streamlined, rulings-over-rules system based on Into the Odd:

• Virtues: Instead of D&D-style stats, characters have Vigour, Clarity, and Spirit—each tested using Saves (roll d20 ≤ score).
• Guard: A buffer like Hit Points. Once Guard is gone, damage hits Virtues directly.
• Feats & Gambits: Add tactical depth in combat. Players can push their limits for decisive actions, or spend high attack rolls to inflict narrative effects (disarms, trip, repel, etc.).
• Exploration & Realm Play: The map is a 12x12 hex grid Realm, populated with Holdings (towns), Barriers (impassable terrain), and Myths—mysterious, powerful forces with narrative arcs and omens.
• Crises & Choices: Rulers must balance threats from within (Doubt) and without (Chaos). Every decision can reshape the Realm.

✨ Themes & Storytelling

• Myths are living legends: all versions are “true” in some way. They manifest through Omens and become focal points of adventure.
• Knighthood is noble and tragic: death is frequent, successors are expected. You're not superheroes—you’re flawed, determined people fighting fading light.
• The City is your ultimate goal: a legendary place only the truly Glorious may find.
• Seers, Vassals, Vagabonds: Populate a dynamic world of competing agendas and allegiances.
• Hexcrawl with meaning: Every location is alive with story prompts. The world shifts around the players’ actions across decades.

✅ Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Evocative worldbuilding and mythic tone.
• Streamlined mechanics encourage fast play and deep story.
• Deep time progression (Seasons → Ages) creates a sense of epic legacy.
• Flexible scope: playable in one-shots or sprawling sagas.

Cons:

• Requires narrative buy-in; less suited to tactical "crunch" players.
• Lighter rules may demand more improvisation from the Referee.
• Death can come fast; players should be comfortable with rotating characters.

🎭 Best For...

• Groups who enjoy world-building, legacy, and poetic strangeness.
• Players who want to explore character evolution over decades.
• GMs who prefer flexible rulings and narrative prompts to rigid systems.

For more, visit bastionland.com or get resources at bit.ly/mbstuff.

“For the oath, for the glory, through sorrow and ache—The City, that quest to which no knight can make.”