NOTE: THIS GAME IS CURRENTLY IN EARLY ACCESS. IN IT'S CURRENT STATE (5.1), IT ONLY CONTAINS LESS THAN 15% OF THE COMPLETED GAME. DESPITE THAT, IT IS VERY MUCH PLAYABLE, EVEN FOR MULTI-EPISODE PLAY.
In Capitalites, you play through the essential Asian coming-of-age experience:
However, it’s not all “us-against-the-world” as the women themselves have to deal with their own insecurities and toxic behaviours as well as *gasp* each other!
Play as one of 6 Leng Luis (Cantonese for "Pretty Girl"), some of whom you might know in real life (or might be yourself):
It also uses an easy to learn and easy to play storytelling system based off the "No Dice, No Masters" system (e.g. Balikbayan & Sleepaway) where the narrative is shaped your character's emotions and desires and how they play off other characters.
Capitalites also employs an innovative growth mechanic where players and their characters reflect on their development as people at the end of each episode (or session). The more they challenge their insecurities and deepen their interpersonal relationships, the more they unlock new good habits and healthy ways of dealing with conflict, eventually making major and positive changes in their lives.
The game enables the characters to be terrible, fucked up and complex people as much as it pushes them to be better. Taking note of this, is it very likely that the players themselves will put their characters into situations that would be considered immoral, predatory, or uncomfortable in real life - which is by design.
Included in The Director's sheet are a set of safety tools essential to the playing the game.
Alternatively, if you wish to explore these dynamics, you may also choose to explore your character discovering their own form of queerness and discovering their identity via a “coming out” story.
That being said, future versions of Capitalites will include:
Special Thanks to Ho Yi Jian - designer of Koraptiko, the board game of Malaysian Politics & Corruption - for coming up with the title Capitalites and for inviting me to a Singapore Social watch party.
Special Thanks to CLC and Red Velvet for their impeccable discographies which give me life and fuel my Cancerian sensitivity,
~~~ THE GAME ~~~
Capitalites is a tragicomedic tabletop RPG about Asian young adults growing up in the big city and have to find out who they are and get their shit together after officially becoming "true adults" (in a similar vein to celebrated TV shows Bojack Horseman, Master of None, and You're the Worst - but with an Asian Twist!).In Capitalites, you play through the essential Asian coming-of-age experience:
- of its euphoric highs and traumatic lows
- of how we get screwed others and screw with others
- of the consequences of our desires and insecurities
- of how we learn to support & nurture one other
- (and most of all) of how we can grow, mature, and outgrow the past… Always asking, “how can you find true happiness”?
However, it’s not all “us-against-the-world” as the women themselves have to deal with their own insecurities and toxic behaviours as well as *gasp* each other!
Play as one of 6 Leng Luis (Cantonese for "Pretty Girl"), some of whom you might know in real life (or might be yourself):
- The Slut: everything a proper woman should never be: confident, smart, independent, outspoken, and in control of her life and her body. To her, sex is a virtue and a power - an act of liberation. Unfortunately for her, she's exactly the type of person who attracts trouble, whether she causes it or not.
- The Career Woman: smart, competent, and persistent, she amazing at what she does and she wants you to know it... and of all people, she is well aware of the true cost of success. Sure, her life and career is impressive - she knows that - but is the life she now lives one that's really worth living?
- The Actual Celebrity: "who are they?" a question nobody asks because, let's face it, everyone in the city knows who they are. But even so, they still find themselves asking "who am I?" as they struggle between being their Brand and knowing who their True Self is.
- The Zha Boh (查某): the classic ideal of a typical Asian woman, out here to really just exist and sometimes get into a little trouble. But as much as mediocrity is safe and comfortable, is it by no means a good way to live. If anything, now's the best time for her to find out who she really is and find a purpose for existing.
- The Crazy Rich Kid: it's a cliche because it's true: mo' money, mo' problems... and by god they have both by the bucketful. Sure, life is good right? They have everything they want? But can they really outspend the ever-creeping emptiness growing in their heart? After all, When you live life at the top, the only way you can go.. is down.
- The Hot Chick: she's the girl every guy wants to fuck and every girl wants to be. But alas, real, stunning, perfect beauty often comes at a price when very few see her as a real, breathing person and most resent her one way or another. In this world of superficiality and sex, all she really needs to do is prove herself as a proper human being and not a sexy piece of meat.
~~~ THE SYSTEM ~~~
Capitalites requires 3-6 players, with at least one player playing the role of The Director, the equivalent of a Game Master except that this role can be shared by everybody should they be comfortable with it.It also uses an easy to learn and easy to play storytelling system based off the "No Dice, No Masters" system (e.g. Balikbayan & Sleepaway) where the narrative is shaped your character's emotions and desires and how they play off other characters.
Capitalites also employs an innovative growth mechanic where players and their characters reflect on their development as people at the end of each episode (or session). The more they challenge their insecurities and deepen their interpersonal relationships, the more they unlock new good habits and healthy ways of dealing with conflict, eventually making major and positive changes in their lives.
~~~ CONTENT WARNINGS ~~~
This game heavily explores real-world toxic systems of social interaction and power: including but not limited to class, fame, (frequent) alcohol and drug usage, toxic families and social circles, religion, queerness, explicitly sexual interactions, exploitation, and behaviour that is best described as selfish, toxic, abusive, predatory, manipulative, and self-destructive.The game enables the characters to be terrible, fucked up and complex people as much as it pushes them to be better. Taking note of this, is it very likely that the players themselves will put their characters into situations that would be considered immoral, predatory, or uncomfortable in real life - which is by design.
Included in The Director's sheet are a set of safety tools essential to the playing the game.
~~~ ON MISOGYNY & QUEERNESS ~~~
By default, Capitalites characters use their given pronouns (Male = he/him, Female = she/her) and identify by their given/birth gender. Additionally, they also deem themselves heterosexual, if not aggressively so. If you wish to play this realistically, characters might even:- Be dismissive or disrespectful of LGBT folx, especially if you are trans, nonbinary, intersex, or on the asexual spectrum.
- Fetishize queerness or pretend to be “bi-curious/bisexual” to look woke or progressive
Alternatively, if you wish to explore these dynamics, you may also choose to explore your character discovering their own form of queerness and discovering their identity via a “coming out” story.
~~~ COMING SOON ~~~
Capitalites is still in the process of development, with lots and lots more content to come in the coming months. Even so, the game is still very much playable and you could even run a full season (or campaign) with this current build.That being said, future versions of Capitalites will include:
- Refined mechanics, writing, editing, and sensitivity reading
- 22+ Character Playbooks in total
- Including fun new characters with names such as:
- The Player
- The Sensitive Man
- The Leftover
- The Cynic
- The Shithead
- and, The Expatriate - the only white person allowed in the game
- Including fun new characters with names such as:
- A full Play Guide which includes:
- A complete and concise explanation the mechanics for newcomers to roleplaying games and veterans alike
- Guides for playing characters of a different race, sexualities, & culture
- Complete safety tools and guides on how to keep the game safe as you venture into dark territories
- Tools for developing relationships, plotlines, and The City you play in
- In-depth side character creation and play tools - as well as the tools for side characters to become fully playable main characters
- and most of all, scene-specific prompts and story beats to help structure and guide the narrative based on themes the table wants to explore
- e.g. Parents, Dating, Death, and dealing with The Past
- Physical copies and celebrity endorsements?????!!!!! (simu liu play this game pls)
~~~ THANKS & SUPPORT ~~~
If you wish to continue supporting Capitalites and help me pay Asian artists to make art and help me develop the game, feel free to drop me a KO-FI at {https://ko-fi.com/babblegumsam} and follow me on Twitter where I (sometimes) post game design stuff in between talking very loudly about my personal life and k-pop.Special Thanks to Ho Yi Jian - designer of Koraptiko, the board game of Malaysian Politics & Corruption - for coming up with the title Capitalites and for inviting me to a Singapore Social watch party.
Special Thanks to CLC and Red Velvet for their impeccable discographies which give me life and fuel my Cancerian sensitivity,
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