# Gubat Banwa tags: #game/rpg/gubat-banwa ![[Gubat Banwa - First Edition (cover).jpg]] Ah, so you've stumbled upon the "warring nations," have you? It seems you have a taste for tactical melodrama steeped in the mythos of Precolonial Philippines and broader Southeast Asia. Very well, let's unsheathe this and see what we're dealing with. **Gubat Banwa** is a tactical martial arts and war drama tabletop role-playing game where you take on the role of the Kadungganan—larger-than-life, honor-bound warriors caught in the endless conflicts of The Sword Isles. Created by Joaquin Kyle "Waks" Saavedra, this game is a self-described "gamified love letter to wuxia," Southeast Asian epics, and tactical RPGs. It pointedly rejects "default" fantasy, centering itself on Filipino and Southeast Asian cultures, experiences, and aesthetics. Prepare for stories of intense political maneuvering, complex interpersonal relationships, and, of course, tremendous violence. The game is designed for freewheeling adventures across diverse lands, stories of rising against oppressive empires, or simply tales of wandering heroes of immense martial prowess. The core mechanic for resolving anything risky, dramatic, or violent is called **Divining the Powers**. Forget your simple pass/fail dice pools; this is far more theatrical. You gather a single twelve-sided die (d12), your Skill Die, and four eight-sided dice (d8s), the Divination Dice. First, you determine which of the sixteen skills, like Wrath or Poetry, is most appropriate for the action. Then, you roll those four d8s to determine the difficulty. The Base Difficulty is 5. For every odd result on a d8, you've rolled an Ill Omen, and you must add +2 to that base difficulty. Even results are Good Omens and presumably just leave you with your mounting dread. Finally, you roll your d12 Skill Die and add your relevant skill value. If your total meets or beats the divinely ordained difficulty, you succeed. Failure means, well, failure, plus whatever consequences the guardian spirit, or Umalagad, deems fitting. But there's a twist, because of course there is. If your d12 Skill Die result is an even number, you gain an advantage, even on a failure. If it's odd, you suffer a setback, even on a success. So, you can magnificently succeed at impressing the Raja, but also accidentally insult his prized cockatoo in the process. ## References Here is a list of places where you can acquire the game, find reviews, or see it discussed. Do try to keep up. - [Official Gubat Banwa Itch.io page - itch.io](https://makapatag.itch.io/gubat-banwa) - [Gubat Banwa Review - Cannibal Halfling Gaming](=https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2021/11/17/gubat-banwa-review/) - [Gubat Banwa First Impressions - Bones of Contention](https://bonesofcontention.com/2021/12/03/gubat-banwa-first-impressions/) - [An interview with the creator of Gubat Banwa, a TTRPG inspired by Filipino and Southeast Asian folklore - Geek Culture](https://geekculture.co/an-interview-with-the-creator-of-gubat-banwa-a-ttrpg-inspired-by-filipino-and-southeast-asian-folklore/) - [Gubat Banwa Actual Play by Plus One To Hijinks - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist%3Flist%3DPLJ0snHDJp2s402r57sg6PzNjI7I4qY8yV) - [Filipino Myth-Inspired RPG Gubat Banwa Is an Essential Read - CBR](https://www.cbr.com/gubat-banwa-ttrpg-filipino-myth/) - [Gubat Banwa - 1d4chan](hhttps://1d4chan.org/wiki/Gubat_Banwa)