Our Roots Grow Strong

Beloved kin, we have watched you for centuries, and we weep. You had such promise; you still do. Humanity's reach has exceeded its grasp, and now the Children of Flesh and Dreams are bound by the chains of their own making. Greed, intolerance, and misery are a blight that rots mankind from within and without. You have become estranged from what is natural and eternal. But all is not lost, dear cousins. Not yet. 

We can no longer wait and watch in our verdant fortresses as you struggle and suffer. We venture out into your world through our chosen vessels, and we will show you the path towards hope and renewal.  We will show you transformation through facing your agony; a better, brighter future by breaking and toppling all you have come to know and understand. We have spent eons building our community, and we offer you a place within the unbreakable continuum. Know that your bodies will grow powerful, then wane, and finally join the substrate of eternity. 

Do not be afraid: Our Roots Grow Strong. 

Our Roots Grow Strong is a pamphlet tabletop roleplaying game of inevitable hope in which players take on the role of Seedkin-infused humans that fight against capitalism, toxic social constructs, and corruption (governmental, societal, and ecological). They are guided by the Old Growth, the strongest and most beautiful person at the table, who takes on the responsibility of telling their epic tale from struggling human to mighty demigod of the woods. 

This aspiration of this game is to show that hope is not a spectator sport, and that only by acting as a community -- empowered and inspired by a desire for a better way -- will we reach a brighter future. Hope is not an option: it's our own choice if we want to survive as a species. 

• Quick, easy to understand rules (d10 dice pool-based mechanic with a provided resolution oracle).
• Player-facing action to allow OG (narrator) to focus on storytelling and share control with the players.
• Four Seedkins to choose from, with guidance on how the table can create their own. Choose right away from:
  • Mighty woodland guardian tree-warriors, Barkshields can take on any foe in battle without fear.
  • Beautiful and silver-fronded emissaries, Fiddleflirts are the friendliest of ferns.
  • Coursing with arcane powers, the mushroom magician Hexcaps change the world with strange powers and hidden knowledge.
  • Cunning and subtle Wickercreeps move their stealthy vines through the secret places in the world to sow chaos and steal secrets.
• Random roll charts to create chaotic and fun Labors of Renewal (quests/missions). 
• The chance to become a horrific hybrid of flesh and vine, terrorizing bigots and industrialists.

ORGS' intent is to tell a story of actively seeking and creating hope in a hostile world, fighting against increasingly difficult odds and opposition. This journey can take any shape that a table is comfortable and curious with, but it's extremely important that the OG and players have a frank and respectful conversation regarding safety, boundaries, and the tools that will be used at the table to enshrine these commitments. 

There are many great tools out there that should be utilized to provide a safe space for players and the OG alike. We highly recommend: lines and veils, X, N, and O cards, and aftercare. These are just the basics, however, and each table will have different needs. The only way an OG is going to know what their players are going to need is to communicate with them, and vice versa. This game is about community, so make sure to listen to your real life Grove.

ORGS may dip into some potentially disturbing and traumatic elements: eco-terrorism, body horror, violence, and emotional/mental trauma. If any of these elements are problematic for the group, they can easily be removed (or, to be thematic, pruned). Here are just a few examples on how to gently modify ORGS to make it more suitable without losing the thread of the game:

The Morphology Track involves slowly becoming a plant-like being and losing human features, limbs, and organs. If this is going to upset someone at the table, drop it! The changes can come from other, nonphysical avenues, such as a silly little plant spirits hovering in the way and disrupting Human Things. 

If an Ache is hitting too close to home, the OG can change it to something like Unfavorable Circumstances. The difficulty comes from an external, physical source, rather than internally dealing with issues. 

In the end, ORGS is your game and you can (and should) shape it to what you want it to be. Here are your shears, you have the groundskeeper's permission!

• Captain Planet and the Planeteers 
• Swamp Thing (DC Comics)
• Poison Ivy (DC Comics)
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse (White Wolf) 
• Darkness Falls ( X-Files)
• The Whispering Woods from Welcome to Night Vale (iykyk)

Game and content designed and written by Laughing Lark Games. Art and graphics by dollipop • www.dollipop.art