In this review we talk about Drukmahora – L’Ultimo Branco, a fantasy dieselpunk roleplaying game in which fuel meets fangs and blood.
The game was written by Roberto di Salvatore and published (only in italian) by MP Edizioni, that we thank for providing us with a copy of the manual for the review. We recommend that you follow them on their official website and on their Facebook page.
If you are interested, you can buy the manual on the official website at a cost of 35 euros, clicking on the bottom “Ordinalo Subito”.
Drukmahora Structure and Aesthetics Review
Drukmahora comes in an elegant 196 page A5 size hardcover manual. It is very solid but at the same time lightweight, making it possible to carry it comfortably. In addition to the setting and the rules, in the manual we find a brief introductory adventure.
The writing is simple and smooth. Thanks to the careful use of bold and italics, it allows you to navigate the text and have the most important terms clearly highlighted. The organization of information is also well thought out and, thanks to the many examples, there is never any doubt about the mechanics of the game.
Artistically speaking, the manual is truly spectacular and consistent. Thanks to the aesthetic style, you are dragged and wrapped in the atmospheres of the setting, allowing you to naturally understand the mood of the game. All the illustrations are decidedly inspired and maintain a consistently brutal style, which perfectly evokes the idea of “fangs and fire” and “bones and metal”.
A Setting Fueled by Diesel and Blood
The setting of Drukmahora is raw, brutal and tremendously beautiful.
Inside the manual the places are well presented and illustrated, but without ever going too much into specifics. In this way the Voce Narrante (the Narrator in Drukmahora) and the party can add details, cities and everything that can improve the atmosphere. A big plus point is in fact the flexibility of themes and stories that can be played.
The adventures will take place in the lands that once belonged to the “monstrous” Oscuri, such as orcs, goblins, trolls, giants and much more. These Progenie Oscure inhabited the game world until the arrival of the Usamari (the humans of the setting) who, thanks to the power of diesel and their technology, drive the Oscuri away and trap them in a confined area. But now the Oscuri, after years of captivity, exploit the weapons of the invaders and prepare for the last battle. Players will play the “Indomiti”, chosen ones by the Molte Voci, deities of the Oscuri.
Three main regions are described: the Luminous Kingdom, the Darskaja and the Astral Dragon Archipelago. Each of them is introduced by explaining the social structure, faith and customs of the Usamari who inhabit it. All three are very interesting, but the one that impressed me the most was the Darskaja. It is a cold and icy territory where there is a cult dedicated to the manipulation of flesh and bones that reminded me of Hellraiser.
Offsprings and BloodLines
The Oscuri are divided into 7 Offsprings and each has its own history, as well as different characteristics and traits. In addition, each of them has 2 Bloodlines to choose from, so as to further increase the possibilities of customization.
The Offsprings are: Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Nightmares, Sshal’daraz, Lhaak and Giants. The Shal’daraz are serpentfolk who are believers and fervent in their worship. Nightmares, on the other hand, are ethereal creatures with unknown origins. Finally, we have the Lhaak, my favorites, who are beings divided into three bodies with a single shared consciousness.
Orcs, Goblins, Trolls and Giants, on the other hand, are classic and follow the common style of the fantasy genre. But thanks to the Bloodlines, they adapt to the game world and take interesting traits. Such as the Shaltur, an Orc Bloodline with the power to see and interact with the dead.
Within the manual we find an in-depth description of the society of the Oscuri, how the various Progenie interact with each other, the management of the economy and much more.
Drukmahora Review: the Indomiti
In Drukmahora, players will play the Indomiti, that is, Oscuri blessed by the Molte Voci, an ancient and mysterious deity. Thanks to these blessings, PCs will have access to special abilities and gifts during creation.
A fundamental part of the character, in addition to the Offspring and the Bloodline, are the Characteristics. In Drukmahora there are 6 of them: Agility, Wits, Fate, Might, Presence and Will. Each of these is assigned a pair of dice that can have a different size depending on the abilities of our Indomito. The sizes are d4, d6, d8.
Another important aspect are the Skills. They represent knowledge that the Indomito has acquired during their life. They are very useful because they confer advantages in specific situations. The manual provides some examples to better understand them.
Gifts are the most interesting aspect of an Indomito and allow them to perform actions out of the ordinary. We find a lot of Gifts: each one is well explained and different from the others. Some effects allow you to inspire fury in your companions, others to summon and control the elements. A very peculiar detail is that each Gift is divided into three increasingly devastating Effects. To use the Gifts, you will need to spend Vis Points, which can be accumulated in many ways.
In addition to all this, in the manual we find questions to help define and customize an Indomito and its background, so as to make it even more alive.
Moreover, each PC will have a Heirloom and a Nickname that will make it definitively unique.
The creation process is very quick and intuitive, suitable for both novices and experts.
Drukmahora Oath System Review
Oaths are a fundamental part of the growth of your Indomito and allow you to learn new powers.
They are objectives that consist of a layout of 4 squares. In each session you have to ask yourself if you have made any steps towards your Oath. If yes, a square must be ticked. The Oaths can be personal to the PC or the group. The manual suggests several and carefully explains how to create them.
Once the track has been completed and the Oath obtained, it must be deleted from the character sheet and a Milestone is obtained. To continue playing, a new Oath must be set, perhaps based on the previous one.
This Milestone can be spent on upgrading your PC in a variety of ways. You can increase life points, develop a new Gift, improve Characteristics and much more.
Thanks to this system, the development of the Indomiti of Drukmahora is completely in the hands of the game group, allowing an organic evolution of the story of their hero and their pack.
The Game System
In Drukmahora we find a fast-paced, very intuitive and well-explained game system.
When an Indomito performs an action that is dangerous or could have consequences, they will face a test.
The objective and Characteristic of the test will be decided by the player and the Voce Narrante will decide the Difficulty to be overcome. Then the player will have to roll the two dice associated with the Characteristic and with their sum overcome the Difficulty. If the two highest results of the dice show up, a Critical Success will be achieved. A double 1 will instead lead us to a Voice of Defeat.
An interesting mechanic is that of Increase and Decrease. In practice, during a test, thanks to very favorable or unfavorable skills or situations, the size of the Characteristic dice used can be raised or lowered. This possibility is very interesting because it allows to make each test exciting and not trivial.
In the ruleset we also find the Advantage and the Disadvantage. You simply have to roll an additional die and, in case of Advantage, the two highest ones will be held. In case of Disadvantage, on the other hand, the lowest two must be considered. Advantage and Disadvantage may be applied by the Voce Narrante or by the use of the Skills of the Indomiti.
Combat is very fast and bloody, but regularistically simple. The most interesting part is that in the round of the party each player declares their action, then they agree on who goes first so as to benefit the narrative and make each combat dynamic.
Critical Successes, Vis Points and Voice of Defeat
A Critical Success can generate very impactful consequences; one of the most interesting is the Twist. Thanks to this effect, the Indomiti will be able to actively act on the narrative and direct it in their favor.
Also thanks to Critical Success, we could obtain Vis Points. They are a resource that PCs can spend to activate Gifts, earn Life Points, deal more damage, cheat death, or more. Vis Points are also obtained at the beginning of each fight, so you have a reserve to exploit. The maximum limit of Vis points is always 6. The interesting thing is that they can also be earned by describing actions in a brutal or spectacular way, or by killing the first enemy. Another (amazing) possibility to use Vis Points is the Fatal Strike. During a fight, the Untamed can instantly defeat a simple enemy to snatch a vital organ that, if consumed, will allow the PC to gain 2 Life Points.
The Voice of Defeat is the mechanic that comes into play when you get a double 1. It can lead to many negative effects for PCs, but the most interesting is to get a Destiny Point for the narrator. Fate Points can be used to make life more difficult for the Indomiti or to make NPCs survive. Again, these are mechanics that manage to embellish the narrative.
Review of the Narrative Section of the Drukmahora Manual
At the end of the manual we find the section dedicated to the Voce Narrante.
We can find a lot of information, tips and above all the steps to build an adventure enriched by interesting and “alive” NPCs. In addition to all this, there are some pre-made ideas to give life to epic adventures. I recommend reading the chapter in depth to understand the type of game and the theme that the author wanted to create.
There is also a short playable adventure, carefully written to underline the tones of the work and perhaps start a more extensive campaign. In this short story, the pack of Indomiti will have to cover the escape of a village of Oscuri and clash with the dangerous Usamari.
A striking detail is the bestiary at the end of the manual, very rich and well detailed. The creatures present are a terrifying mix of evil humans, robots and much more. One of the most interesting are the Blessed Maw, mechanically enhanced assault dogs used to hunt the Oscuri. I also really appreciated the Angels, veteran soldiers who use a jetpack for ambushes from above.
Drukmahora Review Conclusions
To conclude this review, I can say that Drukmahora is a product made in an excellent way, with great love and passion that appear on every page.
Thanks to its streamlined but effective system, it manages to involve both novices and veterans. With its aesthetic, you can immerse yourself even more in a bloody, mechanical and brutal world. The setting, through the specific and engaging descriptions, is truly in-depth but leaves the right space for the game group to add details and make it their own. In addition, the manual also takes care to provide safety tools and advice so that these issues are addressed in the right way and do not affect the players’ experience at the table.
I recommend Drukmahora to anyone looking for a streamlined, engaging roleplaying game with a very special flavour. So, Indomiti, sharpen your fangs and be ready to face the Usamari!
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