The Meridian: Live and funded on BackerKit

Based on the acclaimed bestselling novels of Rebecca Roanhorse—Black Sun, Fevered Star, and Mirrored Heavens—Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game immerses you in the Meridian, a rich and beautifully detailed fantasy world inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas.

The people of the Meridian are many and varied, but four great city-states are most prominent.

Hokaia is seen by many as the Meridian's beating heart; it is a vast city of great mounds lying at a juncture of the Kuulum river in the midst of wide plains. The hub of trade for the entire region north of the Crescent Sea (and beyond), this verdant city teems with peoples from across the known world.

Another great trading city, anchoring the southern shore of the Crescent Sea and bustling with maritime trade, Cuecola is a port renowned for its ball courts and tall, ornate stone pyramids, and ruled by the seven merchant lords—and once, before the magic was forbidden, home to powerful sorcerers.

Tova, the city in the clouds, spans a cluster of great mesas with the river Tovesheh rushing about their feet. It is the seat of the four Sky Made clans—Golden Eagle, Water Strider, Winged Serpent, and Carrion Crow—famed for their giant animal mounts. And it is the site of the Celestial Tower, until recently the body that oversaw the suppression of magic and god-worship.

And then there are the Teek, the greatest of the sailors and the world's best boat-builders. Devastated during the War of the Spear, the Teek have become reclusive almost to the point of myth. Teek society is exclusively female, and they are famed for their mystic Song—and the belief that their bones and body parts have magical power.

There are many others in the Meridian—the people of the Obreji mountains, the folk of the plains and, beyond them, the peoples of the Northern Wastes.

For 300 years the prohibition on magic and god-worship had brought reason and peace. Now that peace is shattered, the gods reassert themselves, and the ancient magics prove to be not quite completely lost.

Many forms of magic were once known—blood, shadow, fire, stone, and spirit, among others. Dreamwalking is another practice, gifted to (or perhaps cursed upon) humanity when the spearmaiden Seuq ventured to the Graveyard of the Gods to eat the godflesh at its heart. The ability to enter and shape others' dreams is powerful, but the practice leads many to madness. Most—perhaps all—magic derives from the gods, and little of it is well understood, even by those most intimate with its use.

Generations of peace led many to see god-worship as superstition. But god cults did not disappear entirely, and they have recently resurged. It was the advent of the Crow god's avatar that led to the Celestial Tower's downfall, and as the peace of recent centuries has shattered, more gods become active in the affairs of the world.

Prophecy is one of their most potent tools. Those they touch with prophecy find their fates bound to the gods' desires; they are tasked with the gods' inscrutable and often chaotic goals. And this is where you find yourself: subject to individual prophecies that shape your character's journey (whether you choose to follow or resist them) and larger prophecies that set the direction for your group's adventures and help build your overall campaign.

Xihuitl was born under a falling god—a streak of light that split the heavens in two—and has since grown to be a gifted oracle. When a new constellation appears in the skies portending the downfall of those who depend on him, he must race against the stars to ensure their safekeeping.

A wealthy sorcerer of Cuecola has offered Hedía, a winged serpent rider, the promise of restoring xirs family name and status. In exchange, Hedía must retrieve a powerful armament. Unfortunately, the item lies in the heart of a mysterious storm, swirling out to sea under a strange new constellation.

Long ago Kahini, a Teek, turned her back on the sea to save the woman she loved. The arrival of the constellation—and its foretelling of a dangerous storm—stirs something in her she thought she’d long-buried. Now the sea cries for her help, and she feels its powers longing to return to her. But her heart sunders, as she must choose one love to save and one to let go.Characters in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game might be warriors or powerful scions; they might grasp the powers of blood magic or dreamwalking, or Sing to the sea; they might ride winged serpents or giant crows. For all one's abilities, though, to live in the Meridian is to live a life that is never fully your own. Powerful oracles decree your future. Forbidden magics ache to be discovered. All-seeing gods dole out prophecies to those both willing and not.

In Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game, characters are given Divinations, personal goals akin to character arcs. Perhaps they’re attempting to revive their family’s good name, become an accomplished scholar-priest, or exact revenge on their sworn enemy. Whatever their Divinations, achieving them are sure to come with both rewards and costs.

Each group also receives a Prophecy, a shared god-given destiny they must attempt to fulfill together. Every Prophecy has the potential to impart huge changes upon the world and the people they love. And each comes with a ticking clock toward an in-world event, such as a lunar eclipse, a terrible tempest, or a planned assassination. A failed Prophecy portends a steep price for the world, but a successful one promises a terrible cost for those who fulfill it.

Characters attempt to achieve their individual Divinations while working together to fulfill their group’s Prophecy before the world event occurs. But one character’s Divination may be in direct opposition to another’s, and fulfilling the group’s Prophecy may require heartbreak and sacrifices from everyone involved. Still, for those who can pull it off, the rewards are many.

Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game is set in a fantasy world with inspirations taken from pre-Columbian-contact American cultures. It's being carefully and respectfully crafted by a team that brings together Native and non-Native designers and artists. (You can learn more about our team below.)

Regardless of your own cultural background, we think you'll love the vivid, compelling characters and campaigns you'll experience in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game. The game provides ample immersion in a fascinating and deeply realized world, introducing concepts, technologies, and worldviews in a way that gamers used to European-based fantasy can easily come to understand. The corebook also discusses the benefits and pitfalls of playing in a world and culture that's new to you.

Additionally, the Crossing the Cultural Divide: Gaming in a Culture Other Than Your Own zine, one of the first delivered rewards, focuses on just this topic. It's being penned by Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game co-designer Kenna Alexander, who combines insights from extensive RPG design experience, her own Cherokee Nation heritage, and years of working with Native creatives across the Americas.

This campaign funds the corebook for Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game, along with When Fate Calls Your Name, a hefty book of adventures (called Prophecies), and a number of other rewards that will make your game soar.

Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game. The complete game in one hefty hardcover book, in either the standard edition (which will be available in stores) or the exclusive DELUXE edition, made just for backers of this campaign. It includes character creation, game rules, in-depth setting information, prophecy, advice on playing in the Meridian, equipment, NPCs and creatures, and adventures—everything you need to play. The deluxe edition features a foil-debossed faux-leather cover with a beautiful dust jacket, special edge treatment, and similar premium features. It won't be widely available except through this campaign—don't miss it!

When Fate Calls Your Name. A hardcover adventure book, When Fate Calls Your Name presents three complete Prophecies: The Quiet Places Between the Stars, A House of Scattered Feathers, and Celestial Songs. Prophecies are similar to the sorts of adventures offered for most TTRPGs, in that they give the GM the necessary information, stats, and guidance to run hefty, multi-session story arcs. These three tie together to form the backbone of a long-term campaign. Each Prophecy also has a story clock that ticks down toward a foretold in-world event, before which the group must achieve their goals.

Story Clock. Prophecy is at the heart of Between Earth & Sky, and many prophecies are bound to celestial activity, the movement of magic and culture, and other natural or manmade elements. The Story Clock is a boardgame-like surface that forms a centerpiece of your Between Earth & Sky game table, that serves as an in-world countdown timer for your group prophecy.

Prophecy Deck. This evocative deck helps generate prophecies and adventure goals for individual characters and the group as a whole. It can also provide creative prompts and adventure twists. The digital version of this deck is accessed through the Datasphere Deck Tool. (See Powerful Online Tools, below.)

Under the Black Sun. A GM's guide to using divination and prophecies in your game, building on the information in the corebook and providing copious examples. This short, zine-sized book has an accordion-style binding mimicking the construction of in-world books.

Magic Is Your Birthright. This short zine-sized book explores the magic systems as seen from in-world characters and libraries, including the (often incomplete or incorrect) assumptions of magic-wielding characters. Like the other zine-style titles, its accordion binding gives it the feel of an in-world tome.

Crossing the Cultural Divide: Gaming in a Culture Other Than Your Own. Written by Native designer Kenna Alexander, this zine-format title is your guide to a great RPG experience playing a game with a different cultural basis than your own. It includes specific tips for Between Earth & Sky, such as creating an authentic name for your character.

XP Deck. Characters in Between Earth & Sky earn experience points (XP) as they progress toward their destinies. The GM also rewards players with XP when activating a GM intrusion—a narrative tool that throws an unexpected twist or complication into a scene or story. Players spend XP on advancement between sessions, and also in-game, for their own narrative tools, including rerolls and player intrusions. Because XP comes and goes frequently, it’s handy to have a set of tokens to represent them, and the cards in this 30-card deck are perfect for the job. The digital version of this deck is accessed through the new Digital Deck Tool.

Between Earth & Sky Resource Deck. Creatures, NPCs, cyphers, artifacts, and similar resources from the corebook are reproduced in this handy deck that's convenient in play and when you're prepping for the game. The digital version of this deck is accessed through the new Digital Deck Tool.

Exclusive DELUXE Dice Set. Between Earth & Sky uses a d20, d6, and percentile dice. You can use standard dice, but some results, especially on the d20, have special effects—particularly the 1, the 20, and the 17, 18, and 19. These high-quality, sharp-edged resin dice are specially marked for these results—and they’re beautiful, elegant, and immersive. You’ll love the convenience and ease of the special markings—and really love the way they feel and look at the game table!

Character Portfolios. These 24-page character portfolios are a wonderful step up from the standard character sheet. They give you room for notes, sketches, and details: thoughts about your character’s appearance and mannerisms; notes on the strange and wondrous locations, people, creatures, and objects you meet in your adventures; perhaps a campaign journal, or maps and sketches of places you’ve been around the Meridian. The print version comes in a pack of five—enough for the whole gaming group—while the included PDF version includes both print-optimized and form-fillable, device-optimized files.

Between Earth & Sky is powered by Cypher, the popular, award-winning RPG system that's fast, flexible, and incredibly easy on the GM. Cypher is perfect for your games set in the Meridian: it's focused on engaging characters and rich stories, and built from the ground up to be easy to play and especially easy to GM.

Characters are built with a four-part sentence. You start with a descriptor (an aspect of your personality), connect it to a type (that defines your role), and then add a focus (defining a key aspect of your identity). You might, for example, be a Star-Blessed Crow Rider who Dreamwalks; Destiny-Bound Spearmaiden who Wields a Bone Staff; or a Sun-Sought Priest of Knives who Masters the Death Arts. A character's sentence doesn't just paint a vivid picture of who they are—each of those components contributes to the character's capabilities, adding skills, Pool points, special abilities, and even equipment and potential connections to other characters and the setting.

But there's a fourth element of your character: your destiny. Perhaps your character has Death on His Shoulder, or A Storm on Her Horizon. A full sentence reads like Tenoch is a Sun-Sought Priest of Knives who Masters the Death Arts with Betrayal in Xir Blood. That's a character that comes to life at the game table, with background—and a destiny—as fundamental to who they are as the stats on their character sheet.

The Cypher game engine is built from the ground up to be easy on the GM. Crunchy mechanics are handled by the players, freeing the GM's bandwidth to focus on making the game fun, imaginative, and exciting. The core mechanic is simple and keeps the emphasis on roleplaying and creative thinking: the GM sets the task difficulty on a scale of 1 to 10; the player negotiates that difficulty downward by applying character skill, any assets they can bring to bear, and extra effort. Then the player rolls a d20, with a target equal to three times the difficulty number. So if climbing a cliff is a difficulty 5 task, the player might call out their skills, special equipment, or aid from another PC. If the GM agrees they apply, each of those reduces the difficulty by a step—so the task difficulty drops to 2, and the player only needs to roll a 6 to succeed.

There are no modifiers or math after the roll, and task resolution is a conversation between the players and GM—not a calculation of numbers on a character sheet. And the players always roll the dice. That’s how everything is resolved in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game—an attempt to charm or influence and NPC (or to resist their charm); to flee a charging jaguar or hide from a prowling Shield; to conjure shadow magic or resist its effects; or to attack the malignant sorcerer and defend against the attacks of her powerful guards.

You'll find the complete rules—everything you need to play—in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game. We're also offering a special price, just for backers of this campaign, on Pocket Cypher, perfect as an inexpensive second copy of the rules that power the game. And if you really like the sound of a fun, fast-paced game built for any campaign you can imagine, we also have a special, backers-only price on the full-fledged Cypher corebooks.

Want to learn more about the Cypher rules that underpin Between Earth & Sky? Download the free Cypher Primer, or visit the Cypher website!

Creating characters using Cypher (the game system that powers Between Earth & Sky) is fast, fun, and concept-first. The Cypher Character Builder makes it even easier! With this online tool you can build Cypher characters; save, modify, and advance them; and export them to print-ready PDFs or into a VTT. GMs can build campaigns and invite players, linking characters and allowing just the options they wish to include in their game. Cypher's amazing flexibility even lets you create your own types, descriptors, foci, and other character options right in the Character Builder.

Currently, Cypher Character Builder content includes the Cypher Character Rulebook, but we're constantly expanding it. Will we have an opportunity to add Between Earth & Sky to the Character Builder? Stay tuned!

A well-designed deck can simplify your game, save you time in prep and at the table, or inspire you with a clever prompt—that's why we love them, and why we're making several decks for this campaign.

But, unlike a book, a deck's utility as a digital tool is somewhat lost if it's just a PDF. So we built the Datasphere Deck Tool—a unique product format that makes our digital decks as useful for online play as the print decks are at the physical game table. Draw random cards, “hand” them to your players in the form of card images, or copy the card text with the click of a button. Peruse a deck easily, sort cards, or organize them as you see fit. You can download a PDF of the deck from the tool, too. It's everything you expect from a digital reward, and a lot more—giving our decks the time-saving and inspirational utility in the digital space as they deliver at the physical game table.

If your rewards include decks (as part of your pledge level or via add-ons), you'll get Datasphere Deck Tool access for the deck (which includes the PDF).

Check out the Datasphere Deck Tool for free! You can try out its many features using the free sample decks.

Play entirely online? Prefer to access the game and its rules through your favorite virtual tabletop (VTT)?
The VTT implementation of Between Earth & Sky includes complete compendium access to Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game and When Fate Calls Your Name, along with interactive character sheets, tokens, cards, and other elements, for Roll20 or Alchemy.
There are two ways to get Between Earth & Sky on VTT:

• If that's all you want, there's a pledge level just for you. Pledge at the BETWEEN EARTH & SKY ON VTT level.
• If you want other items from this campaign, including the deluxe corebook, early access, the decks, and so on, pledge at the level that includes those items. Then add the  BE&S on VTT add-on.

The add-on price gives you a substantial discount, so the better deal is to get VTT support as an add-on to a different pledge level. And for the best deal, back at an ALL-IN pledge level for a huge, nearly 50% discount when you add on the VTT.

Regardless of how you pledge for it, you can get the VTT package for either Roll20 or Alchemy. You'll tell us which one you want in the pledge manager after the campaign ends. (If you want both, simply purchase the add-on again.)

It ought to go without saying, but we'll say it anyway: we'll never use generative AI to make any of MCG’s products.

We're making Between Earth & Sky because we really want to make it—why would we have some mindless algorithm do it instead? We love making games, and we make games that inspire us, with people who inspire us, for people who inspire us—and every word and image comes straight from our 100% human imaginations. We won’t insult your creativity, or ours, by delivering purposeless machine-generated drek, especially when we have so many great visions and ideas we’re excited to explore with you!