Dungeons & Dragons Anthology Spotlights Asian-Inspired Monsters and Adventures

A recent Dungeons & Dragons anthology puts a spotlight on a diverse array of Asian-inspired [...]

By Christian Hoffer

A recent Dungeons & Dragons anthology puts a spotlight on a diverse array of Asian-inspired monsters and stories. Last month, a group of creators published the first volume of Unbreakable, a new anthology of Dungeons & Dragons adventures inspired by Asian legends and stories. The anthology contains 10 adventures ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 4, written by a mix of new and veteran RPG writers. Each adventure in Unbreakable is rooted in the traditions and stories of different parts of Asia, ranging from China to Cambodia to Nepal. The adventures themselves are similarly diverse, ranging from heists set in the backdrop of a Spring festival to helping a talking carp broker peace between a dragon and a village.

Dungeons & Dragons adventure anthologies have had success in recent months, especially the Uncaged anthology, which focused on reinterpreting traditionally female monsters through new stories. Several of Unbreakable's creators also worked on Uncaged, and Unbreakable's forward and mission statement both credit Uncaged for providing both inspiration and a blueprint on how to organize such a lofty project. There are some key differences in how the Uncaged and Unbreakable anthologies are formatted - Unbreakable's adventures are typically longer in length and provide more fully fleshed out settings to explore. I feel that the settings that Unbreakable presents are one of the project's key strengths - they provide a very authentic feeling backdrop that allows any Dungeon Master to run the adventures without venturing into any inadvertent stereotypes or blending together the many cultural traditions of Asia into the weird hodgepodge too often seen in older D&D adventures inspired by Asian legends.

Unbreakable Volume 1 is a strong first entry and contains several great Dungeons & Dragons adventures. The anthology shows off a variety of voices, each of whom bring their own perspectives and cultural traditions to the gaming table for everyone to enjoy.

Unbreakable Volume 1 is available now on DriveThruRPG for $19.95.

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