Inspirisles

Experiencing visions of a mythical land throughout childhood, you are guided to a kingdom ruled by the fae. Responsible for a pact made long ago by your ancestors, Arthur & Guinevere Pendragon, you must now earn Belief and the respect of their gods to secure your ticket back home.

INSPIRISLES is a completely original all ages Tabletop RPG promoting storytelling, empathy and Deaf awareness with an emphasis on cooperation.

• Play as teens gifted extraordinary powers. 
• Meet famous characters and fearsome creatures from Celtic folklore. 
• Work together to heal an ailing land and restore a fractured kingdom. 
• Learn British and American sign language as you cast spells, solve puzzles and battle monsters.

This project came about after running my teen Dungeons & Dragons group Hatchlings for over a year. I wanted to create something for them, something they could have a hand in building, and something I could take beyond the group to use in schools and communities as a workshop tool. Inspirisles is the result of this: a game for all ages that reflects my interest in mythology and my ongoing work with the Deaf community.

With Inspirisles, we are especially encouraging parents, educators and tabletop beginners to invest in our game. Many of us have fond memories of 80s fantasy classics such as The NeverEnding Story & Labyrinth. Inspirisles aims to capture some of that nostalgic magic and transport its older participants back to a more carefree and imaginative time. 

Inspirisles features a unique system we have called Shaping. It allows participants to engage with Deaf culture and learn sign language (ASL and BSL included). It also forms the dice mechanic at the heart of the game, where our Pendragons will wield the elements to fight Disbelief (our negative force) and heal the World Tree.

Inspirisles encourages teamwork at every turn. Only by Shaping can the party overcome the tests of our game. Belief Barriers are non-combative tests where our Pendragons must think up ways their elements can solve puzzles. Disbelief Battles are combative tests, where our Pendragons must pit their elements against a dangerous opponent.  

For the most fun, we recommend running the game with five players. One player volunteers to be the Grail Guide (GG), whilst the others form a party of Pendragons. It’s the Guide’s role to describe the Islands, plan the Questing Days (adventures) and give voice to the many characters and creatures the Pendragons will meet. We recommend the role to an adult or confident storyteller.

Sessions typically run 2-3 hours and can feature anything from a series of intense battles to a relaxing afternoon of downtime.

Beyond Shaping, Inspirisles offers everything enthusiasts have come to expect from a modern TTRPG. Alongside the natural benefits of roleplaying, we have wholesome character creation, a simple but engaging 3d6 rolling mechanic, an intuitive guide for planning and running sessions, exhaustive story prompts, robust safety tools and disability inclusion throughout.

The World Tree is in trouble. Disbelief has spread to its roots and before long it will wither and die. Long ago, your ancestor Guinevere Pendragon made a pact with the fae of these Islands. Her spirit will now guide her descendents through the All's Well portal and have them earn enough Belief to bring the Tree back to life. 

As Pendragons, you are tasked with honouring Guinevere's pact, but how you fulfil this is entirely up to you. Travel to wondrous locations, from the glowing caverns of Miasma to the icy mountains of Rofang. Meet communities of Friends, from the inventive Piskies to the spiritual Giantheld. Become apprentices to the Inspired (gods) and learn their trades such as glassblowing at Kilna's forge. And face powerful foes such as the banished wyrms hoarding vast sums of Belief in their Underisles lairs.

Find over 200 pages, including...

• A history of the Islands and their inhabitants. 
• Pendragon character creation.
• Sign language tutorials, including Deaf awareness tips and a strong introduction taking you from the fingerspelling alphabet to your first conversations.
• A fun 3d6 dice rolling system.
  
• How to run sessions as the Grail Guide and plan Questing Days using storytelling archetypes.
• A host of worldbuilding inspirations, including vibrant locations, ways of earning Belief, festivals, famous Friends and foes and a menagerie of fae creatures.
• A starter Questing Day: ‘Friends in High Places'. 
• Stunning full-colour illustrations from cover to cover, featuring dozens of diverse characters by Lucille Nual and a myriad of creatures, locations and intricate knot art by Josh Somerville.
• Dyslexia friendly fonts to prioritise accessibility. 
• Sensitivity reading and safety tools, including a consent questionnaire, reflection mechanic and X card.
• Full colour or B&W versions of the Pendragon sheet, and sign language material by Ashley Grace for both American and British players.

Inspirisles launches with video tutorials covering all sign language material for ASL and BSL. They have been lovingly produced and performed by my Deaf colleagues Rajnie Kaur and Katy White. Find the link to these on page 39 of your PDF or hardcover.

As well as our video tutorials, all sign language and Deaf awareness elements have been consulted on by our Deaf colleagues at the charity and our interpreter contact in the US whose 1st language is ASL.

In purchasing Inspirisles, you also get our first anthology of 9 Questing Days, Shapes of Adventure. This collection was written by members of our passionate discord community and features new sign language material by Ashley Grace (she/her) and this new cover by Josh Somerville (he/him).

Lovely article here by the popular UK tabletop news and review site, Dicebreaker.

Youtube review by Dave Thaumavore.

For a hardcover copy, head to www.hatchlingsgames.co.uk