Bound by Conviction SRD and Game Jam
SRD and game jam inspired by the writings of Judith Butler and Michel Foucault, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Persona and Life is Strange
Bound by Conviction is a newly released system reference document (SRD) based on the Nonbinary Tabletop Award winning TTRPG CONVICT-ION. It is a token-based system exploring identity, gender, (super)power and resistance.
Inspired by the writings of Judith Butler and Michel Foucault, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki, the Persona series by Atlus and the Life is Strange series by Don’t Nod/Deck Nine, a Bound by Conviction game has the following themes:
- A critical look at systems and structures in society that seek to enforce norms and suppress individuality
- Characters with convictions who strive to be their authentic selves despite it all
- Superpowers that are linked to one’s identity
- A terrifying villain with some degree of authority
- A fascination with campiness or the bizarre
Performativity is the philosophical concept that words and actions alter our social reality. Textbook examples include a judge pronouncing a verdict in a court and a priest declaring a couple “husband and wife” in a wedding ceremony. Combining Judith Butler’s writing on gender performativity and Stands from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Bound by Conviction envisions GENDER as a reality-altering power linked to one's identity.
The Bound by Conviction SRD contains the core rules from CONVICT-ION (slightly modified to address the designer rather than the player), the scenario Existence is Queer, and a guide on how to make your own Bound by Conviction game, published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license.
The Game Jam
Running til the end of May, the Bound by Conviction game jam is for games/game materials built using the SRD.
Participants can design their own standalone scenario, use parts of the system to make their own game, create characters/settings/Circumstances for the system, or anything in between.
Do you have an idea for a JJBA or Persona inspired TTRPG that you never finished? This game jam might offer the perfect opportunity for you to revisit that idea!
