Welcome to Your Rathe

High above the Mesozoic jungles that were my hunting grounds I let out a harrowing screech. “Fear me!” I cried out to the herbivores below. I saw them run in horror, felt the wind carry my wings, and heard the screech of my brother as he hunted alongside me. We were pterodactyls: dinosaurs correct, terrible lizards, rulers of the sky. We were untethered by God, defiant against gravity itself. Maybe it was hubris or pride, those Icarian sins, that led us to our downfall. Whatever the root causes, the weapon was clear; a wet blanket.

“You want to pretend to be dinosaurs? Why?”

I was no longer a fierce, hunting beast, but a child on a playground at a religious retreat. The sweltering landscapes of the Mesozoic era became a dull-gray Michigan of the early 2000s. I don’t remember how old we were, but we were children, and here was another child balking at the idea of playing a game of pretend. I guess we were getting to an age where it was becoming passe.

I’m not sure what is more noble about playing tag than pretending to be a freaking dinosaur, but this was probably one of the earliest moments that my peers would let me know how the world works. Firstly, I am in fact the weird one. Secondly, they were going to start eroding away everything that brought me joy in life until one day I would be at a party talking to someone about what financial adviser I use. I mean, sure, planning for retirement is important, but when did we stop talking about dinosaurs? I guess my point is I miss the magic of youth, so when I engage in semi socially acceptable forms of entertainment like tabletop gaming, theme is very important to me. I’m not going to play a game if I can’t get into the world. I don't necessarily need a lore the breadth of something like 40K, or as complex as Kirkbride’s Morrowind, but I want to feel cool and to some extent immersed.

Now, this is part two in a series of articles about the Flesh and Blood TCG. If you haven’t read the first part, I would encourage you to go back and read that because otherwise the above introduction moving into the article below might feel a little more jarring than it should be. However, I’m not your dad, so feel free to continue, and here’s a little help if you are not up to speed. FAB is the best card game ever created, and I’m here to pitch it to you. Today, I will be specifically pitching you the thematic elements of FAB, hence the nearly incoherent ramblings about dinosaurs and stock portfolios you just read. If you’ve made it this far, prepare for more of whatever this is.

Tell Me, Who Are You?

Who am I when I play Magic the Gathering? Am I some nameless, faceless mage? Perhaps I’m an overweight thirty-something in cargo shorts and an Against Me! shirt slightly obscured by a red flannel. Jonny, son of Kenneth, of Middle Tennessee they would call me. Frankly I’m here to forget about stuff like how bad Sir Jonny’s grass needs to be cut or the project due to his boss on Monday (he hasn’t started it yet, but he has been giving very promising updates every week). But Sir Jonny, you say, that’s not a real problem I have. I don’t really think much about that when I play Magic. To which I say, have we met before? You ever been to Michigan? Realistically though, yes, that isn’t that much of a problem. However, there is just something super rad about playing the heroes of Flesh and Blood.

Much has been said about the commodification of identity, nearly always in a negative light. And sure, our relationship with pop culture, commercialization, and overconsumption are real issues that are the cause of many of today’s problems. I, however, am not here to tackle something so lofty. I simply want to point out, just like our need to be part of a group, it is human nature to latch on to anything that gives us a sense of identity. It feels good, comforting, and takes our mind off our problems. That’s what we are here for, right? At least partially. Much like all art, games are there when we need them, and as much as we hold on to things like our zodiac signs or Hogwarts house, the choice of hero in Flesh and Blood is often a choice of identity. Sure, in games like Magic we can be aggro or control players, Rakdos or Gruul players, and the many characters have long and extensive backstories. There is, however, just something more personal about the hero you play in FAB. The heroes have faces, styles, and backstories. They aren’t just a card you put in your deck, but the entire theme, and the rules and mechanics are crafted to fit the flavor of that character.

Flesh and Blood, more than any card game I’ve ever played, allows you to live out the fantasy of the archetype you’ve chosen. Playing a Guardian, with all their armor, block, and slowdown, does make you feel like a heavily armored protector. Playing an Assassin, with all their ways to change attacks after they have presented them to you, does make you feel like an underhanded sneak. Playing a Wizard does make you feel like you are smarter than everyone else. Wizards are super complicated; you should bring a priority window chart. And what could be more wizardly than reference material?

For me, feeling the fantasy I am chasing with a game is everything, and the fact that you are interested in these types of games over, say, poker, tells me that might be the case for you as well. If you are the type to roll up D&D characters in anticipation for a game that you can never get going, or someone who keeps thinking of new, interesting character builds for Skyrim, I would suggest you try out Flesh and Blood. I mean, obviously, that’s the entire point of this series. For real though, think of a character archetype you are feeling at the moment, scroll through the art on the FAB website, and pick up a blitz deck just based on feels. They are like $10, buy one for you and a friend, and try it out. If that isn’t an option, use the fanmade Talishar.net to play a few rounds. However you do it, I’m sure you will see what I’m talking about, and you will be transported to the magical world of Rathe in no time.

The Rabbit Hole

Ok, so, all these heroes you can choose from, their art, cards, and mechanics make you feel like a fantasy hero. That is enough for the majority of players. You like feeling like the hunky Bravo doing his strong man routine on stage for an adoring crowd. Perhaps you like feeling like Dash the inventor with all her fun mechanical items littered across your playmat like a mad scientist’s workshop. Maybe you are like me and enjoy being the brooding, emo, fairy-boy Florian, the Rotwood Harbinger. That’s great. That’s what we are here for. Some of you, however, want more. Need more. I see you. I see your stacks of Black Library novels. I see the maps of Azeroth, Faerun, and Hyrule on your wall. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about the slash fiction you write, but I hear you, you want to know about the lore.

Legend Story Studios, the company behind FAB, describe Rathe, the world of FAB, as a dark fantasy setting. I think it lies somewhere between A Song of Ice and Fire and The Forgotten Realms. The characters and stories range far and wide within this categorization of dark fantasy, and mostly vary based on the regions of the world of Rathe. There are eight main regions that have been explored so far.

• Aria: The land of high adventure and ancient mysteries lies in the Northeastern corner of Rathe. Here is where you will find parties of adventurers setting out for fame, fortune, and of course, to save their fertile homeland from whatever threats may arise. Classic Dungeons and Dragons stuff. Aria is a bit removed from the rest of Rathe. It is somewhat of a sanctuary from the horrors, politics, and war the rest of the world faces, but of course they have their own problems to contend with. A mysterious force called The Flow changes the landscape of Aria itself creating ephemeral wonders and bestial dangers. Though this land of flux is always changing, the Queen of Candlehold has just been killed, and there is uncertainty running rampant in a land characterized by it. If you’ve ever been to Lilith Fair, Aria is the place for you.

• Demonastery: The land of high adventure and ancient mysteries lies in the Northeastern corner of Rathe. Here is where you will find parties of adventurers setting out for fame, fortune, and of course, to save their fertile homeland from whatever threats may arise. Classic Dungeons and Dragons stuff. Aria is a bit removed from the rest of Rathe. It is somewhat of a sanctuary from the horrors, politics, and war the rest of the world faces, but of course they have their own problems to contend with. A mysterious force called The Flow changes the landscape of Aria itself creating ephemeral wonders and bestial dangers. Though this land of flux is always changing, the Queen of Candlehold has just been killed, and there is uncertainty running rampant in a land characterized by it. If you’ve ever been to Lilith Fair, Aria is the place for you.

• Metrix: Much like Arcane/League of Legend’s Piltover, Metrix is an arcane-punk sprawl. Steam, robots, capitalism, they got it all. Metrix is the city of industry in northern Rathe, driven by alchemists, mechanologists, and biomancers. From copper and steam, to neon and gutterpunks, anachronisms and genre bending abound. If you like Sci-Fi, but make it Fantasy, and think smog adds ambiance to atmosphere, Metrix is the place for you.

• Pits: As Piltover has its Zaun, Metrix has the Pits. A wretched hive of scum and villainy if I’ve ever seen one. The Pits are ruled by crime lords and gangs. You’ll find the seedy taverns are filled with smugglers, mercenaries, assassins, and other such skulduggery. Much like Zaun, it sits in Metrix’s shadow; built into a chasm beneath the metropolis. As such, it gets much of Metrix’s waste which includes toxic sludge from the chemical byproducts of industry and experimentation. Mysteries also abound in the Pits, but the variety is that of orders of assassins or strange cults. If you always shoot first, The Pits are the place for you.

• Misteria: South of Aria, and settled high in a mountain range, Misteria is hidden by a magical mist. It is home to the martial arts practiced by wandering Ninjas. Though called Ninjas, the likes of Katsu, Zen, Benji, and Ira are more like the fantasy monk or samurai. Honorable warriors who seek to keep balance and hold true the Seven Arts they are taught since childhood. On a side note that is of personal interest to me, Misteria is the only place I know of in Rathe that canonically celebrates Halloween, called the Rite of Passing. It is the day when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest, and they honor the spirits by wearing masks and lighting lanterns. That’s just awesome. If you are a Kurosawa fan, Misteria is the place for you.

• Savage Lands: A dense jungle filled with deadly fauna and flora fills western Rathe. The Savage Lands have more biodiversity than probably any region of Rathe, but the most well known inhabitants are the Brutes. While Brute is a class in Flesh and Blood, one Brute is the abomination Levia from The Demonastery, Brutes are also a species. They are basically Orcs; think more Warcraft or D&D over Tolkien. The lore says they are “slow and unintelligent”, but frankly, that sounds like Solanian propaganda to me. If you want to live out your Conan the Barbarian fantasy, The Savage Lands are the place for you.

• Solana: Sharing a border with The Savage Lands is the theocratic lands of Solana. Solana is the city at the heart of a “Kingdom of Illumination” which is in the heart of Rathe itself. They worship a god figure named Sol, and this permeates pretty much all aspects of their life. Solana is classic, western fantasy. You got your knights, you got your clerics, you got your thin justifications for imperialism. Solana is constantly clashing with the Brutes of The Savage Lands, and the forces of The Demonastery. In fact, the same scholar who created The Demonastery actually founded Solana. It is said, though probably not by the Solanians, that the scholar discovered a dark secret that turned him away from Sol, thus beginning a long lasting religious war. If you grew up listening to DC Talk, Solana is the place for you.

• Volcor: Finally, we have the lava scarred land of Volcor South of Solana. Volcor is a land ruled by wizards who all descend from the first emperor; a royal bloodline that gives them control of the aether. Currently, it is also a land of political strife. The proletarian Dracai are rising up in rebellion against the Volcai who run the Volcari empire. What’s more, the current emperor has been assassinated, but no one knows who put out the hit. It might be easy to believe it was the rebellious Fai, but many think the hit came from within the emperor’s own court at the hands of Fai’s mastermind sister, Dromai. If you have found yourself screaming “FREEDOM” at those who have oppressed you, Volcor is the place for you.

Though Flesh and Blood is relatively new, and it’s lore just beginning, there is a fair amount of material to read. LSS often puts out short stories related to the lore of the current set, has lore on all the heroes you can find on their website, and there is even a book filled with lore that came out with FAB’s first set, Welcome to Rathe. It is hard to find and pretty expensive, but there are PDFs freely available online for you to read. There is much more to discover in the world of Rathe, and much more to come. Each set brings new stories, new heroes, and new art that make the world and characters feel alive. But don’t take my word for it. Go forth, dear reader, explore Rathe for yourself, and create your own stories along the way.