Each player represents two factions:
- DM — Temple of Waukeen & Shifting Sands
- Akylla — Arcanists & Bahamutian Temple*
- Zephyr — Guilds & Guild of Navigators
- Illiana — Caravaneers & Red Samooh*
When rolling for a personal faction (one tied to a PC), roll Power with disadvantage (2d10, keep the lowest).
Each turn, a player selects a faction and:
- Rolls 2d10
- Die 1 = Power (Influence)
- Die 2 = Purpose (see table below)
- Claims a building on the city map, colors it in their faction color, and notes the turn number.
- Writes a short card for the building:
- Whisper – What people say about it
- Mask – What it looks like
- Ledger – What it really is / does
- (Optional) On a roll of 10 Power, describe a rival from another faction using the same format.
| Roll |
Purpose |
| 1–2 |
Social |
| 3–4 |
Financial |
| 5–6 |
Future |
| 7–8 |
Past |
| 9 |
Sacred |
| 10 |
Secret |
- After a set number of turns (e.g., 5 per faction), total all Power values.
- The faction with the highest total gains control of the Seat of Power.
- Players with two factions must choose which faction they allow to take control if both are in contention (e.g., Akylla).
This Athkatla variant is inspired by Beak, Feather & Bone — a map-drawing storytelling game by Tyler Crumrine and Possible Worlds Games.
You can find the original game and support the creators here:
👉 https://possible-worlds-games.itch.io/bfb
With gratitude to the original designers for creating such an elegant and inspiring framework.