Licences: Choosing Your Role in Mappa Mundi
Hello, Chroniclers! George here, creator of Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG. Today we’re going to be talking about Licences, Mappa Mundi’s version of character classes, what they are, what types of gameplay they encourage, and some inspirations behind their inclusions. Let’s get down to it!
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The Origins of Licences
When I started designing Mappa Mundi, I was very conscious about how I wanted the game to feel. Right up there among my biggest priorities was that players should feel like a trained practitioner in their chosen field, and that as they explore the Wilds, they should gain in expertise and move towards becoming a specialist.
The more standard use of character classes — a seemingly immutable destiny that one was born into or trapped in by circumstance of birth or upbringing — really didn’t sit well with this design ambition, so I decided to do away with them. Instead, the system of Licences was born.
Inspired by the Final Fantasy series, Licences are your Chronicler’s job, the role they play in their party and in the world, the thing they have received specific training in at their regional Mappa Mundi Institute. Inevitably, a Chronicler’s Licence will also shape the way they view and interact with the world around them. Mappa Mundi reflects this mechanically by giving each of our four Licences access to different Strengths and Weaknesses, tied to the four abilities that define the way the world can be engaged with: Exploration, Observation, Deduction, and Traversal.
Freedom of Choice, Freedom of Experience: Specialisations and Endorsements
Rather than forcing players to experience the world in a rigid and unchanging way, Licences are designed to allow players to develop their character as if they are following a career path. This is facilitated through our Skill Paths, unique to each Licence, and the subject of a later blog post. Players select their starting skills from nine possible options and are free to follow whichever route through that path they wish. In the Mappa Mundi Prerelease Guide (available from Itch.io and DriveThruRPG), each Licence Skill Path stops once the player reaches Specialisation. Specialisation is a recognition that a Chronicler has excelled in their chosen field and gathered all the necessary experience and expertise to becoming a specialist in a specific subset of their Licence. Examples include Cartographer for Archivists, Ossiomancer for Diviners, Envoy for Fixers, and Warden for Guardians.
In the final version of Mappa Mundi, players will be able to move beyond the Specialisation barrier, honing their training in their chosen subfield and gaining additional skills and Interactions.
Finally, your Chronicler is never locked into a single Licence. Rather than restricting players to a singular means of viewing the world and interacting with it, I wanted to allow players to take their own perspective on the world of Ecumene. As someone who works best when working from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, I included Endorsements into the game. Endorsements are the recognition from the Mappa Mundi Institute that a Chronicler has excelled in two or more Licences. Chroniclers are awarded Endorsements when they gain two Specialisations in a specific combintion. Examples include the Veterinarian Endorsement, available to Guardians who have achieved any Guardian Specialisation alongside the Archivist - Biologist Specialisation, or Fatesmith Endorsement, available to Diviners who have achieved any Diviner Specialisation alongside the Fixer - Fabricator Specialisation.
We have left room in the final version of Mappa Mundi for players to create their own Endorsements, too, through combinations of Specialisations, allowing a deeper level of customisation and engagement with the world of Ecumene!
Archivist, Diviner, Fixer, Guardian: the Four Pillars of Mappa Mundi
Four core Licences, each further dividing into three Specialisations and three Endorsements, form the basis of your interactions with the world. Mappa Mundi uses four core abilities — Exploration, Observation, Deduction, and Traversal — to determine how Chroniclers move about and understand the world, with each Licence taking one as a Strength and one as a Weakness.
Let’s take a look at each Licence and look at their individual style of gameplay.
Mappa Mundi’s four Licences in the Barbecian style. From left to right: Archivist, Diviner, Fixer, Guardian.
Archivists (Strength in Observation, Weakness in Traversal)
Archivists are their party’s map makers, note takers, historians, and knowledge keepers. Characterised by a curious soul, a thirst for knowledge, and an intellect to satisfy that thirst, those who choose the Archivist’s path represent the inquisitiveness and desire to preserve that rests at the heart of Mappa Mundi’s mission.
If you’re an Archivist, you might…
Keep track of local folklore, separating fact from fiction to determine the behaviours of Monsters and Creatures.
Excel at surveying the land and keeping records of the uncharted Wilds your party travels through.
Support your fellow Chroniclers with keen observations and a powerful intuition for discerning the unknown.
The Archivist Licence appeal to those with a more scholarly mind; those who seek to know the hows and the whys, rather than just the whats and wheres. During the Research Phase, Archivists will make use of their local and regional knowledge to seek out information and leads. During the Journey Phase, they will use their biological and ecological expertise to keep their party safe in the Wilds. During the Encounter Phase, they will most often be found collecting samples and documenting the physicality and behavioural traits of targets, making precise notes for future analysis.
Diviners (Variable Strength and Weakness)
Diviners are a party’s link to the otherworldly and unusual. Characterised by an intensity and the ability to look beneath the surface of any situation, those who choose the Diviner’s path represent the recognition of life and Fate as inextricably bound forces.
If you’re a Diviner, you might…
Consult your cards on a regular basis and possess a preternatural sense for the tendencies of Fate.
Rattle a lucky set of bones in a cup at odd intervals, confident that you can foretell Fate’s ever-accumulating design.
Act as an esoteric presence amongst your fellow Chroniclers, making predictions on a grand scale that aren’t always understood until they come true.
The Diviner Licence appeals to those with a mind for the esoteric and the hidden; those who seek to look beyond the veil of reality and into patterns that shape the lives of every living thing. During the Research Phase, Diviners will listen for the words unsaid and the motives unspoken. During the Journey Phase, Diviners tap into the heart of the Wilds, listening and looking for changing patterns and secret directions. During the Encounter Phase, Diviners will often fall silent, seeking to commune with their target as incarnations of Fate’s design, seeking to discover hitherto unknown knowledge and gain tremendous and startling insights into the substance of creation itself.
Fixers (Strength in Deduction, Weakness in Traversal)
Fixers are renowned for their prowess with words, people, and things. Characterised by an inventiveness, resourcefulness, and a dedication to improving the world around them, Fixers embody the concepts of solidarity, quick-thinking, and self-reliance found at the core of Mappa Mundi’s mission.
If you’re a Fixer, you might…
Delight in recognising social cues from both people, Monsters, and Creatures.
Instantly know how to jury-rig tools, traps, and other implements to help your friends navigate a tough spot.
Serve as both the charismatic face and improvisational mastermind for your fellow Chroniclers.
The Fixer Licence appeals to those who are fascinated by the way things work, from machines to people, and cities to the Wilds themselves. During the Research Phase, Fixers will often be the one leading conversations, solving (or sometimes causing) problems, and smoothing the way for their party. In the Journey Phase, Fixers will make use of their resourcefulness to ensure that their companions have everything they might need to survive. In the Encounter Phase, Fixers will often use their ingenuity to access hard to reach spaces or vantage points, creating room for new perspectives on a target.
Guardians (Strength in Traversal, Weakness in Deduction)
Guardians are a party’s protectors, trackers, and guides. Defined by a caring soul, a love of adventure, and a desire to see all life flourish, those who choose the Guardian’s path represent the strength and compassion at the core of the Mappa Mundi mission.
If you’re a Guardian, you might…
Regularly practise with shield, staff, and other tools to defend both your comrades from Monsters, and Monsters from humans who might needlessly harm them.
Always be the first into new situations, getting up close and personal with the dangers and mysteries of the world.
Act as a sturdy bulwark on the trail, keeping your fellow Chroniclers from harm’s way.
The Guardian Licence appeals to those with a deep love for nature and an innate desire to protect all life, regardless of how significant (or not) it might be considered. During the Research Phase, Guardians will be keeping an eye out for threats or danger, as well as using their physicality to reach hard-to-access places. During the Journey Phase, Guardians will forge forward, clearing the way for their party and ensuring that all hazards are safely addressed. During the Encounter Phase, Guardians will be front and centre, drawing the attention of the most dangerous targets or protecting those targets under threat from outside forces.
Four Choices, Limitless Possibility
Well, Chroniclers, I hope you’ve enjoyed this look into our four Licences. Mappa Mundi might seem more limited than other TTRPGs in the number of options available to you, but each Licence has been specialy chosen, focused on, and developed throughout our design to provide you with a flavourful, thematic, and rewarding experience out in the Wilds of Ecumene. With twelve total Specialisations and twelve more Endorsements to choose from, not to mention a whole range of Skills available within each Licence, I’m certain that you’ll find not only a Licence, but a playstyle, that works for you!
Until next time, Chronicler!
George, Mappa Mundi creator
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