Kémi

You can count on the fingers of one hand the role-playing games set in ancient Egypt, all the more so when they seek historical authenticity. In my library, I only own Oikouménè (which covers the whole Mediterranean basin, not just Egypt) and GURPS Classic: Egypt (excellent, but GURPS... you either like it or you do not, and I rather belong to the second category), and yet, with a pseudonym like mine, believe me that I relish creations of the genre. My recent hopes rested on Aegyptus and its fantastical Egypt, but the curse keeps falling on it, and the (good) news is slow to come. And now, like the scarab hidden beneath the sand heated by the heatwave, the publisher Sethmes releases Kémi, a beginner-friendly role-playing game that takes place in the New Kingdom. I can only thank the venerable Tom le Pouet for making me discover this find through du Fix.

First particularity: the game is freely accessible. "Free" as in "free of charge". It is even rather shocking, because the work is there and its results are convincing. I hope this generosity will nevertheless allow the project to be profitable and ensure a well-deserved succession. Second particularity: Kémi, the game, is nothing new (2004) and is part of a series of educational role-playing games. The troubles of French-language publishing meant it never left the drawer before 2019. Through the prism of this series, players discover eras and places, as well as role-playing games itself. One thus understands the very didactic character of the book - it will scare more than one away - and the reason why the system aims to be so light.

---

The object

The nearly 300-page A5 book is available as a PDF from Sethmes, and print-on-demand from Lulu. Unfortunately, the latter option is limited to greyscale paper with a softcover in color, whereas the book probably deserved better (why not let buyers choose, as many other Lulu prints do?). "Unfortunately", because the layout is "full of good sense" and deserved a physical medium to match: note in particular the use of a single column, consistent for A5, which lets the justified text spread out and thus limit the variable-width spaces. Special mention also to the simple, readable typeface, and to the well-placed sidebars that break the monotony when needed. In short, no reason to play modest: the book is simple, pleasant to read, professional. I would however have liked more illustrations and, why not, a few infographics to make the assimilation of such a copious context easier.

---

Game context

Let us get to the historical content precisely. Le Fix describes it as "arid": given the game's premise, you are indeed facing an encyclopedic content that makes no bones about it. The author's pen is beautiful - I only spotted 3-4 missing words or typos in the document - but its didactic side will probably not help the pill go down with players who are allergic to long realistic exposés. Then again, the latter are not the target of Kémi, which turns out to be more tailored to attract the slightly geeky Egyptophile who wants to try role-playing games, than the plump bearded guy who has been rolling D20s in his basement for 30 years.

Concretely, the game takes place at the dawn of the New Kingdom, five years after the abdication of the overwhelming Hatshepsut in favor of her nephew, Thutmose III. The author takes care to effectively underline the differences between the eras of ancient Egypt, and propels us into the Double Land at its military, economic and cultural peak - far from the Lagids, that eternal madeleine to which most historical fictions on the subject return. The complex concepts of the Egyptians' multi-faceted religion are covered at length, as are the geopolitical stakes of the period or the customs, colorful enough for GMs to bring their Nile to life for their gaming tables. The little exotic detail that pleases me most is the quasi-systematic presence of Egyptian terms and names that will let you surprise the dilettantes: forget Thebes, Anubis, and Memphis. Welcome Ouaset, Inpou and Mennefer! Provided you adhere to the historico-encyclopedic game concept, you will no doubt find your own nuggets of Egyptian History in the roughly 160 pages of context Kémi offers.

---

Game mechanics

Where the context is flawless, I am more skeptical about the mechanics and, more specifically, their presentation. Obviously, the "introduction to role-playing games" aspect implied that the system would be simple, even simplistic. And while this simplicity sometimes borders on the disarming (in particular the character creation rules, described... in a sidebar of the character sheet), it does not prevent the system from running. Four characteristics, a handful of skills, fate points, and Bob's your uncle! Do not hope, however, to find in Kémi that brilliant narrativist idea or that ludic richness that will keep you coming back. The mechanics are utilitarian, that is all.

However, the choice to present all the rules in question-and-answer form over 30 pages seems to me a false good idea. Not only will GMs have a harder time quickly referring to the rules during play (no index, designer's notes mixed with technical data), but I am simply not convinced that 37 successive questions are the best way to structure technical information, even for beginners. It would probably have been better to stick to a more classic structure, even if it meant presenting first what is usually found in the GM advice at the end of the book, then moving on to the rules exposition over a good ten pages.

Edit from 11.08.2019: the authors of Kémi have published an additional game aid that covers the rules in a more conventional format. You can find it at this address.

---

Where it all leads: the intro scenario

You will have noticed that so far, I have spoken very little of the PCs and the style of play Kémi offers. The book itself only tackles this question late, preferring to keep its "context" part separate from its gaming part. While historical games often rhyme with "investigation", those covering Antiquity frequently allow incursions into the epic, spurred by the mythic dimension of ancient times, like China and its Wuxia, or Greece and its demigods. Kémi unveils its vision in its scenario, served with six pregenerated characters, a "contact" NPC who guarantees the group's unity, and a fifty-odd-page plot. An investigation, then, sprinkled with a pinch of Egyptian mysticism, but without protagonists endowed with superhuman abilities.

The plot itself pleases me: event X has occurred, a chain of other events follows, the PCs are confronted with one of these repercussions and must untangle the situation. A strong aspect of the scenario (and of the game context in general) lies in the manifest gap between Egyptian society as it would like to be and the reality of the facts. Just like in L5R, the interest is not simply in untangling a plot, but in understanding its meaning for the ultra-hierarchical society in which the PCs evolve. Scenarios of the genre suffer from only one major specific risk: that the events be too far-fetched. In this case, while some connections in the plot seem tenuous to me, the text makes sure to provide you with enough leads to throw to the players so that they do not get lost.

In short, all this gives the impression that "Que vive son Ka" (the scenario) has been duly playtested. I will only be able to confirm this once the adventure has been played, but at first glance, you are in good hands if you decide to run it for beginner friends.

---

This concludes our tour of Kémi. At first glance, the most divisive aspect of the game lies in its premise, which must interest the players: a historical, didactic game, with simple and accessible mechanics. If you did not flee at this thought, you will most likely be fulfilled by its content, which has the additional audacity of being cheap. I sincerely hope the authors will continue their efforts: in addition to the game, a novel - Sennefer, les Larmes de Kémi - has already turned the lone book into a small line, which asks nothing better than to grow. Let us therefore wish good luck to Sethmes, long live their line... and may it offer us more authentic slices of Egypt to savor!