[Fanzine Focus XXXVIII] Legends of Uganda Issue #2

On the tail of Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showcased how another DM and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry and the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game from Goodman Games. Some of these fanzines provide fantasy support for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game, but others explore other genres for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. One such fanzine is Legends of Uganda.

Legends of Uganda Issue #2 was published in August 2024 for Gen Con. Published by Sanctum Media, this a collection of lore and legends from the Republic of Uganda following on from Legends of Uganda Issue #1 the previous year. Written by Ugandan game designer Ashraf Braden, it expands upon the content of the first issue with more patrons, magic, and more. The patrons begin with ‘Bihogo, Patron of Cattle’, the Queen of Cattle associated with the fall of Ankole, the second largest of Uganda’s kingdoms. Her adherents are sworn to protect their herds and eat no beef, and when invoking her, her gifts include Horns of the Ankole, which gives an adherent nasty horns that can be used in combat, or the Milk of Bihogo, which the adherent weeps and has healing properties. The second of the Patrons is ‘Musoke, Worm of the Rains’. It is important to the Baganda tribe which favours small gods and spirits, and so Musoke appears as a humble-sized caterpillar who can be called upon at the end of a drought to bring rain. When this happens, he will often appear as a rainbow. His patron effects are all rain related. The description of also includes the Children of Musoke, a ‘Rain Elemental’, and a Third Level Patron Spell, Kaharas Deluge, which transforms the caster’s body into a living rainstorm. The third Patron is ‘Lubowa’, the master of the land and the way in which people live upon, who is so powerful that he is only called upon crimes such as murder, witchcraft, and similar need to be adjudicated and settled. His patron effects enhance investigation, find hidden truths, and so on. Lubowa often manifests as soot, so his ‘Soot Elementals’ embody his swift judgement and consuming wrath.

The ‘Ndyamuhaki’ is the primary monster detailed in the fanzine. It is a trickster spirit, that can be turned by the Cleric, but is primarily known for its ability to shapeshift—including beast, bird, humanoid, mist, and shadow, and its curses. These are nasty. They include ‘Curse of Half-Sight’, which affects several victims, forcing them to pluck one of their eyes out! The other is ‘Curse of the Wandering Fool’, which is not cast by the Ndyamuhaki, but parents or elders upon their wayward children, imposing a penalty to both Luck and all navigation checks until they return home, apologise, and admit the error of their ways.

In comparison to Legends of Uganda Issue #1, there is less content in Legends of Uganda Issue #2. The content is not only decent, but interesting. The backgrounds to all of the entries are very good, but the case of the three Patrons, they do feel as if there should be more to them. Some do have spells and associated monsters, but not all. There is no discussion or development of how the Player Characters might relate to them, or as a Wizard or a Cleric, what spells they take to adhere to the strictures of their patron. This is the core problem with the issue, the lack of game development in terms of application. So, no hooks or adventure seeds, no suggested spell lists, and so on. It means that the content of Legends of Uganda Issue #2 is harder to use.

Physically, Legends of Uganda Issue #2 is a plain, simple affair. The artwork is black and white, consisting of what looks like traditional depictions of the various entities described in its pages.

Like its predecessor, Legends of Uganda Issue #2 really is a fascinating read, an opportunity to read about the monsters and legends of another country and not only that, but have them translated into game terms—and all that by an indigenous author. Yet the content, as interesting as it is, it is not as developed or as supported as it could have been to best help the Judge—who will really have her work cut out to get the best out of Legends of Uganda Issue #2.