Over_the_Edge_Players'_Survival_Guide

Players’ Survival Guide
CHARACTER CREATION
cal repression, banning Islamic political groups and
imprisoning and torturing fundamentalist activists.
Christianity is more common south of the Sahara,
where European missionaries have had a great impact.
Inevitably, the natives have shaped Christianity to
their own needs, often forming splinter sects. The
Church of the Cherubim and Seraphim, for example,
appeals to the native sensibilities, since supernatural
spirits are important to native beliefs. In addition, their
worship includes drumming and dancing (something
the Christians opposed as “pagan” until competition
forced them to include these elements in their services
as well), and the church allows polygamy, stealing
one of Islam’s selling points.
Magic, Witchcraft, and Sorcery
Magic is closely tied to native religions. Just like
religious beliefs, magical beliefs vary from place to
place, but some concepts are worth noting. Many
African languages have one word for “magic” and
“medicine.”
Seers, diviners, and prophets are important in folk
beliefs. Some of these are regular practitioners of the
art of contacting the spirit world, while others are
charismatic prophets.
In West Africa, witches can send their spirits from
their bodies while they sleep, sometimes travelling
invisibly and sometimes taking the form of an animal,
especially a bird. While out of their bodies, witches
gather in nighttime meetings or work misfortune
on others.
Among the Yoruba and Igbo, each person has a
spiritual double that either makes life easier or more
difficult. It is possible to propitiate one’s double (or
that of a relative) through offerings. Among the Edo,
each person has a similar spirit, but it is a companion,
not a part of the self.
Politics
The last half century has been full of regained independence
and turmoil in Africa. The colonial powers
often erected parliamentary systems before turning
control over to the natives, and these governments
largely fell to one-party rule or to military coups. Alliances
have shifted as the arbitrary borders imposed
by the Europeans lost their force and Africans have
begun to re-align themselves along lingual or tribal
lines, rather than according to nations (as defined by
the conquerors).
The US and the USSR exacerbated conflicts in
order to further their own ideological and material
acquisitiveness. Now that the US can no longer use
anti-Communism as an excuse to back despots, and
the Soviet Union is no more, perhaps peace and
prosperity are now more feasible.
A new force in the Muslim lands is Islamic fundamentalism,
with many citizens calling for the establishment
of Islamic states enforcing Islamic law.
AIDS
Called “slim” in some areas because of the wasting
effect it has on its victims, AIDS is rampant as a heterosexual
disease. Christian and Muslim fundamentalists
alike call the disease a punishment for adultery, while
those afflicted often turn to traditional medicine for
a possible cure. AIDS is more common in Christian
countries than in Muslim ones, probably because men
and women are less segregated there.
Specific Characters
Below are some possible African backgrounds,
which you can use directly, or just take as an example
of the diversity to be found in that continent. For
convenience’s sake, assume all the characters below
know English.
A wealthy Copt from Cairo who has come to Al
Amarja to escape the sharply progressive taxes in
Egypt. The Christian Copts did not intermarry
with the Arabs, so they are genetic descendents
of Pharaonic Egyptians. Languages: Arabic, a
smattering of Coptic (used in religious context),
perhaps French.
A tough from Algiers who has come to Al Amarja
to escape the racism he suffered while working in
France. As an Algerian, he represents a melting
pot culture, composed mostly of Berber and Arab
influence, with an overlay of French, the legacy of
colonialism. Languages: Arabic, French, perhaps
Berber. Religion: Muslim.
A member of the Kimbanguist church from Kinshasa,
Zaire. (Kinshasa, on the Congo, is the largest
city in black Africa). The Kimbanguists revere the
late Simon Kimbangu as a prophet. Kimbangu was
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