Gauntlet Reading Club: A Master of Djinn/The Veil
Time: 11 AM PST/GST-8 Sundays in January and February
For the months of January and February, the Gauntlet Reading Club will be reading A Master of Djinn by P Djéli Clark paired with The Veil from Samjoko Publishing. We’ll be incorporating some of Lowell’s Veil’d Fantasy hacks to the game to better emulate A Master of Djinn’s magical steampunk setting.
Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.
So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world forty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.
Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city—or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…
This first session is to discuss the book we have read together, our thoughts on it, and what we can draw from it to bring into a roleplaying game. We’ll be drawing on the thematic inspiration of A Master of Djinn rather than specific plot points, and will have a discussion on tone and content before play, as well as establishing Lines & Veils to provide a comfortable play experience.
We’ll be using Streamyard to discuss and play, but the sessions will only be recorded and posted publicly with everyone’s enthusiastic consent to each.
Please note that participation in the initial “book club” session - or at least having read some of the book in advance - will be a requirement for playing in the game.
This game will take place under the Gauntlet Community Code of Conduct and the safety tools Script Change and X-Card will be in use. I will aim to get in touch with participants through either the Gauntlet Slack or email a week in advance of the game to confirm attendance and provide play materials.
Content Warnings for A Master of Djinn: Racism, some graphic violence, mind control, at one point to cause self-harm
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Session 9