whakawhitinga

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua.
I walk backwards into the future, with my eyes fixed on the past.
Māori whakataukī

Whakawhitinga is a world-building game for 2-5 players, which uses questions being asked and answered to develop a world. It uses the framework of a Māori creation history.

Whakawhitinga is played over 5 phases:

1. Te Kore - the void
2. Te Whakawhitinga ki te Pō - the transition to the night
3. Te Pō - the eternal night
4. Te Whakawhitinga ki te Marama - the transition to the light
5. Te Ao Marama - the world of light and life

In each phase, players will build their world through asking and answering questions. Each phase has prompts that the questions will be about which align with the creation history. The topics range from deities and spirituality, to physical aspects of the land, to the culture of the people who live there. Questions in later rounds will build off earlier rounds, as the direction of your world becomes clear.

Whakawhitinga is a Te Ao Māori informed game, which aims to be inclusive of anyone with little to no knowledge of Te Ao Māori, and those who do alike. Most words in Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) are translated, with a dictionary linked for the ones that aren't.

 With a custom written karakia, prompts to encourage whakawhanaungatanga (connection building), and being based around he timatanga o te ao, this game seeks to bring people together regardless of their knowledge.

The PDF has 36 pages of content. Whakawhitinga should take 2-3 hours to play.

For every $1 spend above the base cost, another community copy will be added.

Step through the creation of a world -- from the void, into the night, then into the world of light and life.

Pronounciation of Whakawhitinga: fah-kah-fee-tee-ngah. (ng as in singer)