Fantasy novels and tabletop roleplaying games often go hand-in-hand. While there's plenty of overlap in terms of style and substance between the likes of Dungeons & Dragons and the many amazing books making up the modern fantasy genre, an even more exciting trend of recent years is games based on book series, bringing their epic worlds to life in a brand new medium.
Now, one of the most acclaimed fantasy sagas of the 21st century is poised to join that trend: Between Earth & Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse. Consisting of three volumes — Black Sun (2020), Fevered Star (2022), and Mirrored Heavens (2024) — Between Earth & Sky draws inspiration for its worldbuilding from the pre-Columbian empires of the Americas, such as the Maya and Aztec. Roanhorse's storytelling in this series is exceptional; it won the Hugo Award for best series in 2025, beating out stiff competition including Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive. If this is the first you're hearing of it, congratulations on discovering one of the best fantasy book series of recent years. I can't recommend reading it enough.
Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game brings Roanhorse's vivid world to the gaming table. Created by Monte Cooke Games, this upcoming TTRPG is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit. It has already funded, meaning this Between Earth & Sky roleplaying game is happening. With 28 days left to go as of this writing, there's still plenty of time to pledge and learn more about it.
What is Between Earth & Sky about?
Rebecca Roanhorse's Between Earth & Sky novels feature multiple factions, from the Sky Made clans of the capital city of Tova to the reclusive Teek islanders and the denizens of the bustling port city of Hokaia. This world, called the Meridian, features many of the cultural touchstones of the great early American empires, from the style of clothing to the animals of the region, items used for trade like cacao, mythic beasts, spiritual practices based around the eclipse, and so much more The books follow a blind priest of the crow god named Serapio, who is bound for a great and terrible destiny; Xiala, a rebellious Teek sailor with hidden magical secrets; and Naranpa, a priestess who is swept up in an assassination plot in the Meridian's capital. Magic has been outlawed in this world, following a devastating war which happened 300 years before the events of the books. But you know how these things go; outlawed magic never stays repressed for long.
The story of the books is expansive, and from the sounds of things, Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game will be equally so. The game lets players choose who they want to be and how they want to interact with the world's stories, and is designed with the Cypher system to be extra accessible — especially to GMs, who have to keep the game running.
If you're into tabletop gaming and fantasy novels, this project is definitely one to have on your radar. To learn more about all the systems and vast lore at play here, or to simply gaze upon some of the absolutely jaw-dropping artwork that was created for the game, head over to the Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game Backerkit campaign to learn more.
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