Yrth as Isekai: Banestorm Meets Manga Tropes

Lately I've been watching a lot of anime with my sons, and something occurred to me. There is a genre of anime called "Isekai" where normal folks get transported into a fantasy world. So I wondered how well that idea overlaps with Banestorm's Yrth which is a fantasy parallel world where occasionally people from our world are teleported into it. Here are some thoughts:

Yrth: The Isekai Starter Kit

If you haven’t read GURPS Banestorm, here’s the gist: Yrth is a fantasy world where a magical backfire called the Banestorm transported people from Earth and beyond into a medieval melting pot. You’ve got Crusader-era Christians, Muslim caliphates, elves, dwarves, orcs, and even weirder stuff like Reptile Men and Sea Elves—all stuck together on the continent of Ytarria. The Banestorm’s been dormant for centuries, but what if it flares up again in 2025? That’s our hook—modern-day players get sucked in, bringing their Netflix binges and Wi-Fi dreams to a world of swords and sorcery.

Turning Up the Isekai Dial

Isekai thrives on a few key ingredients, and Yrth’s got the bones to make them sing. Here’s how we tweak it:

1. The OP Protagonist
   Every isekai needs a hero who’s just too good. When the Banestorm grabs your players—say, a group of con-goers or a D&D crew mid-session—it could juice them up with unique powers, special magical weapons, or some other "cheat" that let's the relatively "normal" power level earthlings have an edge (or at least a chance) in this magical world.
2. “Wait, I Know This!”
   Yrth’s Earth-like cultures are gold for isekai’s “genre-savvy hero” trope. Your players might spot parallels—knights and churches in Megalos, bazaars and minarets in al-Haz—and think they’ve got the upper hand. Until, you know, a wizard turns their “feudalism 101” lecture into a polymorph spell. Bonus points if one player’s a total isekai nerd who starts hunting for “quest givers” in every tavern.
3. The Villain
   Isekai loves a big bad, and Megalos is begging to play the part. Picture its empire as the “evil kingdom”—expansionist, magic-hating, and run by jerks in fancy armor. Or go deeper: the Dark Elves who botched the original Banestorm could still be lurking, or a reincarnated “Demon Lord” who’s also from Earth (and has it's own "cheats").
4. Slice-of-Life Shenanigans
   Don’t skimp on the fun stuff. Let the PCs invent pizza in a Cardiel inn, flirt awkwardly with a Sahud princess who thinks “Netflix and chill” is a battle cry, or teach a dwarf smith about “waifu tiers” (spoiler: he builds a golem wife and chaos ensues).

Campaign Kickoff

Here’s a starter: the Banestorm drops your players in the Nomad Lands—think Mad Max with horses and ogres. They’ve got nothing but their Earth gear (a dead phone, a half-eaten burrito), and their cheat powers kick in as they fend off a Reptile Man raid. From there, they trek to Cardiel to unravel the Banestorm’s resurgence—portals are spitting out vending machines and goblins, and someone’s got to stop it. Maybe the wizards of Araterre have answers, or maybe a shady Earth expat’s pulling strings.

GURPS Tweaks

• Advantages: Hand out a free Unusual Background (Banestorm Blessed) with perks like Magery 1, Gadgeteer (for tech hacks), or a cinematic Luck boost.
• Skills: Let them keep some modern skills, but give out extra points for these "useless" background skills, they might come in handy at some point... but don't bet on it. Otherwise look at skills that need to be learned fast, and ones that have lower TL equivalents.
• Tone: Go big and silly. GURPS can handle anime-style stunts—let them one-shot a troll if the dice say yes.

Why It Works

Yrth’s depth gives you room to flex—political intrigue in Megalos, wilderness survival in the Orclands, or culture clashes in Sahud. The isekai tropes add a layer of player-driven chaos that keeps it fresh. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a medieval knight react to a player yelling “Truck-kun got me here!”?