Munkao
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munkao.bsky.social
Munkao
@munkao.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1K following 650 posts
Halo. Munkao here. I make games and draw and run Centaur Games.
Now working on Kala Mandala, a fantasy world centred on Southeast Asia.
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munkao.bsky.social
"Former Child Prodigy, Godboy Latong"
Southeast Asian Fantasy. Man, with long hair, dressed kind of like a monk/ascetic/guru. A string of skills across his torso. He is sort of levitating save for the walking stick in his hand that is in contact with the floor. Text below "Former Child Prodigy, Godboy Latong"
November 13, 2025 at 2:25 PM
munkao.bsky.social
"Hijacking of Agor's Savage Avatar"

This is my 3rd Southeast Asian medieval mech!

Also, hello! I'm back for a bit, trying to post weekly until the end of the year, which is like 8 weeks? I can do this!
(lol probably not)
A Southeast Asian medieval mecha. A giant head controlled by 3 macaques inside. Text below says " Hijacking of Agor's Savage Avatar" Personally I find how derpy the mask looks to be quite funny.
November 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Not posting on social media makes it hard to start again.
But I am boothing at Asian Boardgame Festival in Penang now (1st image).
2nd image was my booth at IAF in Singapore last weekend.
I have con-fatigue, can't wait to hunker down and work.
But come visit me if you are in penang!
Kala mandala booth at asian boardgame festival on penang. There are zines, prints, postcards for sale. All southeast asian fantasy. 2 banners stand behind the displays. Kala mandala booth at illustrator festival in singapore. There are zines and postcards for sale.
July 11, 2025 at 5:17 AM
munkao.bsky.social
Another reason is I'm bringing this to table at Illustration Arts Festival in Singapore this weekend.
Come say hi if you are in Singapore!
Poster for Illustration Arts Festival 2025. 4th-6th July 2025. Artspace@heleutrans Tanjong Pagar. Participating Artist is Munkao from Malaysia. Illustration is of a dancer taking off a giant mask. This event is in Singapore.
July 1, 2025 at 3:15 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I printed a few early access copies of my latest yet-to-be-published adventure. I've not play-tested it and it still needs final dev-edit approval but July has been rough; lost a pet rat, mom got sick (she's fine now) and family stuff. So I needed a morale/dopamine boost.
A hand holding a Kala Mandala adventure module Zine. Southeast Asian fantasy. Title is Tragedy and Zaya's Theatre, early access 0.18. Illustration is of two large ethereal figures dancing in the sky, while 2 adventurers outside a building look on. A hand holding a Kala Mandala adventure module Zine. Southeast Asian fantasy. Interior page of Tragedy and Zaya's Theatre, early access 0.18. Chapter headings are The Theatre is Alive and Sentient Theatre.
July 1, 2025 at 3:13 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I have survived 10 days of cons and fairs in May!
Here are pics of my booth at the last event.
I keep finding things I do not like about my booth layouts but I'm pretty happy with this! (But maybe move the prints to the right the next time? maybe?)
Excited to start making stuff again tmr!
A booth of Munkao/Kala Mandala's booth at Cafkl 2025 in Malaysia. It has art and game zines on the right rack, prints in the middle and postcards on the left rack. And stickers on the front. A booth of Munkao/Kala Mandala's booth at Cafkl 2025 in Malaysia. It has art and game zines on the right rack, prints in the middle and postcards on the left rack. And stickers on the front.
June 2, 2025 at 4:47 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I will have boothed/tabled at a convention/fair 10 out of the 31 days when May is over. I plan to give myself an achievement award when this is over.

But it's not over yet, so I will be at Comic Art Festival Kuala Lumpur 2025 this weekend! It's at Farenheit88 at Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur!
May 28, 2025 at 3:42 AM
munkao.bsky.social
I'm back from Singapore's con and into another Con (International Tabletop Day Malaysia), happening at Great Eastern Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

The awesome @dungeonmotherkir.bsky.social will be running Snakes and Cleavers (yet-to-be released adventure).
Sign up to play at linktr.ee/DMKir if you want!
Poster for Snakes and Cleavers RPG session with Dungeon Mother Kir as the Gm. At Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang. Saturday, 17 May 5-7 pm Sunday, 18 May 2-4 pm The drawing shows a storyteller in action. Poster for ITTDMY. International Tabletop Day Malaysia. at Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang 17-18 2025. The drawing shows a dancer with her bull mask off.
May 14, 2025 at 1:52 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Hello friends in Singapore, I'll be having a booth at Doujinma this weekend. Come visit me if you are free and uhm... want to visit me.
I am just behind @ehronlime.bsky.social's booth so you can get 2 Malaysian TTRPG designers for the price of 1.
Poster for boothing at Doujinma in Singapore. Suntec Singapore convention & Exhibition Centre 403 - 405. 10-11 May, 12 to 7pm. T-01 The image shows 2 monkeyfolk and 1 water buffalo folk having a meal together. Map of where my booth is. It's beside the Geekified Games Experience Zone (D&D Games), Booth number is T01.
May 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Uploaded fillable PDF forms, made possible by @johnmarron.bsky.social!
Screenshot of sign up form, blue highlight boxes over sections where text can be put into. Indicating a fillable form.
May 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I've asked my researcher-friend for more information about names of large animals in the jungles, but I found this particular trivia.
From here: www.sabrizain.org/tigertales/p...
@boboofid.com
The Brits aside, the locals had their own unique and peculiar beliefs about the animal. Denys’s ‘Dictionary of British Malaya’ in 1894 noted that the Malays, when in the forest, never refer to the animal by its real name, they having a superstitious belief that the animal understands speech. Locke writes that Malays would prefer to use fancy names such as Tok Belang (the striped prince), Tuan Hutan (Lord of the Jungle) or Si-pudong (old hairy face). They would even avoided mentioning the tiger directly by name at all and just refer to it as 'Si Dia'.
May 5, 2025 at 4:28 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I've uploaded this to heycentaur.itch.io/kala-mandala....
It is a Sign up Form to join the Bawan Meddling Association doubling as your character sheet (hehe).
Inspired by Simon Carryer's wonderful Character Playbooks.
A photo of Bawan Meddling Association's Sign Up Form. This is a tri fold brochure functioning as a character sheet for Kala Mandala's Playbook. Front of Bawan Meddling Association's Sign Up Form. This is a tri fold brochure functioning as a character sheet for Kala Mandala's Playbook. The front includes the cover, some quick rules, and some boxes for notes. Back of Bawan Meddling Association's Sign Up Form. This is a tri fold brochure functioning as a character sheet for Kala Mandala's Playbook. The back includes boxes for names, stats, skills, weapons, items, gold and notes.
May 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Boothing at Kuala Lumpur Illustration Festival 2025!
Come find me if you are in KL.
1 - 4 May, 11am to 7pm.
GMBB, Kuala Lumpur
GF-15
A booth of Kala Mandala. It has zines, prints, postcards and other stuff.
May 1, 2025 at 4:22 AM
munkao.bsky.social
"Rules-lite, shoes-lite, flavour-heavy TTRPG.
Southeast Asian fantasy. Flavours include cloves, gingers, and pepper."
I've just released Kala Mandala Playbook! Pay-What-You-Want on Itch. I hope you like it!
heycentaur.itch.io/kala-mandala...
Cover page of Kala Mandala Playbook. A TTRPG rulebook for Southeast Asian Fantasy. It has 4 adventurers in a cool pose. A page from the Kala Mandala Playbook, basically describing that adventurers are real nosy busybodies, but there are meddling guilds to join to monetize that personality trait. The illustration is of 4 adventurers escorting a water buffalo.
April 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I hope to release Kala Mandala's Playbook tomorrow.
This gif is the exciting trailer that will generate interest!!
April 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
munkao.bsky.social
I've never seen one outside of museums. haha.
Only seen these ones since young.
A machine coconut grater. grating blades in the middle of a wide tub, meant to spin and coconuts pressed against it.
April 18, 2025 at 3:47 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Pic 6: An India (Chettinad) coconut grater. Source: Roots.sg

Pic 7: A Cook Islands coconut grater. Source: Museum of New Zealand

Pic 8: A Swahili coconut grater. Source: Minneapolis Institute of Art home
An Indian (Chettinad) coconut grater. A coconut grater from Cook Islands. A Swahili coconut grater.
April 18, 2025 at 2:10 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Pic 4: A Malay coconut grater. Source: Abudervish.blogspot

Pic 5: An Indonesian (Nias) coconut grater. Source: San Francisco Tribal
A Malay coconut grater An Indonesian (Nias) coconut grater.
April 18, 2025 at 2:09 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Pic 2 and 3: Coconut grating in action and Thai coconut graters. Source: Bangkok Post
coconut grating in action. Different designs of traditional thai coconut graters, though they are super new, not antiques.
April 18, 2025 at 2:08 PM
munkao.bsky.social
"Rita, the Wild Grater Trainer"

Took me a while to finish this! Though bit of a low hanging fruit since the inspiration is the traditional coconut grater, which often already have zoomorphic designs.
Fascinating thing: the basic design of the tool stretches from Africa all the way to Polynesia.
Southeast Asian Fantasy: A woman riding a fantasy and sentient traditional coconut grater. lolwut. Southeast Asian coconut graters are often already zoomorphic in design, and the basic design of it stretches from Africa to Polynesia. The coconut grater is standing on 2 feet instead of 4, like a horse rising in action.
April 18, 2025 at 2:06 PM
munkao.bsky.social
"Ading the Monk Steals the Fist of the Iron Saint"

2nd of puppet/mech drawings. I think I've got 2 or 3 more ideas. lol.
Southeast Asian fantasy. A male sniggering, left hand holding a giant puppet in the form of a hand. The right hand is controlling cords, seemingly to balance out the oversized left arm. PUPPET MECHA!!
April 3, 2025 at 1:51 PM
munkao.bsky.social
"Yeng, Understudy of the Viridian Bat Dance"
Southeast Asian Fantasy: A women in dancer grab, taking off her giant mask, which is a dorky cartoon bat head. a sketch of the dancer in action, wearing the mask head.
March 27, 2025 at 2:44 PM
munkao.bsky.social
From Michael Backman Gallery

www.facebook.com/MichaelBackm...
A boy wearing a Caping. Looks a bit more indian than Malay though. But alas who are we to judge his identity? The Caping likely has indian origins. A family with a boy wearing a caping. This family definitely looks Malay or Sumatran or Southeast Asian.
March 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
munkao.bsky.social
From Roots.gov.sg
Curious it's described as heart shaped, wouldn't the fig leaf be more appropriate?
(www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-L...)
Screengrab of information of the modesty plate. This infant's silver modesty plate, also known as caping, is shaped like a heart. It is decorated with a smaller heart with a foliage design. The outer circle consist of four-petalled flowers. Caping plates has been used as a substitute for loin cloth and were usually worn by little children. These modesty discs are usually shaped in the form of a fig leaf, and since the 20th century have become elaborately embossed. Caping is thought to be introduced into the Malay Peninsula by Indians during the Srivijaya period from around the 7th to the 13th centuries. Initially, they were mostly worn by little girls in the North and East coast regions of the Peninsula. They were made of different materials depending on the social status of the family. Gold was used for royalty, silver for dignitaries while brass or copper was used for the lesser affluent. Babies wore capings as soon as they were able to stand, usually around the age of one. A simple ceremony was performed, where prayers and food offerings were made for the child.
March 19, 2025 at 2:24 PM
munkao.bsky.social
Sharing some slightly nerdy stuff.
Dagger-boy is wearing a Caping, a modesty plate worn by wealthy Malay or Sumatran kids before the 1900s.
Southeast Asian Fantasy. A boy holding 2 daggers. He is wearing a Caping, a modesty plate worn by Malay and Sumatran kids in the past. A silver modesty plate, fig-leaf/heart shaped. From the Collection of Asian Civilization Museum. https://www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1075794
March 19, 2025 at 2:22 PM