Good Monday, Gamer!
âDivination is a mirror reflecting what's in the soulâ â Hermes Trismegistus
Waay back circa 70s. Hoboken NJ. My big momma used to 'play numbers': Black Cat, Lucky Seven, IYKYK. She would take me to Kindergarten in the afternoons. She was into Astrology, I'm a late Cap/early Aquarius. Scorpio Moon and a Rising Cancer. And she had a tarot deck, which always fascinated me. She also made some mean baked goods, so sometimes being the first great-grandkid (first kid of the only granddaughter) and nearest kid is a great thing!
Is it magic? Are you psychic? What I do know is that when I use tarot in my game sessionsâwhen I ask what the fictional future holdsâit never disappoints.
BSH: The Cycles of Errazu - Penultimate Session Prep
Both of my Black Sword Hack games have about two sessions left. We have four sessions of game historyâso I ask, "What challenges lie ahead for our ragtag heroes in the Northlander Territories?" or something like that. I pulled five cards to find out. Five feels rightâmore to work with than three, better patterns emerge for me...it's a feel, go with the feel.
The Chariot â Time is of the essence. Another force is already moving to claim what the Order seeks.
The Hierophant â The Order of Truth is following an ancient tradition, law, or prophecy to justify their search.
Seven of Swords â Mercenary groups or raiders are operating in the areaâsomeone is profiting from the violence.
Page of Wands â A messenger or spy holds crucial information; their letters could change everything.
King of Wands â A hidden stronghold or lost city lies ahead, the true heart of the mystery.
The Inspired Game Prep
The Blue Smoke Cultists are back! Theyâre the rival force racing against the Order.
Vanderjack, a former PC-turned-NPC, makes his villainous return, and heâs got new friends!
The Page of Wands presents opportunities for investigationâthe PCs can track down witnesses to the caravan attack.
The King of Wands tells me this all leads to somewhereâa place where everything will be decided.
Try it yourself.
Pick an open-ended question about your campaign. Draw five tarot cards. Let your brain do the pattern-matching work. If you donât have a deck, Google a tarot spreadâmost online generators will even interpret them for you.
Session Recap: The Cycles of Errazu
The crew journeys south into the Northlander barbarian territories, pressing a group of exiles to guide them to the ruins of the caravan ambush. They find clear signs of sorcerous destructionâsome of the wreckage still smolders. Tracks lead away from the site, but Wulf finds two ominous artifacts: an engraved skull and a worked obsidian stone piece.
Then, something strange happens.
Wulf, normally cautious, feels compelled to loudly declare, âI found IT!â as if announcing to the world.
And someone answers.
Vanderjack returns. No longer a lost exile, he arrives with new allies:
A half-giant enforcer
Two ghost warriors
A mercenary archer from the Broken Bell
Heâs not here to talk.
Heâs here to kill his old friends who left him in Ambersoul.
Whatâs Next?
A friend of mine is running Burning Wheel as a 101 session, teaching folks the ins-outs of the game. It got me thinking what 101-style games would you like to see me run? Because I'd do it!
ICYMI
đš The Coriolis Beta droppedâIâm absolutely going to run this soon.
đď¸ The Critshow Podcast is doing a fantastic actual play of The Clockwindersâmy first published RPG work! Check it out
Catch ya next week!