Sunday, July 13, 2014

Game Design Inspiration

One of my favorite tools to use when developing an adventure, magic item or even a story is using tarot cards.  I've got about six or seven different decks.  For my current task, I'm using the Dark Grimoire Tarot.  It's a tarot deck inspired by HP Lovecraft stories.  Need I say more? 



I'm working on a the micro sandbox, Misanthropic Islands, and in area two the players encounter a area blasted by shards of stone.  Mixed within the stones is a massive 100' diameter wheel with script in the center and symbols on the edge. 

It's what I am currently calling Wheel of Fate, a tool of judgment used by the stone giants.  The wheel is divided into a 12 equal parts.  Some good, more bad.  I'm using it like a Deck of Many Things. 

How do the cards come into play?  I grabbed the tarot deck, give them a good shuffle then start flipping over the cards and stop on ones that strike some spark for me.  Some symbol and a consequence/reward that goes with it.  I keep the game mechanics very simple.  But using the wheel can be deadly.  Here is some of what I've come up with.


Okay, back to work.


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