Most tabletop RPGs live and die by the dice. The Hidden Isle throws them out entirely. In this narrative role-playing game from studio Sefirot, part of Causa Creations, every skill check, twist of fate and even your character's backstory is decided by a draw from a tarot deck. If your group has ever fancied something with more atmosphere than a fistful of d20s, this one is worth a look.
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Set up your group for freeThe setting helps. The Hidden Isle drops you into Dioscoria, a secretive port on a fictional 16th-century island, a haven for magicians, adventurers and free thinkers. The pitch is swashbuckling intrigue, stealing forbidden books out from under oppressive regimes and sailing the edges of a Renaissance-era Europe and Middle East. Mechanically it runs on a heavily reworked version of Forged in the Dark, the narrative engine behind Blades in the Dark, with the tarot deck layered on top to drive the drama. Sefirot is a tarot card specialist, so it sells a themed deck of its own, though any standard pack will do.
It is a chunky book, too. The 192-page hardcover packs in eight character classes, a flexible magic system spanning seven schools, dozens of historically inspired items and creatures, and a full chapter on running Dioscoria as a sandbox. There is also a free playtest kit if you want to try before you commit.
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Find events near youThe Hidden Isle is up for pre-order now through Sefirot's shop and a current BackerKit campaign, with the zine Forever Hold Your Peace adding five more adventures across Elizabethan London, Rome and Zanzibar. If you fancy rounding up a group to give it a go, find players near you on Backseat Gamer.
