Not "aisle," that sounds like where they keep the naughty stuff at Spencer's.
The Game: The Hidden Isle
The Publisher: Causa Creations
Degree of Familiarity: None, but I'm thinking of putting it up as a possibility for one of my groups
Books Required: Just the one, but also a Tarot deck, and I have one from the same company that I think is mean to accompany the game
The Hidden Isle is a TTRPG built from a board game, I think, which in turn was meant to be a board game using Tarot. Mechanically, it's card-based (Tarot, specifically), but it looks a sight simpler than a lot of Tarot-based mechanics I've seen. The game structure isn't a million miles from a Forged in the Dark game: discrete phases of game play, characters can accrue trauma until they're not longer viable, stuff like that. But what intrigued me most while I was reading was this:
I really love chargen being a kind of mini-game and I don't think it happens enough. So with that in mind, and no preconceptions about what's to come, let's get to it!
First, I am meant to pick a class and get a sheet for said class. Okies, then. Reading through the brief descriptions, there are a few that resonate. I think I'll keep simple today and go with Hunter.
Next, we look at the Core Self section of the sheet and do stuff to determine the past. I'm going to need "vision" cards, what does that mean again? Oh, OK, the Tarot is split into two decks for this game. The "Pip" deck has all the numbered cards (ace through 10), and the "Vision" deck has everything else (that is, the court cards and the Major Arcana). S'cuse me a moment.
Oh, I love this artwork. Also there are three versions of the Lovers, but I'm meant to just pick one. I'll take the three-way one, I think.
OK, having now shuffled the Vision deck, let us draw a card! The High Priestess. And then I consult the character history table in the book. There are three phrases, and I'm meant to choose one to complete the phrase "as a child, I solved problems by...".
Given that I'm a Hunter, I think I'll go with "bringing peace to the confusion." My character is always looking to even things out, take things down a notch, keep things quiet.
Now I do the same thing for "As an adult, I survived/flourished by...". My card is...The World. Ooh, "sampling the world's wonders," please. Being a gourmand or a bon vivant isn't where I initially thought this would go, but that's fine.
Next we pick a Burden. I could make one up, but I'm liking the cards. I draw Strength, not normally something one would associate with a Burden. What's the table translate that as? Frantic, Bitter, Inflexible, Wild. Ooh, I like Bitter. Something hurt this guy.
Same thing for Ideal. The Devil! One of the choices is "Relishing," and I like that, but I'm going to tweak slightly and say "Savoring." My character might be a gourmand, but he's not a glutton.
No Virtue or Vice, those happen in play. Next, I pick two Abilities from my class list. Oh, man, these are all dope as fuck. I want Fearsome, which lets me intimidate people but also lets me push myself for a superhuman physical feat. But I'm really torn between Butcher (which lets me kill mooks, but risk Trauma for doing it), Matchlock (once a session I can say that my pals have set up a rifle for me), and Unstoppable (if I'm really hurt I get bonuses to fight). Given that my character has a world-traveler kind of vibe, I'll take Matchlock.
Skills! I have three points already filled in (1 Skirmish, 2 Unleash). I get two more inspired by my core self and two more of my choice (see, this is inspired by Blades in the Dark).
Well, going by my core self, I want Soothe and Finesse. And then for the two that can be anything, I know I want a point of Mingle (I want this guy to be socially adept). Ugh. I really should take some Slip, but I want Convince, too. I'll go with Slip, if my guy is doing social stuff it's going to be with Mingle, I think. That also gives me a rating in all three Cups skills, which gives me bonuses in certain situations.
If I were an Occultist, Illusionist, or Siphoner, or if it made sense for my guy to have some magic experience, I'd take a proficiency, but I'm not and it doesn't, so I'll skip that.
Fill in name, appearance, and so forth. Erm, OK. This game is set in the sixteenth century. I picture my character as having grown up in forests, so let's say he's from Romania (that is, Transylvania). We're a century off from Vlad the Impaler's reign, but surely the effects of it are still around. My guy's name is Viorel Baciu. He's in his 30s, and he's groomed and put together, but barely - there's something wild about him that's always threatening to come out.
Next we decide what brought me to Dioscoria (the titular hidden isle). In Viorel's case, I think he was looking for something new to do and some guy sold him a map, and he found it on his own.
Contacts! I get one from my homeland and one from Discoria. In either case I draw three cards and choose one to represent the contact.
So, first, contact from my homeland: Page of Cups, Queen of Wands, King of Cups. Let's go with Queen of Wands. I know a high-ranking soldier in Wallachia named Lacramiomara (yes, she's a high-ranking female soldier, I don't care if it's ahistorical, there's magic in this setting so it's all different anywho). She and I used to play chess on occasion when I was still at home, and she keeps me abreast of the political situation (which, depending on when in the 16th century we're talking about, is interesting). I think we're good friends, but not more than that, so I'll put in 4 segments on the affection clock (I guess when it strikes midnight we smooch?).
Same thing with the Dioscorian contact: Death, the Magician, Page of Wands. Oh, well, since I don't know much about magic, let's say there's an Illusionist named Danyal here who has taken an interest. Danyal is just so sheltered - he's never been off Dioscoria, and here's Viorel who's been all over and experienced so much... Only one Affection for him (so far).
And that's it! I dig this, I may have to give it a whirl even if we don't pick it for our next game.
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