The Portal Tomb

The Portal Tomb is a single session diceless roleplaying that uses an Ogham casting inspired resolution.

You are invited to the Queen’s funeral-There is a magic clinging in the mists of Inis Ceilte that brings the endless dreams of yonder to life. A warrior cuts the top off a hill in a single slash while her fian looks on in awe. A druid calls forth a vast storm to end a drought among their people. A bard sings an unforgettable song of his lord’s failures to a crowd after a promise was broken. Each of them knew the Queen before her death and have one last chance to put the past to rest. At the funeral, some may find romance and others may find the tip of a blade. When you heard the news, where were you?

A tabletop roleplaying game of Iron Age court intrigue. The Portal Tomb offers an experience where magic and history collide. The guests of honor gather at a funeral on Samhain to put their Queen to her final rest. Legendary icons like the princely Tanist and the cunning Witch will be in attendance. Grand feasts and wild dances will be held to celebrate her reign while tensions build in the background. Look to the runes for answers because everyone has something to hide. And at the end of it all is a chance to write the future of the kingdom.

Features

◊5 players, 1-2 sessions of 3-4 hours. Recording the game as it is played on the Casting Circle makes it easy to pick up where you left off.

◊Uses Ogham runes instead of dice to generate a story using a set of attached keywords as improv prompts to build on the possibility space that emerges. Includes low-effort instructions for making a personal set of runes for play.

◊Six character playbooks that reintegrate the archetypes of fantasy with their historical origins, all while retaining the magic of myth from which they emerged.

◊Progress through a selection of six modular mini-games called rituals as the funeral unfolds. Players collaborate on the story structure by choosing one each turn.

◊The Queen’s playbook for facilitating the narrative. Three rituals for pacing the night, quick guidelines for creating Mourners, and tools to highlight the drama while bringing characters into focus.