Tabletop Roleplay

The inspiration for my Tarot deck has an integral connection to the concept of Tabletop Roleplay. Best described as collaborative storytelling within an agreed-upon set of rules, Tabletop can be more or less rigid/detailed depending on the system used. Dungeons & Dragons is the most well-known system but it is far from the only one.

The system used for the campaigns my deck is inspired by is based on an open source set of rules known as FATE. This system was designed to offer both the Game Master (the person who controls the game) and the players, a deeper connection to the story of the game. Removing a lot of the more clunky and mathematics-based aspects of many other systems, the focus is on the roleplay and characters instead. Darragh made use of these rules to help build the foundation for his own system set in the world of his in-process novel.

With a heavy leaning toward Irish Mythology, the system uses a lot of concepts and creatures from these stories as well as a magic system based around the pentacle and its prevalence in these beliefs. During play the rules often give way to character interaction and as such the campaigns have served as perfect sources of inspiration.

The general media is currently growing more and more aware of Tabletop. From the references in Stranger Things through to Critical Role, it is no longer simply a fringe hobby. Critical Role itself went from private game to Livestream to graphic novel to a full-on animated show. The improvised and thus constantly surprising nature of the medium has led to its success. And the fans are ready and willing to support its proliferation. The show was initially funded through Kickstarter and made big money. The quality & resulting popularity has been influenced by the people involved already being somewhat famous voice actors, and they have paved the way for other D&D/tabletop-based content to also become successful. As such, building a project that made use of this popularity seemed ideal.

For more information see the links below:

https://critrole.com/what-is-critical-role/ - What is Critical Role

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Legend-Vox-Machina-Season-Trailer/ - The Legends of Vox Machina (the animated show)