The Hidden Isle - Rulebook PDF

The Hidden Isle is a pen and paper RPG that uses Tarot cards instead of dice, set in the 16th century on the secretive island of Dioscoria. It focuses on roleplaying and collaborative storytelling.

This is a game about swashbuckling adventures across Europe and the Middle East, stealing forbidden texts from oppressive regimes, protecting an island of outcasts using ancient magic, and toppling empires with just the right speech at just the right time.

If you are familiar with Tarot then The Hidden Isle will resonate with you all the more, but no experience with Tarot is necessary. To help you feel like a mystical oracle and stay inspired, we’ll provide you with tables and guides to help you quickly understand each card draw.

Features

Narrative heavy, rules light. While the game does have rules, their purpose is to enrich and drive your narratives. The game is designed as a collaborative storytelling experience.

Play and character growth intertwined. Each character has a burden—an emotional weight they carry—and an ideal to live up to. Become your truest self, or succumb to your worst impulses.

A vibrant 16th-century world. Dioscoria is described in loving detail, as are major cities of the time such as London, Istanbul and Venice. No historical knowledge is needed.

GM can plan or improvise. Scenarios can be planned ahead of time by the Seer, or improvised at the start of a session for GMs short on time.

Tarot cards instead of dice. They’re used for everything from scenario inspiration, to character backstories, to divination, to skill checks. No Tarot experience is required. Any deck can be used, but we recommend the Sefirot deck.

Contents

• 192 pages of beautiful, elegantly laid out material. Bound in hardcover, clad in gold foil.
• Complete game rules, including character creation, NPC generation and scenario generation using Tarot cards.
• Eight classes, each with eight unique abilities!
• A flexible magic system featuring seven schools of magic and seven magical sources.
• 44 specialized items for your Agents to draw on during each mission.
• 24 historically inspired magical creatures.
• A full, dedicated chapter on Dioscoria: its culture, origins, and a tour of the city.
• A practical "Advice for Seers" chapter, giving you extra tools to help you run a game of The Hidden Isle.
• A detailed section on the world of the sixteenth century,containing extensive lore on five major cities of the time, from various parts of the known world.
• Tarot tables and references to help you understand any card, giving you multiple prompts for any situation to aid inspiration.
• Additional materials for printing at home such as character sheets, reference sheets, Tarot tables are available via digital download.