Imagine a hardwood box roughly the size of a head. At first glance, it looks adorned with carvings that have seen their fair share of weathering. Upon closer inspection, you realize that the weathering was more unfair than fair, and that given the amount of abuse the designs still look rather good. This box has been burned, chewed, drenched, frozen, and, judging by its smell, fermented. But what would you expect from a box that has the possibility to contain, or, more acurately, have access to, basically everything?
The Boxed Ritual is shaping up to be a huge project. I have already written more than 50 pages, and to me, that is a lot for something that is not even a quarter of the way done. Thus I decided to share what I have thus far bit by bit, in order to get some feedback that will help me make the whole thing better. With this approach, I hope I can keep working on it without ever thinking “it will never see the light of day anyway”. You know, because brains.
If you want to help me out and give me feedback – on any of my work – the best way to give it is my Discord Server. Looking forward to seeing you there! Until then, keep reading to find out what the idea behind the Boxed Ritual is!
There will be an index here as soon as the next post is finished!
What is the Boxed Ritual?
At its most basic, the Boxed Ritual is the home of the infamous ritual proboscis. You never heard it? Well, then it’s about time. It’s as good a way as any to think about what the box does, after all. This proboscis extends out into the cosmos, and there it will connect to… something.
That’s where the fun begins. Or the dread. Sometimes even terror. When it connects, something will come through. Anything could happen from a gentle healing rain to elemental forces like fire or water, to ancient star entities that excert their influence.
Where did the Idea come from?
This started out a decade ago as something to replace a player at our table, but that idea was doomed from the start. It then developed into a one-of-a-kind magic item that has the potential to wreck havoc on short notice. You just hold it, concentrate, and open it. What could possibly go wrong?
Let me be frank. I have no idea whether this will work the way I intended. And that’s okay, because it has already outlived my original intention. What I hope is that with your feedback, I can remove things that don’t work and improve upon those that do. My main hope is that it will turn into a source of inspiration.
For this, I need you! Your feedback, to be precise. If you can, please take a look at documents to be released, and let me know your thoughts, good and bad. If you feel so inclined, you can even playtest parts of this with your group!
What comes next?
After this anouncement, the first piece to be released will cover all the rules for the Boxed Ritual. While they are most prone to updates and corrections, they are all you need to make your own box if you want to. But the larget chunk of this project is the ritual table with a full (d)100 options, and at least (d)4 additional consequences for each. It contains all the things the box can bring to (and into) your game.
If you have any feedback regarding anything, please get in touch. The best way to do that is via Discord. You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram or E-Mail.
If you like this idea please subscribe to my newsletter below so you get informed when another segment is released. Until then, check out the other roleplaying inspirations I have to offer.
Thanks for stopping by, and Be Inspired!
