Oliver Owens 2025

Abstract

Tometoiled is a fantasy roleplaying game which draws upon many different inspirational sources to create something which feels both familiar and new. Pulling from more traditional fantasy (ie. gothic, high fantasy) to weirder fantasy (ie. 70’s pulp and art house films) as well as the occult symbolisms of tarot, victorian illustrations, engravings, and illuminated manuscripts. This game allows players to access a more embodied gameplay experience by focusing on engaged storytelling and sensory descriptions. Players will be guided through stories told by the game master and interact with the world around them based on the cards in their decks/hands. These cards are highly reminiscent of tarot, being fully illustrated with loads of symbols held within. It differs from traditional tarot by employing the five sensory organs in place of the four suits of tarot (wands, swords, cups, and coins). These new suits are to give the GM and players descriptive examples of what their characters are experiencing, as opposed to rolling dice to see what happens (as is commonplace in most other TTRPG’s). This game in addition to being an RPG is a deckbuilder game, where the players and game master are “leveling up” by adding additional cards to their decks/hands giving them more options in their experience. There is no goal to a roleplaying game other than to tell great stories, however in tometoiled the character creation process allows players to have personalized “life goal” for their characters, giving a stronger sense of personality and direction to the narratives created. Tometoiled thrives by not over encumbering any GM or player with too many rules which are set in stone, allowing for exploration and creativity. Some sections of the book and cards are not fully defined and give room for one's imagination to wander.