CASTLE OLDSKULL – The Oldskull Deck of Strangest Things is a role playing game supplement written and published by Kent David Kelly. The supplement is aimed at Dungeons & Dragons games, particularly the Old School Revival, although no specific version is mentioned.
This is a 103 page PDF which is available from RPGNow for $2.99 but which was purchased for $0.99 during a sale. One page is the front cover, four pages are the front matter and one page has an ad for another product.
The supplement starts with two pages of prose on the deck before moving on to the Introduction. This gives some history (in-game, for the World of Oldskull) and gives an overview of the purpose of the supplement.
Sorting and Preparing the Oldskull Deck explains how to use the deck. Not every deck will have every card in it when found; the Lesser Deck has 13 whilst the greater deck has the full 22. The cards in the lesser deck can be determined randomly.
Finding and Utilising the Oldskull Deck explains how it is used. Only the individual holding the deck – thereafter called the Fate Seeker – can draw from it, and has to do so willingly. The Fate Seeker can give the deck willingly to another character, but the deck will quickly disappear if not drawn from.
Further Notes Regarding the Deck has some more general rules on using the deck in game.
Next described are all 22 cards, the Major Arcana (the author says he may publish the Minor Arcana later). Each starts with a picture of the card in question, followed by its details. Each card has the following: Name, associated Legendary Personage(s), Known Card Names in Other Worlds and Recommended Playing Cards (for when normal cards are used).
Then there are the effects of each card. Each card has positive and negative effects, depending on which way around it is – the author explains (although in a comment, not in the supplement) that this was to negate problems such as the GM being blamed when a negative card was drawn and accusations of such as poor shuffling and favouritism when a player drew a good card. With every card being good and bad, and players being responsible for the draw, these complaints were removed.
The cards effects vary a lot depending on a number of factors. First is, as mentioned, whether it is up or down, with up being “good” results and down being “bad.” The results are also modified further, depending on the card and the character. Character class, level and alignment can all alter the card’s effect, meaning that the same card drawn twice by two different individuals can have completely different results.
The final section is images of all 22 cards (as seen at the beginning of each card’s description) designed to be printed out size 2.5″ x 3.5″ and placed in a card sleeve with a normal playing card to use as the back.
CASTLE OLDSKULL – The Oldskull Deck of Strangest Things in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with the different sections and each card linked, although it lacks a table of contents. Navigation is decent.
The text maintains a single column format for the standard text but is in tables for the card details and appeared almost error-free. There are a number of stock black and white illustrations (not the normal public domain material seen in the publisher’s works) and colour images of each card. The cards do use public domain images, modified for the cards, and look pretty decent overall. It would have been nice to have a back that could be printed out as well, rather than using regular card back, but that’s fairly minor. Presentation is decent.
This supplement is essentially a single, erratic but powerful magic item, one that could probably be classed as an extremely powerful artefact, given its ability to overwhelm other magic – even godly magic.
This may not be of use in every game, as some players will steer well clear of the deck of many things, disliking its randomness and the potential for negative outcomes, and this is a more powerful, and therefore more dangerous/beneficial version. Good outcomes can make a character, bad ones break them – and given that multiple cards can be drawn, both results are possible.
The supplement provides an interesting, and powerful/powerfully dangerous/powerfully beneficial, magic item in a nice fashion but one that is definitely not for everyone. GMs should only use it if their group likes this degree of randomness; fortunately for players, they do have choice over whether or not to use it. CASTLE OLDSKULL – The Oldskull Deck of Strangest Things can be found by clicking here.
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