Court of the Radiant King is a role playing game supplement published by Monkey’s Paw Games. It is an Incursion, or adventure, for Trophy Dark.
The supplement is available as a 14-page PDF from itch for $5 but was obtained for free as part of a special bundle. One page is the front cover and one the front matter.
This Incursion is based on Robert W. Chambers’ fictional play The King in Yellow, though it isn’t outright stated. The introductory paragraphs explain that the palaces of the Radiant King were swallowed by woods aeons ago, but the legends of the court say that vast treasures were brought in tribute to the King’s court.
The theme for this incursion is Masks. There are Moments and Conditions to begin with. Moments are thematic sentences to create atmosphere; Conditions are effects that the characters suffer. The Conditions have no outright game effect and have characters becoming more theatrical and their faces more mask-like.
There are the standard five rings and each has Terrors and Temptations connected to the theme of masks. Each also has a series of questions to ask the players as to how they are affected by them.
Court of the Radiant King in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is short enough that these are not needed but would have been useful. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two-column yellow-themed format and appeared to be free of error. Bar the cover image, the only other illustrations are the page backgrounds, which feature the Yellow Sign.
The supplement cannot be played by itself without having Trophy Dark as well; that supplement is, however, free. The system, is rules light being based more on narration than dice mechanics. As with other Trophy Dark Incursions, failure is the most likely outcome for those seeking treasure, as they end up trapped in the court of the Radiant King. These games are not for everyone; those who want more mechanics, and more chance of success, should steer clear. Court of the Radiant King can be found on itch.
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