The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game is available at long last from ACE Gamebooks Roleplay via DriveThruRPG, just in time for the 40th anniversary of BBC TV's seminal dramatization of John Masefield's Christmas classic.
The book is in full colour and features Tony Hough's incredible illustrations throughout. At the moment, only the PDF is available, but print copies will be available in the New Year.
With the release of The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game, I now have just one Kickstarter outstanding - Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come - which will be released next year.
It was touch and go for a while whether I would actually be able to complete The Box of Delights RPG; it was originally going to be a supplement for the 'TWAS RPG, and when I decided it would be a self-contained RPG, I did not expect it to be as long as 'TWAS or Heorot. However, it has ended up being longer than either!
.
“And now, Master Harker, of Seekings,” the old man said, “now that the Wolves are Running… perhaps you would do something to stop their Bite?”
When Kay Harker returns home from boarding school for the Christmas holidays he meets a mysterious Punch and Judy Man, and finds himself mixed up in the battle to possess a magical Box. This curious artefact allows its owner to shrink, fly swiftly, travel into the past, and experience all the wonders that are contained within the Box itself.
Having been entrusted with the Box by the Punch and Judy Man, Kay finds himself being hunted by the wizard Abner Brown and his gang of clerics-cum-jewel thieves. But Abner does not only covet the Box – he also seeks to stop Tatchester Cathedral celebrating its 1,000th Christmas Midnight Mass.
It is up to Kay and his companions, the Jones children, along with various otherworldly allies, to thwart Abner Brown’s plans and stop him acquiring the Box of Delights and with it, power beyond imagining.
Designed to be picked up and played with
minimal preparation, it nonetheless includes a well-developed character
creation system, as well as rules for combat and magic. It is ideal for a
festive gaming session with an established group, or as an alternative to the
family games usually played at Christmastime.
But
Time and Tide and Buttered Eggs wait for no man. So, grab your dice and playing
cards, and prepare for adventure, for the Wolves are Running!
"As
a lifelong roleplayer I was genuinely interested to read an RPG based on The
Box of Delights… Jon Green has done an excellent job capturing the spirit of
the piece in a tight, narrative framework that emphasizes storytelling and
keeps the mechanics simple enough to be enjoyed by any age."
Devin
Stanfield, Kay Harker in the 1984 BBC Television adaptation of The Box of
Delights
