Media Lab Books The Game Master's Deck of Boons and Banes (4, 2024) | Ginny Di

The Game Master's Deck of Boons and Banes consists of 40 stunningly illustrated cards, 20 of which impose a bane of some sort on a character. A curse, for example, that constantly threatens to strangle a PC to death the more active they are. Or a blight that causes mold to grow over the PC’s skin in thick, stinking patches. The remaining 20 cards convey a boon of some sort - a blessing from a higher power or the magic that courses through the natural world. For example, the PC may be blessed with a pair of guardian wolves that travel with them wherever they go and fight on their behalf. Or they might even sprout giant dragonfly wings twice a day, enabling them to escape danger or travel long distances with ease. The exact composition of the deck players might choose to draw from is up to the GM, whether it be made up of all bane cards, all boon cards, an even mix of the two, or some randomly assigned ratio of good to bad. The boons are a great temptation - but drawing a bane could bring about a crippling result, so players will need to weigh the odds every time. The companion book includes a description of each card’s effect and how it impacts the PC who drew it. Within each entry, GMs will also find suggested side quests related to each care, as well as recommendations for scaling card effects up or down depending on the level of the characters drawing from the deck.