Riffing on His Majesty the Worm
17 July 2024
Contents
- Contents
- Background
- My Thoughts
- Riffing on Seeds
- The Sensory Spread
- Summing Up - His Crystal Entrails (Ten of Wands)
- Final Thoughts
Background
Today (as of me writing this), His Majesty the Worm by Rise Up Comus released! It's a game with a tarot resolution mechanic that presents itself like so:
His Majesty the Worm is a new-school game with old-school sensibilities: the classic megadungeon experience given fresh life through a focus on the mundanities and small moments of daily life inside the dungeon. This post is part of a series of deep dives into the mechanics of the game.
I've distantly followed the game's development on Josh McCrowell's twitter for a little while now. It doesn't seem like the type of game I would play, but definitely felt like something with good guts I could rip out and be inspired by.
The game itself is a $40, 400-page behemoth that I do not own, but I was happy to see a few chapters were released for free. Specifically, I was interested in the Dungeon Seeds chapter, detailing how to lay out a megadungeon and some procedures for populating your regular degular dungeons. It also contains some sample seeds/vibes to get you started.
My Thoughts
Frankly, after reading through the chapter, I am... disappointed!!!
Maybe disappointed isn't the right word. Mostly it just doesn't scratch my particular itch. Here's the thing: the dungeon checklist and advice for putting your ideas together are great, but when it comes to sparking those ideas in the first place, you get nothing. So if you've got your ideas out of the way and just need help pulling them together into something gameable, you're in luck! The process of getting there, though, feels like it's missing the rest of the fucking owl.
This isn't a judgement call against the game. Sometimes you really do just gotta make shit up. But I do think for a game focused on megadungeons, I wanted little more zhuzh - something like Bastionland's spark tables. The dungeon outlines included in the chapter are great, but where's the procedure for making your own "seed"? That intial idea is usually the hardest part for me personally. This is especially weird to me because it's a tarot-based game. Like, the cards are right there!
anyway this bothered me enough that i was inspired to riff on it oops
Riffing on Seeds
So, the best things in the chapter IMO are the included dungeon seeds. Every one of these whips. Look!
That's what I'm talking about. I especially love the vibrant sensory details and the completely contextless dungeon lord called the "Bone Chandelier". I think, if I were going to generate my own seeds (which I am), this format is a good bedrock to build on.
To riff on this, I'm thinking of something simple: draw tarot cards in a spread of seven. Six cards represent a different one of these details: Sight, Sound, Smell and taste, Lighting, Structures, and Dungeon lord. The remaining card will be a "spark" to give a little twist to each of the senses. I'm skipping common monsters here - I would expect to have some good ideas of what to throw in there once the rest of the dungeon's background starts coming together.
And just to have a name, I'll call this process something easy like
The Sensory Spread
Setup
I'm using this woo-woo website I found on google to draw my cards, using the Hexefus spread and with the "reversed" box checked. For my purposes I'll be reading the cards top-down in the way they're listed below the spread. For art and interpretation, I'll use Labyrinthos, because I love their black/gold default deck. Normally I'd use one of my own decks here, but this way I don't have to take a bunch of shitty phone pics.
Interpreting the Cards
My hot take on tarot in TTRPGs is that meanings are neat, but if you're not incorporating the cool art and interplay of the cards somehow then you might as well just use a standard poker deck.
This'll be my general interpretation process:
- What's actually on the card? Any standout details or odd symbols?
- What does the card represent? Is it upright or reversed? (pull from either/both meaning if it's more interesting)
- How do I interpret this card through the lens of my Spark card? (more on that in a sec)
- If I still need an extra turn of the screw: how do I interpret this card in the context of the earlier cards in the spread?
Card 1 - Spark
Traditionally I only read cards for other folks when I'm drunk at a house party - quick n easy stuff like Past/Present/Future readings. Afterwards I always offer something called a clarifier card, one additional draw that forms the lens through which you view the entire spread. For the Spark, I'm drawing that clarifier first. Since the other details are more physical and concrete, I like having an abstract read to start things off and form the Themes or Big Ideas of the dungeon.
My draw here was the Ten of Wands, upright.
What's on the card?
Cool scarab, eye in orb, lattice pattern (reminds me of weaving or crochet)
What does this card represent?
Upright: burden, stress, obligation. Reversed: failure to delegate, taking on too much, collapse.
My take?
Long suffering and duty are interesting themes to take away. I also dig that eye orb. We'll start working on physical details during the next read, but I'll spitball for a sec on this card alone. The first image that comes to mind is: underground mines, workers kept alive through magic, unable to escape the eye of a (long dead?) supervisor.
Card 2 - Sight
I'm looking at the art more closely here, along with any objects or atmosphere that the card's meaning evokes.
My draw was the Emperor, upright.
What's on the card?
Old royal, long cape, staff, Christian Orb? Google says it's a globus cruciger. Mountains in the background. Curtains of light on the side - beams from heaven? Abstract skyscrapers?
What does this card represent?
Upright: stability, authority (usually male), structure, discipline. Reversed: tyrants, rigidity, stubbornness.
My take?
These details feel in line with my previous idea about the mines. Thinking about those mountains, the structure/rigid interpretations, and that lattice on the Ten of Wands all lead me towards one idea: crystals.
Let's go with this:
Ramrod-straight hallways crisscrossing through a massive, pure crystal. Not cut so much as deleted. Your reflections are infinite. The whites of your eyes form stars in the imagined distance.
Card 3 - Sound
I can make some educated guesses based on the previous card, but I think it's more interesting to read for this.
My draw was the Two of Wands, reversed. I'm not gonna bother flipping this pic, sorry!
What's on the card?
Determined young man, sparkly globe, leafy sticks, castle walls, mountains (again!)
What does this card represent?
Upright: planning, first steps, risks. Reversed: overanalyzing, inaction, risk-avoidance.
My take?
I like the sparkles. Magic? Reminds me of the ambient noise in the Crystal Caverns from Dark Souls 1. The sticks are interesting, and bring to mind something organic. I'm still thinking about that initial Spark: duty, obligation. Combined with this idea of risk-avoidance, I like the image of the silence being broken by some ancient ongoing ritual that you can't see when you first enter. Probably the ritual has long outlasted the threat it was protecting against.
Hollow, cavernous emptiness. Far away: a soft patter or tinkling, like rain on mosaic. Occasionally a loud cacophany rips through the dark from deeper down. Discerning ears might recognize the sound of seeds rattling around a gourd in this noise; discerning minds might hear a long-forgotten ritual implement in the same.
Card 4 - Smell and taste
Again, we can make some educated guesses, but I like where that last one took us!
My draw was the Eight of Wands, upright (wand heavy read today I guess).
What's on the card?
Arrows, birds, clouds, the sun. The sun also reminds me of a flower, or maybe a spiked mace. The birds seem to be following the arrows, like they've just been fired themselves.
What does this card represent?
Upright: movement, speed, progress, excitement. Reversed: slowness, chaos, unpreparedness.
My take?
This is an interesting addition. The open sky and idea of movement makes me think of a breeze moving through the cavern, but what scents are carried on it? I'll keep it simple: cooked bird meat. Something used for the ritual?
A breeze snakes in, carrying mouth-watering scents from down below. Tantalizingly constant: mushrooms, burning oil, cooked meat. Less prevalent, but occasionally gracing your tongue: birdshit.
Card 5 - Lighting
My draw was the Ten of Cups, Reversed.
What's on the card?
Sun, a rainbow? Bubbles and stars. A fish?? Cups, obviously. Two trees.
What does this card represent?
Upright: Happiness, homecoming, fulfillment. Reversed: separation, disharmony, isolation.
My take?
The stars and floating bubbles are standouts. These reversed ideas make me imagine lighting is there, but sparse. Specifically, separation makes me imagine the light moving away from something, or leaving the area. Thinking of this through the lens of duty makes it feel purposeful, but that's something I'd flesh out while populating the dungeon.
Rarely, a brilliantly shining glass orb (and its million reflected cousins) floats into view at a little over head height. Uninterrupted, it will meander towards the nearest exit, growing more and more cracked before finally shattering as it leaves the crystal. The exits are littered with piles of broken glass.
Card 6 - Structures
My draw was the Six of Wands (another one!), reversed.
What's on the card?
Lancer and horse, army banners. A wave of light, like a flag.
What does this card represent?
Upright: Success, victory, rewards. Reversed: Failure, lack of recognition, lack of achievement.
My take?
This goes right along with our Spark. I'm not gonna overthink this one and just stick with the first thing that comes to mind: a failed army, or guard.
Endless bunkers and massive, empty meeting halls. Insignias carved in the wall: a scarab under an all-seeing eye. Beds carved directly from crystal, each bearing the corpse of a failed guardian. Their heads have been taken and placed on shining pikes. The polished walls echo their dishonor.
Card 7 - Dungeon lord
My draw was the Two of Pentacles, reversed.
What's on the card?
Hands cupping the pentacles in an infinity loop. An interesting floral structure. The top reminds me of a candelabra. The bottom looks phallic, tbh.
What does this card represent?
Upright: adaptation, flexibility, resourcefulness. Reversed: Imbalanced, overextending, chaos.
My take?
The book just gives adjective-noun titles, so I'll distill this down to the same. I imagine this is the guy keeping our ritual going and ordering all those birds killed. There's religious vibes plus a military angle, so I'll make him a paladin. I like the words chaos and overextending combined with that long, sinewy vine. Maybe he's producing those floating glass orbs? I'm picturing someone who has taken every responsibility onto themselves for so long that they are literally stretched thin, merging with the environment in strange ways and either dreaming these orbs into being or producing them as just part of the way his body works now.
Anyway, our title:
The Unspooled Paladin
Summing Up - His Crystal Entrails (Ten of Wands)
Sight:
Ramrod-straight hallways crisscrossing through a massive, pure crystal. Not cut so much as deleted. Your reflections are infinite. The whites of your eyes form stars in the imagined distance.
Sounds:
Hollow, cavernous emptiness. Far away: a soft patter or tinkling, like rain on mosaic. Occasionally a loud cacophany rips through the dark from deeper down. Discerning ears might recognize the sound of seeds rattling around a gourd in this noise; discerning minds might hear a long-forgotten ritual implement in the same.
Smell and taste:
A breeze snakes in, carrying mouth-watering scents from down below. Tantalizingly constant: mushrooms, burning oil, cooked meat. Less prevalent, but occasionally gracing your tongue: birdshit.
Lighting:
Rarely, a brilliantly shining glass orb (and its million reflected cousins) floats into view at a little over head height. Uninterrupted, it will meander towards the nearest exit, growing more and more cracked before finally shattering as it leaves the crystal. The exits are littered with piles of broken glass.
Structures:
Endless bunkers and massive, empty meeting halls. Insignias carved in the wall: a scarab under an all-seeing eye. Beds carved directly from crystal, each bearing the corpse of a failed guardian. Their heads have been taken and placed on shining pikes. The polished walls echo their dishonor.
Dungeon lord:
The Unspooled Paladin
Final Thoughts
This feels like more than enough to build a dungeon. I can see factions: the hunters bringing these birds in, plus the last remnants of whatever guard served this paladin. You've got odd crystal doodads or protrusions from this cursed paladin to toy with. Add in old religious treasures and the traps they used to keep this order of guardians on their toes, and you've got a (bird) stew cooking.
Off the dome monster ideas: crystal golems, dishonored ghosts, hallucinatory psychic figments from this poor paladin, starving old monks, enterprising hunters.
Was this procedure helpful? I think so. Frankly, all I was really looking for here was an initial jumping off point. I think I could've gone a long way off the spark card alone, but I appreciate the weird twists that each additional read brought in. Plus, tarot cards are just fun! I do think that the themes from my Spark would shine brighter when actually populating the dungeon, but I still feel it was worth having those ideas swimming in the back of my brain throughout writing this.
If you liked this post, I wrote a similar one a while back about mining music for dungeon ideas.
Lastly, despite my gripes, you should still check out His Majesty the Worm! It really does feel like such an impressive body of work, and seeing it release after its lengthy time in the oven is so cool!