THE ONCE AND FOREVER KING

"Forget what you know, the age of chivalry is over. Bitter twilight years lie ahead."

Once and Forever King is a speculative tabletop miniatures game, created during my Master's degree at Falmouth University in 2024. The Premise is that King Arthur has bargained for his immortality, thus surviving his fate on the fields of Camlann. This has come at a terrible cost; his wife, the lady Guinevere, has had her life taken as forfeit. Now Arthur's rule stretches forward relentlessly through time, Arthur must continue to exchange life to prolong his own. His forces march against the realm of Anwnn, the Spirit realm, seeking the ultimate prize, the Cauldron. To obtain it would free Arthur from his bargain and, in doing so, give him mastery over life itself.

THE QUEST FOR THE CAULDRON

In Welsh Mythology there is a Cauldron which gives life to death, capable of restoration, resurrection and eternal life. Many academics believe this narrative was the prototype for the Holy Grail within the Arthurian Myth, indeed within the Medieval Welsh tales of the Mabinogion there is a poem of Arthur's raid on this spirit world seeking this prize. The game sends players deep into the Spirit realm in search of this Cauldron fighting the nightmares of this reality alongside other foes who seek it for their own ends.

THE FOREVER KING'S TAROT

The rules would see players draw cards to determine the nature of their encounters and what luck they will find if any in the harsh non reality that is Anwnn. Imagery for these cards were inspired by the Rider Waite deck of Tarot. These cards also represent some of the many character classes available to players, I was inspired to seek out ways in which cards could be used to generate game scenarios removing the need for a Games Master.

MINIATURES

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