Regardless of the system, a game screen is one of the most practical accessories that a gamemaster can use. It not only contains all the most important tables necessary to run a game, but also enables the gamemaster to hide his notes and die rolls from the players. The graphic that usually faces the players also helps set the right mood for the game.
The Prophet's Shroud is a gamemaster’s screen designed for use with The Seventh Seal RPG. On the interior the GM or Prophet finds all the most frequently used tables and charts for character creation and moderating a game. The side facing the players depicts a confrontation between Sentinels and the servants of the Legion.
Accompanying the Shroud is an introductory scenario entitled Reward of the Wicked. Players begin the adventure as normal mortals who experience the Anointing. In the chapters that follow, the Chosen Elect, prepared for war against the minion of darkness, have their first encounter with the Legion.
The beginning of the scenario reveals that the character’s lives are going to change dramatically and that under the surface of everyday life, lurk forces unimaginable to mere mortals. The events that follow provide players with numerous game sessions filled with plenty of action. Regardless of their genre preferences, Reward of the Wicked provides players with conspiracy, occult mysteries and adrenaline rising combat — and a whole lot more.
The scenario is set during the Time of Uncertainty and conveys the paranoia characteristic of the epoch. Player characters never know who to trust. Those they encounter may be a minion of the Legion, a lost soul straying from the path of righteousness, a common thug or a materialized demon hidden in Guise.
Although the scenario is linear, advice as to how to keep players on the right track is provided to the GM in every chapter. The opponent in the climax of the Prophecy might be a bit too powerful, but who said the war against evil was a piece of cake? If the characters prove victorious in their first battle against the Legion, they can look to the future with hope, knowing that the forces of darkness are weakened and Armageddon may be postponed . . . for now. However, even if defeated, players will gain the motivation to continue their fight against the Adversary’s servants.
Ideas for tying up loose ends are also provided.
All in all, Reward of the Wicked is a great introduction for players unfamiliar with the world of The Seventh Seal. The fact that is can easily be developed into an ongoing campaign increases its value. The scenario is well written and contains several interesting ideas, which along with the Prophet’s Shroud, makes it is an excellent supplement to The Seventh Seal’s core rulebook. I’d recommend it to all gamemasters running adventures for The Seventh Seal RPG.
