The Prismatic Oracle: A Junk Journaling RPG

There is no Prismatic Oracle. There was a Prismatic Oracle. There will be a Prismatic Oracle.

The Prismatic Oracle is a GM-less keepsake game of fickle memory and dubious prophecy designed for play with 1-6 players, brought to life with the analog power of Risograph. Travel to the island-temple of Prismos and beseech the elusive Prismatic Oracle to cast its sight into the past or future and reveal long-fated histories and secrets of times that will someday come to pass. 

In The Prismatic Oracle, players tell a story by collecting found text, visuals, and objects and interpreting them as omens of a prophecy, junk journaling them in a handbound tome – you'll learn foundational bookbinding skills as you play!

The Game

Unravel a secret prophecy from the mystical and mundane alike

Upon their arrival on Prismos, the players will explore the Temple searching for a legendary history or prophecy which will answer a question that has become central to their identity. They'll bind a small journal by hand, aided by bookbinding diagrams offered by the book, and begin exploring the mystical chambers of the temple, each full of arcane artifacts, cryptic texts, and wondrous beauties to behold. 

The heart of the game is driven by interaction with found text, images, and physical objects. Prompted by unique questions in each location, the players together envision small scenes of their characters discovering artifacts and interpreting them as omens of the prophecy they seek, unraveling hidden meaning from the particularities of their time and place.

These found objects can come from anywhere, and the zine includes plenty of text and illustrations to use as artifacts, but often the most powerful artifacts will come from the world around you, mundane objects and commonplace phrases that take on new meaning when encountered by your characters. 

Oracle is a Keepsake Game, a kind of storytelling or roleplaying game where the players create a physical object in the course of play. This is their handbound junk journal, an apocryphon of the secrets of Prismos, the pasts they reveal, and the futures they portend. 

The players' explorations will conclude with the final secret chamber of the Temple, where they come face to face with the Prismatic Oracle itself. The Oracle will offer a prophecy from the artifacts the players have gathered, and it is up to the players to decide if they trust the Oracle's pronouncements and how they make sense of the world and their place in it with the new knowledge they've gained. What ultimately becomes of the apocrypha they have created is up to the players, but it is bound to contain great secrets that could fuel any number of adventures ahead.

A Complete One-Shot Experience, and an easy addition to other adventures

The Prismatic Oracle is a systemless keepsake game that offers a complete narrative experience in the course of one evening, but the adventure doesn't have to end there: the prophecy you create and the secrets you discover are the perfect jumping-off points for further adventures, and The Prismatic Oracle functions well as a catalyst for a greater adventuring campaign. 

The Zine – A Celebration of the Human-Made

The Prismatic Oracle will be printed as a crisp 24-page zine, lusciously illustrated and printed in-house with risograph. The beautiful analog qualities of risograph make it the perfect vessel for keepsake games, and we're taking great care to craft the zine as if it were an apocrypha from the halls of the Temple of Prismos itself.

We're also creating a special edition bound by hand with sashiko thread that includes a sheaf of hand-recycled paper and a collection of print ephemera, perfect materials to add analog, tactile power to your games.

The Prismatic Oracle is inspired by my partner Ran's junk journaling and how they've helped me find new ways to create and find beauty and meaning in the everyday. I've created Prismatic Oracle to share those joys with others and provide a way for people to try their hand at a new craft and connect with each other through telling a story together. This game and its physical zine are celebrations of human creativity, and absolutely no AI was used to create it. 

Rewards

Add-Ons

Lost Things – $12 

A collection of print ephemera including several specimens of risograph, letterpress, and linocut art, perfect accoutrements for junk journaling and adventures on Prismos. 

Riso Postcard Set – $12

Full set of 4 risograph printed postcards of illustrations from The Prismatic Oracle.

The Anarchitect – $8 

A story game for 1-3 players. Explore the power of language by fashioning spells from found text.

See Oracle in Action with Dicesized's Actual Play!

Our friends at Dicesized had a blast playing The Temple of Prismos, a free promo version of The Prismatic Oracle. You can listen to their playthrough here and explore The Temple of Prismos firsthand here!

The Work Ahead

The game’s text is nearly complete. I’ll give it one more round of playtesting to make sure my latest revisions work as intended, and then the text will be ready for editing. There are a few more locations to illustrate as well, but these are on track to be completed within the next few weeks.

The most significant work left is in layout and printing. I expect to finish layout in September, and then print and bind the zine in October. That puts us well on track for a November delivery, but I’m setting December as the estimated delivery date to ensure we have a comfortable margin of error if there are unforeseen delays.

We're launching this campaign to raise funds for this first print run. $600 is the material cost of our paper and ink, and your support allows us to make this idea a physical reality.

Shipping

Shipping and applicable sales taxes will be charged after the campaign in the pledge manager. Please note that paying any relevant taxes or import fees are the backer's responsibility.

Estimated shipping for Standard Edition:

US: $6

CA: $30

UK: $30

EU: $40

AU: $30

Community

The Prismatic Oracle is the latest adventure in the Zosimos Mythos, a far-ranging universe of cosmic adventure and magical creation. Follow along and explore everywhere the magic of the cosmos leads!

Instagram: @studiozosimos

Blog: https://libraryofzosimos.com

Bluesky: @zo51m05.bsky.social

Website: https://studiozosimos.com