The original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft setting box released in 1990 to big sales.
TSR followed that success with several modules, and then onto the next box: Forbidden Lore in 1992.
Forbidden Lore served as a wide-ranging expansion to the core set, including such topics as psionics, fortune telling, and curses. It also gave Ravenloft DMs their first real Tarokka deck. Ravenloft products had dabbled in the fortune-telling cards before, but not like this.
Also included in Forbidden Lore was a curious set of DIY Dikesha dice.
Components in these decades-old sets can easily go missing, so I’ll have detailed photos of the cards and dice below.
Forbidden Lore [BOX SET]
1992 … William W. Connors & Bruce Nesmith … TSR 1079 … ISBN 156076354X
CONTENTS: 5 booklets; 1 fold-out map; 54-card tarokka deck; 5 runic dice.
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Box
Books
Oaths of Evil
“CURSES. “Expanded rules for curses and tips on how to make them an important part of any RAVENLOFT adventure.” TSR 1079XXX1901. 32 pages.
Dark Recesses
“This book details psionics, the powers of the mind, and their place in the demiplane of dread.” Also Madness. TSR 1079XXX1902. 32 pages.
Nova Arcanum
MAGIC. “New spells and magical lore from the darkest of Ravenloft’s lords – Strahd Von Zarovich.” TSR 1079XXX1903. 32 pages.
Cryptic Allegiances
“An in-depth look at the secret societies hidden within the lands of Ravenloft. some serve the lords of darkness, while others battle them at every turn.” TSR 1079XXX1904. 32 pages.
The Waking Dream
“For centuries, the Vistani have been the masters of prophecy and fortune telling. This book reveals their secrets and shows how to best use the Vistani techniques in RAVENLOFT adventures.” TSR 1079XXX1905. 32 pages.
The Tarokka Cards
“The tarokka comprises 54 cards. Thirty-six of them are divided into four suits of nine cards. These cards, known as the lesser deck, represent the inner strengths, weakness, and actions of persons. Each of the four suits — swords, coins, stars, and glyphs — symbolizes one type of individual. In AD&D game terms, this means that each suit of the lesser deck represents one of the four character classes—warrior, rogue, wizard, and priest.
Each card has two aspects. The first (or primary) aspect deals with the goals and desires of those represented by the cards. The first two suits (coins and swords) are known as mortal cards and their primary aspects are associated with those who value the tangible things of the world — wealth, for example. These cards have a natural affinity for characters of the rogue and warrior professions.
The remaining two suits, stars and glyphs, are known as mystery cards and are identified with those who seek the intangible — knowledge, for example. The actions and fates of those who deal in knowledge and power, wizards and priests, are visible in these cards.
Further, each suit is tied to one of the four elements — air, earth, fire, or water. These elemental ties are known as secondary aspects and are generally considered to be less powerful than the primary aspects. Still, the secondary aspects can be very important in providing subtle information to the trained eye of the Vistani.
Four other cards, the archetypes, are assigned one to a suit as the master of that suit. Thus, the Wizard card is also known as the Master of Stars and the Warrior card is also known as the Master of Swords. The remaining 14 cards are collectively referred to as the high deck and symbolize the natural forces of the universe. They are, perhaps, the most important and powerful cards in the deck.”
Swords
Coins
Stars
Glyphs
High Deck
Dikesha Dice
The runic Dikesha required owners to affix each d6 face with a sticker.
The back of Waking Dream book has a pictorial guide to the dice (The only book with graphics on the back, by the way).
Map
Forbidden Lore comes with one poster map (TSR 1079XXX0701). Curiously enough, it is not mentioned in the contents list on the bottom of the box!
Ads, Catalog, and Comment Card
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“Components in these decades-old sets can easily go missing, so I’ll have detailed photos of the cards and dice below.”
Boy, are you right about this. I just went to take a look in my copy of this boxed set. Haven’t opened it in decades. Got books and maps, no dice, no cards. Grrr.