The Box Gods

I've been playing a lot of The Last of Us recently, specifically the Factions Multiplayer mode. In this mode, your character must constantly replenish their supplies at some boxes scattered over the map. However, the boxes only give out what is reasonable to a player in your position.

If you are the last man standing on your team, you'll receive a glorious bounty.

If your team is ahead by a dozen points, you'll get scraps at best.

This resource balancing system is referred to by many players as "The Box Gods." So here we go: The Box Gods in a tabletop RPG.


The Box Gods have no names. They are a mystery group, just like whatever awaits an adventurer inside of an unopened box. They judge the opener of the box, and then place something inside. Or, they take something out. Or, they do nothing. Each of the countless Box Gods is fickle and unpredictable.

Some say that the Box Gods inhabit another world. One where all possessions go when they are hidden from sight by being placed inside of a box...

...or a chest...

...or a pocket...

...or anywhere else you might keep something secret.

Others swear that these minor deities are actually spirits of fate, giving to those who have done good, and taking from those who have done evil.

Many do not believe in the Box Gods at all. They place their items in a box, and the same items are there tomorrow. It's a farce and an old wives tale, nothing more.

And yet, many a curious rogue has been burned by jets of flame that erupt from an unlocked chest. Many an armored hero have founds books of terrible evil where they should not have been. Many a bright-eyed adventurer have delved to the depths of a dungeon, and thrown back the cover of an ornate coffer, only to find the priceless treasure gone...

...from this secret place...

...where none have set foot...

...for a thousand years..........