TEXT: THE 
  SKELETONS
  A game by Jason Morningstar 
  
  THE 
  SKELETONS
  A game by Jason Morningstar 
  Years fly by like dead leaves. Everything is darkness. Everything is 
  silence. You stand vigilant before the sarcophagus without thought 
  or breath-such is your compulsion. You do not remember your  
  name and still you watch. The flesh has fallen off your bones 
  and still you watch. 
  And then one day there is light and motion and you weigh your 
  bearded axe and raise your shield, lusting for the fray, eager to 
  measure your skill against these tomb-robbing children so full 
  of blood. You’ll never be alive again, but in this moment-in the 
  chaos between violation and destruction-you truly live, and you 
  remember what you once were, and you taste the sun.
  ©2015 Bully Pulpit Games LLC.
  Editing by Autumn Winters and Steve Segedy. Additional setting material by Sara Williamson.
  Layout and art by Brennen Reece
  Skeleton Art CC-A The Wellcome Collection, James Ward, Eduard Weber, Marcin Białek, sjwells53
  Thanks to Stras Acimovic, Caitlynn Belle, Ray Benefield, Nathan Black, Jesse Coombs, Jim Crocker, Klint 
  Finley, Kristin Firth, Ephraim Gregor, Greg Jansen, Alexis Lainoff, Ian McEwan, Marshall Miller, Scott 
  Morningstar, Jessica Morrell, Ian Oakes, Jillian Ordes-Finley, George Royer, Charley Sharp, Michel Sherer, 
  Krista White, Sara Williamson, and many others!
  
  2 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  PREPARING TO PLAY
  WHAT THIS IS
  The Skeletons is a meditative structured freeform game. It 
  flips the script on the classic dungeon crawl —here you play 
  not the intruders, but the guardians, cursed to spend all of 
  eternity defending a tomb. 
  GATHER THE STUFF YOU NEED
   
   One to six players with one or more hours  
  to spend together.
   
   A quiet place to play that can be darkened. If you have 
  neither quiet or darkness, close your eyes instead.
   
   Printouts of these rules and the skeletons, a large sheet 
  of blank paper, pencils or pens, a six-sided die, and a 
  timer of some sort.
   
   Optionally: Sounds of the tomb to be played  
  as the years grind past.
  CHOOSE YOUR SKELETONS
  Let each player choose a skeleton to play. There are eight; 
  each has specific questions that you may answer during the 
  game. When the game begins you know nothing, just as they 
  remember nothing, and each skeleton is a cypher. Over time 
  you will learn more.
  DRAW A MAP
  Work together to sketch the outlines of the tomb. It can be 
  any general shape or size. It needs to be built around a central 
  sarcophagus and have north, south, east and west walls. It’s 
  fine to make the tomb visually interesting but don’t add any 
  elaborate details. Use a large sheet of paper—letter sized or 
  bigger—and leave plenty of room for added information as 
  you play.
  Draw on the map where your skeletons each stand silent 
  watch in the darkness while the tomb remains undisturbed.
  TALK ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER
  Unless you are playing alone, you will need to cooperate to 
  reveal the skeleton’s past and future. The game will ask you 
  to make choices, so decide in advance how they will be made. 
  Taking turns? By consensus? 
  Sometimes, something will happen to a single skeleton. The 
  actions of intruders require similar cooperation. Consider 
  giving a different player responsibility for each group of 
  intruders and let them make all the decisions for that brief 
  slice of time. Their skeleton can be strangely still.
  TAKE A MOMENT
  When you have skeletons and a map, turn out the lights 
  and take a moment to breathe. Feel the silence. Imagine the 
  weight of countless years.
   
   When you are ready, turn on the lights and say “Arise 
  and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!”—an intruder 
  is breaking into the tomb
  PLAYING THE GAME
  INTRUDERS
  When an intruder violates the tomb, the skeletons spring 
  into action. They are cursed to defend the tomb against all 
  comers with as much ferocity as they can muster, forever. 
  It is the only time when they can move, think and feel. All 
  else is darkness. During an encounter the skeletons can 
  communicate with each other telepathically, discuss matters, 
  make plans, and otherwise exhibit a limited form of agency. 
  They must always act to remove threats to the tomb, and 
  are incapable of any action that contravenes this goal. They 
  can be clever—remaining still to orchestrate an ambush, for 
  example—but they cannot ignore or aid an intruder. 
  While an intruder is present, skeletons may also remember 
  bits of their past. Their minds are their own for the duration 
  of the encounter, provided they are busy removing threats. 
  Once the threat is removed they must immediately return 
  to their watch-posts and be still.
  Skeletons win encounters with intruders. Tomb robbers, 
  wandering beasts and other pests are driven away or killed 
  until, finally, they are not. The rules change when you reach 
  the third part of the game, The Desecration, and it is there 
  that the skeletons will likely be defeated.
  When it is time for your first encounter, choose one from 
  The Unsealed Tomb and mark it off. Do whatever the 
  instructions say.
  TIME
  After each encounter, choose a length of time on the 
  associated Time Passes table. Always do whatever the 
  instructions say.
  ENDING THE GAME
  The game ends when a seasoned group of intruders manages 
  to scatter the skeleton’s bones, or when you are content to 
  leave your skeletons in a cold, dark place forever.
  Take a final moment to sit in silence in the dark, and then 
  turn the lights back on, have a snack and talk about the 
  experience you’ve just shared.
  
  3 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  I. THE UNSEALED TOMB
  INTRUDERS
  Choose an Intruder, mark it, and follow the instructions. 
  When two intruders have been checked off and dealt with, 
  go to The Time of Dust. 
   
   Grave rats. How do you drive away such small, agile 
  creatures and prevent their return? Everyone can answer 
  one question if they wish. Choose once on either the 
  Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table. 
   
   An amateur tomb robber. Describe this person. Well-
  prepared or in rags? Confident or frightened? Who 
  among you slays the tomb robber, and how? Everyone 
  must answer one question; the killer or killers may 
  answer two. Choose once on either the Glory Fades or 
  Gods Laugh table. 
   
   A spirit of place, disturbed by the newly-built tomb. 
  How do you drive away such an ancient and immaterial 
  presence? Everyone can answer one question if they wish. 
  Choose once on either the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh 
  table. 
  TIME PASSES 
  After each Intruder is driven away or killed, choose one of 
  the options, mark it off, and sit in darkness as indicated. 
  Think about the endless silence and unfathomable darkness.
   
   No time at all. Immediately begin a new encounter.
   
   A day. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for five 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A week. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for ten 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A month. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for twenty 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A year. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for forty 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A decade. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for one 
  minute, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
  
  4 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  II. THE TIME OF DUST
  INTRUDERS
  Choose an Intruder, mark it, and follow the instructions. 
  When two  intruders have been checked off and dealt with, 
  go to The Desecration. 
   
   A family seeking shelter. Are they refugees? Are they 
  monsters? Everyone answers one question if they wish; 
  if someone slays the matriarch they may answer two. 
  Choose once on either the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh 
  table. 
   
   A pair of professional tomb robbers. Describe them, 
  illustrating how they work as a team. What object 
  immediately attracts their attention? Can they fight? 
  Everyone answers one question; the killer or killers may 
  answer two. Choose once on either the Glory Fades or 
  Gods Laugh table. 
   
   Giant tomb spiders. Intelligent and graceful, they are 
  stubborn, clever and hard to dislodge. Do you destroy 
  them? Do you reach an understanding? How? Everyone 
  can answer one question if they wish. Choose once on 
  either the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table. 
  TIME PASSES
  After each Intruder is driven away or killed, choose one of 
  the options, mark it off, and sit in darkness as indicated. 
  Think about the awful grinding passage of time. 
   
   A month. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for twenty 
  seconds,  then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A year. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for forty 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A decade. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for one 
  minute, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A century. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for two minutes, then 
  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” and 
  begin a new encounter.
   
   Centuries. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for three minutes, 
  then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” 
  and begin a new encounter.
   
   A millennium. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble 
  or Time Devours table and adjust the map as needed. 
  When ready, turn off the lights and sit in silence for four 
  minutes, then  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
  
  5 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  III. THE DESECRATION
  INTRUDERS
  Choose an Intruder, mark it, and follow the instructions. 
  When you feel that you’ve spent ten or more minutes in the 
  dark across the entire game, the next Intruders will defeat 
  you. Regardless, if you check off the third group of Intruders 
  here, they will surely defeat you.
   
   An army of plunderers—dozens of bandits with shovels, 
  picks and axes. Describe them, illustrating how they 
  barely work together, obsessed with greed. What catches 
  their chief ’s eye? Did they bring magic or science to aid 
  them? Will they overwhelm you, laughing with delight? 
  Everyone answers none, one or two questions as they 
  prefer. Choose once each on the Glory Fades and Gods 
  Laugh tables. 
   
   Some of your descendants. They follow an ancient 
  treasure map penned by your own children. Describe 
  how you see yourself in them. Who among you will 
  be the first to strike them down? Can you even bear it? 
  Everyone answers none, one or two questions as they 
  prefer. Choose once each on the Glory Fades and Gods 
  Laugh tables. 
   
   A necromancer and some mercenaries. Describe them, 
  illustrating how much more interested the necromancer 
  is in you than in the treasure. Surely this person will 
  use their knowledge to try to control you all. Will they 
  succeed? Everyone answers none, one or two questions 
  as they prefer. Choose once each on the Glory Fades and 
  Gods Laugh tables. 
  TIME PASSES
  After each Intruder is driven away or killed, choose one of 
  the options, mark it off, and sit in darkness as indicated. 
  Think about all that has gone before, and how it came to be.
   
   A decade. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for one 
  minute, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A century. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for two minutes, then 
  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” and 
  begin a new encounter.
   
   Centuries. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for three minutes, 
  then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” 
  and begin a new encounter.
   
   A millennium. Choose once each on the Worlds Crumble 
  and Time Devours tables and adjust the map as needed. 
  When ready, turn off the lights and sit in silence for four 
  minutes, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   An age. Choose once each on the Worlds Crumble and 
  Time Devours tables and adjust the map as needed. 
  When ready, turn off the lights and sit in silence for five 
  minutes, then  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   An epoch. Choose three times on either or both of 
  the Worlds Crumble or Time Devours tables and 
  adjust the map as needed. When ready, turn off  
  the lights and sit in silence for six minutes, then say “Arise 
  and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” and begin a 
  new encounter.
  
  6 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  TOMB TABLES
  GLORY FADES
  Choose and mark. For anything affecting a single skeleton, 
  choose which however you like.
   
   The magic compelling one of the skeletons to service—
  but not its undead energy—is beginning to fade.
   
   Something the skeletons are protecting is lost—stolen or 
  simply missing. What was it?
   
   A memory that a skeleton had previously regained is 
  false, and the truth asserts itself. Which memory, and 
  what truth?
   
   The place where a skeleton stands watch is covered in 
  debris and impassable.
   
   A skeleton loses some bones permanently. What body 
  part is missing? Note it on the character sheet.
   
   Something the skeletons are protecting is damaged. 
  What, and how?
  GODS LAUGH
  Choose and mark. For anything affecting a single skeleton, 
  choose which however you like.
   
   A skeleton’s weapon is broken, bent or rendered useless. 
  What will they do? Note it on the character sheet.
   
   A skeleton’s appearance is altered in some way. Perhaps 
  they are marked by fire or magic.
   
   A memory that a skeleton had previously regained slips 
  away and is lost forever. Which one?
   
   Something the skeletons are protecting is destroyed. 
  What is it?
   
   Something from a skeleton’s past has been accidentally 
  revealed What was it, and why was it hidden? Note this 
  on the map.
   
   The magic animating one of the skeletons—but not its 
  compulsion to service—is beginning to fade.
  WORLDS CRUMBLE
  Choose and mark. For anything affecting the tomb itself, 
  note it on the map and adjust accordingly.
   
   A wall comes down, blocking part of the tomb. Which 
  part? Adjust the map.
   
   A tomb-robber is successful. What object did they steal? 
  Choose from among those already introduced if you are 
  able. Adjust the map.
   
   The great sarcophagus splits open, spilling out  
  its contents. What was within? Adjust the map.
   
   The tomb is flooded. What is ruined, mold covered,  
  or decayed after the waters recede? Adjust the map.
   
   Gold and silver dull. Iron rusts. Colors fade to a 
  sepulchral grey. Note this on the map.
   
   A thick layer of dust covers every surface. Note this  
  on the map.
  TIME DEVOURS
  Choose and mark. For anything affecting the tomb itself, 
  note it on the map and adjust accordingly.
   
   The webs of tomb spiders form an intricate filigree over 
  the walls and ceiling. Note this on the map.
   
   The tomb is infested. What signs of vermin remain long 
  after the infestation ends? Adjust the map.
   
   A crack develops, creating an opening for robbers and 
  other vermin. Where? Adjust the map.
   
   Something collapses, leaving a large pile of debris. What 
  has failed? Adjust the map.
   
   Wood, cloth, hide, horn and un-enchanted bone all turn 
  to powder. Note this on the map.
   
   An earthquake rocks the tomb, drastically altering 
  its shape and utility. Many things are destroyed.  
  Adjust the map.
  
  7 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  BONUS MATERIAL
  THINGS TO TRY
  PLAY WITH A FACILITATOR
  Let one player—probably you—serve as facilitator, 
  portraying all the adversity that arises and painting every 
  scene. The facilitator keeps track of time, pushes skeletons 
  to answer questions, and acts on what is revealed. 
  It’s a fun way to play.
  ROTATE THE SPOTLIGHT
  Choose a different player to answer each question and 
  introduce each new intruder. A simple way to accomplish 
  this is to take turns, rotating clockwise every time the game 
  asks for a creative prompt. Make sure everyone gets to 
  introduce an intruder!
  PLAY ALONE
  There’s nothing preventing you from experiencing The Skeletons 
  solo—in fact, this will drive home the game’s themes of 
  loneliness, isolation and melancholy. 
  PLAY WITH DISTANT FRIENDS
  The Skeletons works great in synchronous-but-distributed mode, 
  via Hangout, Skype, or your preferred conferencing application. 
  Just be sure you have access to collaborative drawing tools.
  CHOOSE A MAPMAKER
  Let one player—perhaps your friend who is a brilliant artist—
  lovingly embellish the shared map, with input from everyone. 
  You should still illustrate your own skeletons, though.
  SURPRISE YOURSELVES
  Every category has six options. You can roll a six-sided die 
  instead of choosing, using the next-closest item in the event 
  of a repeat roll. 
  MAKE SOMETHING UP
  The category items need not be the final word on the saga 
  of the skeletons. Before you play, collectively author six new 
  items for Glory Fades, Gods Laugh, Time Devours and 
  Worlds Crumble.
  Once you know how intruders work, invent your own, 
  hopefully presenting your fellow skeletons with some 
  unpleasant and difficult decisions to make.
  PLAY WITH TIME
  The moments when the skeletons have agency—when the 
  sanctity of the tomb is violated—can stretch out for them. 
  They can include flashbacks, soliloquies, and thunderous 
  telepathic arguments stretching into both past and future.
  CONNECT THE DOTS
  By the end of the game, your tomb is well-realized and filled 
  with tragic history, incredible treasure, and the scattered 
  bones of its defeated defenders. It is a wonderful set piece 
  to drop into another game, either as-is or with a different 
  ending and some still-active skeletons for bold adventurers 
  to senselessly bludgeon.
  USE A VARIANT
  Try using Sara Williamson’s excellent Echoes of War variant 
  (p.8), which provides completely different intruders and 
  imbues the game with a different tone. You could also swap 
  out a single era, using Sara’s Time of Dust and the original 
  Unsealed Tomb and Desecration, for example. 
  CREATE YOUR OWN VARIANT
  An extension of “Making Something Up” allows you to create 
  a completely new variant set of tables. If you keep track of 
  original contributions as you play, soon enough you’ll have 
  your own variant. Make sure you have something that ties 
  the three eras together thematically, albeit loosely. 
  If you create your own variant, let us know!
  
  8 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  I. THE UNSEALED TOMB
  ECHOES OF WAR VARIANT by Sara Williamson
  INTRUDERS
  Choose an Intruder, mark it, and follow the instructions. 
  When two intruders have been checked off and dealt with, 
  go to The Time of Dust. 
   
   A wounded soldier. Describe the insignia they bear. 
  Which part of their body are they protecting? Who 
  among you delivers the killing blow? Everyone can answer 
  one question if they wish. Choose once on either the 
  Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table.
   
   A swarm of corpse beetles. Describe their tell-tale 
  sound. What in the tomb are they most attracted 
  to? How do you end the infestation once and for all? 
  Everyone can answer one question if they wish. Choose 
  once on either the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table.
   
   A wizened elder. Describe how they are dressed and 
  what they are carrying. What about them is familiar? Do 
  they defend themselves or embrace death? Everyone can 
  answer one question if they wish. Choose once on either 
  the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table.
  TIME PASSES 
  After each Intruder is driven away or killed, choose one of 
  the options, mark it off, and sit in darkness as indicated. 
  Think about the endless silence and unfathomable darkness.
   
   No time at all. Immediately begin a new encounter.
   
   A day. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for five 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A week. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for ten 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A month. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for twenty 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A year. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for forty 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A decade. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for one 
  minute, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
  
  9 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  II. THE TIME OF DUST
  ECHOES OF WAR VARIANT by Sara Williamson
  INTRUDERS
  Choose an Intruder, mark it, and follow the instructions. 
  When two  intruders have been checked off and dealt with, 
  go to The Desecration. 
   
   A ghostly commander. Describe its arms and armor. 
  What about it is broken? What about it is out of place? 
  How do you eradicate such an insubstantial foe? Everyone 
  answers one question if they wish. Choose once on either 
  the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table.
   
   Young lovers, their carefree laughter echoing across 
  the tomb. Do they notice when you begin to move? Do 
  they abandon one another, or stand together against your 
  wrath? Everyone answers one question if they wish; the 
  killer or killers may answer two. Choose once on either 
  the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh table.
   
   A fleshy cave beast and its pups. Describe its skin 
  and mouth. What in the tomb lured it here? How 
  does it move to protect its young? Everyone answers 
  one question if they wish; the killer of the pups may 
  answer two. Choose once on either the Glory Fades or 
  Gods Laugh table
  TIME PASSES
  After each Intruder is driven away or killed, choose one of 
  the options, mark it off, and sit in darkness as indicated. 
  Think about the awful grinding passage of time. 
   
   A month. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for twenty 
  seconds,  then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A year. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for forty 
  seconds, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A decade. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for one 
  minute, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A century. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for two minutes, then 
  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” and 
  begin a new encounter.
   
   Centuries. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for three minutes, 
  then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” 
  and begin a new encounter.
   
   A millennium. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble 
  or Time Devours table and adjust the map as needed. 
  When ready, turn off the lights and sit in silence for four 
  minutes, then  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
  
  10 of 10
  THE SKELETONS by JASON MORNINGSTAR
  III. THE DESECRATION
  ECHOES OF WAR VARIANT by Sara Williamson
  INTRUDERS
  Choose an Intruder, mark it, and follow the instructions. 
  When you feel that you’ve spent ten or more minutes in the 
  dark across the entire game, the next Intruders will defeat 
  you. Regardless, if you check off the third group of Intruders 
  here, they will surely defeat you.
   
   A conquering army. What symbol in their uniform do 
  you recognize? Are they loud and triumphant, or grim 
  and exhausted? Describe how their presence befouls the 
  tomb. What precious item do they destroy? Will they 
  grind your bones to dust? Everyone answers none, one 
  or two questions as they prefer. Choose once each on the 
  Glory Fades or Gods Laugh tables.
   
   A team of scientificans, soft and weak. Describe their 
  clothing and tools. What relic do they plunder? What 
  advanced technology or magic do they reveal? Will their 
  trickery defeat you? Everyone answers none, one or two 
  questions as they prefer. Choose once each on the Glory 
  Fades or Gods Laugh tables.
   
   An automaton. Describe how it violates the tomb. 
  Which parts of its body appear to be human? Which 
  parts of its body reveal the terrible difference? Does it 
  bother to fight? What is its purpose? Everyone answers 
  none, one or two questions as they prefer. Choose once 
  each on the Glory Fades or Gods Laugh tables.
  TIME PASSES
  After each Intruder is driven away or killed, choose one of 
  the options, mark it off, and sit in darkness as indicated. 
  Think about all that has gone before, and how it came to be.
   
   A decade. Turn off the lights and sit in silence for one 
  minute, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   A century. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for two minutes, then 
  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” and 
  begin a new encounter.
   
   Centuries. Choose once on the Worlds Crumble or Time 
  Devours table and adjust the map as needed. When ready, 
  turn off the lights and sit in silence for three minutes, 
  then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” 
  and begin a new encounter.
   
   A millennium. Choose once each on the Worlds Crumble 
  and Time Devours tables and adjust the map as needed. 
  When ready, turn off the lights and sit in silence for four 
  minutes, then say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   An age. Choose once each on the Worlds Crumble and 
  Time Devours tables and adjust the map as needed. 
  When ready, turn off the lights and sit in silence for five 
  minutes, then  say “Arise and protect the tomb, skeletal 
  guardians!” and begin a new encounter.
   
   An epoch. Choose three times on either or both of 
  the Worlds Crumble or Time Devours tables and 
  adjust the map as needed. When ready, turn off  
  the lights and sit in silence for six minutes, then say “Arise 
  and protect the tomb, skeletal guardians!” and begin a 
  new encounter.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Collaborative & Peer & Gm-less & Shifting GM/The Skeletons/The Skeletons - Rulebook.pdf