card games with tarot cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kaz	11 Jun 2002
here are a load of those, looks like several countries have their own traditions. http://www.pagat.com/tarot/ kaz

Jeannette	12 Jun 2002
Kaz: Thanks for sharing the link! This site looks like a wealth of information, all in one place. I don't know about Europe, but I do know that contemporary use of tarot/tarock decks in the U.S. for game-playing is still almost unheard of. I've always found the subject fascinating, however, since in tarot's early history, the cards were used much more often for game-playing than fortune-telling. Aside from a few "self-discovery"-type games, which are typcially just reading exercises in disguise, I've only found two, maybe three, "non-tarock" tarot decks that appear to be designed for game-playing. The best known is probably the "Lord of the Rings" tarot, which seems to have been designed for the triple-purpose of collecting, reading, and game-playing. The game, of course, is an original concept designed specifically for this deck, with instructions on how to play included in the box. A lesser-known "game-tarot" is the "Spheres" tarot, which appears to have been designed and published during the early part of the "Magic: the Gathering" craze. Each of the cards seem to have been assigned specific "spell abilities" for game play, with the object being, of course, to "dominate" all of your opponents in order to win the game. The third, "maybe" game deck is the German Kinder Tarot. Since this deck hasn't been released in North America, and since I don't read German, I haven't tried to wade completely through the accompanying materials to verify my hunch, but it appears that game-play instructions are included in the accompanying book. The deck comes with two exact-duplicate sets of the major arcana cards, and no minors, as if designed so that each "player" can begin with the exact same cards. If anyone out there has the Kinder Tarot and reads German, I'd be interested in knowing if my hunch is correct. Then, of course, there's the "Mage: the Ascension" tarot, which was not designed as a game itself, but as a supplementary aid to the RPG game of the same name. If anyone else knows of any modern, non-tarock tarots designed specifically for game-playing, I'd be interested in learning more about them! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Kaz	12 Jun 2002
jeanette, have a look at the Zarcana game, you can play it with any deck ofcourse, but creators advice to play it with the Londa deck. http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Ginohn/games/Zarcana/rules.html kaz

Kaz	12 Jun 2002
and another game, very suitable to play in classroom settings according to owner of this page. maybe something for kayne and jimilyn...... http://www.rpg.net/larp/truth.html kaz

Jeannette	12 Jun 2002
Thanks bunches, Kaz! I've bookmarked both the links you've helpfully provided, and will see if I can figure out the rules to these interesting-looking games. Much appreciated! -- Jeannette

Kaz	12 Jun 2002
the former Cyber Age Adventures, now operating under the name of iHero Entertainment, they have a deck. go here and click tarot deck in the left menu: http://www.ihero.net/ kaz

Jeannette	12 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kaz the former Cyber Age Adventures, now operating under the name of iHero Entertainment, they have a deck... Yes, we have it on order at Tarot Garden, but it hasn't been released yet. However, from what I've been able to gather so far, it appears to be designed as a collector's/novelty deck, or possibly an RPG aid. I've not seen any information that shows it was developed with any sort of original game-playing instructions -- although I suppose any game they might "invent" for the deck could be played with any "standard" tarot... -- Jeannette

Lee	12 Jun 2002
Hi, Jeanette, how about this one: http://www.anoch.com/Anoch/Mystick.htm -- Lee

Geenius at Wrok	12 Jun 2002
Any deck with pip minors, such as a Marseilles-style deck or the Ukiyoe, will work for a card game. However, my favorite "game" deck is Alan's Tarots, which I got from Alida. It uses French/international suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs), and the pictures on the trump suit are all nonstandard and original. It's a real work of art.

Kaz	13 Jun 2002
lee, that mystik game looks like fun to play. i am tempted...... kaz

Jeannette	13 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Lee Hi, Jeanette, how about this one: http://www.anoch.com/Anoch/Mystick.htm -- Lee Lee: That's quite interesting... have you purchased a set of these cards? It looks as if there's a basic 78-card set, and now some sort of "expansion" set, as if they're trying to build a sort of "Magic: the Gathering"-type game out of tarot cards. I'll have to check for it at my local game & hobby shop. Thanks for the info! :) -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Kaz	13 Jun 2002
hmm, and i like the alan tarot deck as well..... kaz

Lee	13 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jeannette and/or Lori Lee: That's quite interesting... have you purchased a set of these cards? It looks as if there's a basic 78-card set Hi, Jeanette, no, I haven't bought them, although I'd like to. I think the companion deck is a complete tarot deck, so there are actually 2 complete tarot decks. Tell you what -- if you stock them, I'll buy them from you! :) Here's some more scans (this is where I first saw it): http://www.themysticeye.com/pics/mystick.htm My only hesitation is that I'm afraid I'd be incapable of comprehending the game's rules, not being an RPG-player. Love that 8 of Cups! -- Lee

Jeannette	13 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Lee ...no, I haven't bought them, although I'd like to. I think the companion deck is a complete tarot deck, so there are actually 2 complete tarot decks. Tell you what -- if you stock them, I'll buy them from you! :) Lee: Actually, it's quite tempting... I'm going to research it today and see what I can find out about picking it up for Tarot Garden. I'm scheduled to have a vendor's table at the World SF Convention in San Jose this year over Labor Day, and I'll bet it would be a great item to offer there! Thanks so much for the tip! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Kaz	13 Jun 2002
today i saw i guy at my work "playing" with a german deck, a bit like the thing lee posted here. i asked him where he got it from and it seems he is really into rpg cards etc stuff, now he alsoi told me we have a great shop here for these kind of games and stuff in the city i work, so i will have a look there tomorrow, and i might get tempted there to get myself some gaming deck...... i will let you know if any interesting stuff is there. kaz

Jeannette	28 Jul 2002
Hi, Gang! I know it's been a while since this thread kind of "died," but I just managed to get my hands on a few sets of the Mystick Tarot games cards discussed here. There are actually four different sets -- the Basic set, the "Power" set, the Basic "Companion" set, and the Power "Companion" set. Each deck can be used alone, or in combination with the others, to play the game. The major arcana illustrations are the same for all four decks, but the illustrations (and play instructions) for the minor arcana cards are completely different for each of the four sets. I posted sample scans from each deck in the Tarot Garden database, here: http://www.tarotgarden.com/database/dbsearchengine.php?view_title=mystick Someone wrote to me directly to request that I inform them if I was able to get some of these -- but now I can't find where I filed the message. (Was it you, Lee?) I've only had time to skim the instructions, but with cards like "Crowley Students" and "Killer Bunny," it's got to be at least marginally entertaining... :) -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com ____________________________________ Sharpei Diem: Sieze the wrinkle-dog.

Fiona Blackwolf	28 Jul 2002
The game looks really interesting and I have a friend who is totally into rp card games. can you give me the info on purchasing them?

Jeannette	28 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona Blackwolf The game looks really interesting and I have a friend who is totally into rp card games. can you give me the info on purchasing them? The game is now out-of-print, but I managed to pick up a few for Tarot Garden at the original retail price (20 US$ per deck), plus shipping. We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, c2it.com, AOL QuickCash, money orders, and personal checks (including those drawn on non-U.S. banks; we can provide a converted total). You can write to me directly at jkr@tarotgarden.com for full payment instructions. We ship internationally. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

The card games with tarot cards thread was originally posted on 11 Jun 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.