Found this today via the level 99 newsletter, I grabbed the ebook version and read through them. The games seem very compelling, and I appreciate that each is loosely based on the major arcana....
Found this today via the level 99 newsletter, I grabbed the ebook version and read through them. The games seem very compelling, and I appreciate that each is loosely based on the major arcana. Hoping to try them soon, I do have a tarot deck (not for divination purposes, but to list the major arcana as a grounding method, which I know from Binding of Isaac ha).
Overall, I'm a sucker for games that use non-proprietary components (standard decks of cards, dice, etc); I love them for their open-source-ness obviously, but I also like that they allow for personal customization and flair, as you can get a deck of cards or a set of dice in a thousand different styles/arts/etc. My dream is to one day develop a card-based TTRPG system, and I hadn't thought of using Tarot before but may have to consider it.
As an aside, I learned from this purchase and subsequent wiki'ing that apparently tarot originated as just playing cards hundreds of years before they were assigned mystical importance! Pretty cool to take them back to the root in this way.
Curious to hear if anyone's played these, or if you know any other tarot-based games!
Colour me very intrigued! I’ve also been enjoying games that use standardised components, so I’ll be keen to check this list out. I’m also trying to get to grips with Regicide at the moment, after...
My dream is to one day develop a card-based TTRPG system, and I hadn't thought of using Tarot before but may have to consider it.
Colour me very intrigued!
I’ve also been enjoying games that use standardised components, so I’ll be keen to check this list out. I’m also trying to get to grips with Regicide at the moment, after enjoying Scoundrel quite a lot. Not quite TTRPG levels, but worth a look, perhaps?
There's just so much potential! Cards let you have "hands", which can give encounters a more tactical resource-management feel. Decks can be customized, like for example you could start with a...
There's just so much potential! Cards let you have "hands", which can give encounters a more tactical resource-management feel. Decks can be customized, like for example you could start with a deck of just 2's and 3's, and add higher cards as you increase your stats. You could have certain cards (faces? Aces? Jokers?) be magic items or super special capstone abilities. You can have the four different suits correspond to different stats!
I haven't come up with a cohesive ruleset yet, but I feel like there's so much space to play in, and could really be a fun twist of traditional ttrpg mechanics, keeping the randomness that makes the storytelling fun but adding a little more agency.
I have played regicide! Funny enough a name-brand version. I do love that it is just a standard deck however, and gives a more meaty option (and cooperative!) vs the usual 52 card fare
There is an indie TTRPG called Para that uses tarot cards instead of dice. I got to play it, and it's quite fun and exciting, as there are more kinds of outcomes than a dice roll can give. You...
There is an indie TTRPG called Para that uses tarot cards instead of dice. I got to play it, and it's quite fun and exciting, as there are more kinds of outcomes than a dice roll can give. You should check it out.
Augh, more rulebooks to purchase and read through! I do love it lol. Got to wait for a little more budget to justify rulebooks for games I may never get to play, but they both seem really...
Augh, more rulebooks to purchase and read through! I do love it lol. Got to wait for a little more budget to justify rulebooks for games I may never get to play, but they both seem really interesting. I really like the idea of Worm's focus on inventory management, esp since they claim to make it fun
Funny coincidence, I received my copy of The Dealer's Tarot in the mail just yesterday. I went down a rabbit hole of alternative card games a while back and landed on the wikipedia page for tarot...
Funny coincidence, I received my copy of The Dealer's Tarot in the mail just yesterday. I went down a rabbit hole of alternative card games a while back and landed on the wikipedia page for tarot card games. I haven't had a chance to play any of the games yet, but they seem well designed. I also think Level 99 did a good job with the accompanying decks they are offering, since most divination-style decks aren't very convenient to play with (they usually don't put the suit and number in the corner, making it hard to fan your hand and see everything at a glance). I still might pick up this deck because I like the Rider Waite artwork even if I'm not a reading cards person.
My dream is to one day develop a card-based TTRPG system, and I hadn't thought of using Tarot before but may have to consider it.
You should check out Everway, a weird RPG system from the 1990s where decisions were made based on the cards. They used custom decks where the imagery was supposed to inspire the storytelling, but something similar using a tarot deck would be a neat idea.
Have you played Regicide? It's technically a cooperative multiplayer solitaire-like, but it feels like a modern roguelike! Every game is winnable afaik, and it scratches a unique itch for my...
I'm a sucker for games that use non-proprietary components (standard decks of cards, dice, etc)
Have you played Regicide? It's technically a cooperative multiplayer solitaire-like, but it feels like a modern roguelike! Every game is winnable afaik, and it scratches a unique itch for my friend group. The closest board game I can compare it to is Hanabi.
...i've read that divination is mostly an american thing; that in continental europe tarot is primarily considered playing cards for trick-taking games... ...not sure how regional that assessment...
...i've read that divination is mostly an american thing; that in continental europe tarot is primarily considered playing cards for trick-taking games...
...not sure how regional that assessment may hold out?..
(as an aside, i collect divination decks and i've noticed that tarot sites are blocked from our office network as an occult interest; seems very puritan and the only block i've ever bumped up against at work)
You know what would be fun? Deluxe Poker. The minor arcana just plays like a normal deck, but also all the major arcana cards have their own unique effects that change the rules of that hand.
You know what would be fun? Deluxe Poker.
The minor arcana just plays like a normal deck, but also all the major arcana cards have their own unique effects that change the rules of that hand.
Having not bought this, I do find the idea interesting considering the history of cards as playing cards, originally, then the superstitious side coming later.
Having not bought this, I do find the idea interesting considering the history of cards as playing cards, originally, then the superstitious side coming later.
Found this today via the level 99 newsletter, I grabbed the ebook version and read through them. The games seem very compelling, and I appreciate that each is loosely based on the major arcana. Hoping to try them soon, I do have a tarot deck (not for divination purposes, but to list the major arcana as a grounding method, which I know from Binding of Isaac ha).
Overall, I'm a sucker for games that use non-proprietary components (standard decks of cards, dice, etc); I love them for their open-source-ness obviously, but I also like that they allow for personal customization and flair, as you can get a deck of cards or a set of dice in a thousand different styles/arts/etc. My dream is to one day develop a card-based TTRPG system, and I hadn't thought of using Tarot before but may have to consider it.
As an aside, I learned from this purchase and subsequent wiki'ing that apparently tarot originated as just playing cards hundreds of years before they were assigned mystical importance! Pretty cool to take them back to the root in this way.
Curious to hear if anyone's played these, or if you know any other tarot-based games!
Colour me very intrigued!
I’ve also been enjoying games that use standardised components, so I’ll be keen to check this list out. I’m also trying to get to grips with Regicide at the moment, after enjoying Scoundrel quite a lot. Not quite TTRPG levels, but worth a look, perhaps?
There's just so much potential! Cards let you have "hands", which can give encounters a more tactical resource-management feel. Decks can be customized, like for example you could start with a deck of just 2's and 3's, and add higher cards as you increase your stats. You could have certain cards (faces? Aces? Jokers?) be magic items or super special capstone abilities. You can have the four different suits correspond to different stats!
I haven't come up with a cohesive ruleset yet, but I feel like there's so much space to play in, and could really be a fun twist of traditional ttrpg mechanics, keeping the randomness that makes the storytelling fun but adding a little more agency.
I have played regicide! Funny enough a name-brand version. I do love that it is just a standard deck however, and gives a more meaty option (and cooperative!) vs the usual 52 card fare
There is an indie TTRPG called Para that uses tarot cards instead of dice. I got to play it, and it's quite fun and exciting, as there are more kinds of outcomes than a dice roll can give. You should check it out.
There's also another TTRPG called His Majesty the Worm that uses the cards on both sides of the DM screen, and is also worth checking out!
Augh, more rulebooks to purchase and read through! I do love it lol. Got to wait for a little more budget to justify rulebooks for games I may never get to play, but they both seem really interesting. I really like the idea of Worm's focus on inventory management, esp since they claim to make it fun
Thank you for this, I've been looking for a new game to run and this looks intriguing. 😀
Funny coincidence, I received my copy of The Dealer's Tarot in the mail just yesterday. I went down a rabbit hole of alternative card games a while back and landed on the wikipedia page for tarot card games. I haven't had a chance to play any of the games yet, but they seem well designed. I also think Level 99 did a good job with the accompanying decks they are offering, since most divination-style decks aren't very convenient to play with (they usually don't put the suit and number in the corner, making it hard to fan your hand and see everything at a glance). I still might pick up this deck because I like the Rider Waite artwork even if I'm not a reading cards person.
You should check out Everway, a weird RPG system from the 1990s where decisions were made based on the cards. They used custom decks where the imagery was supposed to inspire the storytelling, but something similar using a tarot deck would be a neat idea.
Have you played Regicide? It's technically a cooperative multiplayer solitaire-like, but it feels like a modern roguelike! Every game is winnable afaik, and it scratches a unique itch for my friend group. The closest board game I can compare it to is Hanabi.
It's also free on Board Game Arena and has a good tutorial!
...i've read that divination is mostly an american thing; that in continental europe tarot is primarily considered playing cards for trick-taking games...
...not sure how regional that assessment may hold out?..
(as an aside, i collect divination decks and i've noticed that tarot sites are blocked from our office network as an occult interest; seems very puritan and the only block i've ever bumped up against at work)
You know what would be fun? Deluxe Poker.
The minor arcana just plays like a normal deck, but also all the major arcana cards have their own unique effects that change the rules of that hand.
Like a real-world Balatro? I'm in!
Not sure I fancy all the mental arithmetic for those complex scoring systems though…
Score= (10+ 10+ 8 + 2 + 12+30+30) x (12 + 5+5+8) x 1.5
Having not bought this, I do find the idea interesting considering the history of cards as playing cards, originally, then the superstitious side coming later.