Writing an Article - Who else uses tarot cards for creating games?

[Laslo Tremaine]

I have.

I find tarot cards to be great for helping you to look at a situation from a new perpective, or add elements that you would not have otherwise.

You lay out a spread of cards and then start free-associating them with elements in your campaign. For example, a spread could indicate a hidden influence could be the "priestess". That lets me think about who the "priestesses" are in my campaign" (maybe the high level druidess, or maybe it is the priestess of Weejass...). Then I can start associating them with backplot: Why would the priestess of Weejass be a hidden influence in this scenario?

The cards help me from getting stuck in plot ruts, and also give me direction for developing backstory for various NPCs...

I heartily recommend them.

I got most of my inspiration for this method from Everway (Jonathan Tweet's first RPG that he did for WotC). It contains a simplified tarot deck and instructions for basic spreads for help with plot and NPCs. It's definitely worth checking out.

 

[isidorus]

Interesting, never used tarot cards but have Egyptian Pyramid Deck, scarab runes? and just free association. Cannot wait for the article

Regards

Isidorus

 

[LoneWolf23]

I've considered using that option, and in fact bought a tarot deck for it. A Mage: The Ascension Deck, which in retrospect might not be generic enough for a D&D game... ^^!

I should perhaps try a new tarot deck...

 

[Left-handed Hummingbird]

Never done that, but it might be fun creating a completely radom dungeon hack on the fly that way.

Do you only use the major arcana? I'm having a hard time remembering the significance of the different minor arcana cards. I remember reading that the suits reflected the different estates of late medieval society:

Swords - The Nobles
Cups - The Clergy
Coins - The Merchants
Clubs - The Peasants

 

[Crothian]

It does sound interesting though. The Tarot card, thing, that is. Not the cousin thing...

I can't beleive you've never done this? For my old Santctuary game this was a key element for characters brave enough to have their fortune told. In that setting their is a S'Danzo Woman (A gypsy) who's ever reading comes true. So, a character would go to her for a reading knowing that in some way whatever fortune the cards turned up (and we had the cvards and gave an actual reading) would somehow come true within the next few sessions. It's a great prop, and a great way to bring the characters into the game a little deeper then normal.