How do you handle it in your game? Do you actually use a Tarot deck? Do you use the Trump cards?
Do you actually draw them randomly? If so, do you find a way to make the reading influence future events?
RPGPundit
When we played I made a set of trump cards by sticking images of the elders on one side of a magic card and the unicorn on the other. Then I individually laminated them so that we had a trump deck. As we needed more trumps I made them using the same method. It seemed to work quite well. We did a bit of trump fortune telling with them but it was hard to get precise interpretations. Perhaps it would be good to have a guide for suggested meanings for each of the elders?
Gavin
I've don't use real Trumps since to me that goes against the spirit of diceless, nor do I go out of my way to make readings an important part of the game. However, I will reward players who use it as part of their character concept. Not enough to be overpowering, just enough so that they have something to think about while their character is doing their thing. In the same way, if the character is always smoking Corwin style, I try to let interesting things happen around that. But it's more rewarding characterization than it is rewarding Trump spreads.
In throne wars, I maintain strict table talk rules. Anything you hear in person can be used in game if you can RP getting that info in character. Typicaly players role play hearing the info from their spy network but as a last resort they can bring it in game by reading it in the cards.
My group had Trumps made, card size and laminated, of every Trump in the two rulebooks and of our characters too. We just did it for effect, really; in that game pretty much no one did any scrying, not even when I was playing the Trump expert.
In a previous game we did have a player who made two or three scries every session, I think, and the GM would consider the question asked and tell the player which cards came where in the standard spread. It was then up to the player to determine what it meant!
like Malleus Arianorum I would use real trump in a diceless game.
But then if a player has to make a scrie I would proceed as above and just tell him which cards he'll get. This would also depend on the karma of the player.
On the other hand, before the begining of a campaign I would sometimes use the Trumps in a peculiar way. I would ask myself questions like:
-would migth be plotting something I would use in my campagn first ? Then I'll get a trump. According to the prince I'll begin to think about the plan.
-With who is this personn plotting ? another trump.
-What for ? another trump
And so on.
Sometimes the trumps would fit to my first feelings sometimes not. All in all, it's a very creative process since it surprised me and helped me to think about Amber in a different way.
Of course, no matter the trump I always interpreted it my self. It's a bit like playing a classical score: the personality of tha pianist (or whatever instrument) is also always involved in the process. The trumps will not do the job 100%, but they help disturbing habits.
Until some idiot stole it out of my car (among other things), I used the french Amber Tarot Deck regularly (it's simply gorgeous, get it if you can). It's fun to go through the same process your character would, I think. My group would generally be satisfied with drawing on their own, then allow me to make a few changes in cards in key places, then they would be left with the interpretation, unless they were really lost.
I'm gonna have to replace it, thanks for reminding me!
I had my players put down a reading, and tell me what they thought it meant. I'd reinterpret it in terms of what *I* knew was going on, and skew things in the direction of the reading.
I am running a Play by email game and have designed a whole tarot deck and built a little javascript app that lets the players deal out a tarot spread based on the Celtic Cross.
I used the players trumps as signifers designed the minor arcana from scratch and user various fantasy art from web sites and stuff to make the major arcana.
It works pretty well, although I need to revisit is as I knocked it up quick and I just randomise the card as its revealed so the same card can appear twice in the same spread. I need to remove these cards from the array as they are revealled but I haven't had the time to do it.
The beauty of it is that I can tweak the code to have certain cards turn up in certain positions if I want or I can use the same format to let NPCs give totally fabricated readings, ie I can set all the cards up in advance as a way of foreshadowing plot elements.
You can check it out here is you like
http://www.jibbajibba.com/Amber/trumpreading/trumpreading.html
Quote from: Nihilistic MindUntil some idiot stole it out of my car (among other things), I used the french Amber Tarot Deck regularly (it's simply gorgeous, get it if you can).
Oh yes I have it. The women who painted it is Florence Magnin. She'is very talented and her style fits well to Amber. She is also a nice person and she Drew a trump for a friend of mine she met in a convention. That was nice of her and the guy was mad to have a trump of his character made by the "official " trump dedigner of the french shadow.
Aaaargh!!!
Lucky man.
I think, although IMO the original drawings were more in tune with zelazny's descriptions, florence magnin's were a lot more evocative, and helped attract a lot of people (my players included) to Amber DRPG
Quote from: jibbajibbaI am running a Play by email game and have designed a whole tarot deck and built a little javascript app that lets the players deal out a tarot spread based on the Celtic Cross.
I used the players trumps as signifers designed the minor arcana from scratch and user various fantasy art from web sites and stuff to make the major arcana.
It works pretty well, although I need to revisit is as I knocked it up quick and I just randomise the card as its revealed so the same card can appear twice in the same spread. I need to remove these cards from the array as they are revealled but I haven't had the time to do it.
The beauty of it is that I can tweak the code to have certain cards turn up in certain positions if I want or I can use the same format to let NPCs give totally fabricated readings, ie I can set all the cards up in advance as a way of foreshadowing plot elements.
You can check it out here is you like
http://www.jibbajibba.com/Amber/trumpreading/trumpreading.html
Now that's cool. I could use that in my face to face game, since I always have my laptop with me for the games (I have all my players stats in a database and only print out sheets when they need a new one). But I have also used the computer in the living room and the laptop in the dining room to have a trump contact. It works kind of cool for us.
Adding the element of the tarot and being able to predetermine (be even better on the fly!) the outcome would be way cool.
Quote from: CroakerAaaargh!!!
Lucky man.
I think, although IMO the original drawings were more in tune with zelazny's descriptions, florence magnin's were a lot more evocative, and helped attract a lot of people (my players included) to Amber DRPG
Yes.
2 persons are selling them on ebay.fr
One goes for 5 euros by now, maybe you could get it.
After this thread I had my cousin look for one for me (he lives in Paris). I'll point that out to him, thanks!
Quote from: jibbajibbaYou can check it out here is you like
http://www.jibbajibba.com/Amber/trumpreading/trumpreading.html
Hey, that's pretty cool.
Seanchai