Comments on: Deep as a Puddle: Character Development with Tarot

By: Designer Interview: Martin Ralya from Gnome Stew & Engine Publishing | Game Knight Reviews

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:02:45 +0000

[...] of my all-time favorite articles on the Stew fits this mold: http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/deep-as-a-puddle-character-development-with-tarot. In that one, Scott looks at using a tarot deck to generate NPCs, and it blew my mind — [...]

By: Shriss

Shriss — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:41:36 +0000

I think I should offer this to players as a tool to help build character backgrounds and goals. Some of my newer players could really use some help getting inspired.

By: Scott Martin

Scott Martin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:34:55 +0000

@Sewicked - I remember reading about that in Blue Rose-- I'd like to try it out in play. @Mairkurion - Working it into play is great. It sounds like the readings keep you on your toes, but that it really contributes to the overall game. Very cool!

By: Mairkurion

Mairkurion — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:35:24 +0000

Sorry, "gypsyesque character," that is.

By: Mairkurion

Mairkurion — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:33:59 +0000

I’ve been amazed by how much the Harrow Deck
http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/p/paizoPublishingLLC/pathfinder/pathfinderChronicles/v5748btpy80sv
has added to our game in terms of character and plot. The player running the gypsyesque picked up how the cards worked really quickly, and every time she did a reading, I was amazed at how easy it was to take advantage of any reading that came up, and creatively use it. I think it would be easily worked into any kind of game, and I highly recommend it.

By: Martin Ralya

Martin Ralya — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:38:40 +0000

I saw today that WW has released one Mage: The Awakening tarot-related product, and has another on the horizon. The one out now is Secrets of the Supernal Tarot, which looks at cartomancy in WoD and provides two game elements for each major arcanum (plus a few others, apparently). On the horizon is another take on the Mage tarot deck; the original is insanely expensive these days, so that'll be nice.

By: Sewicked

Sewicked — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:21:42 +0000

And I completely forgot about Blue Rose using Major Arcana for a character's calling and then two minor arcana for a character's primary light and shadow aspects.

By: Sewicked

Sewicked — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:48:29 +0000

I do demo games and it gets very hard not to make up the same 3 or 4 pre-gen characters. Using 3-card Tarot spread is a great way to get inspired to make up something different. I had a copy of a Japanese-themed Tarot deck and used a 10-card spread to get an idea for the past for my Legend of the 5 Rings character (so she ended up with a dead father & a mother so obsessed with revenge that she neglected her children). It took me in a novel, for me, direction.

By: Scott Martin

Scott Martin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:45:03 +0000

I'm glad the technique looks like it'll work for you Martin. Hope it provides litters full of interesting NPCs for your upcoming games.

By: Martin Ralya

Martin Ralya — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:30:29 +0000

@jcdietrich - Scott mentioned Everway, but I think despite some fundamental similarities there are some real differences here, too. For example: I did Everway chargen at GenCon several years ago, and it was entirely interpretive. (It was also awesome.) Scott's technique combines the best of that approach with the utility of the standard tarot meanings -- I really like that aspect of it.

By: Kurt "Telas" Schneider

Kurt "Telas" Schneider — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:53:37 +0000

@Scott Martin - The MACS (Modular Adventure Campaign System) is in the Shaintar Immortal Legends campaign setting. I was mistaken; it's designed with playing cards in mind, although I'm sure you could adopt it to a Tarot deck. It does use Tarot-like spreads, hence my confusion...

By: jcdietrich

jcdietrich — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:27:20 +0000

Those impressed with this technique should check out an older RPG also from Wizards of the Coast: Everway.

By: Martin Ralya

Martin Ralya — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:38:46 +0000

This is brilliant, Scott. I did some research and ordered a tarot deck and guidebook on the strength of your article. I think this technique will be ideal for me. I often have trouble deepening my NPCs, and what I tend to struggle with is coming up with the initial germ of an idea that gets me rolling -- which seems likely to solve. I also love the idea of using tarot to deepen my PC backgrounds, too. It usually takes me forever to come up with a PC I'm really happy with, and this seems like it would help there, too. Just fantastic -- thank you!

By: Scott Martin

Scott Martin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:57:14 +0000

@robinmotion- Thanks-- that's a nice looking site. More layers of analysis is interesting; it sounds like you could use a simpler spread and still wind up with very detailed characters. @Kurt "Telas" Schneider- I'll have to look MACS up. Is it in a specific book or just on the web? @DocRyder- I'd be interested in seeing what someone came up with for a 3 Dragon Ante deck character, campaign, or future reading.

By: DocRyder

DocRyder — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:32:46 +0000

When I ran Mage: the Ascension, I used the Mage Tarot to generate plots with the aid of the booklet that came with it. Having a reference to the Tarot is definitely a good idea if your going to use them in the game. WWGS just put one out for Mage, and it would likely work for other games as well. There are also a couple of fantasy decks available out there, too. There's the Harrow deck from Paizo for Pathfinder, the Tarokka deck for Ravenloft (but good luck finding one), and in one of the last print issues of the Dragon, there was a character creation system using the Three Dragon Ante deck. Like connection between the Tarot and our modern playing cards deck (aka the Minor Arcana), an enterprising DM could create a prognostication method that uses the Three Dragon Ante deck. Call it something like Dracotta, and away you go.