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Renown Deck as a Storytelling Tool
By Corvus | March 28, 2008
Modern card games have very deep storytelling roots. The modern deck of 52 cards is directly mappable to the minor arcana of the tarot. The tarot, of course, has an additional 26 major arcana cards, or trumps, that have been excised from the deck. Of these 26 lost cards, only the zero card, the Fool, survives in the form of the joker. And that card, as you know doubt know, is most often ignored (at best) or viewed with great suspicion (at worst).
If you trace card games back to their origins, you’ll find that they were frequently called books and that they were used not only for games, but for religious instruction as well. The stations of the cross are, in fact, also directly descended from the idea that religious instruction is best done through a sequence of images contained clear iconography. The major arcana of the tarot pretty clearly tell a story about the deck’s religious origins.* Like all good stories, it has changed some over time as new cultures adapt the imagery to their situation.
So when faced with designing a custom deck for Renown, a game that is played within my storyworld, I wanted to design a deck that had deep cultural significance (within the storyworld) and that could be used for multiple purposes within the context of my games. The idea of an illustrated deck depicting events from the history and mythology of the world seemed quite logical. Dividing the deck along elemental lines, like the very fabric of the world itself, also seemed a strong choice. So I set about the task of assigning historic figures and events to the 64 cards (seven suits of 9 cards plus a zero card, The Key).
As I’ve been designing the cards, I’ve been thinking of other uses for the deck. It could easily be used as a replacement for a die when casting magic. It could be used for character creation, as a character’s stats are comprised of the six elements. In essence, I’m trying to do what I lauded Ultima Underworld for appearing to do–creating a system with clear associations and potential for dynamic relationships between the elements therein. And now, as I’ve been finalizing the mapping of the imagery for the cards–figuring out where they first came from, following the world’s existing plot lines, examining the exact role of various characters throughout the worlds history–it’s struck me that not only will the deck tell a story about past events, but that just like the tarot deck it can be used to tell stories about future events as well.
Storytellers using the system may opt to challenge themselves and their players by using the deck to foretell a structure for the next campaign. The deck could be used to provide a random element to a campaign. And, of course, it can be used within the story itself by characters well versed in their use. Imagine player wanting some insight into their future. They do a spread of the cards and interpret the events they see within it. Perhaps based upon a die roll, or just on the storytelling quality of the reading, the primary storyteller (gm) decides how accurate the reading was and incorporates elements described by the player into the campaign. Yet another means of increasing the opportunities for participatory storytelling.
It shouldn’t catch me by surprise, I suppose. It was inevitable that the card game I designed would naturally lend itself to storytelling. But perhaps the most amazing thing about the deck is that no matter how many ideas I have for its use, the other storytellers who use it will certainly have even more.
Barring unforeseen complications, I’ll be posting individual card art and short write ups about each one over the next several months. I look forward to hearing what associations each card has for you and what connections between them you’ll make, that I’ve completely overlooked.
*If this topic interests you, I highly recommend Barbara G. Walker’s book, The Secrects of the Tarot: Origins, History and Symbolism
Tagged:card-game, Drachurae Cycle, Renown. | 5 Comments »
March 28th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I’ve always been intrigued with the story-telling capabilities of so-called fortune telling mechanics. Have you read PKD’s *Man in the High Castle*?
March 28th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
That would add a gameplay mysticism to a roleplaying campaing. Making the players visit an oracle would be really interesting (interpreting the cards and then telling them without many details what’s their inmediate future).
My brain is tickling with the possibilities already.
March 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I confess that I’ve never played a storytelling or RPG-style card game before, though I’ve watched others play and found it interesting. Can you recommend a card game that might be suitable for an experienced gamer like me to try?
March 29th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Hm. I think you just inspired a post for next week, Michael. There are a few card games that encourage a storytelling approach. One I’ve played, several I’ve heard of. Perhaps we can explore creating story based card games using a standard deck of cards as well.
Hey, perhaps next week will carry a House of Cards theme!
Edit: I should clarify that I by-and-large loathe collectible card games. When it first came out I played Magic a handful of times and considered it the antithesis of the storytelling direction most RPGs were going in at the time. The Pirates series of constructible card games interests me a bit, but I haven’t played. I don’t have the money to invest in CCGs and generally work to minimize by obsessive collector tendencies, not give them free reign.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:33 am
@max I have indeed. My all time favorites are the VALIS Trilogy, however.