Voyager
Tarot
Front

image	
Tarot Story Game
By Robert E. McNamee
Voyager Tarot © 1984 Merrill-West Publishing
Tarot name and images used only as an example for game play only.

Note: entries in brackets like this {A} indicate there are optional rules related to this area (see Optional)

TO PLAY
Get several people together (3 or 4 works best). 
Make a mutual decision about genre / setting of the story.
Discuss a general focus/premise (theme), and a sketchy story concept.
Decide how many protagonist characters the game should focus on. Create them if necessary. 

You will need
A -A Timer of some sort (5 min capable)… 
B -Pencils papers or index cards for characters.
C -Voyager Tarot Deck (or other)
D  -Four Icon objects for each player. We prefer a crystal, a cup, a wand, and a globe shape, but dice or others objects are fine. [Each different if using certain optional rules]
E – One Story Layout and one Player Layout sheet per player, Character Layout (if necessary) (These are optional but recommended)
F – A Tape recorder etc (completely optional and unneeded, but handy for transcripts)

THE DECK AND CARDS
DECK
This game is designed around the use of the Voyager Tarot deck.  Other Tarot decks could be used but this deck is recommended because of its wealth of visual symbols and the interpretative word written on each card.  This fact allows a card’s symbolic aspect to be known without the interruption of gameplay that consulting a book of interpretations would cause.  

A simplified word based deck could be made from index cards based on the card information listed in the Example Area.

CARDS
Each card inspires layers of meaning based on its Numeral, Suit, interpretative Word, and photographic Iconography.

    1. Numeral 
           Minor Arcana – “Numbers”: Ace 1 though Numeral 10
                                      “People (Number)”: Sage (11), Child (12), Woman (13), and Man (14)
           Major Arcana – Each card has a numeral from Fool-Child 0 through Universe 21

    2.  Suit 
            Each suit has layers of meaning, additional meaning layers can be added based on story needs (see * meanings for Charles de Lint style urban fantasy stories)
SUIT                                       SPHERE                         ELEMENT              *CUSTOM (urban fantasy)
CRYSTALS**                           Mind                                    Air                              Cyberspace
CUPS                                       Emotions                             Water                             Dreamlands
WANDS                                     Spirit                                   Fire                              Fey/Magic
WORLDS***                           Physical                               Earth                             Reality

** Swords in other Tarot, *** Coins or Pentacles in other Tarot
 The Major Arcana (Fool-Child 0 through Universe 21) have no suit but represent powerful universal archetypes. 

3.	Word (this is specific to the Voyager Tarot)
    Each card has an interpretative word printed.  This provides a sense of the traditional meaning of the card (in the case of the Minor Arcana), or provides the name of the traditional Archetype (in the case of the Major Arcana).  
Examples:  Minor Arcana: Ace of Crystals – Brilliance                  Major Arcana: 0 Fool-Child

4.	Iconography (see photo example)
            The Voyager Tarot (and other Tarots, to a lesser extent) is composed of a wealth of overlapping pictorial symbols.  All or any of these can provide meaning by their tone, color, and the subject image(s) depicted. 
Examples: 
                                       Major Arcana: 0 Fool-Child         Minor Arcana: Ace of Crystals

Voyager
Tarot
Back

image	Voyager
Tarot

Major Arcana

0 FOOL-CHILD

image	Voyager
Tarot

Minor Arcana

1 Ace of Crystals
Brilliance

image	

Back of Box

CHARACTER CREATION
A character consists of a general description on an index card or paper.  This should be kept fairly short and describe the person in physical, mental, emotional ways…appropriate to understand the type of person they are…  not every detail is needed or desired as character discovery occurs in play, also.

Characters can be created by mutual Player consent based on focus/Premise, concept/Story, and player preferences for group play. ***Individual groups should decide whether the characters are universally available to each player or “personal characters”****

If uncertain, short on ideas, or no pre-made characters exist, a character idea “jump start” can be performed.

Character Jump Start 
Shuffle the Voyager Tarot deck fully, and deal the cards off the deck face up into the following categories.  

First I start by picking a random name (any will do, or this step can be done last).

The Character Categories  (it can help to create a Character Layout Sheet with ten card shapes, labeled with the categories)

1.	ARCHETYPE
2.	MENTAL
3.	EMOTIONAL
4.	PHYSICAL
5.	FEMININE
6.	MASCULINE
7.	FINANCES
8.	WORK
9.	HOME
10.	RELATIONSHIPS

Trying to reconcile the concepts with the categories is often enough to jog the imagination into ideas for several characters.

ICONS
Each player has 4 Icons. These are “wild cards” that let players embellish existing story areas. {C}{D}

PLAYER LAYOUT AREA
Each Player’s Layout area is composed of an In Play area, four Reserve Positions, and an area for unused Icons. {E}
Example:
 In Play
Reserve 1          Reserve 2      Reserve 3   Reserve 4                    ICONS

STORY LAYOUT POSITIONS {G}
The story meaning layout positions are inspired by the traditional Celtic layout. 
(It can help to create a layout sheet with ten card shapes, labeled with the Story positions)

1.	GENERAL ATMOSPHERE & INFLUENCES
2.	OPPOSING FORCES
3.	FOUNDATION/ BASIS OF MATTER
4.	PAST (Flashbacks also)
5.	PRESENT OR POSSIBILITES
6.	FUTURE (Foreshadowing also)
7.	FEARS / NEGATIVE POTENTIALS
8.	INFLUENCE OF OTHERS
9.	HOPES / POSITIVE POTENTIALS
10.	OUTCOME!

NARRATE THE STORY
The story of this game is told by Player Narration, which is just plain old-fashioned storytelling. 
The story should at most points relate in someway to the protagonist characters, but this is not strictly required. 
Each narration must involve issues of the focus/premise and/or the general concept/story (as well as the current told story)- as filtered by the position in the Story Layout and the specific influence of the card played.  In general, the card played should influence or relate to the position/story on more than one level of interpretation. (See Cards)  
The narrating Player may tell the story in any way that satisfies these rquirements.  It becomes part of the told story. A Narration begins by starting a 5-minute Timer, and ends when timer is done. {F}

DETERMINE WHO BEGINS THE STORY
Each player draws one card from the shuffled deck.  High numerical card wins (see NUMBER). In this case Major Arcana always beats Minor Arcana.  Ties draw again.  This will determine the order of play.  Players should sit from first to last clockwise around a table.

RESHUFFLE DECK and place as a STACK

STORY CYCLE (or once around the table)
Each person draws a card off the top of the deck Stack and places it face down on the In Play area of their Player Layout. 

1) The Active player flips an active card faceup. Then chooses the/an active card to either…
(a)	Place the card in an open Story Layout position (see LAYOUT), start the 5 minute Timer, and    Narrate the Story for 5 minutes, then go to Story Cycle step 2) 
   (b) Place the card faceup into one of the four Reserve positions of their Player Layout. 
         i.  If the reserve position is empty, go to Story Cycle step 2)
         ii. If a card occupies the reserve position they replace one another (the existing reserve becomes
the In Play card), go to Story Cycle step 2)
   (c) Pass the card to the In Play area of the next Player’s Layout, go to step 2)

2)	If there are any cards left in the Player’s In Play area, return to 1) for the current player
If not, play Transfers to the next Player, who starts at 1)

TRANSFER
At the time of Transfer to another Player, 
Any Player may place one of their four Icons onto the Story Layout position just filled and Narrate the Story. Icon is now part of the Story Layout. {B}
(multiple play of Icons goes in first-last table order, after Icon narration resolved play transfer to the new Player)

When Play returns to the starting Player… begin a new Story Cycle. {A}

END OF THE STORY
Play ends by mutual consent, or, when all Story Layout positions are filled and all Icons have been used.

OPTIONAL RULES
{A} Optional: At the transition to a new Story Cycle any player can play one of their Icons to any filled area on the Story Layout to embellish existing story, see Narrate the Story

{B} Optional: All players may play a card to a Story Layout position just filled in order to Narrate the Story, but must relate to Story as told, as well as introduce the influence of the played card. 

{C} Optional: An Icon can be gifted to another Player for a desired card in that Player’s Reserve Area. 

{D} Optional: If using four Icons (crystal, cup, wand, world) they may only be used to extend a story layout of the same suit (Major Arcana are wild). Narration must extend influence of Suit

{E} Optional: The four Reserve spaces in the Player Layout each have a suit related to each one and only cards of that suit may be placed there (Major Arcana are wild).

{F} Optional: For a more extended Narration opportunity, use a silent timer (I prefer an hourglass). The time is still set for 5 minutes, but often the timer is only noticed if the story lags. This way it is possible for a great story line to continue without annoying alarm bells.  Anyone bored enough to notice the timer has run out can call time’s up.
{G} Optional: The Story Layout must be filled in a specific order…#1 to #10 or as chosen by group. 

EXAMPLES
Character Creation
Both characters are created with a modern world in mind, for use is urban fantasy style stories where myth and reality mingle… nearly any person could be interesting in such circumstances, so I didn’t have any clear ideas.  I chose two names at random (the authors of a book on my shelf), then did two Character layouts.

Heather Busch
1.	ARCHETYPE: 3 Worlds (Nurturing)
2.	MENTAL: Child Worlds (Player)
3.	EMOTIONAL: 5 Worlds (Setback)
4.	PHYSICAL: 4 Worlds (Commencement)
5.	FEMININE: HEIROPHANT 5
6.	MASCULINE: EMPEROR 4
7.	FINANCES: 9 Wands (Integrity)
8.	WORK: 9 Worlds (Achiever)
9.	HOME: Woman Worlds (Preserver)
10.	RELATIONSHIPS: 10 Crystals (Delusion)

Heather Busch-character write-up
Mama Heather runs the “Infinite Potential - School for Children” in the projects.  She has organized local businesses and neighborhood pride clean-ups, earning both admirers and enemies.  A once happy red-head, she rarely laughs anymore… crushed by yet another failed relationship.  “Maybe men just aren’t for me…”

As I transcribe my notes, I realize the layout could suggest an Escort Service Madame escaped long ago from an ultra-restrictive family just as easily…so could the name for that matter…this method is to jog imagination.

Burton Silver
1	ARCHETYPE: 3 Crystals (Creativity)
2	MENTAL: 7 Crystals (Dullness)
3	EMOTIONAL: Man Wands (Actor)
4	PHYSICAL: 3 Worlds (Nurturing)
5	FEMININE: Child Worlds (Player)
6	MASCULINE: 9 Crystals (Narrowness)
7	FINANCES: STRENGTH 11
8	WORK: 2 Worlds (Reflection)
9	HOME: Child Crystals (Learner)
10	RELATIONSHIPS: 10 Worlds (Reward)

Burton Silver-character write-up
Twenty-one year old Burton dropped out of school at 17, nothing was ever so dull as High School and acting was his passion and dream.  An energetic and exciting performer, he is often engaged in two or more projects at once.  His star has continually risen from community amateur to major player.  Tall and slim with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, he looks right at home in the dorms of the Performing Arts College where he is a roommate/masseuse of a female dance student… 

I guess I’m thinking on the underside today… his layout suggests to me today… a con-man instead of a fresh-faced actor… A master of the love con,  stuck in a successful lucrative groove…and utterly bored.

EXAMPLE OF GENRE/ SETTING, FOCUS/PREMISE, STORY/CONCEPT
Genre/Setting:  urban fantasy de Lint style,  set in Detroit where the Lands of the Fey lurk in plain Sight, but unseen to most… impinging into the lives of unsuspecting receptive folks.
Focus/Premise:  Is it better to have Loved and Lost than never to have loved at all?
Story/Concept:  When floodwaters rise in Hine’s Park, enchanting Voices sing in the moonlight.
Tarot Deck Creation Information
Major Arcana

Archetypes	Major Arcana

Archetypes	Minor Arcana
Crystals
Mind	Minor Arcana
Cups
Emotion	Minor Arcana
Wands
Spirit	Minor Arcana
Worlds 
Physical	
0 Fool-Child
(Blank Slate)
	11 Strength
(rulership, courage)	1 Ace
Brilliance	1 Ace
Ecstacy	1 Ace
Illumination 
	1 Ace
Success	
1 Magician
(transformer)
	12 Hanged Man
(victory from opposite)	2
Equanimity	2
Equilibrium	2
Purity	2
Winter
Reflection	
2 Priestess
(counselor)	13 Death
(change, endings)	3
Creativity	3
Love	3
Compassion	3
Summer
Nuturing	
3 Empress
(protectress / mother)	14 Art
(creator, communicator)	4
Logic	4
Anger	4
Aspiration	4
Spring
Commencement	
4 Emperor
(builder, ruler)
	15 Devil’s Play
(revelry / misdeeds)	5
Negativity	5
Disappointment	5
Oppression	5
Setback	
5 Heirophant
(teacher / traditionalist)	16 Tower
(purification / sacrifice)	6
Confusion	6
Sorrow	6
Trust	6
Synergy	
6 Lovers
(union of opposites)	17 Star
(fame / beauty)	7
Dullness	7
Fear	7
Courage	7
Breakthrough	
7 Chariot
(traveler / driver)	18 Moon
(cycles/patterns/ moods)	8
Synthesis	8
Stagnation	8
Harmony	8
Change	
8 Balance
(fairness / judgement)	19 Sun
(life force)	9
Narrowness	9
Fulfillment	9
Integrity	9
Fall
Harvest	
9 Hermit
(spiritual pilgrim)	20 Time-Space
(responsibility, causality)	10
Delusion	10
Passion	10
Growth	10
Reward	
10 Fortune
(opportunity-pro or con)	21 Universe
(possibility / completion)	Sage
Knower	Sage
Regenerator	Sage
Seer	Sage
Master	
		Child
Learner	Child
Feeler	Child
Seeker	Child
Player	
		Woman
Guardian	Woman
Rejoicer	Woman
Sensor 	Woman
Preserver	
		Man
Inventor	Man
Surfer	Man
Actor	Man
Acheiver