From GodOfDarkness

Starting the Hand

1. Deal

The dealer deals 6 cards to the kitty, then deals out the remaining cards evenly to the players, including him- or herself. Any leftover cards go to the kitty.

number of players	cards dealt to each player	cards in the kitty
2 + dealer	24	6
3 + dealer	18	6
4 + dealer	14	8
5 + dealer	12	6
6 + dealer	10	8

2. Dealer Takes the Kitty

The dealer takes the kitty into his or her hand, then discards a number of cards equal to the number he or she took from the kitty. If possible, these discards should not include trumps or kings. They may never include the Fool.

3. Dealer Sets the Scene

The dealer narrates where the characters are and what is happening.

4. Reveal the Fool

The player who was dealt the Fool reveals it. That player leads the first trick.

Playing Tricks

1. Trumps

Any player who wants to influence the scene with trumps plays them. Each player may play only one trump. Trumps are resolved one at a time in ascending order, with the exception that trumps played by the dealer or the player with the lead are resolved last. If the dealer or the player with the lead both play trumps, the player with the lead goes last. A player who has not yet played a trump may play one at any point, as long as the time when that trump would be resolved has not yet passed. For example, while Miguel is resolving Temperance (XIV), Stephanie may not play The Chariot (VII) unless she has the lead or is the dealer, but she may play The Sun (XIX).

To resolve a trump, the player who played it describes what he or she wants to happen. The dealer then decides whether that is an acceptable use of the trump played; if not, the player gets his or her card back and nothing happens. Otherwise, the dealer briefly describes what actually happens, and then the card is discarded. After all trumps have been resolved, the player who played the last trump now has the lead. In other words, if neither the dealer nor the player with the lead played a trump, the player who played the highest trump gets the lead; if the dealer played a trump but the player with the lead did not, the dealer gets the lead; and if the player with the lead played a trump, he or she keeps the lead. This means that the player who began with the lead can always play a trump to take the lead back from any of the other players.

2. The Lead

The player with the lead describes what he or she wants to do, and leads a card of an appropriate suit. If the player with the lead cannot think of anything he or she wants to do, he or she may pass the lead to any other player. If every player has passed, the lead automatically goes to the dealer; the dealer may not pass. After a card is played, the player who led adds the value of the card he or she played to his or her skill level in the appropriate skill, and announces the total to the dealer. For the purposes of this calculation, aces have a value of 1, pages 11, knights 12, queens 13, and kings 14. The dealer then compares this number to the difficulty of the action and announces whether or not the player's character was successful. The player with the lead may lead the Fool or a trump instead of any suit. In this case, the leading player must declare what suit he or she intends the card to be. The Fool has a value of 0; any trump card has the value printed on the card.

3. The Trick

Going clockwise around the table, each player who still has cards in his or her hand then plays a card into the trick. If a suit card was led, each player must follow suit if able. If not able to follow suit, a player must play trump if able. If another player has already played trump in this trick, a player unable to follow suit must overtrump if able. A player who cannot follow suit and has no trump that is high enough may play any card. If the Fool was led, the other players must follow in the suit declared by the leading player. If a trump card was led, each player must overtrump if able; a player who has no trump that is high enough may play any card. In any case, a player may always play the Fool instead of following suit or playing trump. If there is any trump in the trick, the player who played the highest trump card takes the trick; otherwise, the player who played the highest card in the suit that was led takes the trick. The Fool never takes a trick. If the Fool is played in a trick, the player who takes the trick puts the Fool in his or her hand. All other cards played in the trick are discarded.

4. Player Narration

The player who took the trick narrates the leading player's success or failure. The narrating player must honor the dealer's decision about whether the leading player succeeded or failed, but is only bound to honor it in the narrowest sense: a player who succeeded at one specific task may encounter a problem that complicates the overall situation, and a player who failed at one specific task may succeed at a broader goal. The dealer may interrupt or contradict the narrating player at any time. If there is specific information that the dealer wants the narrating player to incorporate, he or she can communicate it to that player privately.

5. Dealer Narration

The dealer picks up where the narrator left off, describing the consequences of the trick and how the non-player-characters react to it. The dealer may allow players to interact with the environment and NPCs, so long as they don't do anything requiring a skill check.

6. Next Trick

If the dealer decides that the hand is over, he or she collects the cards, reshuffles, and starts the next hand. Otherwise, the next trick begins, with the player who took this trick leading.

Strategy Notes

Strategy for the trick-taking portion of the game closely follows strategy for other trick-taking games. Common strategy tips like "try to keep track of what has been played" and "play your worst card if you know you can't take the trick" apply in general. A few tips peculiar to this game follow.

If you are are forced to play trump, be aware that playing a low trump may cause the other players to waste higher trump cards (because they are forced to overtrump). For the dealer, it is usually a good idea to play low trumps and force the players to overtrump. For players, it is often better to play a high trump, which may allow your teammates to slough instead of overtrumping. Playing the Fool instead of trumping is very often a good idea.
This is even more true of leading trump. Leading trump is a great strategy for the dealer to draw trump from the players; but note that, unlike other games, it is best to lead a low trump, not a high one. Players, on the other hand, should only lead trump in cases of dire need.
Because you are forced to overtrump if able, your highest trump cards are likely to disappear from your hand first. The higher trumps have better in-game effects, so if you want them you should use them early; the longer you hold on to them, the more likely you are to lose them. On the other hand, having high trumps makes you more likely to take tricks. You must weigh the benefit of having high trumps in your hand against the benefit of using them for narrative effect.
Like in most trick-taking games, the best hands are short in several suits and long in trump. Such a hand will make it easy for you to trump, allowing you to take tricks and get the lead. However, being short in several suits limits your options for what your character can do once you get the lead. Be aware when planning your actions that you may not have the cards to do what you want.
Unlike in most trick-taking games, transportation is not a problem; you can always just pass the lead to any of your teammates. If you are used to playing games like Bridge where transportation is a major part of the game, enjoy your newfound freedom.

Trump Meanings

Each trump card has a meaning in the game, loosely determined by its meaning in divination. When you play this card before a trick to influence the story, the effects it can have are based on its meaning. A list of cards and their meanings follows, with example uses for each card.

I. The Magician: Tradesmen and performers. You happen to know a useful skill. You unexpectedly collect an audience for your performance.
II. The High Priestess: Information. You happen to know a useful piece of gossip. You learn an interesting fact.
III. The Empress: Court and society. You get an introduction to the right person. You make a good impression at court.
IV. The Emperor: Law and order. A constable appears at just the right moment. The man from Scotland Yard changes his mind about your motives.
V. The Hierophant: The church and religion. A vicar puts in a good word for you. The man you are talking to turns out to be religious.
VI. The Lovers: Romance and courtship. You encounter a former lover. An opportunity for seduction presents itself.
VII. The Chariot: Transportation. A temperamental horse miraculously starts behaving. You find a cab just when you need it.
VIII. Strength: Animals. A stray cat leads you where you need to go. A pet chooses an opportune moment to run away.
IX. The Hermit: Scholars and universities. You have a contact at a university. You have an enlightening conversation with a scholar.
X. The Wheel of Fortune: Games and gambling. You happen to know where the floating craps game is being held today. A game of chance goes your way.
XI. Justice: Politics. You happen to know a useful fact about politics. An MP owes you a favor.
XII. The Hanged Man: Crime and punishment. You have a useful contact in the criminal underworld. You happen on a hanging in a public square.
XIII. Death: Illness, injury, and death. Someone's illness takes a turn for the worse. Your injury is not nearly as bad as it seemed.
XIV. Temperance: Angelic visitation. You have a vision that tells you what to do next. Your enemy is visited by an angel that stays his hand.
XV. The Devil: Demonic visitation. The devil comes to collect on an enemy's debt. A Satanic ritual works.
XVI. The Tower: Natural disasters. An earthquake hits. Lightning strikes just where it's needed.
XVII. The Star: Magic and the occult. You gain entrance to the inner sanctum of a secret society. An occult ritual works.
XVIII. The Moon: Secrets. You discover a big secret. You guess a secret password.
XIX. The Sun: Freedom. You escape from a death trap. Your ally is released from prison.
XX. Judgment: Life after death. A dead friend gives you some posthumous assistance. Rumors of someone's death were greatly exaggerated.
XXI. The World: Complete success. You are preposterously good at your job. You win against astounding odds.

Skills

List of Skills

Each suit governs three skills. These skills are listed below.

Swords: Intellect

Swords skills represent intellectual pursuits, knowledge, and perceptiveness.

Perception: Understand a situation or know where to look for a clue.
Science: Have up-to-date knowledge of science, or understand the workings of a scientific gadget.
Occult: Have a good understanding of occult knowledge, or understand the significance of a mystical symbol or ritual.

Coins: Body

Coins skills represent physical strength and prowess.

Endurance: Resist the effects of fatigue.
Strength: Lift a heavy weight or overpower someone with raw strength.
Athletics: Jump high, run far, or execute a physically difficult maneuver.

Cups: Emotions

Cups skills represent interpersonal skills and understanding of social situations.

Empathy: Understand someone's motivations.
Negotiation: Convince someone of your point of view.
Seduction: Impress someone (of either sex) with your charm and attractiveness.

Wands: Will

Wands skills represent willpower and strength of character.

Intimidate: Convince someone to do what you want by threat of violence or sheer force of personality.
Combat: Beat someone in a fight.
Performance: Give a speech or any kind of rehearsed performance, or tell a convincing story.

Skill Levels and Difficulties

Each skill has a rating that ranges from 1 to 10, with 5 being average. Difficulties should range from 10 to 20, with 10 being something that anybody should be able to do, and 20 being something that takes a lot of effort even for the most skilled. For the sake of setting difficulties, assume the average lead is 9 or 10. Because there is so little chance involved, most players will succeed at most skill checks, though this may change towards the end of the hand.

Opposed Checks

When two characters are competing directly against each other, only the player who has the lead actually gets to make a skill check (i.e. lead a card). The difficulty of the skill check is computed by adding 10 to the skill level of the other character. If the player with the lead beats this difficulty, the other character automatically loses the contest, though the other player can probably make the situation better by winning the trick and narrating his or her loss.

Tarot: The RPG

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