Mutant Pizza

Hello Otherworldly Beings,

I’d like to chat about a game I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks. Over the past months, I was developing a game called Existentialitis which featured custom tarot-sized cards and had a storytelling and puzzle-solving component to drive a narrative that players came up with along the way.

I recently mentioned in a prior design journal that I split Existentialitis into two games: One has become Pilgrimage, a slice-of-life RPG currently in the works, and the other…well I put it on hold. Until now.

I don’t quite have a name for this game as of yet, but I’ve decided to take the core mechanics and concepts of Existentialitis and adapt it completely to a tarot deck. That’s the game I want to talk about today.

What is this game, then?

It’s still in early stages of development, but the concept is that it’s a storytelling game, set in a scifi universe (although I may add different genre options down the road), that allows players to craft a story within the setting using only a tarot deck.

I’m even going to illustrate a tarot deck for the sake of this game; however, you can use any standard tarot deck to play.

I don’t want to talk through too much of the game due to its early development process (I don’t even have a playable prototype yet) but I want to discuss the general flow. Mostly, what I was working on with Existentialitis is still there, which is good.

In this currently unnamed game, players will work together to play the role of a single character. Each will have a row of cards. During their turn, they must give their rightmost card to the person on their left, then they must play their leftmost card. Tarot cards have a different meaning when upright versus upsidedown, and this game is no different. Playing a card upsidedown will activate its power, which is specific to its suit. Powers allow players to do things like rotate, discard, and rearrange cards in anyone’s rows. Playing it upright will play it for its numeric value towards the main stack that all players are effectively playing to solve. You must also expand on a specific aspect of the narrative.

How is the narrative defined?

Major arcana are separated out from the deck and put into three stacks. A card is drawn from each stack and this defines who you are, what your motivation is, and where you are in this scifi universe. The same idea stands, drawing a card upsidedown will result in a different narrative option versus upright.

What defines what cards to play towards the “main stack” or whatever it is?

Good question, I don’t know that yet. The main stack will likely be a pattern of poker-esque hands that all players must contribute towards. Think things like four of a kind, two pair, flush, straight, etc. But all players will play off one another to complete these patterns. I haven’t quite narrowed down how the pattern is defined. It’s key to making the game playable, so it’s not something I can punt to a future iteration.

I’m excited to get this game up and running. The fact that it uses a standard tarot deck and I don’t have to make any assets, other than writing a rulebook, will make prototypes easy to develop.

Are you thinking of making this playable with playing cards?

I have no plans for that at this time. I like the vibe of a tarot deck more. There are more cards and more options. I’ll be illustrating a deck for this game which will include extra text for card abilities and the like, but you may buy or use any deck you want.

Cards being played upsidedown and upright is a key aspect of this game, and playing cards are designed to be the same in both orientations, so they really won’t work in this setting.

That’s all for now; until next time, Otherworldly Beings…