Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #89

Using Tarot Cards To Help Plan & Inspire Your Games

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SENT BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY With Compliments

From: Johnn Four, http://www.roleplayingtips.com
mailto:feedback@roleplayingtips.com

CONTENTS:
--> A Brief Word From Johnn

--> This Week's Tips Summarized:

1. Tarot Links
2. Use Tarot To Generate Plot Hooks
3. Create Quick Random Encounters
4. Story Or Plot Design Assistance
5. Villain Design
6. Card Interpretation Options
7. Tarot Encounter Generation
8. Fortunes As Prophecy
9. Use A Deck That Suites Your Game
10. Complex Personalities Layout

--> Readers' Tips Of The Week:

1. Spooky Game Table Sound Effects
2. The 3 Dimensions of NPCs
3. Create Reports Or Journals Of Your Games

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A BRIEF WORD FROM JOHNN

Tarot Tips
----------
Last week I posted a very short tip about using tarot cards
as a tool to create interesting NPCs. I received a few
emails and tips about tarot, so I thought I'd explore the
topic a little more. I hope you find a useful idea or two in
this week's issue.

Issue Posted In Forum

---------------------
I've posted this issue in my Game Masters forum for your
feedback. See you there!

Here's the URL:

http://forums.about.com/n/main.asp?webtag=ab-
roleplaygame&nav=messages&lgnF=y&msg=588.1

Cheers,

Johnn Four
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
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MORE ROLEPLAYING ARTICLES & REVIEWS @ MY OTHER SITE

http://www.roleplaygames.about.com

New This Week:

* All About Simming (PBeM):

http://www.roleplaygames.about.com/library/weekly/aa090601.htm

* D20 Game Review: Demonology: The Dark Road

http://www.roleplaygames.about.com/library/bldemonology.htm

* D20:Game Review: Brotherhood of Prophecy

http://www.roleplaygames.about.com/library/blprophecy.htm

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USING TAROT CARDS TO HELP PLAN & INSPIRE YOUR GAMES

1. Tarot Links
==============
The tips in this issue assume you know a little about tarot
cards, what they are, and what they're normally used for. If
you aren't familiar with them, here are a few links to help you
learn more about them:

* History, overview, general info:

http://cardgames.about.com/library/weekly/aa071799.htm
http://paganwiccan.about.com/cs/tarot/
http://newage.about.com/cs/tarotcards/index.htm

* How to create your own tarot deck:

http://artoftarot.com/create.htm

* Tarot software:
(If this link is too long and doesn't work for you, just go
to [ http://www.downloads.com ] and do a search for "tarot".)
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/1,10150,0-10001-103-0-1-7,00.html?
tag=srch&qt=tarot&cn=&ca=10001

* Online reading:
Joshua L. says that if you visit
[ http://www.mysticgames.com ], go to birthdays, and then
enter a random number, it will give you two Tarot cards (for
'character' and 'personality') that you can use, for
example, to construct an NPC's personality.

2. Use Tarot To Generate Plot Hooks

===================================
Tarot cards are fantastic plot hook generators because they
are so open to interpretation.

Method One: In-Game Reading

---------------------------
You can safely do in-game tarot readings using real cards
through NPCs, magic items, or technology (i.e. computer,
handheld reader, etc.) to give out plot hooks, clues,
individual PC goals and motivations, or to simply help steer
the party.

There's two tricks to this that I know of, which will help
you stay out of trouble when doing live readings.

1) Avoid specifics. The more details you give during a

reading, especially when forecasting the future, the closer
you come to painting yourself into a corner. Instead, use
general or mysterious statements whenever possible.

For example, telling a PC "you will perish in a fire" is too

specific and likely to put stress on your future
storytelling. Instead, say something like "avoid the lash of
the flame for it stings sharply."

2) Keep your story or plot line firmly in mind. If you have

a story line or plot roughly worked out, then a tarot reading
becomes a fun game for you. Simply try to link each card
that turns up, or perhaps the whole reading in general, to
your future plans.

Method Two: Canned Reading

--------------------------
Plant a fortune teller in your game, prepare some fortunes
beforehand, and give them to the players when the time
comes. You will have deliberately created interesting tarot
readings that contain plot hooks to help move your story or
plot threads along. And, for delivery options, you can make
brief notes about the fortunes and paraphrase at the game
table, read out carefully prepared scripts, or give
written/printed fortunes to the players as hand-outs.

Method Three: Planning Assistance

---------------------------------
Stuck for a plot hook while planning next session? Use #2
from the In-Game Reading method above. Think about your plot
then draw a card. Read what the card signifies from the
booklet that came with your deck, or a key word at the
bottom of the card if your deck has them, and write down any
and all thoughts that come to mind. After 5-7 cards, you
will definitely have a good list of ideas to pick from.

3. Create Quick Random Encounters

=================================
Need a fast random encounter idea during the game? Secretly
draw a tarot card behind your screen and use it to inspire
what will happen next.

"Hmm... ah, the three of Swords, card of sorrow... I

wonder... Oh yes. A tragic figure skilled with the sword.
Someone who has killed his loved ones and is now but a shell
of what he used to be, yet totally fearless as he has
nothing to live for..."

4. Story Or Plot Design Assistance

==================================
I've used tarot cards to create many, many stories. All you
do is draw the cards and interpret the results:

* 9 of Cups: start with a tranquil, pleasant little

village...
* XVII Star: ...which has a potential for greatness...
* XIII Death: ...now that the old, stifling ruler has
perished...
* Prince of Cups: ...which leaves an opening for the party.
They meet a mentor, an emotional, caring fellow, perhaps
a healer of some sort...
* 0 Seeker: ...who seeks to hire adventurers...
* 10 of swords: ...to prevent a war.

Maybe the old ruler had been a tyrant with an iron fist.
After his death, which may have happened under mysterious
circumstances, the peasants consider revolt...there have
already been some riots. Meanwhile, the fort has been sealed
and the garrison, confused now that the person at the top of
the hierarchy has died, only comes out heavily armed and
ready for anything. Recently, there was bloodshed when
pitchforks, shouts, and throwing stones were met with
warhorses, swords, and crossbows. The person with the most
authority in the village sees the adventurers as an
opportunity to prevent further violence.

I've found that laying out the cards in a certain pattern

further helps plot design. Create your own patterns and find
the one(s) that work best for your GMing style. Here's mine:

* I lay 17 cards face down in a certain pattern (for my 6

player group).

* Card #1: the theme or central conflict of the story.

* Card #2: the Good Guy. The NPC, group of NPCs, or society
who needs the PCs' help. Depending on the card drawn, it can
represent instead a situation that needs fixing rather than
being a Good Guy.

* Card #3: the Bad Guy. This card represents the story's
villain, in whatever way, shape, or form.

* Card #4: the Crux. I place this card between #2 & #3 and
it represents what the Good Guy and the Bad Guy are fighting
over. It's the conflict of the story.

* Card #5: the Reward. I put this card above #4. It

signifies how the PCs can gain by helping solve the Crux.

* Card #6: the Penalty. This card goes underneath #4 and

tells what will happen if the PCs fail in their mission.
* Card #7: Good Guy Motivation. I place this card cross-wise
on top of the Good Guy and it represents why the Good Guy
needs help.

* Card #8: Bad Guy Motivation: This card is placed cross-

wise on top of the Bad Guy and explains his reasons for
getting involved with the Crux.

* Cards #9-#11: Encounters. I usually create three major

encounters or events for my plots, and let any number of
minor encounters happen spontaneously during the game to
flesh the story out. These cards represent an idea for each
of the major encounters I'll create. I place these
underneath the Crux in a neat pile.

* Cards #12-#17: The PCs. Finally, I place a card for each

PC below all the other cards on the table. These cards
represent the individual character hooks I'll try to use to
get the players involved with the story. While I'll plan a
hook for each PC, I usually only end up using a couple of
them due to unexpected PC decisions during play. However, it
means that there is at least two PCs with strong motivation
to pursue a story, and that's usually enough for my group.

* I turn the cards over, interpret them, and write out my

notes in the following order: #1, #4, #3, #2, #8, #7, #5,
#6, #9 to #17.

I also use the meanings of reversed cards, when they come

up, to signify plot twists. This doesn't always work out,
but it can sometimes generate excellent twist ideas.

5. Villain Design
=================
I wasn't going to mention this tip because using tarot for
NPCs was briefly covered last week. But, after writing out
the pattern for Tip #4, I thought you might find my villain
pattern of value.

To recap tip #4 above, you can create patterns for your

tarot readings to specifically help you with the villain
design process. Here's my villain pattern:

* I draw 10 cards and place them face down.

* Card #1 the Villain. This card represents an overall

summary or description of the villain.

* Card #2 Primary Objective. This card signifies what the

villain wants more than anything else.

* Card #3 Motivation. Why does the Villain pursue his

Primary Objective? Sometimes I'll also use this card to
generate more ideas for #2. When played, I put it on top of
#1 cross-wise.

* Cards #4-#6: the Conflict. #4 represents what is

preventing the Villain from achieving his Primary Objective.
Cards #5 and #6 are idea cards to flesh the Conflict out, if
I need help. I put these cards in between #1 and #2, in a
small pile.

* Card #7: Dominant Trait #1. I added Cards #7-#9 to the

layout after reading the Complete Book of Villains published
by TSR in 1994. This card represents the Villain's main
character trait (i.e. hot tempered, morose, etc.). I place
cards #7 and #8 above #1.

* Card #8: Dominant Trait #2.

* Card #9: Contradictory Trait. Even bad guys have a good

trait or two, such as caring parent, sense of honour, etc.
This card goes above #7 and #8, sideways.

* Card #10: Chief Flunky. This card represents the Villain's

second in command, chief servant, or most important ally. I
have no real place for this card, and usually just set it
off to the side.

I turn over the cards in the following order: #1, #2, #4 (#5
& #6, if needed), #3 to #10.

Also, if I get stuck, I'll draw another 3+ cards to

represent the Villain's plan of action. Sometimes I'll get a
weird card combination that gels into a really strange and
interesting plan--perfect for insane or psycho bad guys.

I haven't thought about it before, but I suppose I could use

this same layout to create regular NPCs with. I'll have to
test that out!

6. Card Interpretation Options

==============================
A couple of quick words about interpreting tarot cards for
roleplaying. For most decks, you have three main options for
interpretation:

1) Words. Your cards might have descriptive words on them

that you can use to create an interpretation. For example,
my Aleister Crowley Thoth deck has a descriptive word on
every card:
* Success
* Ruin
* Happiness
* Virtue, etc.

2) Pictures. Feel free to use the imagery on the card to

generate your ideas. The Rider tarot deck is particularly
suitable for fantasy campaigns.

3) Meanings. Almost all new decks come with a little

interpretation booklet that you can use as a handy reference
in-game or while planning.

Feel free to use one, two, or all three options when

interpreting your cards.
Also, many decks provide alternate meanings for when a card
turns up upside down. Feel free to use this as well.

And then there's the overall interpretation. Look at what

impression the cards give as a combined entity. And look for
any patterns, such as numbers, colour, suits, minor arcana
vs. major arcana, etc. to provide additional inspiration.

7. Tarot Encounter Generation

=============================
Aki Halme sent in, among many great tips for using tarot in
games, this example of using the cards to create encounters:

"The party is entering a village. What is happening in it?

* 8 of Wands: They see an area where haste and speed are

paramount...
* VII Chariot: ... and teamsters prominent ...
* IV Emperor: ... as ordered by the patriarch of the place.
* 9 of Swords: There's a cruel event about to unfold...
* IX Hermit: ... and not all like it.
* II High Priestess: ... maybe the event has religious
connotations.

So, at first glance, the place is bustling with activity, as

a local ruler has high-handedly ordered everyone to prepare
for an activity of his choice. 9 of swords speaks of
cruelty, Hermit and High Priestess suggest that maybe not
all agree with this chosen course of action. Maybe this
particular village has a tradition of setting a criminal or
some other individual at large, to be hunted down as sport..
perhaps to bring a good harvest."

Johnn: I also use the same layout in Tip #4 to create

complex or major encounters.

8. Fortunes As Prophecy
=======================
I have yet to use tarot well in-game for telling prophecies.
This has more to do with my prophecy creation ability than
the use of the cards, though. Maybe prophecy would be a good
future issue topic? Anyway, tarot cards should make an
excellent tool for creating prophecies.

You could, for example, lay out seven cards, with each card
representing a step or verse of the prophecy. You could also
do two readings and create a pair of competing prophecies
(like in the David Eddings' Belgariad series).

9. Use A Deck That Suites Your Game

===================================
There are dozens of types of tarot decks, including fairy
tale, sword & sorcery, vampires, and sci-fi. There are also
different shapes and sizes. Pick a genre of deck that suits
your game best.
Joshua L. writes:
"There are 100s, if not 1000s of different tarot cards, so
if you are in a long running campaign, and use tarot cards,
it may make sense to by a tarot deck specifically for that
setting. (Although you can always experiment with a
'generic' tarot deck, first.) For example: there are tarot
decks for the following themes that I can name off the top
of my head: Silicon Valley, J.R.R. Tolkein, Star Wars,
Native American, Celtic Myth, Animals, Elements."

An enhancement to your deck would be an interesting

container. For example, the deck I use during games is in a
neat, carved, wooden box. This not only keeps the cards
together and safe, but it also becomes a good prop. Look for
wooden boxes at garage sales, flea markets, and antique
stores. A bag would also be a good container (cotton,
leather, corduroy, etc.)

10. Complex Personalities Layout

===============================
Another tip from Joshua L.:
"For more complex tarot created personalities (maybe for the
head bad guy, or a PC's relatives), you can use a circle of
12 cards, each one representing one house. (I think the 12
houses are Body, Money, Siblings, Family, Hobbies, Daily
Routine, Spouse, Sex/Death/Taxes, Philosophy, Profession,
Friends, and Mind)."

====

Thanks to Aki Halme, Joshua L, Robin P, and Notty for their

tarot tips.
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READERS' TIPS OF THE WEEK

1. Spooky Game Table Sound Effects

From: Andy
==================================
Hi all,

I've run a few contemporary horror games and found that if

you play at a wooden table you can make all sorts of
appropriate sound effects. Scratch your nails across the
bottom for dogs (or whatever) clawing at doors. All you
nail-biters will have to use a plastic fork or something to
scratch with.

Make an occasional muffled thump while the PCs are RPing

amongst themselves. Do it sneakily and enjoy the reaction
you get when someone goes "wait a minute, what was that?"
and everyone looks around like startled rabbits!

Suddenly coming across a broken down door in what they

previously thought was a barricaded building is good too,
especially if they realise that the door was broken down
from the inside.

[Johnn: can anybody else think of sound effects you can make
with a table, chairs, or anything else? Email me at
johnn@roleplayingtips.com ]

2. The 3 Dimensions of NPCs

From: Patrick M.
===========================

There are many facets to individualizing NPCs. I'd like to

explain three of the most important.

1. Personality
2. Drive
3. Ambience

1. Personality
--------------
Characters are always defined by what and who they are, no
matter if they are NPCs or PCs. So, personality is a very
important part of how the NPC is perceived by the audience
(your players).

Some possible ways are:

* Use Archetypes
Everybody knows the sneaky thief, the big overweight
barkeeper, the sweet, sexy barmaid, the somewhat gay-
behaving boutique-owner, the old, fat lady with too much
make-up who owns the wild west brothel, the unfriendly or
foreign cab-driver, the weapon-loving redneck, the vulgar
bulgar, the cheese cheater, the naive maiden, the evil
sorcerer, the stupid orc captain. Watch movies and tv-shows
and pick the archetypes you need...

* Exaggerate
As GM you have to transport as much perceptive information
as possible, in the shortest time, to your audience. And,
because players rely on aural senses mostly, you have to
compensate a lot. You can do this by exaggerating. In voice,
tone, manner, body language, etc. Show the NPCs' emotional
state. Pick any emotion that might suit your NPC and act it
out. e.g. melancholic, depressed, happy, sad, funny, excited
and so on...

* Show off
Don't be afraid to act silly. If you are not afraid to act,
you not only give your NPCs more life, you will also encourage
your PCs to act more out of character, without being afraid
of being an idiot.

* Use The Opposite Of Archetypes

To leave an impression of an NPC, you can use the opposite
of what the PCs expect to meet. If they look for the old
witch, she might turn out to be a beautiful blond woman. The
evil king the commoners complained about might be an
ordinary man who tries to make it right for everyone, but is
struggling with economic problems. The cult near the village
might turn out to be a small commune of faithful people
fighting the intolerance of uneducated pagans. The mean
rockers in the cheap bar could be a bunch of weekend bike-
lovers with a nice personality. The nice old man with the
long beard who enters the inn at the beginning of the
adventure (hehehe) could turn out to be the evil wizard the
group will try to hunt down in the future.

As archetypes help the GM roleplay a certain sort of

character fast, the opposite of archetypes draws attention
and opens new perspectives.

2. Drive
--------
Like all life forms, even NPCs have, more or less, defined
goals and beliefs. While some NPCs might help the PCs,
others might not. Sometimes it's clear why, sometimes it's
not. If a PC stops a pagan on the main street to ask the way
to the library, the NPC might be in a hurry, ignoring the
PCs request completely, or he might be having a bad day,
shouting at the PCs to leave him alone, walking away
mumbling about all the bad things on earth. Or maybe the
poor PC just picked the NPC who is just looking for someone
to talk to and starts to tell the PC his full life story.
Maybe the NPC is a stranger in town himself? Or doesn't
speak the local language, or is deaf, mute, or just the
village idiot on his daily shift thru town.

Every being has its own ambition, let the PCs feel these
ambitions. The beggar on the corner might want to earn his
money for his daily dose of ale, while the shopkeeper wants
to make a good deal. Sometimes it's that easy, sometimes
it's not.

Every NPC may be worth a subplot. The beggar could just as

well be a young knight, far away from his home-court, who
has lost all his belongings to a thief while he took a bath
in a lake. The shopkeeper could be the leader of a local
rebellion. This would let him act completely different. The
young, pretty barmaid that is dressed up sexy, ready to
tease the customers, might just be a nice girl who uses her
sex appeal to earn some extra money on tips to support her
poor parents because they lost their farm to a fire last
year. The knight that blocks the bridge, asking for a duel
to pass it, might be a impersonator who found the chivalric
equipment near a lake, where the REAL knight took a swim,
and stole it from him.

While it does not have to be so twisted all the time, and

while the truth behind the NPCs' motivation might never be
revealed, it gives the GM more "grip" on the NPC. Of course,
if you overdo it, you may irritate the players. But, as
mentioned, they possibly never realize that there is more to
the NPC than the regular unimportance, but YOU as GM will
have more fun and be more eager to play out your NPCs if
you know their drive and motivation. And who knows? Maybe
you can come up with a whole bunch of new subplots to
lengthen your normal campaign...

3. Ambience
-----------
The use of voices was discussed in issue #80 of the
"Roleplaying Tips" [ www.roleplayingtips.com/issue80.html ],
so I will talk about other possibilities on how to give
ambience and colour to your NPCs.

A thing I do very often is give different NPCs different

styles of body language. While I sit up straight, chest
forward, belly pulled in to be the noble knight, I might
make a Hunchback and draw a face (like Martin Feldman in
Frankenstein Junior) to act out the servant of a mad
scientist. I sit back with a slight bend to my spine playing
the old hag. The beggar has a twisted leg, the village idiot
a twist in his eyes, and the noble has his nose somewhere in
the sky. Again, use, abuse, and misuse archetypes if you
like.

Another good way to leave an impression is to use special

background music for a special NPC. Everybody knows the
"Tamtamtatam tam ta taam tam ta taam", just a few seconds
before Darth Vader enters the scenery. Take a flashlight and
light up your face from below, and stand up while you talk
with authority to make the players feel small. Light up a
(cheap) cigar, if they are talking to the crimeboss, or to
Columbo. Blink rapidly with your left eye every time a PC
says something that an NPC does (not) like. Rub your hands
when the merchant thinks he is making a good deal. Point
into the air with your finger every time the cleric talks
about the almighty. Take a handkerchief to clean off the
sweat on your forehead if they are talking to a jazz-
trumpeter. Pick your nose if you are playing the little
farmers boy whom the PCs are asking something. Flip a coin if
they are talking to "Frenzzo 'the Knife' Primezza". Scratch,
stroke, twist your beard (imaginary or not), say
"...errr..." after every half sentence. Grin evilly after
every sentence, laugh out loud and stop again immediately.

Act as silly as you need to, but try to keep a specific

ambient to one NPC so the PCs can always recognize this
particular NPC.

Which brings me to the next tip: Reuse your NPCs. You are
familiar with the faces in the local department store you go
to every week. And while you might not speak to all the
people there, you know their faces and maybe even know the
way they behave. It makes the world the PC and NPCs live in
more real if the armourer is the same guy at the same place.
The wandering merchant could be met in a different town
sessions later. The daughter of a baron could be met a few
months later in a different land where she has married. Or
the crime lord the PCs hunted down comes back some time later
to take revenge. The demon the PCs sent back last time is
the same Demon the mage in the next town just summoned for
the PCs because they need some hell-knowledge. And, as
always, exaggerate a bit.
A few general tips: always have some empty paper ready to
make notes of NPCs that you just made up. I used to make
small versions of the character sheet for our house system
where I noted the most important things, including where and
how the NPC met the PCs the first time, what the outcome of
the encounter was, what kind of voice and body language the
NPC uses, what he looks like, what his general beliefs and
motivations are and some notes on the NPCs personality.

And maybe one last hint. NPCs should never be just the
background figure in a movie, they have lives of their own,
and as the world goes on to turn, they go on with their
lives.

Hope it was of some help. Have fun!

3. Create Reports Or Journals Of Your Games

From: Olle J.
===========================================
All the groups I've played in have used "the session report"
in some way or another. Communicate from the point of view of
your character. In roleplaying games it can be very good
documentation--everyone forgets things, and it is very nice
to have later on.

Currently I play Necromunda, the miniatures tabletop game,

with a bunch of guys, and we try to make session reports for
each game night. Of course, not everyone will participate,
but each line someone writes adds to the game world (the
diegesis, if you will). The gangers of our hive are well-
documented, and the story unfolds each time we play.

Some report hints:

1. Short is best
Keep it short, and embellish only briefly. Someone must have
the strength to read your prose later.

2. POV
Point of view is more important than getting things across
in a personal report. If your assignment is to make a group
report, include less of POV, and write more condensed.

3. Regularity
Keep up with your sessions. If you find your prose lacking
in style, then the only thing that can get you anywhere is
practice. Doing reports helps give you experience in
summarizing events in few words. Your proof-reading skills
will increase also.

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That's it for this week's issue.

Have more fun at every game!

Johnn Four
mailto:johnn@roleplayingtips.com

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