Secrets of the Deck

Secrets of the Deck is a card game played with the twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana tarot deck that should be played with a group of close friends with the aim of bringing the group closer.

Ingredients

1. Two to five people, who feel close to each other.
2. A twenty-two card deck of Major Arcana Tarot cards.
3. A cosy place where only you can hear each other.

Rules

1. This game should be played with a minimum of two people, you could conceivably play it against yourself, but that would be too meta.
2. Once settled in a circle, shuffle and put a stack of twenty-two major arcana cards, upside down.
3. Starting randomly, in a clockwise fashion, each participant draws a card, then, depending on the card drawn, they must tell a secret related to the card. It is more natural if the participant draws their own conclusions about what “related” entails, however, if, in doubt, the provided guide includes some ideas on each card.
4. Once the secret is told, the drawn card is discarded and the next participant draws their own card.

Inspirations

The game is inspired by three sources, first of all, obviously, the cards themselves played a significant role in writing the guide. Gameplay-wise, Sacred Path Cards, which is an esoteric 1990s card game similar to Tarot but aims at drawing cards and interpreting them to reach a goal instead, was a significant inspiration. Finally, the idea of using Major Arcana cards come from an itch.io physical game Here for You.

Graphical Attributions for This Page

Photo by Viva Luna Studios on Unsplash
Photo by Viva Luna Studios on Unsplash