(no subject)
I'm cleaning out my email (can you tell?) and a couple of people recently reminded me that I still had not reposted the rules for Emperors, the fortunetelling betting game played with Tarot cards. The rules were one of the casualties of the hack, but fortunately when Cartographer's Craft was typeset it was included as an appendix.
The amusing thing about Emperors, which was originally invented for a fanfic called Pilgrimage but used in CC as well, is that while it's actually been played by Cafe members, and apparently has had some popularity in certain circles, I've never played it. I have a couple of decks of Tarot cards (one of them my own hand-drawn invention) and I know people who read Tarot, but for one reason or another we've never sat down to a game. And if we did I'd probably have to consult the rules for the first few hands, just in case...
You will note I've included one variation at the end of the post. I love hearing about variations and just in general about people playing the game, so if you play it or have stories about it please feel free to share them.
The Rules of “Emperors”
Required
Betting currency of your choice. For the purpose of the rules outline, the currency is referred to as a 'coin' but can be anything -- money, matchsticks, chocolate...
Tarot deck (Major and Minor Arcana), and a working knowledge of the Tarot
Premise
The game of Emperors is based on the old cliche that in any group of people having their fortunes read, at least one will always be told they are going to be a huge success and do great things -- in other words, be an Emperor.
The goal of Emperors is to predict who will have the best future, based on a sequence of three tarot cards, revealed in steps. The game is played in rounds, like most betting card games, and most closely resembles Blackjack.
Rules of the Game
Before the cards are dealt, each player antes into a central pot. The dealer deals out three cards per person -- one face up and two face down. Players are not allowed to look at anyone’s face-down cards, including their own. Players may fold out at any time after paying their ante.
Players examine the face-up cards and determine whom they believe will be the Emperor based on that card. They put a coin on the face-up card of the person they think is going to be Emperor. In round one, players cannot bet on themselves to be Emperor. Betting begins to the Dealer’s left, as per usual.
The second card dealt (the first card that was dealt face-down) is then turned over. At this point players may consider the cards and change their bet -- removing their coin from the person they had originally bet on and placing it on another person’s, adding a second coin. Players must bet at least the minimum they ante’d every round, but may go as high as they please; there is no matching betting in Emperors. Players may also bet on themselves in the second round.
The third and final card is then turned over. Players must now come to a consensus on who has the most powerful fortune.
Once the Emperor is determined, the player who correctly bet on the Emperor takes all the money betted that round. If more than one person has bet on the Emperor, the money is divided equally, no matter how much was bet by any individual player. If no one has bet on the Emperor, the Emperor takes the winnings.
In determining who is Emperor, consider:
Emperor is not necessarily the result of three “powerful” cards. An Emperor can be one who undergoes a transformation in the process from card one to card three. The importance is not always of the cards themselves, but of the story they tell.
The Emperor is decided upon by consensus and Emperors is therefore not a game for sore losers. There should, if things are working properly, be a clear Emperor, but if there is not, the cards must be discussed. This means that the meanings of the cards should be identified and agreed upon beforehand, to have as much clarity as possible.
Losing with grace -- i.e., admitting someone you did not bet upon is the Emperor -- is considered a way of acquiring luck for the next hand.
revieloutionne's Variation:
Pick a position relative to the dealer (but not the dealer) each round. That player has the option of stipulating how each position is to be read. For instance, the cards could go past, present, future; nonspecifically chronologically; or represent the player, an important person in their life, and the outcome of their meeting; or whatever-you-like.
The player would always have the option of declaring "Traditional Emperors Reading", which is how play is outlined in the rules.
The amusing thing about Emperors, which was originally invented for a fanfic called Pilgrimage but used in CC as well, is that while it's actually been played by Cafe members, and apparently has had some popularity in certain circles, I've never played it. I have a couple of decks of Tarot cards (one of them my own hand-drawn invention) and I know people who read Tarot, but for one reason or another we've never sat down to a game. And if we did I'd probably have to consult the rules for the first few hands, just in case...
You will note I've included one variation at the end of the post. I love hearing about variations and just in general about people playing the game, so if you play it or have stories about it please feel free to share them.
The Rules of “Emperors”
Required
Betting currency of your choice. For the purpose of the rules outline, the currency is referred to as a 'coin' but can be anything -- money, matchsticks, chocolate...
Tarot deck (Major and Minor Arcana), and a working knowledge of the Tarot
Premise
The game of Emperors is based on the old cliche that in any group of people having their fortunes read, at least one will always be told they are going to be a huge success and do great things -- in other words, be an Emperor.
The goal of Emperors is to predict who will have the best future, based on a sequence of three tarot cards, revealed in steps. The game is played in rounds, like most betting card games, and most closely resembles Blackjack.
Rules of the Game
Before the cards are dealt, each player antes into a central pot. The dealer deals out three cards per person -- one face up and two face down. Players are not allowed to look at anyone’s face-down cards, including their own. Players may fold out at any time after paying their ante.
Players examine the face-up cards and determine whom they believe will be the Emperor based on that card. They put a coin on the face-up card of the person they think is going to be Emperor. In round one, players cannot bet on themselves to be Emperor. Betting begins to the Dealer’s left, as per usual.
The second card dealt (the first card that was dealt face-down) is then turned over. At this point players may consider the cards and change their bet -- removing their coin from the person they had originally bet on and placing it on another person’s, adding a second coin. Players must bet at least the minimum they ante’d every round, but may go as high as they please; there is no matching betting in Emperors. Players may also bet on themselves in the second round.
The third and final card is then turned over. Players must now come to a consensus on who has the most powerful fortune.
Once the Emperor is determined, the player who correctly bet on the Emperor takes all the money betted that round. If more than one person has bet on the Emperor, the money is divided equally, no matter how much was bet by any individual player. If no one has bet on the Emperor, the Emperor takes the winnings.
In determining who is Emperor, consider:
Emperor is not necessarily the result of three “powerful” cards. An Emperor can be one who undergoes a transformation in the process from card one to card three. The importance is not always of the cards themselves, but of the story they tell.
The Emperor is decided upon by consensus and Emperors is therefore not a game for sore losers. There should, if things are working properly, be a clear Emperor, but if there is not, the cards must be discussed. This means that the meanings of the cards should be identified and agreed upon beforehand, to have as much clarity as possible.
Losing with grace -- i.e., admitting someone you did not bet upon is the Emperor -- is considered a way of acquiring luck for the next hand.
revieloutionne's Variation:
Pick a position relative to the dealer (but not the dealer) each round. That player has the option of stipulating how each position is to be read. For instance, the cards could go past, present, future; nonspecifically chronologically; or represent the player, an important person in their life, and the outcome of their meeting; or whatever-you-like.
The player would always have the option of declaring "Traditional Emperors Reading", which is how play is outlined in the rules.