Tarto - A Tarot Card Game

TARTO : A Tarot Game
Created by Patrick Mulcahy.

REQUIREMENTS

2-4 players. (Note: Players can play in teams of two.)

One 78 card tarot deck.

A knowledge of the astrological attributions of the 78 tarot cards.

QUICK START

Player One deals each player 7 cards and places the remaining deck face-down in the centre of the table.

Player Two starts by picking up an extra card from the deck and then (optionally) tabling one or more major cards with stacked minor cards, face up in front of them.

The next player does likewise.

(Repeat)

The game ends when one player has no cards left in their hand. Each player adds up the number of cards in their card stacks, and subtracts the number of cards left in their hand, and the winner is the one who has the most cards (see SCORING below).

RULES

Major cards are always tabled first and then minor cards of the same zodiacal or planetary "suit" are stacked on top of them. These actions can all be done in each player's turn. Players can put cards on each other’s stacks (this is usually done when a player is ending the game by tabling all their cards).

The four Aces are "elemental" and can be put on any major card of the same element - Fire, Water, Air, or Earth.

The four Pages combine all three zodiacal signs of one element and (like the Aces) can be put on any major card stack of the same element. (Eg. the Ace and Page of Wands/Fire can be put on any major card that represents a Fire sign - Emperor, Strength, or Temperance.)

The most challenging cards to get rid of are the twelve court cards: Kings, Queens, and Knights. That's because they can only be placed on the one major card that corresponds with their own zodiacal attributions. For example, the King of Wands (Aries) can only be placed on the Emperor (Aries), the King of Swords on Justice, etc.

Because most minor cards have both a planet and a zodiacal sign attribution they can be placed on top of one of two major cards. For example, the Two of Wands (Mars in Aries) can be placed on top of the Tower (Mars) or the Emperor (Aries).

SCORING

At the end of the game each player counts the number of cards in their own card stacks. The winner is the player who owns the most cards. A player owns a stack if s/he tabled the original major card that started the stack. The players also subtract from their card total the number of cards left in their hands at the end of the game.


THE ASTROLOGICAL ATTRIBUTIONS OF THE TAROT