By Terri C.
The Tarot Game by Jude Alexander
Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., www.schifferbooks.com
ISBN: 978-0-7643-3448-1
Are you looking for something fun and new to do with your Tarot cards? The Tarot Game might be just what you are looking for. This game encourages storytelling, laughter and fun, while addressing some of life’s issues.
The game arrives with the smart packaging that we’ve become used to receiving from Schiffer Publishing. A nice, sturdy box with a magnetic closure and a blue ribbon tab used to open the box.
The game box contains: a brightly colored, sturdy, foldable game board, an un-illustrated keyword Tarot deck, 3 different types of Activity Cards – totaling 36, 96 Blessing Coins, 3 dice, 9 polished stone game pieces, instructions, reading sheets and Major Arcana questions.
The Activity Cards and three sheets of Blessing Coins need to be “punched out,” before you can fully set up the game. Once all of the prep work is complete, set up is quite easy. The object of the game is to have fun, tell stories, to create a personal Tarot card reading and create positive affirmations.
The Tarot Game can be played alone as a meditation tool or with as many as 9 players. Adding a full Tarot deck is necessary. A deck with illustrations is preferred, especially when playing with novices.
Once you have the basics of the game down, it becomes very adaptable and can be played in many different variations. Many variations are listed in the instruction sheet, however you are also encouraged to come up with your own style of play. The reading sheets are tailored for novice, enthusiast and adept readers. The game itself takes a unique approach to learning the Tarot for the novice and provides an interesting twist of card play for the experienced reader.
The game brings out some interesting information and stories about the players. Some of the questions used during the game are:
- Tell a story of a time when you suffered guilt from a mistake you had made. Have you realized your worth regardless of this error?
- Tell a story of a romantic experience you’ve had. Reflect for a moment on the luscious parts!
- Tell a story of a time you allowed a situation to overwhelm you emotionally. What lessons did you gain from the experience?
There are also activities in which you draw cards from the full deck. Here are a couple of examples of those activities:
- Shuffle and Draw a card. Take a moment to look at the imagery. Place the card face down and describe what you remember about it. Lift it face up again and tell us what details you missed.
- Shuffle and Draw a card. Take a moment to look at the imagery. Create an affirmation (a positive, present-tense statement) to use in the coming week.
The instruction sheet also contains a grounding technique, suggestions for game facilitators and ideas for holding Tarot Game Parties.
The Tarot Game is a fun way to learn how to intuitively read the cards without studying a book and provides a fun new way for advanced readers to play with their cards.