Nordic Larp

Tag: tarot

  • Let Me Look into Your Future

    Published on

    in

    Let Me Look into Your Future

    Written by

    A few years ago, I was cast as a character linked to the paranormal in a Victorian game played over several instalments. The organisers allowed us to choose our own preferred play-style and specialisation. I quickly decided that I wanted to play a character who led seances. I was interested in exploring themes of real mysticism against fake seances. I wanted to use a very visual way of running the scenes and decided that I wanted to do something using fortune-telling cards or tarot.

    Playing the expert

    My character was supposed to be an expert on the subject of card readings. She did both real readings with the intention to actually help the subject and fake ones, which were merely used to tell the rich customers what they wanted to hear. Initially, I thought to bring a regular tarot set to the game, but I quickly stepped away from that idea for two reasons;

    1. I was not an expert on tarot. It would have been an option to study regular tarot cards very thoroughly, but I knew that there would likely be more knowledgeable players around.
    2. Many people object to the use of real tarot sets at games. After all, for many people tarot actually serves a purpose akin to religion so it is not necessarily right to bring a real tarot set to a game. I wanted to respect this.

    For a while, I debated whether a store-bought card set would work fine for my purposes, but I eventually decided against taking something that was readily available.

    Building my own cards

    That brought an entirely new challenge: building my own set of cards and making them suitable for the game. I’ve researched existing fortune-telling methods and came to realise that the perfect number for cards was somewhere between 30 and 50. It would mean there would be enough variation to not draw the same card every single time I’m but it would also mean that I didn’t have to learn the meaning of too many cards and I could make it look like my character actually knew exactly what she was doing.

    To figure out what to put on the cards, I contacted the organizers to learn more about this Victorian setting with a hint of Steampunk. I wanted to know how present those elements would be and if they would be represented in cards that were made to fit the world. I tried to find items that were very ambiguous meaning wise, so they could be explained in many different ways.

    I ended up photographing 40 different items that were appropriate for the setting, like an hourglass, a Venetian mask and a pearl necklace. I then edited the photographs to look like paintings and had the set of cards professionally printed.

    Interpreting

    I love making small-talk before a card reading, especially if I don’t know the other character. It gives you some hints on what to play with, much like actual fortune-tellers do. While drawing cards onto the table I’d attempt to watch the other person’s body language. It’s often hard for the person across from you to suppress their initial reaction to a card. Sometimes characters (and even players) would clearly display surprise, shock or excitement when you drew a card that they had strong feelings about.

    Once I laid out the cards I would always ask the other character for a quick interpretation. I’d ask them whether any cards stood out to them or whether they believed the spread was ‘’right’’ for them. They’d often start talking about topics relevant to them which then gave me very easy hooks to progress the conversation with.

    After that, I’d spend some time interpreting the card spread as a whole. Sometimes it would be very easy to make up a story on the go and sometimes I needed to check my booklet which contained example card spreads and interpretations of each card. I created the booklet primarily for my own peace of mind, so I could have consistent interpretations and always had something ready to go even when I was low on inspiration.

    I’d often intentionally fall quiet during interpretation, which meant that the other player would likely start to talk a little bit more about what they were seeing. I’d weave those verbal and physical cues into my story as well. As the game progressed card readings became easier to do, I knew quite a lot of the characters and had an idea of what made them tick, which made it easier to actually give them a relevant story.

    The magic of the game

    The cards ended up being way more popular during the game than I had initially expected. I thought that at most I would be doing one or two readings each time but people actually really loved the idea and requested seances and card readings constantly. This was partially due to the fact that the paranormal themes of the game were much more physically present in play than most players initially expected. Many characters struggled with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about the “unknown factors” and were desperately seeking some sort of comfort and direction.

    As the story of the game unfolded I discovered that the items were much more suitable than I could have imagined. Some items on the cards turned out to be present in the game in their most literal sense. In one case there was a tiny boat that would lead us to an island in the middle of the lake – which we were forbidden from accessing. While determining our strategy for the upcoming days we kept drawing the card with the sailing boat and eventually, the characters decided they could no longer ignore their destiny and to just break the rules, so they did row to the island anyway.

    Even though it was, especially in such circumstances, sometimes hard to resist, I never forced a hand of cards or prepared a card layout. Part of the fun of playing with the cards was allowing myself to be surprised and challenging myself to spin an appropriate interpretation.

    There was even one reading where a player went to check with the organizers afterward. They were so surprised by the reading they were wondering whether I had read their (secret) background.

    Staying flexible

    One of the best parts about having my own cards meant that nobody knew the rules that applied to them. I decided early on to allow myself total creative freedom and whenever I had a fun idea I would just execute it.

    Throughout the game I’d whip out the cards for advice, like drawing a single card to determine whether something was a good idea or not. On one occasion a new character who seemed to have some shady business going on appeared. As we tried to figure out whether or not to trust them we drew a card. The card indicated they had noble intentions so we as characters decided to trust them completely.

    Or I’d ask people to just draw me a card and then analyze their personality based on that card. Characters who were close to my character became more familiar with the cards and their meaning and I would sometimes ask them to interpret for me or pick cards for specific situations. This led to a lot of play as I could constantly adjust the flow of the readings and adjust their length and severity to what I thought the game or the player needed or wanted on an out-game level.

    That freedom also became visible in the option to re-interpret cards on the fly. In one case my character decided that a card with a pearl necklace stood for monetary riches as the character was a rich factory owner even though that was originally not a noted interpretation. My character lied about the meaning of the card as she believed that it was what the man whom she feared greatly wanted to hear. It led to a much more consistent story as a whole and a character (and player) who was convinced that I had stacked the deck to get a specific outcome.

    Looking back on the game now and the role the cards played in shaping the journey of not only my own character but also that of those around her, I dare to say there was definitely “magic” in play. Some of it was created by us as the players as we read the stories in the cards but a large part of it was more serendipitous. We wouldn’t have the stories we have now about crazy adventures in boats fueled by a random card draw if we hadn’t opened ourselves up to that.

    Cover photo: Image by cottonbro on Pexels. Photo has been cropped.

    This article is published in the companion book Book of Magic: Vibrant Fragments of Larp Practices and is published here with permission. Please cite this text as:

    Mutsaers, Susan, and René van den Berg. “Let Me Look into Your Future.” In Book of Magic: Vibrant Fragments of Larp Practices, edited by Kari Kvittingen Djukastein, Marcus Irgens, Nadja Lipsyc, and Lars Kristian Løveng Sunde. Oslo, Norway: Knutepunkt, 2021.

  • Tarot for Larpers

    Published on

    in

    Tarot for Larpers

    Written by

    The best prop I can have at a larp is a deck of tarot cards. They’re pretty; they’re powerful; they’re mystical. I love going to occult themed larps where they can be brought in for pretty much any reason, but if it makes sense for your character they can make sense in almost any larp. Tarot readings are great because they are fundamentally narrative in nature and shape themselves to any kind of situation. And the kind of skills a con artist uses in real life can be used to deepen and intensify the experiences of your co-players. So I’d like to give a little guide to getting started with tarot and how to make the most of it at a larp. The concepts can be used for pretty much any kind of divination, but tarot is just so dang evocative and iconic, it’s hard to beat if it’s an option. But if rune stones, animal entrails, or the I-Ching are a better fit for a given larp, the same basics go for them.

    On Magic

    There’s no actual magic in tarot cards beyond what we invest in them. They’re just an older form of regular playing cards that later got used by occultists, latter day witches and spiritualists as a tool or trick. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be used for powerful stuff. The names and images on them have been refined to touch on very strong universal themes in the human experience that we can tap into and they’re surrounded by a mystical story that we can use to make them more serious than they really are. Especially in a context like a larp, where we allow ourselves to believe in magic and the power in things just a little more. Tarot cards tap into the power of ritual in all the best ways on a scale that’s quick and easy to use in a larp setting. They’re fundamentally a narrative device, which is why they’re a perfect complement for role-playing. They tap into our subconscious and our brain provides patterns and explanations to make them speak meaningfully. There really is no magic, but when we allow ourselves to believe, there is.

    But let’s get started with the practical side of things.

    photos of anime tarot cards
    Photo by YAGO_MEDIA on Pixabay.

    Choosing your deck

    There are a ton of different tarot decks. You can get pretty much any kind, theme, and quality. It’s really all about finding one that speaks to you. And in the case of larp: one that fits into the fiction you’ll be playing in. I have two recommendations: The first is to go for the classic Rider-Waite-Smith or Universal Waite-Smith decks gorgeously illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. It’s the one you’ve seen used a hundred times with the iconic pictures. It fits nicely into a wide range of time periods and people know exactly what it is. The iconography is quite evocative and pretty easy to work with. You hardly ever go wrong with a classic Rider-Waite-Smith. The second, and my personal favourite, is the Thoth Tarot designed by Aleister Crowley. It has a few twists on the classic deck and is more modern looking, but the cards are more abstractly expressive in the art and each comes with a label that drips drama. But if you go to the shop and find that the panda tarot deck really speaks to your next character, go for it. Just make sure the cards can inspire you when you use them. A good beginner trick is to ditch the Minor Arcana of Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles and just focus on the Major Arcana with the big hitters like The Devil, The Tower, or The Lovers, until you are more comfortable with the cards.

    Setting the Mood

    Tarot really benefits from doing just a little bit of work on setting the mood before using them. Use a tablecloth; the cards are easier to pick up and it looks nicer. Light up a few candles; the flickering light will make the artwork come alive. And maybe place the deck on a nice plate rather than pulling it straight out of the pack. Be super obvious and ritualistic about how you shuffle them. Craft a little space where you, the cards, and the person you are reading them for are in tight focus. Tarot requires focus and a little drama to work their best. And get the recipient to contribute too: have them formulate a definite question they want inspiration for. Never offer clear answers, though. Just that you’ll help show them what lies ahead. Have them pick out a card to represent themselves if you have the time. If you’re the dramatic sort, a few invocations or ritual phrases might also be a good addition, but always play them as seriously as you can.

    Dialogue

    You can do a tarot reading like a show, talking all the way through the process while the recipient is just an audience member, but you’re much better off thinking of it as a dialogue. Both for their immersion and for making it easier on yourself. I like to get myself very calm, speaking slowly and as if I am teaching the person across from me to read the cards themselves, rather than as divine inspiration through me. I like to leave a bit of uncertainty and magic in just exactly how I know the things I say and how the cards reveal them. And I give the other person plenty of time and silence to think and react if they need it. Shape it to your own personal style, your character and the person you are reading for. It’s a one-on-one kind of show, so play into the strengths that it gives.

    photos of tarot cards on a burgundy background Photo by GerDuke on Pixabay.

    Cold Reading

    Con artists have two main techniques when doing these kinds of things out in the real world that you’ll find useful in larps as well: cold reading and hot reading. Cold reading is basically using the person you are talking to, to reveal things about themselves. It’s the same skill you’d use to guess which cards people have at the poker table, or when your friend is grinning ear to ear, but won’t tell who they kissed last night. With a little practice you’ll quickly notice which of your words impact them and which you need to skip past. Throw a lot of stuff out and see what sticks; they won’t likely remember the misses. See when their ears prick up, when their eyes become unfocused, or their attention zooms in. Try to shape moments where they’re the ones talking and you’re just confirming. The human brain is trash at remembering who said what, so odds are they’ll remember you telling them something they revealed themselves. It can be a little tricky to do while juggling the cards at first, but really fun when you get it working. There’s no reason to rush, so take your time to observe your audience.

    Hot Reading

    Hot reading is when you know things about the person they don’t know that you know about them. Con men will do a background check on their targets and then pretend angels told them, but in larp we can just read their character sheet beforehand or notice what kind of drama they’ve been in recently, or even have an offgame chat before the reading to lay out the themes. It’s where you can really help someone’s play by pushing them at choices their character has to make or realizations they’re just about to make. Bringing in characters they’re in conflict with or want to seduce. It’s a great steering tool or just a super fun way to mess with their heads. I like to leave most of it unspoken between us. I’ll hint at the thing, but never name it, to preserve the magical feeling. If I saw them have a big row with their brother earlier, I’ll start talking about how the cards mean family and the great price of loving someone, and see if they pick up on that. If they’re the ones making the realizations themselves, it’s often much more dramatic.

    Card Manipulation

    If you have the dexterity to pack the deck beforehand, you can choose which cards come up during the reading. It’s rarely subtle, but it can definitely be impactful. I personally have too many thumbs for it, so I can’t really give any practical tips; my skills are more in the area of making the most of the cards as they fall. That also keeps the magic alive a bit even after the larp is over, but that’s a matter of taste.

    Layouts

    You can do a tarot reading by just drawing a single card, but you get a lot of synergy out of having several in a layout on the table. Don’t go overboard; more cards aren’t better. The sweet spot is usually between three and five cards total. How you place them on the table is up to you. It’s a fun way to shape the dialogue beforehand. The classic is the Celtic Cross where you make a cross with the recipient’s chosen signifier in the middle and there’s a card for the past, the future, what’s working against them, and what’s helping, but you really can do any pattern. I like a Y-shape if someone is facing a choice or laying a wall if someone is up against a challenge. Or a circle if they want to know where they stand. It’s up to you. Just give each card position a clear metaphorical meaning when you lay down the card. I like to lay all the cards except the first out facedown in their place and then turn them over during the reading as needed.

    Tarot cards decorates witth stained glass spread over a colorful embroidered cloth
    Photo by MiraCosic on Pixabay.

    Layers of Meaning

    The last skill is the “actual” interpretation of the cards. This is where most beginners feel intimidated, but just remember that there is no right answer for any card. It’s all about how well it connects to the target. Just keep bringing forth meanings until you strike gold.

    Depending on the deck you have, there will be various amounts of things to work with on each, but every card will always have a couple of these:

    • What is the immediate feeling the card inspires?
    • What does the picture show? Who are the people in the picture to the recipient?
    • What is the colour of the card? What emotion does that bring out?
    • What is the value of the card?
    • What suit is the card?
    • What name does the card have?

    You don’t need to use all of them, just whatever seems to fit best in the situation. These are usually obvious enough to get started talking and seeing what the other person reacts to, if not try another aspect of the card and so on. If you have a hard time, leave it and go on to the next card; maybe the pattern will make more sense later. As more cards are revealed so does your recipient reveal things about themselves that might be brought back to previous cards.

    You can also invoke some of the structures behind most decks with a bit of practice. For example, the four suits usually align with the four elements:

    • Cups are Water, Pentacles are Earth, Swords are Air, and Wands are Fire.
    • Cups and Pentacles are usually feminine, while Swords and Wands are masculine.
    • Placement on the table matters; you can have axes of time, positives and negatives, good and evil.
    • All cards of course also always hold their own opposites within them.
    • Sometimes The Devil is in the details. It might really be the figure in the background the card is about.
    • There’s also often a structure to the values of the cards that you can play with. I won’t get into it here, but check out the Sefiroth of Kabbalistic tradition if you’re into mathematical magic.
    • Thematic decks can also have even more layers.

    But all of that isn’t necessary to get started. Just go with an intuitive reading with a strong dose of confidence and you’re good. In addition, tarot decks often also come with a booklet that details each card, but there’s really no need to memorize or buy books on tarot. In the end, it’s all a subjective artform and not an accurate science. If you’re feeling uncertain, try imagining a situation in play and draw a couple of cards and think of how you’d make them relevant to that situation as practice before play.

    Taror cards on a colorful cloth
    Photo by MiraCosic on Pixabay.

    Role-playing Opportunities

    Once you get comfortable with the basics, you can start to add layers on top. Maybe your character has an agenda and wants to twist the reading in a certain direction? Or they’re inspired by a demonic entity that loves sex, so the cards always points towards carnality? Or a theme of the larp is lost hope, so the readings tend to be cold on comfort. You can do a lot with the framing and what you emphasize in the cards to drive play in a fun direction. But all that’s for later. For now, just go get started.

    I hope this makes it less intimidating to pick up a deck and bring it to your next larp. It’s a super fun tool to have. Or if someone else has brought their deck, don’t be afraid to ask for a reading or for them to show you how it’s done; I’ve had a ton of great play moments teaching acolytes the art of the tarot. It really is what you make of it and tarot tends to pay back big dividends for the effort put into it.

    Cover photo: Photo by Jean-Didier on Pixabay.