Card Deck: Any Tarot deck will work.

Game Term Definitions:

Player Card:
The player cards consist of Ace of Coins, Ace of Wands, Ace of Cups, Ace of Swords, and The Empress. The two Dragon Tarot Title cards can be used as clan less players cards. The player cards are keep separate from the rest of the game cards.

Clan Card:
There are four clans. The clan cards are The Minor Arcana cards consisting of the Suit of Coins, Wands, Cups and Swords.

Holding Card:
A holding card is the card or cards that imprisons another clan card.

Free Card:
A free card is a lone clan card on the table that is no longer a holding card or an imprisoned card.

Releasing card:
A releasing card is a card or cards that are uesd to free a captured card.

Captured Card:
A captured card is a card that is imprisoned by one or more holding cards.

Special Cards:
The special cards are The Major Arcana cards consisting of the Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justus, Hanging Dragon, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgment and World

Turn Based Card:
Turn based cards are special cards that can only be played during the current players turn.

Out-of-turn Cards:
The out-of-turn cards are the Fool, Hermit, Justus and Judgment. These are cards that can be played during another players turn.

Player:
The person whom played the card.

Current Player:
The current player is the player who going through the steps of Current Player's Order Of Play.

Opponent:
Other players in the game who would rather they win the game than you!

Power:
The number value/power of the clan cards. The order of the power from least to greatest is their face value, two through ten, page power of eleven, Knight power of twelve, Queen power of thirteen and King power of fourteen.

The Game Objectives:

Player Card Goals
Ace of Coins, Wands, Cups and Swords: The game gole for these clan cards is to capture the emperor. In order to capture the emperor the players must use their own player card clan to make the capture. The capture can be made with one other clan card only if the lover card is involved. The emperor can only be captured with the king and a queen or knight and three clan cards that have a running power.

The Empress:
The game goal for the empress is to keep the emperor from being captured by capturing all four kings.

Dragon Tarot Titles
The game goal for the title cards is to use the devil to acquire another player card and to complete the goal of that player card.

Imprisonment Of A Clan
A clan card is imprisoned when it is captured by holding card(s) In order to imprison a clan card, the holding card(s) must have a power equal to or grater than the card being captured. If the holding card's power is equal to the captured card's power it can only be held for one complete turn of the game. If the holding card's power is grater than the captured card's power the captured card will be held until its released by other card(s). Only one clan card can be held be the holding card(s).
A clan card may not imprison the same clan. The holding cards must all be of the same clan. An exception of these latter two rules is only made if the lover's card is played with the holding card.

Imprisonment Of A clan from free cards.
The current player may imprison a clan card by picking up a free card and placing it on another free card of lesser power.

Freeing A Clan Card
A captured clan card may be freed if the releasing card(s) is played. The releasing card must have a power grater than the holding card's power. The captured card, the holding card(s) and the releasing card(s) become free cards.
A king can free any imprisoned card of its clan regardless of the power of the cards holding the captured card. The king cannot free a clan card being held by the hanging dragon with out the stars, moon, sun or world.
The player may release any cards that they imprisoned if they are the current player. The may place the holding card(s) back in their hand.
An opponent may release any captured cards if the holding card is of their player card clan. They may only do this if they are the current player, and they reveal to the other opponents their player clan card.

Game Start
The game is designed for two to seven players.

Deal Player Cards
Separate out the player cards from the deck and shuffle them. Deal them out to the players. Set aside any extra leftover player cards, do not reveal them.
The dragon tarot titles can be added or removed from the start of the game optionally if there are five or fewer players.

Deal Hand Cards
Deal out the game cards to the players.

Number Of Cards To Deal
2 players deal 18 cards to each player.
3 players deal 15 cards to each player.
4 players deal 14 cards to each player.
5 players deal 11 cards to each player.
6 players deal 9 cards to each player.
7 players deal 8 cards to each player.

Current Player Picking Up Free Cards Of Their Clan
If the current player reveals their player clan card they may pick up any of their clan cards on their turn if they are free and place them in their hand.

Current Player's Order Of Play

1: The current player picks up one card either from the deck or a free card from the table. If the current player has no cards in their hand they draw four cards from the deck and may not pick up any from the table.
2: The current player imprisons a clan card.
3: The current player may do as many of the following moves they wish:

a: Play any turn based cards.
b: Release captured clan cards.
c: Imprison more clan cards.
d: Pick up free cards of the current player's clan from the table.
e: Free any cards that the current player previously imprisoned.
f: Pick up any of the opponents holding cards that are the same as the current players clan.

4: When the player is finished with all their moves they must discard one card. If the player was unable to imprison a clan card they must discard two cards.
Discarding finishes the current players turn. If the current player no longer has any cards in their hand, their turn is finished.
All discarded cards are discarded face down so other opponents can't see them.

Special Cards:

Fool - The fool will nullify a opponents move, but it can not cancel an imprisonment. Must be played on another opponents turn. Magician - The magician allows the current player to draw 5 cards from the top of the deck.
High Priest - Look at and reveal one card from any opponents hand, including the player card. The current player my show it to other opponents if they wish.
Emperor - Can free a clan card from the tower. The emperor can be played with the function of any one of the special card except for death and the devil.
Hierophant - The hierophant can be played with other releasing card(s) and will allow the current player to free any captured cards that are held imprisoned as long as they are being held by a lesser power than the power of the releasing card(s).
Lovers - The lovers can join power of one different clans with another clan to capture or release another card, including the emperor.
Chariot - The chariot when played with a holding card, will allow the player to pick up the holding card at any time.
Strength - The strength card will release any capture card as long as it hasn't been imprisoned by the tower or hanging dragon.
Hermit - The hermit will hide or hold a free card that has just been released for imprisonment until the players turn.
Wheel of Fortune - The current player may draw one card from each player randomly.
Justus - The Justus card may be played to stop an imprisonment, the cards to be imprisoned stay free, and the current player may not try to capture them again that turn.
Hanging Dragon - The hanging dragon when played with a holding card will imprison the captured card until a releasing card is played along with a star, moon, sun or world.
Death - The death card allows a player to remove any card that is in the current players hand from the game.
Temperance - The current player may trade any cards in by discarding any cards they wish and drawing the same number from the deck.
Devil - The devil allows the current player to trade a player card with another player or from any extra cards that have been set aside.
Tower - The tower can imprison any clan card. Only a king or emperor can release the imprisoned card.
Star - The star can release any coins being imprisoned that the current player wishes to release.
Moon - The moon can release any cups being imprisoned that the current player wishes to release.
Sun - The sun can release any wands being imprisoned that the current player wishes to release.
Judgment - The judgment card when played will cause to holder to also be imprisoned along with the captured card. The judgment card has a power of one higher than the holding card.
World - The world can release any swords being imprisoned that the current player wishes to release.

Helpful Game Play Hints
Try to discover what your opponent's player cards are.
Capture your opponent's important cards to slow them down or to block their options.
Play other clan than your own when capturing to imprison to confuse opponents as to what your player clan card is.
Place all of the cards you captured near your table area.
Don't reveal your player card immediately.
Make sure you have enough cards to complete the next turn.

Enjoy the game!

Text version of the rules.

Copyright 2006 ExistingPhantom All rights researved.

Site Last Modifyed: 02-15-2006