Hi! I'm new here, not sure if this is exactly the right place to ask, but, what the hey.
I'm a tabletop game designer who utilizes tarot and other oracle decks in my games. I'm very interested in tarot's role in historical games other than tarocchi; I've mined A Wicked Pack of Cards for every mention of a special spread, dealing pattern, court game, or historical oddity. Where else can I look for "court games" or "women's pastimes"?
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
2Hi pnelma,
A very warm welcome to the forum.
I realise this isn’t what you’re looking for, but do you know The Light in the Mist? It’s a very fun solo puzzle game based on tarot. I’ve not gotten very far, but have enjoyed playing it several hours and trying to solve the puzzles integrated into the designs of the cards. Thought I’d mention it, I’m a bit of a board game fan and grabbed this as it was tarot related.
If you know Dummet, his Game of Tarot is, as far as I know, the Bible of tarot gaming. That said, many members here have done so much research since it was published, hopefully someone will have some suggestions for you.
Are there any games you’ve worked on that you’d like to share?
Anyway, welcome, nice to have you here.
A very warm welcome to the forum.
I realise this isn’t what you’re looking for, but do you know The Light in the Mist? It’s a very fun solo puzzle game based on tarot. I’ve not gotten very far, but have enjoyed playing it several hours and trying to solve the puzzles integrated into the designs of the cards. Thought I’d mention it, I’m a bit of a board game fan and grabbed this as it was tarot related.
If you know Dummet, his Game of Tarot is, as far as I know, the Bible of tarot gaming. That said, many members here have done so much research since it was published, hopefully someone will have some suggestions for you.
Are there any games you’ve worked on that you’d like to share?
Anyway, welcome, nice to have you here.
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
3Hi pnelma, welcome to the group!
I'd like to find more non-tarocchi uses of the cards as well.
Besides the literary genre of appropriati, there was also the social game described by Girolamo Bargagli, in Dialogo de' giuochi che nelle vegghie sanesi si usano di fare (Dialogue on the Games Played During Sienese Social Evenings), Siena, 1572, p. 77. He doesn't call it "tarocchi appropriati", but the whole aim is to explain, probably cleverly or even poetically, why the trump card is "appropriate" to the person who gets it.
I've included the prior game, a game like some kind of Bassetta but where people stand for the cards!
Paraphrased -
First Game: Bassetta-Like Game
In this game, participants are secretly assigned the names of playing cards (e.g., jack, king, seven, etc.). Two players are selected to act as the main players. One of them pretends to "deal" cards by calling out card names, while the other names a specific card they want to "find." When a card is called, a person from the group, whose secret card name matches the one called, stands up to represent that card. Starting from this person, the group counts off in sequence (first, second, third, etc.) until they reach the person whose secret name matches the card the second player was seeking. The game mimics the mechanics of the card game Bassetta but uses people instead of actual cards.
Second Game: Tarocchi (Appropriati) Game
In this game, each person in the group is secretly given the name of a Tarocchi (tarot) card. After the names are assigned, one participant takes the role of explaining why they believe specific individuals were given particular tarot card names. For example, they might say why they think a certain person was named "The Fool" or "The Emperor," based on their personality, behavior, or other traits. The game involves creative reasoning and social interaction, as the explanations likely spark discussion or amusement among the group.
I'd like to find more non-tarocchi uses of the cards as well.
Besides the literary genre of appropriati, there was also the social game described by Girolamo Bargagli, in Dialogo de' giuochi che nelle vegghie sanesi si usano di fare (Dialogue on the Games Played During Sienese Social Evenings), Siena, 1572, p. 77. He doesn't call it "tarocchi appropriati", but the whole aim is to explain, probably cleverly or even poetically, why the trump card is "appropriate" to the person who gets it.
I've included the prior game, a game like some kind of Bassetta but where people stand for the cards!
"I have seen (said Raccolto) the game of bassetta played as it is with cards, by secretly assigning each person the name of a card, such as knave, king, seven, and so on for all the others. Once this is done, one of the two chosen to play together would pretend to deal the cards, and as the other called out a card, they would have one of the group stand up in place of the drawn card. From that person onward, they would start counting first, second, and so on, until the called card was found. And I, too (added Mansueto), have seen the game of Tarocchi played, by giving everyone present the name of a tarot card, and then someone would explain, by calling out, why they thought this or that person had been given the name of a particular tarot card."Io ho veduto (disse il Raccolto) fare ancora alla bassetta, come si fa colle carte, ponendo à ciascun segretamente un nome di carta, come di fante, di re, di sette, & cosi di tutti gli altri. Fatto questo, l'un de' due chiamati à giucare insieme fingueva di fare le carte, & come l'altro chaimava la carta, faceva levare uno della brigata in piedi, in luogo della carta alzata, & da quel tale in sù, si cominciava à contar prima, & seconda, fin che si veniva la chiamata carta à trovare. Et io ancora (sogiunse il Mansueto) ho veduto fare il giuoco de Tarocchi, ponendo a tutti li circostanti un nome di tarocco, & qualcun di poi à dichiarar chiamando, per quale cagione stimasse, che à questo & a quello il nome à un tal tarocco fosse stato posto.
Paraphrased -
First Game: Bassetta-Like Game
In this game, participants are secretly assigned the names of playing cards (e.g., jack, king, seven, etc.). Two players are selected to act as the main players. One of them pretends to "deal" cards by calling out card names, while the other names a specific card they want to "find." When a card is called, a person from the group, whose secret card name matches the one called, stands up to represent that card. Starting from this person, the group counts off in sequence (first, second, third, etc.) until they reach the person whose secret name matches the card the second player was seeking. The game mimics the mechanics of the card game Bassetta but uses people instead of actual cards.
Second Game: Tarocchi (Appropriati) Game
In this game, each person in the group is secretly given the name of a Tarocchi (tarot) card. After the names are assigned, one participant takes the role of explaining why they believe specific individuals were given particular tarot card names. For example, they might say why they think a certain person was named "The Fool" or "The Emperor," based on their personality, behavior, or other traits. The game involves creative reasoning and social interaction, as the explanations likely spark discussion or amusement among the group.
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
4If you haven't already come across it, Caos del Triperuno by Teofilo Folengo contains a game similar to the tarocchi appropriati improv game that Ross just mentioned:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160115015 ... _Triperuno
Something you are definitely likely to know about already is the recent combat-style games that use tarot cards, which Simon Kenny has written about in two articles in The Playing-Card:
https://i-p-c-s.org/journal/authorindex.php#block75
(click Kenny's name to see the articles)
https://web.archive.org/web/20160115015 ... _Triperuno
Something you are definitely likely to know about already is the recent combat-style games that use tarot cards, which Simon Kenny has written about in two articles in The Playing-Card:
https://i-p-c-s.org/journal/authorindex.php#block75
(click Kenny's name to see the articles)
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
5Thanks so much! It is nice to be here :3Robert wrote: 17 Apr 2025, 08:41 Hi pnelma,
A very warm welcome to the forum.
I realise this isn’t what you’re looking for, but do you know The Light in the Mist? It’s a very fun solo puzzle game based on tarot. I’ve not gotten very far, but have enjoyed playing it several hours and trying to solve the puzzles integrated into the designs of the cards. Thought I’d mention it, I’m a bit of a board game fan and grabbed this as it was tarot related.
If you know Dummet, his Game of Tarot is, as far as I know, the Bible of tarot gaming. That said, many members here have done so much research since it was published, hopefully someone will have some suggestions for you.
Are there any games you’ve worked on that you’d like to share?
Anyway, welcome, nice to have you here.
The Light in the Mist looks so cool! :V I will absolutely check that out, it sounds right up my alley. Honestly I'm very interested in any tarot or tarot-inspired games, including contemporary games. There is a growing scene of tarot designers making games on itch.io that I've been paying attention to recently but their archive only goes back to about 2018; and I'm not very well versed in board games at all, so I really appreciate the recommendation.
I'll give the Game of Tarot another look. It seemed to me to be mostly variations of tarocchi over the years, but there's a good chance I missed other stuff skimming through it.
My games have been really centered on exploring the wealth of procedural generation and interpretation that tarot reading offers. I designed my own oracle deck inspired by tarot called Spindlewheel and made a bunch of games for playing with it (as well as some other stuff). Most Spindlewheel games are backwards-compatible with tarot decks, provided you understand your deck pretty well(which i would hazard y'all won't have a problem with ^_^').
Oh that is fascinating! I hadn't heard of the Bassetta game before. Thank you so much for the translation!!Ross Caldwell wrote: First Game: Bassetta-Like Game
In this game, participants are secretly assigned the names of playing cards (e.g., jack, king, seven, etc.). Two players are selected to act as the main players. One of them pretends to "deal" cards by calling out card names, while the other names a specific card they want to "find." When a card is called, a person from the group, whose secret card name matches the one called, stands up to represent that card. Starting from this person, the group counts off in sequence (first, second, third, etc.) until they reach the person whose secret name matches the card the second player was seeking. The game mimics the mechanics of the card game Bassetta but uses people instead of actual cards.
Second Game: Tarocchi (Appropriati) Game
In this game, each person in the group is secretly given the name of a Tarocchi (tarot) card. After the names are assigned, one participant takes the role of explaining why they believe specific individuals were given particular tarot card names. For example, they might say why they think a certain person was named "The Fool" or "The Emperor," based on their personality, behavior, or other traits. The game involves creative reasoning and social interaction, as the explanations likely spark discussion or amusement among the group.
Oh extremely good pulls, thank you so much! I actually hadn't seen Battle of Tarot before, this looks cool. Most of my games experience is in the "storygames" kind of ttrpg space, though I'm hoping to creep a little further out of my niche.Nathaniel wrote: If you haven't already come across it, Caos del Triperuno by Teofilo Folengo contains a game similar to the tarocchi appropriati improv game that Ross just mentioned:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160115015 ... _Triperuno
Something you are definitely likely to know about already is the recent combat-style games that use tarot cards, which Simon Kenny has written about in two articles in The Playing-Card:
https://i-p-c-s.org/journal/authorindex.php#block75
(click Kenny's name to see the articles)
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
6
A friend suggested what I'm looking for are probably actually called "parlor games" so I'll be scouring 17-1800's newspapers and magazines for any that involve tarot. I'll post again if I find anything interesting!
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
7That sounds like a very sensible lead, and “parlor games” is exactly the sort of terminology that unlocks older sources that modern searches miss. Digging into 17th–18th century periodicals feels like the right approach, especially given how tarot often sat at the crossroads of play, symbolism, and social ritual. There’s a similar satisfaction in narrowing your focus with intent — you can follow niche leagues and matches with a clear reason to watch, even on platforms like 1xbet rdc, where context matters. Do keep us posted if you uncover anything intriguing.
Last edited by remgeros on 21 Dec 2025, 12:46, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Tarocchi Appropriati and other Court Games?
8From 1602 Bologna, there is Giulio Cesare Croce's description, possibly fictional, in Lotto Festevole, fatto in Villa, Fra una nobil schiera di Cavalieri & di Dame, con i Trionfi de’ Tarrochi, esplicati in lode delle dette Dame, & altri bei trattenimenti da spasso (Bologna: Vittorio Benacci, 1602), online in BUB Digitale, https://bub.unibo.it/it/bub-digitale/gi ... d=17_X_026, from a copy in the Biblioteca Comunale dell’Archiginnasio, Bologna. In English, the title would be Festive Lottery, done in a Villa, Among a noble group of Knights & Ladies, with the Triumphs of the Tarocchi, explained in praise of the said Ladies, & other beautiful entertainments.
Croce describes (or imagines) a meeting of men and women of the Bolognese nobility who gathered in August “under a very noble Loggia [a kind of elegant garden shelter] in the Villa.” The participants choose to recite twenty octaves (8 line poems) dedicated to the triumph cards of the Tarocchi, each to be paired with a lady. Two vases are therefore prepared, the first containing the “scribblings” on small sheets bearing the names of each lady, and the second having the gifts to be offered to each of them. Croce then reports the names of the Ladies, the titles of the triumphs, and how the gentlemen proceeded “so that the thing would proceed fairly.” Finally, there are the 20 octaves dedicated to the ladies, with the Emperor and Empress replacing the Bolognese "four papi."
That would suggest that at least some of the multitude of compositions consisting of short verses, each to a named lady and referencing one of the trumps, were intended to be read aloud at social gatherings where the ladies were present.
That the type of game described by Bargagli in 1572 (see Ross's post earlier) endured over the centuries is testified to by an account that Franco Pratesi found from the 18th or 19th century, reported in his “Tarot in Bologna: Documents from the University Library,” The Playing-Card 17, No. 4 (May 1989), p. 143 (online at http://naibi.net/A/21-TARBO-Z.pdf, (the 7th page of the naibi.net version), citing Archiginnasio di Bologna, Archivio Gozzadini, Manoscritti letterali, 31. The document, he says, is:
Croce describes (or imagines) a meeting of men and women of the Bolognese nobility who gathered in August “under a very noble Loggia [a kind of elegant garden shelter] in the Villa.” The participants choose to recite twenty octaves (8 line poems) dedicated to the triumph cards of the Tarocchi, each to be paired with a lady. Two vases are therefore prepared, the first containing the “scribblings” on small sheets bearing the names of each lady, and the second having the gifts to be offered to each of them. Croce then reports the names of the Ladies, the titles of the triumphs, and how the gentlemen proceeded “so that the thing would proceed fairly.” Finally, there are the 20 octaves dedicated to the ladies, with the Emperor and Empress replacing the Bolognese "four papi."
That would suggest that at least some of the multitude of compositions consisting of short verses, each to a named lady and referencing one of the trumps, were intended to be read aloud at social gatherings where the ladies were present.
That the type of game described by Bargagli in 1572 (see Ross's post earlier) endured over the centuries is testified to by an account that Franco Pratesi found from the 18th or 19th century, reported in his “Tarot in Bologna: Documents from the University Library,” The Playing-Card 17, No. 4 (May 1989), p. 143 (online at http://naibi.net/A/21-TARBO-Z.pdf, (the 7th page of the naibi.net version), citing Archiginnasio di Bologna, Archivio Gozzadini, Manoscritti letterali, 31. The document, he says, is:
To which Franco adds:a loose sheet with a list of five Penitenze, forfeits in party games: 1) obtain something from everybody and finally give everything back in order, 2) ask something in turn to everybody’s ear while he answers loud; 3) tell a tale; 4) paragoni ciascuno de gli Astanti à un trionfo de Tarochini, compare everybody of those present with a triumph of tarocchini; 5) say to everybody which profession should be suitable to him and why.
The list can be dated to the 18th or, more probably, to the 19th century. It shows how our subject was still one of the most diffused ingredients of party games.