EnriqueEnriquez wrote:
Reading Huck’s post a question came to mind: how many members here know how to play tarot?
That's a good question ...
... I for my part have no opportunity to play the game, but I'm experienced in the kind of game and easily learn them, cause the important tricks and the experience with it is easily transportable to a variation).
I've to add something to that what I wrote yesterday ... there is a second passage, which also refers to cards of equal rank, though at this place it's not the question of the 2 highest trumps, but of the 4 Papi. Who wins the trick, if cards of equal rank (as there are probably two emperors and two popes) meet each other in one trick. There must have been a criterium of decision, usually the "first played" or the "last played" of the 4 four should win the trick. And what happens, if in such a case a third trump, higher than emperors and popes, is also in the trick?
Marco's translation wrote:Now you do not have to be surprised that when playing the Emperor, of a lesser authority and dignity than the Popes, sometimes he wins and takes them: in my opinion, the Inventor wanted to signify that, as we can read in ancient and modern Histories, it often happens that the Emperors win and imprison the Popes, sometimes for fault and rightful causes that push them to do so, as it is written about Boniface VIII, other times for greed and insolence of their Captains, as almost at our times happened to the Blessed Clemente VII, whose dignity, together with the unhappy Cardinals [12] and the rest of the Holy priests was cruelly offended by the fierce greed and unlimited desire of gold of the Barbarous soldiers of the very August and Undefeated Emperor Charles V.
Another observation to the 4 Papi, which I already told to Ross: In one of the Austrian Tarock variants called "Königsrufen" (calling a king), we have a similar handling of the 4 lowest cards (which are there the Trumps 1,2,3,4, ... not as the Papi 2,3,4,5), though more complex:
An easy way to play the game is described at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6nigrufen
And more complex at:
http://www.pagat.com/tarot/koenig.html
At the simpler Wikipedia description we see, that there are specific names for the cards:
1 Pagat
2 Uhu
3 Kakadu
4 Marabu
and the aim is given as to get the last trick with this card (which has to be announced)
Uhu, Kakadu and Marabu are bird names and so the whole group is addressed as Voegel (birds, not Papi). Apparently the inventors of this rule were inspired by the -u-ending. Also appaarent it is, that we find here birds as in one of the oldest known games (Michelino deck) and as they also appear in some of the very old German card decks (for instance the game of Master PW, but also others).
Uhu is in English Eagle-Owl, Kakadu is Cockatoo, Marabu is Marabou Stork. But in players slang the expressions and names could alter in good humor (probably in dependency of the taken drinks).
The pagat description shows more details:
Pagat Ultimo* 1 2 win last trick with the I
Uhu* 2 4 win 2nd last trick with II
Kakadu * 3 6 win 3rd last trick with III
Marabu* 4 8 win 4th last trick with IIII
A Marabu has to win the 4th last trick and gets much bonuspoints (8, which is VERY MUCH in this game), the others as ranked.
The rules to this special event of the game are very complex, but this is usual in Königsrufen anyway. It has a lot of bidding stages and also Bonus points. The game has also a way to capture the highest trump, though not with the second highest trump (called "Mondfang"), but with the help of the Sküs (Fool). And even the Sküs could be captured (called Sküsfang or Emperor's trick) , but only with the help of Pagat and World (called "Mond").
The deck is reduced, they play with 54 cards. An interesting game, very similar to Doppelkopf.