Tarot of Cthulhu: Major Arcana - Revision history

Ywhateley: Added wikilinks.

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Added wikilinks.

Dce at 05:06, 14 April 2011

2011-04-14T05:06:39Z

Dce at 02:14, 14 April 2011

2011-04-14T02:14:00Z

Dce: Created page with "==Details== ''Front Cover'' '''Publisher:''' Ronin Arts '''Product Code:''' 002 '''Publishing Year:''' 2008 '''Pages:''' 38 '''Cover..."

2011-04-14T02:12:15Z

Created page with "==Details== thumb|''Front Cover'' '''Publisher:''' Ronin Arts '''Product Code:''' 002 '''Publishing Year:''' 2008 '''Pages:''' 38 '''Cover..."

New page

==Details==
[[Image:Tarot of Cthulhu.jpg|thumb|''Front Cover'']]

'''Publisher:''' [[Ronin Arts]]

'''Product Code:''' 002

'''Publishing Year:''' 2008

'''Pages:''' 38

'''Cover Price:''' $19.11

'''Author(s):''' [[Kenneth Hite]]

'''Artist(s):''' [[Kenneth Hite]], [[Phil Reed]]

'''Setting(s):''' Non-Specific

'''Format(s):''' PDF and Print-on-Demand Softcover

==Contents==
While the title of this item may suggest that it is a deck of cards, it is actually a book containing images of cards. Twenty-two monochrome line drawings are provided, showing the Major Arcana of a uniquely Cthulhu Mythos tarot. The book also includes a (fictitious) history of the designs, notes
on the interpretation of each card and ideas on using the cards in a ''Call of Cthulhu'' game.

The book comprises the following sections:
* Introduction,
* The Tarot of Cthulhu: A Hypothetical Provenance
* The Twenty-Two cards of the Major Arcana
* A Speculative Minor Arcana
* Using the Tarot of Cthulhu in Roleplaying Games
* Recommended Readings

==The Tarot Deck==
As with most standard Tarot decks, the Tarot of Cthulhu is made up of seventy-eight cards, only twenty-two of which (The Major Arcana) are pictured
in this book. Some text notes are given suggesting titles for the remaining cards.

The Major Arcana cards are shown in the table below (along with the correspondance to the common names of the Rider-Waite cards)

{| border="1" align="center" style="text-align:left;"
! no
! Tarot of Cthulhu Card Name
! Rider-Waite
|-
|0. || Azathoth || ''The Fool''
|-
|1. || Yog-Sothoth || ''The Magician''
|-
|2. || Abhoth || ''The High Priestess''
|-
|3. || Shub Niggurath || ''The Empress''
|-
|4. || Cthulhu || ''The Emperor''
|-
|5. || Hastur || ''The Hierophant''
|-
|6. || Futility || ''The Lovers''
|-
|7. || The Sigil || ''The Chariot''
|-
|8. || Chaos || ''Strength''
|-
|9. || Tsathoggua || ''The Hermit''
|-
|10. || Power || ''Wheel of Fortune''
|-
|11. || Insanity || ''Justice''
|-
|12. || Cthugha || ''The Hanged Man''
|-
|13. || The Pursuer || ''Death''
|-
|14. || Despair || ''Temperance''
|-
|15. || Nyarlathotep || ''The Devil''
|-
|16. || The Dolmens || ''The Tower''
|-
|17. || Algol || ''The Star''
|-
|18. || Fear || ''The Moon''
|-
|19. || The Eclipse || ''The Sun''
|-
|20. || Doom || ''Judgement''
|-
|21. || Failure || ''The World''
|-
|}

The Minor Arcana of the deck is, as is traditional, divided into four suits. For the Tarot of Cthulhu, the following suits (and their themes) are
as follows:
* '''Suit of Mirrors:''' represents Light, and is made up of historical (and pre-historical) individuals who represent the lineage of human magicians
* '''Suit of Rings:''' represents Time, and is made up of images depicting the history of Earth from Ubbo-Sathla, through to humanity and beyond
* '''Suit of Keys:''' represents Geometry, and is made up of cards depicting dimensions, planes and the like
* '''Suit of Stones:''' represents Gravity, and is made up of depiction of scenes from alien planets

==''Call of Cthulhu'' Mechanics==
The book includes a short section with rules for using the deck as an in-game artifact. Most of the rules relate to effects associated with each of the Major Arcana cards (e.g., adding percentiles to the chance of a spell succeeding)

The in-game deck is referred to as the "Deck of Borellus"; there also exists a "Book of Borellus" discussing the divinatory abilities of the cards. Game statistics are given for this book

Also included are some brief thoughts on treating the cards as a Keeper accessory for generating plots or story ideas. To this end there is a table assigning some abstract "event" to each of the Minor Arcana cards.

==Front Cover Text==
No additional text.

==Back Cover Text==
'''"They had, indeed, come themselves from the stars, and brought Their images with Them." -- H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"'''

Twenty-two of Their images, to be precise. For the first time ever in Full Edwardian Colour, the Major Arcana of the Cthulhu Mythos unfold beneath your avid gaze. This is the ''Tarot of Cthulhu: Major Arcana''!

* DISCOVER the symbolism cunningly hidden in the bizarre drawings!
* REVEAL the Awesome Lies behind this deck's creation!
* SHUDDER at the cosmic hints within the Minor Arcana, described here for the first time!
* BLAST your players' Sanity to shreds!
* FORETELL THE FUTURE of your own horror games!

Kenneth Hite, having broadcast the ''Suppressed Transmissions'', dreamed the ''Nightmares of Mine'', and pieced together the ''Dubious Shards'' of the Cthulhu Mythos, now lays bare the secrets of the timeless Tarot of Cthulhu! With fully licensed rules for ''Call of Cthulhu'', and with story-building methods and mechanics suitable for any game of Cthulhoid horror, great and terrifying gaming is only as far away as the turn of a card.

==Comments / Trivia==
Several of the cards presented in this book were previously printed in [[Dubious Shards]].

The name "Borellus" associated with the in-game version of the deck is drawn from the name of alchemist named in [[The Case of Charles Dexter Ward]].

This book should not be confused with several actual Lovecraft-themes decks of Tarot cards that have been produced over the years, including Donald Tysons all-colour "Necronomicon Tarot".

==Links==

==Spoilers - Keepers Eyes Only==
'''Players should not read any further.'''


Comment here to Keepers about this book.
Comments on specific Scenarios and Campaigns
go on their respective pages.
Keep DISCUSSION on the talk page.

[[Category:CoC:Supplements]]
__NOTOC__

@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 Several of the cards presented in this book were previously printed in [[Dubious Shards]]. The designs themselves were drawn by Hite back in the 1980s for use within his own ''Call of Cthulhu'' game.
-The name "Borellus" associated with the in-game version of the deck is drawn from the name of alchemist named in  [[The Case of Charles Dexter Ward]].
+The name "Borellus" associated with the in-game version of the deck is drawn from the name of alchemist named in  [[The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (fiction)]].
 This book should not be confused with several actual Lovecraft-themes decks of Tarot cards that have been produced over the years, including Donald Tysons all-colour "Necronomicon Tarot".

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 * Introduction,
 * The Tarot of Cthulhu: A Hypothetical Provenance
-* The Twenty-Two cards of the Major Arcana
+* The Twenty-Two cards of the Major Arcana (each with a relevant quote from a Mythos tale plus notes by Hite about the symbology of his drawing)
 * A Speculative Minor Arcana
 * Using the Tarot of Cthulhu in Roleplaying Games
@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 ==''Call of Cthulhu'' Mechanics==
-The book includes a short section with rules for using the deck as an in-game artifact. Most of the rules relate to effects associated with each of the Major Arcana cards (e.g., adding percentiles to the chance of a spell succeeding)
+The book includes a short section with rules for using the deck as an in-game artifact. Most of the rules relate to effects associated with each of the Major Arcana cards (mostly spell-like effects, or improvements to summoning chances)
-The in-game deck is referred to as the "Deck of Borellus"; there also exists a "Book of Borellus" discussing the divinatory abilities of the cards. Game statistics are given for this book
+The in-game deck is referred to as the "Deck of Borellus"; there also exists a Latin book written by Borellus discussing the divinatory abilities of the cards. This book is called Novum Iamblichum; game statistics are given.
 Also included are some brief thoughts on treating the cards as a Keeper accessory for generating plots or story ideas. To this end there is a table assigning some abstract "event" to each of the Minor Arcana cards.
@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 ==Comments / Trivia==
-Several of the cards presented in this book were previously printed in [[Dubious Shards]].
+Several of the cards presented in this book were previously printed in [[Dubious Shards]]. The designs themselves were drawn by Hite back in the 1980s for use within his own ''Call of Cthulhu'' game.
 The name "Borellus" associated with the in-game version of the deck is drawn from the name of alchemist named in  [[The Case of Charles Dexter Ward]].

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 '''Publisher:''' [[Ronin Arts]]
-'''Product Code:''' 002
+'''Product Code:''' HITE002
 '''Publishing Year:''' 2008