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The Fool's Journey is a solitaire card game designed for use with a standard 78-card Tarot deck. In this game the Fool embarks upon a journey in which he acquires wisdom, takes chances, and overcomes numerous challenges with the aid of mysterious helpers.
The Fool is removed from the deck and placed in the gameplay setup to represent the character. The remaining cards serve as challenges (Trumps), wisdom (coins), strength (batons), volition (swords), vitality (cups), chance (aces), and helpers (royals). An adventure is created by laying out cards in groups of four. Progress is made through the journey by playing three of the four adventure cards. The fourth card serves as the foundation for a new adventure.
Volition cards may be equipped to engage individual challenges, depleting them of their power. Strength may be equipped to endure multiple challenges with any excess power from a challenge depleting the Fool's vitality. Vitality cards are used to replenish this value. Wisdom cards are used to deploy Helpers that double the value of a Vitality, Strength, or Volition card. Chance cards may be used to reshuffle all adventure cards back into the deck and begin a new adventure.
The game ends when the Fool's vitality reaches zero or he overcomes all challenges and successfully completes the journey.
This game was inspired by thematic solitaire playing card games, especially Scoundrel, Donsol, and Card Crawl as well as the Monomyth described by author Joseph Campbell. It was originally created for the 2016 Solitaire Print and Play Contest.
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"A very enjoyable Tarot-based boss rush kind of game, with flavor provided by your Tarot deck. Very accessible if you find the right deck and marking system." [SGOYT]
"This is a great, light, “boss rush” kind of game that demonstrates the flexibility of the Tarot deck. Easy to learn, quick to set up and play. Slightly too easy to win, but also very easy to increase…" [SGOYT]
"The Fool's Journey is a wonderful game to use a Tarot deck, and provides plenty of variants to customize the experience for a greater challenge." [SGOYT]
"The Fool's Journey is an enjoyable and pleasant way to see all of the artwork in a Tarot deck by overcoming challenges and making some interesting choices." [SGOYT]
"The Fool's Journey utilizes an entire Tarot deck as one guides an individual on a journey complete with challenges, wisdom, helpers, and more." [SGOYT]
"An interesting assortment of challenges ended up returning near the end to cut the journey short, yet this was another enjoyable experience with the artwork of a Tarot deck." [SGOYT]
"Guiding a Fool through a lifelong journey of various challenges presents some interesting decisions, but may work best with an increased difficulty level." [SGOYT]
"A fairly quick game makes use of a Tarot deck in excellent ways, showcasing the artwork and bringing the cards to life to simulate an individual's journey." [SGOYT]