This page discusses some of the structural features of the Decktet which make it different from an ordinary deck of cards. These are provided as possible inspiration for game design. Where a feature has been used in games, examples are given.
Of course, not every game will exploit every feature of the Decktet.
Cross-suited cards
Most cards have two suits each.
This is the most obvious feature of the Decktet, and it is the natural starting place for new designs. Some ways that this feature has been used so far:
- In a trick-taking game, it is possible to trump and follow a non-trump lead with the same card. Ace trump, Ransom trump
- A set of cards showing one of each suit might be as few as three cards or as many as six. Bharg, Terrapin
- It is possible to lay out a line of cards so that each one shares a suit with its neighbor, but the end cards do not share suits at all. Biscuit, Quäsenbö
Variable number of suits per card
Cards have one, two, three suits each.
Although two-suited number cards make up a majority of the deck, not all cards have two suits. One-suited Aces and Crowns together make up a third of the deck. Three-suited Pawns are added in the extended deck.
- A set of cards with every suit may be as few as three cards or as many as six. Bharg
Different numbers of card per rank
There are three of each numbered rank, six Aces, six Crowns, and four Pawns.
This means, for example, that collecting pairs or making a straight is harder with some ranks than with others.
Pairwise suit combinations
Suit combinations do not occur with equal frequency.
In the basic deck: The Moons-Suns, Waves-Leaves, Wyrms-Knots combinations occur three times each, making them more common than any other combination. The Moons-Wyrms, Suns-Leaves, Waves-Knots combinations do not occur at all.
Knowing about these combinations can help your strategy in many games, although no games specifically exploit these facts.
- Since some combinations never occur together, it is possible to have one suit get a bonus and the other a penalty without allowing any card to receive both. Epic?
Suit order
The suits are ordered: Moons, Suns, Waves, Leaves, Wyrms, Knots
Suits on cards are listed in this order. For example, the Discovery (a Suns and Waves card) has the Sun is above the Wave.
- In a trick-taking game, this can be used as a tie-breaker when two cards of the same rank both follow suit. Ace trump
- You get a different distribution of suits if you look at just the top suit on each card than if you look at just the bottom suit. Chicane
Pawns and suits
Each Pawn shares exactly one suit with every other Pawn.
This means that each suit is represented on two different Pawns, so (with Pawns in play) rank is not enough to break ties between cards of the same suit. Also, any two Pawns will have five of the six suits between them.
The same is true of the Courts. But note that it is not true of Pawns and Courts taken together. The Light Keeper (a Pawn) and the Rite (a Court) share no suits and so have all six suits between them. Other Pawn/Crown matches share one or two suits.
Fortune meaning
Every card is either an Ace, an Event, a Location, or a Personality.
See the fortune telling page for more details
- This allows cards to be grouped together in a way that cuts across ranks and suits. Moving day, Epic, Adaman
