Arcanoid [Une version française de cette page est également disponible.]

Abstract

This page describes an invented card game that is played with tarot cards, if possible divinatory tarot (but ordinary tarot cards will do also). The game has been called pseudo-tarot for a time, until someone suggested the much better name arcanoid (with a ‘c’, mark: with a ‘k’ the name refers to a well-known arcade game).

The requirements that the rules were to meet have been outlined in an entry in my weblog.

The rules have known some variation over time: the version described in this version of this page shall be codenamed “DRESDEN” (there is no logic or reason behind this name, I just needed an arbitrary label). Further variants, with different names, will be described later on.

However, there is supposed to be no difference in meaning between this English version of the rules and the French version: both are equally authoritative. In case of conflict, the version closer to the spirit of the rules should apply.

Table of Contents

The cards

The deck is a tarot deck of seventy-eight cards, which we describe here for convenience:

Principles of the game

The game can be played by two to ten players (though the optimal number is between four and six). Each game consists of normally five rounds . At the start of each round, the cards are dealt anew and play proceeds independently from the other rounds; at the end of the round, the (up to four) “battle winners” are determined. At the end of the game, only this information from each round is used to determine the overall winner.

Each round consists of four battles , which take place simultaneously, one on each of four (abstract) battlefields , corresponding to each of the four suits (so, swords, staves, cups and coins). The round determines four winners, one for each of the battlefields (there is always exactly one winner per round for each battlefield), but it is quite possible for one player to win several battles in the same round (even all four of them). The game winner is normally determined, after five rounds, as the player having won the greatest number of battles, irrespective of suit, but in the case of a draw, there are more complicated rules to determine the actual winner.

Each round consists of a number of turns, during which each player plays successively. The moves which can be made during a turn will be described later. Some moves are said to commit a player in a battlefield: in such a move, the player puts down some cards which will represent his “forces” on that battlefield; a committing move is irrevocable, and except for the Tower (one of the major arcana) nothing can change the committed cards, add or remove anything, until the end of the round. The round ends when all players have made a committing move for each one of the battlefields, and it is then by comparing the committed forces, battlefield by battlefield, that the winner of each battle is determined. As soon as a given player has committed on the fourth battlefield, that player is removed from play for the remainder of the round, and his cards are discarded.

During the course of a round, before and after each move, each player normally has six card in his hand. It cannot be more (barring the effect of some major arcana). It can be less, but only in the case when the deck is empty, and then the round will continue at most until all players have run out of cards (at which point they have no choice but to abdicate on the remaining battlefields, if any—though the order in which they do so might be important). When the deck is not empty, each move is concluded by drawing from the deck the number of cards required to complete the cards in one's hand to six (or to empty the deck).

The basic principle of a committing move is to put down any number of cards from one's hand, all of the suit that matches the battlefield for which one is committing (but there are exceptions to this). At the end of the round (again, when all players have committed on each battlefield), the forces are compared in principle by adding the total number of figures committed by each player on each battlefield: for example, if one player committed the four, six and seven of swords (on the battlefield of swords) and another player the nine and ten, the latter would win the battle of swords (provided the other players did not commit something even higher). Remember that once cards have been committed on a particular battlefield, they can never be changed.

Making a move

Passing one's turn is not permitted: each player must, when he is to move, either perform some committing move, or perform some move that causes him to remove at least one card from his hand (and consequently draw, unless the deck is empty) or perhaps from some other store of cards (see, e.g., the description of the major arcanum Strength below).

One move that is always possible consists of discarding a card: the player then removes one card from his deck (discarding more than one card at a time is not permitted) and puts it, face down (without showing it to the other players), on the discard pile. The player then completes the move by drawing a card from the deck, unless the deck is empty. Any card can be discarded, there are no exceptions to this.

In all of what follows, the verb “ to discard ” will refer to the action of putting a card face down, without showing it to the other players, on the discard pile (see below).

We now leave aside all major arcana, whose effects we will detail later, and concentrate on the fifty-six suit cards, to describe how to make committing moves.

To make a committing move on a battlefield, the player sets down a certain number of cards from the corresponding suit. It is possible to set down no cards at all: in fact, that is the only possible move which does not remove any cards from the player's hand (but it is allowed nonetheless, as it is a committing move), and it is therefore the only possible move when a player has no cards left (because the deck is empty); in that case, the player must clearly state what battlefield he is committing nothing on, and is said to abdicate on that battlefield, which he cannot win (unless all other players also abdicate, which should be exceedingly rare). Otherwise, one can put down any number of numeric cards (from ace through ten) of the corresponding suit, or the knave alone (or the knave with only an ace), or the knight alone (or the knight with only an ace), or the queen and the king together. In the first case, the force on that battlefield is determined by adding the numbers of the cards in question (with specific rules in case of tie); otherwise, the knave is worth fifteen (actually a little less, say, fourteen and a half; an ace does not add to the value of the knave), the knight is worth eighteen (actually a little less, say, seventeen and a half; an ace does not add to the value of the knight), and the queen and king together are worth more than anything else (seventy, say), so they automatically win the battlefield in question (actually, some major arcana might be worth even more, as explained later).

No matter what kind of move is made, the player ends by drawing, if possible, from the deck the number of cards necessary to complete his hand.

The deck and discard piles

The discard pile receives all discarded cards, as well as the cards of the players who have finished for the round (having committed on each battlefield). Cards committed on a battlefield are not put on the discard pile: rather, they are left on the table until the end of the round. Certain major arcana, also, are not discarded when used but rather set aside for the remainder of the round (so they will not come back into play even if the deck is refilled).

The deck initially consists of all undealt cards. While the deck is not empty, cards are drawn from it at the end of each move to complete the player's hand to six cards or to empty the deck (except when the player has committed on each battlefield and is removed from play).

Refilling the deck

When the deck becomes empty, all players must give their opinion (in playing order, starting from the one who drew the last card, and including those who are removed from play because they have already committed on all battlefields) as to whether the deck should be refilled: if a single player dissents, the deck is not refilled, and hands are left to run out of cards; however, if all players agree, then the cards in the discard pile (if any) are shuffled and reused as new deck, after what play is resumed where it was left off (and the player whose move resulted in emptying the deck continues to complete his hand to six cards, if necessary).

Of course, if the deck and the discard pile are both empty, then there is nothing to do but leave the deck empty (and even if some cards are discarded at a later point, they cannot be brought back to the deck). Further note that if a player is in the process of drawing cards when the deck becomes empty, he should give his opinion as to whether the deck should be refilled (which would mean his being able to complete the draw) before looking at the cards that he has been drawing.

Winning battles

The rules for determining the winner of a battle are as follows (in order of decreasing strength):

The World, if committed on a battlefield, wins that battlefield: the rules ensure that it is always committed alone (nothing else can be committed on for given suit if the World has been played on that suit).

The Empress and Emperor, committed together (they cannot be committed separately), form the imperial couple and win the battle against anything else committed on that battlefield. (We might say, for example, that the imperial couple is worth a hundred points.)

and win the battle against anything else committed on that battlefield. (We might say, for example, that the imperial couple is worth a hundred points.) The queen and king (of the given suit), committed together (they cannot be committed separately), form the royal couple (of that given suit) and win the battle against anything but the Empress and Emperor. (We might say, for example, that the royal couple is worth seventy.)

(of that given suit) and win the battle against anything but the Empress and Emperor. (We might say, for example, that the royal couple is worth seventy.) Any court card (knave, knight, queen or king of the given suit), or the Empress or Emperor, committed together with the Lovers (one of the major arcana) forms a so-called illegitimate couple , which wins against anything except a legitimate couple (imperial or royal). Naturally, we will define such a couple to be worth sixty-nine.

, which wins against anything except a legitimate couple (imperial or royal). Naturally, we will define such a couple to be worth sixty-nine. The knight (possibly committed with an ace) wins the battle against the knave or against any combination of numeric cards of total value less than eighteen (up to seventeen, that is).

The knave (possibly committed with an ace) wins the battle against any combination of numeric cards of total value less than fifteen (up to fourteen, that is).

Combinations of numeric cards are ordered according to their total number, where the highest total wins (for example, nine and ten together win against four, six and seven). In case of a draw, the combination with the greatest number of cards wins (for example, four, six and seven together win against eight and nine, because there are three cards to two). If the number of cards are also equal, the combination with the greatest smallest card wins (for example, four, six and seven win against three, five and nine, because the smallest card, four, is greater than the smallest on the other side, three). If even the greatest smallest cards are equal, which can happen only because one of them has been “transmuted” using the Magician, then the commitment with the transmuted card loses.

Every combination beats abdication. When all players abdicate on a battlefield, the first to abdicate wins. Being forced to abdicate by Judgment counts as any other abdication.

Winning the game

After all five rounds have been played, the overall winner is determined according to the following rules:

The total number of battles won is counted for each player. The player with the highest total number of battles won wins the game.

If there is a tie among the players with highest total number of battles won, the number of battles of swords is considered, and the one with the highest total number of battles of swords is the winner. If there is again a tie, the number of battles of staves, cups and coins are considered in that order. (Note: if the deck uses French suits, then the order is, first spades, then clubs, hearts and diamonds.)

If there is still a tie, then the last player to have won a battle of swords is declared the winner. If there is still a tie (which means that none of the top players has won a battle of swords), then the other suits are considered in the same order.

The effect of the major arcana

We now consider each trump in turn.

The Fool (0, or unnumbered) The Fool is played out of turn, immediately after some other player attempts to commit on a battlefield on which the current player has not yet committed: the Fool is put down on the table before the next player plays. The Fool has the effect of stealing the commitment just attempted: instead of being committed for the player who played them, they are committed for the player who put down the Fool. The Fool is then discarded, and the player who put it down draws a card from the deck if necessary (but after the player whose commitment was stolen). The Fool cannot be used to steal a couple of any kind (royal or imperial, legitimate or illegitimate), nor the World, nor an abdication (including Judgment), nor any commitment which contains an ace. However, nothing prevents the Fool from being used to steal a commitment which would have been the last for the player attempting it. The Magician (1) The Magician (best thought of as an alchemist) can be used to transmute a card as it is committed, which has the effect of allowing to use it in any suit of the player's choice. Only numeric suit cards (ace through ten, of any suit—swords, staves, cups and coins) can be transmuted (courts cannot be transmuted), and only one card may be transmuted in a given commitment (which must, therefore, be a numeric commitment, or a single knave or knight). The magician is committed along with the numeric values (but does not add to the commitment's value further than by transmuting the card). For example, it is possible to commit the ten of swords and the ten of staves, together with the Magician, either on the swords (by transmuting staves to swords) or on the staves battlefield (by transmuting staves to swords), scoring twenty points in either case. It is even possible to commit a single numeric card with the Magician, on any battlefield whatsoever. The High Priestess (2) This card is played by showing it to all players, after what it is discarded. The player of the High Priestess then chooses any target player, who shows him his hand. No rule forbids to say what the cards in the hands are (nor is it forbidden to lie), but it is not permitted to show the hand to the other players. The player of the High Priestess draws a new card, and plays again. The Empress (3) The Empress is of no value by itself. It can only be played with the Emperor or with the Lovers. When both Empress and Emperor are possessed by the same player, they can be used together: they are then committed simultaneously on one or two of the player's battlefields to which that player has not yet committed (possibly terminating the player's role in the round). The Empress and Emperor win all battles to which they are committed, even against the queen and king of the given suit. (The cards are not discarded when they are played, they remain where committed.) The Empress and the Lovers can also be committed on one or two battlefields, but they are weaker than the royal couple (see the description of the Lovers for more explanations on illegitimate couples). The Emperor (4) The Emperor is of no value by itself. It can only be played together with the Empress, as explained above, or with the Lovers in the same way as the Empress. The Hierophant (5) This card is played by showing it to all players, after what it is discarded. The player of the Hierophant then chooses one of the four suits, or trumps (major arcana without the Fool) or the Fool alone, and every player, including the caller, shows (to everyone) the cards of that suit in his hand. The Fool need not be shown if trumps are called for: however, the Hierophant can be used to reveal the Fool (and only the Fool). The player of the Hierophant draws a new card, and plays again. The Lovers (6) This card is played by committing it on a battlefield together with a court (king, queen, knight or knave) of that field's suit, or on one or two battlefields with the Empress or Empress. The combination thus formed is called an illegitimate couple and beats any adversary on that battlefield except the combination of queen and king or the combination of Empress and Emperor. The Chariot (7) This card is played simultaneously with others from one's hand (possibly none), by putting them all face up on the table for all players to see. The Chariot then holds the other cards “in reserve”. The same player, at any later point, may use his turn to either add one or two further cards to the chariot (more may be added later), or discard the Chariot and all its reserved cards, or else discard only the Chariot and commit the reserved cards plus possibly others from his hand (provided the rules allow all these cards to be committed together, of course). Note that the Chariot allows more than six cards to be committed on a battlefield. Justice (8) This card is played by showing it to all players, and then leaving it aside for the remainder of the round. It is irrelevant who plays this card, its effect is the same on all players. Six cards (or less if six are not available) are drawn from the deck, face up on the table: these cards, which will be refilled as necessary (and if possible) to remain always six, and always visible, belong to all players, who can all use them as if they were theirs. The player who put down Justice gets to play again. Please see the notes below for special interactions between Justice and the Devil. The Hermit (9) This card is played by putting it down on the table. It gives its player the possibility of playing three times out of turn, immediately after some player's move (possibly his own, possibly even several times in succession, but no more than three times overall). The player is never forced to use these extra moves, however: only his regular move is compulsory. He can choose to play again immediately after having put down the Hermit (and drawn a card if possible) if he wishes, but that will cost him one of the three extra moves. After the three moves have been made, or after the player has completed the round, the Hermit is discarded. The Wheel of Fortune (10) This card is played by showing it to all players, after what it is discarded. The player then draws five cards from the deck (or as many as possible, if fewer), looks at them, and then discards four cards of his choice (or less, if there were not enough cards to draw five) from the total ten in his hand, to bring the total back to six (or more, if Strength is in effect). Strength (11) This card is played by showing it to all players, and then leaving it aside for the remainder of the round. The player then chooses between one of the following two options: “two visible cards” or “one hidden card”. In the first case, he draws two cards from the deck and leaves them face up on the table. In the second case, he draws one card from the deck and adds it to his hand. In either case, one must also remember to draw one last card (to replace Strength itself). The extra cards can then be used, for the remainder of the round, as though it were part of the player's hand (with the important difference that, in the “two visible cards” case, every other player can see them). These cards will be renewed normally (so that the player permanently has seven or eight cards at his disposal, until the deck runs out). The Hanged Man (12) This card is played by showing it to all players, after what it is discarded. The player of the Hanged Man then chooses any target player, possibly himself, thereby causing all of that player's cards to be discarded and new ones to be drawn if possible. (The player of the Hanged Man then draws a card, if necessary and possible, to complete his hand.) Death (13) When this card is played, it terminates the round prematurely: the entire deck is discarded, and cannot be refilled—so the players' hands will be left to run out of cards. Death, of course, has no effect if the deck is already empty. Temperance (14) This card is played by putting it down on the table and specifying a battlefield on which it acts, on which the player who puts it down cannot already have committed (but abdication and Judgment do not count here). Also, the deck must not be empty. Temperance will remain in effect as long as these conditions are satisfied and as long as the player remains in play. As soon as the player who used Temperance commits (other than by abdicating) on the tempered battlefield (which is permitted for him), or when the deck runs out of cards and is not refilled (including when Death is put down), or if the owner finishes the game (by having commmitted on every battlefield, including for example if he abdicates on the tempered battlefield last), Temperance is immediately removed and discarded. The effect of Temperance is to prevent any further commitment (other than abdication, or Judgment), by other players, on the battlefield on which it acts, so long as it acts. The Devil (15) This card is played by showing it to all players, and then leaving it while it is active. It causes six cards (of fewer if six are not available) to be drawn from the deck, which are put face up on the table. (Finally, the player draws another card to complete his hand.) The six cards form the hand of another, daemon , player, who is added to the game, playing just before the player who put down the Devil card, and who is played by that player (the daemon player does not start playing immediately, but only after all other players have played, immediately before the daemon's master's next turn). The daemon player's cards are always shown on the table, for all players to see; apart from that, he is just like an ordinary player. But any battle won by the daemon player at the end of the round is deemed to have been won by the player who put down the Devil. (However, the daemon player is considered as a separate player: so if he commits a five of swords, for example, that card is not added to his allied's forces, it is compared with the rest in the usual way.) When the daemon player has finished playing in the round, the Devil is discarded. Please see the notes below for special interactions between Justice and the Devil. The Tower (16) This card is played by showing it to all players, after what it is discarded. The player can then decommit some cards which have already been committed, on some battlefield, either by himself or by an opponent: this cancels their force on the battlefield. However, it is not possible to decommit a battlefield for a player who has already committed on all four (and therefore ceased to play); nor is it possible to decommit an abdication, or Judgment, or the World. The decommitted cards are discarded (except for the Emperor and Empress or a combination of one of these with the Lovers if they remain committed on another battlefield), and the battlefield is then free again for the player who was the target of the Tower (so new cards can be committed there again). The Star (17) This card is played by showing it to all players, after what it is discarded. The player then calls one of the fifty-six minor arcana (suit cards): if any player has this card in his hand, he must surrender it to the caller, and then draw a card from the deck; otherwise (when the call fails) the caller draws a card from the deck. The Moon (18) This card is identical to the Star, except that if the call fails, the caller has the option of trying a second call (for a different card) before drawing a card. The Sun (19) This card is identical to the Star and the Moon, except that the caller can make up to three calls for a card (or until one succeeds). Alternatively, the caller can choose to call a major arcanum, with the exception of Judgment, the World and the Fool (these cannot be called), but then has only one call. Judgment (20) This card can be committed on any battlefield of any player, provided that player has not yet committed on that battlefield, and Judgment abdicates that battlefield for the target player. (That player is considered to have abdicated at that very instant, not later on when it is his move. If the battlefield was his last, his cards are immediately discarded. The Judgment card is not discarded, however, when it is committed.) The World (21) This card can be committed on any battlefield (but the player must say which upon committing it), provided nothing has been committed, by any player, on that battlefield; even abdication, or Judgment, or a commitment destroyed by the Tower, prevent the World from being used on a battlefield (however, Temperance only temporarily prevents the World from being committed). The World then wins the corresponding battle, and causes all other players to instantly abdicate on that battlefield (possibly terminating their role in the round, in which case their cards are immediately discarded).

Further notes

Here we describe further rules for a plethora of special cases and strange interactions of special cards (such as several major arcana).

Nothing in the rules says that it is not permitted for the players to speak among themselves, or to show cards from their own hand (or cards that they are discarding) to other players.

[1] (The following has already been explained elsewhere, and is repeated here at some length for reference's sake.) In case two numeric commitments have been made, one of which used the Magician to transmute a card, and the two commitments count as equal on all three normal rules for comparison (same total number of points, same total number of cards, same smallest card) then the commitment having a transmuted card and the Magician is deemed weeker than the other. For example, a commitment of the three of swords, the seven of swords and the ten of swords wins against a commitment of the three of staves, the eight of swords, the nine of swords and the Magician (the latter being used to transmute the three of staves to a three of swords). However, a commitment of the three of swords, the seven of swords and the ten of swords loses against a commitment of the five of staves, the six of swords, the nine of swords and the Magician.

[1] Mostly for consistency's sake, it is permitted to commit the Magician along with numeric cards (non-court minor arcana) even if the Magician is not used to transmute anything. The Magician then doesn't change the commitment in any way and can be ignored (but as he is committed, he isn't discarded). The Magician cannot be committed alone, however (whatever this would be worth for).

[1, 1-0] The aces' special role (they can be committed with a single knave or knight, and they protect agains the Fool) is not lost when they are transmuted by the Magician.

[1-21, 1-0] Nothing says that the Magician cannot transmute a numeric card from the suit of a battlefield that the World has been played upon. The reason for pointing this out is that such cards would otherwise be made useless (as are the court cards of the given suit, since they cannot be transmuted). Conversely, if a card of a given suit is played using the Magician to transmute it to another suit, this doesn't preven the World from being played upon the former suit. Lastly, nothing says the Fool can't be used to steal a commitment which has the Magician in it. (This paragraph is a consequence of the remainder of the rules and is just added here for clarity.)

[8-15] The Devil and Justice cancel each other in the following way: if Justice is played after the Devil (and while the daemon player still exists, i.e., hasn't committed everywhere), then the daemon player's cards become Justice cards, and the player who played Justice does not get to play again. The daemon player, however, remains in play (holding no cards on his own, but having access to the Justice cards just like other players, retaining his own commitments and possible Chariot). If the Devil is played after Justice in the round, then the Justice cards become the daemon player's cards (so there is no justice any more), and Justice itself (the arcanum) is discarded. (And even if the daemon player is out of the round, Justice does not reappear.)

[8-11-15] If, at the point where Justice is played, the Devil was in effect and the daemon had played Strength, the Justice gets all of the daemon's cards anyway. In this case, there can be more than six cards in Justice.

[7-8-15] If, at the point where Justice is played, the Devil was in effect and the daemon had made a Chariot, then he remains the owner of that Chariot.

[8] If at some point both Justice cards and a player's hand must be refilled from the deck (typically because a player committed from his own hand and from Justice cards), then Justice cards are served first (this is important in case the deck does not hold enough cards to satisfy both).

[11] Similarly, if a player has some visible Strength cards which must be refilled as well as his hand, then the visible Strength cards are served from the deck before the rest of his hand.

[10-11] If the Wheel of Fortune is played by a player having Strength cards, then that player draws five, to a total of eleven or twelve, and then discards the extra cards of his choice, regularly. If the player discards one or both of his visible Strength cards, then he must choose one or two of the drawn cards (not one that was previously in his hand) to show to all players as new visible Strength cards. If the Wheel of Fortune is played from a visible Strength card, see the following note.

[10-11] If the Wheel of Fortune is played from a player's visible Strength cards, then the player draws one card face up on the table and four to his hand. He then discards either four cards from his hand (and the visible card drawn becomes one of his visible Strength cards), or three from his hand and the visible card, but in that case must elect one of the other drawn cards (not one that was previously in his hand) to show to all players as a new visible Strength card, or two from his hand and the visible card and the other Strength card, but in that case must elect two of the other drawn cards to show to all players as new visible Strength cards.

[8-10] If the Wheel of Fortune is played from the Justice cards, then the player draws one card to replace it among Justice cards, then only draws four cards for his hand, and discards four from the total ten.

[8-11] If Strength is played from a Justice card, then the Strength applies to the Justice cards (which become seven or eight, at the player's choice, if the deck can supply the extra cards). The extra cards do not go to the player who used the card. (However, if the Wheel of Fortune is played from a Justice card then it applies to the player's hand, as explained in the previous note.)

[8-(17, 18, 19)] If the Sun, the Moon or the Star is used from a Justice card, then the called card, if it is found, goes in the Justice cards, and not in the caller player's hand.

[2-15, 2-8] If the daemon player (conjured by the Devil) uses the High Priestess, then every player gets to see the cards of the called player, not just the daemon's master. On the other hand, if the High Priestess is played from a Justice card, then only the player of the High Priestess sees the hand.

[11-15] If the daemon player (conjured by the Devil) uses Strength, then his cards will be visible in any case, and can be one or two in number, at the player's choice.

[10-15] If the daemon player (conjured by the Devil) uses the Wheel of Fortune, then every player gets to see not only the cards finally retained in the daemon's hand, but also every card that was drawn as part of the process.

[15] The daemon player (conjured by the Devil) does not get to give his opinion as to whether the deck should be refilled (only real players, such as the daemon's owner, do—including those who are out of play for the round).

[8-12] The Hanged Man can be used to discard all Justice cards, instead of all of a player's hand, if the player of the Hanged Man so chooses. Justice cards are then refilled from the deck (if possible), and then the player of the Hanged Man draws a card if necessary, as usual. The Hanged Man can even be played on Justice from Justice cards (“Justice hanging itself”).

[7-12] If the Hanged Man is applied to a player having played the Chariot, then the Chariot is discarded along with all its cards and all of the player's cards.

[11-12] If the Hanged Man is applied to a player having played Strength, then the extra cards which the latter confers are discarded along with the rest of the player's cards, and they are refilled from the deck if possible (and before the rest of the player's cards).

[7-(1, 3, 4, 6)] No major arcanum, except the Magician, the Empress, the Emperor, and the Lovers, can be played from the Chariot. For example, if the Chariot is set to contain the World, or Judgment, or the Sun, then there is nothing to do with them but discard them with the rest.

[(2, 3, 8)-9] Although the Hermit allows extra moves, these can only be used after a player has finished playing. In particular, certain cards (the High Priestess, the Hierophant, Justice) allow their user to play again: these have priority over the Hermit, and the Hermit cannot be used to insert a move between the card's action and the second play for that player.

[9-15] If the Devil is used from a Hermit move, then the daemon player is inserted at the point (in the order of players) where the Hermit move was made, rather than immediately before the player's (normal) position. The daemon player does not play immediately, but only after all other players have done so.

[0-8] When the Fool is among the Justice cards, then anyone can steal any commitment that the Fool can steal. So whenever such an commitment is made, all players (including a possible daemon, but except the player who just committed something) are asked, in playing order and starting with the player whose turn is next to come, as to whether they want to use the Fool in Justice. If the Hermit is in use, things are more complicated: see the next note.

[0-8-9] When the Fool is among the Justice cards (see the previous note) and one player (other than the committer of the stealable cards) has Hermit moves remaining, then all players are asked in playing order as to whether they want to use the Fool, but the player with Hermit moves can step in at any point (including at the very start or at the very end) to grab the Fool for himself. However, to do so, he must pledge one of his Hermit moves: the point (in playing order) at which he grabbed the Fool is remembered for the next turn of play, and, providing he is still playing, the Hermit's player is bound to use (and therefore lose) that pledged Hermit move at that same point in playing order (that is, between the same two players) to insert his turn there. [ The really fine print: This means, obviously, that the pledged move cannot be used before that point, nor can it be pledged a second time in the highly unbelievable event that the Fool would occur twice in the Justice cards within a single full game turn. So a pledged move could be considered used, except that the Hermit card is not discarded until the last Hermit moved has actually been used or the player is out of play for the round. Concerning the point in play: If the Fool was grabbed immediately, the Hermit move is pledged to be used before the next normal player's turn; if it was grabbed between two players, it is pledged to be used between the two same players, with the obvious meaning if they leave play in the meantime; if the Fool was grabbed last, i.e., after the player immediately preceding the committer, the move is pledged to be used between those two players. [0-8-9-15]: If a daemon has appeared in the meantime at the pledge point, the pledge only concerns the adjacent non-daemon players, i.e., the pledger can fulfill his pledge either before or after that daemon. ]

one of his Hermit moves: the point (in playing order) at which he grabbed the Fool is remembered for the next turn of play, and, providing he is still playing, the Hermit's player is bound to use (and therefore lose) that pledged Hermit move at that same point in playing order (that is, between the same two players) to insert his turn there. [ ] [17, 18, 19] Nothing says the Star, Moon or Sun can't be used to call a card already in one's hand. This can't be used as a bluff, however, because as in all other cases the called-upon card must be shown to all the players. (And apart from that the effect is quite identical to simply discarding the calling card while showing it.)

[7-(17, 18, 19)] The Star, the Moon and the Sun can all be used to call a card that is in the Chariot. This can be used to remove a single card from the Chariot for any reason. (Of course, only the Sun can remove a major arcanum, and with the usual restrictions.)

[14-(16, 20, 21)] Temperance does not prevent Judgment from being inflicted on the tempered battlefield (just as it does not prevent abdication), nor does it prevent the Tower from being used upon it. It does, however, temporarily prevent the World from being committed upon it (and committing the Wold is one way the player of Temperance can remove the latter).