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Shakes and Ladders
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In the lies game it has recently been suggested that all of Shakespeare's plays were based on board games (the only surviving example, of course, being Othello). So here's an opportunity to give full details of the remainder...
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Elsinore, a collectible card game. Here are a few examples of the cards in the standard starter set.
Ghost (Common)
Strikes fear into the player attacked. If successful, the player misses a turn.
"most foul, strange, and unnatural"
Horatio (Common)
Defends against Ghost attacks.
"These are but wild and whirling words."
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Uncommon)
Each of these cards may be used to spy on another player, who must reveal all the cards he holds at that moment. A player who holds one of each of these may play both, announce "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead", and move directly to Elsinore. The cards are then withdrawn from play.
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead."
Irresolution (Common)
When played as an attack, causes the attacked player to forgo all attacks for two turns. Played as a defence, the player sits out two turns but is immune to attacks for those turns.
"To be or not to be, that is the question."
Conscience (Common)
As Indecision, but the effects last only one turn.
"Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all."
Madness (Common)
As Indecision, but the effects last three turns, or until the effect is dispelled.
"And with a look so piteous in purport / As if he had been loosed out of hell"
Hamlet's cigars (Uncommon)
Restores sanity to a character under the influence of Madness.
"Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet."
Hamlet's Hat (Uncommon)
This hat's brim magically expands as necessary to shield the wearer's cigar from rain. When a player's hand includes both Hamlet's Cigars and Hamlet's Hat, the player is immune to Madness and Ghosts.
"For this relief much thanks: 'tis bitter cold."
Travelling players (Uncommon)
When this card is exposed in a player's hand, his Conscience attacks have double effect.
"You could, for a need, study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines whch I would set down and insert in't? could you not?"
Foil (Common)
A player attacked by a Foil may defend by playing a Foil, to which the attacker may play another Foil (if he has one), and so on. The attack succeeds if the attacker is the last to play a Foil.
"These foils have all a length?"
Envenom'd Foil (Rare)
Behaves as an ordinary Foil, except that when played as the last card of an attack with Foils (by the attacker or defender), the player it is played against dies (is eliminated from the game) after two more complete turns.
"O, I die, Horatio; / This potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit"
Switch foils (Rare)
When an attack ends with an Envenom'd Foil, the defeated player may avoid dying by playing this card to take the Envemon'd Foil into his own hand. The attack then counts as an unsuccessful attack.
"Why, as a woodcock to my own springe, Osric; / I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery."
Poisoned cup (Rare)
Used to attack another player. If successful, that player dies (is eliminated from the game) after two more complete turns. He takes the card into his own hand and can use it to make a similar attack before he dies.
"And in the cup an union shall he throw"
Ruler (Common)
A player may attempt to become King of Denmark by playing a Ruler. Any player may then play a Ruler, until no player wishes to play another Ruler. The last to play a Ruler is now King of Denmark. He takes all the Ruler cards played, and can use each one to negate any attack against him.
"The King is dead! Long live the King!"
Fortinbras (Rare)
If there is no current King of Denmark, playing this card makes the player King of Denmark, and the other players must surrender all their Ruler cards to him. Otherwise, the card has no effect.
"I have some rights of memory in this kingdom, / Which now to claim my vantage doth invite me."
[Raak] I reckon that's marketable ! Brilliant.
*takes notes surreptitiously*
Ok, a week's long enough to wait.

The Shakespearian Tarot Deck.

The Minor Arcana consists of a card for each sonnet, bearing the text of the sonnet printed over an emblem of its meaning. They are divided into four suits: Hearts (Love), Bones (Death), Winds (Fortune or Fate) and Coins (The World). The Major Arcana include a card for each play, divided into a Lower Rank of Comedies, and an Upper Rank of Tragedies. Each card bears a picture of the central character or an emblem of the theme of the play (e.g. The Tempest). There is an extra Major Arcana card ranking above the rest, representing The Playwright.

The deck comes with a book describing the Significances and Correspondences of the cards, methods of fortune telling, and the rules for games that can be played with the deck. All of this esoteric information is derived from a study of the codes hidden in Shakespeare's works, which also prove their authorship by Francis Bacon.

[Raak] I'm frankly surprised that that someone hasn't released that, given The Lord of the Rings Oracle...
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