Playing cards

Playing Cards are used in a wide variety of games, as well as for divination in some cults.

A standard deck consists of cards divided into four suits; two red (hearts and swords), and two black (clubs and crosses). In addition, there may be between one and six 'jokers', which bear am image of Saint Philistine carrying a blank stone tablet. If cards from the deck are lost, it is common to write their name on one of the jokers' tablets and use it as a replacement. In some games, jokers may also be used in-game as whatever card the holder requires.

The cards of each suit include 4 'face' cards:

• Prince (or priest; labelled 'P')
• Knight (or martyr, king, soldier; labelled 'K' or 'M')
• Bishop (labelled 'B'; the card itself often blank except for the suit symbol in one corner. B does not stand for 'Blank', this assertion is heretical)
• Ass (or Ace, Donkey, Fool; usually labelled 'A' or 'O')

There are also 9 'spot' cards which are marked with the numbers 2-10 or (in some cases, most notably on Celtic worlds) 1-9. The face cards are generally regarded as higher value, so that the complete order of value within each suit is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-P-K-B. The Ass is unpredictable, and may come before 1, between the spot and face cards, or before or after the Bishop. In games in which the Ass is the highest ranking card, it is usually assumed to stand for "Archbishop".

Variation: Castilian deck

The Castilian deck has no jokers, and each suit has 10 spot cards, 1-10. If playing games where this makes a difference, the number 1 or 10 card is treated as the Ass, and the Asses are used as jokers.

Variation: Ecclesiastical Cards

In decks sold on board temple ships, the suit of crosses does not have numbered spot cards; instead they have cards labelled with the names of 9 temple ships. These are interpreted as numbers, in order of age, of size, of divine precedence, of when they last visited the world where the game is being played, of biblical order, or of military capability. In this case, the cards have different order in each game, and players are expected to memorise which ship counts as which number. If a player on a world under Divine Law or on a ship loses a game as a result of a mistake in this, any money he had brought to gamble with (and anything he had won in previous rounds) is by law donated to the Church.

Variation: Smoking Deck

Sometimes combined with the Ecclesiastical variation, and commmon within the Vermendanyan Empire, this deck has an additional black suit: Castles. When all five are used, the Crosses are referred to as 'Arcs', and are considered to be either black or red depending on the colour of the last card played by the person to the holder's left. Alternatively, the Cross may be considered to be neither colour.