The Sceptic's Tarot

How well do you know your cards? Have you ever scrutinized them detail by detail?

Here is a tarot game that is not only fun, but also asks you to look at your cards in their finest detail. Furthermore, the game will improve your concentration and sharpen your attention to detail.

This is what you do:

1. Shuffle and draw four cards. Place them face-up in a row in front of you.
2. Starting with the first card and using any criteria (image, colours, keywords, symbols, divinatory meanings), decide why this card is the "odd card out."
3. Now find at least nine additional reasons that card is the odd one out.
4. Move on to prove why the second card is the odd card out, and so on, until you have examined all four cards.

The game gets progressively more difficult as you go beyond reason 5 or so.

How the game works: an example

See if you can find differences I have not noticed!

I drew the following cards: Nine of Swords, Wheel of Fortune, Ten of Wands, and the World:

The Nine of Swords is the odd card out because it's the only card:

1. with a black background instead of  blue
2. with a bed
3. with a blanket
4. with a dark-haired main character
5. with roses
6. set inside instead (a bedroom)
7. showing no activity
8. with a pillow
9. with a mattress
10. dealing with despair

The Wheel of Fortune is the odd card out because it's the only card:

1. with a wheel
2. with writing
3. featuring Anubis
4. featuring books
5. with a snake
6. with a sphinx
7. featuring wings
8. ruled by Jupiter
9. about change
10. about good or bad luck

The Ten of Wands is the odd card out because it's the only card:

1. where someone has his/her back turned
2. showing buildings in the background
3. with a stage-like foreground
4. with trees
5. showing shoes
6. with ten wands
7. where someone is walking
8. with pants
9. where the person is looking at the ground
10. from the Wands suit

The World is the odd card out because it's the only card:

1. with a scarf
2. where someone is dancing
3. where the main character is almost naked
4. featuring a red ribbon
5. with a wreath
6. representing unity
7. belonging to the element earth
8. showing breasts
9. with only two wands
10. with an androgynous main character

Can you see anything else? Let me know!

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