You are a company of knights come together for a winter feast. It is a time to rest and to share stories of your year’s adventures. During the year you are warriors, and sometimes you cross swords with one another. But for now you are friends. 

To play this game you will need a deck of Tarot card, separated into Major and Minor Arcana. Shuffle both stacks. 

Creating your knight

Knights can be of any gender, body type, or race. This game is inspired by the romantic aesthetics of Arthurian legend, but you should make your world your own. Play the knight you want to play. 

A Knight needs 3 things:


A name

A crest

A virtue

A quest


A knight’s name should be unique, recognizable, and sound good shouted across a battlefield or banquet hall.

A knight’s crest can feature any combination of animals, symbols, and colors. Draw it if you like, but at the very least describe the major parts.

A knight’s virtue is their most admirable trait. When they die, this is how they will be remembered.

A knight’s quest is what drove them throughout the year. It may be finished, or it may carry on into the new year. 

Once you have created your knight, all players should introduce one another, then follow these steps. 

Each knight chooses one knight they admire and one they frown upon. These feelings do not have to be mutual. Take turns, or have everyone choose privately for increased drama. 

Once the feast’s participants are all accounted for, it is time to begin the stories. Any knight starts, and players take turns telling stories. 

To tell a story, first draw a minor arcana card to determine what type of story you will tell. 
Wands - a story of curses, magic, or nature
Coins or Pentacles - a story of treasures, restoration, or spirit
Swords - a story of combat, honor, or protection
Cups - a story of diplomacy, romance, or courtly intrigue

The number of the card indicates how many months you spent on the quest. Describe the challenge set before you and how you rose to meet it.

Next, draw a Major Arcana card to determine how the story resolves. Finish telling the tale. Make sure it’s one your knight feels confident telling at the feast. Finally, describe the trophy you have brought to the banquet hall and show it off for all to admire. Display this trophy, in the form of the Major Arcana card, in front of you at the table however works best. Once everyone has sufficiently admired your trophy, invite the next knight to take the stand.

Play continues until one knight has described stories taking place over more than 12 months. At this point the night devolves into friendly teasing over the veracity of the tales as the moon’s long beams lie still across the heavy snow. 


This game was made for the 2021 holiday ttrpg jam by whimsy machine, https://whimsy-machine.itch.io/

Art from Unsplash

Olde English font by Dieter Steffman via dafont.com


Thanks to Hannah for Tarot advice!