Playing cards

Cleyran Traditional Decks

The older, traditional decks in use among Cleyrans, especially outside of Cleyr, from which the Tableau Nouveau was derived. Unlike many other cultures, conservative Cleyrans typically do not gamble and do not approve of gambling due to the extreme poverty in which Cleyrans have historically lived and due to associations with several criminal behaviours. Nonetheless, having games to play for amusement that can be easily carried with them is invaluable and this lead to the development of playing card games. Card sets are often lovingly illustrated and can be very esoteric with very large sets. Games played with these can border on puzzle games or even strategic board games and some rulesets and card sets almost encourage a sort of rudimentary trading card game as these decks are not completely standardized and often allow substitutions of different cards which behave differently in the context of what is otherwise the same game. Some games indeed seem to resemble puzzle games or perhaps strategy board games played with cards in place of tokens. However there are a few deck types which are more or less standard and used which fall into three general categories:

• Courtly Decks: Decks based around different ranks and factions of nobility and military, most popular in Cleyr and especially Bernicia. These generally have no number cards whatsoever. These are thought to have been invented in Cleyr relatively early in its history, but have been in use for over a century. This type of deck is thought to be the major contributor to the three non-numeric ranks in the Tableau Nouveau, as well as one of the major factors in deciding the heart as a suit since the heart symbol is one associated with Bernician nobility and frequently showing up in heraldry of prominent families, most notably the Deschamps. This kind of deck has recently come under great scrutiny by the government of Cleyr who do not like the promotion of the idea of a King of Bernicia. Nonetheless, attempts to censor or ban these decks have proven futile and the existence of a King of Hearts in the Tableau Nouveau which has already spread well beyond Cleyr make the point somewhat moot.
• Number and Seasons Decks: Decks of 80 or 100 cards divided into four suits based on season, represented chiefly by a plant indicative of the season. ( Clovers for spring, Wheat for Summer, Maple leaves for Fall, and either none or a fallen log for the winter. ) There are cards one to twenty for each suit and in some decks an additional five cards representing a seasonal scene or event. This type of deck had the largest influence on the development of the Tableau Nouveau and the colour of the four seasonal plants is one of the factors that influence the colours of the suits in that deck. These decks are generally the most traditional of all, with usage spanning hundreds of years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Cleyr. Variations of these are typically in number of cards, with 12 being the second most common number of cards per suit after 20 and a few more recent decks being patterned after the Tableau Nouveau in having 10. In general Number and Season decks evoke a sort of nostalgia or rustic feeling amongst Cleyrans and for Cleyrans who still live as vagabonds outside of Cleyr, they are an artistic expression of a hope and longing for peaceful prosperity and an idyllic life that the Kingdom of Cleyr represents to them.
• Army Decks: Very complex decks with cards depicting and representing different ranks and numbers of soldiers with art often commemorating some particular hero or noteworthy battle. This archetype of deck is one of the most in flux and predates the establishment of the Kingdom of Cleyr by at least a few hundred years, but became immensely more popular after its founding. Outside of Cleyr, decks with cards based around professions are also used in a very similar manner and can be categorized in the same category as Army Decks and some games mix the tradesmen cards, military themed cards, and cards from Courtly Decks into a long-form role-playing game, especially in their use outside of Cleyr in which the cards are used in addition with other mediums in order to help teach Cleyran children about Cleyran history, religion, and mythology. However, the most popular use of Army Decks is in strategy games, which include war simulation games used to teach tactics and strategy to players and in some sense live out vicarious revenge fantasies against groups of people who have historically persecuted Cleyrans as vermin.

Tableau Nouveau

A simplifed deck of 52 or 54 cards invented relatively recently by Cleyran nobles, consisting of four suits: spears ( spades ), clovers ( clubs ), hearts, and gems ( diamonds ) with 13 cards a piece and an optional two joker cards: the jester and the mage. The cards go from ace to ten, with three additional ranks of Knight ( abbreviated C for Chevalier, equivalent to the Jack ), Queen ( abbreviated D for Dame, French for Lady ), and King ( abbreviated R for Roi. ) It was designed to be quickly printed on paper or parchment using stamps in a single colour, but sets also exist using two colours ( red and black, the cheapest ink colours ) or four ( black for spears, red for hearts, yellow for gems, and green for clovers. Sometimes blue ink is used for gems when it is more available. )

The deck immediately became popular among Lugalin diplomats and university students who approved of the simplicity of games that could be played with the deck compared to the existing card games and decks popular in Nes. After negotiations, a set of card stamps and a frame for cutting the paper to size were purchased and quickly replicated and refined at the University of Nes which already had a long tradition of card making for magical purposes. From there it quickly spread outward to all social strata for reason of the mass production and simplicity of the card designs and games and is even slowly being adopted by some Sygol gamblers as an alternative to the similar Morifuda. It has become the Common playing card set in Kalom and one of the most influential elements of Cleyran culture.

Some interesting notes: Three of the four suits in Cleyran Tableau Nouveau decks routinely feature the Marquess of Montclair ( Louis Legrande as the King of Spears, the Marquess of Bernicia ( Henry Deschamps ) as the King of Hearts, and the Marquess of Deira () as the King of Clovers, with the King of Gems varying depending on the deck maker and often being portrayed by the King of Lugal since the alliance between Cleyr and Lugal was solidified. The pandering to the King of Lugal and flattering his wealth is another factor in why the deck became popular with the Lugalin. Presenting the Marquess of Deira as a king helped to smooth out the political tensions over portraying the Marquess of Bernicia as a king by suggesting a triumvirate in which the King of Cleyr is the first among the nobility controlling the major provinces of Cleyr. Northern Cleyran decks also have a tendency to pander to the regionally important Marquess of Valois by presenting him as the King of Gems. Due to local production of blue pigment and ink, as well as expressions relating to winter often including the word "blue", these are the decks most likely to use blue ink for the gems suit. In western Cleyr and especially in some places near the Lugalin border, the dwarven king Ushrir is presented as the King of Gems instead due to the role of his kingdom in mineral trade with Cleyr and as a means of distancing the locals from the King of Lugal in the areas disputed between Lugal and Cleyr.

This set is based on real life standard playing cards, to have a 1:1 analogue for gameplay's sake.

hanafuda

Hanafuda

morifuda

Morifuda

njaetti

Njaetti are a type of playing card used by Elti mariners.