Category Archives: Playing Cards

Zooming with the Wizard

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Nathan

To Oz? To Oz! is the second online Oz event I attended this year, the other being OzCon International. Originally, the International Wizard of Oz Club was going to hold its national convention in upstate New York this weekend, but that … Continue reading →

Posted in Atticus Gannaway, Characters, Games, L. Frank Baum, Music, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Playing Cards, Plays, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For You to Know and Me to Find Out

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Nathan

While looking up information on Martin Gardner earlier this year, I noticed that one of his Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American was about a game called Eleusis. While I can’t find his article, at least not in any format … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Greek Mythology, Mystery Cults, Mythology, Playing Cards, Religion, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nothing But a Pack of Cards

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Nathan

I’ve written before about the origin of playing cards, including Tarot decks containing trump cards, as well as why I take issue with the adjustable rules of fortune telling. While I don’t know of any evidence connecting Tarot decks with … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Characters, Chris Dulabone, Eric Shanower, Games, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Playing Cards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mind Your Mana

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Nathan

I don’t recall when I first heard the term “mana,” but it’s present in a lot of video games, especially role-playing ones. I think I used to get it confused with manna, the stuff the Israelites ate in the desert. … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Quest, Etymology, Final Fantasy, Games, Language, Magic, Mana/Seiken Densetsu, Mythology, Pacific, Playing Cards, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mythical Cards and Magical Crystals

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Nathan

Another game I played in my youth, this time somewhat later than many of the others, is a 1981 card game called Dragonmaster. Essentially, the gameplay was a lot like Hearts. Each player plays a card, and whoever has the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Games, Playing Cards | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What’s a Wumpus?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Nathan

You might have heard of Hunt the Wumpus, a game originally programmed for BASIC by Gregory Yob in 1972 or 1973. It was a map-based game with the Wumpus hiding out in one of the spaces, and your job was … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Playing Cards, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

You Know Uno, But Do You Know O’No?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Nathan

I’m sure you’ve all played Uno, which is more or less Crazy Eights with extra cards that do such things as reverse play and skip a person’s turn. It was invented in 1971 by a barber in Ohio (I’d previously … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Playing Cards | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Cats in Black

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Nathan

An old game that I was interested in finding out about is the Black Cat Fortune Telling Game, which appears to have been first released in 1897. Part of the Victorian obsession with fortune-telling, this game consists of twenty-four cards, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, England, Games, History, Playing Cards | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Snapper Soup

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Nathan

There are several card games, primarily intended for kids, where the object is to capture all the cards in the deck. At least as far as I’m concerned, these games tend to start out fun but get tedious. One game … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Playing Cards | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fall Into the Pit

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Nathan

I’m pretty sure I’ve played the card game Pit before, but looking at the instructions make it sound pretty complicated. Well, maybe not complicated per se, but definitely different. Basically, it’s a game that simulates the stock market, with players … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Playing Cards | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments