The Game of Hope

Originally a variant of Snakes & Ladders made by some old german guy, the game used a pack of cards in the place of a board. The game was developed using a piquet deck as the prototype, and so individual cards have playing card equivalencies. When the final version was sold, these equivalencies were published on the cards, so it could double as a piquet deck. What is truly unique about the game of hope, is that the booklet also contained a game of oracles; a cartomancy guide. It was extremely simple and vague, but essentially roughs out the foundation for the grand tableau spread in lenormand decks! In fact, the game of hope is the ur-deck for all petit lenormand packs. This is where the german school of cartomancy began: a silly game for children.

There is a detailed translation of the original rules. I have clarified, simplified, and specified those rules so that anyone may play the game today. I have made one change though: The original game used actual money for the counters, and the winner of the game won whatever money had been paid into the game. It was a gambling game for children. I have removed the gambling element because it was poorly implemented and thus not fun.

SUPPLIES:

1 Petit Lenormand deck. (Or a piquet deck if you know the card equivalencies)

2d6

Objects to use as tokens. Coins work well.

Objects to be used as counters. Other coins can do well.

THE SETUP:

Deal out the cards in numbered order into a 6*6 grid to form the board. (This is silly, what's the point of using cards if the board is static?? For a touch more fun, shuffle the deck and deal them out to the grid at random.)

Each player starts with 8 counters.

Each player rolls the dice to determine turn order. Higher rolls go before lower ones. Reroll ties.

THE PLAY:

Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their tokens along the track of the board.

On the first roll, placing your token on the first card counts as the first step of the turn.

Play begins in the bottom left card, movement flows rightward and zig-zags upward, such that the top left card is the last space in the board.

Certain cards cause a player to move their token once they land on it at the end of their turn. Arriving on a new card because of this action does not trigger the new card's action.

If a card requires you to pay counters, and you do not have the counters to pay, your turn is forfeit.

First player to remove their token from the board wins.

CARD EFFECTS:

Ship: Place your token on the birds card.

House: Pay 2 counters to gain entry.

Cloud: Go back 4 spaces.

Snake: Pay 3 counters.

Coffin: You can not move on your turn unless you roll a double, or until another player lands on this card.

Whip: You can pay 2 marks to move ahead 2 spaces.

Fox: Place your token on the tree card.

Star: Gain 6 counters.

Tower: Pay 2 counters.

Mountain: You can not move on your turn unless you roll a double, or until another player lands on this card.

Crossroad: Place your token on the garden card.

Heart: If you are a boy, place your token on the woman card. If you are a girl, place your token on the man card.

Ring: Gain 3 counters.

Book: Place your token on the garden card.

Letter: Pay 2 counters.

Man: Place your token on the sun card.

Woman: Place your token on the moon card.

Key: Gain 2 counters.

Fish: Pay 2 counters.