Sefirot turns the divination of tarot into a board game for one or two people

Sefirot, an upcoming board game from the design team at Causa Creations, employs a tarot deck to tell stories of an island beyond time and its people’s favoured game of divinations.

Designed for duo or solo play, the title takes cues from solitaire and the original tarot card game for an experience meant to be thoughtful, relaxed and easy for newcomers to pick up. Players begin by setting an intention from the deck - the chosen arcana won’t change the mechanics of the ensuing game but will alter how the story is interpreted.

Once that’s done, one side of the double-faced board goes into play - each offers a ladder to climb in the form of a tree or or arrangements of constellations. A turn consists of drawing a card from the deck and choosing whether to play a major or minor arcana from the player’s hand. Major arcana might enact an immediate effect on the board, but minor arcana can accumulate and boost the potency of cards placed above them. Those who are able to match paired minor and major arcana will unlock further “divine knowledge”.

The tarot deck used in Sefirot is a unique creation specifically designed for use with the board game. It differs from popular and time-tested models such as Rider-Waite-Smith and Marseille but can still be used for divination and occult practices, if the player wants.

“While Tarot cards have always been used for casual card play, our proposition—to use them in a hybrid capacity (for both a game and divinatory activity)—is new. We see this as an exciting starting point for new discourse within the board gaming and Tarot communities,” the Kickstarter description reads.

Sessions of Sefirot normally last 30 to 60 minutes in solo mode, while the two-player setups - called Lovers’ Discourse and Warring Planets for competitive and collaborative play, respectively - might stretch a little longer. The publisher said they wanted to keep the board game accessible to beginners or those coming from the world of tarot while still providing an experience that pleases longtime tabletop hobbyists.

The artwork for the board and tarot deck were illustrated by Viv Tanner and Eli Baum, who co-created the webcomic Heart of Gold. Sefirot will be the first board game for Vienna-based Causa Creations. It has previously worked on video games and narrative-based art installations that often centre an interactive, gameplay element.

The Kickstarter campaign for Sefirot will run through April 24th - it has already managed to raise over €71,000 (£60,928) of its proposed €10,000 (£8,581) goal. Backers can pick up a copy of the game, which includes the tarot deck needed for play, for €55 (£47). Shipping is expected to begin in May of 2022.