How To Generate Ideas With Playing Cards

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Part 1: Card Meanings

This system is inspired by, but does not precisely correspond to other systems already out there. The meanings it uses are explained through contextualizing each pip card as part of a narrative, which will hopefully make them easier to remember and apply to your creative work.

1: Realization, summoning, opportunity. This is the beginning of our character's story, story arc, or subplot. Maybe somebody offered this character a job or asked for a favor, or maybe this character started to want something or decided that something had to be done, or maybe this chracter simply realized there was an adventure to be had.

2: Deciding, comparing, balancing. At this point, the character might need to ask questions like: "Is this really worth it? What about the risks? If I go after this, will I have time for what I'm already doing? If not, is that okay?" Or maybe the character has to ask, "Is my life really all that balanced right now? Am I honestly happy with the way things are? Are things really okay?"

3: Beginning, preparing, setting out. The character decides to accept or go after it, whatever it is. At this point, the character might prepare for the venture by collecting necessary supplies, calling up friends to bring along, or seeing what kind of advice or assistance Mom/Grandpa/Cousin Riley/whoever has to offer on this.

4: Advice, guidance, direction. This character knows that homespun wisdom and/or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will only go so far, and goes to ask an old master for some help. Or maybe the old master just shows up to help regardless. Either way. Once this advice or guidance is given, the character will head off into the unknown!

5: Setback, obstacle, complication. Everything was going just fine until it wasn't! Maybe somebody lost the treasure map, maybe the whole party had a big argument and now they're all mad at each other, maybe their hideout was compromised, or maybe they've run into a problem they have no idea how to handle. Or maybe they just got out there into the world and discovered that everything was a lot harder and far more complicated than they thought!

6. Recoup, recovery, regroup. Our character or characters find a way to get out of their pickle. Maybe they resolve their argument, maybe somebody solves the seemingly-impossible problem, maybe the main character discovers a shiny new item that comes in useful, maybe somebody offers them shelter for the night, or maybe they learn some critical facts that help them navigate this confusing new world.

7. Restart, resumption. Now that everything is resolved (or mostly resolved), things can get going again. Of course, everybody might still be a little uneasy and feel a little confused and uncertain, but it's okay. They just gotta stick with it and they'll get it together.

8. Mastery, confidence, restoration. Now everything is going as smooth as it can be going right now. Our characters have gotten themselves together and are ready to tackle the big challenge... or at least, they feel ready!

9. Final preparations, anticipation, readiness. This is it now, the moment before the big finale. Maybe there's a big battle up ahead, or maybe it's almost time to get out there on stage, or maybe somebody's just had an important epiphany that made it clear what has to be done next.

10. Completion, finish, return. It's all over now! It might have been a victory, or it might have been a defeat. Either way, it might be time to pack it up and go home now, or it might be time to stop and ask, "What do we do now? Where do we go from here?"

J. Seekers, questers. These represent characters who are after something, whether for their own ends or on the behest of someone else.

Q. Advisors, guides. These represent characters who have advice to offer, whether good or bad! They might be therapists, teachers, family members, or even opinionated next door neighbors.

K. Masters, leaders. These represent characters who are in charge. They might be bosses, team leaders, and of course, actual rulers and governors.

Remember that nothing needs to apply to any specific exact point in the story! For example, a 1 could apply to something that happens mid-way through the story, and 5 could very well be how it all starts! 7 might be somebody's overall attitude toward life ("just gotta get back on the horse and keep going, is what I say!"), and 9 could be the general state of an entire region ("we're ready for ANYTHING!").

Part 2: Elemental Flavoring

Associating card suits with elements is by no means a new idea, and for good reason! By giving the suits elemental corresponences, each card is given additional meaning and nuance. Here's a quick run-through of which suit corresponds to which element, and what sorts of things that might mean for it.

Air - Spades
• Positive personality traits: Intellect, logic, critical thinking, strategic thinking, problem-solving.
• Negative personality traits: Analysis paralysis, emotional repression, intellectual snobbery, verbal bullying, know-it-all attitude, rules lawyering, hoarding knowledge, keeping pointless secrets.
• Art styles: Refined, complex, thought-provoking.
• Colors: Light blue, white, yellow.
• Practical domains: Governance, law enforcement, tactics, & academics.
• Self-Help Techniques: Education and training.
• Season: Winter.

Fire - Clubs
• Positive personality traits: Courage, ambition, enthusiasm, taking initiative, trying new things.
• Negative personality traits: Lack of focus, burnout, poor impulse control, shortsightedness, dominating other people's projects, picking fights, being over-competitive, accusing those who don't want to go along of being "boring" or "spoilsports."
• Art styles: Experimental, wild, passionate, unconventional.
• Colors: Reds, oranges, black.
• Practical domains: Innovation, exploration, & active recreation.
• Self-Help Techniques: Going out and trying something new.
• Season: Summer.

Earth - Diamonds
• Positive personality traits: Determination, patience, loyalty, teamwork, generosity, nurturing and caring for others.
• Negative personality traits: Stubbornness, overwork, greed, nepotism, croneyism, reckless spending, over-protectiveness, inflexibility, seeing oneself as the only one doing enough work.
• Art styles: Traditional, feel-good, nostalgic.
• Colors: Browns, greens, grays.
• Practical domains: Money & finances, material goods, & charitable services.
• Self-Help Techniques: Staying in and pampering yourself.
• Season: Autumn.

Water - Hearts
• Positive personality traits: Faith, hope, intuition, empathy, compassion, working through emotions.
• Negative personality traits: Emotional instability, over-defensive attitude, co-dependency, emotional vampirism, manipulation, projection, difficulty letting go of things gone or past, deluded optimism, anti-intellectualism, martyr complex.
• Art styles: Emotion-provoking, idealistic, inspirational.
• Colors: Blues, turquoises, grays.
• Practical domains: Health care, religion, counseling, & diplomacy.
• Self-Help Techniques: Meditation and self-reflection.
• Season: Spring.



Part 3: Using Your Cards To Generate Ideas

You can use your cards on just about any kind of subject you can imagine, whether it's developing a plot, a character, or the general setting. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Plot-Related
• The major source of trouble for the protagonists.
• Complications that make solving the issue harder.
• A major plot twist.
• What it'll take to resolve the plot.
• Something that will be gained.
• Something that will be lost.
Character-Related
• Your character's general outlook on life.
• Your character's aesthetic.
• What your character is insecure about.
• Your character's worst flaw.
• Your character's best virtue.
• What your character wants.
• How your character plans to get it.
• What your character will need help with.
• What your character will have to learn to deal with the hard way.
• A short-term goal.
• A long-term goal.
Setting-Related
• A prevailing attitude in people.
• What's on everyone's minds these days.
• What this place struggles with.
• What kind of people are in charge.

There's no wrong way to interpret anything - the idea is to jumpstart your creativity, not trap it in a box. Likewise, don't worry about taking everything super-literally. Take any creative liberties you need. For example, maybe your character's source of insecurity is the Queen of Hearts. This might mean that your character is being brought down by a toxic therapist, or it could mean your character is afraid of giving bad love advice. It's entirely up to you.




Part 4: Taking The System Further

Roll 2d6 to determine how positively or negatively a card's traits express themselves. 2 would be very negative; 7 is both/neutral; and 12 would be very positive. Let's say you pick a card that's supposed to represent a town's overall attitude. You get a Nine of Diamonds. This indicates that the people there are in the habit of saving and storing to keep themselves prepared. You roll 2d6 and get a 4. This indicates that this is not necessarily a positive thing - perhaps they do it mainly out of greed, or perhaps the disaster they fear will happen actually won't.

Draw another card to determine the whys. Continuing from above, you could draw another card to determine their reasoning or justifcation for their hoarding. If you got the Five of Spades, it could mean that they're afraid of an attack. If you get the Two of Diamonds, it could mean that they simply see their actions as sensible and fair. A Three of Clubs could mean that they're just going on ahead without considering that their miserly ways are hurting people.

Draw multiple cards per topic. Real situations and scenarios often have more than one driving factor behind them, and drawing more than one card can add complexity and depth.

Flip a coin to determine whether a card should be interpreted as-is or interpreted in reverse. Doing this increases the amount of possible outcomes you can get. Alternatively, you can draw coins from a bag or hat and set them down where you plan to set the cards you draw - heads, your cards express normally; tails, they express the reverse.