Divination RPG requires the use of a Tarot deck in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, sometimes known as an RWS deck.
The original RWS with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith has been reprinted multiple times over the years, and probably will be even more ubiquitous now that it’s just passed out of copyright at the beginning of 2021. The deck is widely available and is a great one to pick up for running Divination. Any printing you like is fine, such as this one from US Games or this borderless version from MagicSeer.
That being said, there are a great many beautiful decks that have been created following the structure and symbolism of the original RWS deck, some which feature considerably more diversity of representation in every sense of the word. Some are one-run Kickstarters or otherwise no longer widely available, but many are regularly printed indies or mass market decks that are easy to obtain. Below are a few of our favorites, any of which would work beautifully to run a game of Divination.
Modern Witch Tarot Deck
by Lisa Sterle
Modern Witch is one of the most popular modern RWS deck out there, and with good reason. It stays quite true to the original symbolism of the RWS while expanding significantly the range of diversity represented.
Contains some nudity.
This Might Hurt Tarot
by Isabella Rotman
This Might Hurt is another incredibly popular deck that stays very true to the RWS imagery while updating it with a more complete representation of races, genders and gender roles, body sizes, abilities, and more.
Contains some nudity.
Tarot of the Holy Spectrum
by Chase Voorhees
Tarot of the Holy Spectrum has some incredible monochromatic imagery and some of our favorite unique takes on the familiar RWS symbolism. This deck does not come with a guidebook, so if you’re not familiar with the cards you’ll want to refer to our crash course on Tarot in Part Two of the Divination RPG Preview.
Luna Sol Tarot
by Mike Medaglia
Luna Sol is another deck of beautiful artwork that follows RWS symbolism fairly closely. Note that this deck switches the numeric positions of the Strength and Justice cards, following the Tarot de Marseilles ordering – this shouldn’t affect your Divination game, though!
Contains a small amount of nudity.
Tarot of the Divine
by Yoshi Yoshitani
This unique, gorgeous deck draws characters and moments from folk and fairy tales from every culture for each card. Its structure and numbering follows the RWS tradition, but your interpretation of each scene may be colored by your own familiarity with the tale depicted. This connection to existing stories may greatly enhance your Divination experience or get in the way, so consider your own play style carefully… but either way, it’s a lovely deck! It does come with a small guidebook, but there are longer versions of all the tales in the companion book Beneath the Moon, available separately.
Contains a small amount of nudity.
The Wild Unknown
by Kim Krans
The Wild Unknown was the deck featured in our live actual play demo of Divination during Gen Con 2020. While it technically draws influences from RWS, Thoth, and Marseille tarot traditions, and switches the Strength and Justice cards like Luna Sol, it’s also a gorgeous ink and watercolor deck and a favorite in the Tarot community. It features only animals and plants, no people. Some call this a fantastic beginner deck and others feel it’s harder to read, so look at some photos online before you grab it to see if it’s your style.
