Saturday, October 30, 2010
Troubletown: A New One!
Troubletown: A New One! ~ ~ Lloyd Dangle hits the nail on the head, as usual. Hoorayyyy! Neo-fascism!!! Weeee!!!! (Ugggh.)
Hole-y Day recipe
Pre-heat one extremely comfortable playspace of the appropriate size and privacy for your maximized comfort and optimal dildonix. Make available all your favorite dildos and buttplugs, particularly the ones you'll enjoy for hours without getting too sore. Maybe you'll want to share this recipe with a friend, maybe you'll just make a single-serving, but anyway, approach with whimsy.
Add the proper musical ambience. Maybe some Virtualizer? Acid Warriors revisited? Dream Crystals? A pinch of Ozric Tentacles and maybe we let them Eat Static? It's up to you, but as DJ you'll want to utilize the finest psychedlic musical sounds to enhance the Hole-y Day.
Imbibe in your favorite hallucinogens and psychogenics of choice, until you're trippin'-balls and sweating and grunting quietly atop your favorite dildo (and/or playmates) as the ecstatic ambience flows.
Do you like to decorate with a little porn? I have recently tried "Up Yours" parts 1 and 2 with Evan Matthews, Rick Van Sant, and other Fisting Stable talents, as well as some Mathieu Paris and SkyDevil features. If your buddies love crazy hardcore adult edutainment, i would suggest the titles from Chris Ward such as "Fists Away" and his other Raging Stallion stuff, or maybe a classic Dildo Movie with Marc Everett and Michael Starr. Whatever floats 'yer boat, dude.
So you've got the private space with the porn, drugs, music, dildos, optional playmates, and any other things you adore for your trips on Hole-y Day. Mental vacations are awesome! Now just relax and let yourself quietly go wild with the toys and imagine your most trippy fantasies.
That's it. That's my recipe for a good Hole-y Day. I've got some others, but that one is versatile and flexible and customizable for nearly all budgets and palates. Enjoy!
Love, kisses and raspberries, xoxoxoxo
Add the proper musical ambience. Maybe some Virtualizer? Acid Warriors revisited? Dream Crystals? A pinch of Ozric Tentacles and maybe we let them Eat Static? It's up to you, but as DJ you'll want to utilize the finest psychedlic musical sounds to enhance the Hole-y Day.
Imbibe in your favorite hallucinogens and psychogenics of choice, until you're trippin'-balls and sweating and grunting quietly atop your favorite dildo (and/or playmates) as the ecstatic ambience flows.
Do you like to decorate with a little porn? I have recently tried "Up Yours" parts 1 and 2 with Evan Matthews, Rick Van Sant, and other Fisting Stable talents, as well as some Mathieu Paris and SkyDevil features. If your buddies love crazy hardcore adult edutainment, i would suggest the titles from Chris Ward such as "Fists Away" and his other Raging Stallion stuff, or maybe a classic Dildo Movie with Marc Everett and Michael Starr. Whatever floats 'yer boat, dude.
So you've got the private space with the porn, drugs, music, dildos, optional playmates, and any other things you adore for your trips on Hole-y Day. Mental vacations are awesome! Now just relax and let yourself quietly go wild with the toys and imagine your most trippy fantasies.
That's it. That's my recipe for a good Hole-y Day. I've got some others, but that one is versatile and flexible and customizable for nearly all budgets and palates. Enjoy!
Love, kisses and raspberries, xoxoxoxo
Monday, October 11, 2010
Trilemma Supra ~ deal number 1 table number 1
Wizard Demon Titan ~ the amazingly queer game of Titanomaxia
Fresh deck, hard shuffle, deal number 1 of table number 1. Play until "Trilemma Supra", that is: until the Trilemma, plus one more bid. The Trilemma is when the TITAN WIZARD DEMON trio of cards all end a bid in the same tricky pile together; Trilemma Supra plays until this happens, then plays one more bid to complete the "tournament".
The six cards in the Bitch were shown when the bid of "Take" was accepted; the taker is forbidden from discarding trumps. The 19 and 20 of trumps (the titans of the Sun and hyperspace Portal) were seen in the Bitch by all. What the co-defenders don't yet know is that the taker also posesses the 21 of trumps, thus making three co-adjacent unstoppable titans to begin this round of Titanomaxia.
The Ace of Earth is the first card entered as the Initiate leads the first trick of this first deal of the first table of a fresh deck in the game of Titanomaxia. The Warlock of Pentacles (King of Earth) follows suit from the Medium position (currently the contract Taker); it's the face card worth +4 tricky points because it's the highest of the Earth suit (disks). The 3 of Earth acquiesces from the Dealer position as the tempo had changed in favor of the Taker. The Initiation sequence for this deal of tarot had only two cards: Ace and King of disks.
The final six tricks of this deal number 1 of table number 1 of a fresh Titanomaxia Trilemma Supra were guaranteed to be captured by the contract taker, mainly because of the distribution of greater trumps 19, 20, 21. The taker was able to win the final trick with his Wizard Ace of Trump and scores the +10 credits bonus for the Magick Trick. He then displays his discards, showing the final disposition of all the cards for scoring purposes.
After the defense led the Prince of Swords there would subsequently be a series of twenty-four cards (six tricks plus two discarded tierces) whose dispositions could not be further optimized by their posessors. These cards aren't "chosen" in their game positions by their holders; they are forced mechanically by the game golem into their logical positions, so they form quite an interesting part of the tarot reading. In this deal, they scored some terrific extra points for the contractor.
Final dispositions after this first deal at the first table with a fresh Cosmic Tribe for a delightfully queer game of Titanomaxia: the contract Taker wins the bid by 14 extra points plus a Magick Trick (Ace of Trumps at the very end.)
Fresh deck, hard shuffle, deal number 1 of table number 1. Play until "Trilemma Supra", that is: until the Trilemma, plus one more bid. The Trilemma is when the TITAN WIZARD DEMON trio of cards all end a bid in the same tricky pile together; Trilemma Supra plays until this happens, then plays one more bid to complete the "tournament".
The six cards in the Bitch were shown when the bid of "Take" was accepted; the taker is forbidden from discarding trumps. The 19 and 20 of trumps (the titans of the Sun and hyperspace Portal) were seen in the Bitch by all. What the co-defenders don't yet know is that the taker also posesses the 21 of trumps, thus making three co-adjacent unstoppable titans to begin this round of Titanomaxia.
The Ace of Earth is the first card entered as the Initiate leads the first trick of this first deal of the first table of a fresh deck in the game of Titanomaxia. The Warlock of Pentacles (King of Earth) follows suit from the Medium position (currently the contract Taker); it's the face card worth +4 tricky points because it's the highest of the Earth suit (disks). The 3 of Earth acquiesces from the Dealer position as the tempo had changed in favor of the Taker. The Initiation sequence for this deal of tarot had only two cards: Ace and King of disks.
The final six tricks of this deal number 1 of table number 1 of a fresh Titanomaxia Trilemma Supra were guaranteed to be captured by the contract taker, mainly because of the distribution of greater trumps 19, 20, 21. The taker was able to win the final trick with his Wizard Ace of Trump and scores the +10 credits bonus for the Magick Trick. He then displays his discards, showing the final disposition of all the cards for scoring purposes.
After the defense led the Prince of Swords there would subsequently be a series of twenty-four cards (six tricks plus two discarded tierces) whose dispositions could not be further optimized by their posessors. These cards aren't "chosen" in their game positions by their holders; they are forced mechanically by the game golem into their logical positions, so they form quite an interesting part of the tarot reading. In this deal, they scored some terrific extra points for the contractor.
Final dispositions after this first deal at the first table with a fresh Cosmic Tribe for a delightfully queer game of Titanomaxia: the contract Taker wins the bid by 14 extra points plus a Magick Trick (Ace of Trumps at the very end.)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
High Holey Dayze with the Cosmic Tribe
01) shamen visioning cameo; the players.JPG
Once a porn-O'time there were whimsical vegi-shamen who loved to play games with the Cosmic Tribe. They had been meeting regularly for spirited tournaments at their favorite club, Flaming Holey's House of Tarot, and Titanomaxia Arena. A group of these shamen had played thirty-nine tables lately, and the most recent five of the contracts had been conducted by three vegi-shamen in particular.
Representing their playful spirits, we find Susan Seddon Boulet's three images here: "Rites of Passage", "Visioning", and "Cameo".
The smoke of cannabinoidery does improve cosmic vegi-shamen reception.
02) antiques corner; the game.JPG
Titanomaxia is an ancient game with many possible variations, and our friends had been playing recently with the current "house rules" for thirty-nine tables. The vegi-shamen leatherfaereez float down from another dimension and approach the game arena for Table number 40 as they are about to proceed toward Deal number 6. The rules of this style of Cosmic Tribe Dance Of The Oracle mandate the scoring based upon the ultimate dispositions of the three loci of the deck whose termini are known as the TITAN, WIZARD, DEMON of the tribe. Those cards are the Unbeatable Infinite 21 of Trumps, the Number 1 Ace of Trumps Magician, and the Fool pseudo-Zero Joker, respectively.
The deck had only been hard-shuffled for an original chaotic randomization as three vegi-shamen began playing, and they had completed five deals thus far with only soft-shuffling during the intervening bidding phases (cut-and-distribute, no re-randomizing except for the usual Bitching procedure in the deal). Their current (zero-sum) scores were accumulating at the following levels: SphinxterBuzzerz were in the lead with +268 credits. PeaceDancerz had lost only a tiny smidgeon, as they were at -14 credits ("barely in the hole"). StickySweet Twinz were deepest in debt at -254 credits. Most gamblers exchange their credits for monetary value, but casual gamers might prefer other more enticing rewards, such as raspberries or breathtakingly dangerous kisses.
"Transcendence" is a work of art by Susan Seddon Boulet, along with "Rites of Passage", "Visioning", "Cameo", and "Fortuna". The leatherfaery dancer is from Stevee Postman, the Gaia Trilogy of books (Titan, Wizard, Demon) is by John Varley, and the celebratory toy is from Mr S Leather.
03) floating mascot dances ZING; the cut.JPG
Thirteen ancient Leather Fairiez adorn the artwork of Stevee's pin-up calendar, and conveniently a deck of seventy-eight cards is evenly divisible by thirteen. So whenever the deck is cut for a new soft-shuffle and bidding, the impartial oracle can examine one portion of the freshly cut deck to determine how many cards are in that "half", divide by thirteen, and keep only the remainder as the random number which then generates a selection of Leather Faery Mascot. He will serve as the Mascot Of The Ass Hots for the current deal, representing the most powerful titanic card(s) of the tribe as the players contend for positions of superior strength and vie for the highest scores. He might generally begin as a symbol of the 21 of Trumps (ultimate TITAN of the Multiverse Axis) but he could subsequently represent other powerful cards as players spend their various trumps during the course of the contested tricks. His story will ultimately be a tale concerning the details of how the tricky points are scored.
Titanomaxia is a trick-taking game whose scoring depends most crucially upon the final dispositions of the three terminus KEYS known as the TITAN, WIZARD, DEMON. (They are usually the highest 21 of Trumps, the lowest Ace of Trumps, and the unsuitable Joker, respectively.) Throughout the tricking each player must concern themselves with the questions of who holds the strongest position in each element, who is void, who might overtrump, and who will capture the tierces with KEYS and face cards. The Titan is unbeatable and thus remains where it is dealt; the Demon usually also remains where it is dealt, as long as it is played normally before the last trick. The Wizard is the most vulnerable tarot, but he can score a Magick Trick bonus for appearing during the final (twenty-fourth) trick on the tableau.
04) Vortumna spins the wheel; the deal
Vortumna - the Vortex Goddess - she who spins the wheel of the year around, she who turns the wheel of the world. She represents the roll of dice, the deal of cards, the twist of fate, the path of life.
Vortumna - Fortumna - Fortuna - Fortune - wheel of fortune
Will a lucky Titanomaxia player parlay their titanic cards into a victory, or will their diabolical opponents eclipse their efforts? Our current floating Mascot of the Ass Hots (from Stevee Postman) will dance with some ZING until we find out the curious results of this cut of the deck.
The dealer distributes the freshly cut deck in packets of four cards at a time to each player ("quarts"). Eventually each of the three players will have six quarts, holding a total of twenty-four cards in their hand. In between these quarts, at random, but never consecutively nor as the first nor last card of the deck, the Bitch receives one individual card at a time. The Bitch will have six cards, the players will have twenty-four times three, this gives us the entire deck of seventy-eight. In the Cosmic Tribe, we remove the seventy-ninth and eightieth (spare "Lovers" cards) and use only 78 to play Titanomaxia.
This process of cut-and-distribute is the only "soft-shuffling" which takes place; no other hard shuffle is needed after the original chaotic randomization.
Table number 40, Deal number 6: the Initiate position (first to speak) is held by the PeaceDancer BeetBergur vegi-shaman. The Medium position (neither first nor last) is held by the vegi-shaman SphinxterBuzzerz PuckerBulbz. The Dealer position (last to speak) is currently the StickySweet Twinz Of The Hive.
05) on the edge; evaluation.JPG
Titanomaxia players usually evaluate the cards dealt to their hands without sorting and rearranging, until somebody has confidence in a bid. If all three players pass, the unsorted cards are stacked back up and re-dealt (without any hard shuffling) until someone wishes to take a chance.
During this current Table number 40 where they are on Deal number 6, the Initiate position is where PeaceDancer's cards are next to the blue KozmikEyeBall. PeaceDancer decides to "PASS" because his cards are:
The Medium position (neither first nor last) is where SphinxterBuzzer's cards are next to the Liberty Bell coin. Sphinxter decides to "PASS" because his cards are:
The Dealer position (last to speak) is where the StickySweet Twinz' cards are next to the BusyBeeHive Markers. Twinz decide to "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch because these are their exquisite cards:
If a player wants to bid to "Take" the Bitch, they are only risking a normal score. If a player wants to bid "Guard" with the Bitch, they would risk winning or losing double score. If they wish to "Guard Without Looking" at the Bitch, they risk quadruple score; and instead of using their Bitch for discard purposes, they would put it aside confidentially until after all the tricks. If they wish to "Guard Against" the Bitch, they risk hextuple score; and instead of touching the Bitch at all, they give it to the co-defenders against the contract who will not see nor score those six cards until after all the tricking. There is no bid higher than "Against" the Bitch.
The basic price of a contract is 25 credits. The distance between the contractor's actual tricky points and their Titanomaxia target is also determined. The targets are a minimum of: 33, 36, 43, or 46 tricky points for finishing with three, two, one, or none of the three KEYS, respectively. To the 25 credits and the extra distance from the target we also add or subtract a bonus of 10 credits for a "Magick Trick" if the Ace of Trumps (Wizard) is used during the Last Trick on the table. After calculating the sum, we then multiply all of this by the bidding level (single, double, quadruple, hextuple). Finally, if any player announced a "Handful" (supermajority of cards in the Void) or an attempt to "Slam" (win absolutely every trick on the table) they can add bonus credits.
Most gamblers exchange their credits for monetary value, but casual gamers might prefer other more enticing rewards, such as raspberries or breathtakingly dangerous kisses.
StickySweet Hive Twinz have evaluated their cards, and decided the amazing combination of all four Archons plus the Wizard and Titan of trumps will allow them to gamble on the hextuple risk when they "Guard Against" the Bitch here.
06) Titanomaxia; ready.JPG
The three vegi-shamen Titanomaxia players have made their bids, and the table has accepted a gamble of "Guard Against the Bitch" from the StickySweet Twinz in the dealer position. The Twinz do not wish to mention any "Slam" attempt (to win every trick on the table), so the tricks will proceed normally.
The Initiate position (always immediately counter-clockwise to the right of the dealer) is held here by PeaceDancer, who will be first to speak.
The Medium position (neither first nor last) is held by SphinxterBuzzerz PuckerBulbz.
The six cards from the Bitch are not shown to anybody yet. Instead, they will be secretly kept aside to be added to the tricky pile of the two co-defenders against the contract, after all the twenty-four tricks have been played on the table. The contractor will never touch nor capture any of those six cards; but he is extremely confident of his bid in this case, and will gamble hextuple score by going "Against" that Bitch.
07) Initiate's position.JPG
The first player to speak is counter-clockwise to the right of the dealer. PeaceDancer does not hold a supermajority of unsuited cards "in the void", so he announces no handful. PeaceDancer will thus activate the Initiation phase of the game by entering the first card into the first trick.
08) Medium's position.JPG
The player who is neither first nor last is the Medium. After hearing from the Initiate, the Medium will follow them into the first trick. SphinxterBuzzer is currently in this position, and he does not hold a supermajority of unsuited cards, so he will not mention any "Handful" gamble.
09) Dealer's position.JPG
The Dealer was last to speak, going counter-clockwise around the table. The StickySweet Twinz of Honey Hive were dealt some tremendously good cards, so they bid to "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch (hextuple gamble). They are holding all four Archons (the highest card of each of the four minor elements) and two of the three vital KEYS to the scoring targets. They have the TITAN (unbeatable 21 of trump), and hope to retain their WIZARD (vulnerable Ace of trump). The two co-defenders who oppose their contract will typically retain their DEMON card (the unsuitable Joker).
After they complete the twenty-four tricks on the table, the two unseen tierces of cards from the Bitch will be given to the tricky pile of the co-defenders in opposition to the contract. The contractor will never touch nor capture those six Bitchy cards.
10) sunset results; dealer bid Guard Against.JPG
The light at sunset was rather orange and pinkish as it reflected off Bellingham Bay through our northwest window on these lovely High Holey Dayze.
Dealer bid "Guard Against" the Bitch (hextuple gamble); no mention of "Slam" (to take every trick). None of the three players announced any "Handful" (supermajority of cards in the Void). There were twenty-four tricks on the table, then the six Bitch cards were revealed for the benefit of the opposition to the contract, so here were the twenty-six tierces:
Trick A: [INITIATION] PeaceDancer "earth 7". SphinxterBuzzer: "earth 5". StickySweet Twinz: "Ω Archon of earth".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 5 for contract.
Trick B: Twinz: "Ω Archon of fire". Peace: "fire 5". Sphinxter: "fire 6".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 10 for contract.
Trick C: Twinz: "Ten of fire". Peace: "Ψ of fire". Sphinxter: "Υ of fire".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ +2 Υ = 6 points; subtotal 6 for opposition.
Trick D: PeaceDancer: "earth 6". Sphinxter: "earth Ten". Twinz: "void 1 trumps, WIZARD"!
Score 1 for the tierce +4 (KEY) = 5 points; subtotal 15 for contract.
Trick E: Twinz: "fire 9". PeaceDancer: "DEMON!" Sphinxter: "fire 2".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 (KEY) = 5 points; subtotal 11 for opposition.
Trick F: Sphinxter: "water 3". Twinz: "Ω Archon of water". PeaceDancer: "Ace of water".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 20 for contract.
Trick G: Twinz: "fire 7". PeaceDancer: "void 3 trumps, Producer". Sphinxter: "Π of fire".
Score 1 for the tierce +1 Π = 2 points; subtotal 13 for opposition.
Trick H: PeaceDancer: "earth 3". Sphinx: "earth 4". Twinz: "void 8 trumps, Balance".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 21 for contract.
Trick I: Twinz: "fire 4". Peace: "void 6 trumps, Lovers". Sphinx: "void 7 trumps, Chariot".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 14 for opposition.
Trick J: Sphinx: "air 4". Twinz: "Ω Archon of air". Peace: "Ten of air".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 26 for contract.
Trick K: Twinz: "Ace of fire". Peace: "void 9 trumps, Hermit". Sphinx: "void 11 trumps, Lust".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 15 for opposition.
Trick L: Sphinxter: "air 7". Twinz: "Ψ of air". Peace: "air 6".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ = 4 points; subtotal 30 for contract.
Trick M: Twinz: "fire 3". PeaceDancer: "void 13 trumps, Death". Sphinx: "void 15 trumps, Devil".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 16 for opposition.
Trick N: Sphinx: "air 5". Twinz: "Υ of air". Peace: "air 3".
Score 1 for the tierce +2 Υ = 3 points; subtotal 33 for contract.
Trick O: Twinz: "fire 8". Peace: "void 14 trumps, Artist". Sphinx: "void 17 trumps, Star".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 17 for opposition.
Trick P: Sphinx: "water 2". Twinz: "Ψ of water". Peace: "water 9".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ = 4 points; subtotal 37 for contract.
Trick Q: Twinz: "air 9". PeaceDancer: "Π of air". Sphinx: "void 2 trumps, Sorceror".
Score 1 for the tierce +1 Π = 2 points; subtotal 19 for opposition.
Trick R: Sphinxter: "Υ of water". Twinz: "water 5". PeaceDancer: "void 19 trumps, Sun".
Score 1 for the tierce +2 Υ = 3 points; subtotal 22 for opposition.
Trick S: PeaceDancer: "Ace of air". Sphinx: "void 4 trumps, Director". Twinz: "air 8".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 23 for opposition.
Trick T: Sphinx: "Υ of earth". Twinz: "void 10 trumps, Wheel Of Fortune". PeaceDancer: "earth 2".
Score 1 for the tierce +2 Υ = 3 points; subtotal 40 for contract.
Trick U: Twinz: "water 8". PeaceDancer: "Ψ of earth". Sphinx: "Ten of water".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ = 4 points; subtotal 27 for opposition.
Trick V: Sphinx: "water 6". Twinz: "void 16 trumps, Tower". Peace: "Ace of earth".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 41 for contract.
Trick W: Twinz: "void 18 trumps, Moon". Peace: "Π of earth". Sphinx: "void 20 trumps, Teleporter".
Score 1 for the tierce +1 Π = 2 points; subtotal 29 for opposition.
Trick X: SphinxterBuzzerz: "void 5 trumps, Seer". StickySweet Twinz: "void 21 trumps, TITAN"! PeaceDancer BeetBergur: "earth 8" [DESTINY].
Score 1 for the tierce +4 (KEY) = 5 points; final total 46 for contract.
Tierces Y & Z: [PROGNOSTICATION] "water 4, water 7, Π of water". "earth 9, air 2, void 12 trumps (Hanged Man)".
Score 2 for the tierces +1 Π = 3 points; final total 32 for opposition.
The Deck is always a total of 78 tricky points among the 78 cards; here they had 46+32=78. The contractor accumulated a tricky pile solo where he captured 46 points; the co-defenders amassed a tricky pile together where they held on to 32 points.
11) INITIATION; first trick Table 40 Deal 6.JPG
The Initiation is one of the three loci of Titanomaxia, along with the Prognostication and the Destiny. It involves the first card entered into the first trick, and generally continues until the tempo is changed when the other side takes the lead away. Here is the Initiation from Table number 40, Deal number 6:
No mention of "Slam"; lead will go normally.
Initiate (PeaceDancer): no Handful. Open with "earth 7".
Medium (Sphinxter): no Handful. Follow with "earth 5".
Dealer (Twinz): no Handful. Tricking with "Ω Archon of earth". The lead is immediately usurped, the tempo changes, and the Initiation only involved the first tierce on the table.
Card correspondences: 7 of Disks is a card of "petrifaction" and stiffening hard; it is a kind of hard-on card. 5 of Pentacles is a card of "introspection" and worrisomely tight penetrations; it's a kind of butthole card. Ω Archon of earth is the Warlock of the Pentacles who represents health and bodily powers; he's kind of a hot fucker with some amazing expertise.
So that's quite a sexy tierce for our Initiation: the Hard-On, the ButtHole, and the Warlock. Way to go, vegi-shamen!
12) all tricks played; Bitch is flipped.JPG
After completing the twenty-four tricks contested on the table, they flip the Bitch over to reveal the two tierces which are awarded to the co-defenders who collaborated against the contractor. The contractor bid "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch, which is a hextuple gambling risk (multiplying the rewards and punishments by six).
13) DESTINY; final trick from Table 40 Deal 6.JPG
The final card in the final trick is not "chosen" by the player, it is forced by process of elimination into the final position. Sometimes all possible game choices are exhausted before reaching the final card, so there might be other cards heading toward that Destiny position which are also involved. These cards are forced by the game golem into their logical optimal sequence, so there are usually several final items on the table whose ultimate dispositions could not be altered by their possessors.
The DESTINY is one of the three loci of Titanomaxia, along with the Prognostication and the Initiation.
Here we have Titanomaxia: Table number 40, Deal number 6. During the penultimate (twenty-third) trick on the table, the Medium player was forced to overtrump the Dealer while the Initiate was favorably disposing of a face card (the Π of earth is worth +1 point). The dealer's decision to lead that trick with his 18 of trump ("Moon") forced all further game options to coalesce into the final optimal sequence.
The ultimate (twenty-fourth) trick was then led by the Medium, whose only remaining card was the 5 of trump ("Seer"). The Dealer takes the trick with his only remaining member of the Cosmic Tribe, the 21 of trump ("TITAN of the Multiverse Axis"). The Initiate must unfavorably dispose of his only remaining card, the 8 of earth ("Prudence").
The DESTINY card is therefore the 8 of earth. The sequence of DESTINY involves all of the cards in the final two tierces after the 18 of trump Moon. The five subsequent cards after the Moon are this deal's DESTINY, ending with "Prudence" 8 of earth.
Card correspondences: Π of earth = Sensitive Man. 20 of trump = Teleporter. 5 of trump = Navigator. 21 of trump = Infinity. 8 of earth = Prudence. This sequence in our tarot reading tells us of a sensational man who is rescued from the incoming tide by a teleporter, and the rescuer is then a visionary who summons the ultimate cosmic Titan to take them away with prudence and permission. Perhaps the Titan in this instance is a symbol of the infinite mysteries and sensations of astral travel.
In the photo, the final Prudence pentacles appear to have the "8" turned sideways as a symbol of "infinity", the navigator is saying "Hi 5" because he is so celebratory, and the 21 Titan shows off his symbol of Infinity over his head.
14) TITAN WIZARD DEMON; dispositions.JPG
TITAN WIZARD DEMON: those are the three KEYS which form the termini of the deck, and those three determine the loci of the scoring targets. They are usually the unbeatable 21 of trump, the vulnerable Ace of Trump, and the unsuitable Joker.
Titanomaxia: Table number 40, Deal number 6. The Initiate and Medium each chose to "PASS", the Dealer chose to bid "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch. Nobody mentioned any attempt to "Slam", nor any "Handful" supermajority of trumps. They contested the twenty-four tricks on the table, then the two tierces of cards in the Bitch were awarded to the co-defenders against the contract.
The final disposition of the DEMON was in the tricky pile of the defenders, as he had been dealt on their side and was retained as usual by his possessor.
The final disposition of the TITAN was in the contractor's hand where it was dealt. No card can ever beat the Titan of the Cosmic Tribe, so he always stays by his possessor.
The final disposition of the WIZARD was also in the contractor's hand. The Ace of Trump was utilized to capture a trick when its possessor was void in the requested suit, and thus remained in the tricky pile on the side where he was dealt.
These are the scoring requirements depending on the final dispositions of the KEYS:
3 KEYS requires minimum 33 points
2 KEYS requires minimum 36 points
1 KEYS requires minimum 43 points
0 KEYS requires minimum 46 points
There are always 78 points in the deck to be divvied between the contractor versus the opposition.
During this particular deal, the bidder completed the hand with the WIZARD and TITAN on his side, so with 2 KEYS he is required to score a minimum of 36 points to fulfill his contract. He actually scored 46 tricky points on the table, so his surplus of 10 points distance beyond the minimum is a bonus which will be awarded to his credits calculation. The basic price of a contract is 25 credits; adding 10 yields a subtotal of 35; bidding "Guard Against" multiplies this by 6 (hextuple gamble), so the final award is 6x35=210 credits from each of the two defenders. Each defender will debit -210 from their account, and they will each pay the contractor, so his account will increase by 210x2= +420 credits.
15) PROGNOSTICATION; the Bitch from Table 40 Deal 6.JPG
The Prognostication is one of the three loci of Titanomaxia, along with the Initiation and the Destiny. In most cases, when a player bids to "TAKE" or "GUARD" with the Bitch cards, they will show them to the table before discarding, and everybody will have some foresight into the ensuing tricks. There are rules governing the discard, and this affects players' expectations.
But when a player bids to go "WITHOUT LOOKING" or "AGAINST" the Bitch, nobody sees the Bitch cards before the tricking. Instead, the Bitch is awarded "without looking" to the contractor, or is awarded "against" the contractor to the co-defenders. When that happens, nobody has any information about the Bitch contents until they are deduced by process of elimination during the twenty-four tricks on the table. Then when everybody has finished tricking, they will reveal those Bitch cards, and the Prognostication will actually be observed in retrospect.
Here we have Titanomaxia: Table number 40, Deal number 6. The Initiate and the Medium both chose to "pass", but the Dealer chose to bid "Against" the Bitch. After the tricking contest, the following six cards (two tierces) were revealed and scored for the defense:
Card correspondences: 9 of earth = Sharing. 2 of air = Peacefulness. 4 of water = Luxury. 7 of water = Orgy. Π of water = graceful Merman face card. 12 of trump = Hanged Man of Suspense. This PROGNOSTICATION in our tarot reading for Table number 40 Deal number 6 is based on the observations of the importance of those cards to the players in this Clash Of The Titans. The sequence of cards suggests an opportunity at an orgy for some luxurious giving and receiving, so long as the participants can handle some suspense and flirt with the edges of their personal boundaries with a bit of grace. There weren't many extra points for the defense in that Bitch; and the contractor was not bothered by the absence of the Hanged Man, nor were his plans altered by the lack of those water cards and other minor elements from the tableau. This indicates a Prognostication which is probably of little importance compared to the other loci, and certainly not one of much consequence to the ultimate outcome. The cards of the Initiation and Destiny were far more critical in this particular deal.
16) final tableau; Guard Against by 10pts; Table 40 Deal 6, score +420.JPG
+420 is such a delightful score.
Mascot of the Ass Hots representing the Titan of the Cosmic Tribe is looking down on the tableau after all twenty-four tricks have been contested, and the two tierces from the Bitch have been flipped over. These twenty-six tierces each contain three cards, giving us the seventy-eight members of the Tribe. One of the three players at the table has just scored a particularly grand amount; he was the Dealer who bid on this distribution of cards. The other two players are the Initiate and the Medium who temporarily formed an alliance against the contract, but their defense did not foil the bidder on this occasion.
Their (zero-sum) scores accumulated as follows:
Sphinxter old +268, new -210, net +58.
Hive Twinz old -254, new +420, net +166.
PeaceDancer old -14, new -210, net -224.
+420 is a most auspicious score, wouldn't you agree?
Once a porn-O'time there were whimsical vegi-shamen who loved to play games with the Cosmic Tribe. They had been meeting regularly for spirited tournaments at their favorite club, Flaming Holey's House of Tarot, and Titanomaxia Arena. A group of these shamen had played thirty-nine tables lately, and the most recent five of the contracts had been conducted by three vegi-shamen in particular.
Representing their playful spirits, we find Susan Seddon Boulet's three images here: "Rites of Passage", "Visioning", and "Cameo".
The smoke of cannabinoidery does improve cosmic vegi-shamen reception.
02) antiques corner; the game.JPG
Titanomaxia is an ancient game with many possible variations, and our friends had been playing recently with the current "house rules" for thirty-nine tables. The vegi-shamen leatherfaereez float down from another dimension and approach the game arena for Table number 40 as they are about to proceed toward Deal number 6. The rules of this style of Cosmic Tribe Dance Of The Oracle mandate the scoring based upon the ultimate dispositions of the three loci of the deck whose termini are known as the TITAN, WIZARD, DEMON of the tribe. Those cards are the Unbeatable Infinite 21 of Trumps, the Number 1 Ace of Trumps Magician, and the Fool pseudo-Zero Joker, respectively.
The deck had only been hard-shuffled for an original chaotic randomization as three vegi-shamen began playing, and they had completed five deals thus far with only soft-shuffling during the intervening bidding phases (cut-and-distribute, no re-randomizing except for the usual Bitching procedure in the deal). Their current (zero-sum) scores were accumulating at the following levels: SphinxterBuzzerz were in the lead with +268 credits. PeaceDancerz had lost only a tiny smidgeon, as they were at -14 credits ("barely in the hole"). StickySweet Twinz were deepest in debt at -254 credits. Most gamblers exchange their credits for monetary value, but casual gamers might prefer other more enticing rewards, such as raspberries or breathtakingly dangerous kisses.
"Transcendence" is a work of art by Susan Seddon Boulet, along with "Rites of Passage", "Visioning", "Cameo", and "Fortuna". The leatherfaery dancer is from Stevee Postman, the Gaia Trilogy of books (Titan, Wizard, Demon) is by John Varley, and the celebratory toy is from Mr S Leather.
03) floating mascot dances ZING; the cut.JPG
Thirteen ancient Leather Fairiez adorn the artwork of Stevee's pin-up calendar, and conveniently a deck of seventy-eight cards is evenly divisible by thirteen. So whenever the deck is cut for a new soft-shuffle and bidding, the impartial oracle can examine one portion of the freshly cut deck to determine how many cards are in that "half", divide by thirteen, and keep only the remainder as the random number which then generates a selection of Leather Faery Mascot. He will serve as the Mascot Of The Ass Hots for the current deal, representing the most powerful titanic card(s) of the tribe as the players contend for positions of superior strength and vie for the highest scores. He might generally begin as a symbol of the 21 of Trumps (ultimate TITAN of the Multiverse Axis) but he could subsequently represent other powerful cards as players spend their various trumps during the course of the contested tricks. His story will ultimately be a tale concerning the details of how the tricky points are scored.
Titanomaxia is a trick-taking game whose scoring depends most crucially upon the final dispositions of the three terminus KEYS known as the TITAN, WIZARD, DEMON. (They are usually the highest 21 of Trumps, the lowest Ace of Trumps, and the unsuitable Joker, respectively.) Throughout the tricking each player must concern themselves with the questions of who holds the strongest position in each element, who is void, who might overtrump, and who will capture the tierces with KEYS and face cards. The Titan is unbeatable and thus remains where it is dealt; the Demon usually also remains where it is dealt, as long as it is played normally before the last trick. The Wizard is the most vulnerable tarot, but he can score a Magick Trick bonus for appearing during the final (twenty-fourth) trick on the tableau.
04) Vortumna spins the wheel; the deal
Vortumna - the Vortex Goddess - she who spins the wheel of the year around, she who turns the wheel of the world. She represents the roll of dice, the deal of cards, the twist of fate, the path of life.
Vortumna - Fortumna - Fortuna - Fortune - wheel of fortune
Will a lucky Titanomaxia player parlay their titanic cards into a victory, or will their diabolical opponents eclipse their efforts? Our current floating Mascot of the Ass Hots (from Stevee Postman) will dance with some ZING until we find out the curious results of this cut of the deck.
The dealer distributes the freshly cut deck in packets of four cards at a time to each player ("quarts"). Eventually each of the three players will have six quarts, holding a total of twenty-four cards in their hand. In between these quarts, at random, but never consecutively nor as the first nor last card of the deck, the Bitch receives one individual card at a time. The Bitch will have six cards, the players will have twenty-four times three, this gives us the entire deck of seventy-eight. In the Cosmic Tribe, we remove the seventy-ninth and eightieth (spare "Lovers" cards) and use only 78 to play Titanomaxia.
This process of cut-and-distribute is the only "soft-shuffling" which takes place; no other hard shuffle is needed after the original chaotic randomization.
Table number 40, Deal number 6: the Initiate position (first to speak) is held by the PeaceDancer BeetBergur vegi-shaman. The Medium position (neither first nor last) is held by the vegi-shaman SphinxterBuzzerz PuckerBulbz. The Dealer position (last to speak) is currently the StickySweet Twinz Of The Hive.
05) on the edge; evaluation.JPG
Titanomaxia players usually evaluate the cards dealt to their hands without sorting and rearranging, until somebody has confidence in a bid. If all three players pass, the unsorted cards are stacked back up and re-dealt (without any hard shuffling) until someone wishes to take a chance.
During this current Table number 40 where they are on Deal number 6, the Initiate position is where PeaceDancer's cards are next to the blue KozmikEyeBall. PeaceDancer decides to "PASS" because his cards are:
earth: A 2 3 6 7 8 Π Ψ
air: T 6 3 A Π
water: A 9
fire: 5 Ψ
void: 3 6 9 13 14 19
0 [DEMON]
The Medium position (neither first nor last) is where SphinxterBuzzer's cards are next to the Liberty Bell coin. Sphinxter decides to "PASS" because his cards are:
earth: 4 5 T Υ
air: 7 5 4
water: 2 3 6 T Υ
fire: 2 6 Π Υ
void: 2 4 5 7 11 15 17 20
The Dealer position (last to speak) is where the StickySweet Twinz' cards are next to the BusyBeeHive Markers. Twinz decide to "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch because these are their exquisite cards:
earth: Ω [Archon]
air: 9 8 Υ Ψ Ω [Archon]
water: 5 8 Ψ Ω [Archon]
fire: T 9 8 7 4 3 A Ω [Archon]
void: [WIZARD] 1 8 10 16 18 21 [TITAN]
If a player wants to bid to "Take" the Bitch, they are only risking a normal score. If a player wants to bid "Guard" with the Bitch, they would risk winning or losing double score. If they wish to "Guard Without Looking" at the Bitch, they risk quadruple score; and instead of using their Bitch for discard purposes, they would put it aside confidentially until after all the tricks. If they wish to "Guard Against" the Bitch, they risk hextuple score; and instead of touching the Bitch at all, they give it to the co-defenders against the contract who will not see nor score those six cards until after all the tricking. There is no bid higher than "Against" the Bitch.
The basic price of a contract is 25 credits. The distance between the contractor's actual tricky points and their Titanomaxia target is also determined. The targets are a minimum of: 33, 36, 43, or 46 tricky points for finishing with three, two, one, or none of the three KEYS, respectively. To the 25 credits and the extra distance from the target we also add or subtract a bonus of 10 credits for a "Magick Trick" if the Ace of Trumps (Wizard) is used during the Last Trick on the table. After calculating the sum, we then multiply all of this by the bidding level (single, double, quadruple, hextuple). Finally, if any player announced a "Handful" (supermajority of cards in the Void) or an attempt to "Slam" (win absolutely every trick on the table) they can add bonus credits.
Most gamblers exchange their credits for monetary value, but casual gamers might prefer other more enticing rewards, such as raspberries or breathtakingly dangerous kisses.
StickySweet Hive Twinz have evaluated their cards, and decided the amazing combination of all four Archons plus the Wizard and Titan of trumps will allow them to gamble on the hextuple risk when they "Guard Against" the Bitch here.
06) Titanomaxia; ready.JPG
The three vegi-shamen Titanomaxia players have made their bids, and the table has accepted a gamble of "Guard Against the Bitch" from the StickySweet Twinz in the dealer position. The Twinz do not wish to mention any "Slam" attempt (to win every trick on the table), so the tricks will proceed normally.
The Initiate position (always immediately counter-clockwise to the right of the dealer) is held here by PeaceDancer, who will be first to speak.
The Medium position (neither first nor last) is held by SphinxterBuzzerz PuckerBulbz.
The six cards from the Bitch are not shown to anybody yet. Instead, they will be secretly kept aside to be added to the tricky pile of the two co-defenders against the contract, after all the twenty-four tricks have been played on the table. The contractor will never touch nor capture any of those six cards; but he is extremely confident of his bid in this case, and will gamble hextuple score by going "Against" that Bitch.
07) Initiate's position.JPG
The first player to speak is counter-clockwise to the right of the dealer. PeaceDancer does not hold a supermajority of unsuited cards "in the void", so he announces no handful. PeaceDancer will thus activate the Initiation phase of the game by entering the first card into the first trick.
08) Medium's position.JPG
The player who is neither first nor last is the Medium. After hearing from the Initiate, the Medium will follow them into the first trick. SphinxterBuzzer is currently in this position, and he does not hold a supermajority of unsuited cards, so he will not mention any "Handful" gamble.
09) Dealer's position.JPG
The Dealer was last to speak, going counter-clockwise around the table. The StickySweet Twinz of Honey Hive were dealt some tremendously good cards, so they bid to "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch (hextuple gamble). They are holding all four Archons (the highest card of each of the four minor elements) and two of the three vital KEYS to the scoring targets. They have the TITAN (unbeatable 21 of trump), and hope to retain their WIZARD (vulnerable Ace of trump). The two co-defenders who oppose their contract will typically retain their DEMON card (the unsuitable Joker).
After they complete the twenty-four tricks on the table, the two unseen tierces of cards from the Bitch will be given to the tricky pile of the co-defenders in opposition to the contract. The contractor will never touch nor capture those six Bitchy cards.
10) sunset results; dealer bid Guard Against.JPG
The light at sunset was rather orange and pinkish as it reflected off Bellingham Bay through our northwest window on these lovely High Holey Dayze.
Dealer bid "Guard Against" the Bitch (hextuple gamble); no mention of "Slam" (to take every trick). None of the three players announced any "Handful" (supermajority of cards in the Void). There were twenty-four tricks on the table, then the six Bitch cards were revealed for the benefit of the opposition to the contract, so here were the twenty-six tierces:
Trick A: [INITIATION] PeaceDancer "earth 7". SphinxterBuzzer: "earth 5". StickySweet Twinz: "Ω Archon of earth".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 5 for contract.
Trick B: Twinz: "Ω Archon of fire". Peace: "fire 5". Sphinxter: "fire 6".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 10 for contract.
Trick C: Twinz: "Ten of fire". Peace: "Ψ of fire". Sphinxter: "Υ of fire".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ +2 Υ = 6 points; subtotal 6 for opposition.
Trick D: PeaceDancer: "earth 6". Sphinxter: "earth Ten". Twinz: "void 1 trumps, WIZARD"!
Score 1 for the tierce +4 (KEY) = 5 points; subtotal 15 for contract.
Trick E: Twinz: "fire 9". PeaceDancer: "DEMON!" Sphinxter: "fire 2".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 (KEY) = 5 points; subtotal 11 for opposition.
Trick F: Sphinxter: "water 3". Twinz: "Ω Archon of water". PeaceDancer: "Ace of water".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 20 for contract.
Trick G: Twinz: "fire 7". PeaceDancer: "void 3 trumps, Producer". Sphinxter: "Π of fire".
Score 1 for the tierce +1 Π = 2 points; subtotal 13 for opposition.
Trick H: PeaceDancer: "earth 3". Sphinx: "earth 4". Twinz: "void 8 trumps, Balance".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 21 for contract.
Trick I: Twinz: "fire 4". Peace: "void 6 trumps, Lovers". Sphinx: "void 7 trumps, Chariot".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 14 for opposition.
Trick J: Sphinx: "air 4". Twinz: "Ω Archon of air". Peace: "Ten of air".
Score 1 for the tierce +4 Ω [Archon] = 5 points; subtotal 26 for contract.
Trick K: Twinz: "Ace of fire". Peace: "void 9 trumps, Hermit". Sphinx: "void 11 trumps, Lust".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 15 for opposition.
Trick L: Sphinxter: "air 7". Twinz: "Ψ of air". Peace: "air 6".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ = 4 points; subtotal 30 for contract.
Trick M: Twinz: "fire 3". PeaceDancer: "void 13 trumps, Death". Sphinx: "void 15 trumps, Devil".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 16 for opposition.
Trick N: Sphinx: "air 5". Twinz: "Υ of air". Peace: "air 3".
Score 1 for the tierce +2 Υ = 3 points; subtotal 33 for contract.
Trick O: Twinz: "fire 8". Peace: "void 14 trumps, Artist". Sphinx: "void 17 trumps, Star".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 17 for opposition.
Trick P: Sphinx: "water 2". Twinz: "Ψ of water". Peace: "water 9".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ = 4 points; subtotal 37 for contract.
Trick Q: Twinz: "air 9". PeaceDancer: "Π of air". Sphinx: "void 2 trumps, Sorceror".
Score 1 for the tierce +1 Π = 2 points; subtotal 19 for opposition.
Trick R: Sphinxter: "Υ of water". Twinz: "water 5". PeaceDancer: "void 19 trumps, Sun".
Score 1 for the tierce +2 Υ = 3 points; subtotal 22 for opposition.
Trick S: PeaceDancer: "Ace of air". Sphinx: "void 4 trumps, Director". Twinz: "air 8".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 23 for opposition.
Trick T: Sphinx: "Υ of earth". Twinz: "void 10 trumps, Wheel Of Fortune". PeaceDancer: "earth 2".
Score 1 for the tierce +2 Υ = 3 points; subtotal 40 for contract.
Trick U: Twinz: "water 8". PeaceDancer: "Ψ of earth". Sphinx: "Ten of water".
Score 1 for the tierce +3 Ψ = 4 points; subtotal 27 for opposition.
Trick V: Sphinx: "water 6". Twinz: "void 16 trumps, Tower". Peace: "Ace of earth".
Score 1 for the tierce +0 no face cards = 1 point; subtotal 41 for contract.
Trick W: Twinz: "void 18 trumps, Moon". Peace: "Π of earth". Sphinx: "void 20 trumps, Teleporter".
Score 1 for the tierce +1 Π = 2 points; subtotal 29 for opposition.
Trick X: SphinxterBuzzerz: "void 5 trumps, Seer". StickySweet Twinz: "void 21 trumps, TITAN"! PeaceDancer BeetBergur: "earth 8" [DESTINY].
Score 1 for the tierce +4 (KEY) = 5 points; final total 46 for contract.
Tierces Y & Z: [PROGNOSTICATION] "water 4, water 7, Π of water". "earth 9, air 2, void 12 trumps (Hanged Man)".
Score 2 for the tierces +1 Π = 3 points; final total 32 for opposition.
The Deck is always a total of 78 tricky points among the 78 cards; here they had 46+32=78. The contractor accumulated a tricky pile solo where he captured 46 points; the co-defenders amassed a tricky pile together where they held on to 32 points.
11) INITIATION; first trick Table 40 Deal 6.JPG
The Initiation is one of the three loci of Titanomaxia, along with the Prognostication and the Destiny. It involves the first card entered into the first trick, and generally continues until the tempo is changed when the other side takes the lead away. Here is the Initiation from Table number 40, Deal number 6:
No mention of "Slam"; lead will go normally.
Initiate (PeaceDancer): no Handful. Open with "earth 7".
Medium (Sphinxter): no Handful. Follow with "earth 5".
Dealer (Twinz): no Handful. Tricking with "Ω Archon of earth". The lead is immediately usurped, the tempo changes, and the Initiation only involved the first tierce on the table.
Card correspondences: 7 of Disks is a card of "petrifaction" and stiffening hard; it is a kind of hard-on card. 5 of Pentacles is a card of "introspection" and worrisomely tight penetrations; it's a kind of butthole card. Ω Archon of earth is the Warlock of the Pentacles who represents health and bodily powers; he's kind of a hot fucker with some amazing expertise.
So that's quite a sexy tierce for our Initiation: the Hard-On, the ButtHole, and the Warlock. Way to go, vegi-shamen!
12) all tricks played; Bitch is flipped.JPG
After completing the twenty-four tricks contested on the table, they flip the Bitch over to reveal the two tierces which are awarded to the co-defenders who collaborated against the contractor. The contractor bid "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch, which is a hextuple gambling risk (multiplying the rewards and punishments by six).
13) DESTINY; final trick from Table 40 Deal 6.JPG
The final card in the final trick is not "chosen" by the player, it is forced by process of elimination into the final position. Sometimes all possible game choices are exhausted before reaching the final card, so there might be other cards heading toward that Destiny position which are also involved. These cards are forced by the game golem into their logical optimal sequence, so there are usually several final items on the table whose ultimate dispositions could not be altered by their possessors.
The DESTINY is one of the three loci of Titanomaxia, along with the Prognostication and the Initiation.
Here we have Titanomaxia: Table number 40, Deal number 6. During the penultimate (twenty-third) trick on the table, the Medium player was forced to overtrump the Dealer while the Initiate was favorably disposing of a face card (the Π of earth is worth +1 point). The dealer's decision to lead that trick with his 18 of trump ("Moon") forced all further game options to coalesce into the final optimal sequence.
The ultimate (twenty-fourth) trick was then led by the Medium, whose only remaining card was the 5 of trump ("Seer"). The Dealer takes the trick with his only remaining member of the Cosmic Tribe, the 21 of trump ("TITAN of the Multiverse Axis"). The Initiate must unfavorably dispose of his only remaining card, the 8 of earth ("Prudence").
The DESTINY card is therefore the 8 of earth. The sequence of DESTINY involves all of the cards in the final two tierces after the 18 of trump Moon. The five subsequent cards after the Moon are this deal's DESTINY, ending with "Prudence" 8 of earth.
Card correspondences: Π of earth = Sensitive Man. 20 of trump = Teleporter. 5 of trump = Navigator. 21 of trump = Infinity. 8 of earth = Prudence. This sequence in our tarot reading tells us of a sensational man who is rescued from the incoming tide by a teleporter, and the rescuer is then a visionary who summons the ultimate cosmic Titan to take them away with prudence and permission. Perhaps the Titan in this instance is a symbol of the infinite mysteries and sensations of astral travel.
In the photo, the final Prudence pentacles appear to have the "8" turned sideways as a symbol of "infinity", the navigator is saying "Hi 5" because he is so celebratory, and the 21 Titan shows off his symbol of Infinity over his head.
14) TITAN WIZARD DEMON; dispositions.JPG
TITAN WIZARD DEMON: those are the three KEYS which form the termini of the deck, and those three determine the loci of the scoring targets. They are usually the unbeatable 21 of trump, the vulnerable Ace of Trump, and the unsuitable Joker.
Titanomaxia: Table number 40, Deal number 6. The Initiate and Medium each chose to "PASS", the Dealer chose to bid "GUARD AGAINST" the Bitch. Nobody mentioned any attempt to "Slam", nor any "Handful" supermajority of trumps. They contested the twenty-four tricks on the table, then the two tierces of cards in the Bitch were awarded to the co-defenders against the contract.
The final disposition of the DEMON was in the tricky pile of the defenders, as he had been dealt on their side and was retained as usual by his possessor.
The final disposition of the TITAN was in the contractor's hand where it was dealt. No card can ever beat the Titan of the Cosmic Tribe, so he always stays by his possessor.
The final disposition of the WIZARD was also in the contractor's hand. The Ace of Trump was utilized to capture a trick when its possessor was void in the requested suit, and thus remained in the tricky pile on the side where he was dealt.
These are the scoring requirements depending on the final dispositions of the KEYS:
3 KEYS requires minimum 33 points
2 KEYS requires minimum 36 points
1 KEYS requires minimum 43 points
0 KEYS requires minimum 46 points
There are always 78 points in the deck to be divvied between the contractor versus the opposition.
During this particular deal, the bidder completed the hand with the WIZARD and TITAN on his side, so with 2 KEYS he is required to score a minimum of 36 points to fulfill his contract. He actually scored 46 tricky points on the table, so his surplus of 10 points distance beyond the minimum is a bonus which will be awarded to his credits calculation. The basic price of a contract is 25 credits; adding 10 yields a subtotal of 35; bidding "Guard Against" multiplies this by 6 (hextuple gamble), so the final award is 6x35=210 credits from each of the two defenders. Each defender will debit -210 from their account, and they will each pay the contractor, so his account will increase by 210x2= +420 credits.
15) PROGNOSTICATION; the Bitch from Table 40 Deal 6.JPG
The Prognostication is one of the three loci of Titanomaxia, along with the Initiation and the Destiny. In most cases, when a player bids to "TAKE" or "GUARD" with the Bitch cards, they will show them to the table before discarding, and everybody will have some foresight into the ensuing tricks. There are rules governing the discard, and this affects players' expectations.
But when a player bids to go "WITHOUT LOOKING" or "AGAINST" the Bitch, nobody sees the Bitch cards before the tricking. Instead, the Bitch is awarded "without looking" to the contractor, or is awarded "against" the contractor to the co-defenders. When that happens, nobody has any information about the Bitch contents until they are deduced by process of elimination during the twenty-four tricks on the table. Then when everybody has finished tricking, they will reveal those Bitch cards, and the Prognostication will actually be observed in retrospect.
Here we have Titanomaxia: Table number 40, Deal number 6. The Initiate and the Medium both chose to "pass", but the Dealer chose to bid "Against" the Bitch. After the tricking contest, the following six cards (two tierces) were revealed and scored for the defense:
earth: 9
air: 2
water: 4 7 Π
void: 12
Card correspondences: 9 of earth = Sharing. 2 of air = Peacefulness. 4 of water = Luxury. 7 of water = Orgy. Π of water = graceful Merman face card. 12 of trump = Hanged Man of Suspense. This PROGNOSTICATION in our tarot reading for Table number 40 Deal number 6 is based on the observations of the importance of those cards to the players in this Clash Of The Titans. The sequence of cards suggests an opportunity at an orgy for some luxurious giving and receiving, so long as the participants can handle some suspense and flirt with the edges of their personal boundaries with a bit of grace. There weren't many extra points for the defense in that Bitch; and the contractor was not bothered by the absence of the Hanged Man, nor were his plans altered by the lack of those water cards and other minor elements from the tableau. This indicates a Prognostication which is probably of little importance compared to the other loci, and certainly not one of much consequence to the ultimate outcome. The cards of the Initiation and Destiny were far more critical in this particular deal.
16) final tableau; Guard Against by 10pts; Table 40 Deal 6, score +420.JPG
+420 is such a delightful score.
Mascot of the Ass Hots representing the Titan of the Cosmic Tribe is looking down on the tableau after all twenty-four tricks have been contested, and the two tierces from the Bitch have been flipped over. These twenty-six tierces each contain three cards, giving us the seventy-eight members of the Tribe. One of the three players at the table has just scored a particularly grand amount; he was the Dealer who bid on this distribution of cards. The other two players are the Initiate and the Medium who temporarily formed an alliance against the contract, but their defense did not foil the bidder on this occasion.
Their (zero-sum) scores accumulated as follows:
Sphinxter old +268, new -210, net +58.
Hive Twinz old -254, new +420, net +166.
PeaceDancer old -14, new -210, net -224.
+420 is a most auspicious score, wouldn't you agree?
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