Cards and suits - symbolism ramblings

[Rickus]

Hi all

 

I've been vaguely plotting about how I would start my TTB game with my guys, and I thought about ways of driving home the theme of Fate having a direct, more concrete role in the characters' stories than what the players had experienced in other settings. They're used to weird symbolism and darker themes, but I'd really like to give them something more fleshy for this... and so I started wondering about the Malifaux card suits, and the meanings you could infer from them.

 

My thoughts:

 

In some of the art (such as for A-Lady J), the Ram and Crow are seen to be opposites - or at least, opposing each other. An immediate theme for these suits and their respective factions could be the struggle between control of the living and control of the dead - but then, I suppose you could also see the Ram as a symbol of control generally (of people, of nature, whatever), with the Crow as being of defiance (of law, natural order, etc). There's even a secondary theme of how both systems are broken - one breaks the people, the other breaks the mind. 

 

On the other hand, the Tome and Mask also have interesting meanings. A tome - a book - usually has a theme of revealing knowledge, of educating and exploring. On the other hand, a Mask would have clear themes of hiding or covering knowledge (dreadful knowledge or otherwise). I find it interesting, though, that the Arcanists have to operate in secret and out of sight, while the Neverborn are a clear and present danger for many of the people living in Malifaux. Hidden illumination versus clear danger? 

 

I know this is just rambling, but I'd like to hear how other folks have been looking at this - is this something that anyone has explored? I would guess that anything involving Zoraida could have interesting stuff come up, especially if the characters look for deeper meaning in their fates.