Geenius at Wrok
I'm with Thirteen—the minors should feature scenes, not be represented by individuals. For one thing, you're gonna get huge amounts of overlap if you try to make each card a character. You're also going to wind up elevating minor characters who aren't as significant as the ones they're standing alongside. And I'd use single symbols for the Aces. Question is, what's the Buffy-world equivalent of a cup? Stakes, swords and amulets are all recurring images, but I can't say I've ever noticed people using cups a whole lot. (Maybe a coffee cup with the logo of the Bronze on the side. ;-) ) However, I'd still call the suits by their traditional names—having a "5 of Watchers" would be a bad idea, IMO. On the other hand, the court cards really suggest themselves as a good home for secondary characters who don't quite make the cut for the major arcana.
I think most of your major arcana choices are spot on, even though I'm not a fan of Thoth decks (would rather see Strength and Temperance than Lust and Art). I can see why you chose Oz for Art (or even Temperance, in a cautionary sort of way), though I think he'd make a phenomenal Hermit. Drusilla is perfect for the Moon—there's no way to top that choice. Similarly, Xander is perfect for the Fool, Faith for the Devil. (Anya for the Sun? Eh, maybe.) I do like the idea of using the tower from the fifth season as the Tower, though if you wanted to inject a little humor into the deck, you could use Sunnydale High School getting blown up.
I agree with Thirteen that Spike belongs on the Lovers card. Don't you think Riley would make a good Strength (or Chariot, if you're dead-set on using Thoth majors)?
If you're going to take any liberties with card naming, here's what I'd suggest: Leave the major arcana mostly intact, but substitute one or two special cards for characters whose roles just don't allow them to fit anywhere else (e.g., Dawn—why not have "the Key" as a card?). Don't futz with the suit names, but maybe futz with the court card titles. For example, instead of King-Queen-Knight-Page—which will introduce awkward gender conflicts in a show that's always had more female than male characters in strong roles—you could have Champion (strong allies), Guardian (back-watchers), Adversary (foes) and Disciple (interesting minor characters). How about Kendra as the Champion of Staves? Forrest as the Guardian of Staves? Adam as the Adversary of Staves? Jenny Calendar as the Guardian of Swords? Michael as the Disciple of Cups? As for the minors, there are a couple of decks, including the Nigel Jackson, that feature Marseilles-style pip patterns with illustrated tableaux below on the 2 through 10 minors. I think that would be a great way to go in this deck.
I think most of your major arcana choices are spot on, even though I'm not a fan of Thoth decks (would rather see Strength and Temperance than Lust and Art). I can see why you chose Oz for Art (or even Temperance, in a cautionary sort of way), though I think he'd make a phenomenal Hermit. Drusilla is perfect for the Moon—there's no way to top that choice. Similarly, Xander is perfect for the Fool, Faith for the Devil. (Anya for the Sun? Eh, maybe.) I do like the idea of using the tower from the fifth season as the Tower, though if you wanted to inject a little humor into the deck, you could use Sunnydale High School getting blown up.
I agree with Thirteen that Spike belongs on the Lovers card. Don't you think Riley would make a good Strength (or Chariot, if you're dead-set on using Thoth majors)?If you're going to take any liberties with card naming, here's what I'd suggest: Leave the major arcana mostly intact, but substitute one or two special cards for characters whose roles just don't allow them to fit anywhere else (e.g., Dawn—why not have "the Key" as a card?). Don't futz with the suit names, but maybe futz with the court card titles. For example, instead of King-Queen-Knight-Page—which will introduce awkward gender conflicts in a show that's always had more female than male characters in strong roles—you could have Champion (strong allies), Guardian (back-watchers), Adversary (foes) and Disciple (interesting minor characters). How about Kendra as the Champion of Staves? Forrest as the Guardian of Staves? Adam as the Adversary of Staves? Jenny Calendar as the Guardian of Swords? Michael as the Disciple of Cups? As for the minors, there are a couple of decks, including the Nigel Jackson, that feature Marseilles-style pip patterns with illustrated tableaux below on the 2 through 10 minors. I think that would be a great way to go in this deck.
