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We here at the Triskelion Society are proud to announce a Stretch Goal for Crown of Tines. If we reach $3,200 in funding, we will be creating an additional expansion to Crown of Tines titled "The Elder Ones", featuring six new masks! A Print-on-Demand version of the expansion will be made available FREE to all backers who have pledged at least $15 dollars.  

The Elder Ones

Ancient alien gods whose tendrils of influence have extended throughout the world's history since before it even began.

The great old ones of the universe are eternal and unchanging, so the powers of those who wear their Masks are always in effect.

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The Crownbearer

As our Kickstarter has been crowned victorious, it seems appropriate that we discuss what occurs once a player of the game reaches their goal. If you intend to play multiple games in a row, you will find some significantly interesting variance each time you determine a winner, for this will activate a Mask's "Crownbearer" rule. Once a player claims victory, the place their Mask card in the center of the table and flip it over, revealing a new thematic rule that the card applies to the next game. The rules on the Masks and their impact on the game vary greatly; examples include "All players treat their 2s as Aces" and "All players play with the leftmost card in their hand facing outwards." The rule represents the Mask claiming victory and obtaining the Crown of Tines, therefore asserting their influence over the destiny of the world and, consequently, the next game. However it also applies a very important mechanical benefit. Because Crown of Tines is a relatively simple game, it can become less interesting over repeated plays in a single instance with the same players. Different players will always add their own interesting and unpredictable interactions when they join, and will likely evolve their play styles over subsequent games, but there will be substantially less variance in consecutive repeated plays with identical players using the basic rules. However, with the Crownbearer rules each subsequent game gains a new twist that forces players to behave at least slightly differently than the game before, possibly introducing new interactions with the powers of their Masks and generally creating opportunities for exciting new play interactions. As another interesting design note, most of the Crownbearer effects on the Mask cards are not rules that would function as well if their corresponding Mask were still in play, often introducing a mechanic that could be abused or even negated by its source Mask. The game therefore takes advantage of the Mask's absence to add the fun new twist. There is no evidence to suggest that the Crownbearer rules have any relation to the Mask's supposed "real world" influence over the future of the world. Special thanks to one of our lead cultural researchers, Halley Farwood, for deciphering this rule from several encoded American Spiritualist texts.

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A warm thanks to those who aided us in deciphering the previous “Wheel” puzzle. Using the information contained therein, we have managed to decipher the true intent of the “Thunder’s Consort” card as played during the American Spiritualist period. We have also completed some additional research on the Thunder’s Consort which may prove interesting:

Thunder’s Consort is perhaps the most naturalistic and pagan of the masks. Her symbolism ties back to ancient, primordial forces of nature and the wrath of storms. Human history and mythology is filled with the deification of storms, thunder, and lightning. However, in comparing the relative nature of these deities, certain themes emerge.

Storm and thunder gods are often deified as masculine, destructive forces. Thunder’s Consort stands in compliment and contrast to this trend, being at once a being of anger, wrath, and lightning, but also standing apart from it, as a companion, and perhaps mollifying force. She is often pictured and described as having one arm outstretched, beckoning to another, whether it be to the viewer or another mask. Her role therefore seems to be at once Peacemaker and Arbiter, wrathful, yet serene.

This leads us to conclude that she harkens back to the ancient past of human history when matriarchy was more common and primordial forces more highly revered. As a Crownbearer we think that she would signify modern society taking steps towards a more archaic state; she beckons mankind to return to a simpler time, when men still feared and respected Mother Nature. Ironically, many people would likely see this reversion as progress.

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A map, found and restored from one of the folios, found accompanying the following poem:

At noon I began my journey

On a cold and windy day

The eastern wind was at my back

The sun lighting my way

I leapt of off my mountain home

And in an hour's time

I'd traveled a quarter's quarter

Of the kingdom I call mine

Then turning towards the sun

In search of a place to rest

I traveled half that same distance

Heart pounding in my chest

After sleeping in a quiet groveI hastily departed

Going in the same direction

As I was when I started

And once I'd reached the border

Of this land that I call home

I headed South, still searching for

A destination of my own

Three of my mountain homes would fit

Along the next route that I took

A far-off glimmer caught my eye

I turned to my left to look

Following its trail

I flew just under half the length

Of this entire land;

Such was my attraction's strength

By now night had fallen

And, still searching for my treasure

I was guided by the Little Bear along

The smallest distance I can measure

Then struggling to breathe

With my wings tired and sore

I traveled West for the same distance

As I did three verses before

There at last I claimed my treasure

And finally could rest

Its divine power now resides

Deep inside my breast

And that power may be yours to share

If only you can find

The path of the Sovereign Cormorant

Through this kingdom I call mine

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Modifying the “Horned Fool”

Those of you who have been following our development of this game for a while may notice that the Power of the Horned Fool has been altered from its original state. Originally the sole effect of the card was to add a court card to your hand and treat it as an extra "6," essentially giving you a free card better than a fair number of the cards in your deck. It was eventually brought to our attention that this effect is actually weaker than many of the other Masks powers, and the reason why isn't immediately obvious. The effect is not bad in and of itself; not counting the Aces, 6 is the average value of a card in a player's deck, so gaining a new one in your hand isn't a weak effect. But the fact that the card remains among its owner's played cards presents a problem. Once a card is played it goes into the discard pile, likely to later be shuffled back into your deck on your next Recover action. And herein lies a problem, because having an extra 6 in your DECK is actually a considerable detriment. Even though it's close to the average of the overall cards, it's not something you ever want to draw instead of your Ace, and is so much worse than one that it actually weakens the value of your average card. As one of our researchers (and more aggressive players) put it, it is just one more card that is not an Ace. So, in order to maintain game balance, we added an additional effect to the Power, reading: "You may then remove the lowest card in your discard pile from the game." Longtime players of trading card games will recognize this "banishing" mechanic; it essentially a step above discarding. What it does for the Fool's player is allow them to not only gain an extra decent card into their hand, but it also gives them the option to generally replace a weak card in their discard pile (and ultimately their deck) with a better one. Of course it the pile had no cards equal to or lower than a 6 in it, the additional effect would still be detrimental, but this is something the player may even be able to control themselves through clever play and may give them increased reason to play weaker cards earlier than normal. We feel this effect adds enough additional strategy and balance to the game that it was worth altering the original as conceived by the French nobles.

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Video Contest!

To celebrate our Kickstarter launch, we would like to encourage our patrons to join in the fun of playing the game in costume. Anyone who plays a round of Crown of Tines (using the “quickstart” supplementary rules found here”) on video and sends it to us may also send their design for a custom Mask card. We shall select our favorite design to make an actual promotional version of the card, which will be made available. Special consideration will be given to anyone who plays in particularly fanciful costumes.

It should be noted that participants should not feel obligated to “balance” the Power of their Mask card, as this card is purely being introduced into the game for fun. We shall reserve the right to alter the visual presentation in some was and allow our artist her typical creative freedoms, but we will adhere as closely to the mechanical design as possible.

Additionally, we at the Triskelion Society would like to formally refute any claims that our video is haunted. We grant that there are some unfortunate technical malfunctions in the video, but any sightings of a “phantom” are misinterpretations of the video distortions caused by these malfunctions. Please stop contacting us to warn us of impending spectral vengeance for altering (and unequivocally improving) Crown of Tines from its original 17th and 19th century iterations.

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Some time ago we recovered documents belonging to a prominent member of the American Spiritualist revival effort for Crown of Tines. As of yet, we have not managed to decipher their meaning. Their similarities to demonic summoning circles suggest that they may contain information pertaining to the Masks, as some of the Spiritualists conflated the lore of certain Masks with demonology as (we believe) a way of concealing their true meaning. Additionally, the use of what appears to be a dialect of Enochian suggests that the materials are encoded, as this “language of angels” was commonly used by them to encrypt important information.

Should any of you be able to crack this code, it would prove incredibly useful to us in our final push to assemble the game for the modern era. Please message us if you believe you have found the answer.

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CROWN OF TINES - NOW ON KICKSTARTER!

Dear friends and supporters,

We here at the Triskelion Society are proud to announce the Kickstarter for Crown of Tines! We are eager for this opportunity to bring this historical game back to life. Our Kickstarter video contains a demonstration of one of the game’s turns, complete with helpful sidebars explaining key concepts and terms. Anyone who wants to join the fun and create a video of themselves playing the game as well will get a special feature on our site, as well as a special prize to be revealed later!

As the Kickstarter progresses, we will be updating this blog with previews, puzzles, game design notes, and other fun content several times a week, so be sure to check back soon!

Finally, if you’re local to the San Francisco Bay Area, we have several upcoming events we’d love to see you at! We’ll be having our launch party at 7 pm tonight at Harry’s Bar in the Hotel Durant in Berkeley, which will feature playable “beta” copies of Crown of Tines! We will also be at gamesofberkeley  all day this Sunday, 9/20, for Local Games Sundays, and will have more fun opportunities to try out Crown of Tines!

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Want a sneak peek at our upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Crown of Tines, or simply want to make sure you’re the first to know when it launches? Check out our Prefundia page for more details!

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While Crown of Tines is certainly in a highly refined at this point, an extensive process was required to develop it to its current stage. In adapting Crown of Tines from the essentially protoplasmic form it was initially conceived in, it was necessary to modify or even add multiple rules to the game. If you take an interest in game design, read on to see some of the background issues and the thinking behind choices we made in creating our version of the game.

(For a quick refresher on the basics, click here.)

Initially, the game consisted of only two options on a player's turn: Battling or Recovering. Also, player's automatically drew cards to start their turn. However, this lead to players commonly waiting to attack until they had built up enormous hands, which no matter the outcome would greatly benefit whichever other players did not participate in the battle. The game became mostly about ganging up on whoever had lost most recently after playing defensively for the majority of the time, and lacked considerable strategy compared to how I'd envisioned the game.

To combat this, a number of changes were made. Players would no longer draw cards automatically, but would draw extra cards when initiating or losing a battle. Not only did this allow players who lost exchanges to stay in the game, it also encouraged aggression over defensive play, since attacking smartly would lead to having more cards in hand than repeatedly Recovering to draw cards. Encouraging aggression was an important choice we made early on in development because it would both increase the speed of the game, allowing for multiple plays in a single sitting, and would also keep players more active and engaged while playing. Unlike the other options, Battling involves 2 players, so more Battles means more people actually playing at any given time.

Speaking of other options, it may seem strange that a Guard action was added in, given that one of the goals was to have a faster-paced and aggressive game. However, we received so many requests for some defensive option that we decided to take it into account. In the end, Guarding is actually very rarely the tactically preferable option, but it is nice to have on the occasions when it is, so it doesn't get used often enough to slow the game now. Additionally, it adds utility to the lower-valued cards in that a played face-down Guard, even if has high odds of being low, discourages attackers in general. This also reinforces the game's focus on bluffing.

Finally, something that ultimately wasn't changed from the original design but was considered for alteration multiple times was the way that Mask powers work. Because they only trigger on a successful defense, powers will only activate a handful of times per game. This can lead to some games that end up feeling as though they have less variety. However, it is necessary to have some balancing countermeasure towards aggression without actually discouraging aggressive play. Because most powers reward the defender but don't actually punish the attacker immediately, they keep the game more active while still giving players a consequence for attacking recklessly. Although this is the format kept for the basic masks, we are currently developing expansion ideas that would introduce powers which work in a different way, for players who want a more high risk/high reward and even more volatile game.

In the coming days leading up to our Kickstarter you can expect more design posts like this one, some art previews, and a few surprises, so keep checking in!

[triskelionsociety]

On Hidden Languages

When examining the variety of codes and "secret" languages used during the American Spiritualist period, surprising trends emerge. It is worth noting that while many of the secret languages used have now been dismissed as hoaxes, during the time they were still regarded with an air of reverence, mostly due to their origins in antiquity. Ancient languages, regardless of their origin or veracity, were treated as special and worthy of study.

Enochian, for example, first came into the occult world in 1583. At the time, reports of ‘hidden’ or ‘holy’ languages were something of an obsession in occult circles. The prevailing thinking was that if one could learn to communicate with supernatural forces, one could in turn bend them to one’s will.

“Enochian chess,” a board game with origins similar to “Crown of Tines”, was believed to use the power contained within the Enochian language to bestow supernatural powers on its players. Like “Crown of Tines”, it was often played in 4-person groups, and accounts of it come down to us from such notable players as poet William Butler Yeates. Some have identified correlation between the “god-forms” and Egyptian mythology used in “Enochian chess” and the masks of “Crown of Tines”, but we have not yet been able to substantiate ties between the two games.

While many skeptics have since dismissed Enochian for its comparative inconsistencies and it’s relation to other false, ‘constructed’ languages (see Balaibalan or Lingua Ignota), at the time of the american spiritualist period it still was considered relatively reliable, at least within occult circles. Still, while the exact purposes the American Spiritualist put Enochian towards remains a mystery, we do know that there were many variant interpretations and meanings ascribed towards this interesting historical language.

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Progress Update

Dear Readers,

We here at the Triskelion Society would like to congratulate and thank you for all your assistance in solving the cryptic messages we have found within the American Spiritualist codex we discovered and shared. With the realization that these codes contain new information about “Crown of Tines”, including history of the game and what appear to be variant and/or expanded rules, our sole focus shall now be put towards deciphering them.

Because you all were so instrumental in unlocking the first of these puzzles, we will continue to share our research on them with you, in the hopes that you can assist us in decoding them.

Finally, we would like to announce that once we have deciphered enough of this game to make it’s construction feasible, we shall be launching a crowdfunding campaign to publish and distribute this fascinating historical pastime! Our current projections suggest we should be ready by mid-September, particularly if we can get further assistance in deciphering the riddles which the Spiritualists used to communicate information about the game. More of the encoded materials will be posted to the site shortly.

Be sure to sign up on our mailing list to stay abreast of the latest developments!

Regards,

The Triskelion Society

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In regards to recent messages...

Dear Readers,

Recently, we’ve received numerous e-mails and anonymous messages asking us to remove our findings pertaining to “A Spiritualist’s Guide to the Masks.” We here at the Triskelion Society would like to re-affirm that we do not believe this manuscript nor the masks are in anyway dangerous. We have no interest in “occult secrets.” This is simply an item of historical significance, nothing more.

We will not be intimidated or bullied into ceasing our research into “Crown of Tines”, no matter how dire these crackpots apparently think the consequences may be.

Sincerely,

The Triskelion Society

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For some time, our society has been in possession of a pamphlet entitled "A Spiritualist Guide to the Masks" that was recovered during our research into the Crown of Tines game. It is believed to contain information pertaining to the game, but after considerable study we have been as unable to decipher it as we are most of the other encoded and "puzzle-locked" rituals that we have turned up in the course of our investigation. We have therefore decided to post the contents of this pamphlet for viewing on this website in the hopes that any of you might have better success.

The content of the pamphlet is broken into six sections labeled as follows, which we have numbered in order of their appearance:

Section 1: The Road of Birth

The starting step of Life

BLF DSL HVVP GSV KLDVI LU GSV NZHPH, IVQLRXV, ULI BLFI QLFIMVB WLDM GSRH KZGS OVZWH BLF MLD GL Z TIVZGVI WVHGRMB.

It is first and foremost important to understand that all things begin and end not with the Masks themselves, but with the powers they represent. For each Mask is not a deity nor a demon nor even a force unto itself, but a representation of a cosmic force in control of one aspect of Life. One who seeks the power of the Masks does not seek deification, nor absolute dominion over their destiny, but rather seeks to be themselves reborn as an avatar for a force which they have deemed worthy of holding the reigns of the world, and to wear its Mask as if it were their own face.

Section 2: The Road of Death

Never forget that we are ever on this road

IYE GRY GSVV RKFO ZBYFOX IYEBCOVP GYBDRI DY MYWZODO YX DROSB LORKVP PYB DRO MBYGX YP DSXOC.

The great leaders vowed not to allow the power of the Masks to fall into idle hands, yet also did they vow not to hide their secrets away from all who might earn their knowledge. So they placed the secrets of the Masks at the end of a long Path made of six roads, and along these roads they placed gates, and they gave the keys to three guardians who had long ago completed their journey down these roads. For even in Death, the spirits of the powerful, wise, and willful may still hold sway upon the world, as Death too is a part of Life.

The first key is held by Jeremiah, the prophet who enacted the Mask's will.

The second key is held by Johannes Trithemius, for in his dreams he bore witness to the Masks' divine wisdom.

the third key is held by the great caesar, that emperor who was gifteD power by the Masks.

With these three keys you may unlock the six gates on the six roads of Life, and follow its holy Path to the truth.

Section 3: The Road of Maturity

Regret that it is longer than Infancy, rejoice that it is shorter than Age

IG ARY KOUL JXO RBZAEN LAY JPECQ PBVKW, YNL AJWP MF MDK YSOY AKRLC AOF ISQRVENN ETVG DDV AG NCA CMNTTVHTX UM EN YETRFH MYG AUQA TGDLEGG XMK TIBUD,

If you desire to traverse the roads, you must take careful heed of them. Although the Path that the roads form may not be long, the roads themselves are of varying lengths, and to traverse them without attention to their width and breadth is to be lost. To understand these roads you must expand your concept of time and space, to view the Path of Life as those cosmic forces outside it do. For time, like all measurements, is a human invention, and is included in this guide only to create reference points for conveying the great wisdom needed to begin understanding the Masks.

To travel the Path properly, you must understand how it can be possible to finish walking down a road that has no end, and the dangers of traveling such a road without having ever taken the first step. You must take the roads in increasing order of their length, never beginning a journey longer than those which must come after it, always seeking to steadily grow and mature without ever regressing. In doing this, you shall see the Path as it truly is.

Section 4: The Road of Infancy

A joyous road, but a short one

YFG LMV DSL HVVPH GSV NZHPH NFHG DZOP WLDM NLIV GSZM LMV LU LFI NZMB YIZMXSRMT KZGSH.

Although right now you are little more than a child in your knowledge of the greater ways of Life, you understanding shall be made more complete with the unlocking of each gate. For it is not merely the secrets of the Masks which lie hidden behind those vaulted doors. The Masks are emblems of even greater secrets, and knowing the Path which leads to them is to also know of these great secrets, expanding one's mind beyond its cosmically infantile state. So take care to find the three keys, each matched to two of the six gates upon the six roads, as without them the Path is barred beyond understanding.

Section 5: The Road of Age

A hard road, but a necessary one

AOF WLJYL NRBDF FHTFJ OBFG LOMUE UQ KEAK IMNX ETR SPIZWLN JB QFDM BNO.

And should you manage to obtain the knowledge that this guide leads to, and manage to behold the power of the Masks, you shall earn your right to compete in the Court of Destiny donning the Mask of your choice. And should you prove victorious, your Mask shall don the Crown of Tines, that sacred and holy totem which holds the infinite branching paths of destiny and connects them all back to their overseer. And it shall fall to your Mask to determine the next path of humanity, and it shall make its decision in favor of its patron force, and lead the world into its next Age.

Section 6: The Road of Immortality

Once reached, this road is without end

DROX IYE CRKVV MVKSW IYEB NSFSXO BOGKBN. DROSB ZYGOB CRKVV EVDSWKDOVI LOMYWO IYEBC DY MYXTEBO,

The Masks have existed for but a fraction of the countless eons in which their owners have ruled. Knowledge of them and their histories is buried in secrets scattered far and wide, to protect their power from those who would take advantage of them too hastily. Walk backwards along the fifth road, and you shall glimpse the mighty forces that beckon for your aid:

JXU XEHDUT VEEB HUFHUIUDJI "VHUU HUYWD," Q MEHBT MXUHU JXU CEIJ CYWXJO VEHSUI YD JXU KDYLUHIU QHU RQHHUT VHEC YDJUHVUHYDW YD CQD'I EMD XEBO TUIYWDI. MXYBU JXYI SQHT YI JXU SHEMDRUQHUH, DE IFUSYQB HKBU YI QTTUT QDT JXYI CQIA HUCQYDI IUBUSJQRBU VEH FBQO. JXU IELUHUYWD SEHCEHQDJ JXEIU MXE VYDT JXUCIUBLUI JE RU IQSHYVYSUI-YD-MQYJYDW QFFUQB JE JXYI CQIA YD XEFUI JXQJ YJ MYBB VYDT JXUC MEHJXO QDT VQSYBYJQJU JXUYH QISUDIYED JE Q XYWXUH IJQJYED. MXYBU JXYI CQIA YI JXU SHEMDRUQHUH, Q FBQOUH CQO TYISQHT 2 SQHTI VHEC JXUYH XQDT QDT JXUD THQM 2 SQHTI QJ JXU UDT EV JXUYH JKHD. JXKDTUH'I SEDIEHJ MYJX LYRHQDJ, KDHUBUDJYDW UDUHWO Q JEHHUDJ EV SHUQJYLU QDT QBB-SEDIKCYDW YCFKBU YI KDBUQIXUT RO JXYI CQIA RUVEHU YJ VBYSAUHI EKJ. MXYBU JXYI CQIA YI JXU SHEMDRUQHUH, FBQOUHI QTT 2 UNJHQ SQHTI VHEC JXU JEF EV JXUYH TUSA JE JXUYH FBQOUT SQHTI TKHYDW Q JYU YD RQJJBU. JXU UNYBU FHYDSU Q SQIJQMQO VHEC Q XYWXUH AYDWTEC. JXEKWX VQBBUD VHEC WHQSU, YJ DULUHJXUBUII IJYBB FEIIUIIUI Q HYWXJ JE YJI VEHCUH JXHEDU, QDT RHYDWI JXU MEHBT REJX JKHCEYB QDT Q SBQYC JE WHUQJUH FEMUH. MXYBU JXYI CQIA YI JXU SHEMDRUQHUH, MXUD Q FBQOUH HUESLUHI JXUO CQO THQM Q SQHT RUVEHU IXKVVBYDW JXUYH TYISQHT FYBU YDJE JXUYH TUSA YDIJUQT EV QVJUHMQHTI.

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Puzzles Incoming!

As mentioned previously, "Puzzles" seem to be commonplace during the American Spiritualism period of "Crown of Tines." Our researchers have discovered one such puzzle, and we should have it posted to this website sometime this weekend once all our preparations are in order.

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Puzzles and Codes

As mentioned previously, during the American Spiritualist period it appears that “Crown of Tines” began to take on more and more occult connotations. In researching the letters, documents, and descriptions left over from this time period, we have found references to ritualized cyphers, codes, and puzzles common to american spiritualism and its practice. For example, the Fox Sisters, while later dismissed as a hoax, used a series of coded wraps and knocks to supposedly correspond and communicate with otherworldly spirits.

Supposedly, while living in a house in Hydesville, New York, the two sisters Kate (age 12) and Margaret (age 15) made contact with a “spirit” inhabiting their home. The younger sister asked the “spirit” to repeat the snaps of her fingers, which it did. She then asked that the spirit rap out the ages of the sisters, and the “spirit” obliged. Over the next week or so the girls developed a system of knocks and raps to correspond to the alphabet and correspond with the spirit, which they referred to as “Mr. Splitfoot,” a common nickname for the devil during this period of time.

We have theorized that these “puzzles codes" may yet hold further clues as to how this game was played during this time period and what it meant to it’s players. Hopefully, they will reveal additional information around the most stubborn aspect of researching this game, which is the Masks themselves, as we are still piecing together information about them and their exact purpose within the game.

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Like "Crown of Tines," there are many games which are partially lost to history but that devoted scholars have attempted to recreate based on what records of the rules they could locate and inferences made from the game components. This article describes the fascinating history of the game Tafl. Variations of this game have been officially published, despite the fact that there is no universally agreed upon interpretation of the rules. We can only hope to be as studious and dedicated in our research of the game we are referring to as Crown of Tines as these historians have been in their work.