First thing to mention, I have not played Dishonored. These cards apparently came with a special edition version of the game, I bought them from eBay on their own. There must be a lot of character information to back up the major card meanings, however I am viewing this with fresh eyes. This could be a good or bad thing as I don’t have any preconceptions. If you would like character backgrounds of the characters from the game check out the wiki here.
The cards themselves come with a tuck box and some information cards, no white book with card meanings. The stock is good, card size standard tarot, the minor cards are pip cards and the courts have slightly different names, as do the suits.
From what I can gather, they relate as follows:
Rats : Pentacles
Swords : Swords
Pistols : Wands
Skulls : Cups
The courts are the same other than the Knight being named Commoner.
The majority of the titles of the major arcana do not correspond to the usual tarot cards, and the single card that does, death, is a different number. There is also a 0 card named the Outsider.
If you’re a playing card reader, you might be tempted to read the minors as you would read the playing card. However I would personally use the usual minor meanings add in the Rider Waite if you’re familiar enough with the tarot. There aren’t the images to relate to and read here so I can see why pip decks do not appeal to a lot of tarot readers who like to make visual connections. This is my first and only deck with pips but I’m intrigued to see how I get on with it.
There is great potential for this deck with many ways of reading it. The majors in particular are open to interpretation, for instance the Outsider in a sense is a great starting card. For me, he may represent someone who may not belong in the traditional sense of being an Outsider, but this has great potential for walking your own path. Much like the fool has all roads open to him, the Outsider does not owe his loyalty to anyone and can be whom he pleases. There are of course shadow sides to this with a sense of loneliness and not being accepted, it’s something to really think about.
There is a game included called the Game of Nancy, but I have not yet tried this. I am happy to spend time learning to read this with my usual spreads. If you would like to get a deck that is really open to interpretations, especially if you’re a fan of pip decks or playing card reading, they’re a great set of cards to try out!
Meudwy's Wood 