Why Tradition is in the deck
Tradition took the place of Inspiration, which sat too close to Joy in meaning and color. It also gave the deck its first word about society, a cluster that was empty before. Tradition is a word about groups: a family, a town, a team, a country.
How people read it differently
For some players, traditions are the glue that holds a group together, like the same dish every year. For others, a tradition is a habit that’s outlived its reason and is worth dropping.
The split shows up at the scale of whole countries too. The World Values Survey places societies on a map, with traditional values at one end of an axis and secular values at the other (Wikipedia). At a table, the scale is smaller. One player may talk about a holiday they’d fight to keep. Another may talk about the year they stopped going.
Some players find out they had traditions they never named, like a Sunday call or a way of saying goodbye at the door.
The other side: Fridge
On the back is a Fridge. It was picked as a shared place of care and small conflicts. It can bring notes stuck to the door, or who ate whose leftovers. It can also bring up a shared home, like a family kitchen or a first apartment.
How to play this card
Draw the card. Choose a side: Tradition or Fridge. Roll the die. Look at the word from that side.
The die can land on MEMORIES, BODY, PEOPLE, VALUES, CHILDHOOD or FUTURE. Say as much or as little as feels right.
Then the others can follow up: What did that feel like? Who else was there? Has it always meant that to you?
“Every view is welcome, especially one that differs from yours.” A player who loves a tradition and a player who left it behind can both be right.
Related words
Tradition shares the Society cluster with Community. Family and Home are close neighbors. Draw a card in the free online game or see the full box.