Words by David C. Obenour
Magic is not in the deck of cards from Finding Calm. However, magic can be in what we find in ourselves that’s drawn out from the deck. What the cards make us feel. What we perceive in the illustrations. How the actions in symbols and still life reflect our reality. How taking time to sit with them and ourselves gives insight and a space to set intentionality. Manifestation might be in the deck. If we seek and allow it. Working alongside licensed psychologist and author, Dr. Silvi Guerra Finding Calm invites players not to compete and win but to sit and to soothe.
Off Shelf: Can you talk about the collaborative process with Dr Silvi Guerra? At what stages was she involved and what input did she have in helping to shape and inform Finding Calm?
George Li: Dr. Silvi Guerra was involved from the beginning! We met her at PAX East in 2023 and immediately hit it off. When we had the idea for a game tied to mental health, it felt natural to partner with her.
We primarily partnered with Dr. Silvi to inform the intentions used in the game, making sure they were tied to practical therapy-based exercises. That being said, she also weighed in on the gameplay and artwork as well. Dr. Silvi also teaches so she was able to solicit feedback from her classroom as well which was extremely useful.
OS: Did you consult with any cartomancers when designing and illustrating Finding Calm? If so, what insight did they provide that helped to shape the game?
GL: While we did not directly consult with any cartomancers, we did extensive research into oracle and tarot while developing the game. The major insight we gleaned is that while tarot / oracle cards have an outside perception of being used to “tell the future,” in reality they are more often used as a tool for introspection. This felt very in line with what we’re doing, where the intentions are just meant to be something to reflect on throughout the day.
OS: Was it hard to gamify meaning for Finding Calm’s card grid? Did you experiment with other spreads or different meanings before arriving at the 3×3 of rising, meridian, and setting?
GL: We experimented with different card spreads but we kept coming back to the 3×3 because it was a spread that felt very familiar to the tabletop world. Once we landed on the 3×3 the different positions, then the rising, meridian, and setting positions naturally fell into place because we wanted each card to have different potential meanings behind it.
OS: How is the art for oracle decks different from other art styles? Did you have to change or adapt for this project in unique ways?
GL: Oracle decks are very art-driven, especially evocative art that people can interpret different meanings from. So when we created the artwork for Finding Calm, we knew it was critical to keep that element, while still making sure that the artwork still felt distinct and accessible.
The difficult part was that many oracle decks tend to use darker colors, while we knew we wanted to make our game have a lighter color palette given its theme. So we took a lot of inspiration from the imagery of classic tarot and oracle decks, while also adapting it to a brighter and more line-driven art style.
OS: Rabble has a noted illustrative and design aesthetic across all of its games, did that provide any unique strengths or challenges when working on Finding Calm?
GL: As our company grows, we’ve definitely experimented with what makes a “Rabble Game.” On one hand we want our games to feel distinctive to our brand. But on the other hand we want our games to feel individually unique. So the biggest challenge for Finding Calm was to make the art style feel very unique from our other games and have its own personality, while also being cohesive within the family.
OS: Some cards do seem to have connections to the classic Rider Waite Smith tarot deck – The Bouquet and 9 of Pentacles, The Lighthouse and The Hermit, The Guardian and The Moon, The Prism and The Wheel – what about this classic deck resonates with you and what did you hope to pull from it?
GL: We definitely referred to the classic Rider Waite Smith tarot deck when we were coming up with imagery for Finding Calm. We knew we didn’t want to use any of the direct cards, but since it is the most popular deck, we also knew the cards in the deck would be most familiar to the average player.
So as we were coming up with our own cards for Finding Calm, we tried to pick cards that felt like it could be part of the Rider Waite Smith deck. We also love how universal the themes are in the classic Rider Waite Smith tarot deck and we tried to pick imagery that is equally relatable.
OS: Unlike tarot, oracle decks set their own named archetypes that are informed by the designer, illustrator, or the purpose they hope to instill. How did you determine these and how do you feel they set the tone for Finding Calm?
GL: We started with the intentions. Working with Dr. Silvi we had a list of intentions we knew we wanted to include in the game. From there we grouped the intentions into common themes, which is how the rising, meridian, and setting positions came from. And then based on the theme we followed our intuition regarding what imagery resonated with us.
It was definitely an art and a science but our hope is that the tone the game sets is one that promotes reflection. While we have certain associations tied to the archetypes used in the game, we also are totally aware that every person has their own unique experiences, and will have their own interpretations of the cards.
OS: With the many Oracle Decks now available, there is just as wide of a range to how they do – or don’t – handle representation and diversity. In designing your own deck, how did you want to approach this?
GL: This was something we were very intentional about. We were very purposeful in illustrating characters of different genders, ethnicities, body types, and even ages. That was also a big benefit of Dr. Silvi Guerra! She was able to share the game with her students and we got some fantastic feedback from them as well.
OS: The gold foil was a beautiful choice in production – and it also felt meaningful in the design for cards like The Mirror, The Arrow, The Bouquet. How do you see it elevating the finished game and the experience of play?
GL: We want all our games to be something you’re proud to share. Either to display in your house or to give as a gift. Finding Calm is now different. We want the game to be something you want to pull out and practice each day, if only to appreciate the aesthetic design.