Tabella cards are arranged in the following four colour-ways (subsets):
Character (Yellow):
There are eighteen Character cards within the set that depict a colourful and contrasting band of characters, that may take a player’s fancy.
There is an array of animal characters that live in different habitats. There are a myriad of mythical characters to connect us with our collective myths or individual fantasies. There are diverse human characters drawn from a range of cultures and walks of society. The inclusion of the basic archetypes of ‘Mother’, ‘Father’ and ‘Twins’ (siblings) means that the nuclear family is clearly represented.
Throw in cards from other subsets that picture the elderly grandmother, the nest with eggs, the partners, the gathering of community members, the collective of sporting champions and the group of friends and you will appreciate that much thought has been given to reference a diversity of social settings.
Setting (Orange):
The eighteen cards that form the Setting subset provide us with an abundance of locations where a story could be staged – from an outdoor ‘Amphitheatre’ to a ‘Pyramid’ or a ‘Rocket’. Some cards can be combined from different subsets to create a consistent overall theme such as an underwater or space theme; but the possibility for shifting locations is really only limited by the imagination.
Theme (Blue):
Much consideration was given to create a balanced set of themes to shape the deck in to a cohesive whole. There are many positive themes and also some “shadow” themes. The card imagery provides triggers for exploring all kinds of different thoughts, emotions, ideas, beliefs and values on conscious and unconscious levels.
Many of the themes included are universally relevant to the human condition such as ‘Friends’ (friendship), ‘Heart’ (love) and ‘Tug-of-War’ (conflict, confrontation, competition).
Plot (Red):
This set of cards is a mix of characters, places and objects that could in some way develop the plot. Some seem to represent themes. For example, the card ‘Key’ could indicate the power or authority to let in or shut out. It could denote an opening or closing of the heart, mind or emotions or possibly speak of opportunities and solutions. ‘Bicycle’ could denote a mode of transport – even as a metaphor for the way that someone is moving through a situation, that is under one’s own steam; balanced, slow and steady or even laboured. By contrast, ‘Rocket’ could suggest a mode that is assisted, ‘boosted’, fast or even fiery.
