Starlux Games has a campaign listed as “Tabletop Games” on Kickstarter called Mystic Crossroads, which is a new way to engage with Tarot. It’s not unusual for Tarot to appear in this section on Kickstarter these days, nor is it for TTRPGs to use Tarot in their systems. Indeed, Mystic Crossroads is a game.
We have an interview with founder Judd King and an exclusive “lost Tarot” card to reveal, but let’s look at the crowdfunding pitch first.
Mystic Crossroads is a cooperative, narrative-driven game for one to five players that uses tarot cards and dice to create a shared journey of discovery. Rather than competing, players work together to explore a story.
One player takes on the role of the ‘Traveler’, whose personal path is the focus of the game. The other players act as ‘Fates’, guiding the narrative through the cards they offer. In solo mode, the deck itself serves as the Fates.
The game progresses through distinct phases—Past, Present, Future, and Advice. The Traveler selects cards to build their story, sparking group conversation. A key mechanic involves ‘Mystic Dice’, a limited resource the Traveler can use to determine whether a card is read upright or reversed, strategically altering its meaning. The journey concludes at the ‘Final Crossroads’, where players reflect on the story told and the Traveler has one last chance to refine their path, creating an intuitive and empowering experience for all involved.
Backers get the 78-card deck of hand-drawn cards with a pledge of $35 and Starlux are offering international shipping.
At $50, backers get the complete Mystic Crossroad game, which includes the hand-drawn deck.
There’s a collector set that unlocks at $99, which includes a complete of 22 Major Arcana prints. Also, at $150 there’s a tier in which backers get one of the original hand-drawn cards from the deck.
However, the top tier and featured choice is at $250, which lets you pick which original artwork card you want and has all the goodies from previously.
An interview with Judd King of Starlux Games
If you want to see our exclusive first look at “The Truth”, you can skip straight to that. Sorry, Judd!
Starlux Games is known for your fantastic active, outdoor games like Capture the Flag REDUX. Mystic Crossroads feels like a very different, more introspective journey. What inspired this fascinating new direction for the studio?
I’ve always designed games to bring people together, but with Mystic Crossroads I wanted to create something I could share with my own friends, many of whom have an interest in mystical and esoteric pursuits. Our active games are meaningful because they get people outdoors, moving, and using their imagination. With Mystic Crossroads, the focus is more inward — offering players a chance to reflect, connect, and maybe gain a bit of perspective on their own personal journeys.
The art by Daniel Ortiz is absolutely breathtaking and a huge draw for the project. How did this collaboration come about, and what was the creative process like working together to bring the world of Mystic Crossroads to life?
Daniel and I collaborated for nearly a year to bring this hand-drawn deck to life. His background is in character development, and he has a real love for maps, which gives his work a sense of world-building. Combined with his folk art style, it felt like the perfect match for the timeless accessibility we wanted to achieve.
We used the Rider–Waite–Smith deck as our foundation, but worked to make it more inclusive, representing a wider range of identities, ages, and backgrounds. (For instance, some of the people depicted are quite androgynous and that is 100% intentional.) A lot of our process was back and forth over how to interpret the symbols, balancing the more esoteric details with imagery that feels powerful and approachable. We also wanted each card to invite the viewer in with a sense of intrigue. For example, in our Fool card, the dog is snarling, adding tension and hinting at dangers just out of sight.
Tarot can be quite intimidating for newcomers. How does Mystic Crossroads welcome players who have never touched a tarot deck before, and what do you hope they take away from the experience?
We wanted to ensure that Mystic Crossroads is welcoming to anyone, even if they’ve never touched a deck before. Each card has its meaning printed directly on it. We spent a lot of time making sure those meanings stay true to traditional interpretations, while also being simple and easy to digest in the flow of a game.
Another thing: no experienced reader is required. The game itself provides the structure, the cards provide the information, and the group collectively interprets the journey together. It’s not about replacing or diminishing the work of experienced readers — that’s a different and valuable practice — but here the focus is on shared discovery.
What I hope people take away is twofold. First, that they gain a sense of their own journey through the cards. And second, that they learn something new about the people they’re playing with. Whether I’m playing as a Fate or a Traveler, I’m always struck by the meaningful conversations that emerge. That’s what excites me most, the way the game makes Tarot approachable while showing just how powerful the symbols are for sparking reflection and connection.
You’ve had a phenomenal response on Kickstarter, far exceeding your initial goal. What do you think resonated so strongly with backers and made them so eager to support this project?
I think it’s because Mystic Crossroads stays true to Tarot’s personal nature, honoring how its symbols reflect our own journeys, while making the experience accessible and social. Unlike many Kickstarters that are largely collector-driven, the vast majority of our backers are here for the game itself, not just the deck or art. That tells me people are eager to experience Tarot through play, and I think that’s been a huge driver of our success.
The game has this interesting dynamic with one player as the “Traveler” and the others as the “Fates.” Could you talk a bit about how those roles interact and what a typical session feels like as the story unfolds?
In each game, one player takes the role of the Traveler, while the others act as the Fates. At each stage of the journey, the Fates secretly select cards to offer as possible pathways, and the Traveler chooses from among them without knowing who provided which card. After the choice is made, the Traveler explains why that card spoke to them, and the Fate who offered it shares their reasoning as well. This back-and-forth creates a dialogue that shapes the story, with the Traveler’s reflections guiding how the Fates refine the paths they present. In solo games, the deck itself serves as the Fates.
Now that Mystic Crossroads has proven so successful, do you see this as the start of a new line of narrative tabletop games for Starlux? What might the future hold for this side of your design creativity?
Yes, I definitely hope so. Mystic Crossroads has shown me how rewarding narrative tabletop design can be, and I’d love to continue exploring that path.
We already have several ideas in development. At our launch party at Tarot Arts in South Pasadena, someone suggested a game called The Fool’s Journey with a more competitive twist. It was fun to hear that, because we’ve been sketching a structure around The Hero’s Journey that uses that classic narrative arc as a framework for play, and the Fates compete with one another to influence the Traveler. It just so happens that The Fool’s Journey would be a great title for the game. I also experimented with a design exploring nightmares and the darker side of Tarot, which felt a little too heavy to begin with, but the idea of shadow work and dream interpretation remains an exciting possibility for a future project.
Ultimately, what excites me most is the chance to keep creating meaningful, imaginative experiences that people can share together. Collaborating with Daniel Ortiz on the art, playtesting with groups, and now sharing Mystic Crossroads with the world has been incredibly energizing. If the success continues beyond Kickstarter, we’ll absolutely be developing more in this space — and personally, I can’t wait.
Thanks, Judd!
The Truth
Is the Truth a standard card in the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck? No. It’s pitched to Geek Native as a “lost card” and despite Justice and Judgement both being candidates for “Truth” I can see the core of an academic argument that there have likely been other Tarot cards we’re not so familiar with.2
We have until Friday, October 31st, to support this campaign. No trick.
