♠ SUPERJACKThe Table

A journal from Superjack

The Table

Stories and practical guides to Superjack: The Game.

Explore the collectionThe long life of a deck of cards.

An illustrated timeline, regional decks, and the games people keep inventing for them.

  1. 01.
    Our story · 5 min read

    We played Magic at lunch.

    I learned Magic: The Gathering at a friend’s house around 1999. Years later, Eric and I started making a game of our own.

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    An illustrated still life of playing cards, a Nintendo 64 controller, and a VHS-C camcorder.
  2. 02.
    Meet Superjack · 3 min read

    Could Magic fit in an ordinary deck?

    The question that started Superjack: The Game, a two-player battle with the cards you already know.

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    The Festival Jack of Spades steps forward with his poleaxe, beside a small fan of ordinary playing cards.
  3. 03.
    Gems & your first fight · 4 min read

    Your gems have other plans.

    Straights, sacrifices, and the pair that turns a small creature into a problem. A first guide to fighting in Superjack.

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    The Festival Queen of Hearts fastens an armguard carrying two matching red gems.
  4. 04.
    Response windows · 4 min read

    Before the move lands.

    Your opponent plays an Ace. You still have a say. Response windows in Superjack, explained through one small exchange.

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    The blue-cloaked Ace of Spades points a staff at an intact red memory gem, before the effect resolves.
  5. 05.
    The court & its abilities · 4 min read

    The court has a few tricks.

    Aces, stacked Jacks, Rush, Trample, and Royal Sacrifice: what they do and when you can use them.

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    The four Festival Jacks, in their different suit patterns, join shoulder to shoulder in one formation.
  6. 06.
    Card histories · The collection · 4 min read

    The long life of a deck of cards.

    Playing-card history through the pictures: Italian knights, familiar Queens, the printers who made them, and the games they’ve come to play.

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    Three illustrated court figures from different playing-card traditions study a heart card together.
  7. 07.
    Card histories · 4 min read

    The ordinary deck took centuries.

    French suits, English court cards, and printers such as Modiano shaped the familiar pack. Here’s its history—and how to turn two standard decks into Superjack.

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    An illustrated King of Hearts card, a carved court-card printing block, and an ink roller.
  8. 08.
    Card histories · 4 min read

    Napoletane cards, up close.

    The history and artwork of the Neapolitan forty-card deck, the games it plays, and a simple guide to using it for Superjack.

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    An illustrated Neapolitan knight in a red cap rides a brown horse, holding up a gold coin.
  9. 09.
    Card histories · 4 min read

    Briscola: forty cards, plenty of game.

    The history, odd rankings, and beautiful decks of an Italian card game—and how those same cards can play Superjack, a battle game inspired by Magic: The Gathering.

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    Two hands play a two of cups and an eagle-decorated Ace of Coins beside a small deck.
  10. 10.
    Card histories · 4 min read

    Triestine cards have something to say.

    Meet Trieste’s narrow, richly ornamented deck: its history, its sayings, and how all forty cards fit into Superjack.

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    Two curved blue swords cross behind an ornate red-and-blue cup and a floral coin medallion.
  11. 11.
    Card histories · 4 min read

    How forty cards became Superjack.

    The history of Superjack: The Game—from a childhood discovery of Magic to years of testing, a forty-card deck, and a community of players.

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    The Festival Jack of Spades steps forward with his poleaxe beside a fan of playing cards.