The Marvellous

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"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

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"They say that once every nine years there's a card game where you can gamble your soul and win your heart's desire. That sounds like tremendous fun."[1]

The Marvellous is an esoteric, high-stakes card game, held at rare intervals and played by a select few who seek to claim their heart’s desire.

Structure[edit]

"'First,' Pages says, 'you must understand that the Marvellous is not a single game. What a disappointment that would be! No, it is a tournament – a series of contests in which two players face one another. One is knocked from the running; the other advances.'"[2]

The Marvellous is played only at precise celestial alignments, determined by planetary conjunctions.[3] However, if all players agree, the game may begin at any time.[4]

The tournament opens with the Honour, a round in which all players compete simultaneously. The outcome determines the order of eliminations, the pairings for subsequent rounds, and grants the winner a free pass into the second round.[5]

After the Honour, the tournament progresses through head-to-head matches: the first player eliminated faces the second eliminated, and so forth. Each match ends with the winner advancing and the loser leaving the game. This continues until only two players remain.[5] They face off in a final, decisive hand at the heart of the Bazaar.[6] The victor receives their heart’s desire, though it can only be granted to the best of the Masters' abilities.[7]

Rules[edit]

"In the end, your head is full of rules, rulings, conventions, revisions and variations. How on earth are you meant to translate this gibberish into a winning strategy?"[8]

The Marvellous is played in a series of hands, and follows a structure reminiscent of poker.[9] The deck consists of four Suits (Cats, Rats, Bats, and Hats) and distinctive face cards known as Trumps (Jacks, Queens, and Kings). Each face card has unique artwork depicting a different being: for instance, the Jack of Cats is a tiger, while the King of Bats is a Master.[10] The Marvellous also incorporates a river; shared cards are revealed gradually, allowing players to build their hands from both their own cards and the river.[11]

Each player begins with a stake of 77 First City coins, gathered personally. They ante 7 coins to enter a hand and are dealt five cards. Players can call (match the current bet), raise (double the bet), or fold (forfeit the hand and their stake in it).[12] If a player raises, their opponent must match, raise further, or fold. Once bets are equal, players may discard and redraw cards — up to one more than they discarded — before continuing. The hand progresses to a showdown, where the highest-ranking hand claims the stake.[13] A player at the table is assigned to keep track of raises and fold order, and there is a time limit on each round to discourage players from dallying.[14]

A player is eliminated when they lose all their coins. At that moment, they face a choice: leave the game in defeat or wager a Chance. This could be wealth and property,[15] or something more abstract, like one's sanity, destiny, or even humanity.[16] A winning opponent can refuse a Chance wager,[17] but if they accept, one final, all-or-nothing hand is played. Should the desperate challenger win, they reclaim their place.[17] Should they lose, their opponent claims both victory and the staked Chance.[18]

The Marvellous additionally adheres to an array of arcane rules and bylaws: some are never interpreted the same way twice,[19] some are illegal but used anyway,[20] others dictate the pace of the match...[21] and one permits excessive drunkenness while in play.[22]

This game is never played masked; all the players know each other.[23] The winner traditionally leaves the Marvellous, as winning is the only way to do so[24] — though this is a convention, not a rule.[25] A new candidate must then be found, or they may enter of their own accord.[24] The newest inductee is given the task of procuring a venue and consecrating their own deck before play begins.[26]

The Players[edit]

"The Marvellous has seven players, traditionally."[27]

The Marvellous requires seven players, each one an individual of remarkable ambition. The following individuals are known to have played this game in recent iterations:

Other past winners include the Yearning Custodian (the originator of the game, discussed below); the current Boatman;[40] and possibly also Penstock, though the implication is vague.[41]

How the Game Began[edit]

"The Marvellous has been played a long time, you see. All the way back to the First City. The stake was seventy-seven of their coins then. It's the same stake now."[42]

The Marvellous was not always played with cards; it was played with tiles in prior centuries, but once upon a time, its game pieces were scales etched with searing glyphs.[43] In the days of the Third City, a survivor from the First City[44] found himself bored beyond measure after living for thousands of years. He petitioned Mr Hearts, and the Lords (as the Masters were called back then) devised a solution:[45] they borrowed the basic principles of a Presbyterate game[46][47] that had long been played among the College of Mortality, and made it more complex to their liking.[48] They gathered six other players[45] and set the stakes at seventy-seven First City coins, in an apparently humorous commemoration of the weary man.[44]

The man from the First City won the inaugural game of the Marvellous, but did not know what he wanted, and hesitated when the time came for the Lords to fulfill his wish. What the Lords gave him, then, was a purpose; he became the Yearning Custodian, eternal keeper of the Marvellous and chronicler of its history.[49] He now resides in Parabola, at a place called the Root of Need, down the Wanting Way.[50] Here he consecrates new players’ decks,[51] instructs them in the rules,[52] and watches over the game that was born (or rather, redesigned) from his own original desire.

Historical & Cultural Inspirations[edit]

Many of the rules of the Marvellous draw inspiration from Mornington Crescent,[53] a beloved British parlour game popularized by the BBC Radio 4 show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. Mornington Crescent is an improvisational comedy game in which players take turns naming London Underground stations, aiming to be the first to declare "Mornington Crescent." The humor lies in the elaborate yet entirely fictional rules, which satirize the complexities of traditional strategy games. Since its first appearance on the show in 1978, the game has become a fan-favorite segment, celebrated for its witty, freeform nature. Though it presents the illusion of intricate regulations, the true essence of Mornington Crescent lies in improvisation, with players crafting the experience through spontaneous creativity and comedic timing.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ To win your heart's desire, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Ask about the next step, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Pay the Blind Astronomer his due, Fallen London "You're looking for the Marvellous, aren't you [...] They only play at very specific planetary conjunctions. [...] There won't be another one for at least... ooh, five years. I'd compose your soul in patience, if I were you."
  4. ↑ "Do you know what an unsupervised monkey could do to our equipment?", Fallen London "[...] it's only their custom that determines the game's timing. I know they grow impatient between games. If you could convince them to start early, you wouldn't have to wait the five years."
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ask about the next step, Fallen London "[...] the Marvellous [...] is a tournament – a series of contests in which two players face one another. One is knocked from the running; the other advances. Beforehand, however, comes the Honour [...] in which all players compete. Its results determine the order and pairings of the ensuing rounds. So the first to drop out plays the second, and so on. Whomsoever wins the Honour [...] advances to the second round of contests. [...]"
  6. ↑ Ambition: in the Heart of the Bazaar, Fallen London "The heart of the Bazaar contains several chambers. Mr Hearts escorts you to the chamber that is reserved for the Marvellous [...] A midnight altar [...] stands at its centre. The cards of the Marvellous have been laid upon it, along with a carafe of dark wine and a plate of biscuits. Two chairs face each other across the altar. No – not chairs: thrones. [...]"
  7. ↑ Ask about the prize, Fallen London "When a winner expresses their heart's desire, we – that is the Masters – gather, and turn all our ingenuities and resourcements to its fulfilment. If it is possible, we shall grant it. We have never failed yet. After all, we have moved cities in pursuit of desire. I fear to be immodest, but our capabilities are significant."
  8. ↑ Learn of the deeper mysteries, Fallen London
  9. ↑ Learn how to play the Marvellous, Fallen London "In its essence, it is not dissimilar to poker – a fact which the Custodian claims is no coincidence."
  10. ↑ Collect the cards, Fallen London "The Antiquarian talks you through the suits: the standard set of Cats, Rats, Bats and Hats. Then there are the trumps: the trinity of face cards which tops each suit: the Jacks, [...] the Queens, [...] the Kings [...] Each face is unique to its suit, a Tiger for a Jack of Cats, a Master for a King of Bats."
  11. ↑ Learn your opponent's style (No Compendium), Fallen London "You spend a week locked in your study mocking up every trick, hand and river combination you can – with limited improvement in your own game."
  12. ↑ Learn how to play the Marvellous, Fallen London "Briefly, the Custodian sketches out the basic rules. Each hand you pay an initial ante (7 coins) and are dealt a hand of cards. You then chose to call (pay the current bet), raise (double the current bet) or fold (lose your current stake, and the hand, but bet no more coins)."
  13. ↑ Learn how to play the Marvellous, Fallen London "Each game is played in a series of hands, during which you stake some of your First City Coins. Hands are compared, with different combinations of cards have different values. At the end of each hand, the winner takes the loser's stake. When one player's coins are gone, they lose the game. In its essence, it is not dissimilar to poker – a fact which the Custodian claims is no coincidence."
  14. ↑ Take your seat, Fallen London "Slates and gold chalk are placed in front of Mr Pages, so that it may keep track of raises, and the order of folds. Behind Pages an enormous hourglass is set in a frame like a guillotine – to mark the rounds and to discourage prevarication."
  15. ↑ Ask for His Lordship's advice, Fallen London "[...] My coins were spent. So I staked the last thing I could – my title and all its estates. [...] They allow that, you know. In fact, I think they want it to happen. [...] Remember, if you run out of coins, you can stake something else. If your opponent accepts, you may play one more hand. All or nothing. They call it the Chance."
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ask about the Topsy King's own heart's desire, Fallen London "He taps his head, thrice. "Staked it," he says, "Hadn't got enough coins to stay in the game. Staked what was left. What was left was what was left of my mind. All aflame it was but best I had. In safe keeping now, with the Priest-King of Bethlehem. Kept, like he'd keep me if he could." The King drops his gaze, returning to his pages and his coals."
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Accompany the Monkey, Fallen London "Pages preens. [...] "Of course, being a soul of unmeasured charity, I might consider accepting a Chance. If you had something to offer." [...] "Accepted," Pages declares, immediately. [...] Cards are drawn, discarded, drawn again. The Monkey [...] calmly puts down a straightforward Ascension of Cats [...] Pages stares. It contorts beneath its robes. "I offer a Chance of my own!" it screeches, in panic. The Monkey shakes its head, but Pages persists. "Name a price! A flask of Hesperidean Cider! A vial of my own blood! The very robe from my back!" [...] But no. The Monkey keeps its eyes on the prize. [...]"
  18. ↑ Insist on something else instead..., Fallen London "He rises, and opens his jacket. From the inside pocket peers a bright green lizard. It flickers its tongue at you, its eyes wheeling. "Your prize," the Manager says, hoarsely, handing it over."
  19. ↑ Learn of the deeper mysteries, Fallen London "Gradually, you learn about the legal combinations of cards. How First Fall beats Second, but both are trumped by the Perfidy of Sisters. About the complex interactions between the Parliament of Rats, the Tragedy Procedure, and the Four Crowns. [...] you study the forbidden hand: the Thing in the Well [...] You learn to avoid the Treachery of Seven, which renders aces lower than sevens. You struggle to understand the Footsteps of Salt, a rule which has never been interpreted the same way twice."
  20. ↑ Give him the wink, Fallen London "The Topsy King invokes Jochi's Reversal, which has been outlawed since the Fourth City, and swaps his had with yours. Then he plays one of your rats, making a Parliament, and uses it to swap the hands back."
  21. ↑ Ambition: Against the Bishop, Fallen London "According to the Rule of The Third that Walks Beside You, you must both play on the third. You win, but narrowly. The Bishop risks little."
  22. ↑ Take your seat, Fallen London "Rose-strewn servants wait with a vast selection of bottles, for any refreshment you care to request (though the rules forbid excessive drunkenness unless the Debauchery of Fourth is in play)."
  23. ↑ Consider how to find past winners of the Marvellous, Fallen London "The Marvellous is not played masked – everyone knows the other players."
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Ask Mr Pages about the previous seventh player, Fallen London "The seventh player? Why, he won! [...] Having achieved his heart's desire, he has no need to play again. This is protocol: when a player wins, they depart. A new candidate is found, or occasionally, like your delecterious self, presents themselves." Pages lets out a long faux-melancholy sigh. "The rest of us must keep playing, of course. Victory is the only escape."
  25. ↑ Consider how to find past winners of the Marvellous, Fallen London "Every winner leaves the game – after all, they have their heart's desire. This is convention, not law, but it can be assumed most follow tradition."
  26. ↑ Ambition: The First Round, Fallen London "As the most recent player to join the game, it is your responsibility to host your first game. You will need a suitable residence to accommodate it, and appropriate inducements."
  27. ↑ Ambition: Heart's Desire! 10, Fallen London
  28. ↑ Ask about Cora, Fallen London "He regrets his decision. Cora was right. Being a monkey isn't a state of grace, and is in fact – pardon my French – bl__dy awful. (I rather feel I should object, there.) Anyway, he says is still fond of her, but that he failed her. She is better off without him."
  29. ↑ Ask after its new heart's desire, Fallen London "[...] He says there is no going back for him. [...] Instead, his heart's desire is to bring an end to the Marvellous. It has done enough harm. He considers it entirely inhumane. To that end, he hopes – though he respects that it is your decision – that you will consider letting him win."
  30. ↑ Ask about the Bishop's own heart's desire, Fallen London "The Bishop smiles, though he is no longer looking at you [...] "South," he says at last, his voice low [...] "To be forgiven. To be welcomed. To end all these darkened days of wandering. [...] And I would not walk there alone. I would open the gates, and lay a path so that others could follow, those who knew the signs." Thin tears streak his face."
  31. ↑ Heart's Desire – Desperate Intentions, Fallen London "That damnable opera," she says. "And the Correspondence. He was a driven man. I'd never seen him like that. The Marvellous is a family affair for us, but Tristram never wanted to... until then. He gambled his mind away. What was left of it."
  32. ↑ Ask about the Manager's heart's desire, Fallen London "My needs are simplicity itself. I want a bright diamond. I will make it my heart and grow from there into something strange and wild. Like my beloved. I will carry the seed of a new city. Perhaps I could be of sandstone and gold. That would look very splendid, don't you think?"
  33. ↑ Ask about Virginia's own heart's desire, Fallen London "Virginia gives you the thinnest smile you have ever seen. "Sanctuary," she says, in a voice as soft as bare feet on snow. She looks away, indicating the end of the discussion."
  34. ↑ Inquire after Mr Pages' own heart's desire, Fallen London ""Home," it says, its voice slurred. "I want to see the stars again.""
  35. ↑ Ask about her heart's desire, Fallen London "The Masters didn't know who I really was, [...] I spent years constructing a false identity in order to join the Marvellous. Virginia saw through it, but did not expose me. Not that I'd have let her."
  36. ↑ Ask about her heart's desire, Fallen London "Ask about her heart's desire [...] October won the Marvellous, once. [...] "I asked for my dreams to come true, and the Masters arranged certain accommodations with the powers of the Is-Not.""
  37. ↑ The Shallows, Fallen London "For years she stalked one Master, Mr Mirrors. It's gone. It's been gone for years. She lured it into dreams. [...] The controller may have destroyed Mr Mirrors."
  38. ↑ Dreamer's End, Fallen London "[...] the Beggar's Wake is the dream of the pitiful creature chained at its heart, that the creature is the last remnant of Mr Mirrors, [...] "I am only a splinter of myself, now. A dream, dreaming. A reflection, cast by nothing.""
  39. ↑ Ask His Lordship about the Marvellous, Fallen London "Damn fool game. I only played to rescue a damn fool friend. Well, friend undersells it rather a lot. She wouldn't be pleased to hear me describe her so. [...] She was on a dark path, a seeker of that which shouldn't be sought. I played the game to win her back."
  40. ↑ Try and deduce the final sign, Fallen London "There is only one you can think of with the tenacity to win the Marvellous, the ingenuity and implacable will to achieve his heart's desire, while also possessed of a skeletal visage [...] the Boatman who plies the slow river."
  41. ↑ Key to your Rooms above a Gambling Den, Fallen London "Penstock smiles sadly. "Almost I long for the days of the Marvellous. But the Masters are not merciful.""
  42. ↑ "Truth be told, I wouldn't mind an early game. But I'll need a reason to give you the names of the others...", Fallen London
  43. ↑ Ask about the Marvellous, Fallen London "The Yearning Custodian lets out a laugh, dry as risen dust. "The cards are a recent convention. It changes with the fashion of the cities. It was a game played with tiles once, and I remember a terrible box of scales and searing glyphs..." The Custodian drifts in memory for a few moments."
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Ask him who he is, Fallen London "We played for First City Coins. Their joke, to commemorate me. I'm afraid that requirement is my fault. The last person here cursed me vociferously."
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Ask him who he is, Fallen London "I was very old then. Lived too long, bored out of my gourd. I went to one of the Lords: the Lord of Blood," the Custodian pauses. "I beseeched it. Begged it to give me my heart's desire. The Lords, who had themselves grown restless, devised the game: the Marvellous. They found six others, as afflicted as I was. I imagine it was not difficult to do so."
  46. ↑ Arcana, Fallen London "The Marvellous. Did you know it was invented in the Presbyterate? Listen to the Masters, and you'd think they created it. [...] They'll never admit that they stole its bones from a much older game. Seven players. Bluff and chance. The College of Mortality didn't call it The Marvellous or host tournaments, but the stakes were high. So were the tips."
  47. ↑ Flint, Fallen London ""...in the Presbyterate, where the Marvellous was born.""
  48. ↑ Consult the Thirsty Croupier, Fallen London "Their version," says the Croupier. "But the Bishop of St Fiacre's remembers. I remember. Before the Lord of Blood rewrote the rules, the College of Mortality played a much simpler game. Live too long and you'll grow inured to certainty, start craving risk.""
  49. ↑ Ask him who he is, Fallen London ""We played that first game and I won. The Lords were surprised, I think. They asked me my heart's desire – the thing I had wanted most. But when the time came, I had no answer. I did not know! So they devised one for me. They gave me purpose: this task. Keeper of the Marvellous, chronicler of its history and rulings. Its high priest.""
  50. ↑ Discuss the cards further, Fallen London "As to the cards. "They must be consecrated, naturalously, in the Kingdom of the Is-Not. Parabola is a terrible place, but needs must. You must follow the Wanting Way to the very Root of Need, where you will find one who knows the rites." Mr Pages sighs. "It is, admittedly, something of a palaver. Still: tradition!"
  51. ↑ Give him the deck, Fallen London ""I shall consecrate your cards, if you will allow me." He smiles, his expression all giddiness."
  52. ↑ Learn how to play the Marvellous, Fallen London "Tracing one long finger across the bottom of the stone, and working his way, slowly, patiently, upward, the Custodian begins to relate to you the rules of the Marvellous as written on the stones, updated over the years as the game has changed."
  53. ↑ Chris Gardiner, Discord "It might be useful to know that many of the rules for the Marvellous are derived from the old and popular British parlour game Mornington Crescent."
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