Fournier - Ruedo (Spanish Suits)
This is the second installment of Fournier’s Ruedo series. Having already covered the history and ergonomic flaws of circular playing cards, we won’t rehash those points here; I highly recommend reading the first part for context. Today, we flip the record and turn our attention to the Spanish-suited edition.
I would only reiterate that this deck, unlike its sister edition, was fortunate enough to remain in production for half a century, from 1972 to 2022. While the artwork remained unchanged, it bore a wide variety of backs—some of them promotional. The piece we review today is likely from the very last runs before it was discontinued.
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Much like the French-suited version, the drawings on the Spanish Ruedo are instantly recognizable—in this case, featuring Fournier's iconic Castilian pattern, though once again adapted to the circular format. A small but significant difference is the presence of four indices accompanied by miniature pips surrounding the edges, compared to the five on its counterpart. Perhaps the French-suited version included an extra index to prevent players from having to rotate their cards too much during a game, or perhaps it's simply an aesthetic choice.
The Batons and Swords suits are a joy to look at, especially on the higher pip cards, as their elongated shapes and radial arrangement resemble wagon or bicycle wheels (a trait absent in the French-suited variant for obvious reasons). It's also worth noting the green tones dominating the palette in the Batons suit, unlike the traditional version where we see some red accents. This might have been a concession to avoid asymmetries that could prove jarring in this specific layout.
Like the indices, the courts are arranged in a cross-like fashion, as opposed to the fivefold layout of the poker deck. Furthermore, the kaleidoscopic effect so prominent in the poker deck is somewhat diminished here—partly due to this arrangement, but mostly because of the Spanish artwork's smoother color transitions and more delicate, rounded linework. Having said that, while beautifully executed, they lack the sheer punch of the poker edition.
The card back features a design inspired by Hindu mandalas, with a color scheme of blue, red, and yellow hues—a geometric motif that perfectly complements the circular format. This is the cherry on top, lending it an exquisite flair and delivering exactly where its sister deck missed the mark.
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Both decks have their respective strengths and weaknesses, though overall, the Spanish version feels slightly better executed. Perhaps this explains why it endured, while the other one faded into obscurity.
Coins
Cups
Swords
Batons
Card Back & Joker
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