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Published November 03, 2015 Updated June 22, 2022

Tempest

Tempest is a family card game designed by W. Heath Robinson and published by Thomas de la Rue & Co. Ltd, c.1920s

1920 United Kingdom De la Rue W. Heath Robinson Card Games Add to Collection

Tempest is a rare and unusual family game, described on the box as ‘Uproariously Funny’, designed by William Heath Robinson (1872–1944) and manufactured by Thomas De la Rue & Co Ltd, London, c.1920s. The game consists of 54 cards, divided into 9 sets of six ‘winds’, on each of which is depicted a character exhibiting a temper appropriate to the particular wind. Players blow on the weather vane to determine the wind direction and dealer for the next round in the game and the purpose of the game is to collect a complete set of ‘wind’ cards.   To see the Rules click here

The box from Tempest published by Thomas de la Rue & Co. Ltd, c.1920s Tempest: the Weather Vane, for determining the Prevailing Wind

Above: the Weather Vane, for determining the Prevailing Wind..

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.

His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.

Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.


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