The Oblique strategies is a deck of cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. The original deck, created in 1975 has been followed by many subsequent variations. Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation. I first read about these decks on Designer Stefan Sagmeister's website- as a creativity tool in the advice section to students. Above is a photo of the 5th edition set.
Eno says in an interview with Charles Amirkhanian about the cards (Berkeley 1980):
The function of the Oblique Strategies was, initially, to serve as a series of prompts which said, "Don't forget that you could adopt *this* attitude," or "Don't forget you could adopt *that* attitude."
