Originally published as a deck of cards, they are intended to provide an extra creative push when working on artistic pursuits under a tight deadline. When experiencing artist's block, simply draw a card and apply its instructions to the work in progress.

The original Oblique Strategies were published in four editions, each one modifying, adding, and removing cards from the set before it. Oblique Strategies for the Palm OS includes multiple databases, allowing you to pick your favorite edition or install a merged list of Strategies from all four.