The objective for both players is to tell a story about consequences, prices, overcoming, and success.
If the Player has no Options, it means the Dilemma is too complex. The Player will need to go on a quest to find the tools to solve it.
If the Player contributes enough points to solving the Dilemma, the Dilemma is solved.
- 2 Players
- A Standard 52 Card Deck with the 9s, 10s, Jokers, Queens, and Kings removed.
- Choose Sides: The players decide who will play as the GM and who will be the Player.
- GM Chooses Their Fate: The GM will choose
♠️ or♣️ and make a deck out of those 8 cards. - Shuffle Decks: The GM will shuffle their 8 cards. The Player will set aside their Black Ace, then shuffle their remaining cards into a deck.
- GM Draws Starting Card: The GM draws a single card. The Player's starting hand is their single Black Ace.
Dilemma The complex goal that the player is trying to achieve.
Progress The Player's score zone
Potential Cards in either Player's Decks
Options Cards in either Player's Hands
Complication An Option played on the table by the GM that prevents the Player from putting cards into their Progress
Problems are an encompassing term that refers to layers of the Dilemma and Complications
Discard Pile A shared zone used by both players to place discarded cards
Red Suits are progress towards solving your dilemma.
Black Suits are the failings you experience towards the solution to your dilemma. The Player uses them to turn Potential into Option by drawing from the deck of Potentials.
The GM uses a deck of 8 Potentials. and their cards act as Complications.
Complications are Options played by the GM that prevent Players from putting cards into their Progress. Another way to think about it is that they act like shields.
Players can remove them either by contributing Red cards towards the Complications, or by accepting their consequences. When the player removes a Complication by accepting the consequences, shuffle it back into the GM's Deck of Potentials.
The GM starts the game by placing up to three cards from the deck of Potentials face down on the table. These represent the layers to the Dilemma.
The first layer of the Dilemma requires 3 points of progress to resolve. Then 4, and finally 5.
The GM Takes their turn after this.
The GM always starts a turn drawing from their deck of Potentials. They should have two cards in their hand after they draw.
The GM finishes their turn creating a Complication out of their Options by playing one from their hand faceup.
The Player takes their turn after this.
The Player does not draw at the start of their turn. The Black Ace, which is in their initial hand, allows them to draw a single card.
A player's Options are dictated by their Failure.
The player can play any number of Red or Black cards during their turn.
Playing a Black Card allows the Player to draw an amount of cards from their deck of Potentials equal to its value. Be wary, the experience you acquire from this event is influenced by the card's value as well. The higher the value, the more intense the experience.
If you have no cards to draw, shuffle the entire discard pile, and remove half the cards from the game. Use the remaining cards as your new deck.
If you have no cards left in the discard pile, you cannot create a new deck, and cannot draw further. At this point, Black Cards contribute to Progress similarly to Red Cards. Using them comes at a great narrative cost, the curse or embarassment that comes along with them will be virtually or literally permanent.
Playing a Red Card puts points of Progress towards a Problem.
You can play multiple cards towards a single Problem, but excess points do not provide a mechanical benefit. They might provide a narrative bonus.
When you play a red card, place it on a Problem. When you play on a Dilemma, you must start with the highest valued Dilemma. When you contribute an amount of values equal to the value of the Problem, it has been solved. Put the cards into the discard pile.
Similarly to Failures, Progress results in an event of intensity equal to the value of the card.
Red Aces can be used to turn a layer of the Dilemma into a Complication by flipping it over. This effect cannot be used on the last layer of the Dilemma. This removes any Progress on the Dilemma, place them in the Discard Pile. Red Aces still can be used as a 1.
The Player's turn is over either when they ressolve a Complication, or remove a layer of the Dilemma. The GM takes their turn after this.
Every game represents a single overall Dilemma in the Player's story. Multiple rounds can be played to tell an enire overall story, and the failure mechanics attempt to naturally progress into that.
Even if the Player has succeeded, theres still many Dilemmas to their life. Failure is just an easy prompt into a new game.