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The board consists of four Locations – the Hospital to the top-left, the Shrine on the top-right, the City at the bottom-left and the School at the bottom-right.
At the beginning of the game, the Mastermind sets up the board and picks a Script Card.
The players receive a stripped-down version of the script card, which tells them how many loops they have, how many days they have per loop, and the possible Incidents that may trigger on certain days.
After that, the game begins. Each day consists of several phases, taken one after the other.
Mastermind Play Phase – The Mastermind plays three cards from his hand face-down on the board. He is not allowed to place more than one card on the same character or location. The Players can see what characters/locations those cards are attached to, but not what the cards are.
Player Play Phase – The Players play three cards, one from each of their respective decks, face-down on the board. Players may place a card on a character/location that already has a Mastermind card played on it, but not another Player card.
Card Resolution Phase – All face-down cards are flipped up, and their effects resolved. Some roles grant additional modifiers to card resolution – the Mastermind will mention if this has occurred, but the exact reason why is left for the players to deduce.
Mastermind Phase – Some Plots/roles grant the Mastermind additional abilities. In this phase, the Mastermind triggers any Optional Mastermind abilities he has access to. If he chooses to use one, he does not mention the ability currently being used, only its effect (For instance, to resolve the Unsettling Rumor’s Mastermind ability, he would simply place one Intrigue on the location of his choice.)
Goodwill Phase – The players may request to use the Goodwill abilities of any character that has accumulated enough Goodwill. The Mastermind checks the character’s Role – if the character’s Role grants them Mandatory Goodwill refusal, the request is refused. If the role grants them Optional Goodwill refusal, it’s up to the Mastermind to decide whether to allow the request or not. Should a Goodwill Ability request fail, the Mastermind simply states that the request was refused. Using a Goodwill ability does not use up accumulated Goodwill, and the players may use the same ability repeatedly, if so desired. However, some especially powerful abilities may only be used once per loop.
Incident Phase – The Mastermind checks to see if the current day contains any Incidents, and if said Incident’s Culprit has hit their Paranoia Limit. If they have, the Incident triggers. More on Incidents later.
Day End – Day End effects resolve at this phase. After this phase, the next day begins.
If a loss condition is triggered at any point in the turn, the Mastermind informs the Players that the Loop has ended and resets the board to the beginning of Day 1, moving any characters back to their original location and removing all resources.
Mastermind Cards
Shall we play a game?
The Mastermind holds all the cards – figuratively speaking. Literally, he holds these particular cards. Some cards can only be played once per loop, due to how powerful they are.
Vertical Movement
Horizontal Movement
Diagonal Movement (Once per Loop)
Movement cards are played on characters to move them from one location to another. Often, a combination of movement cards will be played on a character, in which case the final result depends on the combination.
Vertical – the character moves up or down, depending on location.
Horizontal – the character moves left or right, depending on location.
Diagonal – the character moves diagonally.
Vertical + Vertical = Vertical
Vertical + Horizontal = Diagonal
Horizontal + Horizontal = Horizontal
Diagonal + Vertical = Horizontal
Diagonal + Horizontal = Vertical
If the end result is a character moving into a location they are forbidden to enter, nothing happens and the character remains where they were.
Intrigue + 1
Intrigue + 2 (Once per Loop)
Adds Intrigue to a character or location. Intrigue is the only resource that can be played on a location, rather than a character. The Mastermind is still free to play any card he wishes onto a location, but only Intrigue cards will take effect during the resolution phase. If a Player plays Forbid Intrigue onto the same character/location, no Intrigue is added.
Paranoia + 1 (x2)
Paranoia – 1
Forbid Paranoia
Adds or removes Paranoia if played on a character. Paranoia addition occurs before Paranoia removal. If Forbid Paranoia is played on a character, no Paranoia cards played on them take effect.
Forbid Goodwill
If played on a character, no Goodwill cards played on them take effect.
Player Cards
In a proper 4-Player game, each player takes one Player deck and plays one card during the Player phase. All Player decks are identical. Some cards can only be played once per loop, due to how powerful they are, though the same Once Per Loop card can be played from multiple player decks.
Vertical Movement
Horizontal Movement
Forbid Movement (Once per Loop)
If Forbid Movement is played on a character, no Movement cards played on them take effect.
Paranoia + 1
Paranoia – 1 (Once per Loop)
Goodwill + 1
Goodwill + 2 (Once per Loop)
Adds Goodwill to a character. Cancelled out by Forbid Goodwill.
Forbid Intrigue
If Forbid Intrigue is played on a character or location, no Intrigue cards played on them take effect. Forbid Intrigue has a special rule attached to it – if two or more Forbid Intrigue cards are played on the same day from different player decks, they cancel each other out and Intrigue cards resolve as per normal.
Characters
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…
The various NPCs who will be moving about on the board, falling prey to various schemes, dying tragic deaths and resurrecting only to die all over again. Let’s get to know them a little better.
Boy Student
Keywords – Student, Boy
Starting Zone – School
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
2 Goodwill: Remove 1 Paranoia from any other Student in this Location. (For future reference, ‘this location’ refers to the location the character is currently in when their goodwill ability is activated.)
Girl Student
Keywords – Student, Girl
Starting Zone – School
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 3
Goodwill Ability –
2 Goodwill: Remove 1 Paranoia from any other Student in this Location.
Rich Man’s Daughter
Keywords – Student, Girl
Starting Zone – School
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 1
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill: If in School or City, Put 1 Goodwill on any other character in this location.
Class Rep
Keywords – Student, Girl
Starting Zone – School
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
2 Goodwill (Once per Loop): One of the Players may take a Once Per Loop card back into their hand.
Mystery Boy
Keywords – Student, Boy
Starting Zone – School
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 3
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill: If current Loop is 2 or more, reveal character’s role. This ability cannot be Refused.
Special – The Mystery Boy is never a Person, and can never have a role specified by any of the Plots. (If the Mystery Boy turns out to be a Cultist, for instance, then the Players will realize none of the Plots or Subplots in play have Cultists in them).
Shrine Maiden
Keywords – Student, Girl
Starting Zone – Shrine
Forbidden – City
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill: If in Shrine, remove 1 Intrigue from Shrine.
5 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Reveal the Role of any character on this Location.
Alien
Keywords – Girl
Starting Zone – Shrine
Forbidden – Hospital
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
4 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Kill any other character in this Location.
5 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Revive any corpse in this Location.
(In many cases, characters may die without triggering a Loop End condition. In such cases, they remain on the board as corpses.)
Godly Being
Keywords – Man, Woman
Starting Zone – Shrine
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 3
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Reveal the Culprit of any Incident.
5 Goodwill: Remove 1 Intrigue from this location or any character within it.
Special – Is not spawned until loop number specified by Script.
Police Officer
Keywords – Adult, Man
Starting Zone – City
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 3
Goodwill Ability –
4 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Reveal the Culprit behind any Incident that has occurred in this Loop.
5 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Place a Guard marker on any character in this location. The next time that character would die, remove the marker instead.
Office Worker
Keywords – Adult, Man
Starting Zone – City
Forbidden – School
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill: Reveal this character’s Role.
Informer
Keywords – Adult, Woman
Starting Zone – City
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 3
Goodwill Ability –
5 Goodwill (Once per Loop): One of the players names one subplot. If any unnamed subplots are currently active in this script, the Mastermind must state one of them.
Pop Idol
Keywords – Student, Girl
Starting Zone – City
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill: Remove 1 Paranoia from any other character in this location.
4 Goodwill: Place 1 Goodwill on any other character in this location.
Journalist
Keywords – Adult, Man
Starting Zone – City
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
2 Goodwill: Put 1 Paranoia on any other character.
2 Goodwill: Put 1 Intrigue on this location or any other character within it.
Boss
Keywords – Adult, Man
Starting Zone – City
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 4
Goodwill Ability –
5 Goodwill (Once per Loop): Reveal the role of any other character in the Boss’ turf.
Special – at start of the game, choose a location and mark it as the Boss’ turf. For all abilities (Mastermind or Goodwill), the boss may be regarded as within his turf, as well as his actual physical location.
Doctor
Keywords – Adult, Man
Starting Zone – Hospital
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 2
Goodwill Ability –
2 Goodwill: Remove or add 1 Paranoia to any other character in this location. If the players attempt to use this ability and the Doctor’s role grants him Goodwill Refusal, the Mastermind may instead use this ability as his own (adding Paranoia where the players would want it reduced or vice-versa).
3 Goodwill: For the rest of the Loop, the Patient is free to leave the Hospital.
Patient
Keywords – Boy
Starting Zone – Hospital
Forbidden – All except Hospital (see Doctor)
Paranoia Limit – 2
Nurse
Keywords – Adult, Woman
Starting Zone – Hospital
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 3
Goodwill Ability –
2 Goodwill: Remove 1 Paranoia from any character in this location that has reached their Paranoia Limit. This ability may not be Refused.
Henchman
Keywords – Adult, Man
Starting Zone – Any
Forbidden – None
Paranoia Limit – 1
Goodwill Ability –
3 Goodwill: This character does not trigger any more Incidents during this loop.
Special: At the beginning of each loop, the Mastermind chooses the Henchman’s starting location.
Roles
Who knows what evil lurks within the hearts of men?
Every character on the board has a hidden role, and it’s up to the players to deduce them. There will always be at least as many characters as roles specified in the current plot/subplots. Roles tend to be defined by their associated Abilities, and whether they have Goodwill Refusal or not.
Person
A completely uninvolved bystander who just happens to be nearby. Essentially the default role assigned to anyone not involved in the starting plot/subplots. Of course, just because they start uninvolved doesn’t mean they have to stay that way…
Key Person
Ability:
[Mandatory] The Players lose and the loop ends if this character dies.
Killer
Goodwill Refusal – Optional
Ability:
[Optional, Day End] If the Key Person has 2 or more Intrigue and is in the same location at Day End, the Killer may kill the Key Person.
[Optional, Day End] If the Killer accumulates 4 or more Intrigue, they may strike out at the Players themselves, killing them and ending the loop.
Brain
Goodwill Refusal – Optional
Ability: [Optional, Mastermind Ability] Place 1 Intrigue on this location or a character in it.
Cultist
Goodwill Refusal – Mandatory
Ability: [Optional, Card Resolution] Ignore Forbid Intrigue cards played on the Cultist’s location or any character in that same location.
Time Traveler
Ability:
[Mandatory] This character is immortal and cannot die.
[Mandatory, Card Resolution] If Forbid Goodwill is played on this character, ignore it.
[Optional, Day End, Last day of loop] If this character has 2 Goodwill or less, the Loop ends and the Players lose the loop.
Witch
Goodwill Refusal – Mandatory
Friend
Maximum 2 Friends per Script.
Ability:
[Loop End] If this character is dead, reveal them as a Friend.
[Mandatory, Loop Start] If this character has been revealed as a Friend, place 1 Goodwill on them.
Conspiracy Theorist
Maximum 1 Conspiracy Theorist per Script.
Ability:
[Optional, Mastermind Ability] Place 1 Paranoia on character in the Conspiracy Theorist’s location.
Lover
Ability:
[Mandatory] When Loved One dies, this character gains 6 Paranoia.
Loved One
Ability:
[Mandatory] When Lover dies, this character gains 6 Paranoia.
[Optional, Day End] If this character has at least 3 Paranoia and 1 Intrigue, the Players die and the loop ends.
Serial Killer
Ability:
[Mandatory, Day End] If the Serial Killer is alone with exactly 1 other character at the end of the day, that character dies.
Curmudgeon
Goodwill Refusal – Optional
Factor
Goodwill Refusal – Optional
Ability:
[Mandatory] If 2 or more Intrigue is on the School, the Factor gains the Conspiracy Theorist’s Mastermind Ability.
[Mandatory] If 2 or more Intrigue is on the City, the Factor gains the Key Person’s ability (they remain a factor, but their death will still cause the Players to lose the Loop).
Plots/Subplots
Déjà vu: the strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced what is happening now…
All tragedies seem to follow remarkably similar patterns. By working off previously gathered data, the Players can figure out what pattern this particular Tragedy is going to take, and in turn how best to avert it.
Scripts generally tend to have one active Main Plot, and two active Subplots. The simpler First Steps scripts only have one active Subplot, but may not be won by guessing the Role of every character.
(First Steps Set)
Main Plot: Murder Plan
Simple, effective, and never seems to go out of style.
Roles: Key Person, Killer, Brain
Main Plot: Light of the Avenger
”He’s been dead for days! Don’t tell me he planned for this too?
Roles: Brain
Loss Condition: 2 or more Intrigue in the Brain’s starting Location when the Loop ends
Main Plot: A Place to Protect
The children will save us all. If we can save them first.
Roles: Key Person, Cultist.
Loss Condition: 2 or more Intrigue in the School when the Loop ends.
Subplot: Shadow of the Ripper
We assumed he was dead, but we never did find a body…
Roles: Conspiracy Theorist, Serial Killer
Subplot: An Unsettling Rumor
”…I swear, it said ‘They are not human.’ And get this, it was deleted, and no one’s heard from them since then…”
Roles: Conspiracy Theorist
Mastermind Ability: (Once Per Loop) Place 1 Intrigue in any location.
A Hideous Script
Song of my soul, my voice is dead/Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed/Shall dry and die in/Lost Carcosa
Roles: Conspiracy Theorist, Friend, Curmudgeon (0-2)
The Script Writer may choose up to 2 Curmudgeons when creating this script.
(Basic Tragedy Set)
Main Plot: Murder Plan
Hey, if it works, it works.
Roles: Key Person, Killer, Brain
Main Plot: Sealed Item
Some secrets were never meant to be known.
Roles: Brain, Cultist
Loss Condition: 2 or more Intrigue on the Shrine when the Loop ends
Main Plot: Sign With Me!
A Faustian bargain brings doom to all involved.
Roles: Key Person
Loss Condition: 2 or more Intrigue on the Key Person when the Loop ends
Special: Key Person must be a Girl.
Main Plot: Change of Future
This is the central point of the anomaly. If we don’t fix this, we won’t have a home left to return to.
Roles: Cultist, Time Traveller
Loss Condition: The players lose if the Loop ends and the ‘Butterfly Effect’ Incident has occurred.
Main Plot: Giant Time Bomb
…You know, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so literal. The red wire, you say?
Roles: Witch
Loss Condition: 2 or more Intrigue on the Witch’s starting location when the Loop ends.
Subplot: Circle of Friends
If we’re going to get through this, we need someone we can trust.
Roles: Friend (x2), Conspiracy Theorist.
Subplot: A Love Affair
~It’s better than an operaaaaaaaa~
Roles: Lover, Loved One
Subplot: The Hidden Freak
I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.
Roles: Friend, Serial Killer
Subplot: An Unsettling Rumor
”…and they said Stephen Hawking’s death was also connected. Well, of course people say it’s a hoax, but that’s what they would want you to think, wouldn’t they…
Roles: Conspiracy Theorist
Mastermind Ability: (Once Per Loop) Place 1 Intrigue in any location.
Paranoia Virus
”I assure you, these allegations of so-called ‘zombies’ are nothing but the ravings of crackpots and madmen. Now, please leave us to our research.
Roles: Conspiracy Theorist
Special: Any Person with 3 or more Paranoia turns into a Serial Killer.
Threads of Fate
”I…feel like I’ve seen you before. I remember…but you couldn’t save me, could you? Wait, who are you? Get away from me!”
Special: At start of loop, Mastermind places 2 Paranoia on all characters who ended last loop with Goodwill, regardless of whether they were alive or dead.
Unknown Factor X
And who the hell are you?
Roles: Factor
Incidents
One of the harder bits of the game to explain. Incidents are additional problems that crop up along the way, just to spice things up. Both the Mastermind and the Players know when an Incident will occur, and what type of Incident it will be, but only the Mastermind knows who the Culprit of the Incident is.
In order for an Incident to trigger, the Incident requires the Culprit of the Incident to have reached their Paranoia Limit before the Incident Phase of that day. Any character can be an Incident’s Culprit, irrespective of their actual Role – a Murder Incident’s Culprit is certainly a killer, but not necessarily the Killer. If an Incident triggers, the Mastermind announces that the Incident has been triggered and resolves its effects. If the Culprit of an Incident has not reached their Paranoia Limit by the Incident Phase (or have met with an unfortunate end prior to that), the Incident fails to trigger and the phase passes by without…incident.
Again, it bears repeating: an Incident’s Culprit can be any character in the game, regardless of their actual Role. However, each character can only be the Culprit of one Incident per script.
Incident types-
Murder: One other character in the culprit’s location dies. If there are multiple targets, the Mastermind is allowed to choose.
Increasing Unease: The Mastermind places 2 Paranoia on any character of their choice, and 1 Intrigue on another character.
Suicide: The culprit dies.
Hospital Incident: If the Hospital has 1 Intrigue on it, every character in the hospital dies. If the Hospital has 2 or more Intrigue, the Players die and the loop ends.
Faraway Murder: One character with 2 or more Intrigue on them dies. If this applies to multiple characters, the Mastermind may choose.
Missing Person: The Mastermind moves the Culprit to a location of their choice, and places 1 Intrigue on it.
Spreading: The Mastermind removes 2 Goodwill from any character, and places it on any other character.
Butterfly Effect: The Mastermind places one counter of any type on any character.