Description

A solitaire Tarot card game of making connections and finding demons.

In this game you take on the role of a teenage exorcist. You had transferred to this school when you learned of a demon possessing one of the students. As you arrive, you can sense the demon within but cannot pinpoint the exact student.

During the following schoolyear it’s your job to make as many allies as you can, identify your foe and drive out the demon. But remember, the demon will be turning your classmates against you too.

'—description from the introduction

The game is provided as a print-and-play PDF document (25 pages). Several pages of the document are needed for reference during play (even for experienced players). Play requires a Tarot deck of cards, though a mapping table can be used to play with a standard pack of French playing cards. Play involves card distribution into several distinct, named piles (Friend, Classmate, Rival, and Discard). When play begins, most cards are placed in the Classmate pile representing students. The goal of play is to transfer cards from the Classmate pile to the Friend pile. The "demon" works against you, moving cards from the Classmate pile to the Rival pile.

Play proceeds in three phases. During the first phase the identity of the "demon" is unknown. During the second phase the identity of the "demon" is known. The third phase is the final period of the game when the player and the "demon" have the "final battle" - the outcome of which determines if the solitaire player wins or loses the game.

The first two phases essentially are discovery and building phases, with the player attempting to gather as many resources as possible (thus denying them to the "demon") - this is represented by the distribution of cards into the Friends or Rivals piles. The third phase determines victory in the game - the player wins, or the "demon" wins (thus, the player loses).

Throughout the game, the principle action involves card manipulation to influence a basic card vs. card flip where the winner, by default, is determined by suit and rank (court cards always beat number cards, etc.). Too, each court card is identified as a specific "student" in the school, and each student has variable power. For example, "The Sun" equates to student "Hiroko Harunobu" - who has specified powers over "The Moon". Unsurprisingly, "The Moon" equates to Hiroko's younger twin, "Horie Harunobu" - who has specified powers over "The Sun".

Because the cards are randomly distributed by shuffling, replay will always be unpredictable. While essentially a solitaire card game at heart, the extended game concept and especially the variable card effects create quite a nuanced game that would lend itself well to an immersive experience.

—user summary