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Card ByGame Anime Roleplaying Game

Nora Jean Haynes and Iris Cassandra Saintclaire
 By Nora Jean Haynes
and Iris Cassandra Saintclaire

Perfect Draw! is a tabletop role-playing game built on the Powered by

the Apocalypse framework. Combining trading card game mechanics
with collaborative storytelling, the game looks to create narratives
based on card-game toy anime such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters, and
CardFight! Vanguard.

In these stories, the game itself is an extension of

the characters and their struggles. Their fights
tell the story of conflicts between each other’s
personality and ideals; their decks serve as a
reflection of their core beliefs and self. Perfect
Draw! uses open-ended card creation, action-
oriented moves, and mechanics which centre the
characters’ struggles to help create these kinds of
impactful conflicts.

To play Perfect Draw!, you’ll need a small group of

people (3-4 is recommended). Most of these people
will act as Players, taking the role of the primary
protagonists in the story. Simultaneously, one person
will act as the Judge, responsible for controlling
the world around the players.

For this game, you’ll need something to

represent cards; this can be done digitally, by
cutting paper into the shape of cards, or any
other method that works for you. Additionally,
you’ll also want a way to modify and make
cards as you go (such as a pen or pencil). Printed
or digital versions of rules references and each
player’s Playbook are also recommended; these
are included later in this book.

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Chapters
Chapter 1: Playing the Game 4 Chapter 4: Character Creation 82
Basics of Play 4 Making Your Character 82
Stats 5 Playbooks
Roleplaying a Card Game Anime 6 The Resolved 86
General Moves 7 The Prodigy 92
Enter a Dangerous Situation 8 The Glowing 98
Reveal a New Possibility 10 The Rogue 104
Brandish Your Skill 12 The Ally 110
Investigate Your Surroundings 14 The Spirit 116
Convey Your Ideals 16 The Medium 122
Understand Someone’s True The Destined 128
Feelings 18 The Idealist 134
Take a Moment to Recuperate 20 The Turncoat 140
Resolve Baggage 22 Advancement 146
Become Vulnerable 22
Overcome Your Weakness 23 Chapter 5: Shuffle City 148
How Baggage Works 26 An Overview of Shuffle City 148
Card Games in Shuffle City 150
Chapter 2: Card Game Combat 28 Threats to Shuffle City 150
How Card Games Work 28 Notable Locations in Shuffle City 157
Types of Cards 31 People of Shuffle City 160
The Player’s Turn 33
Card Combat General Moves 34 Chapter 6: Judge’s Handbook 200
Begin Card Game Combat 35 Your First Session 200
Use Your {Ace} Card 36 Resolving Problem Cards 203
Risk Everything to Win 36 Involving Players Outside the Card
Take Control of the Game 38 Game 205
Decide the Outcome of a Clash 39 Running Short Campaigns 206
Counter Your Opponent’s Play 40 Group Size 207
Protect Against a Response 40 Special Keywords 207
Draw The Perfect Card 42 Replicating Other TCG Effects 212
Reflect After a Card Game 43 Starting With Experienced Players 213
Keywords 44 Making NPC Encounters Scarier 213
The Opponent’s Turn 48 Optional Playbook Staples 214
Opponent’s Moves Crib Sheet 53 Modifying Card Games 215
Running a Card Game 54
Designing an NPC Encounter 56
Credits 217
Player vs. Player Battles 61
General Moves Crib Sheet Ap. A
Multiplayer Battles 62
Card Combat Moves Crib Sheet Ap. B
Enemy Combat Moves Crib Sheet Ap. C
Chapter 3: Your Deck & Card
Creation 64
Staples 64
Generic Staples 65
Adding Cards to Your Deck 66
Premade Card Creation 67
Custom Card Creation 73
Volatile Card Creation 81

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How to Read This Book
Perfect Draw! contains a set of rules to help guide and play the game;
these rules have been designed and tested to encourage stories
reminiscent of card game toy anime. However, you’re encouraged
to make changes if they suit the game or story you’re playing better
than the rules as written! A large portion of the book is dedicated to
recommendations and tips for playing the game; you can choose to
take them to heart or ignore them depending on what works best for
everyone at the table.

If you’re a Player, we recommend you read:

 Chapter 1: Playing the Game: This chapter covers several core
mechanics of the Perfect Draw!, such as the basics of play and the
baggage mechanic, as well as several tips on roleplaying card game
anime stories.
 Chapter 2: Card Game Combat, skipping the The Opponent’s
Turn and Running the Game sections: This chapter describes
the basics of how the card game combat system works. If you’re
familiar with other games that utilise the Powered by the Apocalypse
framework, this is where most new rules are likely to be explained.
 Optionally, Chapter 3: Your Deck & Card Creation: This chapter
describes everything you need to know about making cards in Perfect
Draw! Reading this section isn’t strictly required, as your Judge should
be able to help you through the process. That said, it can be useful if
you want to design your cards in advance and it can also make early
sessions easier for the Judge.
 Optionally, Chapter 4: Making Your Character: This chapter
describes how character creation works in Perfect Draw! This can be
a great way to plan your character, but also isn’t strictly necessary to
read as you should be making characters at the table with the Judge
and the other players.

If you’re a Judge, we recommend you read:

 The whole book at least once: It’s okay to skim through some
less universally relevant sections - such as the premade cards and
playbooks - but understanding the rules and system as a whole will
help you significantly in running your game. Additionally, knowing where
to find certain tools if you need to reference them will help speed up
play.
 Any section of the book that wasn’t clear on your first
readthrough: Advice from the Judge’s Handbook, details of playbooks
your players are using, and any rules you don’t feel confident in are
generally all worth giving a second look.

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Chapter One
Playing The Game
This chapter covers the basic rules of play for Perfect Draw!, as well as
details for resolution, baggage, gameplay outside of card game combat,
and roleplaying tips.

Basics of Play
Perfect Draw! has two primary roles: the Player(s), and the Judge. At the
start of the game, players will select Playbooks that define their character
by determining initial stats and granting unique abilities. Following that,
each player will need to take the time to either make cards using the Card
Creation rules in Chapter 3, or select one of the premade decks provided
with the playbooks.

All Players have access to each of the General Moves and (while
in a card game) Card Combat General Moves in addition
to abilities gained from their Playbooks. Players take the
role of the stories’ heroes, with the power to define
how their character acts and affects the world around
them.

The Judge will act as the world, as well as the non-

player characters within that world. The Judge
is responsible for helping guide the story for
the Players; describing what they see as
they encounter new situations, facilitating
gameplay, and taking the role of any NPCs
the Players may interact with.

Resolution
When a Player describes an action taken
by their character that has potential for
interesting complications, the Judge may ask
them to use a Move. (Players may also suggest
to the Judge that they’d like to try and use a
Move; the Judge has the final say as to whether
it’s necessary.) Moves often require rolls; when a
player is asked to roll, they roll 2d6 (two six-sided
dice). If a player is asked to “roll +[Something]”, they
roll and add the value of the noted attribute. (For
instance, if you were asked to roll+Passion, you
would roll two six-sided dice, then add the value of
your “Passion” stat in your Playbook to the result.)

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Baggage
During play, players will often be asked to Take Baggage. In Perfect Draw!,
baggage represents the core struggles that your character is dealing with,
and has a number of effects. When you take baggage, you describe a
problem the player character is experiencing and write it down. Usually,
this problem will have something to do with the situation you gained the
baggage from, though this doesn’t always have to be true.

When you use a move and have any amount of relevant baggage you’ll
apply -1 to the roll for each. If you have any amount of relevant serious
baggage, you’ll set the value of the roll modifier to -1 instead, ignoring
any bonuses the player might have. Finally, when you Resolve Baggage
(such as by confronting its source or it no longer being an issue), you’ll gain
experience.

Card Game Combat

When a card game is initiated, both the Player(s) and the Judge follow the
rules specified in the Card Game Combat section of this book. As you start
the game, if you have any baggage that is relevant to the fight, you gain
Advantage. This resource can be used for powerful effects in the middle of
the card game.

During combat itself, the player may do any of the actions allowed during
their turn: this includes drawing a card from their deck, playing a card,
playing a staple, and attacking with any warriors they control. Additionally,
players may utilise Card Combat General Moves during card games.
(They still have access to General Moves, as well.) Players dictate exactly
what Card Combat General Moves they use and how they affect the fight
itself. On the enemies turn, the Judge uses moves described in the The
Opponent’s Turn section of Chapter 2 to represent their plays and how
they attempt to win.

Stats
Characters in Perfect Draw! have three primary stats. These stats help
quantify what aspects of life your character excels in and where they may
have room for improvement.
 Passion: Represents your character’s will and resolve to attain their
goals; their energy and determination.
 Skill: Represents your character’s intellect and talent regarding both
the game and the world beyond that; their ability and proficiency.
 Friendship: Represents your character’s empathy and their
connections to the world and other people; their caring and social skills.
Depending on how high or low each stat is on the player’s character sheet,
different moves will be either more or less likely to go well for the player.

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Roleplaying a
Card Game Anime
Over the years, card game based toy anime
have accumulated a number of tropes. Perfect
Draw! is designed to make these tropes easy
to play with and lean into. However, games of
Perfect Draw! tend to shine best when Players
and the Judge lean into these tropes as well.
Here are just a couple of tips for roleplaying card
game anime-style narratives:
 Take the game seriously: This isn’t just a children’s
card game; card battles in these stories can easily prove as
serious as any life-threatening fight. Depending on the stakes,
plot, and event, your characters could easily find themselves
braving the risk of injury or death.
 Keep the stakes high and personal: Every battle should drive
the story forwards and mean something personal to the Player(s)
participating in them. There’s no such thing as a throwaway fight;
each and every battle should mean something to your character’s arc
or the ongoing story.
 A card game is more than mechanics: When playing a card game,
a character’s deck typically acts as a proxy for their personality or
beliefs. Battles shouldn’t just represent a game being played, but also
a clash of ideals and willpower. Try and emphasise the stakes of the
card game while you’re in the midst of battle!
 Play the fool: A good battle of wits is about what you don’t
know just as much as what you do. Opponents shouldn’t know the
protagonists’ strategies and be completely prepared for them unless
there’s a specific reason for it. Likewise, it can be fun as a player to
make mistakes based on things that your character doesn’t know,
even if you as the player do.
 Card games decide everything: From tiny disputes to world-
shaking calamities, nearly everything in the story can be solved
through card games. This might be an accepted fact of the setting, or
perhaps card games just hold some kind of unique power that helps
them overcome these threats. In short, there should be a reason why
card games are the primary form of conflict resolution in your setting,
rather than violence.
 Work together with your rivals: Card games can tend to
encourage rivalry between different people, and the player characters
are no exception. This is a great chance to play off of each other and
create interesting stories - don’t shy away from it. With that said, while
your characters might not necessarily be friendly with each other, it’s
important that they still work together in some fashion when it counts.

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General Moves
General Moves are a set of actions all Players have access to that act as
the primary form of resolution within Perfect Draw!.

Players aren’t required to say that they are performing a specific move;
they just say what they do in character, letting the Judge decide whether
a roll of a move is required. It’s okay (and even encouraged) for players
to recommend and suggest certain moves; in the case of moves such as
Become Vulnerable, Resolve Baggage, and Overcome Your Weakness,
these are the most likely ways for these moves to occur. However, it is
ultimately up to the Judge to decide whether a move or roll is actually
required.

If it wouldn’t be interesting or relevant for your character to fail at their

action, there’s no need to use any of the moves at all; it simply happens.
Otherwise, roll to find out how things go, using whichever move best fits
the circumstance.

Some moves may ask you to gain baggage. Baggage acts as hurdles
or conflicts for your character to overcome; this can be anything from a
wounded hand to a crush on someone to being embroiled in a conspiracy.
When you gain baggage, define what that baggage is, then add it to your
character sheet in the baggage section (or upgrade existing baggage
to serious baggage, if appropriate.) Baggage carries both pros (such as
acting as a source of gained experience and other resources) and cons
(such as impairing relevant rolls). More information on baggage can be
found later in this chapter.

If a Player makes a general move outside of

combat and it is relevant to any baggage,
they take -1 to the roll for each relevant
piece of baggage (this cannot reduce
the overall roll modifier below -1). If the
move relates to serious baggage,
the roll modifier is instead set
to -1, ignoring any bonuses that
character might have.

Check the end of this book

for a crib sheet containing
all of the general moves in a
two-page spread ready to
be printed out and played with
at the table. Online copies of this
sheet are also availiable for free
at [Link].

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 Enter a Dangerous Situation
When you do something reckless or are forced into a dangerous
situation, state your objective, and roll+Passion. Apply any baggage-
related penalties.
On a 10+, you succeed without creating any issues for yourself, protecting
yourself and attaining your goal in the process.
On a 7-9, you succeed, but at a cost. Select one complication from the
list below:
 You’re hurt or forced to sacrifice something along the way.
Describe how this happens and why it matters in the here and now
 You only delay the problem, letting it become worse in the future
 You create a new immediate problem in the process
On a 6 or less, you fail and suffer for it; gain baggage.

Using Enter a Dangerous Situation

Your Judge will often tell you to roll Enter a Dangerous Situation when your
character has done something reckless, or has been put at risk of damage or
other consequences from an NPC or event. Some examples of times it would
be appropriate include:
 You’ve run headfirst into a burning building to try and save someone
inside
 You’ve been attacked by the lackeys of the mob boss you were trying to
track down
 In anger, after beating your opponent in a card game, your opponent
has destroyed the glass floor you both stood on
If your character rolls a 10 or above, you succeed in what you intended and
escape unscathed; however, rolling below 10 will result in you being asked
to select a complication. Each complication will make more or less sense in
different situations - it’s best to consider and discuss with your Judge which
option makes the most sense for pushing the story forward.

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You’re hurt or forced to sacrifice something along the way: It generally
makes the most sense to select this option when someone or something is in
physical danger. Selecting this option could mean anything from wounding
your leg to giving up on something your character was aiming to accomplish or
protect. These things should generally be less significant than baggage would
be, meaning their relevance should primarily be tied to the scene itself and
not a wider character arc. They should still represent a real sacrifice; if you’re
hurt, it means leaving yourself vulnerable in some way, and if you’ve sacrificed
something, it’s gone (at least for now).

You only delay the problem, letting it become worse in the future: This
option generally makes the most sense when the situation could have
consequences you weren’t prepared for. For instance, it may represent finding a
way to keep a crumbling caveway open temporarily, or having fought someone
off at the cost of having them swear revenge. This means that the problem
hasn’t been truly resolved; if it’s relevant, it‘s likely to flare up again in the future.

You create a new immediate problem in the process: This option can
make for a good fallback in situations where nothing else fits. It represents
any miscellaneous mistake or chain of events that happen in the act of your
character achieving their goal. This could mean something such as breaking an
important nearby object or attracting unwanted attention. It’s important to be
wary when using this option to not create problems that would require another
Enter a Dangerous Situation roll immediately; the Judge should instead lean on
creating more abstract or minor problems.

When you roll a 6 or less, you don’t succeed; this generally represents falling
short of achieving your goal despite trying your hardest. Whatever you
were attempting to accomplish doesn’t occur; your Judge will describe the
consequences. The baggage you gain should generally be related to this
failure. For instance, if you ran headfirst into a fire, it’s likely that your character
was burned or otherwise wounded. If you’ve been attacked by an antagonist’s
lackeys, it’s possible you were robbed of your belongings. If the glass floor under
your feet collapsed, you may be wounded, or perhaps unscathed but feeling
guilt and responsibility over your opponent’s fate after you defeated them.

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 Reveal a New Possibility
When you help someone overcome an issue they couldn’t complete
themselves, describe how you help them, and roll+Passion. Apply any
baggage-related penalties.
On a 10+, you reveal a new opportunity to them. Describe this possibility
you create, and how it aids them.
On a 7-9, you still reveal a new opportunity to them, however, the Judge
describes what this possibility is instead.
On a 6 or less, your plan fumbles and gets in the way; gain baggage.

Using Reveal a New Possibility

When your Judge tells you to Reveal a New Possibility, this generally represents
you helping someone achieve something they couldn’t otherwise. This is
thematically similar to the “help” action in other TTRPGs; however, rather than
give a benefit to their roll, the Reveal a New Possibility move instead creates or
reveals a new option or avenue that was previously unavailable.

Mechanically, revealing a new possibility also serves as a way to solve difficult

problems through aiding another. While it requires the work of assisting
someone else and giving them the spotlight to actually follow through with
the action, it can help create new solutions to problems you otherwise couldn’t
overcome. Some examples of when it would be appropriate to Reveal a New
Possibility are:
 A friendly card store owner is having difficulty making ends meet
 Another player’s character is trapped in a locked room with no escape
 A friend’s most treasured keepsake has gone missing without a trace
Depending on whether you roll 10+ or 7-9, either you or the Judge will have
the chance to describe the revealed opportunity. In either scenario, you get to
describe your character’s actions and how they make this possible. However, if
you’re describing the scenario you have the chance to make it as convenient as
you like. In comparison, if the Judge is describing it, they have the opportunity to
introduce complications into the mix. Either way, this will grant you a solution to
the other party’s problem.

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When you roll a 6 or less, you fail to find a new possibility; or worse, your plan
makes things even more difficult. The baggage gained should typically be
related to either the scenario at hand, or how it was fumbled. For instance,
if you failed to help your local card store owner, you may have wasted their
time and made their financial situation worse. If you couldn’t help a friend
escape a locked room, you might feel guilt from not
being able to help them. If you couldn’t discover a
way to find a friend’s keepsake, you might
end up exhausted and drained from
searching for too long.

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 Brandish Your Skills
When you use your expertise in difficult circumstances, describe how
you make use of your expertise, and roll+Skill. Apply any baggage-related
penalties.
On a 10+, your skills pull through; you succeed proficiently and without
issue.
On a 7-9, problems arise; select one complication from the list below.
 Things don’t work out the way that you intended; describe how
 You only delay the problem, letting it become worse in the future
 You create a new immediate problem in the process
On a 6 or less, you fumble your attempt and make things harder in the
process; gain baggage.

Using Brandish Your Skills

Your Judge will generally ask you to Brandish your Skills when you’re attempting
to use a talent or skill set you’re experienced in to overcome a situation.
Remember - if it’s something minor you could do normally, you simply do
it without needing to roll. Brandish your Skills should typically be rolled only
in circumstances where you are doing exceptionally difficult applications
of those skills, dealing with other ongoing stressors, or are otherwise facing
complications that even someone of your skill level might have a chance to fail.
Some instances where it would be appropriate to roll to Brandish your Skills
include:
 You’re a skilled hacker trying to decrypt highly classified government data
 You’re a skilled dressmaker trying to use your expertise to make disguises,
an application you’re unused to
 You’re a skilled parkour artist, trying to jump across buildings while also
being shot at
The best case scenario for this move is succeeding without issue; however,
rolling anywhere below a 10 means that some problem will arise. You have the
choice of what this complication looks like - which of these options you choose
will depend on what makes the most sense for the circumstances:

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Things don’t work out the way that you intended, describe how: This option
generally makes the most sense when you are trying to do something confusing
and difficult. It represents running into a snag in your execution that may make
things more difficult than a flawless success; such as finding information that
leads you in an unexpected new direction, or disguising yourself in a way that
makes you attract attention from passersby while still keeping your identity
hidden.

You only delay the problem, letting it become worse in the future: This
option generally makes the most sense when you’re trying to solve an
immediate problem. For example, if you were trying to stop a bomb from
exploding, you may have found a way to gain your team more time, but it’s a
stopgap measure that only postpones a solution for a later time or for someone
else to solve.

You create a new immediate problem in the process: This option generally
makes the most sense when accomplishing something of risk, but it could
also represent inadvertently causing other issues in the wake of your actions.
For example, finding the information you might successfully hack into the
corporation’s mainframe, but this might attract unwanted attention in the
process.

If you fail, you’ve fumbled the act of using your skills and made the situation
worse in the process. The baggage you gain should be related in some way. For
instance, if you were accessing classified data, it may be that the government
has traced your location and put you on a watch list. If you made a disguise, you
may have used up all your fabric and failed to make anything of use in spite of
it. If you were jumping across buildings, you may have tripped and broken your
leg in the process.

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 Investigate Your Surroundings
When you investigate an area or an ongoing situation, describe what
you do to uncover this information, and roll+Skill. Apply any baggage-
related penalties.
On a 10+, ask two questions from the list below. The Judge answers
truthfully.
On a 7-9, same as the above, however, only ask one question.
 What don’t I understand about ?
 What happened at ?
 What could we do to stop ?
 Why is happening?
On a 6 or less, you make a mistake in your investigation; gain baggage.

Using Investigate Your Surroundings

Your Judge will generally ask you to Investigate your Surroundings when
you’re taking the time to try and understand a location, organisation, or other
appropriate situation. If answers would be too obvious or take little effort to
discover, there’s no need to roll. Here are some examples of times it may be
appropriate to investigate your surroundings:
 You can’t seem to find a friend amidst a busy mall
 You’re trying to investigate a villain’s plot through a series of strange
happenings
 You’re investigating the root cause of the strange crater in the middle of
town
Rolling a 7 or above means you’ll be able to ask at least one question - two, if
you roll 10 or above. Each of the questions available to ask have a blank area
in them (“ ”) which you can use to represent the noun or phrase of
your choice. This should be something related to the subject you’re investigating.
You get to choose which question(s) you want to ask, with each having different
reasons you might want to ask them.

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 What don’t I understand about ?: Asking what you don’t understand
about the situation or location is a safe choice for times where your character
has little or no idea as to what’s going on. This is the chance for the Judge to
tell you something that helps you understand it better. Some example answers:
“Your friend from the local game store was here when the situation occurred” or
“The people who did this were very careful, they didn’t seem to want to damage
anything as they searched the place.”

What happened at ?: This question generally makes the most

sense when attempting to trace or reconstruct past events, such as “What
happened at this power plant three hours ago?” or “What happened at the
coffee shop to make it this messy?” Some example answers: “Your rival Jennifer
raided it in an attempt to find something” or “The villainous team set off a blast
which disabled all card game devices.”

What could we do to stop ?: This question is generally most

appropriate when you already understand the general situation, and are trying
to ensure that something doesn’t come to pass, happen again, or get worse
than it already is. Some example answers: “Blocking the windows and doors
would prevent the foes from escaping again” or “Making it to the tower before
they do could prevent the portal from opening.”

Why is happening?: This question generally makes the most

sense when trying to discern the motive behind an event, or understanding
the mechanism behind something can’t yet make sense of. Some example
answers: “The villainous team are targeting local game stores in an attempt
to destabilise the game” or “The portals are powered by the sacrifice of good
people; someone ‘virtuous’ must die for one to be opened.”

If you fail, you find no useful information in your investigation, make a mistake, or
otherwise cause problems for yourself. The baggage gained from this should
be related to the investigation in some way. For instance, if you fail to find your
friend, you may be out of contact with them for the foreseeable future. If you’re
investigating a villain’s plot, you might find yourself distracted with incorrect
information. If you were investigating the town’s crater, something important
might fall into it and be damaged in the process.

15
 Convey Your Ideals
When you attempt to convince someone to act against their own
ideals or desires, state your convictions, then roll+Friendship. Apply any
baggage-related penalties.
On a 10+, you’ve successfully made them listen to your words. Select only
one complication from the list below.
On a 7-9, you can still convince them, but select two complications
instead.
 You must first show them the value of your convictions in a card
game
 You need to help them with something before they can do what
you ask
 While they may be willing to do as you ask, they interpret it in their
own manner; the Judge will describe how
 They ask you to make a compromise for them to agree with you
 They need time; they won’t help you just yet, but will in the future
On a 6 or less, they don’t care or don’t trust you; gain baggage.

Using Convey Your Ideals

A Judge will typically tell you to Convey Your Ideals when you’re trying to
convince a character to act against their normal behaviour. This move can
represent you making a speech, sharing a secret that shifts their understanding,
completing a favour to coerce them, or just about anything that could get them
to change their mind. It would be appropriate to Convey Your Ideals when:
 You need to get past the security guard who’s just doing his job
 You’re attempting to convince your allies to do something risky for the
sake of good
 You want to show your sibling that using card games for evil is wrong
No matter whether you roll a 10+ or a 7-9 with this move, you will always have to
select at least one complication, frequently two. The appropriate complication
will depend on the character and the method you’re using to convince them.

16
You must first show them the value of your convictions in a card game:
Card games within Perfect Draw are a powerful way to demonstrate one’s
convictions in what they believe. Because of this, it can be an effective
persuasive tool when used. Generally, this option will make the most sense
when your goal is to make someone believe in the value or credibility of an ideal.

You need to help them with something before they can do what you ask:
This option makes the most sense when a character might have a duty or
errand preventing them from aiding you. Your Judge should tell you what you
need to do in order to help them; once you’ve achieved that, they’ll follow
through.

While they may be willing to do as you ask, they interpret it in their own
manner; the Judge will describe how: This option generally makes the most
sense when you’re trying to change their mind over a moral conviction, or to do
something fairly complex. Either way, selecting this option means that the Judge
has the opportunity to complicate the results beyond what you were intending.
For instance, if you were convincing someone to help defeat a villain, they
may do so only to become the new villain in their stead. Similarly, if you were
convincing someone to break the law in order to topple a corrupt corporation,
they might be convinced that this branch was actually the problem, not the
corporation as a whole.

They ask you to make a compromise for them to agree with you: This option
generally makes the most sense when the person you’re trying to convince
is significant to the story. In this scenario, the Judge will present you with two
options; either accepting that the character is unwilling to do as you ask, or
having to make a compromise of some kind in order to make them cooperate.
The scale of the sacrifice required for the compromise will generally be
balanced with what you’re seeking to get out of this character.

They need time; they won’t help you just yet, but will in the future: Finally,
this option generally makes the most sense when you’re trying to convince
someone to change their ways in general. These changes typically don’t
happen all at once, but as a slow realisation over time, even if it proves
inconvenient for the players.

If you fail your roll, you’re unable to convince them; perhaps they don’t care,
they’re too stubborn, your argument was unconvincing or enraged them, or
something else. The baggage you take should be related to the person you
were trying to convince or the ideals you were attempting to convince them of.
If you were trying to sweet-talk a security guard, you may have simply made
them alert their higher-ups. If you were trying to get your allies to accept a
risky plan, they may have argued back in a way that left you shaken in your
convictions. If you wanted to convince your sibling to cease using card games
for evil, you may fail and feel depressed for not being able to help someone
important to you.

17
 Understand Someone’s True Feelings
When you empathise with someone to understand their situation
and feelings, describe what you do to uncover this information and
roll+Friendship. Apply any baggage-related penalties.
On a 10+, ask two questions from the list below. The Judge answers
truthfully.
On a 7-9, only ask only one question.
 What do you desire most at this moment?
 What is similar about you and me?
 What can we do to help you?
 What reason do you have to do what you’re doing?
On a 6 or less, you misunderstand in some way; gain baggage.

Using Understand Someone’s True Feelings

Your Judge will generally tell you to Understand Someone’s True Feelings when
you try and learn something about a person. Generally, this move represents
the results of your process, allowing you to answer specific questions about
them. It would be appropriate to Understand Someone’s True Feelings when:
 A friend appears to be hiding something
about a new acquaintance
 You’ve captured a villain’s goon and are
questioning them about their boss
 A card game opponent
inadvertently reveals a
weakness in their evil
convictions
As long as you roll at least a 7, you’ll
get to ask at least one question; in
the best case scenario, you’ll be able
to ask two. You get to choose which
questions you’d like answered, each
being best for certain circumstances.
Note that questions are heavily biased
towards empathy and caring above all
else.

18
What do you desire most at this moment?: This question generally makes the
most sense when looking to understand what matters to a character, rather
than merely their actions alone. The answer to this question will often give an
avenue to understand a character’s motives, and through it a potential way to
help them or find a solution to the conflict between you and them.

What is similar about you and me?: This question generally makes the most
sense when trying to grow closer to someone. The answer to the question will
often reveal a way in which you can empathise with them and approach them
in a new way.

What can we do to help you?: This question generally makes sense when
regarding someone who is clearly in some form of distress. The answer to
the question will usually be something you can do to alleviate their ongoing or
current issues.

What reason do you have to do what you’re doing?: This question generally
makes the most sense when you’ve caught someone doing something evil,
suspicious, or otherwise at odds with what you believe makes sense. The
answer to this question will usually reveal the impetus behind their actions,
giving you an avenue to further understand them and take action off of that
information.

If you fail the roll, you make some kind of misunderstanding such as making
an unfair or hasty assumption, mishearing a crucial detail, or drawing a false
conclusion from behavioural cues. For instance, if your friend appeared to be
hiding something, you may have said something insensitive while trying to
provoke them into speaking. If you’ve captured a villain’s goon, maybe you fail to
realise they’re feeding you false information. If you notice a show of weakness in
a villain’s convictions, maybe in questioning it they tempt you to aid them, rather
than the reverse.

19
 Take a Moment To Recuperate
When you take a prolonged rest away from any danger or strife, each
player may choose one option from the following list to describe how they
spend their time.
 Define a new baggage. Describe what has changed to make this
relevant
 Create a new card and add it to your deck. If you make a new {Ace},
remove a card with {Ace} from your deck
 Remove a card from your deck. This cannot be your {Ace}
 Replace a staple in your staples list with another from the generic
staples list
Additionally, each player should take a chance to check their baggage and
see if any are no longer relevant. If they have been resolved, remove it and
gain experience. (This is not possible for serious baggage.)
Then, the Judge may describe in what way an enemy’s plans or another
potentially troublesome part of the world has progressed in the meantime,
without the players’ intervention.
The players may then choose to each pick an option once more, repeating
this process any number of times. For each time they repeat, the Judge
may describe an additional way that a threat has had the chance to
progress without the chance for interference.

Using Take a Moment to Recuperate

Your Judge may ask you to Take a Moment to Recuperate whenever you spend
a prolonged time in rest. This will scale differently depending on context and
situation - in a campaign taking place over the scale of a tournament this could
mean the night between games, while in a campaign centralised within a single
day it could mean as little as a half-hour or less of sitting down.

Generally it’s appropriate so long as the players are choosing to let time pass
while focusing on other actions; in that time, an enemy’s plot or some other
situation could advance unimpeded. Players have a couple of options for
how they can spend their time recuperating, with each having very different
purposes and benefits:

20
Define a new baggage. Describe what has changed to make this relevant:
While baggage has some downsides, it acts as the primary source of
experience in Perfect Draw! as well as a way to define plot points and arcs you
may wish to explore. While you can always gain baggage from occurrences in
the narrative, you might use this time to define a new detail that’s come to light
outside of the main narrative that you’re interested in exploring.

Create a new card and add it to your deck: Adding new cards to your deck
allows for more variable options and less instances of decking out, though it
can also introduce more inconsistency to the deck. If you’ve noticed a hole in
your deck and want to resolve it without having to use advantage mid-battle,
this is the best time to do it. When doing this, follow the rules for card creation
described in Chapter 3 of this rulebook. You may instead also replace your
{Ace} with a new {Ace} - this is useful to express a shift in your character’s
priorities and behaviours on a more significant level, as expressed through the
most important card of your deck.

Remove a card from your deck: This is the primary method of removing cards
from your deck as a player. If a card has proved extraneous to your strategy, is
no longer thematic for your character, or you simply want to keep your deck
size low for consistency’s sake, this option provides a means to do so.

Replace a staple in your staples list with another from the generic staples
list: Similar to removing a card, replacing a staple lets you change out
options in the case that your strategy has changed or you wish to
try something new. Simply remove one staple from your list and
add another in its place.

Once each player has selected an option, they may all do

so again; this counts as an additional use of the move,
and the Judge may advance the state
of affairs again as appropriate. It’s
possible for the Judge to allow players
a number of uses of the moves while
there are no events going on in the
background. If this is the case, they
should state it beforehand so that the
players are aware that they won’t
incur any antagonistic actions or
consequences.

21
 Become Vulnerable
If you and the Judge agree that your character has done or experienced
something that would give them baggage, gain baggage as
appropriate.

Resolve Baggage
When baggage is no longer relevant because it has been resolved and is
no longer an issue, remove it from your character sheet. Mark experience.
This is not possible for serious baggage.

Using Become Vulnerable

At some points in the game it would be appropriate for your character to gain
baggage due to an event within the narrative, but nothing asks you specifically
to gain that baggage. When this occurs, discuss with your Judge as to whether
it’s appropriate for your character to Become Vulnerable; if they agree, add the
baggage to your character sheet.

Using Resolve Baggage

Similar to becoming vulnerable, if you feel at any point during the game a piece
of baggage is no longer applicable to your character, you can discuss with your
Judge whether it’s appropriate and relevant to Resolve Baggage. If they agree,
resolve it and mark experience. You’ll also check your baggage at the end of
every battle and during rests, so don’t worry about keeping track of this too
closely.

Resolve Baggage isn’t usable on serious baggage, which can only be resolved
using the Overcome Your Weakness move.

22
 Overcome Your Weakness
When you attempt to overcome your weakness so you can push past
your own limitations, choose an appropriate baggage from your sheet.
Check whether the baggage has fulfilled any of the following conditions:
I am facing the source of my baggage head-on
Overcoming this baggage is necessary to help someone or
something dear to me
Someone close to me has put effort into believing in me and
helping me overcome this baggage
So long as you have fulfilled one condition for normal baggage, or all three
conditions for serious baggage, describe what you do to overcome it;
additionally, for serious baggage, describe how this marks a permanent
change for your character.
Then, choose one of the following benefits. If you resolve serious baggage,
gain the serious benefit instead.
 Use your newfound strength to overcome the immediate threat:
Gain +1 to the next roll you make.
Serious: Instead, define a threat. Gain +1 to all your rolls until the threat
is resolved. This lasts as long as you are actively confronting the threat.
 Confront someone or something otherwise difficult or nigh-
impossible to face: The Judge defines how this becomes possible,
and the conditions of the confrontation.
Serious: You may instead create the perfect conditions to confront
your target. Describe what these conditions are and the benefits of
succeeding in your confrontation.
 Get what you want out of the situation: Declare something that
your character wants to avert or avoid coming to pass. Note that
doing so needs to be possible within the bounds of the fiction, without
clashing with characters’ traits or motivations. The chosen situation can
no longer happen; the Judge describes how.
Serious: Instead, declare something your character wants to happen
that is possible in the situation. It happens; the Judge describes how.
In addition to the benefit you chose, remove the baggage from your
character sheet and mark experience. If you resolve serious baggage,
instead you advance (do not remove any experience marks. If you don’t
want to take any advancement options immediately you can choose to
advance at a later time instead).

23 23
 Using Overcome Your Weakness
Unlike most moves in Perfect Draw!,
Overcoming Your Weakness is something you
may choose to do without the direct input of your
Judge. So long as you fulfil the conditions required,
you can always use this move.

First, your character needs to have baggage

they’re looking to overcome. This could be as
simple as pushing through your broken leg, or
as complicated as facing your abuser head-
on in battle. This is fairly easy to do for regular
baggage, as you only need to fulfil one condition;
however, serious baggage requires having all
three conditions fulfilled. In exchange, the reward for
overcoming serious baggage is more significant, and it serves
as the only way to remove serious baggage. Either way, using this
move allows you to mark experience and achieve things otherwise
inaccessible for your character, so it’s typically worth pursuing where
possible while playing.

Each condition needs you to fulfil a different requirement in the narrative.

The exact way this may play out will vary depending on the nature of the
baggage, but you’ll always need to put in the narrative legwork to make
overcoming your weakness possible.
 I am facing the source of my baggage head on: In the case
that your baggage was directly caused by someone, this would
mean challenging or being in a position to face that person directly.
Otherwise, it may mean something like standing in the same place as
what hurt you, or thematically facing your fear.
 Overcoming this baggage is necessary to help someone or
something dear to me: If you would otherwise be unable to protect
someone or something important because of your baggage, then you
fulfil this condition. This may mean anything from having to push past
a grievous injury to jump in the way of a fight, or needing to give up on
your pride to admit you were wrong and grow.
 Someone close to me has put effort into believing in me and
helping me overcome this baggage: This condition is considered
fulfilled as long as someone else (such as a player or NPC) has
specifically tried to help you overcome the relevant baggage. This
could mean treating a wound, comforting you in a sad moment, or
anything else that could assist in dealing with the baggage. They don’t
have to be doing it in that exact moment for this to work; as long as
someone has done so in the narrative, this condition is considered
fulfilled.

24
Once you’ve fulfilled these conditions, you can select one of the three
payoffs. If you resolve regular baggage, you receive the first benefit; if you
resolve serious baggage, you instead gain the more powerful Serious
effect. Each of the payoffs have different reasons you may want to utilise
them depending on the scenario:
 Use your newfound strength to overcome the immediate threat:
Using this payoff generally makes the most sense when you’re using
another move in a pivotal moment. For example, if you’re trying to
Convey Your Ideals to someone and want to increase your chances
of success, you can try to Overcome Your Weakness for a relevant
piece of baggage to add an additional +1. If you use the Serious effect
of this baggage, you instead define a threat that you’re looking to
overcome. You’ll gain +1 so long as you are actively confronting that
threat, so it makes sense to use this option on something important to
the character.
 Confront someone or something otherwise difficult or nigh-
impossible to face: Using this payoff generally acts as a way to solve a
problem. Sometimes certain things or people you want to confront or
deal with are out of reach; by using this move you can gain the ability
to confront them. Usually the Judge will describe how, often making
the circumstances unideal in some way or another. However, if you use
the Serious effect, you get to describe it instead. This means you can
make the circumstances as perfect as you would like - go all out, this is
your big moment.
 Get what you want out of the situation: This payoff generally
makes the most sense when you’re trying to get something immediate
out of the scene and want things to go your way. You declare
something you don’t want to happen that isn’t already inevitable, and
the Judge will describe how it occurs. This could let you do something
like not letting someone leave a room or not letting a guard find you
while you sneak into a building. Because it needs to be possible and
reasonable, you generally can’t do something that would go against
the character’s basic motivations, although you can make those
motivations harder to achieve. If you use the Serious effect of this
payoff, you can instead state something you want to happen and
the Judge describes how it goes. Feel absolutely free to make it as
opportune and convenient as you like.
Finally, you’ll gain an amount of experience depending on what baggage
you resolved. If it was regular baggage, you gain one experience as
normal. If it was serious baggage, you gain the ability to advance
immediately. If you don’t have any advancements you want to take for the
time being, you may instead choose to advance at an appropriate time
later in the campaign.

25
How Baggage Works
During Perfect Draw!, you will often be asked to gain baggage. Baggage
represents details that matter to a player’s story and define their
interactions with the world and those around them. Baggage can be
utilised by players for mechanical and storytelling benefits, and can be
resolved to mark experience and further their character’s development.
However, baggage also increases the difficulty of performing actions
relevant to the baggage.

When a character gains baggage, you are allowing that part of the
character to become a highlighted aspect of the story, potentially having
a substantial impact on the character or the world around them. It is also
stating that this is part of the character that may be “resolved” in time.
Resolving baggage is the primary method of gaining experience in Perfect
Draw!.

Gaining Baggage
When you’re asked to gain baggage, describe the new detail that has
become plot-relevant. This can be something new (gaining an injury,
being hunted by an antagonist, etc.), or a detail that you are only now
making relevant to the story (a hidden secret, a familial connection to a
villain, etc.). Write the baggage on your character sheet, in the baggage
section. Baggage can be positive or negative, so long as the baggage is
something the character has yet to resolve. For instance, “A headstrong
trust for friends” could serve as baggage just as much as “no medication
for my illness”, as both could be made relevant within the fiction, such as a
villain using that character’s trust to put a friend at risk.

If you gain baggage while already carrying baggage of the same nature
(such as being wounded while your character already has baggage
called “Injured”), the baggage can instead become serious, representing
it becoming a continuous issue in the plot. Whether baggage becomes
serious, or is instead defined as two separate instances of baggage,
should be a conversation between Player and Judge. (For instance, in a
story with a lot of physical fights, an injury to the hand and an injury to the
foot may be best defined as separate baggage - whereas in a game
where this is less common, making the existing baggage serious may be
more appropriate.)

Baggage helps decide what becomes plot-relevant in the fiction, and

players have final control of what baggage they create when gaining
baggage. If you have something you’d rather not be spotlighted for your
character, or something you’d prefer saved for a later time, it’s best not to
make that baggage. Similarly, serious baggage denote details that will
become long-term problems and may eventually be resolved in full, so
only make baggage serious if you’d like it to define your character for the
foreseeable future.
26
Disadvantages of Baggage
When you make a roll for a General Move, for each piece of baggage
your character has that is relevant to the action, you take a -1 to the roll.
This cannot reduce the modifier of a roll below -1. (For instance, if your
character normally has a +1 to Friendship, and rolls+Friendship with one
piece of relevant baggage, they would instead roll with +0. If they had
three pieces of relevant baggage, they would only roll with -1, instead of -2.)
When serious baggage is relevant to a roll, you always roll with -1, no matter
the amount you would have otherwise rolled with.

Benefits of Baggage
While baggage can spur complications within the fiction and apply
penalties to rolls, they also provide the stakes and relevant factors keeping
the story interesting, acting as a source of motivation and determination.

When you overcome baggage, you’ll gain experience, or advance if the

baggage was serious. Additionally, in battle, players are able to use
Advantage gained with relevant baggage to affect the card game
itself. Baggage can also act as an indicator to the Judge that you want
something in the narrative to come up more. This is an opportunity for your
character to have their moment and take the spotlight.

Resolving Baggage
By default, baggage can be resolved in one of two ways;
 Through rendering it moot in the course of the narrative (such as
time passing to heal an injury, or losing a crush on someone after a
time), represented by the Resolve Baggage move, and by periodic
checks whenever players Reflect After Card Game Combat or Take a
Prolonged Rest.
 Through overcoming and confronting
the baggage, as represented by the
Overcome your Weakness move.
Serious baggage can’t be made moot.
Even if isn’t an immediate problem
anymore, the feelings and traumas
surrounding it should still be ever present.
To overcome serious baggage you need
to use the Overcome your Weakness
move and fulfil all of the conditions.

When any of these happen, the

player will mark experience
or take an advancement as
appropriate, and then remove the
relevant baggage from their playsheet.

27
Chapter Two
Card Game Combat
In Perfect Draw!, most conflicts are decided by card games; card games
serve as the primary form of combat between characters within its
settings, rather than swords, guns, or other non-game forms of violence.

How Card Games Work

In real life there are a huge number of different trading card games that
all have unique mechanics all their own. When playing Perfect Draw!
however, we assume that there is only one trading card game or atleast
only one that’s important to either the world or
your story arc.

The way the card game works as described

in this chapter is considered an abstraction. In
fiction, players might draw many more cards,
summon many more warriors, or use card
types that don’t exist in this book. However,
when we initiate card game combat in Perfect
Draw! we use the rules of this chapter to
represent that game. Feel free to talk about the
fictional card game in whatever way you want!

Winning a Card Game

Players win a card game by reducing their opponent’s life
to zero. The opponent wins if the player’s life is brought
to zero instead. A character’s starting life is contingent on
the significance of the battle, as detailed in the Starting a
Card Game segment later in this
chapter.
Drawing the Game
Some card effects may also grant On rare occasions, it’s possible for two
players or NPCs additional ways or more competitors to win or lose at
the card game at the same time. This
to win the game - these should be could be because they both went to 0
specified on the card itself. life, or because another win condition
was reached by both competitors at
the same time. When this happens, the
If the opponent no longer has any game is declared a “Draw”.
reasonable way to win using their In a draw, both competitors either need
gimmick, the Judge may allow the to fulfil anything defined as the stakes of
player battling them to describe the battle, or neither of them do.
how they win from this point
forward.

28
Spaces in a Card Game
During battle, players will use
cards in a number of ways to help
overcome their opponents. These are
generally represented by physical cards
that players will interact with and use
during the course of combat. In a card
game, there are four primary spaces
a card can reside in:
 The Deck: A player’s deck is made
up of the cards created during character
creation, and/or through moves that create a
card. Cards in the deck cannot be interacted with
until they are drawn, unless another effect explicitly
states otherwise. If you draw a card from the deck when your deck is
empty, you may shuffle your graveyard into your deck before you draw.
When you do this, you lose 1 life.
 The Hand: The hand makes up the majority of cards the player can
play each turn. Within the fiction of the game, your player characters
hold more cards than the Players physically do; this includes cards
such as their Staples and cards used within the fiction to Counter your
Opponent’s Play. Cards are added to the hand by drawing them from
the deck, or by way of card effects.
 The Field: When a card is played, it is put onto the field. While on the
field, its effects become active, and it may take actions based on its
card type. When an invocation is played to the field, it is immediately
put into the graveyard.
 The Graveyard: When a card is destroyed or discarded, it goes
to the graveyard. Cards in the graveyard cannot be interacted with
unless an effect states otherwise.
Effects can create more spaces for cards to exist beyond these four; the
rules for that space should be specified by the appropriate cards.

Starting a Card Game

When a player or group of players first initiate a card game with an NPC
opponent, the players first shuffle their respective decks, then decide
together with the Judge whether the battle is Filler, Significant, or a Finale.
The significance of the battle defines how much life competitors will
have, how many cards players draw at the beginning of the game, how
many times NPCs can use response moves (actions that interrupt their
opponents’ plays), and what threat moves they can use (narrative actions
that increase the stakes of battle).

29
If a battle is Filler, then competitors begin the battle at 2 life and 1 random
card from their deck in their hand. NPCs can use a response move once,
and lash out against losing once as their threat move.

If a battle is Significant, competitors start with 3 life and 2 random cards

from their deck in their hand. NPCs can use response moves twice, and
can use lash out against losing and reveal your backup plan once each as
threat moves.

If a battle is a Finale, competitors start with 4 life and 3 random cards

from their deck in their hand. NPCs can use response moves three times,
can use lash out against losing twice and reveal your back up plan once.

Then, decide who takes the first turn. Generally, this will be the competitor
who initiated the battle: however, rock-paper-scissors, a coin flip, or
anything else is also a valid method of deciding.

Finally, resolve how much Advantage the participating players start with.
Players gain 1 advantage for each instance of relevant baggage they have
to the card game at hand.

Starting Starting Response Lashing Backup

Life Cards Moves Out Plans
Filler 2 1 1 1 0
Significant 3 2 2 1 1
Finale 4 3 3 2 1

Before the battle begins, if the player has spent time preparing for this
fight, then they can choose to Create a Card following the card creation
rules in Chapter 3 and shuffle it into their deck.

Ending a Card Game

When a card game finishes, any stakes of the fight resolve; for instance, if a
character made a deal based on whether they won or lost the game, they
are now required to fulfil the appropriate end of the bargain.

Then, each player (whether involved or uninvolved in the card game)

should check their baggage list. If any baggage has been resolved or is
otherwise no longer relevant, resolve it and mark experience. This is not
possible for serious baggage.

Finally, any players involved in the fight mark experience on their character
sheet.

30
Types of Cards
In Perfect Draw!, players have a deck made of cards. These cards are
represented physically by cards you will create over the course of the
game. Cards come in various types that define the way they function.

Warrior Cards
The most common type of card in Perfect Draw! are Warrior Cards.
These cards act as continuous forces on the board, able to attack your
enemies and defend you against oncoming threats within the game.
They serve a similar role to Monster Cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!, Creature Cards
in Magic: The Gathering, and Minions in Hearthstone.

A Warrior Card will usually be represented by a living entity such as a

person, an animal, or an alien being. However, anything with the ability to
reasonably attack, defend, or otherwise exert force upon the world, such
as a machine or supernatural force, can be a Warrior Card.

Warrior Cards have a “Strength”. There are three levels of strength a

Warrior Card can have:
 {Weak} A Warrior without any exceptional combat ability beyond
what a regular person might possess. Opponents lose no life when
taking damage from {Weak} warriors.
 {Normal} A Warrior that can stand its own in a fight, with combat
abilities far above that of a normal person. Opponents lose 1 life
when taking damage from {Normal} warriors.
 {Strong} A Warrior with combat abilities surpassing that of an
army of normal people. Opponents lose 2 life when taking damage
from {Strong} warriors.
During the owner of a warrior’s turn, that warrior may choose to
attack. (By default, a Warrior Card may only attack once per turn.) If the
opponent has no warriors in play, then that opponent can be attacked
directly, making them lose life depending on the warrior’s strength. Note
that if an opponent controls only items, warriors may still choose to
attack that opponent directly; otherwise, they may only target a warrior
or item for their attacks. Warriors do not have to attack all at once; cards
can be played and effects can be activated in between their attacks.

When a warrior battles another card with strength, this is called a Clash.
A {Strong} warrior will always win a clash a {Normal} warrior or item if it
attacks or is attacked by that warrior, unless stated otherwise by a card’s
effect; the same is true for a {Normal} warrior winning a clash against a
{Weak} warrior or item. When a warrior wins a clash, the card it clashed
with is removed from the field and put into the graveyard. When a warrior
attacks another warrior of equal strength, the player rolls Decide the
Outcome of a Clash to discover which warrior wins the clash.

31
Items
Items are similar to Warriors, but cannot attack, and can’t defeat an
opposing warrior when they Decide the Outcome of a Clash. Additionally,
if only items are on one side of the battlefield, the opposing competitor
can still attack the item’s owner directly with warriors.

Items represent non-living things that nonetheless have power over the
battlefield. Usually, this will mean a literal item, such as a weapon or a
pillar of magical power, but an item can also include things such as a
place or an idea.

As with warriors, items can be attacked, clashed with, and defeated. If

an item’s opponent wins the clash, the item is put into the graveyard.

Invocations
Invocations are cards that don’t create permanent fixtures onto the
battlefield. They don’t have a strength rating, and they go to the
graveyard immediately upon being played.

When you cast an invocation, you may forgo your ability to play a staple
this turn to play the invocation in addition to another card. This allows
you to play one card of any kind (Warrior, Item, Invocation) alongside that
invocation, rather than one card and one staple. You may only do this as
many times as you can play a staple this turn (usually only once).

Invocations often represent an action being undertaken or a spell being

cast, but can represent many things, such as an event or the presence of
something supernatural.

Staples
Staples are a unique type of card that aren’t contained within your deck
and cannot be created; instead, your character gains their staples based
on their Playbook and a selection from a list of generic staples later in
Chapter 3. Staples are generally much weaker than the cards you will
make for your deck, but make up a series of generic effects that can
help pull your deck together.

Warriors created by staples are tokens by default, meaning they are

played directly onto the battlefield, with no effects unless otherwise
stated. They’re not added to your deck afterwards, and don’t go to the
graveyard once destroyed (they are instead removed completely from
the game).

During the player’s turn, they can play one staple, in addition to their one
card per turn. Players can not play the same staple they played the last
time they played a staple.

32
The Player’s Turn
During the player’s turn, there are various actions they can take:
Draw a Card: You can choose to draw a card. This can be done only
once per turn. When you would draw a card, you can choose to Draw
The Perfect Card instead as described later in this chapter. You do not
draw a card if this is the very first turn of the game. If you would draw
a card while no cards are in your deck, you may instead shuffle your
graveyard into your deck and then draw. When you do this, lose 1 life.

Play a Card From Your Hand: You can play a single card from your
hand onto the field. This can only be done once per turn. Alternatively,
you may instead choose to discard a card from your hand to play an
additional staple.

Play a Staple or Invocation: You can use a single staple from your
staple list. You can not use the same staple you used last time you
used a staple. If you have an invocation in hand, you may play that
instead of casting your staple for the turn.

Attack With Warriors: Each warrior on the turn player’s field may
make an attack (you do not have to attack with all of them). If the
opponent has no warriors in play, they can be attacked directly;
otherwise, one of the warriors or items must be attacked. Items do
not prevent direct attacks if only items are on the field. If a warrior
attacks a warrior or item that is has less strength
than it, it defeats that warrior or item; if they
have the same strength, they instead
Decide the Outcome of a Clash. When
attacking the opponent directly,
warriors deal different damage when
based on their power:
 {Normal} warriors deal 1 life
worth of damage.
 {Strong} warriors deal 2 life
worth of damage.
 {Weak} warriors do not
damage players’ life.
Warriors cannot attack during the
first turn of the game.

Additionally, certain card text may allow

additional actions to be used as part of your
turn. The details for this should be specified
on the card itself.

33
Card Combat General Moves
Card Combat General Moves or CCG Moves are moves dedicated for
use during combat; all Players involved in a battle have access to them
during card game combat. Unlike General Moves, most CCG moves are
either used intentionally by the player, or as a mechanical consequence
of the game. In combat, the Judge will typically be busy running the NPC
opponent, so players should keep track of the CCG moves available to
them.

Several CCG Moves reference your Tension and your Advantage. These
are both mechanics exclusive to Card Game Combat that
dictate the emotional and mechanical flow of the
battle:
 Your Tension is
equal to however
many “Combat
Tension” questions
you’ve been able to
cross off during this battle.
Your Combat Tension
questions are in your Playbook.
 Your Advantage is a resource
used to leverage certain key
moments in the card game. You
gain it at the start of the fight
based on how much baggage
you have, and can gain more
throughout the fight through the Risk
Everything to Win move.
Otherwise, CCG Moves act exactly the
same as General Moves.

Check the end of this book for a

crib sheet containing all of the card
combat general moves in a two-
page spread ready to be printed
out and played with at the table.
Online copies of this sheet are
also availiable for free at [Link].

34
 Begin Card Game Combat
When you initiate card game combat with one or more opponents, first
define the stakes of the battle for each player; then, check each player’s
list of baggage. For each relevant baggage for this battle, that player
gains 1 Advantage.
Finally, decide on whether the fight is a Filler, Significant, or Finale fight,
and decide the order of competitors’ turns. The first competitor then
begins their turn.
If a player prepared for the fight, they can Create a Card, and shuffle it
into their deck before the fight starts.
Remember that warriors cannot attack if it is the first turn of the game,
and that players do not draw a card if it is the first turn of the game.

Using Begin Card Game Combat

Before the battle starts, the players and Judge should define the stakes of the
battle (what happens when either competitor loses). These should be made
clear to the players, even if their characters aren’t aware of it in the fiction.

Then, each involved player should check their baggage and gain Advantage for
each relevant baggage they have.

Players should be considered having “prepared for the fight” as long as they
had time to know the fight was coming and didn’t spend it in other ways. Cards
added in this way are shuffled into the deck and don’t cost any Advantage.

Finally, you should follow the rules laid out in the Starting a Card Game section,
including deciding whether the fight is a Filler, Significant, or Finale fight. (A short
cheatsheet for this information is included below.)

Starting Starting Response Lashing Backup

Life Cards Moves Out Plans
Filler 2 1 1 1 0
Significant 3 2 2 1 1
Finale 4 3 3 2 1

If the battle is just a friendly spar with no real stakes, or irrelevant to the plot
(i.e. eliminating minor foes in the preliminary matches of a tournament), it’s
recommended that you have a player roll Brandish Your Skills instead of
battling.
35
 Play your {Ace} Card
When you’re behind in a game and play a card with the {Ace} keyword,
describe how this card makes you feel reassured in yourself.
Gain 1 Advantage. You can only gain this benefit once per card game.

Using Play Your {Ace} Card

During deck creation, you’ll mark one of your cards as your {Ace}; this is the
card in your deck most important (personally or otherwise) to your character.
Once during each battle, while you are losing the card game and you play your
{Ace} card, you gain one free advantage.

Generally, you should consider yourself behind if an onlooker could reasonably

assume you were going to lose. Alternatively, you may have one or more
indicators of being behind, such as: lower life total, having a major plan
demolished, your opponent having an overwhelming amount of warriors, or
something else similar.

Risk Everything to Win

When it looks like you may lose and you put everything on the line to
win the battle, do one of the following and roll+your Tension.
 Reveal a truth about yourself or the world certain to make your life
harder in the future.
 Destroy or lose something precious to you that will be difficult, or
potentially even impossible, to retrieve or mend.
 Create an obstacle by your own hands that will make it difficult to
complete your character’s goals.
 Put yourself in real danger, defining real and permanent changes to
your body, freedom, or personhood.
On a 10+, gain baggage and gain 2 Advantage.
On a 7-9, gain baggage and gain 1 Advantage instead.
On a 6 or less, just gain baggage.

36
36
Using Risk Everything to Win
Risking Everything to Win is a tool players may use to overcome overwhelming
odds in card game combat. So long as it looks like you may lose, you can add a
complication in the narrative to tilt the odds in your favour. Depending on your
roll, you may gain 2 Advantage, 1 Advantage, or none at all; no matter what,
you take baggage. It’s a risky choice, but you can always use the move again
and take another complication if you desperately need a way to steal victory
from the jaws of defeat. Each of the complications have different effects on
the narrative; generally, you should try and pick the one most interesting for the
story you’re telling.

Reveal a truth about yourself or the world certain to make your life harder
in the future: Choosing this generally means revealing a secret about your
character or someone they care about. This secret should risk hurting someone
close to you or otherwise make your social connections harder to maintain.
For instance, you might reveal your character is secretly in love with someone
you suspect doesn’t reciprocate, making their friendship uncomfortable in
the process; you could reveal that you’ve been a double agent infiltrating the
party all along, and even if you like them now, it still means revealing your lie. It’s
okay to make something up and retcon it to be true if you feel like it would be
appropriate to the story.

Destroy or lose something precious to you that will be difficult, or

potentially even impossible, to retrieve or mend: Generally, this means
removing something already defined in the narrative as important to you; while
it may be possible to repair, replace, or mend it, it won’t be easy to do. For
instance, you might charge at the foe and accidentally break a locket with the
one remaining picture of your older sister in it; you might give up the plot-critical
artefact and have an enemy snatch it up in the process; you might have your
heirloom duelling equipment damaged and short out after the battle.

Create an obstacle by your own hands that will make it difficult to

complete your character’s goals: Selecting this option generally means your
character has an important goal they’re working towards, but have decided to
sacrifice or neglect it in order to win; generally, something that won’t be worked
out in the span of this battle alone. For instance, you might hit an alarm in the
middle of a prison break, alerting security in the process; alternatively, a brave
action may have led to you becoming sick or injured.

Put yourself in real danger, defining real and permanent changes to

your body, freedom, or personhood: Generally speaking, this option means
that your character is putting themselves in harm’s way, losing something in
the process. The things this can constitute are vast, but they should always
be meaningful and likely permanent. For instance, your character might
intentionally walk into an enemy’s trap to get close to them, severely wounding
their arm in the process; alternatively, they might sacrifice an important
memory to a demon in order to call upon it for aid in battle.

37
 Take Control of the Game
At any point during card combat, you can spend 1 Advantage to do one
of the following actions:
 Draw 1 additional card at the beginning of your turn.
 Place a card of your choice from your deck at the top of your deck.
 Stay at 1 life when you would have lost your last life (you may Risk
Everything to Win in response to losing your last life).

Using Take Control of the Game

Taking control of the game is one of
the primary methods of spending
Advantage accumulated in battle.
Each of the options are fairly simple,
but have different reasons you
may want to use them.

Draw 1 additional card at the

beginning of your turn: Choosing this
option is smart when you simply need
more overall resources on your turn.

Place a card of your choice from your

deck at the top of your deck: Choosing
this option makes sense when you have
a card in your deck that could win you the
game, and you need the luck to draw it now.

Stay at 1 life when you would have

lost your last life: Choosing this option
generally makes the most sense when
you would otherwise lose the battle.
You can choose to use the Risk
Everything to Win move if you
have no Advantage.

38
 Decide the Outcome of a Clash
When two cards of equal strength battle each other, take a moment to
describe what their clash looks like. Roll+your Tension.
On a 10+, your card wins the clash.
On a 7-9, both cards are of equal strength and neither wins over the
other. Decide whether they both win the clash, or if neither do.
On a 6 or less, your opponent’s card wins the clash.
When a warrior wins the clash, the opposing card is destroyed.
When an item wins the clash, it can’t be destroyed in this clash.
Players can spend 1 Advantage to raise the result of this roll from 6 or less
to 7-9, or from 7-9 to 10+.

Using Decide the Outcome of a Clash

To keep gameplay and card creation streamlined, Perfect Draw! only has three
levels of strength for warrior and item cards; these can represent a vast range
of card strength, but this also means there are a number of times when two
cards on the field have the exact same value. To resolve this, when two cards
of equal strength meet in combat, they Decide the Outcome of a Clash. The
player rolls to decide the outcome of the clash whether it’s their turn or not; if
two players are involved, the attacking player should make the roll.

In the best case scenario, the roll will be in the player’s favour and destroy the
opponent’s card; in the worst case scenario, the attack will backfire in some
way, destroying the player’s card instead. Otherwise, it’s possible the player will
get the choice to either destroy both or neither; generally, deciding the option
can be picked based on what’s most valuable for the player, or what they
believe would be most appropriate for the story.

Items can never destroy the opposing card in a clash; that means that if a
{Normal} warrior attacks a {Normal} item, even if the player rolls a 6 or less,
the warrior will not be destroyed. If they instead roll a 7-9, neither of the cards
involved in the clash will be destroyed whether they both win or they both lose.

39
 Counter Your Opponent’s Play
When an opponent uses a game action or a card activates an effect,
spend 1 Advantage and describe how you attempt to counter the effect.
Roll+your Tension.
On a 7+, you counter the effect or game action.
On a 6 or less, you fail to counter the effect. You cannot attempt to
counter the same effect a second time.

Protect Against a Response

When your opponent uses a response move, roll+your Tension.
On a 10+, you counter the response, allowing you to continue as you
planned.
On a 7-9, you can choose to spend 1 Advantage to counter the response.
On a 6 or less, their response goes through successfully.

40
40
Using Counter Your Opponent’s Play
Countering an opponent’s play is one of the most powerful ways to spend
Advantage, as long as it’s done at the right time; however, it can also be risky.
As long as you roll a 7 or above, the move will allow you to counter the effect or
game action your opponent is trying to complete. Some examples of actions
you can counter include:
 Your opponent playing a card
 Your opponent
attacking
 Your opponent activating the
effect of one of their cards
If you rolled 6 or less, you’ve failed to
counter the effect for one reason
or another; you don’t regain
any Advantage, and can’t
counter that instance of that
action again, even if you have
the Advantage.

Using Protect
Against a Response
Response moves used by NPCs
represent ways the opponent
can attempt to counter
players’ cards and protect
themselves, similar to an
antagonistic version of
countering an opponent’s
play. Whenever they do
this, players always have
the chance to Protect
Against a Response in
return. On a 10+, the
player may immediately
nullify that response and
continue with their plays;
however, more frequently,
the player will either have
to spend Advantage to
counter it, or be unable to
counter it altogether.

41
 Draw The Perfect Card
When you would draw a card, you can choose to spend 1 Advantage
instead. If you do, Create a Card and add it to your hand instead of
drawing.

This card is added to your deck after the battle, and remains part of
it unless removed by other means (such as by the Take a Moment to
Recuperate move).

So long as you have a card with {Ace} in your deck or graveyard, you
can spend 2 Advantage to create a new {Ace} instead. When you do this,
remove a card with {Ace} from your deck or graveyard and create a new
{Ace}, adding it to your hand. Then, create a new non-{Ace} card and
shuffle it into your deck.

Using Draw The Perfect Card

Perfect Draw! gives players three different ways that they can create cards.
Premade Card Creation and Custom Card Creation can both be fairly time
consuming processes, so in the heat of battle such as when using the Draw The
Perfect Card move, you should generally use the Volatile Card Creation rules
instead. This style of card creation is designed to be quick and dirty, so you can
use the card in battle and then update it during downtime or between sessions.

The short version of how Volatile Card Creation works is the player tells the
Judge what they want their card to do in the battle, and then the
Judge decides whether that seems fair or not. If it seems fine
for this card game (and it only needs to be fine for this card
game) then it gets drawn as a “Volatile” card and must
later be created properly using one of the
other card creation types.

The rules for Volatile Card Creation are

explained in depth in Chapter 3: Creating
Cards alongside the rules for
Premade and Custom Card
Creation.

42
 Reflect After Card Game Combat
When you finish card game combat, each player involved in the battle
marks experience. Then, each player (whether involved or not) should
check their baggage list.

If any baggage has been resolved or is otherwise no longer relevant,

remove it from the list and mark experience. (This is not possible for
serious baggage.)

Using Reflect
After Card Game Combat
The end of card game combat in Perfect
Draw! acts as a time to diffuse
tension and look back on the time
since the last battle (though not
necessarily within the fiction).

Many players’ abilities

refresh once a battle
has taken place, and
it’s treated as a chance
to check each player’s
baggage to see if
anything has been
resolved. Often the battle
itself is what has resolved
the baggage, but even if
that isn’t the case, you can
still resolve the baggage
and mark experience as
normal if appropriate.

Players involved in
the fight also mark
one experience
by default,
rewarding actively
participating in
battles.

43
Keywords
This section contains a set of Keywords that you might use during your
campaign of Perfect Draw!. You can, and are encouraged to, create your
own keywords with the Card Creation Rules in Chapter 3; however, these
keywords are a set of examples that are used throughout the Premade
Cards and Staples throughout the rest of this book.

Keywords, along with a few other pieces of rules text, are marked with
{curly brackets}. This denotes additional rules text to the card effect
beyond its shorthand, such as what is shown in the example keywords
here. Each keyword in this section also includes a description of how you
might cost this effect using the Custom Card Creation rules.

Keyword Crib Sheet

 {Overwork} If a staple has  {Teamwork} Cards with
overwork you can’t “Play a Staple teamwork can pair up with
or Invocation” next turn. If a card eachother and up to one card
has overwork you can’t “Play a without teamwork to combine
Card from your Hand” next turn. their strength totals.
 {Strengthen} When a card  {Blocker} Cards with blocker
is strengthened, {Weak} cards can intercept attacks directed at
become {Normal}. {Normal} other cards.
cards become {Strong}. {Strong}
cards gain {Overwhelm}.  {Followup} You can play an
additional card after this one.
 {Overwhelm} This card
always wins clashes.  {Inconspicuous} Cards with
inconspicuous can’t be targeted
 {Underwhelm} This card for attacks unless it is the only
always loses clashes. possible target.
 {Piercer} When this card  {Fumble} Describe an action
defeats another card in battle, you don’t want the opponent to
it deals damage to that cards take. You can counter that action
controller equal to the piercer for free until the start of your
value. next turn.
 {Sniper} When this card deals  {Pressure} For each instance
direct damage to the opponent, of pressure, roll as if you had +1 to
it deals damage to that player Tension while this is on the field.
equal to the sniper value.

44
Overwork Strengthened
When you play a card from your When a warrior or item is
hand with {Overwork} you cannot {Strengthened}, its strength tier
use the “Play a Card from your goes up by one (from {Weak} to
Hand” turn action next turn. {Normal}, or {Normal} to {Strong}).

Similarly, if you play a staple with If a {Strong} card is

{Overwork} you cannot use the {Strengthened}, instead give it
“Play a Staple or Invocation” turn {Overwhelm} while it remains
action next turn. {Strengthened}

Costing This Effect: Overwork is a Costing This Effect: Strengthen

hugely detrimental effect normally, is a keyword that lets you power
but becomes far less of an issue when up warriors and items; this can be
played on the last turn of the game, used in various manners, such as
before consequences can take effect. buffing your cards (for instance, an
Given no unusual circumstances, it Item that {Strengthens} another
may be best to have Overwork count warrior while it’s on the field), or a
as a card’s significant weakness, and payoff to other effects (for instance,
have any effects tied to it count as “when this attacks the opponent
Inconsistent. directly, {Strengthen} permanently”).
Strengthening isn’t typically too
powerful if it only lasts for a turn;
however, if the effect is permanent
Overwhelm or affects multiple warriors, it may be
appropriate to cost it as Powerful for
When a warrior or item with the payoff of an effect.
{Overwhelm} would Decide the
Outcome of a Clash, it always
wins. Underwhelm
When a warrior or item with
Costing This Effect: Overwhelm as
a keyword makes your card punch {Underwhelm} would Decide the
above its weight in combat, acting Outcome of a Clash, it always
as a great way to indicate the card loses.
is a little stronger then normal for
its strength level. A {Strong} card
with {Overwhelm} will win every Costing This Effect: Underwhelm
clash it makes, assuming it isn’t up is a detriment that can be used to
against another {Strong} card with represent that a warrior or item
{Overwhelm}. Generally, a permanent is particularly brittle in combat. A
{Overwhelm} effect on a warrior can {Weak} card with {Underwhelm} will
be costed as Powerful - and then almost always die in combat. Giving
it will be considered Consistent on a card {Underwhelm} can generally
{Strong} cards. count as the card’s weakness.

45
Piercer [x] Sniper [x]
When this warrior with {Piercer} When this warrior with {Sniper} [x]
[x] defeats another warrior or attacks a player directly, it deals
item in battle, it deals [x] damage [x] extra damage.
to that warrior’s controller.
Costing This Effect: Sniper is a
Costing This Effect: Piercer is a keyword that lets your warriors deal
keyword that allows for inflicting extra damage when you attack
damage when you defeat a warrior, directly. This makes it useful as a way
rather than only when attacking to make a card feel dangerous and
directly. Generally, a card with Piercer act as a good finisher. Generally, a
can be counted as Powerful for each card with Sniper can be counted as
stage of Piercer it has (1, 2, 3 etc.). Powerful for each stage of Sniper
It should generally be considered it has (1, 2, 3, etc), and should be
Consistent on any warrior that’s likely considered Inconsistent, unless it has a
to win clashes. way to attack directly.

Teamwork Blocker
When a warrior with {Teamwork} When another warrior or item
attacks, it can attack alongside is attacked, a warrior or item
any number of other warriors with {Blocker} can intercept,
that also have {Teamwork} and redirecting the attack to them
up to one warrior that doesn’t. instead.
When in a pool of this kind, two
{Weak} warriors attack as if they Costing This Effect: Blocker allows
you to actively control which of your
were a {Normal} warrior, and two warriors are engaged in combat by
{Normal} warriors, four {Weak} your opponents. Cards with {Blocker}
warriors, or one {Normal} warrior can protect the rest of your warriors
and items. Generally, a card with
and two {Weak} warriors can {Blocker} and no other effects can be
attack as if they were a {Strong} considered Consistent, and possibly
Powerful if the warrior is likely to win
warrior. clashes.

When attacking together, any

attacking based effects (such Inconspicuous
as {Overwhelm} or {Piercer})
A card with {Inconspicuous}
are gained from warriors with
cannot be the target of attacks
{Teamwork}. Warriors that have
from opponents’ warriors while
been a part of a teamwork
there are other possible non-
pool can’t attack or join other
player targets.
teamwork pools.
Costing This Effect: Inconspicuous is
Costing This Effect: Teamwork is a a great way to help you feel safe that
useful way to help decks that summon powerful effects won’t be destroyed
a large number of smaller warriors without warning. You might create an
compete with decks that summon item with {Inconspicuous} because it’s
much larger warriors. By including important to your strategy. This effect
warriors with {Teamwork}, the two can generally be treated as Powerful,
cards can work together to take down and possibly Consistent if it creates
larger targets. Generally, {Teamwork} other targets.
can be treated as Powerful, but not
Consistent nor Versatile.

46
Followup Fumble
When you play a card with When you {Fumble} an opponent,
{Followup}, you may play an describe a specific action they
additional card from your hand could take, a type of card they
this turn. could play, or a kind of game
action they could perform. Once
Costing This Effect: Followup is a between now and your next
way to let you play more cards than turn, If the opponent does as you
normal during your turn. It can also
eat into your hand size pretty quickly, said, players may Counter Your
so a deck taking advantage of it may Opponent’s Play and NPCs may
want several draw effects. Without Use a Response Move without
restrictions, Followup should be cost
as Powerful and Versatile, but not spending Advantage or using
Consistent, as it still requires you to use their limited response moves.
the other cards as normal.
Costing This Effect: Fumbling is a
way to represent effects like forcing
Pressure [x] your opponent to discard cards, since
they don’t use a physical deck. To
While a card with {Pressure} [x] do this, players describe the kind of
is on the battlefield, you roll with effect, ability, or resource they are
depriving their opponent from, and
an additional +[x] whenever you make it more difficult for them to do.
roll+your Tension. Invocations that Generally, forcing a fumble should
give {Pressure} [x] may specify be considered Powerful and Versatile,
but not Consistent since it can do very
how long the effect lasts for. little in certain scenarios.

Costing This Effect: Pressure is a

unique keyword that interacts with the
gameplay mechanics in a way that
should normally be avoided. Pressure
can be used to represent personal
significance to the card’s owner, a
particular reputation, or anything
else that might give a card a sense of
presence beyond the card game itself.
In general, {Pressure} can be costed
as Powerful and Consistent, but not
Versatile.

47
The Opponent’s Turn
Unlike players, NPCs don’t draw cards and don’t have a hand or staples.
Instead, the Judge will use a series of moves on their turn to create
effects, based on that NPC’s Deck Gimmick.

At the start of the game the NPC will Establish a Plan to Win on their turn,
creating a tangible and difficult threat for the players to overcome. After
that, on each of the NPCs’ turns, the Judge will use Power Card Moves
and Simple Card Moves to put pressure on the player.

Additionally, the opponent has a set of moves they can use in order to
disrupt the protagonists’ plans known as Response Moves; these can
be used to protect the NPC’s plan and prolong the game. Additionally,
depending on the significance of the fight, the NPC may have a number
of Threat Moves that increase the stakes of the battle outside the game
itself.

Any action that a player could take with a card on the field (such as using
a once per turn effect or attacking with a warrior) can still be done by
NPCs at the appropriate times.

The goal of the Judge when using these moves should be to create
exciting fights where the players always have the possibility to win, but
make sure that when the players do win the fight felt close. The moves
listed below are all intentionally fairly ambiguous, so you can always
make more or less optimal decisions to help guide the fight in interesting
directions.

NPC Graveyards
Because NPCs in Perfect Draw! don’t use cards in the same way that players do, they
don’t technically have a Graveyard zone. That said, this shouldn’t stop NPCs or players
from using effects that reference the NPCs graveyard - just keep in mind if these types
of effects are likely to happen ahead of time, and if they are, be sure to note down any
cards that would have been sent to that NPCs graveyard during play.

Establishing a Plan to Win

On an NPC’s first turn in a card game combat, the NPC will start by
establishing a plan to win. To do this, the NPC will play a card or series
of cards that facilitate their gimmick and establish a tone for the battle.
These can be used in a battle you hadn’t planned for the encounter, or
if you’re unsure what the enemy could do next. That said, if you suspect
the Players are going to battle with a particular NPC, it’s worth following
the Designing an NPC Encounter guide later in this chapter, in order to
pre-prepare that NPC’s plan to win (among other things).

48
Some ways an NPC may establish a plan to win include:

Create a Payoff: Play a {Normal} warrior or a {Strong}

item that pays off a central play pattern or strategy of the
deck; you may give that card a form of protection such as
{Overwhelm}, an effect that activates if they are destroyed, or
{Inconspicuous}.

If their effect would only occur once a turn, the payoff could be:
1 Create a {Normal} warrior, {Fumble} the player, Deal 1 damage
to the player.

If the effect might happen more than once a turn, the payoff
could be: Create a {Weak} warrior, Gain 1 life, {Strengthen} a
warrior.

Use a Simple Card Move.

Create an Impenetrable Threat: Play a {Strong} warrior

with up to three protection or power increasing effects such
as: {Overwhelm}, Immunity to a card type, {Inconspicuous},
2 {Blocker}, Some amount of {Piercer} or {Sniper}, or the ability to
attack directly.

Use a Simple Card Move.

Severely Disadvantage the Player: Play an invocation, a

{Normal} warrior, or a {Strong} item that makes it difficult for
the player to play in a standard manner, such as: Giving all
3 warriors {Underwhelm}, Punishing the opponent if they attack,
changing the rules of the card game, or anything else that may
mess up the players’ specific game plan.

Use a Simple Card Move.

Put a Timer on the Game: Play a {Strong} item that will win
you the game once X more turns have passed (X is equal to
the players starting life total), or that will let you Combo Off in Y
more turns (Y is equal to the players’ starting life total -1). (When
you combo off, describe a scenario that can only be resolved by
4 a specific type of answer, such as summoning infinite warriors
or gaining infinite life. It happens. This should not win the game
until the next turn. Be careful to ensure it’s possible for the player
to disrupt or get around in some way.)

Use two Simple Card Moves.

49
Power Card Moves
On each of the NPCs’ turns, after they have established their plan to win,
NPCs will use a Power Card Move each turn instead. Power Card Moves
are presented with a roll-on-table similar to Establishing a Plan to Win so
Judges can randomise what happens if they’re unsure what to do. Some
examples of Power Card Moves include:

Protect Your Game Plan: Play a {Normal} warrior, {Normal}

item, or invocation that protects the deck’s gameplan, such as
by making it harder to remove a key game piece, or harder
for the player to perform a disruptive action. Examples: Giving
1 a warrior you control {Inconspicuous} or {Blocker}, creating a
small number of {Weak} warriors to sit in the way, or anything
else that may protect against the player’s ability to win the
game.

Use a Simple Card Move.

Create a New Threat: Play a {Normal} warrior with 1-2 features

that makes it a threat to the player, such as: It is actually a
{Strong} warrior, it can attack directly, it has some amount
2 of {Piercer} or {Sniper}, or anything else that may make it an
immediate threat.

Use 1 Simple Card Move if you selected 2 features. Use 2 Simple

Card Moves if you selected only 1 feature.
Create an Advantage: Play a {Normal} warrior or a {Strong}
item with some form of protection that creates an advantage
for you in some minor but useful way, such as: Giving a warrior
3 you control a useful keyword once per turn, creating a {Weak}
warrior once per turn, or something else that may become
difficult to deal with over time.

Use a Simple Card Move

Remove the Immediate Problems: Play an invocation that
deals with one or more problems the player has created,
removing those warriors/items/effects from the battlefield or
immediate gameplay.
4
Use two Simple Card Moves if the player still has a significant
threat. Use one Simple Card Moves if the player does not have
a significant threat, but still has some amount of resources.
Otherwise, use no Simple Card Moves.

50
 Disrupt the Players’ Plans: Play a {Normal} warrior or
{Normal} item that disrupts the players’ plans and/or gives
them a disadvantage of some kind, such as: Giving a warrior
5 {Underwhelm} each turn, weakening the player’s main
gameplan, or anything else that makes the player’s life
somewhat more difficult.

Use a Simple Card Move.

6 Dawdle: Use a Simple Card Move up to 4 times.

When using a Power Card Move, if you feel like the opponent isn’t
presenting a sufficient threat, you can choose to use an additional Simple
Card Move to give them a small leg up.

Alternatively, if you feel like you made a mistake and the opponent is
proving far too overwhelming, you can choose an option that’s less
optimal from the list above so the player has some breathing room. Try
to keep things manageable, but don’t throw the game if the situation
comes to it; failure can sometimes be healthy for a character’s arc.

Simple Card Moves

When a Power Card Move or Establishing a Plan to Win asks you to use a
Simple Card Move, the NPC may perform one of the following actions to
round out their turn.

1 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.

2 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.
3 Create a {Normal} warrior.
Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your
4
opponent controls with less or equal strength.

5 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the
start of your next turn.
6 Give a warrior or item your opponent controls {Underwhelm}
7 Gain 1 Life.

8 Play an invocation that produces a minor benefit based on your

gimmick/plan to win.

If the NPC feels like they are particularly behind when compared to the
player, it may be worth letting them use an additional Simple Card Move
so they can become more of a threat.

51
Response Moves
Response moves are a special tool opponents have that lets them
interfere with players’ actions during a card game; this can be used to
snatch away a chance at victory, to protect the opponent’s important
cards, or anything else that helps them win. You can use response moves
at any time in response to a player’s action.

Use a Response Move

When the player does something in a card game and you
choose to use a response move, counter the effect of a player’s
card, and describe how this happens. The player rolls Protect
Against a Response.

Response moves are able to be used a number of times depending

on the significance of the battle and whether certain threat moves
have taken place. By default, a threat move can be used once per card
game for Filler battles, twice per game for Significant battles, or up to
three times if the fight is a Finale. If the opponent took advantage of a
player’s baggage when they Lash Out Against Losing, they get to use an
additional response move.

Threat Moves
Threat moves act as a tool by which antagonists can raise the emotional
and narrative stakes of a card battle mid-game. While they aren’t
mandatory for the Judge to use, they can help increase the drama and
provide narrative twists in the midst of card game combat.

Lash Out Against Losing

In a Filler, Significant, or Finale battle, when it looks like you might
lose, lash out against that possibility: increasing the stakes of the
battle, damaging something important, revealing new information
about yourself, or putting something the player cares about at risk.
Define new consequences for the game. In a Finale battle, you may
do this twice.

If you lashed out in a way related to a participating player’s

baggage, you can use an additional response move this game.

Reveal Your Backup Plan

In a Significant or Finale battle, when your first plan has been
dealt with, reveal your new plan or the way in which you’ve been
tricking the player this whole time. You may Establish a Plan to Win
again next turn.

52
Opponent Moves Crib Sheet
Establish a Plan to Win Power Card Moves
Create a Payoff: Play a {Normal} Protect Your Game Plan: Play a
warrior or a {Strong} item that {Normal} warrior, {Normal} item, or
1 pays off a central play pattern or invocation that protects the deck’s
strategy of the deck. 1 gameplan, such as by making it
Use a Simple Card Move. harder to remove a key game piece,
or harder for the player to perform a
disruptive action.
Create an Impenetrable Threat:
Play a {Strong} warrior with up Use a Simple Card Move.
2 to three protection or power
increasing effects. Create a New Threat: Play a
2 {Normal} warrior with 1-2 features
Use a Simple Card Move. that makes it a threat to the player.
Severely Disadvantage the Use One or Two Simple Card Moves.
Player: Play an invocation, a
{Normal} warrior or {Strong} item Create an Advantage: Play a
3 that makes it difficult for the player {Normal} warrior or a {Strong} item
to play in a standard manner. with some form of protection that
3 creates an advantage for you in some
Use a Simple Card Move. minor but useful way.
Use a Simple Card Move.
Put a Timer on the Game: Play
a {Strong} item that will win you Remove the Immediate Problems:
the game once X more turns have Play an invocation that deals with
passed (X is equal to the players’ one or more problems the player has
4 starting life total), or that will let 4
created.
you Combo Off in Y more turns (Y
is equal to the players’ starting life Use Zero, One, or Two Simple Card
total -1). Moves (depending on circumstance).
Use two Simple Card Moves. Disrupt the Players’ Plans: Play a
{Normal} warrior or {Normal} item
5 that disrupts the players’ plans and/or
gives them a disadvantage of some
Simple Card Moves kind.
Create a {Weak} warrior with Use a Simple Card Move.
1
{Blocker}.
6 Dawdle: Use a Simple Card Move up
{Strengthen} a warrior you control to 4 times.
2
until the end of turn.
Use a Response Move
3 Create a {Normal} warrior. When the player does something in a card
game and you choose to use a response
Sacrifice a warrior you control to move, counter the effect of a players’ card, and
4 destroy a warrior your opponent describe how this happens. The player rolls
controls with less or equal strength. Protect Against a Response.

Target warrior your opponent Lash Out Against Losing

5 controls loses all text until the start When it looks like you might lose, lash
of your next turn. out against that possibility. Define new
consequences for the game.
6 Give a warrior or item your If you lashed out in a way related to a
opponent controls {Underwhelm}. participating players’ baggage, you can use
an additional response move this game.
7 Gain 1 Life.
Reveal Your Backup Plan
Play an invocation that produces When your first plan has been dealt with,
8 a minor benefit based on your reveal your new plan or the way in which you’ve
gimmick/plan to win. been tricking the player this whole time. You
may Establish a Plan to Win again next turn.

53
Running a Card Game
When running a card game, your goal as the Judge (and thus person
in charge of playing the opponent) isn’t necessarily to win; rather, it’s
to present a challenge that encourages players to make the game
exciting, both from a mechanical and character perspective. This doesn’t
mean you should necessarily pull your punches if the players are losing
though, as you’re still representing a character that wants to win. This
game has been designed so that if players are prepared and willing to
make sacrifices, they can almost always find a way to win. As the Judge
however, you have a power to react and change things on the fly that
players don’t.

Presenting an Interesting Battle

The first step to creating an exciting card game is to present an
interesting battle. Both mechanics and storytelling pose important roles
in this.

Mechanically, this can be done by creating an interesting gimmick for the

NPCs’ decks that mesh well with the players’. For instance, a player might
have a deck based around aggressively attacking with warriors: in this
situation, an interesting foe might pose a problem by making them have
to pay a cost for each warrior they attack with.

While being responsive, the gimmick should always be something

the player can overcome in some way. For example, against the
aforementioned warrior rushdown deck, a card that simply said “This
NPC cannot be attacked” would be unfun.

Another option for creating interesting fights is by using real life card
games as references. If you’re ever unsure what you could do to make
an interesting opponent from a mechanical perspective, take a look at
decks that existed at various points in the meta of the card games you
enjoy.

From a narrative perspective, it can be useful to give weight to fights

by having the NPC hold a personal relevance to the cast of player
characters. Instead of simply fighting a police officer as an opponent,
maybe they’re a fan of one of the characters’ songs, or a friend of a
character’s family. In this way, it’s also important to ensure players have
the chance to meet and respond to these characters before they begin
battle; by giving players the chance to understand and interact with their
foes in advance, it allows chances to create baggage that can be utilised
during the fight.

54
Using Establish a Plan to Win
When your character establishes their plan to win, this should set the tone
for the battle (or at least the next few turns until they reveal their backup
plan). Each of the options listed in the Establish a Plan to Win section
earlier in this chapter are intentionally very open-ended, and you should
generally try and make it so that the move they use meshes with the
gimmick of the character’s deck.

Using Power Card Moves

In general, Power Card Moves should be used to keep pressure on your
opponent. Once you’ve established your plan to win, each Power Card
Move is a chance to present new complications that impede the players’
attempts to win. Remember that the moves here aren’t the be all and
end all; feel free to use them primarily as inspirations for the type of
problems you can present. If the example options don’t feel appropriate
for the character’s gimmick and the ongoing pace of the battle, modify
them or do something else instead.

Using Simple Card Moves

Simple Card Moves are smaller effects that accompany other, more
significant actions. Though they are lesser in scope, they act as the way
to bridge between more major plays and respond to the player. These
shouldn’t make a significant impact on their own, but should help build
tension in conjunction with Power Card Moves and Establishing a Plan to
Win.

Using Response Moves

Response Moves are the primary way you can keep players on their toes
and interact with them outside of the opponent’s turn. Try to use your
response moves when not doing so would ruin the tension of the card
game; for instance, if a player is about to destroy the warrior most key to
the opponent’s strategy, it’s a good time to use a response move to foil
their plans in some way.

Using Threat Moves

Threat Moves are designed to keep the card game interesting in longer,
more significant fights, and to create tension that exists outside of the
card game. These moves can activate under certain conditions and
are available depending on the fight’s significance. They interact more
closely with the narrative of the fight, and help to remind players of the
stakes. Try to use Threat Moves as a way to raise the stakes of the battle
and potentially get players not directly involved in the game into peril.
When the enemy Lashes Out Against Losing, for instance, they may try to
endanger a player outside the card game to convince the other player
to give up.

55
Designing an NPC Encounter
In the world of Perfect Draw!, anything can be resolved through a game
of cards. As the Judge, it’s your job to make characters and decks that
will prove fun and compelling for players to fight. For that reason, when
making NPCs that it’s likely players are going to battle, it’s useful to plan
what that encounter will look like. The process for this is fairly simple and
explored in detail in their respective sections:
 First, define the Gimmick for the NPC’s
deck
 Then, plan some moves for the
Card Game battle
 Finally, plan potential threat
moves for the NPC

Defining an NPC’s Gimmick

The first step to preparing an
encounter with an NPC is to decide
what the gimmick of that NPC’s
deck is. Both players and NPCs
have gimmicks for their decks,
which define the playstyles,
goals, and strategies the
deck is looking to attain. For
players, gimmicks give
their decks more power
so long as they lean into
the gimmick. For NPCs,
gimmicks act as helpful
guidelines for you as the
Judge to decide what the character
does next in battle, and what they’re
allowed to excel at.

Rules Resolution
Perfect Draw! allows players to create almost any card effect that a card game could
simulate. This has the potential to cause problems when certain effects interact. For
instance, one card may return a warrior the player controls to that player’s hand, and
in response, the opponent’s effect may activate that forces that player to discard their
hand and redraw that amount of cards. The order of operations here could mean that
the warrior returns to hand either before or after the foe’s effect triggers, depending
on how you interpret the effects.
When rules conflicts arise in this way, lean into the most narratively exciting option; if a
player did something intentionally to counter an opponent’s play, it’s not fun if it doesn’t
work because of a rules conflict. Otherwise, consider the existing card game that the
players at the table know best. If the rules can be resolved in a way similar to that card
game, it will be easiest for players to understand.

56
Here are some examples of gimmicks you can use for NPCs:
 Warriors that gain power  Flipping coins, giving me big
when more of them are benefits if heads, and small
around. detriments on tails.
 Summoning large threats  Attack my opponent directly
that easily overpower the and destroy their stuff when
opponent. I do.
 Gain life for both me and  Make my opponent warriors
the opponent, getting more fall in love with my warriors,
value from it. unable to attack.
 Have effects trigger  Give myself equipment,
whenever I take damage, letting me, the player, attack.
dragging my opponent down  Slowly draw a combo of
with me. cards that will instantly win me
 Steal my opponent’s the game.
warriors by giving them useless  Recur the same threat
cards in return. whenever I perform a normal
 Burning my opponent’s life game action.
points without attacking.  Introduce a resource to the
 Summoning an army of game that only I am properly
small warriors and then buffing prepared for.
them.
For more inspiration, try looking at effects and strategies from real life
card games such as Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Hearthstone.

It may be worth preparing a short list of potential card names that fit
with the deck’s gimmick. This can help you keep the pace of battle
smooth by having a selection of example names that NPC might play in
the midst of battle.

NPC Drawing & Discarding

Because NPCs don’t have physical cards like the players do, effects that make them
draw or discard need to be modified to give them the same effect. When an NPC
would draw a card, they instead gain +1 Simple Card Move use this turn. Similarly, if
they are forced to discard a card, their opponent forces them to {Fumble}. When
translating other effects that work one way for a player or NPC but not the other, the
Judge should choose how to translate the effects.

Planning Moves for the NPC

Now that the NPC has a theme and strategy, it can be worth planning
what the actual fight would look like. For this, you can prepare a number
of moves the user could make ahead of time. Select 1-2 Establishing a
Plan to Win moves, 2-4 Power Card Moves, and any number of Simple
Card Moves that you think are thematic. From there, you can modify
them to fit the NPC’s gimmick, or skip the listed moves and instead make
your own.
57
Modifying NPC Moves
The Opponent’s Turn moves are intentionally open-ended. They all
give examples of how they could work, but they should be modified to
match with the gimmick of the NPC in question and the flow of the fight.
Remember that if something feels a little too over- or under-powered
you can always choose to make a less optimal decision or do something
a little stronger on the next turn.

When choosing the moves you want to prepare ahead of time, you can
take a look at the included examples. These are recommendations for
ways the card could work, but you should feel free to modify them to
anything similar that matches with the gimmick. Additionally, you should
feel free to do things such as add additional keywords to cards when it
makes sense and helps the flow of the game, or the deck’s strategy. For
example:
 If a deck’s strategy leaves the opponent open to attacks, you
could give a warrior they create {Blocker} so they don’t die too early.
 If a player is likely to have a way to remove a key card without
much effort using their currently available cards, you could give the
card {Inconspicuous}.
 If the NPC’s gimmick revolves around a large number of small
warriors, you could turn a {Normal} warrior into 2-3 {Weak} warriors.
Do whatever you like so long as you remember that your goal is for the
player to win; your foremost goal as the Judge is just to keep the fight
close and exciting.

Additionally, you should take some time to take some of the names you
prepared while establishing your gimmick and attach them to some
of the moves you’ve prepared. This can make it easier to play out the
opponent’s turn as soon as it comes.

Creating New NPC Moves

If you feel confident in the basic rules of Perfect Draw! and would like for
an NPC encounter to be a little more unique, you can choose to make
your own moves for the battle instead of modifying the moves listed in
this book. The most important thing to remember is that your goal as a
Judge is generally to create a “close match”. This means you don’t want
either the opponent to win too easily or for the players to defeat them
too easily. Generally you can know you’ve succeeded if the players have
had to use one or more effects with permanent consequences like Draw
The Perfect Card or Risk Everything to Win.

58
Establishing a Plan to Win, Power Card Moves, and Simple Card Moves
are all intended to fill different roles during the card game. For this reason,
you need to treat them differently when making new options for them.
 Establish a Plan to Win: When you Establish a Plan to Win, it should
create a threat that will take at least a few turns to resolve, but isn’t
impossible to overcome. It shouldn’t be something the players can
deal with as soon as it’s their turn (even when you protect it with
response moves), but it shouldn’t be impossible to deal with.
Generally, cards made through Establish a Plan to Win should be
similar to players’ {Ace} cards, in that they should be the strongest
cards in their deck and are likely to either be {Strong}, or {Normal}/
{Weak} with extremely powerful effects.
Most of the time, the NPC should be able to make a Simple Card
Move as well; this can help shore up defences and ensure players
don’t immediately win the fight. With that said, if you think the effect is
particularly weak, it may be worth letting them use 2 or more Simple
Card Moves. Similarly, if you think the effect is particularly strong, it
may be worth removing the Simple Card Move option entirely so the
players have a chance in the fight.
 Power Card Moves: These are the bread and butter moves
enemies will make in combat; for that reason, they should typically be
resolvable in one turn if the player focuses on them. The only reason
the player shouldn’t be able to deal with a Power Card Move is if their
attention has turned to something else.
Cards made with your Power Card Moves are generally going to
be fairly average. This means they are usually going to be {Normal},
{Weak} with standout effects, or {Strong} without additional effects
or value. Just like with Establishing a Plan to Win, Power Card Moves
should also give the NPC the option to use some number of Simple
Card Moves. Usually you’ll only want to allow one Simple Card Move;
however, if the effect feels particularly strong or weak, it may be
worth allowing for more or less.
 Simple Card Moves: While not doing a lot on their own, Simple
Card Moves take the same role as Staples do for players. This means
they generally work to help the competitor do things they otherwise
wouldn’t want to spend their whole turn on.
When making a simple card move, they should generally never do
anything stronger than a Powerful 1 effect as listed in the Custom
Card Creation rules.
As with modifying NPC moves, you should take some time to take some
of the names you prepared while establishing your gimmick and attach
them to some of the moves you’ve prepared.

59
Planning Threat Moves
When planning what Threat Moves to use for an NPC encounter, the
first step is to consider the character involved and the situation they are
likely to be encountered in. When that character Lashes Out Against
Losing, you want it to be exciting and put pressure on the ongoing battle;
considering the things and characters that the players are invested in
can help you make exciting moments in the narrative. Remember that if
the situation changes, you can always choose something different when
the threat move occurs.

At the end of designing your NPC encounter, the information you’ve

prepared might look something like this:

Starborn Bears
Bears from across the world gather around the mystical Ursine Constellations. They
give the bears power over magic.
Gimmick: Dealing damage while subverting defences
Lash Out Against Losing: Reveal only the first half of a secret one of the players is
hiding.
Example Card Names: Grizzly Illusionist, Curse Bear-er, Koala Enchanter

Establish a Plan to Win

Ursine Constellations Morgan le Ursidae
Item | {Strong} Warrior | {Strong}
The first time you summon {Piercer} 2
a Bear each turn, target
opponent takes 1 damage. Use a Simple Card Move.
(All of your creatures count
as bears, including from
Simple Card Moves)
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Polar Elementalist Wrath of Artaois Panda Swordmage
Warrior | {Weak} Invocation Warrior | {Normal}
Each turn, target item Destroy up to three target {Piercer} 1
or warrior an opponent warriors/items.
controls loses all text and Use two Simple Card
gains “When this dies, lose Use (3 - the number of Moves.
1 Life”. cards you removed) Simple
Card Moves.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

60
If You Didn’t Plan the
Encounter
If a player and an NPC are going to start
a battle that you hadn’t planned for, then
the only thing you need to do is figure
out what that character’s gimmick is. It
can be useful to consider what an NPCs
gimmick might be when you make them
even if you don’t intend them to battle the
players. However, if you didn’t have the
chance to do this for whatever reason
you can choose one from the provided list
or come up with one now. Feel free to ask
your players for a short break if needed.
Once you have the character’s gimmick,
you can use the Establish a Plan to Win,
Power Card Moves, and Simple Card
Moves section of this book to select
different moves that the opponent could
use. If you feel confident, feel free to
edit these moves as you go to better
match the opponent. This can be as
simple as changing out a keyword. Don’t
worry too much about balancing things
exactly, remember that you can make
things harder or easier on future turns if
necessary.

Player
vs Player
Battles
When two players are
in combat against each
other, or when two players
fight together in a Free for All,
the rules of card game combat change
slightly to accommodate multiple players. These changes are:

 The attacker rolls when Deciding the Outcome of a Clash:

When two cards Decide the Outcome of a Clash, the player that was
attacking makes the roll and adds their combat tension.
 Players cannot Protect Against a Response: The player rolling to
Counter the Opponent’s Play is the one taking the risk to see if they
are successful.

61
Multiplayer Battles
Battles involving multiple players have two main formats they can
appear in. Both are described here.

Team Battles
When a battle begins with multiple competitors and they are each
on clear and separate teams, a team battle begins instead of a
regular battle. Team battles are made up of two or more teams, each
containing any number of competitors on each side.

A team has a single life pool shared by all members of that team. Each
competitor in a team draws cards as usual.

The amount of life the team has and the number of cards each
competitor draws at the start of the game are determined by the
significance of the battle as with regular battles. Whenever any
competitor on a team takes damage, the team as a whole loses life as
appropriate.

Like battles between two individuals, turns alternate between each

of the opposing teams; however, each turn is relegated to a single
competitor on that team, cycling between the members with each of
that team’s turns.

For instance, if two teams (one with three competitors, and another with
two) were playing against one another, the turn order would be:

Team A, Player 1 -> Team B, Player 1 -> Team A, Player 2 ->

Team B, Player 2 -> Team A, Player 3 -> Team B, Player 1 ->
Team A, Player 1 -> Team B, Player 2 -> etc.

And so forth. This means that teams with less competitors will have each
of those competitors taking their turn more often, on average, than an
opposing team with more competitors.

When a warrior attacks, it may attack any competitor not on their team.

Competitors may not attack an opponent until that target has taken at
least 1 turn. If there are more than two teams, if one team loses all of its
life (or loses by an alternate method), they lose; they are no longer in the
game, and become a part of the audience.

62
Free for All
When a battle begins with multiple competitors, all intent on fighting one
another without teams established, a free for all begins. A free for all is
made up of any number of competitors, each representing themselves
alone.

Each competitor will take a turn sequentially; either clockwise or counter-

clockwise, depending on the group’s preference.

When a warrior attacks, it can attack any other single competitor.

Competitors can not attack an opponent with a warrior until that
opponent has taken at least 1 turn. When a competitor loses all of their
life (or loses by an alternate method), they lose; they are no longer in the
game, and become a part of the audience.

Joining Ongoing
Games
It’s not all that uncommon
for scenarios to occur where
a player would join a game
that’s only part way through.
This can be an exciting game
moment, but can also cause
a number of issues with
the maths and balance of
fights. No matter what, it’s
usually the easiest and most
dramatic option to allow the
joining player to take the next
turn when they enter. When
determining how to adjust life
totals and starting cards in
hand, your options depend on
the type of multiplayer battle,
as shown below.:
In a Team Battle, nothing
should change. The teams
keep the same amount of total
life, and the new player can
enter the game as they would
normally. If they enter during
the opponent’s turn, they can’t
be attacked until their first turn.
In a Free for All, the entering
player should take a penalty
to their starting life total and
starting cards in hand so
that their life and hand size
are each equal to the lowest
amount of that among the
active competitors.

63
Chapter Three
Your Deck &
Card Creation
In the world of Perfect Draw!, peoples’ decks are not merely something
used to play card games, but also a way to express themselves; making
one’s own unique deck is a fundamental part of the game.

Staples
Staples are cards that you’ll have access to in every
game; while not as strong or impressive as the
rest of your cards, they act as accessible
and mundane effects to grant your deck
consistency, serving as the glue that holds it
together.

When creating their character,

players gain a single staple tied to
their Playbook, then select any two
staples from the ‘Generic Staples’
section below to add to their
character, giving them a total of
three staples by default.

During each turn, you may play one

staple from your character sheet, in
addition to the one card played from your hand.
(Your staples are not added to your deck or
part of your hand; you have access to them
without needing to worry about drawing
them.)

Players may not use the same

staple twice in a row.

Additionally, a player can

discard a card from their
hand to play an additional
staple, in place of their
regular card for the turn.

64
Generic Staples
When you add a staple to your character sheet, rename it to match the theme
of your deck. Warriors and items created by staples are always treated as
warriors and items of your deck’s type/tribe/archetype/etc. for the purpose of
effects.

Summon Knight Fireball Quick Thinking Summon Dragon

Create a {Normal} Deal 1 damage to Draw one card. {Overwork}

warrior. target competitor. Create a {Strong}
warrior.

Summon Army Salve Reconsider Destroy

Create two Gain 1 life. Draw two cards, {Overwork}

{Weak} warriors. then put two cards Destroy target
from your hand on warrior or item.
the bottom of your
deck.

Double Strike Magic Weapon Silence Augury

Target warrior can {Strengthen} Target warrior or {Overwork}

attack twice. target warrior. item an opponent Search for a card
controls loses its in your deck, add
effects until the it to your hand.
end of the turn. Shuffle the deck.

{Overwork}
If a staple has overwork you can’t “Play a Staple or Invocation” next turn.
{Strengthen}
When a card is strengthened, {Weak} cards become {Normal}. {Normal} cards become {Strong}.
{Strong} cards gain {Overwhelm}.

65
Adding Cards to Your Deck
At various points in the game, players will be asked to Create Cards
and add them to either their deck or directly to their hand (if they’re in a
battle). There are three options for how players can create cards:
 Premade: A list of premade cards is included in this section. These
cards are designed to replicate popular cards and common effects
from trading card games as a whole, and can be chosen from and
added to the deck quickly.
 Custom: Custom Card Creation is an open process where players
are allowed to create effects that are more unique or involved.
Creating custom cards is a more complicated process, but allows
players to design effects more specialised than the immediate scope
of the premade cards.
 Volatile: In the heat of the session, while the player is in a battle,
they can create Volatile cards. This style of card creation makes very
loosely defined cards that are only useful for that battle. After the
session has concluded, the player and Judge will need to use either
the “Premade” or “Custom” rules to refine the card.

Making Physical Cards

Perfect Draw! is unique from other tabletop roleplaying games in that to play the
game physically, you’ll need to make a number of physical cards to use in play.
The easiest way to create cards for play is to take an A4 sheet of paper and fold it in
half three times, then cut the folds. This should leave you with several sheets of paper
slightly larger than a normal playing card. Don’t worry about making sure all cards
are exactly uniform; you’ll be shuffling together cards for randomness, but trust in your
players not to abuse the information. If you have card sleeves and cards from existing
card games, you can also insert your homemade cards into the sleeve in front of the
pre-existing card. This will help give your cards some heft and ensure that they all look
the same from behind.
Once you have these cards, all you need to do is add all the necessary information
from the card creation process. You don’t need to structure this information in any
specific way or include any images if you don’t want to - so long as other players can
understand what the card says, you’ve done it right.

Deck Size
When you first make your character, you’ll create exactly 4 cards for your deck. Then,
during the course of the game you’ll have the chance to add cards and remove cards
from your deck.
There is no limit to how many cards you can have in your deck; however, the larger your
deck, the less likely you are to draw the cards you want. Generally, your deck should
have a number of cards between 4-8, but if your strategy requires more cards then it’s
okay to get a bigger deck.
You can never have less than 4 cards in your deck. If you only have 4 cards in your deck
and try and remove one, no cards should be removed from your deck.

66
Premade Card Creation
The process for using premade cards is relatively simple:
 Firstly, you select one of the cards listed in the Premade Cards
section below.
 Then, you have the chance to edit the card slightly to match your
deck better as described in the Editing Your Premade Cards section.
 Finally, you have the opportunity to rename and retheme the card
before you add it to your deck as described in the Retheming Your
Premade Cards section.

Premade Cards
Each of the premade cards listed here have a description of how it was
made using the Custom Card Creation rules later in this chapter. These
descriptions look like this:
Normal Warrior (2EP)
Overwhelm (Powerful)
Blocker (Powerful, Consistent)
Can’t attack (Weakness)

You can use these descriptions as a

guideline for costing your own unique
effects, or as a tool for editing this
effect to make new cards. The first
line describes the type of card and
how many Effect Points (EP) the card
type gives as a baseline. Each line after
this describes how the EP was spent to
create the premade card, listing each of
the effects and how they were costed,
or how effective of a weakness they
are.

Many of the premade cards also

use the Keywords described
in Chapter 2. When a card has
one or more of these keywords,
they’ll be listed in {curly
brackets} inside of the card
text - this indicates that there
is additional rules text not described
on the card itself. A brief explainer of
what that keyword means has been
included alongside the card, but a
more detailed description of each
Keyword is available in Chapter 2.

67
 Premade Cards
Angel Assassin Barracks Barrage of Arrows
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak} Item | {Strong} Invocation
When this is played, When this is played, At the start of each Choose one:
return one warrior destroy a warrior. of your turns, create a -Target competitor
from your graveyard {Weak} warrior. takes 1 damage.
to your hand.
-Destroy target
{Weak} or {Normal}
warrior.
Normal Warrior (2EP) Weak Warrior (3EP) Strong Item (1EP) Invocation (3EP)
Return from grave (Powerful, Destroy warrior (Powerful, Create weak warriors Choice (Versatile)
Versatile) Consistent, Versatile) (Powerful) Both Choices (Powerful,
Consistent)

Battle Dancer Berserker’s Might Court Jester Demon Lord

Warrior | {Weak} Invocation Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong}
When this is played, Target warrior is When this card is {Overwhelm}
warriors you control {Strengthened} and played, target warrior All warriors all
can attack an gains {Piercer} 1 until gains {Underwhelm}. opponents control are
additional time this the end of the turn. {Strengthened}.
turn.
Weak Warrior (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Strong Warrior (2EP)
Additional attack (Powerful 2, Give Strengthen, Piercer Give Underwhelm (Powerful, Overwhelm (Powerful,
Consistent) (Powerful 2, Versatile) Versatile) Consistent)
Strengthen opponents
(Significant Weakness)

Dispelling Trap Dragon Egg Draw on Knowledge Explosion!

Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak} Invocation Invocation
{Inconspicuous} {Overwhelm} Draw 2 cards. Destroy all warriors
When an opponent At the start of your or items on all
plays an item or turn, Dragon Egg is competitors’ fields.
invocation, sacrifice {Strengthened}.
this to stop that card
being played.
Normal Item (3EP) Weak Warrior (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Invocation (3EP)
Inconspicuous (Powerful) Overwhelm (Powerful) Draw 2 cards (Powerful 2, Destroy all warriors and
Counter item or invocation Become Stronger each turn Consistent) items your opponent
play (Powerful, Versatile) (Powerful, Consistent)
controls (Powerful 3, Versatile,
Consistent)
Destroy all warriors and
items you control (Significant
Weakness)

Keyword Cheatsheet
{Strengthen} - When a card is strengthened, {Weak} cards become {Normal}. {Normal} cards
become {Strong}. {Strong} cards gain {Overwhelm}.
{Overwhelm} - This card always wins the clash when it would Decide the Outcome of a Clash.
{Underwhelm} - This card always loses the clash when it would Decide the Outcome of a
Clash.
{Piercer} - When this card defeats another card in battle, it deals damage to that cards’
controller equal to the piercer value.
{Sniper} - When this card deals direct damage to the opponent, it deals damage to that
player equal to the sniper value.

68
68
 Premade Cards
Explosive Trap Ghost Guardian Paladin Hedge Mage
Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak}
{Inconspicuous} When this card dies, Target warrior or item You may play an
At the end of the return it to your hand. gains {Inconspicuous} additional staple or
turn, if the opponent while this is on the cast an additional
attacked, sacrifice field. invocation the turn
this, destroy all you play this.
warriors that attacked
this turn.
Normal Item (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Weak Warrior (3EP)
Inconspicuous (Powerful) Return to hand on death Give Inconspicuous (Powerful, Play extra staple/invocation
Destroy attacking warriors (Powerful, Consistent) Versatile) (Powerful, Versatile, Consistent)
(Powerful 2)

Hero of Myth Invoke Duel King of Knight & Squire

Warrior | {Strong} Invocation the Dragons Warrior | {Normal}
Warrior | {Strong}
{Overwhelm} Target warrior battles When this enters the
You can’t play Hero of another target When this enters the battlefield, create a
Myth until your third warrior. (If they would battlefield and at the {Weak} warrior with
turn. roll to clash, they are both start of each turn, {Blocker}.
destroyed instead. You
may choose two opposing sacrifice all other
warriors with this effect.) warriors you control.
{Pressure 1}
Strong Warrior (0EP) Invocation (3EP) Strong Warrior (0EP) Normal Warrior (2EP)
Overwhelm (Powerful, Warriors clash (Powerful, Destroy all warriors Create weak warrior with
Consistent) Versatile 2) (Significant Weakness) blocker (Powerful, Consistent)
Cant play before turn 3 Pressure 1 (Powerful,
(Significant Weakness) Consistent)

Legendary Sword Leviathan Library Tower Lich Queen

Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong} Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong}
Once per turn, Once per turn, draw At the start of your
{Strengthen} target a card. turn, lose 1 life.
warrior until the
beginning of your next You may play this
turn. card from your
graveyard.
Normal Item (3EP) Strong Warrior (0EP) Normal Item (3EP) Strong Warrior (0EP)
Empower Warrior (Powerful 2, Draw card each turn Lose life each turn (Significant
Versatile) (Powerful 2, Consistent)
Weakness)
Play from graveyard (Powerful,
Consistent)

Keyword Cheatsheet
{Inconspicuous} - Cards with inconspicuous can’t be targeted for attacks unless it is the only
possible target.
{Overwhelm} - This card always wins the clash when it would Decide the Outcome of a Clash.
{Pressure} - For each instance of pressure, roll as if you had +1 to combat tension.
{Blocker} - Cards with blocker can intercept attacks on other cards.
{Strengthen} - When a card is strengthened, {Weak} cards become {Normal}. {Normal} cards
become {Strong}. {Strong} cards gain {Overwhelm}.

69 69
 Premade Cards
Magical Researcher Mind Control Necromancy Pitfall Trap
Warrior | {Weak} Invocation Invocation Item | {Normal}
When this is played, Gain control of target Return target warrior {Inconspicuous}
draw 2 cards. warrior. So long as you from your graveyard When an opponent
control that warrior, at to the field. summons a warrior,
the start of your turn, you can sacrifice
lose 1 life. this to destroy that
warrior.

Weak Warrior (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Normal Item (3EP)
Draw 2 cards (Powerful 2, Take control of warrior Return warrior from Inconspicuous (Powerful)
Consistent) (Powerful 3, Consistent, graveyard (Powerful 2,
Versatile) Versatile) Destroy summoned warrior
Lose life each turn (Significant (Powerful, Versatile)
Weakness)

Perilous Beast Poisoned Meal Prince Rest at Camp

Warrior | {Normal} Invocation Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
{Overwhelm} Target opponent {Pressure} 1 Gain 2 Life.
{Piercer} 1 {Fumbles}. Lose 1 life.
{Followup}
{Sniper} 1
Must attack each turn.
Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP)
Overwhelm (Powerful) Fumble (Powerful, Versatile) Pressure 1 (Powerful, Gain 2 Life (Powerful 2,
Piercer & Sniper (Powerful 2) Lose 1 life (Weakness) Consistent) Consistent)
Must attack (Weakness) Followup (Powerful, Versatile)

Royal Regalia Royal Thief Scheming Diplomat Scout

Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | Weak Warrior | {Normal}
You are a {Normal} Royal Thief can attack {Sniper} 3 Scout always starts
warrior. opponents directly. as the top card of
(You can attack. You clash your deck.
with enemies that attack
you as if you were a warrior
before you take damage.
You take 1 damage if you
would be destroyed in a clash
or by an effect. If an effect
targeting you doesnt make
sense, it targets the item
instead.)

Normal Item (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Weak Warrior (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP)
Become a warrior (Powerful 2, Attack Directly (Powerful, Sniper (Powerful 3) Start on top of deck (Powerful,
Consistent) Consistent) Consistent)

Keyword Cheatsheet
{Inconspicuous} - Cards with inconspicuous can’t be targeted for attacks unless it is the only
possible target.
{Overwhelm} - This card always wins the clash when it would Decide the Outcome of a Clash.
{Piercer} - When this card defeats another card in battle, it deals damage to that cards’
controller equal to the piercer value.
{Sniper} - When this card deals direct damage to the opponent, it deals damage to that
player equal to the sniper value.
{Fumble} - Describe an action you don’t want the opponent to take. You can counter that
action for free until the start of your next turn.
{Followup} - You can play an additional card after this one.
{Pressure} - For each instance of pressure, roll as if you had +1 to combat tension.

70
70
 Premade Cards
Shield Master Standard Bearer Tactician Trebuchet
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Normal}
{Blocker} {Followup} All other warriors At the start of your
{Overwhelm} you control are turn, deal 1 damage
{Strengthened} until to the opponent.
This warrior can’t the end of the turn.
attack.
Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Item (3EP)
Overwhelm (Powerful) Followup (Powerful, Versatile) Damage each turn (Powerful 2,
Give all warriors strengthened Consistent)
Blocker (Powerful, Consistent) (Powerful 2)
Can’t attack (Weakness)

Twinblade Ranger Vanguard Vampyre Warband Leader

Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
This warrior can When a warrior you When Vampyre deals When this warrior
attack twice each control would be damage or clashes, attacks, create a
turn. destroyed, you can gain 1 life. {Weak} warrior.
choose for this to be
destroyed instead.
Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP)
Attack twice (Powerful, Destruction replacement Lifesteal (Powerful 2) Make guys on attack (Powerful,
Consistent) (Powerful, Versatile) Consistent)

Warlock Well-Trained Squad Winds of Change Zombie

Warrior | {Weak} Invocation Invocation Warrior | {Normal}
When this is played, Create three {Weak} Discard your hand. You may play this
you may lose 1 life. If warriors with Draw that many card from your
you do, search for a {Teamwork}. cards. graveyard.
card in your deck and
add it to your hand. {Followup}
Weak Warrior (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP)
Search for card to add to Create warriors (Powerful 2, Discard, redraw (Powerful) Play from graveyard (Powerful,
hand (Powerful, Versatile 2, Consistent, + Ribbon) Followup (Powerful, Versatile) Consistent)
Consistent) Warriors have {Teamwork} (-1
Lose 1 life (Weakness) Ribbon)

Keyword Cheatsheet
{Blocker} - Cards with blocker can intercept attacks on other cards.
{Overwhelm} - This card always wins the clash when it would Decide the Outcome of a Clash.
{Followup} - You can play an additional card after this one.
{Strengthen} - When a card is strengthened, {Weak} cards become {Normal}. {Normal} cards
become {Strong}. {Strong} cards gain {Overwhelm}.
{Teamwork} - Cards with teamwork can pair up with eachother and up to one card without
teamwork to combine their strength totals.

71 71
Editing Your Premade Cards
Once you’ve decided what card you want to use, you can choose to stop
there and add it straight to your deck. However if you’d like, you can also
work with your Judge to add an additional effect based on your gimmick
or to edit the card in some way to make it better fit your deck. This might
mean something like:
 Giving the new Scout {Blocker} if your gimmick is “Playing
defensively until you can make one big attack”.
 Changing the cost for your Warlock’s effect to instead sacrifice a
warrior in your {Weak} warrior-focused deck.
 Transforming your Battle Dancer into an invocation instead of a
warrior in a deck that cares about using non-warrior cards.
If the new card is your {Ace}, feel free to give it a more significant effect
on the game or remove a weakness from the premade card. As long
as you and your Judge agree that it makes sense and is fair, it’s okay. If it
proves too strong or weak in gameplay, you can always revisit it later.

If you want to add something more complicated or edit the card in

a more substantial way, the Judge and Player can work together to
create an effect using the Giving Your Card Effects rules in the Custom
Card Creation section. As long as the new effect leans into the player’s
Gimmick, you’ll have 1EP to use during the process. If the card is your
{Ace}, you’ll have 2EP. By following the Adding a Weakness / Adding a
Significant Weakness rules, you can gain additional EP to use on your
effect. Premade Cards also have the ways their EP was spent listed at
the bottom, so if you want to edit the card, you can use that as reference
for what needs to be removed and how to replace it.

Retheming your Premade Cards

Finally, once you’re happy with how your card works, you have the
opportunity to retheme it. While Premade Cards have existing names,
this is mostly as examples and so different cards can be found more
easily.

Give your new card a name that makes sense for your deck or the
ongoing narrative. Try and describe what it looks like when you first use it
in a card game.

72
Custom Card Creation
Creating a custom card can be a somewhat involved process, but it is
also extremely open-ended and allows you to create almost any effect
you can imagine. The steps for creating a custom card are:
 Decide what type of card it is (Warrior, Item, Invocation), how
strong it is (Weak, Normal, Strong), and whether it’s your {Ace}. This
process is detailed in the Defining Your Card section.
 Describe any effects you’d like your new card to have. This and the
following are defined in the Giving Your Card Effects section.
 Figure out whether the effect leans into your deck’s gimmick.
 Figure out how powerful the card effect is.
 Figure out whether the effect you’re creating is versatile.
 Figure out whether the effect you’re creating is consistent.
 Add Weaknesses or edit the card as necessary. This process is
detailed in the Refining Your Card section.
Custom Card Creation can be a long and involved process; if you’re
creating a card with Draw The Perfect Card and can’t make the
card you’ve planned using the Premade Card Creation tools, it’s
recommended you use the Volatile Card Creation rules for now.

Defining Your Card

The first step to making your card is deciding the type of card you want
to make, and its strength if applicable. Details regarding how different
types of cards and strengths work in a card game can be found in
Chapter 2’s Types of Cards section.

Depending on the kind of card you choose to make you’ll begin with
different amounts of EP (Effect Points). The more EP you have, the more
powerful effects you’ll be able to create in the Giving Your Card Effects
section. However, cards with more EP tend to be weaker in one way or
another. The amount of EP you get from different options is listed here:

Warrior Item Invocation

{Weak} 3EP 4EP
3EP
{Normal} 2EP 3EP (invocations do not
have strength)
{Strong} 0EP 1EP

If the card you’re creating is your {Ace}, you’ll get +1EP during the effect
creation process and give that card the {Ace} keyword.

73
Giving Your Card Effects
Now that you have an amount of EP, the first step to giving your card an
effect is to decide what you want the card to do. As long as the effect
makes sense for the card game, you can do it. Some examples of effects
are “When this warrior attacks, deal 1 damage to the opponent”, “While
this item is on the field, your {Weak} warriors become {Normal}”, or
“When you cast this invocation, destroy a warrior an opponent controls”.
Write it down or describe it to your Judge.

Next you’ll need to answer a number of questions about the effect to

decide how much EP the effect costs:
 Does the effect lean into my gimmick? -1EP (Once per card)
 How powerful is the effect? +1EP for each instance of powerful
 How Versatile is the effect? +1EP for each instance of versatile
 Is the effect Consistent? +1EP
If you’ve described multiple unique effects for your
card, you should ask these questions for each effect
separately.

As with other forms of card creation, take the

time to give your new card a name that makes
sense for your deck or the ongoing narrative.
Try and describe what it looks like when you
first use it in a card game.

Does the Effect Lean

Into my Gimmick?
During character creation,
players will specify a gimmick
for their deck. This gimmick
will describe the overall
playstyle of the deck
and what it wants to
do. So long as you can
convince the Judge that
the effect meshes with
your gimmick, then
you can answer “yes”
for this question and
reduce the cost of your
effect by -1EP. Note that
you can only say that
an effect leans into your
gimmick once per card.

74
How Powerful Is the Effect?
Effects in Perfect Draw! are considered powerful if they have a
meaningful effect on the game or board state. You can tell if an effect is
powerful if it:
 Grants additional card advantage: by letting you draw a card,
letting you play an additional card, destroying an opponent’s card,
etc.
 Brings you closer to winning: by creating a {Normal} warrior,
creating two {Weak} warriors, {Strengthening} each of your other
warriors until the end of the turn, dealing 1 damage to your opponent,
etc.
 Makes it harder for your opponent to win: By gaining 1 life, giving
significant protection to an important warrior or item, etc.
 Changes the rules of the game: By making your opponent unable
to attack this turn, changing what is allowed to happen in the game
this turn, etc.
 Presents a problem that needs to be resolved: By making your
victory inevitable, making winning impossible, etc.
For each instance of the advantages listed here, the effect has one
instance of Powerful. For example, if you dealt 1 damage directly to
the opponent or created a {Normal} warrior, it would be considered
Powerful 1. However, if you instead dealt 2 damage or created a {Strong}
warrior, it would be considered Powerful 2 instead.

Your effect will cost +1EP for each instance of Powerful it has. Feel free to
edit your effect so that it isn’t as Powerful anymore if necessary.

If you’re ever unsure about how powerful a card is, talk to your Judge and
work out what makes the most sense to the both of you. Don’t worry too
much about being exactly correct, it’s perfectly okay to come back later
if something feels over- or under-powered.

Calculating How Powerful an Effect Is

Some effects may have variable outputs depending on luck, the state of the game, or
other complications. Here are a couple of general rules to follow when calculating the
power of effects:
 If your effect has some aspect of randomness (such as by making you flip a
coin), you should base how Powerful it is on the average case.
 Always assume that a warrior or item will stay on the board for 2 turns when
calculating how powerful it is.
 Always assume both you and your opponent have either 2 warriors and 1
item or 1 warrior and 2 items (whichever would make it cost more EP).
 Always assume you have 2 cards in hand, it is turn 2, and both you and your
opponent have either 2 or 5 life (whichever would make it cost more EP).
In other scenarios, do what makes the most sense based on reasonable game
judgement and the average case.

75
How Versatile is the Effect?
Generally, effects are considered Versatile in Perfect Draw! when they’re
likely to give you the option to do multiple things when you use them, or if
the same card can be used in multiple different ways.

Knowing whether a card is likely to give you options can sometimes be

dependent on how the game has progressed, but if you would have a
choice of effects/targets/uses under the following conditions then you
should consider it Versatile:
 Both you and your opponent have either 2 warriors and 1 item or 1
warrior and 2 items (whichever would make it cost more EP).
 You have 2 cards in hand, it is turn 2, and both you and your
opponent have either 2 or 5 life (whichever would make it cost more
EP).
In other scenarios, consider the most likely average case for the situation
and calculate the costs from there.

For more obscure effects, consider what you think

is likely to be the average situation when you use
the card and whether you have a choice in that
case.

Effects can become Versatile 2 or more

if they’re likely to give the user 3 or more
options. In this way, an effect is considered
more versatile for each option the player is
likely to have after the first.

Your effect will cost +1EP for each instance

of Versatile it has. Feel free to edit your
effect so that it isn’t versatile anymore if
possible (such as by adding a restriction
so you would only have one target in the
average case).

Choice Effects
Note that if your effect allows for a choice of several modes,
you only need to cost it an amount of Powerful equal to
the mode that’s the most powerful of them. For example,
if an effect allowed you to either gain 2 life or destroy a
warrior an opponent controls then it would be counted as
Powerful 2 to match the “gain 2 life” effect. However, you
would also cost the options for if either of them are versatile
or consistent. In this case, because the user can destroy any
of the opponents’ warriors, the effect of the choice would
also be considered versatile (making it cost a total of 4EP:
Powerful 2, Versatile, Versatile).

76
Is the Effect Consistent?
Unlike with asking whether the effect is Powerful or Versatile, it’s
impossible for an effect to be anything more than Consistent 1. This is
because the question of whether your effect is consistent is considered
binary under Perfect Draw! rules.

If your effect is good under multiple possible conditions and requires

no setup, then it is considered Consistent. Ask if there is any reason you
might not, should not, or could not play the card with this effect, other
than having other cards in your hand that are a better option at the time.
If none of these scenarios are reasonably likely to come up in a card
game, then the effect is Consistent.

Note that while asking whether an effect is Powerful or Versatile

generally assumes an average scenario for when measuring them,
when you decide whether an effect is consistent, you should consider any
scenarios that are likely to come up during a game (such as you and your
opponent controlling no warriors, or you being at 1 life).

If your effect is considered Consistent, then the effect costs +1EP. Feel
free to change the effect to make it no longer consistent (such as by
adding a prerequisite to the effect).

Types, Attributes, and Tribes

Many card games feature categories which cards fall into. For example, Yu-Gi-Oh! has
attributes and types, and Magic: The Gathering has colours and tribes. This is useful
because it allows cards to have specified effects such as “Destroy a FIRE card” instead
of being able to affect all cards. This can help make an effect no longer Versatile or
no longer Consistent depending on how it’s included. It can also be used as a way to
introduce weaknesses to certain cards (such as making a card named “Undead Horde”
always lose clashes against LIGHT warriors).
When creating an effect that targets only a certain type of card (such as Fish, Rock,
Young, or Robotic), base whether a target is valid based on what makes sense (and
rule of cool, where appropriate). For example, if you target a card named “Gladiator
Fish” with an effect that only affects Water warriors, you can assume it’s a valid target
because fish are typically aquatic creatures.
When deciding if an effect is no longer versatile or consistent due to type-based
clauses, consider how meaningful that restriction is. For instance, if all the warriors in
your deck are rats, having an effect that “only works on rats” would functionally always
work so long as you controlled a warrior, and thus not restrict the card any more then
requiring you to have any type of warrior on the battlefield would do.
If the players or Judge at your table want to include card categories such as types
in their game, it can be worth discussing it beforehand and defining what sorts of
categories exist, so that all parties can plan for it and integrate it into their deck designs.

77
Refining Your Card
Now that you know how much EP the effects you want to give your
card is going to cost, you need to refine your card until the total cost of
its effects matches the amount of EP the card gave you. If you haven’t
exceeded your card’s allotted EP, then you’re done and you can add the
card to your deck. Otherwise, if you’ve used more than the amount of
available EP, you’ll need to make some compromises to make the effect
work. There are two ways you can do this:

You can edit your card’s type, strength, or effect. For example, if your
effect costs 4EP, you could change your card from a {Normal} Item to
a {Weak} Item. Alternatively, you could modify the effect so that it is no
longer consistent and only costs 3EP.

You can give your card a weakness / significant weakness. These

give you an additional 1EP and 2EP respectively to work with. However
they also mean giving your card detriments of one kind or another.
Weaknesses are described in the Giving Your Cards Weaknesses section
below.

Ribbons & “Half-EP”

Perfect Draw! uses rather small numbers for EP to make sure the process of creating
card effects is both simple and intuitive. With that said, it’s possible to create effects
that are weaker than the typical effects for the EP amount spent. For instance, while
creating four {Weak} warriors might be costed at Powerful 2, creating 3 warriors would
also be rounded up to the same amount; similarly, creating a version of {Followup}
limited to only Invocations would still cost the same (due to Followup already being
inconsistent).
In these situations, we recommend giving that card a Ribbon. If a card has earned a
Ribbon, you may grant it an additional effect or modify an existing effect that increases
the power of the card, but isn’t enough to be considered Powerful or Versatile.
Effectively, this represents giving an additional “Half EP”. For example, you could modify
the three warriors you created such that they have {Teamwork}, or you give the card
with targeted {Followup} the ability to gain 1 life under a highly specific scenario unlikely
to come about in most battles. Giving a card a Ribbon should primarily up to the
Judge’s discretion, so players should ask the judge first before giving cards ribbons.

Giving Your Cards Weaknesses

To add a weakness, you must add an additional effect to your card,
unique from any clauses already making effects non-Versatile or non-
Consistent. This can be a new effect, or a modification of an existing
effect.

Work with the Judge to design what this detrimental effect looks like. The
weakness might be based on your gimmick, or simply a downside that
would be interesting and impactful on your card. A good way to gauge if
an effect has given enough of a weakness is if it is roughly equivalent to
something that would be considered “Powerful”.

78
The weakness must always be a meaningful downside, meaning that
if your deck could treat it as an upside of any kind (such as forcing you
to discard when you care about having cards in the graveyard), then it
doesn’t count. If this has been fulfilled, you gain an additional 1EP above
the usual amount. Note that if adding the weakness means the effect
now leans into your gimmick, you should get an additional +1EP.

Additionally, if the Judge agrees that the weakness is significant

(impeding gameplay in a heavy and notably detrimental way), you can
add 2EP instead. A good way to tell if a card should be considered a
significant weakness is if it is roughly equivalent to Powerful 2 or more.
Generally cards should never gain EP from more then one weakness. If
multiple weaknesses would exist on the card, it should be treated as a
Significant Weakness instead.

Tips for Creating Card Effects

While the card creation system in Perfect Draw! is intentionally freeform,
there are a number of rules of thumb that may be useful to follow to
allow your deck (and the game itself) to run more smoothly. These are
not hard laws that you have to follow, but it can be useful to keep them in
mind while designing your cards.
 Avoid parasitic effects: It can be easy, especially if you’re coming
from the background of more complex card games, to tightly build
your deck around each of your cards. This, however, can cause issues
in gameplay, because it makes your deck less versatile and makes
interactions with other cards more difficult to rule for the Judge
Cards that work with each other but not with other cards are often
called “parasitic” effects in card game design because they only work
with other cards of their type. Leaning into more open-ended effects
instead can make the game generally flow better.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t ever do it, but if you
want to introduce complex mechanics like new resource systems
or hyper-specific prerequisites, it may be better to find alternate
pathways to the same effect.
 Don’t try too hard to win: While it can be the natural instinct of
card game players, especially players experienced with competitive
formats, to try and work the system into creating the most
overpowered deck possible, it’s important to remember that this is a
roleplaying game first and foremost.
It’s technically fairly easy in Perfect Draw! to create a card that just
wins you the game instantly; an invocation that deals 3 damage to
an opponent but only on the first turn of the game would instantly
win most fights you were involved in. However, it would also remove
a lot of the drama and excitement from those games. As a player,
you’ll always have the ability to win so long as you’re willing to make
sacrifices; lean into what’ll be fun for you to play instead!
79
Illegal Effects
Card creation in Perfect Draw! is very open-ended; this means there are
a lot of potential powerful effects that can be created. Despite this, there
are some effects that we suggest you avoid, as these effects can cause
large-scale problems to the balance of the game outside of the card
game itself. The Judge may choose to allow some of these illegal effects
to enter the game (For example, a special card macguffin might break
some of these rules), but it should be done so with care.
 Making new cards: Whether added to the deck permanently
or temporarily, effects that let you create cards outside of the usual
Draw The Perfect Card effect can be risky. They take a lot of the
interest out of battles, as you can either ignore the baggage system
or create silver bullets on the fly. To replicate this effect, it may be
better to simply draw or search your deck for a card, and use the
Draw The Perfect Card move when relevant.
 Out of card game effects: By default, the effects of cards
should stay strictly within the bounds of the card game. A card that
summons a friend to you when played, or that unlocks any door
when played changes the focus of the game from the act of the
card gaming itself into a more general superpowers game. One way
to replicate this style of effect is by playing The Medium or taking one
of their moves, and re-theming their powers as tied to the use of your
cards.
 Mutable effects based upon out-of-card-game elements:
Effects that change or are reliant on mutable or fiction-based
aspects (such as the location they are played in or the mood of the
character) are difficult to balance. Your Judge would need to design
encounters so that you get time for that effect to shine, without
making it always active. If you want to replicate this, you could
consider taking the Mask Change move from The Idealist, and
theming the changed cards as being based on environment/mood/
etc., rather than the character’s persona.
 Cards connected to your character’s stats or Playbook: Cards
that directly relate to elements on your character’s Playbook beyond
certain abilities or Combat Tension, such as actively requiring rolls
based on your Friendship or altering your stats when played, should
be avoided. Stats and Playbook details are typically intended to be
abstractions, rather than something your cards can reference and
change; additionally, it can make certain moves and advancements
more powerful than intended, causing problems for the Judge. If you
really want your stats and Playbook to have an effect on card game
battles, several Playbook-specific abilities grant additional methods
of directly impacting the card game.

80
Volatile Card Creation
Volatile Card Creation is intentionally an extremely fast and loose process.
When you’ve used the Draw the Perfect Card move in the middle of a
battle, using other card creation methods can slow down the game.
Volatile Card Creation gives you a method to make cards quickly without
sacrificing the effect you want to have on the card game itself.

To create a card, describe to your Judge the type of card you’re

looking to create. You should give it a name, decide what card type it is,
how strong it is, and what effect you want the card to have.

Then, your Judge will decide whether that

sounds like a fair card. Generally
the Judge should be more lenient in
Volatile Card Creation. If they think
there are any issues, the Judge
might ask you to make some
changes. Once you both agree,
you can add the card to your
hand or deck based on how
you’ve created the new card.

Once you finish the session, remove

the card from your deck. Then,
make a new version of this card
with the Judge following either the
Premade or Custom Card Creation
rules. If a card game is currently in
progress involving the new card,
wait to replace it for the time
being and remove it
from your deck next
session.

81
Chapter Four
Character Creation
Players in Perfect Draw! each take the role of a protagonist they control
throughout the game. In this chapter you’ll find the 10 playbooks that
you can use to define this protagonist, as we detail the entire character
creation process, advancement, and give tips for both playing and running
each playbook.

Making Your Character

The steps to character creation are described in each playbook, but also
detailed here. Follow each step in order and character creation should be
easy!

Choose a Playbook
The first choice made during character creation is your Playbook. Your
Playbook defines the type of character you’ll play during the campaign.
Perfect Draw! includes 10 different Playbooks, each is listed in their own
section as a 4 page spread containing everything you need during the
game. After each playbook is a section including advice for playing and
running the playbook, as well as a premade deck. The 10 playbooks are:
 The Resolved: Someone with the gumption to get anything done;
nothing will stand in their way on the journey to becoming stronger.
 The Prodigy: Someone unusually talented at the game, yet also
stubborn, mean, or similarly abrasive.
 The Glowing: Someone who inspires their friends and relies on
them; a beacon of hope to all around them.
 The Rogue: Someone adept at tactics and prepared in advance,
sharp witted enough to predict their foes’ every move.
 The Ally: Someone who supports others; the ever-present best
friend to push those they care for onwards.
 The Spirit: Someone supernatural in nature; they have a close
relation to the card game, world, or goals the protagonists stand for.
 The Medium: Someone with supernatural and dangerous powers,
beyond the scope of normal people.
 The Destined: Someone tied to an important destiny, reflected by
an object they hold with them.
 The Idealist: Someone with ideals they follow closely and refuse to
compromise.
 The Turncoat: Someone once known as a villain themselves, now
reformed and dedicated to doing good how they can.

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Detail Your Character
Next, you should detail your character by doing the below four things:
 Give Them a Stat Boost: Your Playbook gives you an initial set of
stats, but during character creation, you can choose to increase one
stat as you see fit. This helps reflect your own vision of them and/or
what matters most to that character.
 Give Them a Name and Pronouns: Give your character a name
and choose some pronouns. Your name can be anything from a
pseudonym, to a title, to their real name - either way, it’s how you’ll
refer to them throughout the game. Feel free to include any pronouns
you like or even include multiple sets.
 Give Them a Look: Your Playbook has a selection of example Hair,
Clothes, and Game Tools you can choose from for your character.
These are quick descriptions you can make use of to detail your
character’s aesthetics. If you don’t like any of the options in particular,
there’s also room for you to input your own answer. Additionally,
there’s an “Other” section included for adding more detailed
descriptions of your character or describing details other then hair,
clothes, and game tools.
You can do these in any order you like; go about detailing your character
in whatever way feels most comfortable to you!

Create Your Deck

After detailing your character, you next
need to create your deck. This is done in
a few steps.

First, name your archetype; this is what

you call your deck. It can be something
as simple as a thematic style
(Aggressive Goblins), or more of a title
for the theme (Goblins of the Caves).
Each Playbook has a list of suggested
titles you can use if you have no ideas
or are looking for inspiration.

Next, select one reason your deck is

important to you. Each character’s
deck represents something to them;
a hobby, an ideal, a family heirloom,
anything you can think of. This helps
you define that meaningful aspect.
Each playbook has three example
suggestions; there’s also room to input
your own reason, if you wish.

83
Then, describe your deck’s gimmick. Each deck in Perfect Draw! has a
gimmick that helps define their playstyle. An interesting gimmick should
describe both your deck’s strength and weakness, as this allows you to
more easily lean into your Gimmick during card creation, but you can
also just describe a mechanic or style of play you want to lean into when
creating a card. Here are a couple of suggested formats for gimmicks:
 [Strong Thing] by [Weak Thing]
 [Strong Thing] but [Weak Thing]
 [Strong Thing] with [Weak Thing]
 [Requirement] to [Strong Thing]
 [Weak Thing] helped by [Strong Thing]
 [Strategy] using [Strong Thing / Weak Thing]
 [Simple Effect or Keyword]
Your Playbook has a list of three example gimmicks you could use as
inspiration.

Finally, create your deck. When you create your deck, you’ll create 4 cards
following the Card Creation rules in Chapter 3. One of these cards will be
your {Ace}: this means it gains an additional point during card creation
and grants bonuses when you play it under certain scenarios. When you
create your {Ace}, describe what makes it important to you: this can be
a simple answer such as “It looks like me”, or a more complicated reason,
such as “It represents my relationship with my mother, who gave me this
deck.”

Establish Your History

Each player’s Playbook has two sets of questions, respectively called
“Your Struggles” and “Your Friends”. These questions serve to help
define initial goals or plot points in your characters’ lives, as well as their
relationship with the other players.

Your Struggles defines an ongoing complication or goal in your life,

unrelated to the other players. Your Friends defines the way you and one
other player are connected and have history together.

When you make your character, choose one question from each list and
answer it. There is space below the questions to write your own question
if none of the examples fit. Alternatively you can use this space to write
any answers or further details.

84
Then, gain baggage as the questions instruct you to do, defining it
appropriately. The questions in Your Friends have both you and another
player take baggage; it doesn’t have to be the same piece of baggage
for both of you. (i.e. one player could have ‘indebted to [player 2]’, while
the other player has ‘afraid of [player 1]’.)

In games with 3 or more players, certain combinations of questions may

result in some players having more or less baggage than others to start.
This is alright; it’ll even out over time.

Select Your Abilities

Each Playbook will allow you to select a
number of abilities to make your character
unique. Some Playbooks will start with
an ability that you will always have, while
others will ask you to select all of your abilities.
Select a number of abilities based on what
your Playbook asks, and make any decisions
those abilities ask of you. When an ability gives
you a blank space during a choice, that means you
can also input your own option (work with your Judge
while doing this).

85
 The Resolved
No matter the obstacles that you face, you
have the determination and the gumption to
overcome them! Learning from your friends
every step of the way, and never accepting a
loss as the final step, you’re sure to become
the best there ever was. Eventually.
Example Archetypes: Kid who wants to be the
very best, Knuckleheaded anime protagonist,
Determined best friend.

Passion Skill Friendship

2 -1 1
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Scruffy, Long, Haircut by mum,

Clothes: School, Well padded, Graphic tee,

Game Tools: Second hand, Shoddy,

Common,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

86
86
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Toy Robots, Star Knights, Spell Artists)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 It represents a skill or interest of yours that you used to hide or are
possibly still hiding to this day
 It was given to you by someone you looked up to, and represents how
they saw you
 It was made by you personally and is filled with little touches that are
entirely yours


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Smaller warriors that team up, Playing aggressively with warriors that gain
effects when they deal damage, Warriors that swap out for one another)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 Who is someone you used to idolise, and  Another player is your best friend; how
how did they betray your expectations of did they help you most? Ask them the same
them? about you.
 Who introduced you to the game, and  You’ve sworn to protect another player;
why does it matter that they’re better than why did you do this? Ask them how they
you at it? rely on you.
 Who is trying to teach you to be better  You want to prove to another player that
at the game, and what do they expect in you’re capable; why? Ask them why they
return? won’t admit it.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

87 87
Abilities
Select three abilities from the list here:
The Determination to Win Your Mentor
When you first meet someone or someone You have a mentor, or group of mentors;
hurts you physically or emotionally, you someone who wants to help you overcome
can choose to make that character your problems and improve yourself. Choose one
adversary. You can only have one adversary resource your mentor can give you:
at a time. Write their name below: Information, Backup, Technical skill, Tech,
Magic,
You gain +1 on rolls made to confront or in
battle against your adversary. When you beat When you ask them for this resource, they’ll
grant it to you. However, to gain access again
them, erase their name above; they are no after that, you’ll need to first complete a
longer your adversary. mission for them. Your Judge will tell you the
mission.
Heart of the Resolved
You can Reveal a New Possibility even when Pet Cards
you’re alone. When you do this, reveal a new
possibility for yourself. You have a card that matters to you deeply;
although it may be simple, you could never not
put it in your deck. Choose one of your staples:
Unbreakable Will it gains {Ace}. You may use that staple two
You can always ignore up to one non-serious turns in a row. You can benefit from the Play
baggage when applying baggage-related Your {Ace} Card move an extra time each
penalties to rolls you make. game.

When Trainers’ Eyes Meet

When you challenge someone to a card
game battle, you can initiate the fight
immediately, no matter the circumstances.

Headstrong Luck
Whenever you Brandish Your Skills in the
middle of a dangerous situation or to help
someone, roll+Passion instead of +Skill.

88
88
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Gain +1 to your
Tension until the
end of your next
turn.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

89 89
Roleplaying The Resolved
At the core of The Resolved is the wish to become the very best while also having that
goal be out of reach - at least, at the start of your adventure. You’re the traditional
shounen anime protagonist, and you should lean into it! Try and come up with a goal
for your character that seems impossibly out of reach, and then consider a way your
character might have hidden potential that makes that goal possible for them. It’s also
worthwhile to come up with a reason that you want to accomplish this goal - do you have
an idol? Did someone believe in you? Why does this matter so much to you?
Your starting +2 Passion means that you’ll always be good at getting into trouble and
finding unexpected solutions; however, your -1 Skill means that you’ll often come off as
incompetent in situations that rely on smarts and experience. Lean into this! While people
may overlook or patronise you now, you always have the chance to prove them wrong
later.
Some character traits that can be very strong for The Resolved include being
knuckleheaded, star-struck, headstrong, naive, or impulsive. Feel free to hold on hard to
childish ideals no experienced player would - and then prove everyone wrong by beating
those experts anyway. Leaning into these traits can be a great start to roleplaying The
Resolved in a memorable and exciting way!
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
Unbreakable Will, Headstrong Luck, and Your Mentor are great starting places.

Example Deck
Building Block Battalion (B.B.B)
This deck is important to me because I made it myself. It’s a little mish-mash as a
result. My Ace is important because it reminds me of me when I was a kid.
Gimmick: Smaller warriors that team up
Recommended Staples: Summon Army, Fireball.

Starting Deck
B.B.B Star Soldier B.B.B Toybox B.B.B Support B.B.B Build
Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Normal} Copter Instructions
Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
{Ace} When this is played,
{Teamwork} and at the start of {Teamwork} Draw 3 cards.
each of your turns, All other warriors You can only use
{Piercer} 1 create a {Weak} you control are this card if it’s the
{Followup} warrior. {Strengthened}. last card in your
All your warriors hand.
have {Teamwork}.

Normal Warrior with Ace Normal Item (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP)
(3EP) Create warriors (Powerful, Teamwork (Powerful, Leans Draw 3 cards (Powerful 3,
Teamwork (Powerful, Leans Consistent) into gimmick) Consistent)
into gimmick) Give teamwork (Powerful 2, Give Strengthen (Powerful
Piercer (Powerful) Leans into gimmick) 2)
Followup (Powerful,
Versatile)

90
Running The Resolved
When you’re acting as the Judge in a game with The Resolved, it’s important to take the
time to balance providing them both moments where they aren’t good enough to meet
their goals, and moments where they show potential to do the impossible. Whenever it
seems like they’re having it too hard, give them a chance to show off. Whenever it seems
like they’re having it too easy, take the time to reveal the power of the people in the big
leagues that they weren’t prepared for.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Resolved include:
 Shoot The Resolved down on the precipice of winning
 Let people underestimate The Resolved and lose because of it
 Have authority figures call out the huge potential of The Resolved
 Teach The Resolved new things about the world that show their naivety
 Let things somehow work out when The Resolved does something dangerous
 Have skilled people call out The Resolved on the beliefs that hold them back
The abilities that The Resolved takes can mean changing your strategies for running them,
and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the game
with those abilities involved:
The Determination To Win: When the player marks someone as their adversary, consider
that your cue as the Judge to give that NPC more relevance in the story. It could be
useful to reveal that they were secretly connected with a major organisation the players
had interacted with previously, giving the other players as much reason to care as The
Resolved. Otherwise, take the chance to give them more screen time, and allow The
Resolved to hunt them down if the player wants it.
Your Mentor: The Resolved’s mentor should be an important part of that player’s personal
story, and you should let The Resolved access them basically whenever they want. If the
player wants to choose a resource not listed on the examples list, you should make sure
it’s a resource that could solve a lot of problems for the player, but still requires the player
to take action once they have it. The mentor should always put the spotlight back on The
Resolved, even when it’s the mentor’s resources that technically solve the problem.
Heart of the Resolved: This ability can be extremely powerful, as it lets The Resolved
solve problems and do the impossible in almost any situation. Try and put The Resolved
in situations where they need to do the impossible so they have more chances to use this
ability.
Headstrong Luck: This ability lets The Resolved accomplish skilled acts under intense
circumstances. This should often be characterised as “beginner’s luck” or “a fluke”, but it’s
also a great chance to demonstrate the potential that The Resolved has.
Unbreakable Will: This ability conveys The Resolved’s boundless willpower, no matter the
circumstances. You should make sure to not be any harsher on what baggage is relevant
to a situation just because The Resolved has this ability; you want them to come off as
possessing a boundless amount of willpower, no matter what.
When Trainers’ Eyes Meet: This ability allows The Resolved to start a card game with
anyone they challenge, right there and then - regardless of circumstance. Don’t try to
circumvent this ability if the player chooses it; let them get into fights with people left and
right if they so choose! If they’re fighting against an insignificant opponent, it may be worth
using Brandish Your Skills to represent the fight instead of a full combat. If they decide to
play risky and battle someone who’s currently too strong for them, feel free not to pull your
punches.
Pet Cards: Try and spotlight when the player uses their pet card, and show why it’s
significant. Since it’s a staple it should be a fairly common card in the fiction; it could be fun
to include the same card being used by another player or even an opponent, helping to
contrast why it’s particularly special to the player who took this move.

91
 The Prodigy
The fact of the matter is simple: you’re just
the best there is. Anyone who denies it is
either too ignorant or too headstrong for their
own good. Playing this game is as easy as
breathing to you, and you’ll never turn down a
chance to show who’s on top.
Example Archetypes: Stuck up rich kid, Too cool for
school loner with hidden skills, Seven-time tournament
winning pro

Passion Skill Friendship

1 2 -1
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Stylish, Well groomed, Naturally
beautiful,
Clothes: Suit, Fashionable, Stand out,

Game Tools: Top of the line, One of a kind,

Official,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

92
92
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Demigod Dragons, Lords of Undeath, Pactbound Witches)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 You’ve used it since you were little, and it helped you get to where you
are today
 You found it mysteriously somewhere, and you still don’t know where it
came from
 It represents your privilege, and embodies how you believe you’re
better than other people


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Become a warrior myself and take on threats by my own hand, Making
sacrifices to do overpowered effects, Relies on the power of one overwhelming warrior)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 Describe an enterprise that you own and  Another player is your rival: when did they
control. What does a competitor do better beat you spectacularly? Ask them how they
than you? did so.
 What family member matters to you  Another player is an old friend: how did
most? What did they instil in you at a young you meet? Ask them what the two of you
age? disagree on.
 What supernatural entity or force have  Another player was struggling: what did
you discovered? What do you want from you do to help them? Ask them what they
them? owe you.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

93 93
Abilities
Select three abilities from the list here:
My Pride, My Soul, My... Subordinates
You get +1 to all rolls directly involving your You have a group of followers. These followers
{Ace} card, both inside and outside of a card may be fans of yours, employees, bodyguards,
game. or something else appropriate. Your followers
When using your {Ace} card outside of a card are always close at hand when needed.
game, justify how it was useful to the move Select one option to describe them:
before gaining the bonus. They are numerous. They have the talent
and knowledge to aid you, so long as you
meet their demands
Screw the Rules, I Have Money
They are dedicated. They won’t ask
You have a source of extreme wealth. If you anything of you in return for their work, so
want something done that can be bought long as they aren’t put in danger
and you have the time, roll+Skill. Apply any
baggage related penalties: They are physically strong. They will
On a 7+, you get what you wanted. help in dangerous situations and protect you,
if you meet their demands
On a 6 or less, something has happened
with your wealth. Your Judge will tell you Elegant Egotist
what. Gain baggage; you can’t use this
move again until that baggage is resolved. You can always ignore baggage when making
rolls to prove you’re better than someone who
Sore Winner has defeated, overcome, or embarrassed you
in the past.
When you beat someone in card game
combat, you can force them to grant you one
of the following additional benefits, alongside My Second Ace
the existing conditions for winning: Once per card game, when you have a card
 Answer a single question to the best of with {Ace} on the field or you played a card
their knowledge with {Ace} this turn, you may discard a card
from your hand to play an additional copy of
 Publicly acknowledge your superiority that {Ace} as your card per turn.
 Fulfil a simple request that doesn’t put
them in danger

Arrogant Advantage
When you show someone how you’re better
than them, you can Convey Your Ideals, rolling
with +Skill instead of +Friendship.

94
94
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Search your
deck for a card
with {Ace}. Add
it to your hand.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

95 95
Roleplaying The Prodigy
Arrogance and expertise are at the heart of The Prodigy - if you aren’t currently
demonstrating that you’re the best in a given situation, then you should probably be
making an excuse as to why you aren’t. You’re the quintessential bully rival, and you
shouldn’t feel afraid to be a bit rude or brusque to the other characters. That said, it’s
also probably more important for you than any other playbook to be aware of the other
players’ boundaries, so that you don’t accidentally hurt them in one way or another. If a
player finds a certain type of cockiness uncomfortable, you should do something different
and stay away from that as a hard line.
Your starting +2 Skill means that you’re very good at anything that relies on your expertise
and knowledge, but your -1 Friendship means you’ll usually be coming off as abrasive and
difficult in interpersonal situations. Don’t be afraid to lean into this! Being bad with people
means your character has an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover why other people
matter.
Some character traits that can fit The Prodigy particularly well include being arrogant,
stuck up, self-interested, adept and cocky. Take the time to demonstrate your skill
whenever possible and lord it over anyone who will listen - even when you fail, never let
that be anything but an unfair trick or a stroke of bad luck. Leaning into these traits can be
a great start to roleplaying The Prodigy in a memorable and evocative way.
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
Arrogant Advantage, My Pride, My Soul, My… , and Screw The Rules, I Have Money are
great starting places.

Example Deck
Speakers of the Chained Titan
I haven’t lost a battle with this deck once since I found it mysteriously. My Ace
represents the intelligence that got me to where I am today.
Gimmick: Relies on the power of one overwhelming warrior
Recommended Staples: Double Strike, Destroy.

Starting Deck
Chained Titan - Truename Speaker Curse Speaker Unchaining Key
Prometheus Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Normal}
Warrior | {Strong}
When this is played, When this is played, As long as
{Ace}, {Overwhelm} if you control if you control you control
At the beginning of Prometheus, gain Prometheus, Prometheus,
your turn, lose 1 life. 3 life. destroy target once per turn,
warrior or item. draw a card. Also,
When Prometheus is Prometheus can
destroyed, return it attack twice each
to your hand. turn.

Strong Warrior with Ace Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Item (3EP)
(1EP) Gain life (Powerful 3, Leans Destroy warrior or item Draw card and
Overwhelm (Powerful, into gimmick) (Powerful, Versatile 2, Prometheus extra attack
Consistent, Leans into Leans into gimmick) (Powerful 4, leans into
Gimmick) gimmick)
Lose life each turn
(Significant Weakness)
Return to hand (Powerful,
Consistent)

96
Running The Prodigy
If you’re running a game and one of the players is The Prodigy, it’s important that you
let them be extremely competent. The Prodigy is not wrong when they say that they’re
extremely skilled - they may be wrong when they say that they’re the most skilled in the
whole world and that no one can beat them, but they aren’t wrong to have some amount
of the self-confidence they hold. If you’re trying to push back against their arrogance in
their skills, it should be against someone at the top echelon of fighters or with a unique
reason for being able to beat them (for example, the aid of magic power or someone
more skilled than they know/are letting on).
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Prodigy include:
 Have people challenge them and be disposed of easily
 Let their arrogance and bullying come back to haunt them in the future
 Create challenges that can be solved by their skill and resources
 Puncture a small hole in their armour so they can reveal their true emotions
 Give them resources and let them abuse them for personal gain
 Take away the things that they rely on so they’re forced to grow
The abilities that The Prodigy takes can mean changing your strategies for running them,
and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the game
with those abilities involved:
My Pride, My Soul, My…: The most likely place for this move to be relevant is with Card
Game Combat moves mid-battle: when they Decide the Outcome of a Clash or Protect
Against a Response when their {Ace} is involved, they get an additional +1 to the roll from
this skill. With General Moves, especially outside of a card game, this can be a little harder
to judge and depends somewhat on the player’s {Ace}. With that said, you should be
lenient and lean into whatever silly ways your player wants to use their {Ace} to gain the
bonus! If they use their physical card to attack their enemy with numerous papercuts, that
should be just as valid as using knowledge related to their {Ace} and its significance to
inform a plan or deduction.
Subordinates: The Prodigy’s subordinates should be available whenever they want to
interact with them; they don’t need to always be hovering nearby, but they should be
accessible with some small effort like using a phone or walking to the office. Note that this
move has three options for their subordinates’ defining traits, of which they only choose
one. The options they didn’t choose should be considered a weakness to the subordinates;
use them to complicate requests The Prodigy makes when it feels appropriate for the
story.
Screw The Rules, I Have Money: This ability can solve a lot of problems for players when
they need something specific, but it can also create interesting goals for the Prodigy
when they roll low. If the source of The Prodigy’s extreme wealth has been impeded or
jeopardised, you should make sure to give The Prodigy an actionable way to get it back
that aligns with the goals the players already have. Some examples of ways their wealth
could be put in question include: Their company has been bought out, their parents have
disowned them, they need to hide their identity.
Sore Winner: Whatever option the player selects after beating an opponent, don’t try and
find a way to fight against it. The opponent should answer questions to the best of their
abilities, acknowledge superiority in a place where others across the world will learn about
it, and do whatever is asked that doesn’t put them in danger.
Arrogant Advantage: This ability can let the Prodigy convince people to act in the way
they want them to despite their low Friendship. You should try and be lenient with what
constitutes “showing yourself better than someone” where possible.
Elegant Egotist: If a player has taken this ability, you should make sure to give them
opportunities to be defeated, overcome, or embarrassed so they can make use of it. Keep
an eye out for ways that The Prodigy’s baggage can be used to help with this.
My Second Ace: This ability lets the player use their {Ace} card a second time in combat.
Thematically, you can treat this as representing an additional copy or copies of the rare
card that is their {Ace}, instead of just one.

97
 The Glowing
Something about you pulls people together;
maybe it’s your unique skills or your general
sociability. Either way, people gravitate
towards you, while you might not be able to
push forward by yourself, you can with the
help of others.
Example Archetypes: Rock star who
plays card games, Beacon of friendship,
Empathetic friend who puts others first

Passion Skill Friendship

-1 1 2
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Eccentric, Accessorised, Subcultural,

Clothes: Transgressive, Branded, Over

complex,
Game Tools: Expressive, Odd, Highly
customised,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

98
98
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Idols of The World UNITE!, Partners In Crime, Shining Angels)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 A friend or sibling you haven’t seen in a long time helped you make
this deck
 You found it in a moment of need, and it helped you get through a
hard time
 It represents your connection to others, or to something people often
neglect


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Advantages whenever you win a clash, Dice roll randomisation with big payoffs
on a “6”, Drawing cards and gaining advantages from drawing)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}. Describe
why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 Someone is following you. Who are they,  Another player helped you at your
and why haven’t they revealed themself to lowest: what was this moment? Ask them
you? how they helped.
 Someone close to you joined the wrong  You and another player met through
crowd: what crowd, and why are they someone. Who? Ask them why that
important to you? someone is now gone.
 A group of people disrespect and bully  Another player is a fan of yours: what did
you. When were they your friends, and what you do to get famous? Ask them why they
made that change? like you.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

99 99
Abilities
Select three abilities from the list here:
Celebrated Expertise Social Butterfly
You have a particular expertise that helps When you meet someone new, you
you stand out in the world and acts as the may decide you already know them.
lens for how you connect with people. Select Roll+Friendship. Apply any baggage related
one: penalties.
Fashion, Singing, Streaming, Acting, Magic On a 10+, you’ve been friends for a long
Tricks, Robotics, time. Describe something you know about
When you would Brandish Your Skills in a way them.
related to this expertise, you may always On a 7-9, you’ve met before. The Judge will
treat the roll as if you rolled 10. Explain how describe something you know about them.
you use your skill in a flashy and powerful On a 6 or less, you have a bad history with
way to solve your problem. After using this, them. The Judge will describe how. Gain
you cannot do this again until you complete baggage.
a battle.
Helping Hand
Gift Card When another player uses Overcome Your
Before any other player Begins Card Game Weakness and is able to remove baggage
Combat, you may share with them a card because you believed in them and helped
from your deck, and add it to their deck. them, you gain a non-serious benefit from the
Before you start a card game, other players list of your choice.
can share a card with you. Start with that
card on the top of your deck. All cards are
returned to their owners’ decks after the Guardian Angel
game. Someone is out to protect you; whether it’s
a shady society, an old friend, or something
more mysterious. Whenever you get into
My Friends are My Power trouble, you can roll+Friendship. Apply any
When you Begin Card Game Combat you baggage related penalties.
start with an additional Advantage for each On a 10+, they come to help and grant you a
player that has baggage related to the new opportunity.
combat. On a 7-9, they come to help, but they’ll be
unable to help you again until you next
Hopeful Companion complete a battle.
So long as you’re together with a friend, when On a 6 or less, they come to help, but
you Enter a Dangerous Situation, you can roll instead make the situation more difficult;
with +Friendship instead of +Passion. gain baggage.

100
100
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Create a
{Normal}
warrior with
your choice
of {Blocker},
{Teamwork} or
{Sniper} 1.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

101 101
Roleplaying The Glowing
The most important part of playing The Glowing is an emphasis on your connections
with the people around you - you draw friends and enemies together in a way that helps
resolve situations with kindness rather than strife. You’re the kind of person to ask if a villain
needs a friend rather than hurt them, and whether it feels silly or not, you should play
with a belief in the innate goodness of people. Feel free to make up stories of how you’ve
already done this in the past and detail the people you know and care about already, but
as you play The Glowing more, you should be able to grow a supporting cast of people
who you’ve helped in your adventures.
With a starting +2 Friendship you’re very skilled at both understanding and persuading
people to back down from dangerous ideals; however, your -1 Passion makes it difficult
for you to accomplish dangerous tasks on your own. It’s okay to rely on other players
and NPCs for your character and let your relationships shine - when someone else steps
forward to aid you in your time of need, the connection and history that made this
possible means you share the spotlight with them!
Some character traits that can fit The Glowing particularly well include being friendly,
jovial, fun, empathetic, anxious, and comforting. Take the time when interacting with
someone new to try and understand their struggles and how you can help them - and
don’t be afraid to rely on other people when you need it. Leaning into these traits can be a
great start to roleplaying The Glowing in a memorable and fun way!
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
Hopeful Companion, My Friends are My Power, and Celebrated Expertise are great
starting places.

Example Deck
Spirit Samurai
My big sister, who raised me for years, gave me this deck before she mysteriously
disappeared. My Ace was a card I always asked to borrow from her.
Gimmick: Advantages whenever you win a clash.
Recommended Staples: Magic Weapon, Reconsider

Starting Deck
Spirit Samurai Spirit Samurai Spirit Samurai Crossroads Killing
Masamare Mubanshee Hideyokai Invocation
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal} Target warrior
{Ace} {Piercer} 2 When this is played, battles another
draw a card. target warrior.
{Piercer} 1 Spirit Samurai (If they would roll to clash,
Masamare may Mubanshee they are both destroyed
instead. You may choose
always roll to Decide cannot attack the two opposing warriors
the Outcome of a opponent directly. with this effect.)
Clash, even against {Strengthen} one
cards it couldn’t of those warriors
otherwise. if they are both
Whenever a Spirit owned by different
Samurai wins a players.
clash, draw a card.
Normal Warrior with Ace Strong Warrior (0EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP)
(3EP) Piercer 2 (Powerful 2, Leans Draw a card (Powerful, Warriors clash (Powerful,
Can always clash into gimmick) Consistent) Versatile 2, Leans into
(Powerful) Can’t attack directly gimmick)
Piercer (Powerful) (Weakness) Strengthen (Powerful)
Draw card on clash win
(Powerful 2, Leans into
Gimmick)

102
Running The Glowing
When running a game with The Glowing, it’s important to give them the opportunity to
make friends with not just amiable people, but also villains and characters who appear
bad at first glance. Try to avoid including people who are evil without motive, and try to
make sure that the motivations behind their evil acts are possible to empathise with. It’s
better to have a villain that is misguided or going too far for their ideals than one with
unreasonable darkness plaguing their soul.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Glowing include:
 Have a villain show weakness in their convictions
 Design problems so that they can’t be solved by the players alone
 Challenge the things that they may be hiding from people close to them
 Show the ways that their presence has changed the world for the better
 Reward them for putting others before themself
 Hint at the answers to questions they hold dear to them
The abilities that The Glowing takes can mean changing your strategies for running them,
and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the game
with those abilities involved:
Celebrated Expertise: When a player chooses a Celebrated Expertise you should try and
find opportunities for it to matter. Even if it’s something that seems silly, try and create
situations where it’s the answer to problems. When working with the player on an expertise
that isn’t listed we recommend choosing a creative hobby of some kind - that said, if the
player really wants to be especially good at taxes, then by all means let them.
Social Butterfly: This ability helps to represent the player’s presence as a friendly and
sociable person within the world. Remember that if the player rolls a 7-9, you should
still give them something positive and useful that they know about the person they’re
interacting with, such as a hobby they have or a detail that hints to the player they’re
hiding something. If they roll a 6 or less, feel free to describe something that makes the
situation more difficult, or a reason that they dislike the player.
Gift Card: This ability lets players avoid one of the main costs to making cards in Perfect
Draw! by allowing them to keep temporary cards in their deck if those cards are made
by another player. It can be worthwhile planning enemy encounters to incentivize using
another player’s card, such as through a gimmick countered by another player’s deck -
especially when that combination of players cooperating would be notably thematic or
impactful. Note that a lot of players can tend to design cards which reference traits of their
cards not shared by others’ decks; we recommend being very lenient with this. If a player’s
card reads “Fish you control gain {Piercer} 1”, and all the warriors in that players deck are
fish, when that card is given to another player, it may be worth allowing it to function for
that player’s warriors. You can say that the card specified an additional group alongside
fish that includes the other player’s warriors, or you could say the player also happened to
have a card that lets their cards act as fish.
Helping Hand: This ability encourages The Glowing to focus on helping other players
resolve their baggage, backing their allies up in tough situations. Be careful to balance the
amount of spotlight you give The Glowing and the other player; The Glowing should be
a part of that player’s big moment, but decidedly have less focus compared to the one
actually overcoming baggage.
Guardian Angel: When working with The Glowing to design their guardian angel,
remember that you’re making a major NPC. This character is going to come up a lot over
the course of play, and they should not only be fun, but also invested in the world and story
almost as much as the players are. If the player ever rolls 6 or less on this move and the
guardian angel gets in the way, you should take this as an opportunity to expand on the
character, giving The Glowing a chance to interact with them in new ways.
Hopeful Companion: This ability lets The Glowing overcome dangerous situations, so long
as they’re with a friend. You should let the player define what a friend means to them.
My Friends are My Power: Because this ability relies on the number of people with
baggage, it can get substantially stronger if your game has a high number of players.
Perfect Draw! is generally recommended for 2-3 Players in the first place, but if you have
four or more active players, it may be best to impose a maximum of three on this ability.

103
 The Rogue
You’ve always got a trick up your sleeve and
you never leave home without a backup plan.
Your mission may seem impossible, but you’re
smart - you know you can overcome any
challenge that comes your way with expertise.
and finesse.
Example Archetypes: Card game hitman with years of
experience, Charlatan with a few tricks up their sleeve,
Hacker who knows government secrets

Passion Skill Friendship

0 2 0
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Obscuring, Uncannily normal, Suave,

Clothes: Average, Sneaky, Protective,

Game Tools: Customised, Hidden,

Unorthodox,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

104
104
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Swarms of Undead, Draconic Hackers, Sci-Fi Bounty Hunters)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 This deck was assigned to you by a previous benefactor who you no
longer work with
 Your deck represents your personal view on the world, however harsh
it may be
 It was designed to counter the strategy of an enemy that you have a
long history with


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Remove effects of opponents’ cards, Powerful toolbelt of cards with niche
effects, Control the game by setting traps to disrupt my opponents’ gameplan)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 You used to work for a shady  Another player is the target of a mission:
organisation of some kind: why did you why haven’t you completed it? Ask them if
leave? they know.
 You used to have a partner you were  Another player helped you complete a
fond of: why haven’t you seen them in a job: how did they do it? Ask them why they
long time? helped.
 You know of a treasure few others do.  You outsmarted another player, and they
It is guarded by someone: what makes it owe you something: how? Ask them what
special? they owe you.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

105 105
X A Trick Up Your Sleeve
You always have a set of information, an expertise, or a hunch about any enemy you confront.
When you encounter an enemy, roll+Skill.
On a 10+, you hold the informational high ground; gain 2 prep.
On a 7-9, your information was incomplete; gain only 1 prep.
On a 6 or less, your information was false in some way; gain 1 prep, but the Judge describes
a way things go wrong. Lose all prep when you encounter a new enemy, or the previous
enemy is no longer an immediate threat.
You can spend prep in the following ways:
This was all part of the plan: I know exactly the card But I’ve already set my trap:
when you roll a 6 or less on a for you: spend one prep to spend one prep to reveal a
roll, you may spend one prep replace one of your generic trap, stopping the enemy
to make a reroll; describe how Staples with another from the from completing a particular
your failure was part of your generic Staple list. non-card game action;
ruse. describe what action.

Abilities
You have “A Trick Up Your Sleeve”. Select two abilities from the list here:
Independent Contractor Sideboard
(Requires: A Trick Up Your Sleeve)
When someone wants you to do something
or tries to control you, roll+Skill. Apply any You have a special “side deck” made up of
baggage related penalties. three cards. Make them now.
On a 10+, you may ask two questions from You do not draw from this deck; instead, when
the following list. you would use the “I know exactly the card
On a 7-9, ask one instead. The Judge for you” option on A Trick Up Your Sleeve, you
answers truthfully: may choose to swap a card from your hand
 How can I exploit this for my gain in a with one of the cards in your side deck instead
way they don’t intend? of swapping out a staple for another staple.
 How much would they be willing to When you do this, that card you swapped
offer to have me cooperate? in is now part of your deck. (The card you
swapped out remains in your side deck until
 How far are they willing to help to swapped back in with the same effect.)
make things easier?
On a 6 or less, they control the flow of Counterspell Variant
conversation; gain baggage.
When you Counter your Opponent’s Play, you
may add your Skill to the roll as well as your
Thieves’ Tools Combat Tension.
Whenever you need a tool to help you Additionally, you can spend prep instead
overcome an obstacle, roll+Skill. Apply any of Advantage when you Counter your
baggage related penalties. Opponent’s Play.
On a 7+, you’re well prepared and have the
tool on you already.
On a 6 or less, your supply of tools has run
Extra Prepared
(Requires: A Trick Up Your Sleeve)
dry, and you’ll need to purchase more tools
to use this move again. The Judge will tell When you gain prep from rolling A Trick Up
you how you can find more tools. Gain Your Sleeve, gain one additional prep.
baggage.

An Expert’s Insight
When you have the time to study an area
or person carefully, you may Understand
Someone’s True Feelings by rolling with +Skill
instead of +Friendship.

106
106
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Target
opponent
{Fumbles}.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

107 107
Roleplaying The Rogue
When playing The Rogue, the number one thing that you should keep in mind is your
mission. Whether it’s a duty assigned to you by someone else or something you seek for
your own reasons, your goal should be to achieve your mission at any cost. Ideally, this
mission should be long-term and difficult; the “Your Struggles” and “Your Friends” sections
of your playbook can help give you some suggestions. Try and come up with something
that a normal person would consider impossible, such as toppling a corrupt government
or accomplishing the heist of the century. If your goal seems very achievable on the face
of it, work with your Judge and the other players to raise the stakes - while toppling a
small business is relatively easy, it becomes much more intimidating if that small business
is the operating front of an underground mafia. Ideally you want to shoot for something
that will only be achieved at the very end of your campaign or arc.
With a starting +2 Skill, you’ll have little trouble dealing with many of the technical threats
that come your way. Your ability to have “A Trick Up Your Sleeve” only furthers this, since
encounters will always give you options other characters simply don’t have. Try and lean
into how you’ve prepared for the scenario when you encounter them - taking a moment
to flash back to the research you did or the hunch you had can be really impactful.
Some character traits that can fit The Rogue particularly well include being mysterious,
fixated, charismatic, reserved, and intuitive. When interacting with someone, try to
prioritise how they can be of use to you, even if this eventually proves to be for the worse -
it’s okay to have problems that you’ll need to unlearn later. Leaning into these traits can be
a great start to roleplaying The Rogue in a memorable and exciting way!
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation, An
Expert’s Insight and Thieves’ Tools are great starting places.

Example Deck
Ghosts in the Machine
This deck was designed for my missions and helps me complete them. My Ace is the
one card I’ve kept from my old deck before giving it to my sister.
Gimmick: Control the game by setting traps to disrupt my opponents’ gameplan
Recommended Staples: Silence, Fireball

Starting Deck
Spirit Samurai Ghost Program Ghost Program Purgatory Code
Kojiwraith Trojan Counterhack Library
Warrior | {Weak} Item | {Normal} Item | {Weak} Item | {Normal}
{Ace} {Inconspicuous} {Inconspicuous} At the beginning of
When an opponent When an opponent your turn, draw an
Whenever you extra card.
lose a clash, plays a card, you declares an attack,
target opponent can sacrifice this to you can sacrifice
{Fumbles}. counter the play of this card to counter
that card. the attack. If you do,
they can’t attack
this turn.
{Followup}

Weak Warrior with Ace Normal Item (3EP) Weak Item (4EP) Normal Item (3EP)
(4EP) Inconspicuous (Powerful) Inconspicuous (Powerful) Draw card each turn
Force fumble on clash lose Counter effect (Powerful, Counter Attack (Powerful, (Powerful 2, Consistent)
(Powerful 2, Versatile 2) Versatile, Consistent, Leans Consistent, Leans into
into Gimmick) Gimmick)
Followup (Powerful,
Versatile)

108
Running The Rogue
When running a game with The Rogue, you should always find ways to allow them to
interact with their goals. Complicate the plans they already had to get what they wanted,
give them risky routes to achieve what otherwise seemed impossible, and incentivise
them into collaborating with allies’ objectives and interests by creating connections
between their goals and The Rogue’s mission. Take the time to consider what the player
wants to do and allow them to be proactive about their plans instead of just responding.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Rogue include:
 Giving them hard choices between what they want and what others need
 Have villains be surprised by the tricks the player pulls out
 Challenge their convictions in achieving their mission
 Give the player the upper hand whenever they work for it
 Let the player hide things from the other characters (not the other players)
 Have influential people offer the player aid in exchange for favours
The Rogue’s A Trick Up Your Sleeve ability helps depict them as perpetually prepared,
even when against foes their player knows nothing about. This means that The Rogue
almost always has some amount of preparation when facing a villain, and this is okay and
encouraged! Even if the player rolls a 6 or less, despite The Rogue facing a detrimental
snag in their plan of some kind, they’ll still have one point of prep to work with. Rather than
simply throwing a threat at the player in these situations, try revealing a flaw or incorrect
belief within The Rogue’s planning and logic.
The other abilities that The Rogue takes can mean changing your strategies for running
them, and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the
game with those abilities involved:
Independent Contractor: If a player took this ability, you should make sure that player
has the opportunity to use it; lean closer into the villains wanting to control or buy off The
Rogue if possible. Note that if the player rolls a 6 or less, the other person controlling the
conversation doesn’t mean that The Rogue can’t still pick what to do - it simply indicates
that party being able to take away The Rogue’s upper hand in some way, such as by
leveraging their baggage.
Sideboard: This powerful ability expands on The Rogue’s “A Trick Up Your Sleeve” ability,
allowing them to make silver bullets for exactly the moment they need them; this lets
them circumvent the downsides of having hyper-specific cards stuck in one’s deck after
creating them. This ability also requires an upfront amount of card design, so it’s best to
recommend other abilities to players that have difficulty with card creation.
An Expert’s Insight: This ability heavily encourages “detective” or “investigator”-esque
investigations of people. Try and consider what “having time to study” means within your
campaign. A campaign set within a weekend could count it at 30 minutes; comparatively
a campaign set over the course of an in-story year could count it at two whole days.
Generally, consider the amount of time necessary to study a place or person as half the
amount of time the players would need to Take a Prolonged Rest.
Counterspell Variant: This ability raises The Rogue’s ability to Counter your Opponent’s
Play from a move with inherent risk to something that will almost always be successful.
This is okay! Just keep in mind that it may mean your NPCs’ second Establish a Plan to Win
actions might occur more often.
Extra Prepared: A player that takes this ability is going to get a lot more value out of “A
Trick Up Your Sleeve”. It may be worth discussing with the player what in the fiction makes
them stand out even more as someone who can take on any situation.
Thieves’ Tools: When a player uses this ability, they’ll always be able to find the tool they’re
looking for; however, if the player rolls a 6 or less, their stock of tools will run out afterwards,
and you’ll need to tell them how they can find more. This should be something that will
take some effort, but not a whole adventure. Note that the tool needs to actually help with
the task at hand to count.

109
 The Ally
The people around you seem so focused
on card games, but life’s got more to offer
than that alone! You’ve got a career, hobbies,
friends… so you’ll strike a healthy balance to
aid how you can from the sidelines, and follow
your heart through it all.
Example Archetypes: Teacher responsible for
managing these rowdy teens, Local card shop owner,
Hobbyist that gets last place every time they play

Passion Skill Friendship

0 0 2
Select one stat and increase its value
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Normal, Pretty, Overdone,

Clothes: Punk, Mysterious, Unusual,

Comfortable,
Game Tools: Normal, Unkempt, Classic,

Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

110
110
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Goblin Warband, Mech Fighters Maximum, Heroes of Fantasy Land)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 This deck was either once owned, or gifted to you by a close friend -
you’ll always treasure it
 You identify and resonate with something simple and aesthetic about
your deck
 You built it to work well with or against a friend’s deck in multiplayer
games


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Reuse your cards’ effects by returning them to the hand, Universal effects that
you take full advantage of, Gaining life and benefiting from high life totals)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 Someone wants to shut down something  You know another player is hiding
that matters to you: why, and how can you something from you: why don’t they reveal
stop it? it? Ask them what.
 A friend of yours disappeared under  Another player thinks you could be doing
strange circumstances: what is your theory more: what do they see in you? Ask them
on how? why they care.
 You swore off something important in  Another player helped you establish
your past: what was it, and why did you yourself: how did they do this? Ask them
swear it off? what they expect from you.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

111 111
X Normal Everyday Life
While card games are an important part of your life, they’re far from everything, and you have
dreams and aspirations beyond them alone. Define your life outside of card games:
Name a career or aspiration:
(Suggestions: Teacher, Singer, Lawyer, Engineer, Car racer)
Name a hobby:
(Suggestions: Gaming, Fashion design, Sports, Writing, Gardening)
Name an important person:
(Suggestions: Your parent, Your partner, Your younger sibling, Your protege, Your work rival)
When you use a move related to one of these aspects of your life, you can mark it. When you do,
you may roll the move with +3, instead of the normal stat.
When you spend time focused on the marked section, unmark it. When you Take a Prolonged
Rest, you may choose to unmark all marked sections instead of choosing another option.

Abilities
You have “Normal Everyday Life”. Select two abilities from the list here:
Darksteel Citadel Trade Binder
You own a place that holds importance to At any point, you can offer someone to trade
the game you all play: maybe it’s a card shop, them a card. When you do, note their name in
library, or well stocked basement. Select two one of the slots here:
benefits. 1:
It is mobile: You can bring it with you
wherever you go. 2:
It is popular: Not only you and your 3:
friends frequent there. If you want to find Players with their names listed here can use
someone related to card games, you’ll your gimmick instead of their own when
find them here eventually. making a card for any reason. Other players
It is entirely your own: No management can only have one card in their deck using
or other force will ask you to do anything your gimmick.
or threaten the shop. When you create a card, you can use the
It is well stocked: Whenever you need to gimmicks of players or NPCs listed here
find something related to card games, you instead of your own. For each person listed,
have it in stock. you can only have one card using their
gimmick in your deck.
It is comfortable: The location has all
the amenities you could possibly need to If you offer to trade with someone else and
spend all of your time there. your slots are full, you can remove someone
so long as there are no cards in yours or their
Friend in Distress decks that use each others’ gimmicks.
When you would Enter a Dangerous Situation,
you may instead choose to be taken captive Stronger Together
if possible. If you do, gain baggage. When you Your allies gain +1 to all rolls made to help you
do this, your friends will have the opportunity while you’re in battle and they’re not.
to save you. After using this move, you cannot
do this again until you complete a battle. You gain +1 to all rolls made to help your allies
while they’re in battle and you’re not.
Symbol of Friendship
You have a connection with your allies We Have One Thing You Don’t
that means you’re always there for each When you Reveal a New Possibility while your
other. You and your allies can always enter allies are in danger, you may roll+Friendship
the scene when someone starts a card
game. Additionally, you can sense and even instead of +Passion.
communicate simple feelings with each
other, even when you’re not together.

112
112
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Target
opponent
chooses a
warrior or item
they control and
destroys it.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

113 113
Roleplaying The Ally
More so than any other playbook, The Ally’s life outside of card games is a central focus
of their story, and something you should keep in mind while playing. Due to your Normal
Everyday Life ability, you’ll be at your strongest when card games are secondary to your
life proper. You should be with the other players more because you like them or they need
you rather than just because you all play card games. Take a moment to consider what
responsibilities your character might have - if card games aren’t the biggest thing in your
life, what is? It’s likely that while other characters are taking villains head-on, you’ll be
cheering them on from the sidelines; if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, this is the
playbook for you. Remember that this can make the times when you do stand up to fight
and take things seriously even more impactful, so let those moments be big and exciting.
Your starting +2 Friendship makes you very good at understanding people and pushing
them onto the right path. This is a great chance to demonstrate how grounded your
character is compared to others - representing Friendship moves by giving out home-
grown wisdom or seeing pain from a very real perspective can highlight what you do
best. Additionally, your ability Normal Everyday Life gives you the opportunity to be well-
rounded in ways that other characters aren’t - if you’re a doctor or have a child, then you
can always roll fairly well on things related to this fact.
Some character traits that can fit The Ally particularly well include being practical,
empathetic, wise, authoritative, dependable, and compassionate. It’s likely that
you understand things intuitively in a way other people don’t, that you come off as
experienced in worldly things - centre this when possible and really let yourself be the
rock that holds your community together. Leaning into these traits can be a great start to
roleplaying The Ally in a memorable and meaningful way.
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
We Have One Thing You Don’t and Symbol of Friendship are great starting places.

Example Deck
Adventuring Party
I’m a big fan of Tabletop RPGs, so this deck lets me express my fandom in them. My
Ace reminds me of the character I played in my most recent campaign.
Gimmick: Reusing cards’ on-play effects by returning them to the hand.
Recommended Staples: Salve, Summon Army

Starting Deck
Pen & Paper Pen & Paper Pen & Paper Cleric “Roll for Initiative”
Fighter Wizard Warrior | {Weak} Invocation
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak}
When this card is {Strengthen} target
{Ace}, {Overwhelm} When this card is played, gain 1 life. warrior then roll a
When this played, draw a When this card dies, d20, that warrior
card is played, card. return it to your gains:
{Strengthen} all When this card dies, hand. 20: {Overwhelm},
other warriors you return it to your {Piercer} 1, {Sniper} 1
control for this turn. hand. 11-19: {Overwhelm}
When this card dies, 6-10: {Sniper} 1
return it to your
hand. 2-5: {Piercer} 1
1: {Underwhelm}
Normal Warrior with Ace Weak Warrior (3EP) Weak Warrior (3EP) Invocation (3EP)
(3EP) Draw card (Powerful, Gain Life (Powerful, Strenghen warrior
Overwhelm (Powerful) Consistent) Consistent) (Powerful, Versatile)
Strengthen (Powerful) Return to Hand (Powerful, Return to Hand (Powerful, Average random keyword
Return to Hand (Powerful, Consistent, Leans into Consistent, Leans into of {Overwhelm} (Powerful
Consistent, Leans into Gimmick) Gimmick) 1)
Gimmick)

114
Running The Ally
If you have a player using The Ally in the game, then it’s very important for a grounded
world outside of card game shenanigans to exist in your world. While demons may be
knocking on the players’ doors, you need normal people to exist and play out normal lives
in the background. The Ally should be the bridge between these worlds, and you should
give them ample opportunity to go back and forth between interacting with each of them.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Ally include:
 Create over-the-top enemies that need to be shown reality
 Present the player with hard choices between their responsibilities and friends
 Give characters with real-world problems the player can empathise with
 Let big enemies put the players’ livelihood into question and in danger
 Corroborate any advice they give to other players; let them be right
 Have their hobbies and careers matter to the narrative in unexpected ways
The Ally’s Normal Everyday Life ability encourages the player to frequently return to
spending time on activities outside of the main narrative; you should give them ample
opportunity to do this, even if it means sacrificing time to focus on it. When working with
the player to decide on the three parts of defining their life outside of card games, let the
player pick absolutely anything they want, so long as a normal person could do it. Ideally,
you also want to make sure that these subjects are likely to come up in the narrative - a
career as a cargo ship captain isn’t very likely to be important in a campaign set in the
desert, for example.
The other abilities that The Ally takes can mean changing your strategies for running them,
and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the game
with those abilities involved:
Darksteel Citadel: This ability gives the player a really powerful resource and base of
operations. Allow The Ally’s player to define whatever they want regarding this space, but
note that the benefits they didn’t take are, importantly, things that space will lack - you
can use this to cause complications in the story when it would make sense. Try and centre
games around this location when possible.
Trade Binder: One aspect of The Ally being more grounded than other players is a more
realistic relationship to TCGs compared to other players. This ability lets The Ally trade
cards with other players as one might in real life, letting them access the gimmicks of other
players’ decks. Note that this ability can work with NPCs as well as other players - this is to
make the ability more useful in campaigns with less players. If the NPC this skill is used on
was never an opponent and never really had a gimmick, you can make one up with the
player using this ability, come up with one as is appropriate for the character, or select one
from the People of Shuffle City section later in this book.
Friend in Distress: The Ally is a playbook that helps from the sidelines more often then
fighting head on, so it can be fairly common for them to get compromised by a villain’s
plot. This ability lets the player ensure this happens; circumventing an Enter a Dangerous
Situation roll, spurring the plot, and giving them an opportunity to gain experience all at
once. Note that this ability gives the other players an opportunity to save The Ally; this
should be something that is possible to do immediately and pushes the story forward.
Symbol of Friendship: This ability lets the players always be at least somewhat aware
of each other. Players can “feel” what each other are feeling, meaning they may be able
to comment on what happened in another scene while they were away. Additionally,
whenever a battle starts, players are always able to join the scene even if they couldn’t
otherwise. Feel free to make up whatever justifications you need for this to make sense.
We Have One Thing You Don’t: This ability can help The Ally get other players out of
danger much more easily. If a player’s taken this ability, it may be worth putting other
players in danger more often, giving them more chances to support their friends in a pinch.
Stronger Together: This ability encourages players, and especially The Ally, to be more
interactive with each other while one of you is battling. You should always let players get
creative with ways to help others while in a battle. This could mean directly cheering their
friends on, fending off minor villains while one person battles the boss, or anything else
that makes sense. When possible, the player using this should highlight primarily how the
aid is possible because of the players’ friendship.

115
 The Spirit
On a fundamental level, you’re not quite like
everyone else that inhabits this world - you’re
special. Whereas they might be made of flesh
and bones, you differ; composed of data,
thought, magic, or something else unique
from humanity.
Example Archetypes: The demon on your shoulder
acting as a bad influence, Card game spirit with a valiant
mission, Your lost and lonely imaginary friend

Passion Skill Friendship

2 0 0
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Ethereal hair, No hair, All hair,

Clothes: Quirky, None, Unique,

Game Tools: Customised, Magic powers,

Yourself,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

116
116
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Cartoon Critters, Datascape Dogs, Angelic Warlords)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 Your deck represents your connection to the card game you play and
its origins
 Your deck represents your aesthetics and what it is that makes you
distinct
 Your deck is a warped version of someone else’s deck, changed to
better match you


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Avoid combat by attacking my opponent directly, Gain bonuses for copying my
opponents’ plays, Form a multi-card combo that will likely win the game if fulfilled)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 Your old world is gone or inaccessible:  One of the other players first discovered
what kind of world was this, and what you: what do they mean to you? Ask them
people lived there? the same thing.
 You have forgotten your old self: what  Another player is tied to your origin
is the only memory you have of who you intrinsically: how do you feel about this? Ask
were? them the same.
 You have a cosmic opposite of the same  Another player helps you feel normal
nature as you: who are they, and why do and comforted: how? Ask them why they
you hate each other? do this.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

117 117
X Unusual Origin
You aren’t human; you might look human to an outside observer, but you’re something else
entirely. Describe what that inhuman thing is:
(Examples: Faerie, Angel, Ghost, Talking Animal)
This origin grants you understanding of the world and abilities to interact with the world in
ways that humans simply can’t. Select three of the following descriptors matching the type of
inhuman thing that you are:
Magical Cursed Aberrant Alien Multiple
Divine Demonic Psychic Dead
High-Tech Ancient Natural Imaginary
Whenever you or another player interacts with something new that shares a descriptor
with you or is related to one of your descriptors, you may choose to roll+Passion. Apply any
baggage related penalties.
On a 10+, you may describe the outcome of the encounter. Feel free to make it as
convenient as you like.
On a 7-9, instead describe one fact about the thing being interacted with, and then the
Judge may describe the outcome of the encounter.
On a 6 or less, you were wrong in some way and gave incorrect information. Gain baggage.

Abilities
You have “Unusual Origin”. Select two abilities from the list here:
I Play... Me! My Final Form
One of the cards in your deck is you or an The version of yourself you show to others has
aspect of you. Create a new card and add it always been a glamour of sorts to keep them
to your deck; this card has {Ace}, and must comfortable. Select two advantages your true
be either a warrior or item. You can use form has that your normal visage does not:
Play Your {Ace} Card an additional time per Physically Strong, Flight, Extreme Size, Burning
game. Presence, ,
Once per battle, Whenever this card is When you reveal your true form, roll+Passion.
destroyed during card game combat for any Apply any baggage related penalties.
reason, gain baggage. On a 10+ choose one.
On a 7-9, choose two.
Born for a Reason  You frighten someone you didn’t
Your body or being wasn’t created for the intend to.
same purpose as a human’s body. Select two
of the following tools or make something new  You can’t return to your normal
with your Judge: visage easily.
Shovel, Power Socket, Sword, Gun, GPS,  You break or hurt something
Telephone, Lockpick, Musical Instrument, important.
Rope, ,
On a 6 or less, you fail to assume your true
You are always treated as if you have this tool form, gain baggage.
on you, no matter the circumstance.
Unholy Strength
Unreal Presence When you Overcome Your Weakness, you may
While you have a body that can interact choose two benefits instead of one.
with the world just like everyone else, you
can also choose to take on a more unreal,
supernatural form that doesn’t interact with On My Father’s Side
the world in the same way as humans. Select (Requires: Unusual Origin)
2 benefits: Select three additional descriptors from the
You can’t be hurt. Unusual Origin list.
You’re invisible.
You can move through physical
boundaries.
You can switch in and out of this form at any
time so long as you’re not in direct danger.

118
118
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Look at the top

card of your
deck. You may
play it or add it
to your hand.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

119 119
Roleplaying The Spirit
The first thing you need to figure out when you’re playing The Spirit is “what are you?”; the
second thing you need to figure out is “what about this makes you stand out from normal
people?”. Don’t be afraid to be quirky - being weird and having a strange perspective
on the world is part of the fun of playing The Spirit. Your Unusual Origin ability means
that you’ll always be able to have input on matters resonant with your nature, and you
can always make whatever you’re doing make sense in context later on. Feel free to
get strange about it and lean into the tropes of whatever non-human thing that your
character is.
Your +2 Passion makes you very good at doing dangerous things and unlocking new
possibilities. Unlike other high Passion characters, it’s possible that many of your Passion-
based actions could be derived from your unique nature and perspective on the world.
Additionally, your ability always lets you take over from the Judge and give insight in things
that relate to your descriptors - go all out and recontextualise the world in a way that
you think would be fun or create something that’s really convenient for you and the other
players.
Some character traits that fit The Spirit particularly well include being eccentric, absent-
minded, esoteric, naive, enthusiastic, and hopeful. It’s also true that you’re going to be
playing as something non-human in nature - depending on your origin, it may be worth
playing with the tropes associated with that nature. For example, for a player who wrote
in Dog as one of their natures, traits of loyalty and courage might be ones to explore.
Leaning into these traits can be a great start to roleplaying The Spirit in a memorable and
interesting way!
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
Unholy Strength and either Unreal Form or My Final Form (depending on what kind of non-
human thing you are) are great starting places.

Example Deck
B.B.H. (Building Blocks of Hope)
When I escaped my capture, I copied someone elses deck and made it my own. My
Ace represents my core being as a spirit of hope.
Gimmick: Become stronger when you have less life.
Recommended Staples: Summon Dragon, Silence

Starting Deck
B.B.H. Hope Soldier B.B.H. Magician B.B.H. Rebellion B.B.H. Planning
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Invocation Invocation
{Ace}, {Overwhelm} When this is played, Create 2 {Weak} Gain 3 Life.
This warrior If you have less than warriors with You can only use
can attack the half your starting {Teamwork}. this card if it’s the
opponent directly. life, give each last card in your
warrior or item your If you have less
{Followup} than half your hand.
opponent controls
{Underwhelm} starting life, create
You can only play {Normal} warriors
this card if you have until your next
turn. Otherwise, with {Teamwork}
less then half your instead.
starting life. give only one card
{Underwhelm}.
Normal Warrior with Ace Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP) Invocation (3EP)
(3EP) Give underwhelm (Powerful, Create warriors (Powerful 2, Gain 3 Life (Powerful 3,
Overwhelming, Followup, Versatile) Consistent) Consistent)
and Attack Directly (Powerful Extra on half life (Leans into Create normal warriors Only if last card (Weakness)
3, Versatile, Consistent) Gimmick, Powerful) instead (Powerful, Leans
Only on half health into Gimmick)
(Weakness, Leans into
Gimmick)

120
Running The Spirit
Any player choosing The Spirit is saying something important about the plot or cosmology
of the campaign. By being something other than human the spirit is always going to
stand out as strange - this makes it necessary as a Judge to leverage this aspect of the
character for the story. It could be worth talking with the player in private about some of
your plans with the plot so that they can interact with it more keenly - it can make a lot of
sense for The Spirit to be the impetus for a lot of the starting plot a lot of the time.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Spirit include:
 Introducing other non-human characters and threats they can know about
 Letting them be a font of knowledge when it comes to the plot’s biggest moments
 Confirming the threats that they’ve warned other players about
 Highlighting the ways their inhuman nature impedes interacting with humanity
 Leaning into any weirdness that The Spirit portrays
 Never denying something that The Spirit has said about their descriptors
The Spirit’s “Unusual Origin” ability will let the player take some of the power away from
you as the Judge whenever something related to them comes up. You should absolutely
let this happen as often as possible and be generous with what is considered within the
same descriptor as The Spirit. If something is too much for you to deal with as the Judge,
talk with The Spirit’s player about how you could make it work or what complications
would be fun to add that make it easier for you. When working with the player on their
descriptors, if none of the examples fit then you can work with them to make a new
descriptor - if you do this try and make sure that it’s both broadly applicable and also
fairly specific. It should refer to a lot of things but also not everything - use the example
descriptors as a reference.
The other abilities that The Spirit takes can mean changing your strategies for running
them, and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the
game with those abilities involved:
I Play… Me!: For characters with a close connection to the card game itself, this ability
can be a great way to represent the connection. It also gives the player a second card
with {Ace} much earlier than other characters, with the complication that it also results in
baggage if it’s ever destroyed. Moments where the player plays themselves should be
exciting moments in the narrative; try and consider what this might represent in the fiction
and the player’s journey when it comes up.
Born for a Reason: This ability can help represent some of the ways The Spirit’s non-
human body could prove useful for various purposes. If none of the included examples
work and you make something new up with the player, try and lean into tools that other
people could access if they had the time, but aren’t likely to always have on their person.
Unreal Presence: This ability can let the player interact with the world in new and strange
ways - note that whichever option the player doesn’t pick is also a downside to the ability.
Leverage the player’s ability to still be hurt, seen, or obstructed when something goes
wrong, or when it would be uninteresting for this ability to entirely circumvent a problem.
My Final Form: When a player uses this ability it should be treated as a big moment - while
the powers given from it should be able to solve many of the problems at hand, they’re
always going to leave complications in their wake. Lean into their power and the danger
that comes with it as much as possible. If the player rolls a 6 or less, then they can’t assume
their true form - it may be worth asking the player why this may be before coming up
with an answer yourself. If the example abilities don’t quite fit with the player’s character,
then you can work with them to come up with something else - these abilities should feel
powerful and keenly associated with what non-human thing the player’s character is.
Unholy Strength: Overcoming Your Weakness is usually already a fairly significant action
on the player’s part, and this ability makes it even more powerful. When roleplaying the
player overcoming their weakness, lean into how their non-human aspects make them
able to accomplish more than others.
On My Father’s Side: This ability allows the player to have even more descriptors than
usual. The usual advice for the “Unusual Origin” ability still applies. If the player has taken
this ability partway through a campaign, take some time to roleplay how they discovered
their more complex nature.

121
 The Medium
You are blessed and cursed with a unique
power, something that makes you stand out
in a supernatural way. Your power, whether
you like it or not, has shaped your life to this
moment, and almost certainly will shape it
again in the future.
Example Archetypes: Hated middle child with psychic
abilities, Anxious 20-something hiding their power,
Magical soldier controlled by malicious people

Passion Skill Friendship

2 1 -1
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Shifting, Chaotic, Eccentric

Clothes: Non-traditional, Protective,

Strange,
Game Tools: Obscure, Dangerous,
Your Powers,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

122
122
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Psychic Monks, Knights of the Void, Ancient Gods From Beyond the Stars)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 Your deck was what helped you realise the powers you are now
cursed by.
 Your deck is linked closely to a trauma caused by your powers and
reminds you of it.
 Your deck was manifested by your powers, and is an extension of
them


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Actions cause collateral damage to all players, Discard cards for overpowered
effects, Leave yourself vulnerable in the early game to gain significant power later)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 Someone wants to control you and your  You hurt another player with your
power: who are they and why do they want powers: how did you hurt them? Ask them
you? if they’ve forgiven you.
 Another person taught you everything  You used your powers to protect another
you know about your powers: how did they player: why? Ask them what made them
let you down? afraid.
 Your power separated you from society:  Another player has kept a secret for a
why were people afraid of your powers, long time: what is the secret? Ask them why
and what do you still fear? they confided in you.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

123 123
X Storm Conduit
You have a supernatural ability. Select two of the supernatural powers below, or work with your
Judge to create two that fit your character:
Super Strength, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Animal Transformation, Technopathy, Element Control,
Weapon Manifestation, Portal Creation, , .
You have these powers and can use them in simple ways without complications. When you use
your powers in the face of a challenge, Roll and add +1 for each relevant baggage you have.
On a 10+, you’re able to use your abilities to succeed without complication.
On a 7-9, you succeed, but must select one option from the list below:
 You cause substantial collateral damage to the area around you
 You are overtaken by a force with its own will
 Something or someone you care about is hurt, lost, or destroyed
On a 6 or less, you succeed, but must select two options from the list instead.

Abilities
You have “Storm Conduit”. Select two abilities from the list here:
Archmage Ascension Dark Card Games
When you roll your Storm Conduit ability, you When you or someone else begins a card
can choose an additional complication from game, you can do any number of the
the list. If you do, you can select one of these following:
benefits:  Change the area around you to be more
 Imbue your powers into the area around suitable for battle and those watching.
you, changing it forever.
 Allow any number of people to watch the
 Transform into a manifestation of fight that aren’t physically there.
your powers, allowing you to use them in
stronger ways.  Establish that the loser will face
supernatural consequences (such as losing
 Break the rules of reality in order to do memories, becoming cursed to stay in one
something seemingly impossible. place, or becoming unable to battle again).

Clairvoyant Divination Hidden Power

So long as you have a piece of a place Replace one of your generic staples with a
or person (a deck for a person, a book staple from another Playbook.
for a library, etc) you can Understand
Someone’s True Feelings or Investigate Your When you could replace a generic staple for
Surroundings for things that you cannot another generic staple, you may choose to
otherwise interact with. instead replace the staple gained with this
ability with one from another Playbook.
Combat Trained
(Requires: Storm Conduit) Apex of Power
(Requires: Storm Conduit)
When you would spend Advantage, you can
instead roll your Storm Conduit ability. Select two additional powers from the Storm
Conduit list, or create two new powers with
your Judge.

124
124
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Lose 1 life.
Draw 2 cards.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

125 125
Roleplaying The Medium
The Medium is a very angsty playbook at its heart - your character is going to be powerful,
but will also have a lot of potential for collateral damage. Your “Storm Conduit” ability
means you’ll hurt or even destroy things you care about, with few ways to prevent this;
lean into the pain and drama there when possible! Let your character be uneasy about
getting close to people, or fall hard for any false promises of relief. When you use your
abilities, go all out on making them seem as cool and as powerful as possible.
Your +2 Passion makes you very good at getting into trouble and solving impossible
problems - for you, this may even represent you using your power in strange ways. Your
+1 Skill demonstrates a developed expertise, while your -1 Friendship expresses how your
powers leave you estranged from others. As long as it’s possible with your powers, your
“Storm Conduit” ability can solve most obstacles that are in your way - but it risks collateral
damage. Try and use the ability as much as possible anyway!
Some character traits that fit the Medium particularly well include being angsty, antisocial,
anxious, depressed, and easy to anger. These can all seem like very negative traits, but
while they might be what’s revealed on your surface, you should also come up with
positive things to reveal as people break through your shell. Leaning into these traits can
be a great start to roleplaying The Medium in a memorable and interesting way!
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
Combat Trained and Archmage Ascension are great starting places.

Example Deck
Ultraviolence Light
My deck is a representation of my supernatural power to create deadly beams of
hardlight. My Ace is what lets me enter the battlefield and fight opponents directly.
Gimmick: Actions cause collateral damage to you and your opponent
Recommended Staples: Summon Knight, Salve

Starting Deck
Regalia of Radiance of Emanation of Revival of
Ultraviolence Ultraviolence Ultraviolence Ultraviolence
Item | {Weak} Invocation Invocation Invocation
{Ace} Destroy all warriors Target warrior Gain 2 Life.
You are a {Strong} and Items on you control and
warrior with all competitors’ target warrior
{Pressure} 1. fields. If something your opponent
(You can attack. You you control was controls are both
clash with enemies that destroyed, gain 1 life. {Strengthened},
attack you as if you were
a warrior before you
gain {Piercer} 1,
take damage. You take 1 {Sniper} 1, and can
damage if you would be attack an additional
destroyed in a clash or time. This lasts until
by an effect. If an effect
targeting you doesnt make the start of your
sense, it targets the item
instead.)
next turn.

Weak Item with Ace (5EP) Invocation (3EP) Invocation (3EP) Invocation (3EP)
Become a warrior Destroy all warriors and Buffs (Powerful 4, Versatile Gain 2 life (Powerful 2,
(Powerful 3, Consistent, items (Powerful 3, Weakness, 2, Leans into Gimmick) Consistent)
Leans into Gimmick) Leans into Gimmick) Opponent Buffs (Significant
Pressure 1 (Powerful, Conditional life gain Weakness)
Consistent) (Powerful)

126
Running The Medium
When running a game for The Medium, it’s important to stress any damage they’ve
caused, so they have opportunities to face their pain and grow from it. Have people
they hurt show that hurt openly and have them ruin solutions to problems with collateral
damage. That said, it’s also very important as a Judge to be extremely aware of the
player’s limits when you do this - have a discussion with The Medium’s player about what
boundaries shouldn’t be crossed, in addition to your general discussion with players
regarding potentially triggering content. If things ever seem to be going too far, back off;
take moments to highlight the good The Medium has done with their powers too, where
possible.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Medium include:
 Have people try and use or take advantage of the player’s power
 Destroy precious things and hurt precious people
 Create problems that could be easily solved through powers
 Let someone look up to and empathise with The Medium despite all their pain
 Introduce villains that show the darkness that The Medium could become
 Reveal strange truths about the origins of their abnormal powers
The Medium’s Storm Conduit ability makes it possible for them to solve almost any
problem - but it always comes with a fairly significant risk. Presenting problems that the
player’s abilities can easily solve can create interesting dilemmas as they weigh whether
using their powers is worth it or not. Remember that simple uses of their ability don’t
require a Storm Conduit roll - only notable tasks where the possibility of failure would be
interesting - so allow the player to flavour The Medium’s actions in fun ways based on
their abilities to their heart’s content. If none of the example abilities quite work, then you
can work with the player to create a new power. If you do this, try and make it something
with a lot of destructive potential as well as powerful applications for problem solving.
The other abilities that The Medium takes can mean changing your strategies for running
them and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the
game with those abilities involved:
Archmage Ascension: This ability lets the player do even stronger things with their abilities
at the cost of even more collateral damage. All of these upsides are rather open-ended in
what they mean, but you should generally lean into whatever the player assumes it means
and what seems the coolest and most powerful at the moment. Remember that the
player is making a pretty big sacrifice to use this power; the moment they’re done taking
advantage of it, there’ll likely be consequences left in their wake.
Dark Card Games: When a player takes this ability they gain the power to transform card
games, using them for supernatural or abnormal effects whenever they want. Note that
while The Medium is always the cause of these effects on the card game, the competitors
are always the ones who get to define what the stakes look like. All players involved (Judge
included) must agree to the stakes, supernatural or not.
Clairvoyant Divination: This ability lets the player learn information when only a remnant
of something is around. Note that this doesn’t just mean conjecture from a crime scene
or realisations from questioning people related to the topic at hand - anyone can do that.
This ability lets you use arbitrarily connected details to formulate complete pictures as if
the person or event was right there.
Hidden Power: By design, playbook-specific staples are stronger than standard staples,
This option is the main way to access staples from other playbooks in Perfect Draw! - this
means that The Medium can do this fairly easily through a standard ability selection, while
other characters would have to take this through using the ‘Take an ability from another
playbook’ advancement.
Combat Trained: This ability gives the player another way to theoretically access infinite
advantage in combat. Players can already use the Risk Everything to Win ability to gain
advantage, but uses of Storm Conduit don’t always require a sacrifice - even if the
sacrifice is often of a different scale.
Apex of Power: Choosing this will allow the player to solve even more problems than they
otherwise could with their Storm Conduit ability. Generally at this point the player should
be versatile enough to handle almost any tricky situation if they truly want to - let them!

127
 The Destined
You’re a part of something greater than
yourself; pulled into a game of fate whether
you like it or not. Your destiny is known to you
and plagued with calamity. Despite this, the
cursed object that marks your destiny grants
you the resolve and ability to overcome it.
Example Archetypes: Ancient hero with an evil following
them, Kid who made a pact with a dark power, Time
traveller from the future with a dire message

Passion Skill Friendship

1 1 0
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Large, Strange, Aggressive,

Clothes: Punk, Mysterious, Unusual,

Game Tools: Out of place, Ancient,

Supernatural,
Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

128
128
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Underworld Saviors, Warriors of Fantastical Realms, Space-Time Magi)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 This deck is what started you on the path to your destiny, and
represents that destiny
 It represents the kind of person you were before you were set on your
destined path
 It represents a power that has been forgotten by modern people and
you still know.


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Reincarnate my warriors by discarding, Effects that revolve around a single
powerful item in my deck, Significant effects that take several turns to pay off)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 You know someone who holds a similar  Another player helped you discover your
mark of destiny to yours: why are they destiny: how? Ask them how they helped
hunting you? and why.
 A conspiracy of people related to your  Another player is tied to your destiny in
destiny want you gone: how do they intend a way they don’t yet know: how? Ask them
to do this? why they deny it.
 You know someone who may know more  You met another player but they can’t
about your destiny: who are they and what remember you: what happened? Ask them
do they study? why they don’t recall.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

129 129
X Mark of Destiny
Something terrible is going to happen in the future, a danger on a world shattering scale.
Describe that danger:
You have a mark that ties you to this destiny. This mark makes it clear, to those that know of it,
that you are connected to the danger described above: it could be a symbol, object, card, or
anything else that makes sense. Describe it here:
Your mark grants you a unique and strange power. Select one of the following:
Search your deck for a card and add it to your hand immediately.
Ask the Judge any one question that they must answer truthfully.
Name something you would like to go in your favour. It does.
Appear exactly where you need to be
Whenever you use the ability granted by your mark, lose a battle, or turn down the call for
heroic action, mark the destruction track:
Destruction Track:
When you win a battle or discover something new about your destiny, remove a mark from the
destruction track, unless it is full.
When the destruction track is full, your destiny comes to bear. Work with the Judge to define
the significance of this and its repercussions; it could be a single major moment or a calamitous
event taking place over a period of time. Gain serious baggage. Lose this ability and any
abilities that require it. Advance a number of times equal to the number of abilities you lost.

Abilities
You have “Mark of Destiny”. Select two abilities from the list here:
Spirit of the Cards Advanced Ritual Arts
You can see and hear the spirits of your deck. You know of powerful rituals that are old or
While invisible to everyone else, they are secret. When you prepare a ritual, select one
cooperative and willing to do anything you of the following:
ask of them that doesn’t put them in danger.  Communicate with something or
Select two of the following benefits: someone
They can go anywhere, allowing them to  Travel somewhere unreachable instantly
hear and see things far away from you.  Create a copy of something without
They can manifest, allowing them to supernatural nature
make themselves temporarily physical, Then roll+Skill. Apply any baggage related
visible to others, and able to interact with penalties.
the world. On a 10+, your Judge will define one thing
They can teach you, allowing you to ask necessary to complete the ritual.
them questions. If it is about card game On a 7-9, they will instead define two things.
lore or culture, the judge must answer
correctly. On a 6 or less, the ritual fails in some way.
Gain baggage.
They can support you, allowing them to
help you emotionally; they can support
you when you Overcome Your Weakness. It’s Time to Duel
When you would Enter a Dangerous Situation,
you may instead choose to initiate a card
Plot Armour game, so long as the danger or its source is
Fate aligns itself to keep you safe. When you something that could be battled.
roll a 6 or less, you may choose to reroll. Mark
a box below when doing this:
Enhanced Mark
(Requires: Mark of Destiny)
When all boxes are marked, you cannot You may select one additional power that
use this ability. When you complete a battle, your Mark of Destiny grants you.
unmark all boxes.

Destined to Win
Add +1 to all rolls you make that use Combat
Tension.

130
130
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Draw 2 cards.
Put one card
from your hand
on the bottom
of your deck.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

131 131
Roleplaying The Destined
When you choose to play The Destined, you’re making a big impact on the campaign. By
taking this playbook, it’s now true that something dangerous is on the horizon - something
that you are, in some major way, tied to. Due to your Mark of Destiny ability, you’ll gain
some amount of power over things other players simply can’t interact with, without any
rolls required - but each time you use these powers, you’ll also bring your destruction
closer and closer. Ideally you do want the danger to come about eventually, but you
should aim to have it align with a climactic moment in your campaign for maximum
dramatic impact. Remember that passing up heroic actions is another way to progress
the Destruction Track, so be careful ignoring things that other players could turn a blind
eye to.
Your +1 to both Skill and Passion mean that you’re fairly good at both getting things done
and getting into danger. While your Mark of Destiny ability can solve a lot of problems you
might have, it’s also very important to use it with caution where possible. Clearing your
Destruction Track requires winning battles or learning new things about your destiny -
work towards doing these things as often as possible so you can make the most use of
your ability where it counts.
Some character traits that fit the Destined particularly well include being cool-headed,
determined, knowledgeable, protective, and committed. Knowing that danger could
come about because you didn’t stop it can weigh on a person, and The Destined is no
exception. Try and give them moments where they sacrifice safety and happiness for
themselves in the name of the greater good. Leaning into these traits can be a great start
to roleplaying The Destined in a memorable and evocative way!
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
Destined to Win and Plot Armour are great starting places.

Example Deck
Chthonian Thaumaturgy
This deck represents a power that has been lost to the people of the modern world.
My Ace reminds me of the same curse I am forced to bear.
Gimmick: Effects that revolve around a single powerful item in my deck
Recommended Staples: Fireball, Silence

Starting Deck
Torches of Hekate Path of the Triple Medea, Priest of Empousa,
Item | {Weak} Goddess Hekate Chthonian Guard
Invocation Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong}
{Ace}
When you use one Choose one: When you play this {Overwork}
of your staples for -Gain 1 life card, choose one: You may play this
the first time on -Target {Weak} card from your
your turn, you may -Create a {Normal} graveyard.
warrior item gains
use it a second time {Inconspicuous}
immediately. -Destroy target while this is on the
Torches of Hekate warrior with the field.
always starts as most power an
opponent controls -Put a {Weak} item
the top card of your from the graveyard
deck. onto the field.
Weak Item with Ace (5EP) Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Strong Warrior (0EP)
Double staples (Powerful 2, 3 choices (Versatile 2) Choice (Versatile) Overwork (Significant
Consistent, Versatile, Leans All 3 choices (Powerful) Both choices (Powerful, Weakness)
into gimmick) Consistent, Leans into Play from graveyard
Start on top of deck gimmick) (Powerful, Consistent)
(Powerful, Consistent)

132
Running The Destined
A player choosing The Destined as their playbook is going to have a fairly major impact
on your game. Whatever the player describes as the oncoming danger should ideally
happen at some point during the campaign, and be foreshadowed frequently before
then. If the player chose something disruptive to the plot or the other players, it may be
worth discussing a more appropriate alternative for the campaign with them. Otherwise,
just try and couple any other stories into the oncoming danger where you can.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Destined include:
 Foretell the ways that destiny coming to pass could be catastrophic
 Introduce villains that have a similar connection to the oncoming danger
 Create hard choices around sacrifices for stopping destiny coming to pass
 Let magic and strange things manifest across the world
 Allow uneasy alliances to be made for the sake of the greater good
 Make filling the Destruction Track a big moment in the campaign
The Destined’s Mark of Destiny ability should always be a consideration when playing a
campaign including them. When the Destruction Track is close to being completed, it’s
worth considering what the oncoming danger occuring could mean for your campaign.
If you want the oncoming danger to come faster, you can present more opportunities
for heroic action that the player can turn down, or otherwise encourage the player to
use their ability more. If you want the oncoming danger to be staved off for a time, you
can give the player opportunities to learn new details about their destiny, or give them
chances to get into battle with villains.
The other abilities that The Destined takes can mean changing your strategies for running
them and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the
game with those abilities involved:
Destined to Win: This ability is a rarity among abilities in Perfect Draw! because it makes
The Destined unequivocally better at card game combat. Be sure not to increase the
difficulty of fights just because of this - let the ability be a direct boon to express their
talent.
It’s Time to Duel: While this ability lets The Destined create battles whenever they would
Enter a Dangerous Situation, this only works if the cause for the danger is something that
could feasibly be battled. If a player jumped into a burning building, then it’s probably
impossible to battle the fire. Note that if a player has taken this ability it may be more
important to consider gimmicks for less notable characters. As a fall-back, you can always
use one of the example gimmicks and roll-on move tables from this book or ask your
players for a moment while you figure out an appropriate course of action.
Spirit of the Cards: When a player takes this ability, you should take a moment to talk with
them about what form these spirits take. Is it a specific card from your deck; if so, which
one? If it’s many spirits, can you hear the spirits of other people’s cards? These questions
can help inform which options the player chooses. Note that any options the player doesn’t
select are downsides and act as things the spirits can’t do no matter what.
Advanced Ritual Art: This ability gives the player a grab bag of different magical options
for their toolkit - though only if they have the necessary preparations. As the Judge, you
define these “necessary things”, letting the act of gathering or arranging them act as
small quests for the player to use their magic. You should scale the difficulty of these
quests based on the impact of what they’re doing - if the players simply want to talk to
each other, then it may only need you to gather in a specific location. Comparatively, if the
players are trying to copy the keys to a bank vault, they may be required to battle against
a particularly powerful foe.
Plot Armour: This ability gives the player the opportunity to reroll failures once between
each battle. Be wary that if the player gets into battle too often, it’s very likely that they’ll
almost always succeed on their rolls - it may be worth finding appropriate chances to give
them baggage via other methods so they can still level up at a rate similar to the other
players, to avoid this ability becoming a detriment to the player if used.
Enhanced Mark: This ability improves on the Mark of Destiny base ability of The Destined
by giving them an additional power and expanding their Destruction Track. To expand the
destruction track, simply draw an additional box next to the existing destruction track.

133
 The Idealist
Many people drift through life without
something to truly believe in. But not you.
There’s something you care deeply about, a
dream you will strive and fight for. While not
everyone is like you, there are others who
maybe you can convince.
Example Archetypes: Conspiracy theorist close to
the truth, Activist with a bleeding heart, Online blogger
posting about discourse

Passion Skill Friendship

1 0 1
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Well groomed, Messy, Boring,

Clothes: Approachable, Traditional, Iconic,

Game Tools: Old, Personalised, Strange,

Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

134
134
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Foresthome Critters, Shooting Star Magical Girls, Wooden Shrine Maidens)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 Your deck represents the ideals that you hold so close and acts as a
weapon to fight for those ideals
 Your deck once belonged to someone close to you before they died
at an early age
 You build your deck around a single card that matters to you in a deep
and personal way


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Take control of opponents’ warriors, Protect my most important game pieces
from being killed, Win without reducing my opponent to 0 life)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 You lost someone who instilled your  You’ve known another player since youth:
ideology into you: how are you going to fulfil what do you look up to in them? Ask them
their last wish? the same.
 You have an ideological rival whom you  Another player helped you against an
despise: what power or resource of theirs ideological opponent: how did they help?
do you fear? Ask them why.
 An organisation is looking to stop your  Another player could be a powerful ally
efforts: what did you do to make them to your cause: why? Ask them what they
angry? disagree with from your cause.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

135 135
X The Thing I Believe In
You follow an ideal that fundamentally informs everything you do. It’s a philosophy that tells you
what matters and what you oppose.
Select one of the following ideologies, or work with your Judge to create your own:
Law (opposing: crime) Justice (opposing: falsehood)
Humanity (opposing: industry) Freedom (opposing: hierarchy)
Friendship (opposing: solitude) Individuality (opposing: similarity)
Safety (opposing: danger) Comfort (opposing: chaos)
Destiny (opposing: free will) (opposing: )
When you do something that exemplifies, forwards, or encourages your ideology, you gain +1 to
any rolls related to that action.
When you make an action that exemplifies, forwards, or encourages your opposed ideology,
you take -1 to that roll.

Abilities
You have “The Thing I Believe In”. Select two abilities from the list here:
Selfless Squire Mask Change
You have a protege who trains under you and You have a secondary persona, such as a
believes in your cause. So long as you won’t superhero personality or another you. Only
put them in particular danger, they will do those you tell know you are the same person.
what you ask without additional requests. You can swap between these personas at any
Select two benefits your protege has: time including in battle, so long as only people
that know can see you.
They are experienced and won’t require
any assistance Select two cards from your deck: these cards
They will always be available no matter are removed from your deck whenever you
the circumstance swap to your second persona. Create two
cards using the create a card rules. For each
They can blend in with your enemies card with {Ace}, you may create a new card
without standing out with {Ace}.
They are willing to do even life threatening These cards are added to your deck when
tasks you swap to your second persona. Shuffle
and replace any cards in your hand if you did
this in battle. When you return to your primary
My Greatest Enemy persona, swap that persona’s cards in your
(Requires: The Thing I Believe In)
deck with the originals.
If your opponent exemplifies, forwards, or
encourages your opposed ideology, your rolls
made with Combat Tension are made with a Twin Ideologies
minimum of +2. (Requires: The Thing I Believe In)
Select an additional ideology for your The
Thing I Believe In ability, or work with the
Share the Pain Judge to create your own. The bonuses and
Whenever another player gains baggage, penalties of both ideologies can stack.
you can choose to gain the same or an
appropriatly related baggage.

Propagandist
When you Convey Your Ideals, you may select
one fewer option than you would otherwise
need to select. After using this, you cannot do
this again until you complete a battle.

136
136
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

{Overwork}
Gain 1 Life.
Target
opponent loses 1
life. {Strengthen}
target warrior.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

137 137
Roleplaying The Idealist
The core of The Idealist is the titular ideal that drives your character’s actions and
worldview. This ideal could be a belief in justice, freedom, humanity, or any other number
of beliefs - express why this core aspect is so key to your character’s behaviour when
playing them. You may also want to consider how the opposing ideology factors into
the equation, and why your character refuses to give into it or embody it. Whatever you
believe in real life, you should lean as hard as possible into your character’s ideal and
pursue it in the story, whether for good or for ill.
Your +1 to Passion and Friendship makes you fairly good at both conveying to others the
worth of your ideology and overcoming whatever dangers stand in your way. Your The
Thing I Believe In ability makes you excel at anything that forwards your ideology - and,
conversely, very bad at any task that would ask you to go against your morals. You should
take this as an opportunity to exemplify, forward, and encourage your ideology at every
possible opportunity.
Some character traits that fit The Idealist particularly well include being charismatic,
two-faced, forceful, devout, and single-minded. Depending on your ideology, you may
want to focus on other traits as well - someone who believes in Safety above all else may
be anxious or overly protective, someone who believes in Humanity may be fascinated
by others, and so forth. Leaning into these traits can be a great start to roleplaying The
Idealist in a memorable and interesting way.
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
My Greatest Enemy and Propagandist are great starting places.

Example Deck
Shining Glade Insects
Just like me, these insects work to keep their home safe no matter the circumstances.
My Ace is the strongest of these warriors and one I see myself in.
Gimmick: Protect my most important game pieces from being killed
Recommended Staples: Summon Dragon, Reconsider

Starting Deck
Shining Glade Shining Glade Shining Glade The Shining Glade
Paladin Moth Beetle Blockade Spider Knight Item | {Weak}
Warrior | {Strong} Invocation Warrior | {Normal} {Pressure} 3
{Ace} Create three When Spider Knight
Target warrior {Weak} warriors attacks, remove
or item gains with {Blocker}. a warrior an
{Inconspicuous} and opponent controls
can’t attack while from play. Return it
this is on the field. to the field at the
end of their next
turn.

Strong Warrior with Ace Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Weak Item (4EP)
(1EP) Creates three blockers Remove warrior (Powerful Pressure 3 (Powerful 3,
Protect and hide effect (Powerful 3, Consistent, 2, Versatile 2, Leans into Consistent)
(Powerful, Versatile, Leans Leans into Gimmick) Gimmick)
into Gimmick)

138
 Running The Idealist
The Idealist is going to be a very focused character by nature - most of what they do is
going to centre on the primary conflict between their ideology and its opposed ideology.
Finding ways to centre this conflict as a key theme for the whole campaign can be a
useful way to help the Idealist fit keenly within the narrative. Note that some conflicts can
be potentially triggering to other players, so it’s best asking if other players are okay with
the key ideological conflict The Idealist has chosen for the story.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Idealist include:
 Introduce villains that represent everything The Idealist fights against
 Complicate the player’s ideology and reveal grey morality
 Create real opportunities for the player to change the world
 Let the player convince NPCs to aid them in their cause
 Leverage the beliefs of people close to The Idealist, whether they agree or disagree
 Give the player the moral high ground against villains
The Idealist’s The Thing I Believe In ability requires consideration about what “exemplifies,
forwards, or encourages’’ means in your game. Generally you should be rather lenient
when it comes to giving the player a bonus for leaning into their ideology - but at the
same time, you should be consistent with opposition to those things being deemed
leaning into the opposing ideology. If a player staying home is considered leaning into
-“Safety”, then a character leaving town should be considered “Danger”. It’s possible The
Idealist’s ideology may change or become more complex over time - if it does, work with
the player to change what their ideology means. When defining a new ideology with a
player, you should try and choose very wide and open-ended topics that could come into
active conflict within your campaign.
The other abilities that The Idealist takes can mean changing your strategies for running
them and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the
game with those abilities involved:
Selfless Squire: When a player takes this ability, they should create a new NPC or
choose someone who makes sense from the existing NPC cast - this person is now their
protege. This character should become fairly central to the supporting cast and be easily
accessible whenever needed. Note that whatever choices the player doesn’t choose act
as downsides that can cause complications during play.
Mask Change: This ability grants the player the ability to have two separate personas,
each with different cards in their deck. Logistically, this can cause some complications
depending on the method by which you’re playing Perfect Draw! (such as with sleeved
cards, or online) - if using two different sets of cards would cause any issues, we
recommend just making one card be treated as the other while the player is in their less-
often used persona. You should be lenient with what “only people that know can see you”
means - if a player wants to swap mid fight, give them an opportunity to jump off stage
before swapping personas and continuing with their battle.
My Greatest Enemy: This ability gives the player a big head-start whenever confronting
enemies that fit in with their opposed ideology. If the player’s taken this ability, you should
try and introduce villains that exemplify the player’s opposed ideology whenever possible.
Share the Pain: By allowing the player to take baggage whenever another player gains
baggage, The Idealist can fight for and alongside other players’ causes. That said, it’s also
possible for the player to end up taking the spotlight away from the player that originally
gained the baggage, so you should be careful to always direct attention to the primary
person involved in the conflict when possible.
Propagandist: This ability makes the player’s Convey Your Ideals move much more
powerful; unlike most players it’s now possible for them to convince people without any
additional requirements, and even when they do roll 7-9 they’ll only face complications
other players would have normally faced on a 10+. This has the potential to lower the
stakes and drama on some otherwise impactful moments - you should take this as a
chance to double down and express impact through roleplay.
Twin Ideologies: This ability gives The Idealist a second ideology. Make sure that the new
ideology is sufficiently different from the original - it shouldn’t be particularly easy to get a
+2 unless the circumstances align.

139
 The Turncoat
You’re well aware of the fact that you used
to be a villain. It’s not something you can just
erase… you’re simply trying to make amends
for it. The darkness that lives inside of you is
something you’ve since overcome, but your
past still exists, haunting you even today.
Example Archetypes: Petty criminal who hurt someone
badly, Dark wizard with moral aspirations, Misguided
youth who was shown the light

Passion Skill Friendship

0 1 1
Select one stat and increase its value by one.
Name:
Pronouns:
Look
Hair: Fashionable, Brooding, Shady

Clothes: Punk, Cloaked, Dark,

Game Tools: High-tech, Broken, Personal,

Other:

Experience:
Once each box has been ticked, advance.

Major Advancement:
Advancement: Once you have selected three
When you advance, take one of these advancements, you may also select these
options: options upon advancing instead:
 Take an ability from your Playbook  Take an ability from your Playbook
 Take an ability from another Playbook  Take an ability from another Playbook
 Add a new staple to your Staple List  Add a new staple to your Staple List
 Increase one of your stats by one  Create a new {Ace} card (You may
now gain the benefits of the Play your
Tick the box of the option you picked. You {Ace} Card move twice per game)
cannot take an option with all boxes ticked.  Complete your character’s final goal.
Retire your character.

140
140
 Create Your Deck
Deck Archetype:
(Suggestions: Demon King’s Arsenal, Orbital-Laser 0451, Puppetstring Circus)
Select one reason this deck is important to you:
 Your deck was a part of your evil plot that you’ve now thankfully
given up on
 Your deck is a dark and twisted version of another player’s deck from
when you had a vendetta against them
 You deck is a reformed version of a deck you used to pilot, it’s much
kinder than before.


Describe your deck’s gimmick:

(Suggestions: Silence my opponents warriors so they can’t act, Items that win the game over
time if not dealt with, Recur and reanimate cards from my graveyard)
Create four cards for your deck. One of these cards is your {Ace}.
Describe why your Ace is important to you in particular:

Answer One Question for Each Section

Your Struggles: Your Friends:
 You betrayed someone important to  Another player is the reason you
you: how did you hurt them, and have they changed your ways: how? Ask them why
forgiven you? they cared.
 An old ally from your villainous days  Another player never stopped believing
wants you to help them: what with, and why in you: why were you close? Ask them how
do you not want to refuse? you hurt them.
 A henchman or protege still believes  You tricked another player into working
you’re the same as before: do you believe with you: how? Ask them how they feel
them? about that time.
 

Gain baggage. You and that player each gain baggage.

Baggage
o o
o o
o o
o o
o o
Fill in o if the baggage is serious.

141 141
X My Dark Past
You have a history of villainy and evil you’re trying to put behind you. Whenever you take
baggage, you can instead choose to describe something terrible you did in your past and list
it below. Whenever you do this, you also need to choose another character (either a player or
an NPC) to add to the “Person” section. Once you do this, decide whether that person was an
-“Accomplice” or a “Victim”. Accomplices are people who helped you do terrible things, whereas
victims are people who were hurt by the things you did.
Terrible Thing: Person:
(accomplice/victim)
Terrible Thing: Person:
(accomplice/victim)
Terrible Thing: Person:
(accomplice/victim)
During character setup, describe a terrible thing you did in your past and choose another
player. Ask that player whether they were a victim or accomplice.
Whenever you attempt to defeat, overcome, or compel to goodness an accomplice, gain +1 to
any rolls you make. If you succeed, remove the terrible thing and gain experience.
When you seek forgiveness from or try to compensate a victim, gain +1 to any rolls you make. If
you successfully made up for the terrible thing you did, remove it and gain experience.

Abilities
You have “My Dark Past”. Select two abilities from the list here:
Self Improvement We’re Not So Different...
(Requires: My Dark Past) (Requires: My Dark Past)
When you remove a terrible thing from When a villain does something reminiscent
your list for any reason, select one of the of one of your terrible things, you can always
options from Take a Moment to Recuperate. treat rolls of 6 or less as if they were 7-9 when
You can use that option without the Judge you Understand Someone’s True Feelings or
progressing any enemy plans. Convey Your Ideals.

Take a Stand Underworld Prestige

When you expose someone’s hypocrisy, When you use your history as a villain to
roll+Skill. Apply any baggage related get what you want, either by intimidating
penalties. someone innocent or tricking a villain into
On a 10+, choose two. thinking you’re on their side, roll+Skill. Apply
any baggage related penalties.
On a 7-9, choose one.
On a 10+, you succeed.
 They admit that they did wrong.
On a 7-9, you succeed but choose one:
 Someone that they hurt becomes  You need to hurt someone or
your ally. something you care about in order to
 You don’t anger them or cause them make them believe you.
to think badly of you.  An ally falls for your lie as well.
On a 6 or less, you fumble and make things  Something damages or obstructs
worse; gain baggage. your presentation as a villain.
Embracing Your Darkness On a 6 or less, they see right through you.
Gain baggage.
(Requires: My Dark Past)
When you do something terrible to get what
you want, name a victim or accomplice. You This is Personal
(Requires: My Dark Past)
achieve your goal and affect the world in a
While in a battle with a victim or accomplice
substantial way. Add this to your list of terrible and you Risk Everything to Win, roll with double
things and take serious baggage. your Tension.

142
142
 Combat Tension Questions
Have you lost at least Has your opponent used Has something or someone you
half your life in this your baggage to gain an care about more than yourself
card game? advantage over you? been put at risk?

Staples

Create a
{Strong} warrior.
Sacrifice a
warrior.

Add two staples from the generic staples list. Rename all staples.

Cards in my Deck
You can add any of the cards in your deck here so you can reference them, even while you’re
in the middle of card game combat. Otherwise, feel free to use this space for notes or ideas.

143 143
Roleplaying The Turncoat
The central questions regarding The Turncoat’s character and motivation are “What dark
past did I lead?” and “Why do I regret it?” It’s okay to not have all the details at first - in
fact, leaving that space open to be filled over time may be beneficial - but it’s very worth
figuring out some parts of your past at least. Your dark past allows you to reframe a lot of
characters in the narrative as either victims or accomplices from your past; try and choose
possibilities that add drama and emotional stakes to the story. Note that whatever you
did in your past, it should be possible for the other characters and players to have forgiven
you: be careful to avoid anything that players have mentioned as triggering or request to
be absent from the campaign. This will naturally vary from campaign to campaign, but as
a rule of thumb we recommend avoiding any events that any players at the table might
have had real-life traumatic experiences with.
Your initial +1 to Skill represents your past expertise as a fierce antagonistic figure, while
your +1 Friendship indicates how you’ve done your best to atone and improve. Your My
Dark Past ability defines misdeeds you did in the past, granting you additional bonuses
whenever you try to make amends for something you did wrong. Making up for your past
should be at the front of your mind as much as possible while you’re playing The Turncoat.
Some character traits that fit The Turncoat particularly well include being remorseful,
powerful, intimidating, strangely empathetic, and overly conscious. Considering how you
used to act when you were a worse person can be a good idea as well, since regressing to
your earlier, negative behaviours can create intensely impactful story moments. Leaning
into these traits can be a great start to roleplaying The Turncoat in a memorable and
emotional way.
If you’re having difficulty deciding on what abilities to choose during character creation,
We’re Not So Different... and This is Personal are great starting places.

Example Deck
Reformed Spider Queen
I used to run this deck as the leader of my gang, today I’ve made some changes so
that it’s kinder. My Ace reminds me of my goal to find happiness.
Gimmick: Recur threats from my graveyard
Recommended Staples: Reconsider, Summon Knight

Starting Deck
Arachne, Reformed Reformed Reformed Thralls Spider Queen’s
Villainess Monstrosity Warrior | {Normal} Loom
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong} Invocation
Gain 1 Life if your
{Ace} {Overwhelm} graveyard is empty. Discard your hand.
You can play Draw that many
{Sniper} 1 This card can not cards.
be played from your Reformed
When Arachne hand. Thralls from your
enters the {Followup}
graveyard.
battlefield, return
target warrior from
the graveyard to the
field.

Normal Warrior with Ace Strong Warrior (0EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP)
(3EP) Overwhelm (Powerful, Conditional gain life Discard, redraw (Powerful)
Sniper (Powerful) Consistent) (Powerful) Followup (Powerful,
Return from Graveyard Can’t be played from hand Can be played from Versatile)
(Powerful 2, Versatile, (Significant Weakness) graveyard (Powerful,
Leans into Gimmick) Consistent, Leans into
Gimmick)

144
Running The Turncoat
When running a game for The Turncoat, you should make sure to listen closely when they
describe their dark past and the events therein. Ideally, you want to utilise any thematically
resonant details of their past that they’ve mentioned consistently throughout the game.
Note that it may be important to rein in the scope and intensity of The Turncoat’s ‘terrible
things’ relative to the campaign you’re in - for instance it may prove hard for the players
to work together and connect with one another if The Turncoat once laughed while killing
an innocent child. Keep a careful eye on whether players are uncomfortable with anything
going on, and ask The Turncoat to lessen what happened in the past if needed.
Some key actions that you should take when running a game for The Turncoat include:
 Put their past evil acts in the focus of the narrative
 Make both victims and accomplices antagonists whenever possible
 Give the player control over the past, and let them define how they messed up
 Create moments where they can achieve forgiveness and make up for the past
 Tempt the player with reasons to fall back into amoral past behaviours
 Listen to details from the player’s stories and use them whenever you can
The Turncoat’s My Dark Past ability encourages the player to have history with both NPCs
and their fellow players. When The Turncoat’s player first makes their character, they’ll
need to make at least one ‘terrible thing’ to begin with, and ask another player whether
they were an accomplice or victim. Without specific baggage to base this on, players can
sometimes be caught off guard at having to come up with something - in these situations,
something generic like “I robbed the local card store” is a fair jumping-off point. If you’re
trying to decide whether a particular action made by The Turncoat fulfils the criteria
of “attempting to defeat, overcome, or compel to goodness” an accomplice or “seeking
forgiveness from, or trying to compensate” a victim, consider the player’s intention - if
that’s the main reason they chose to take that path of action, it should count.
The other abilities that The Turncoat takes can mean changing your strategies for running
them and some may require input on your part. Here’s some guidance on running the
game with those abilities involved:
Self Improvement: This ability grants additional benefits when the player removes an
event from their list of terrible things. Note that this can let the player remove cards from
their deck much faster then other players - if the player does this, encourage them to
make thematic choices that change their deck over time.
We’re Not So Different...: This ability can sometimes prove mechanically unusual because
it encourages players to keep around multiple Terrible Things rather then removing them.
It’s worth trying to find opportunities where succeeding on the Understand Someone’s
True Feelings or Convey Your Ideals roll would allow them to remove that terrible thing
anyways in order to streamline gameplay.
Take a Stand: Because this ability allows the player to call out hypocrisy in a more direct
and impactful manner than other players, if a player’s taken this ability, you should try
and create encounters where NPCs are acting under hypocritical pretences. Give them
conflicting ideas or faulty justifications; this can lead to exciting and interesting story
moments!
Embracing the Darkness: From a purely mechanical standpoint, this move offers a
massive benefit in the form of accomplishing a goal while gaining baggage and a terrible
thing, both of which are sources of experience. To balance this, it’s important to really
emphasise the sheer impact on the narrative and consequences it brings when the player
uses this ability - it should be a large, even harrowing moment.
Underworld Prestige: Because this ability relies on people still thinking of The Turncoat
as someone with villainous potential, it’s worth keeping the character’s darkness or
redemption in question if they take this ability. It’s important that the player is always
making a deception when they use this ability, but one that NPCs or even players could
conceivably believe as true.
This is Personal: Because this ability gives the players benefits when they fight with
a victim or accomplice, you should give the player opportunities to fight with these
characters whenever possible. Put these characters in the player’s way and give them
motivation to bring them to blows with The Turncoat, or fight alongside them.

145
Advancement
When players fill their experience tracks, the can choose to advance.
When advancing, choose one option from the Advancement section
on your Playbook and mark the box. If you can’t mark a box for that
option, you can’t choose that option for your advancement. Once you
have made at least three advancements, you may instead choose
advancements from the Major Advancements section on your Playbook.
If a player chooses not to advance when they fill their experience track,
they can choose to fulfil that advancement at any time in the future. You
can’t gain experience while your experience track is full. Each Playbook
has the same advancement options, described here:

Take an ability from your Playbook

When you take this advancement, you may choose any of the abilities on
your Playbook that you don’t already have, and have your character gain
them (This includes abilities that playbooks start with like The Rogues “A
Trick up Your Sleeve” and The Spirit’s “Unusual Origin”).

Take an ability from another Playbook

When you take this advancement, you may choose any ability from
a Perfect Draw! Playbook and take it. Add this move to your sheet in
whatever way you prefer (copy/paste, cutouts, writing): it is now a part
of your Playbook. Certain moves will have requirements to take them
(For example, The Rogue’s Extra Prepared move requires A Trick Up Your
Sleeve); to take these moves, you will need the required move first.

Add a new staple to your Staple List

When you take this advancement, you may choose any generic staple
from the generic staples list, and add it to your staples list in addition to
your other staples. This means that the first time you take this, you’ll have
four staples, and the second time, you’ll have five.

Increase one of your stats by one

When you take this advancement, choose one of your stats (Passion,
Skill, or Friendship), and increase its value by one: it is now permanently
increased by that amount.

Changing Playbooks
If for whatever reason, you feel like your characters story has changed enough
that their playbook no longer fits them, you and your Judge can choose to change
your playbook. When you do this, check how many advancements you’ve already
completed and make a new character with the same number of advancements. You
should keep the same name and deck you’ve been using already. The Judge should be
lenient with you if you need additional “Take an ability from another Playbook” options
for your character to still make sense.

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Create a new {Ace} card
This is a special advancement option that can only be after unlocking
your major advancements. When you take this advancement, you may
immediately create a new card using the card creation rules described in
Chapter 3. This card has {Ace}. Shuffle it into your deck. You do not need
to answer why it is important to you on your sheet, but it may be useful
for you to.

You also unlock the ability to use Play Your {Ace} Card twice in the battle
instead of the usual one time. If you could use it twice or more by other
means, you can instead use it an additional time.

Complete your character’s final goal. Retire your

character.
This is a special advancement option that can be taken once per
character, and only after unlocking your major advancements. When you
take this advancement, you first “Complete your character’s final goal”;
this means that whatever goal the character currently has (defined by
you) is completed and accomplished successfully. This is your chance
to be bombastic and special, to redefine the world around you in a
significant way, and to leave behind an impact that won’t be forgotten.
Work with the Judge to decide what this means for your character.

You then “Retire your character”. Retiring can mean many things; it could
be that your character died, has been injured enough to put them out of
commission, or has simply moved on past the goals of the other players.

Either way, retiring your character means you are no longer playing as
them. Instead, create a new character. You may create this character as
if they had already advanced once.

If you took this advancement in the middle of a session, it may be

useful to continue playing your character until after the session is over or
another appropriate moment, retiring them once it ends and introducing
your new character in the following session.

New Options After the First Ten Advancements

By default, Perfect Draw! offers ten advancement options that make your character
stronger while including one final eleventh option that retires your character all together
while letting them do something spectacular as a send off. This encourages the focus
of the story to change over time - but some players in longer campaigns may want to
keep their character around while still advancing and getting stronger.
In these situations, we recommend adding additional boxes to “Take an ability from
another playbook” once that player has marked each box other then “Complete your
character’s final goal. Retire your character.” Each of these boxes should require a
greater number of advancements to take than normal - starting at two, and increasing
by one for each time the player has taken an advancement after the first 10. This will
help to ensure the player never gets too much stronger than everyone else at the table.

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Chapter Five
Shuffle City
This chapter describes “Shuffle City”; this is the default setting for Perfect
Draw! and can be a great jumping-off point for your first sessions with the
game. Shuffle City itself leans heavily into card game toy anime tropes
with a modern, silly, and real-world TCG twist, so as to help players better
relate to the world.
This chapter includes details on the city’s culture, notable people alongside
their decks, and plot hooks ready to be expanded on within your game.
None of this is set in stone; feel free to shuffle things around and rework,
remove, or add whatever you want if you choose to make Shuffle City the
stage of your game! Remove whole organisations and add in new ones,
change the way that people play card games, reorganise the history of
the world, and place your characters somewhere in the middle so that
they can be incredibly important! Try not to do something just because
this chapter describes it as true; lean into ideas floated by the player and
concepts they’ll find fun.
If you’re making your own setting, which is something we definitely
encourage, then you can use this chapter as a source for inspiration
instead. Feel free to use any plot points or characters that you find
interesting. Additionally, the decks described in this chapter can be a
fantastic tool for decks that opponents in your own campaign can use
as well (either use them as is, or modify them to match your character’s
personality).

An Overview of Shuffle City

On the coast of a large and populous continent sits Shuffle City. This
multicultural shipping hub acts as an entertainment centre for both the
surrounding area and the world, with a particular focus on card games as
its main export.

The city is known for its heavily congested traffic, so pedestrians started
playing card games while waiting for the chance to use the crosswalk.
These “Crosswalk Games” later turned into a tradition from which the
city gained reputation, culminating in the invention of the “Battle Disk”
to facilitate card games while standing. When card games boomed
in popularity around the world, Shuffle City benefited as the cultural
touchstone everyone was aware of.

Today, the city is dominated by card games; schools teach variations of

card game studies, people in the city are constantly battling in the middle
of the street, and the biggest corporations in the whole city focus on the
development of both card games and card game tools.

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149
Card Games in Shuffle City
After the discovery of ancient card gaming a decade ago and the
subsequent boom in popularity for card games, the way people played
card games changed forever. Instead of a large number of unique card
games that each only worked against other cards of the same brand,
people began re-implementing ancient rules discovered in Athens to
create a single open source, cross-compatible card game that everyone
can play.

Anyone from a large company to a single

person can make cards, as long as they
understand the science behind card game
design. Making weaker cards isn’t particularly
hard, and a lot of amateurs will design themselves
cards that match with their personality or interests. However,
making more powerful cards generally takes a lot of skill and
understanding. For this reason, people looking for powerful cards will
usually either buy designs from corporations or commission designers to
develop the card they need for their deck.

Threats to Shuffle City

Calamity is right around the corner for Shuffle City as its new popularity
draws unwanted attention. A malicious corporation experiments on
humans in their ambition to control the very multiverse, spies play a
war of subterfuge in an attempt to avert a terrible fate, a zealous cult
searches for power by harnessing supernatural sources, and the powers
of Olympus find themselves manifesting through Olympian Artefacts
and Bound Titans. These are just some examples of possible threats to
the players’ home.

The Olympian Artefacts

In the ancient past, when monsters and gods freely walked the earth,
the ancient Greek people were gifted with the laws of card games -
divine power that could be channelled through play. During this secret
era, many of the myths we know today were forged - strange powers
were granted to kings, and the gods gave cursed gifts to those they
feared.

When the laws of card games were sealed under the Parthenon, these
stories were rewritten to conceal the now-secret history of card games.
Despite this, remnants of the truth have still made their way across the
world through six extremely powerful items known as The Olympian
Artefacts.

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Each of these artefacts change the laws of card gaming in ways that the
gods found dangerous - despite this, they have found themselves in the
hands of a variety of people across the world. These six artefacts and
their holders are:

Pandora’s Deck Box: Originally designed as a way to imprison creatures

dangerous to the gods, this deck box allows the wielder to seal anyone
that they defeat in battle into a card. Historically, many of these
cards were captured by the great warrior Pandora. Today, Pandora’s
descendant Pyrrha Deucalion (p.178) wields the deck box as a Pirate
Queen - turning all of her enemies into cards.

Bracelet of Harmonia: Given as a gift to one of the

gods’ children, Harmonia, this bracelet acted much
like the battle-disks of today - with the bonus that
it also granted the user incredible luck in battle. It
comes with a curse, however, as its new bearer
Karam Trivedi (p.169) is both unable to remove
it and punished by extreme misfortune in any
situation aside from card games. The only way to
be released from the bracelet is to destroy all of the
other Olympian Artefacts - this has become Karam’s
mission.

The Cornucopia: While the laws of card games can be rather stringent
on what kind of cards can be designed, the gods created this powerful
horn as a way to test what could exist beyond those laws’ purview. Today
the Cornucopia has found its way to the hands of Cory Warhol (p.168),
a wealthy and cocky card game designer who uses the Cornucopia to
make cards for the rich and powerful.

Achilles’ Eyepatch: Once wielded by Achilles himself during the Trojan

Tournament, this eyepatch grants users the ability to answer any question
they wish. Today this artefact has found its way into the hands of Peter
Crowley (p.177), an occultist and CEO of Dimensional Mechanics - the
world’s biggest card game manufacturer. He’s used this eyepatch to
ensure the success of his company, and to learn the esoteric secrets of
the universe.

Dagger of Damocles: Originally given to Damocles as a gift from the

gods, this dagger allows you to force those its wielder defeated in battle
to fulfil their demands, whether they agreed to or not. This item was
found mysteriously by a man named Axton Westall (p.164), the now
right hand man of the Neo Athenian Church.

151
Cape of Golden Fleece: Made from the golden wool of Chrysomallos
the Winged Ram, this cape has been passed down a lineage of kings
without the knowledge that it had the dangerous ability to make any
card game the wielder watched real - allowing for real damage from
the game. Only two years ago the cape was captured by Lightning
Bolt (p.174), an agent from the underground organisation NETDECK, and
since then has been locked up safely in a vault.

It is said that there may be a 7th artefact, but even the most well
informed people on the truth of card gaming history are unaware of
what this artefact may be or what it may do.

The Sealed Titans

Back in the era of the Olympian Artefacts, there existed countless threats
to humanity and the gods that walked the earth. Many of these were
captured in Pandora’s Deck Box; and eventually, nearly as many were
set free once more. Luckily for the world, three of the most earthshaking
threats within were never properly released from their cardboard prison.

The Three Sealed Titans are incredibly powerful and dangerous entities
that hold enmity towards not just the gods but humanity in general.
Should they be let free, they would wreak havoc, possibly bringing about
the end of days. For this reason, they were given a special provision on
their capture - not only had they been locked away in cards, they were
also unable to be released unless all three of the titans were in combat
with each other at the same time.

Today, people have forgotten the significance of these titans - but with
card games once again becoming popular, the world is once again at
risk of the titans coming together in battle.

Cronus is the first and oldest of the titans; father of the pantheon, he
holds an unbridled hate for anything he considers too “lowly” for himself.
With domain over time itself, if he was to be let free, he would trap the
world in a perpetual state of pain and finality as punishment for his
imprisonment. He is also the only titan to have an active plan in the
works to let him out - having manipulated Melania Phobose (p.188) into
starting the Neo Athenian Cult and amassing those powerful enough
to wield the Titans, he seeks the time when the three inevitably come
together and wreak havoc upon the world.

Atlas is the middle sibling of the three titans and bearer of the globe.
Should he be let free, it would be in his power and interest to simply stop
holding the Earth, leaving it to fall and collapse. Largely self-interested
and simply uncaring for the people of the earth, he isn’t as vindictive as
his older brother - even if just as dangerous should he be let free. Today,
Atlas is held by Orvis Goddard (p.189), a young person both completely

152
unaware of the danger the titans hold
and under the impression that bringing
them all together would in fact bring
prosperity to humanity.

Prometheus is the last and

youngest of the titans,
holding complete and
supreme knowledge
over all the secrets of the
universe. Believing that he is
the only being who is smart
enough to rule, should he
be let free, he would quickly
take over the world as its new
supreme king - waging wars
on any who oppose him. While not
having a direct plan for freedom,
Prometheus may have such an
understanding of the world that he
knows it isn’t required. While he is
owned by the CEO of Mainphase
Technologies Conrad Martin
(p.183), the accomplished
businessman is completely
unaware of the significance
the card he holds represents.

Dimensional Mechanics
As the biggest corporation in the city,
Dimensional Mechanics holds incredible influence over
ongoing politics. Through development of DM System Packs and the
most popular card game accessories in the world, they are extremely
wealthy and easily able to buy out anyone or anything that gets in their
way. Through continuous lobbying efforts by their extremely skilled
lawyer Malcolm Haine (p.171), Dimensional Mechanics has been given a
pass to do almost anything they like within the walls of the grand tower
that tops the city’s skyline.

The secret to Dimensional Mechanics’ success is the “New World

Portal” technology developed by their CEO Peter Crowley (p.177). This
technology lets the company access alternate dimensions and use the
inhabitants of these worlds as the building blocks of card game designs.
This process is ongoing and has unknown side effects on the involved
worlds.

153
These New World Portals are already a secret from anyone but the
highest ranked employees of Dimensional Mechanics, but the even
darker secret is that New World Portal technology is powered by way of
human experimentation. People from across Shuffle City are stolen away
by Dimensional Mechanics’ resident mad scientist Gisela Strangelove
(p.173) and hooked up to devices that use their latent psychic abilities
to power the system. These people eventually are let free with their
memories erased, but some return home with psychic powers and fuzzy
memories of what happened to them.

Dimensional Mechanics is a large company with a decent percentage of

the whole city working for them in one way or another.

Dimensional Mechanics Plots

 The company hopes to kidnap the players and use their incredible willpower to
generate enough energy for a century of new card game releases.
 Gisela Strangelove has secretly created a small army of psychic warriors that she
intends to use in taking over the company and the city alike.
 Peter Crowley starts a public campaign and possibly a tournament to find an heir to
his incredibly successful company - he secretly wants to sacrifice this person to make
him immortal.
 Portals have begun opening up to alternate worlds across Shuffle City due to an
experiment gone wrong - the whole city is wrapped up in the confusion as Dimensional
Mechanics denies involvement.
 The players find themselves in another world only to learn the dark truth of
Dimensional Mechanics as this new world is targeted by them.
 One of the players or an important NPC has fuzzy memories
of their time having been kidnapped by Dimensional Mechanics -
they want revenge.

The Neo Athenian Church

There’s a lot to be argued about
whether the Neo Athenian Church
as it exists in Shuffle City is truly
following the word of its god.
However, with ancient card
gaming being discovered in
Athens under the Parthenon,
the cult has grown to an incredible
size and been recreated based on
popular culture.

The primary belief of the Cult of

Athena today is that Athena herself
is the very first card game designer
and that within the rules of ancient card
gaming is a gateway to power. In the
minds of believers, Athena’s

154
domains of wisdom, war, and handicraft are all exemplified within the art
of card games - and mastering that art can elevate people beyond the
bounds of natural human power.

At the behest of their immortal leader Melania Phobose (p.188), the

cult is quick to latch onto people with supernatural abilities, as well as
anything they can find with connection to ancient card games. The
leadership of the cult don’t care for most of the followers - instead
only caring for those powerful enough to be of use to their plots. With
the uncovering of both the Olympian Artefacts and the Sealed Titans,
their current goal is to collect as many of these powerful items as
possible. Melania herself was manipulated into creating the cult due to
manipulation from the sealed titan Cronus. Her right hand man Axton
Westall (p.164) holds the Dagger of Damocles and uses it to expand
the cult under any means necessary. Finally, the cult’s secret weapon
Jezebel Mercury (p.190) has unmatched psychic abilities that are used
to target the cult’s enemies head on.

Today, the cult is rather numerous, being especially popular with the
youth of Shuffle City. Most of these people are completely unaware of
the cult’s malicious intentions.

Neo Athenian Church Plots

 The cult convinces someone close to the players into joining them and is coaxing them
into doing evil acts unknowingly.
 The cult succeeds at organising the three sealed titans into a battle together, risking
the whole world should the battle have the chance to go through.
 The gods of Ancient Greece wage a war against the cult for misrepresenting them,
putting the whole city at risk.
 The cult becomes aggressive in recruiting one of the most supernaturally powerful
players - doing whatever they need to in hopes to recruit them.

NETDECK
NETDECK has existed under different names for millennia before ancient
card games became known to the public. They’ve done their best to
hide the discovery from centuries of scientists - and when the truth at
last was let slip a few decades ago, their leader Theodore Mercury
(p.170) changed tactics entirely, now aiming to control and mitigate the
threat ancient card games pose to the world.

Today, NETDECK works primarily out of Shuffle City due to its role as the
hub for the international card games industry. The organisation has a
direct focus on finding and either capturing or disabling any supernatural
forces that come from ancient card gaming, and has had its hands full
due to the influx of strange occurrences in Shuffle City.

155
There are three primary divisions to NETDECK, each fulfilling different
roles for the organisation:
 CONTROL: This division of NETDECK acts primarily as informants,
handlers, and manipulators. They make their way into important
corporate, political, or social positions, then use their position and skills
in conjunction to find supernatural threats and assist fellow divisions
in need.
 AGGRO: This division of NETDECK acts primarily as the problem
solvers for the organisation. With skilled spies, hackers, and card
gamers, people in this division stay completely out of the public
eye - ready to collect, destroy, or disable any threats to the world or
NETDECK itself, supernatural or not.
 MIDRANGE: This division of NETDECK acts as the middle ground
between the CONTROL and AGGRO divisions. Often hired from
outside sources who already have useful positions in society, agents
are trained in manipulation, infiltration, spycraft, and card gaming so
they can do the work NETDECK needs done.
NETDECK holds a firm hand around most of Shuffle City, and is the main
reason that despite any supernatural occurrences, the average person
remains both unscathed and unaware. Collecting the rest of the
Olympian Artefacts is the primary goal of the organisation;
however, with the advent of the sealed titans and the
secret psychics manufactured by Dimensional Mechanics,
the group has been put on the back foot. At the time
being, only their best agent Lightning Bolt (p.174) has
been able to successfully attain any items of importance.

While the agents of NETDECK only number in the double

digits, many of these people are very powerful and
have their own beliefs for how to deal with the
ongoing threats to Shuffle City and the world.

NETDECK Plots
 A magical event has occurred in the middle of
town - mysterious NETDECK agents have locked
down the area of the city and aggressively push
everyone away from it.
 Spies plot to steal something seemingly
innocuous from the players… but despite their best
efforts, the players notice the theft.
 Something the players need is hidden in the NETDECK
vault - to get it, the players will need to infiltrate the best
protected space in all of Shuffle City.
 A malicious person ousts Theodore as the leader of
NETDECK, using the power of the organisation to take over
the city.

156
Notable Locations
in Shuffle City
As the world’s biggest hub for card game action, Shuffle City is
filled to the brim with locations designed directly for card gamers -
even mundane spaces normally prohibitive towards card games
accommodate it in some way. No matter where the players go, they
should be able to find a functional and fun arena or location of some
kind to have a battle or encounter - come up with anything at all that
sounds interesting! The following are just some examples of the stranger
and more notable locations that sit around the city.

Dimensional Mechanics Central Tower

Right in the centre of Shuffle City sits the central headquarters of
Dimensional Mechanics, the world’s leading organisation in card game
design. The upper floors of this 80-story tower are of course dedicated
to everyday business, but most of the city is more interested in the
lower floors. The first 10 floors are dedicated to the public and fans of
Dimensional Mechanics’ work, featuring:
 The largest card game store in all of Shuffle City (which, of course,
only sells DM products).
 The official DM arena, where company-ran tourneys are hosted.
 A Museum focused on the “History of Dimensional Mechanics”,
much of it is fanciful and self-aggrandizing.
 Visitation rooms for appointments & meetings with visitors and
Dimensional Mechanics staff.
Dimensional Mechanics Central Tower Plots
 The upcoming anniversary pack pre-release will feature a tournament of
unprecedented size - forcing everyone in the tower into a battle royale.
 People who opened the illustrious golden trading card are offered a tour of the
tower’s mysterious upper floors by Peter Crowley (p.177) himself.

Shuffle Crossing
A must-see stop for anyone visiting the city, this 4-way intersection in the
middle of the city’s downtown was the birth of Shuffle City’s card gaming
traditions. While it used to be plagued by traffic, the renewed focus on
other parts of town alongside its historicity has led to it mostly being a
public event zone today. Markets, electoral debates, tournaments, and
much more are hosted here.
Shuffle Crossing Plots
 A hole opens up in the middle of the road, nearly dragging people in with it - no one is
quite sure why this happened.
 Cory Warhol (p.168) is hosting a meet-and-greet in the crossing, the lines spanning
long enough to disrupt the traffic city-wide.

157
Shuffle City University
A proud fixture of the city for over one hundred years, the university has
recently pivoted to be hyper focused on card games. While it still teaches
traditional courses like business and science, resources and scholarships
are almost entirely focused on courses like Card Game Design and
Practical Card Games. With generous sponsorships from Dimensional
Mechanics, the university has the most state of the art card game
facilities in the world.
Shuffle City University Plots
 A rogue teacher uses strange
magic powers to attack all card
games across the university, hoping
to shut it down.
 Roland Garfield (p.163) creates
an extremely difficult card game-
themed treasure hunt across the
university; winners don’t seem to
leave his office.

Mulligan Shipyard
As a hub for card games
and card game production,
Shuffle City quickly became a
central position for international
trade. Run by the wealthy
Albrecht family, it dominates
the coast of the city with
warehouses and ships. It
is also the biggest hub for
crime across the city, with
criminals and pirates - both
righteous and malicious -
making homes in abandoned
or unused warehouses and docks.
Shipyard workers are known to be
connected to the criminal groups across
the city, concealing their hideouts from the
higher-ups.
Mulligan Shipyard Plots
 A criminal group known as the Snatch
Steal take something precious from the
players and return to their shipyard
hideout.
 Pirates led by Pyrrha Deucalion
(p.178) have invaded and taken
over the shipyards, completely
shutting down trade and
threatening the city.

158
Miscellaneous Arenas
The number one tourist attraction in Shuffle City is its smorgasbord of
card game arenas - many of them carrying their own unique gimmick
in order to stand out. Realistically, if you think of a gimmick for an arena,
someone in Shuffle City has probably created it. With that said, here are
a few miscellaneous arenas that stand out among the rest:
 Custom Arena Services: These chain storefronts offer private
rooms with completely customisable hard-light hologram arenas.
Everything from tropical islands to molten lava is available.
 Escape Arena: Featuring a combo of card games and escape
rooms, the Escape Arena asks combatants to solve puzzles to keep
fighting. Rooms often come with over-the-top themes.
 TopDeck ArenaMall: Both an arena and a mall, people will fight in
the middle of shoppers going about their day. This mall also has the
greatest game store density in the city.
 Royal Flush Cruise & Arena: Leaving Friday and returning Sunday,
this massive ship is often host to events of the rich and wealthy.
Every year, the Albrecht family will host a dinner here with the city’s
powerful.
 Metagame TourArena: This Shuffle City tour bus service only lets
you see outside if you win your matches. Generally the drivers will go
easy on tourists, but regulars get the difficult treatment.
 Iron Duelist Arena: Televising all matches, this arena asks
combatants to fulfil strange TV challenges in the middle of their
matches; spanning the breadth of anything from “no using warriors”
to “fight a boxing match while you play.”
 Clubs Theatre & Arena: The best place to watch live card games
in the city, private rooms can be borrowed to battle at the same time.
The theatre is often booked well in advance for big matches.
 Flying Man Arena: With both hot air balloons and skydiving, this
arena offers heart-racing battles, although, at this point... a lot of the
equipment is rather shoddy. It’s probably okay... Right?
 8.93 Duel it Out!: This radio show gives locals an opportunity to
battle it out on air. Only competitors who have grievances with each
other are allowed on, and listeners comment on who’s right.
 Oneiroi Labs: A hotshot private health startup with brainwave-
interactive technologies that allow people to literally battle one
another in their sleep, their eventual goal is to use card games to
solve nightmares. And in the meantime, it makes for a compelling
sales pitch for tourists.
 Rogues Arena: This underground criminal arena puts people’s
lives on the line as people bet on who survives. Prisoners are secretly
given the option to fight here for their right to escape by local police.
159
People of Shuffle City
Shuffle City is home to millions of people; every single one of them has
a unique story to tell, with complex relationships to both the city and the
card games they play. This section highlights just 30 of the most relevant
people you might meet while in Shuffle City.

Alongside each of these citizens and oddities of Shuffle City is a deck

that the Judge can use in Card Game Combat. Feel free to use these
decks for characters other than the 30 listed here.

Deck Name Gimmick Player Pg.

Adventuring Party Repeating “When played” effects. Henry Rowan 162
Archeology Use my opponent’s graveyard to my Roland Garfield 163
Automatons advantage.
Art of the Secret Full offence with no defence. Axton Westall 164
Swords
B.B.B. (Building Block Teaming up to overcome threats that Elena Guerrero 165
Battalion) would otherwise be impossible.
Bestial Become a warrior myself, gaining more Finnley Nuadat 166
Transformations power from different aspects.
Building Blocks of Become stronger when I have less life. Hope 167
Hope (B.B.H)
Cards from the Random effects with a lot of power. Cory Westall 168
Cornucopia
Chthonian Using Simple Card Moves and getting Karam Trivedi 169
Thaumaturgy benefits from when I do.
Whoever has the most life will win the Theodore
Clerics of Pacifism 170
game. Mercury
Court of Purgatorio Splits the battlefield in two halves. Malcolm Haine 171
Friendly universal effects that I take the
Dracodancers Malo Peleke 172
most advantage of.
Gisela
Experiment #21 {Fuse}ing warriors with each other. 173
Strangelove
Ghosts in the Set traps that disrupt the opponent’s Lightning Bolt 174
Machine gameplan.
Gain life and get effects whenever I gain Patricia Albrecht 175
Jewelcasters life.
Dealing damage whenever my Veronika
Military Battlefish 176
opponent does certain actions. Rasputin
Control my opponents’ actions, forcing
Occulto Dell’arte Peter Crowley 177
them to do what I want.
Plunder warriors from my opponent that Pyrrha
Pandora’s Locker 178
I can use to protect my strongest cards. Deucalion
Menagan Stone Weakening my opponent’s warriors until Diana 179
Artists they turn to stone. Gorgoneio

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 Deck Name Gimmick Player Pg.
Reformed Spider Recur threats from my graveyard. Shun Cao 180
Queen
Plus Force: Healers Stave off hurt via damage reduction Howard Fleming 181
Without Borders effects.
Psychopomps’ Mill out my opponent’s deck, revealing Morsimos 182
Passage their end. Cerberus
Shining Glade Protect the things that demoralise my Sascha Albrecht 183
Insects opponents.
Speakers of the Relies on the power of my strongest Conrad Martin 184
Chained Titan warriors to play.
Agathe
Spirit Samurai Advantages from winning clashes. 185
Stematis
Tie two warriors together, changing their Moira Clotho
Strings of Fate 186
relationship with each other.
The Caped Summon “villains” to my opponent’s side Percival 187
Detective of the field. Blanchett
The Enclosing Trapping opponents in a maze of walls, Agnes Minos 188
Labyrinth then picking them off.
The Inevitable Huge effects happening after several Melania 189
Cronus turns. Phobose
Equip Atlas with items that make him
Titan Weapons Orvis Goddard 190
even stronger.
Actions that cause collateral damage to
Ultraviolence Light Jezebel Mercury 191
me and my opponent.

Champion Tier Encounters

Deck Name Gimmick Player Pg.
Strengthen my warriors to match my
Frog Army Phoebe Kaeru 192
opponents.
Chivalric Legends Create fair one-on-one fights. Syr Lovisa 193

Kaibyo: Strange Cats Apply Bleed Counters to my enemies’ Jessica Johnson 194
warriors.
Risk leaving yourself open to gain
Wagework Witches Onorio Walsh 195
powerful warriors.

Guest Encounters
Deck Name Gimmick Player Pg.
Summoning weak warriors, then buffing Leonard
Life Finds a Way 196
them through evolution. Darwinson
Making my warrior unbeatable with the Mitsuru
Henshin ASTRA 198
help of their friends. Hoshinomiya

161
Henry Rowan (He/Him)
Your Friendly Local Game Store Owner
Shuffle On is a games store held in high esteem by locals in the know as one
of the city’s best battling spots. Henry, as the owner of the store, has put a lot
of effort into creating a kind and welcoming atmosphere that anyone can join
in with. DM Cards and Mainphase Network stores are both threatening to put
him out of business, but thanks to love from the community, he’s been able to
survive - barely.
Henry isn’t actually that interested in card games himself (preferring to spend
his time playing TTRPGs), but he’s kept up with the metagame enough to
help new players get started. Most of his time is spent running the store, but if
there’s a spare space in a tourney, he’d be happy to fill it.

Adventuring Party
A classic fantasy style RPG party - they work together to overcome any challenge that comes
their way.
Gimmick: Repeating “When you play” effects.
Lash Out Against Losing: Reminisce about a time from your past, Tell the opponent that
you’re actually going to get serious now.
Example Card Names: Level 12 Paladin, Level 6 Sorcerer, Level 7 Druid.

Establish a Plan to Win

Quest Board Game Master
Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong}
At the start of your turn, you Whenever you would Use
can choose any number of a Simple Card Move, you
warriors you control. Activate can instead do one of the
each of their “When this is following:
played” effects. - Create a {Strong} warrior
Use a Simple Card Move. - Destroy target warrior an
opponent controls
- Use two of your normal
Simple Card Moves

Power Card Moves

Pen & Paper Fighter Pen & Paper Wizard Pen & Paper Rogue
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
When this is played, When this is played, use two Pen & Paper Rogue can’t be
{Strengthen} each warrior you Simple Card Moves. blocked.
control. Use a Simple Card Move. When this is played, deal 1
Use a Simple Card Move. damage to your opponent.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 life.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

162
Roland Garfield (He/Him)
Washed-up Archaeologist Turned Card Game Design Teacher
As one of the archeologists to discover the rules for Ancient Card Games
beneath the Parthenon, Roland should probably be world famous. Despite
that, he’s closer to being a washed up professor - spending most of his time at
Shuffle City University teaching card game design to his students.
Despite this impression, Roland is actually fairly connected to the secrets of the
city; if the city’s safety were truly put at risk, he might just step up to protect
those he could. With that said, his main focus is on helping the new generation
find their footing - if it wasn’t life-threatening, he’s more likely to teach someone
how to overcome a problem than deal with it himself.

Archeology Automatons
Clunky old robots that perform archeology across ancient ruins. The Ancient History
Mechadragon is their greatest discovery.
Gimmick: Use the opponent’s graveyard to my advantage.
Lash Out Against Losing: Pretend to put someone in real danger, Put the burden of solving a
problem on the players.
Example Card Names: A.A. Surveyor, A.A. Explorer, Historic Discovery

Establish a Plan to Win

Archeology Automaton Ancient History
Excavation Zone Mechadragon
Item | {Strong} Warrior | {Strong}
Whenever a card enters the This warrior cannot die due to
opponent’s graveyard, gain the effects of any cards with
1 life. card types matching those
Use two Simple Card Moves. in the opponent’s graveyard.
(Warrior, Item, Invocation)
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

A.A. Retrofitter A.A. Identifier Dawdle
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
This card has the same Target opponent discards a Use four Simple Card Moves.
strength and effects of card.
a warrior or item in your Use a Simple Card Move.
opponent’s graveyard.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 Your opponent puts the top card of their deck into the graveyard.

163
Axton Westall (He/Him)
Cultist With a Love for Violence
Right hand man to Melania Phobose and wielder of the Dagger of Damocles,
Axton is a true believer in the Neo Athenian Church. In his mind, only people as
powerful as him are worthy of living - a test he’s more than happy to put others
to when the opportunity arises. His Olympian Artefact lets him place bargains
on the outcome of card games he participates in, supernaturally forcing the
loser to complete horrifying and sometimes gruesome commands from the
winner.
He holds an intense admiration for Melania, and will do absolutely anything
she asks of him. Anyone else that gets close to Melania will quickly become the
target of his jealousy, and he’ll often battle them in the name of “judging their
worthiness”.
Art of the Secret Swords
While these ancient blades have long since seen their wielders pass, they have since
awakened to taste blood once again.
Gimmick: Full offence, no defence.
Lash Out Against Losing: Raise the stakes for what losing this game means, Beg and plead
for the opponent to give you pity.
Example Card Names: Secret Sword: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Secret Sword: Asi, Secret Sword:
Hrunting.

Establish a Plan to Win

Secret Sword: Excalibur Secret Sword: Zulfiqar
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal}
{Overwhelm} {Inconspicuous}
{Sniper} 1 Each player takes 1 damage
If Excalibur is the only warrior at the start of their turn.
on the field, the opponent can Use a Simple Card Move.
attack directly.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Secret Sword: Durendal Secret Sword: Harpe Secret Sword: Ame-no-
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Weak} Habakiri
{Piercer} 2 Warrior | {Normal}
{Sniper} 2
This warrior can attack the At the start of your turn, you
opponent directly. can sacrifice this. If you do,
Use a Simple Card Move. target opponent loses 2 life.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Give a warrior or item your opponent controls {Underwhelm}.
 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.
 Create a {Normal} Warrior.

164
Elena Guerrero (She/Her)
Naive Girl With a Love for Card Games
Ever the worst student in any given class, Elena teeters one bad exam away
from expulsion on a daily basis. Despite this, she still loudly insists in the middle
of the classroom that one day she’ll be the strongest card gamer in the whole
world. A knucklehead filled with childish ideas of what being a “card game
legend” entails, it’s still hard to deny that she has potential.
With a big smile on her face and a pure love for card games, she’ll challenge
you to a match before you’ve even finished introducing yourself, and likely
follow that up in short order with expectations of rivalhood. Her naivety and
hyperactive nature makes her a magnet for trouble… and for being used as a
pawn for others’ ends.

B.B.B (Building Block Battalion)

A military made of building blocks, battling and working together with the common goal of
overcoming evil!
Gimmick: Teaming up to overcome threats that would otherwise be impossible.
Lash Out Against Losing: Push your body to the edge (risking your health), Ask the opponent
to make a promise that they can’t refuse.
Example Card Names: B.B.B Explosives Planter, B.B.B. Missile Launch, Operation Star

Establish a Plan to Win

B.B.B. Star Soldier B.B.B. Warzone
Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
{Teamwork} Use two Power Card Moves
on your turn instead of one.
B.B.B. Star Soldier has
{Piercer} X, where X is the At the start of the turn, take 1
number of warriors in a damage.
{Teamwork} group alongside
it.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

B.B.B. Support Copter B.B.B. Toybox B.B.B. Reinforcements
Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Strong} Invocation
{Strengthen} each warrior you When you play this and at the Create 4 {Weak} warriors with
control. start of each of your turns, {Teamwork}.
Use a Simple Card Move. create a {Weak} warrior with
{Teamwork}.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.
 Sacrifice any number of warriors you control. Destroy a warrior an opponent controls with
strength equal to or less than the strength the sacrificed warriors would have had while in a
{Teamwork} group.

165
Finnley Nuadat (He/Him)
Guardian of Shuffle City’s Wildlife Preserves
On the outskirts of Shuffle City sits Lanowarr Forest, a wildlife preserve filled
with animals and plants from all across the world. Due to the dangerous wild
fauna within, many people choose to avoid the forest. However, Finnley chose
to make it his home - living entirely off the grid, and becoming close friends
with the wildlife within.
Though Finnley and the forest have lived peacefully for many years, the
Albrecht family has recently begun lobbying to cut down the preserve’s size in
favour of more construction land. Finnley has been fighting tooth and nail to
stop the people of the city from hurting his animal friends.

Bestial Transformations
Finnley takes on the aspects of various animals from Lanowarr Forest, changing shape and
joining the battle himself.
Gimmick: Become a warrior myself, gaining more power from different aspects
Lash Out Against Losing: Extoll the virtues of your environmental cause, Call out for beasts to
ambush and flock the players.
Example Card Names: Aspect of Lizard, Aspect of Giraffe, Aspect of Trout.

Establish a Plan to Win

Aspect of Elephant Aspect of Tiger
Item | {Strong} Item | {Normal}
You’re a {Normal} warrior, or You’re a {Strong} warrior.
stronger if another card says (You can attack. You clash with enemies
so. that attack you as if you were a warrior
before you take damage. You take 1
(You can attack. You clash with enemies damage if you would be destroyed
that attack you as if you were a warrior in a clash or by an effect. If an effect
before you take damage. You take 1 targeting you doesnt make sense, it
damage if you would be destroyed targets the item instead.)
in a clash or by an effect. If an effect
targeting you doesnt make sense, it You gain {Overwhelm}.
targets the item instead.)
Use a Simple Card Move.
Gain life equal to your starting
life total.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Aspect of Snake Aspect of Wolf Aspect of Eagle
Item | {Normal} Item | {Weak} Invocation
You’re a {Weak} warrior, or You’re a {Strong} warrior with You’re a {Weak} warrior, or
stronger if another card says {Piercer} 1. stronger if another card says
so. so.
Use a Simple Card Move.
Whenever you win a clash, You can attack your opponent
target opponent {Fumbles}. directly.
Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Give yourself {Piercer 1} and {Sniper 1} until the start of your next turn.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Gain 1 Life

166
Hope (She/Her or He/Him)
The Spirit of Hope Once Left in Pandora’s Box
In ancient times, Pandora was a master card gamer who battled threats
across the world to keep humanity safe, sealing them in her deck-box. Hope
was her constant magical companion. Sadly, in the battle against the titans,
Hope was defeated and sealed in the deck box as well.
Eventually, the cards Pandora sealed escaped her deck box, either as cards or
full creatures again. All except for Hope, who still believed that her friend would
save her one day. When Pyrrha gained control of the deck box and began using
it for evil, it was the last straw for Hope, who finally escaped in search of new
friends.

Building Blocks of Hope (B.B.H)

A changed version of another card gamer’s deck, this deck gives the building blocks a fantasy
theme.
Gimmick: Become stronger when I have less life.
Lash Out Against Losing: Explain my backstory to the opponent, Thank my opponent for a
good battle.
Example Card Names: B.B.H Priest, B.B.H Hope Journey, B.B.H Vanguard

Establish a Plan to Win

B.B.H Hope Hero B.B.H Path to Victory
Warrior | {Strong} Item | {Strong}
{Overwhelming} Set your life to 1.
Unless you have less than You can’t lose life.
half your starting life, this
warrior can’t attack and has
{Inconspicuous}.
Use two Simple Card Moves .

Power Card Moves

B.B.H Magician B.B.H Rebellion B.B.H. Planning
Warrior | {Normal} Invocation Invocation
While you have less than half Create 2 {Weak} warriors Set your life to half of your
your starting life, warriors you with {Teamwork}. starting life total.
control are {Strengthened}. If you have less than half your Use two Simple Card Moves.
Use a Simple Card Move. starting life, create {Normal}
warriors with {Teamwork}
instead.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 life.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

167
Cory Westall (He/Him)
Superstar Card Designer With No Clue What He’s Doing
Movie star turned world famous card designer, Cory is known for creating
custom cards for the rich and famous to use in their decks. Generally
considered a shocking career move after a string of failed films, he’s made a
name for himself on his extremely quick turnaround and ability to do things no
other card designer seems able to do.
The secret to his success is the Cornucopia, an Olympian Artefact with the
power to create any card the user can think of. Despite Cory’s lack of personal
card game design skills, the ownership of this item has given Cory a rather big
head in the card game design business - leading to him often insulting other
designers’ work.
Cards from the Cornucopia
Cory isn’t a very skilled card designer, so the Cornucopia will often make random effects
based on what he’s seen before when he draws from it.
Gimmick: Random effects with a lot of power.
Lash Out Against Losing: Threaten to destroy the Cornucopia, Break down pathetically.
Example Card Names: [A card from the player’s deck], [A card the players have seen in a
fight before], [Something really silly].

Establish a Plan to Win

Open the Floodgates “I think I get it now?”
Invocation Invocation
Use 10 Simple Card Moves at For the rest of the game,
random. when you would roll a die,
(Roll a d8 on the Simple Card Moves you can choose to add or
table in Chapter 2. Then do it again, and subtract 1 to the result.
again, and…)
Use 2 Simple Card Moves.

Power Card Moves

Warrior who “???” Item that “???” Invocation where I “???”
Warrior | {???} Item | {???} Invocation
Roll a d4: Roll a d4: Roll a d4:
1. “...is strong”: this card 1. “...makes guys”: this card 1. “...hurt you”: target
is {Strong} and gains is {Strong} and makes opponent loses 2 life.
{Overwhelm}. a {Weak} warrior with 2. “...heal myself”: you gain
2. “...can kill”: this card is {Teamwork} once per turn. 3 life.
{Normal} and destroys an 2. “...ruins your day”: 3. “...destroy your stuff”:
opponent’s warrior when it this card is {Normal} and destroy all warriors or items
enters the battlefield. forces target opponent to my opponent controls.
3. “...protects me”: this card {Fumble} once per turn. 4. “...do something!”: use 4
is {Strong}, can’t attack, and 3. “...lets me attack”: this Simple Card Moves.
has {Blocker}. card is {Weak} and makes
4. “...does… something.”: you into a {Normal} warrior.
this card is {Normal}. Use 4. “...does… something?”:
2 Simple Card Moves at this card is {Normal} and
random. lets you use an extra Simple
Card Move each turn at
random.

Simple Card Moves

 Roll a d8 on the Simple Card Moves table in Chapter 2.

168
Karam Trivedi (He/Him or They/Them)
Cursed Historian Combating Destiny
Once, Karam was a successful and respected historian and scholar of
mythological study - tragically, fate had other plans for him. On an investigation
into underworld myths, Karam discovered a bracelet that bound itself to
him before he was aware of its nature. This Olympian Artefact granted him
incredible luck in card games, but a bevy of misfortune in the rest of his life.
What’s worse, he discovered a prophecy suggesting a wielder of one of the
Olympian Artefacts would become the cruellest tyrant to ever walk the earth.
Pragmatic and tired, Karam chose to dedicate his life to stopping the other
wielders of Olympian Artefacts from gaining power.
Chthonian Thaumaturgy
Of the Chthonian gods, one holds power and domain over magic - Hekate, the Triple
Goddess. They remind Karam of where he found his curse.
Gimmick: Increased value from smaller cards (represented by Simple Card Moves).
Lash Out Against Losing: Go all out without any holding back, Reveal a supernatural history
the players were unaware of.
Example Card Names: Underworld Meeting, Knives of Hekate, Statue of the Triple Goddess.

Establish a Plan to Win

Torches of Hekate Hekate, The Triple Goddess
Item | {Strong} Warrior | {Strong}
Once per turn, when you use Whenever you use a Simple
a Simple Card Move, you may Card Move, deal 1 damage to
use an additional Simple Card your opponent.
Move. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Empousa, Chthonian Medea, Priest of Hekate Path of the Triple Goddess
Guardian Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
Warrior | {Strong}
Your Simple Card Moves Use 3 Simple Card Moves.
When you use a Simple can’t be affected by Counter Use a Simple Card Move.
Card Move, if Empousa is Your Opponent’s Play.
in the graveyard, you can
return them to the battlefield Use a Simple Card Move.
instead.
Use a Simple Card Move.
(You don’t use this when you return
Empousa from the graveyard.)

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 Life.
 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.
 Create a {Normal} Warrior.

169
Theodore Mercury (He/Him)
Stringent Pacifist in Control of NETDECK
NETDECK has existed for centuries, fighting to stop people from discovering
the powers of ancient card gaming. In the wake of their failure and the public
discovery of card games’ history, the group has reorganised - and with their
former leader conceding their post in shame, senior agent Theodore has been
put in position as the organisation’s new leader.
Using his place in a retirement home for the wealthy to gather information,
Theodore commands NETDECK’s three divisions to stop supernatural powers
from hurting everyday people. While he’s generally considered rather wise,
many of NETDECK’s leadership consider him too much of a pacifist and are
looking to oust him.

Clerics of Pacifism
Fighting isn’t always the answer, and these clerics believe in that above all else. Wielding pens
over swords, they espouse the virtues of peace.
Gimmick: Whoever has the most life will win the game.
Lash Out Against Losing: Give some worldly wisdom to my opponent, Keep my opponent
distracted while something important happens.
Example Card Names: Church in the Country, Prayer of Peace, Paragon of Charity.

Establish a Plan to Win

Way of Peace
Invocation.
In X turns from now the player
with the most life will win the
game. Theodore Only Has One
(X is equal to the players starting life Establish a Plan to Win.
total)
No player can lose the game
until this effect is resolved.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Revival Blessing Cleric of the People Rest in Comfort
Invocation Warrior | {Weak} Invocation
Until the end of the game, At the start of each turn, gain Gain 3 Life.
when a warrior would 1 life. Use a Simple Card Move.
be defeated, instead the Use a Simple Card Move.
competitor who defeated that
warrior gains 1 life.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 Life.
 Create a {Normal} Warrior.
 Create a {Weak} Warrior with {Blocker}.

170
Malcolm Haine (He/Him)
The Best Lawyer in All of Shuffle City
Coming from a humble family in the outer suburbs of Shuffle City, Malcolm
threw himself into legal studies from a young age. He had hoped to make real,
positive change in the world - tragically, this was not to be. One bribe from
Dimensional Mechanics after another led to Malcolm being a poor imitation of
the brightly-smiling man he once was, little more than a pawn for furthering the
corporate hand of DM’s reach.
His ego is as fragile and jagged as broken eggshells, desperate to hide from
the immorality of his current actions. He’s the sort to try and justify his actions
by claiming that ‘no one man is truly evil or good’, so that he might avoid
cracking under the cognitive dissonance.

Court in Purgatorio
Equal parts angel and devil, the judges presiding over the Court in Purgatorio demand the
proper formality from all competitors. On the surface, anyways.
Gimmick: Splits the battlefield into two halves.
Lash Out Against Losing: Threaten legal action for interfering, Claim to be doing all of this for
the love of his family.
Example Card Names: Bill of Last Rites, Dante the Eternal Plaintiff, Cast into Inferno/Paradiso

Establish a Plan to Win

Invoke Due Judicial Process
Invocation
Split the battlefield into the
Paradiso Court and the
Inferno Court. Malcolm Only Has One
(When cards are played, choose one of Establish a Plan to Win.
these courts to be placed in. Cards can
only attack or block cards in the same
Court as them. Warriors can spend their
attack for the turn to switch Court.)
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Power Card Moves

Vergilius, Cruel Legislator Surprise Witness Order! Order!
Warrior | {Weak} Item | {Normal} Invocation
{Sniper} 666 Once per turn, you may Destroy all warriors and items
switch the Court of any card in target Court.
Use a Simple Card Move. on the field. Use a Simple Card Move.
Your opponents cannot
spend their attacks to switch
Courts while you control
Surprise Witness.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Normal} warrior.
 Create two {Weak} warriors.
 Target card your opponent controls has no card text while it remains in its current Court.

171
Malo Peleke (He/Him)
World Renowned Streamer With an Unbeatable Record
Known as “TheInvincibleGamer” online, Malo has never once lost a game
on stream. Famous for challenging high profile celebrities, influencers, and
card game champions, Malo brings charisma and good sportsmanship to
every fight he takes part in. Generally he’s much more interested in making
entertaining battles than winning, and it’s for this reason that his undefeated
record in live battles is all the more shocking.
What Malo and his fans don’t know is that Dimensional Mechanics, as his
sponsor, have been secretly rigging each of Malo’s battles to ensure his victory.
For whatever reason, they want him to become famous, and are investing
substantial resources into making that happen.

Dracodancers
The Dracodancers are made up of half-human, half-dragon hybrids with a love for all forms of
dance. They mix in their elemental breath with impressive choreography.
Gimmick: Friendly universal effects that I take the most advantage of.
Lash Out Against Losing: Dimensional Mechanics tries to sabotage the game, Dimensional
Mechanics tries to force the player into giving up.
Example Card Names: Dracodancer Disco, Dracodancer Folk, Dracodancer Jazz.

Establish a Plan to Win

Dracodancer Stage Dracodancer Ballroom
Item | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal}
When a warrior would die, it At the start of each player’s
instead stays on the field and turn, that player creates a
its owner takes 1 damage. {Weak} warrior.
Use a Simple Card Move. Other warriors you control
are {Strengthened} and have
{Overwhelm}.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Dracodancer Ballet Dracodancer HipHop Dracodancer Tap
Warrior | {Weak} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
When this warrior is played, Warriors must attack if {Overwhelm}
destroy target warrior or item possible. All warriors and items except
your opponent controls. Dracodancer HipHop can for Dracodancer Tap gain
attack directly. {Inconspicuous}
Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Normal} warrior.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.

172
Gisela Strangelove (She/Her)
The Mad Scientist Behind Dimensional Mechanics
While Peter Crowley is the face of Dimensional Mechanics, Gisela is the force
behind Research and Development. Once accused of being a “mad scientist”,
today her innovations at the company have led to her being a respected
scientist and inventor.
What most people don’t know, however, is the immoral methods with which
she experiments and designs new technology. To power the New World Portal
technology behind DM’s success, Gisela devised a battery powered by mental
energy and willpower. People from across Shuffle City are kidnapped to power
this battery - often being experimented on by Gisela and subsequently cast
back outside, bringing strange powers gained from other worlds with them.

Experiment #21: “THE GILGAMESH PROJECT”

Of the many experiments made illegal by the government, Experiment #21 is one of the best
known - a truly unethical methodology for fusing live humans.
Gimmick: {Fusing} warriors with each other (See Special Keywords in Chapter 6).
Lash Out Against Losing: Reveal that you’ve rigged the surroundings to explode, Call on
reinforcements.
Example Card Names: ENKIDU Black Site, Contraband Compound, Illegal Experimentation.

Establish a Plan to Win

GILGAMESH Amalgam Last Resort
Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
{Overwhelm} Once per turn, {Fuse}
When this defeats a warrior in yourself with a warrior you
a clash, {Fuse} this card with control.
the defeated warrior. (While you’re a warrior: You can attack.
You clash with enemies that attack you
Use a Simple Card Move. as if you were a warrior before you take
damage. You only take damage if you
lose the clash.)
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Unwilling Test Subject Malformed Splicing Experimental Technician
Warrior | {Weak} Invocation Warrior | {Normal}
{Fusion Potential}: {Sniper} 1, {Fuse} all of the warriors your Once per turn, target
{Piercer} 1. opponent controls. The new opponent {Fumbles}.
Use a Simple Card Move. warrior gains {Underwhelm}. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} target warrior you control until the end of the turn.
 Create a {Normal} Warrior.
 {Fuse} two target warriors you control.

173
Lightning Bolt (She/Her)
Zealous Agent of NETDECK’s AGGRO Division
There are legends throughout Shuffle City of the legendary hacker “Lightning
Bolt” who once stole millions from Dimensional Mechanics. While this story
is true, Lightning Bolt is no longer just a petty criminal - instead, she’s one
of NETDECK’s best agents, working in the AGGRO Division to take down
supernatural card game threats.
Orphaned alongside her sister Agathe Stemantis, Lisandra became a hacker
to help make ends meet. However, after discovering Olympian Artefacts were
the cause for her parents’ death, she took on the name Lightning Bolt full time,
joining NETDECK to give her the edge she needed for her revenge.

Ghosts in the Machine

Malicious programs that throw wrenches into the players’ strategies. While most of these are
aspects of the card game, some include active real world hacking.
Gimmick: Set traps that disrupt my opponent’s gameplan.
Lash Out Against Losing: Create a distraction to try and escape, Reveal a secret that shakes
the players to their core.
Example Card Names: Ghost Program Social Engineer, Ghost Program Overwrite, Ghost
Program Malware.

Establish a Plan to Win

Battle Disk Disabling Spirit Samurai Kojiwraith
Program Warrior | {Normal}
Item | {Strong}
{Overwhelm}
Disable the opponent’s battle Whenever you lose a clash,
disk so they can’t play the target opponent discards a
game in X turns. card.
(X is equal to starting life total)
Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Ghost Program Trojan Ghost Program Counterhack Ghost Program Living Code
Item | {Normal} Item | {Normal} Item | {Normal}
{Inconspicuous} {Inconspicuous} At the end of each of your
When an opponent plays a When a player Decides the turns, create a {Normal}
card, you may sacrifice this to Outcome of a Clash, you may warrior with {Blocker}.
counter the play of that card. sacrifice this to make it so Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move. they fail.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Sacrifice an item you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or equal
strength.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Gain 1 Life.

174
Patricia Albrecht (She/Her)
Rich Kid With Imposter Syndrome
Second in line to inherit the Albrecht family’s fortune and shipping empire,
Patricia has had an extremely charmed life. Having been given lessons by some
of the world’s best card gamers since she was as young as 6, she’s a veteran
of tournaments across Shuffle City. The fact that she has never won a single
one despite all the training has given her a severe case of imposter syndrome,
something she actively covers up with a facade of cocky overconfidence.
A student at Shuffle City University, Patricia has quickly gained a reputation as
a bully among the students. In particular, she’s known to target people that are
well known in the card gaming scene or confident in their gaming abilities.

Jewelcasters
Spellcasters that use jewels fueled by life energy for magic. The jewels have since grown into
their bodies, making them part-human, part-jewel.
Gimmick: Gain life and get effects whenever I gain life.
Lash Out Against Losing: Insult the players in a cutting way, Resolve to put yourself in danger
if they let you lose.
Example Card Names: Jewelcaster Diamond, Jewelcaster Emerald, Jewelcaster Signature
Spell

Establish a Plan to Win

Jewelcaster Amber Jewelcaster Refinement
Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
If this card is destroyed, gain Pay all but 1 life. For each life
2 life. spent, give a Jewelcaster one
Whenever you gain life, of the following effects:
create a {Weak} warrior with - {Strengthen} them.
{Teamwork}. - Give them {Piercer} 1. This
Use a Simple Card Move. can stack.
- Give them {Sniper} 1. This
can stack.

Power Card Moves

Jewelcaster Ruby Jewelcaster Ritual Jewelcaster Sapphire
Warrior | {Weak} Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak}
Gain 1 life at the end of each At the start of your next Whenever you gain life,
turn. (opponents included) turn, deal damage to your {Strengthen} this card
opponent equal to the permanently.
Use a Simple Card Move. amount of life you gained the Use a Simple Card Move.
turn you played Jewelcaster
Ritual, then destroy this item.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 life.
 Give a warrior or item your opponent controls {Underwhelm}
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

175
Veronika Rasputin (She/Her)
Revenge-Seeking Dockworker With Superpowers
Four years ago, when Veronika disappeared, most people just assumed it was
because of her troubled home life. In truth, she was kidnapped by the world’s
most successful card gaming company, Dimensional Mechanics. For the year
that Veronika was kidnapped, she was experimented on and used to power
their New World Program. When she came back, she suddenly had the strange
ability to lift things many times her weight.
While her memories of the event remain fuzzy, Veronika has dedicated her life
to taking down her captors. Working a day job at the Mulligan Shipyard, she
leads a small gang of criminals looking to topple Dimensional Mechanics by
whatever means she deems necessary.

Military Battlefish
Fiercely swimming through the ocean, the Battlefish are the military’s secret weapon - fish with
chassis as sturdy as mighty battleships.
Gimmick: Dealing damage whenever my opponent does certain actions.
Lash Out Against Losing: Explain why you can’t lose this fight no matter what, Put something
the players care about at risk.
Example Card Names: Dolphinship Frigate, Turtleship Seawall, Octoship Bomber.

Establish a Plan to Win

Mantaship Carrier Sharkship Destroyer
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
When a warrior an opponent When your opponent draws a
controls attacks, deal 1 card, deal 1 damage to them.
damage to that opponent. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Whaleship Command Puffership Submarine Fleet Schooling
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
{Blocker} {Inconspicuous} Create four {Weak} warriors.
{Underwhelm} Use a Simple Card Move.
This warrior can attack the
opponent directly.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 {Fumble} target opponent. If the opponent does the described action, instead of Veronika
using a response move, she deals that player 1 damage.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

176
Peter Crowley (He/Him)
CEO of Dimensional Mechanics
Maybe the singular most well known man in all of Shuffle City, Peter is
generally considered charismatic and theatrical, if somewhat cold-hearted
as a businessman. A genius in his own right, he holds an extreme interest
in the occult and has dedicated his life to the funding and study of strange
technologies so that he can control it.
He is cocky above all else, and seems to always know the answer to any
question he might have. This is because he holds “Achilles’ Eyepatch”, an ancient
Olympian Artefact that lets him answer any question that someone on earth
knows the answer to.

Occulto Dell’arte
Corrupted from the archetypes of the Commedia Dell’arte, these faceless puppets take their
place on stage surging with occult energy.
Gimmick: Control my opponents’ actions, forcing them to do what I want.
Lash Out Against Losing: Ensure the loser of this match will die a terrible death, Reveal how
something close to a player is now owned by Dimensional Mechanics.
Example Card Names: Spell of Il Dottore, Magick Pulcinella, Gnostic Colombina.

Establish a Plan to Win

Tragic Script Comedic Script
Item | {Strong} Item | {Strong}
In X turns, take control of each If a warrior an opponent
of your opponents next turn. controls deals damage to
You choose everything that you, you gain control of that
they do during this turn. warrior.
(X is equal to each player’s starting life
total - 1.) Use a Simple Card Move.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Power Card Moves

Chaos Harlequin Summoned Zanni Esoteric Pantalone
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak} Warrior | {Normal}
Opponents that can Decide {Blocker} At the end of your turn,
the Outcome of a Clash on At the end of the opponent’s choose target warrior or item
their turn must Decide the turn, if Zanni died this turn, an opponent controls; it loses
Outcome of a Clash at least return it to the battlefield. all text until the end of your
once during each of their next turn.
turns. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use two Simple Card Moves.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 life.
 Give a warrior or item your opponent controls {Underwhelm}.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

177
Pyrrha Deucalion (She/Her)
The Pirate Queen of Shuffle City
The greatest pirate in the seven seas and captain of The Black Lotus, Pyrrha
has taken the shores of Shuffle City as her home - leveraging the bustling
shipping industry to steal card game treasures once they reach port. Known
to be as fierce as she is feared, Pyrrha is always ready to prove a point in the
cruellest way possible. Most businesses in the city pay her expensive tributes to
prevent her from plundering every last one of their wares.
One of the main reasons for her great success is her ownership of Pandora’s
Deck Box. This Olympian Artefact and family heirloom allows her to steal the
soul of anyone she defeats in a card game - something she has used plenty of
times proudly.

Pandora’s Locker
An army of undead pirates made up of the numerous souls Pyrrha has taken from her
victories. They all look sad or afraid.
Gimmick: Plunder warriors from my opponent that I can use to protect my strongest cards.
Lash Out Against Losing: Pull a gun or knife on my opponent’s ally (threatening their life), Try
to destroy the soul-card of someone my opponent cared about.
Example Card Names: Soul of Dread Roberts, Soul of Redbeard, Soul of [Someone the
players care about]

Establish a Plan to Win

Soul of Davy Jones Ghost Ship
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Weak}
When Davy Jones destroys an {Inconspicuous}
opponent’s warrior in a clash, Play this to the opponent’s
create a {Weak} warrior. field instead of yours.
Whenever Davy Jones would At the end of the turn, while
die, you can instead sacrifice you control Ghost Ship,
another warrior you control. discard the top card of your
Use a Simple Card Move. deck until you reveal a warrior
or item - your opponent may
cast that card for free.

Power Card Moves

Soul of Bonny Soul of Blackbeard Skeleton Crew
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak}
{Overwhelm} At the beginning of your turn, {Teamwork}
create a {Weak} warrior. This warrior can attack
{Piercer} 1 When Blackbeard would die, directly. When it deals
When Bonny would die, instead you can sacrifice damage to the opponent,
instead you can sacrifice another warrior you control. create a copy of this card.
another warrior you control.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create two {Weak} warriors.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.

178
Diana Gorgoneio (She/Her)
Antisocial Medusa with a Knack for Card Game Design
Renowned as the world’s best card game designer, Diana is a recluse by nature.
She refuses to leave her apartment, spending most of her time watching nerdy
TV on the couch. Even when she accepts a commission, she hires proxies to
interact with her wealthy benefactors - coasting off of the large sums of money
for months at a time until she takes on another job.
However, Diana isn’t just antisocial; in truth, her true identity is that of a gorgon,
with hair of snakes and a gaze that petrifies those she lays eyes upon. She loves
card games and will ramble about game design at a moment’s notice, but
avoids social connection at every turn in fear of hurting others with her powers.
Menagan Stone Artists
A society of snake-people with eyes that weaken anyone they look at, eventually turning them
to stone. The artists of this society turn those faced by their ability into splendis masterworks.
Gimmick: Weakening my opponent’s warriors until they turn to stone.
Lash Out Against Losing: Mistakenly look at my opponent (slowly turning them to stone),
Break down into tears at the prospect of actual human connection.
Example Card Names: Menagan Painter Donelle, Menagan Stonecutter Havu, Menagan
Queen Nyoka

Establish a Plan to Win

Menagan Art Hall Menagan Masterwork
Item | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal}
{Overwhelm} {Sniper} X, where X is
{Weak} warriors become the number of items your
items and lose all text. opponent controls.
Use a Simple Card Move. {Piercer} X, where X is
the number of items your
opponent controls.

Power Card Moves

Menagan Ceramicist Fani Menagan Sculpter Sarpa Gaze of Medusa
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
Once per turn, reduce the {Overwhelm} Reduce the strength of all
strength of one target warrior When Sarpa defeats an of your opponent’s warriors.
your opponent controls. opponent’s warrior in a ({Strong} warriors become {Normal}.
{Normal} warriors become {Weak}.
(This works in the same way as Gaze
of Medusa.)
clash, that warrior becomes {Weak} warriors become items and
a {Weak} item with no text lose all text.)
Use a Simple Card Move. instead of being destroyed. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} target warrior.
 Reduce the strength of target warrior an opponent controls. (This works in the same way as
Gaze of Medusa.)
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

179
Shun Cao (He/Him)
Former Gangleader Turning Over a New Leaf
Just a couple years ago, Shun used to be the leader of Chain Stack, the biggest
and most feared criminal empire in all of Shuffle City. Extorting people for
money and rare cards, Shun had free rein to do whatever he pleased. This all
changed when Pyrrha docked in Shuffle City, quickly humiliating Shun in battle
and stealing half of his soul.
Having now been on the other side of violence, Shun realised what he did was
wrong. He’s since dedicated his life to making up for his crimes, making amends
to the people he’s hurt, and figuring out how he can take down Pyrrha.
Reformed Spider Queen
Once the greatest threat of the underworld, Arachne has changed her ways and reformed
herself to the side of good.
Gimmick: Recur threats from my graveyard.
Lash Out Against Losing: Try my best to show everyone what I’m doing is for the best, Give in
to the darkness that I’ve put behind me.
Example Card Names: Reformed Sentinel, Reformed Dragon, Memories of a Cruel Past

Establish a Plan to Win

Arachne, Reformed Arachne, Giving Into
Villainess Darkness
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong}
{Sniper} 1 At the start of your turn,
If a warrior you control is sacrifice any number of
destroyed, you can play it warriors. Deal X damage to
again next turn when you your opponent, where X is
would “Use a Simple Card the number of warriors you
Move”. destroyed.
Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Reformed Monstrosity Reformed Thralls Reformed Brood
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak}
{Overwhelm} If Arachne would be {Blocker}
destroyed, instead you can When this is destroyed in
sacrifice this card. combat, also destroy the
Use two Simple Card Moves warrior that attacked it and
create two {Weak} warriors.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Normal} warrior
 Gain 1 Life.
 {Strengthen} target warrior you control.

180
Howard Fleming (They/Them or He/Him)
Ever-Busy Doctor With a Packed Schedule
Between working full shifts at the Shuffle City Central Public Hospital and
prescribing medication at Oneiroi Labs, Fleming’s had their calendar full almost
24/7 for years - Despite this, when a string of patients with amnesia and highly
unusual symptoms made their way to one or the other, Fleming turned to
investigation.
Having noticed that a number of patients had connections with the docks,
Howard investigated - only for Pyrrha to notice their skills and blackmail them
into working on her crew, taking up even more of his precious time.

Plus Force: Healers Without Borders

Backed by the world’s leading medical technologies, the Plus Force is a crack team of vehicle-
driving doctors who believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Gimmick: Stave off hurt via damage reduction effects.
Lash Out Against Losing: Pass out in the middle of battle from overwork, Pirates threaten the
players for getting involved with their doctor.
Example Card Names: Plus Force Life Raft, Plus Force First Responders, Caduceus of Care

Establish a Plan to Win

Plus Force Rescue Raft Plus Force Captain,
Item | {Strong} Asclepius
Warrior | {Normal}
All damage to you is reduced
by 1. You can only take a maximum
Use two Simple Card Moves. of 1 damage per turn and
can’t gain life.
When an opponent’s warrior
would attack Asclepius, they
attack directly instead.
At the end of each
opponent’s turn, if you didn’t
take damage, win the game.

Power Card Moves

Plus Force Helper Helicopter Plus Force Urgent Care Ward Plus Force Rescue Ladder
Item | {Normal} Item | {Strong} Item | {Normal}
{Overwhelm} When played and at the Attach this card to target
When a card other than start of your turn, create warrior an opponent controls.
Helper Helicopter is attacked, two {Weak} warriors with At the start of your turn, if you
{Strengthen} that warrior until {Blocker} and {Teamwork}. haven’t taken damage since
the end of your next turn. Use a Simple Card Move. your last turn, take control of
that warrior until the end of
your next turn.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 Life.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

181
Morsimos Cerberus (It/Its)
Death Itself and Every Legend of the Afterlife
When people die, sometimes they will be challenged by death itself for a
second chance at life. Whether as a reaper, an angel, a three-headed dog,
or any other number of guises, it’ll be there; if you hold enough willpower to
try and survive, Morsimos will challenge you to a card game, with one more
chance at life as the stakes.
During this game, it will be almost silent, and maybe somewhat judging. Using
the minimal possible words, it won’t hold back - making it known clearly that
if it wins, it will spell the end of your story. The rare person who truly gets to
know them may discover that it holds a deep love for humanity, and uses these
games as a way to give people another chance, even in spite of its duty’s and
obligations.

Psychopomps’ Passage
There are many stories about who will greet you when you die - Morsimos is all of these
stories, and so is its deck.
Gimmick: Mill out my opponent’s deck, revealing their end.
Lash Out Against Losing: Show how the world will be after my opponent has passed, Show
kindness in my opponent’s passing.
Example Card Names: Calls to Valhalla, Scythe of the Reaper, Wheel of Samsara

Establish a Plan to Win

Last Gasps
Invocation.
For the rest of the game, if the
opponent draws or discards Morsimos Only Has One
a card from their deck and Establish a Plan to Win.
they have no cards left, they
lose 1 life.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Weigh the Heart Stygian Coins Pearly Gates
Invocation Item | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
Name a card type (Warrior, Warriors can’t attack unless When an opponent’s warrior
Item, Invocation). The they have a “coin” counter. attacks, gain 1 life.
opponent reveals a card from Once on each players’ turn, Use a Simple Card Move.
their hand at random and that player can give one of
discards it. If you guessed their warriors a “coin” counter.
the card type correctly, they
lose 1 life and draw a card. Use a Simple Card Move.
Otherwise they gain 1 life and
draw a card.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Target player discards a card from the top of their deck.
 Gain 1 Life.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.

182
Sascha Albrecht (They/Them)
Heir Apparent With Ambition Beyond Reason
First in line to inherit the Albrecht family shipping company, Sascha has one
goal: protect the empire that their father built at all costs. A charismatic and
friendly person on first blush, they’re secretly much more manipulative and
ruthless than they appear. From behind the scenes, they’ve guided politicians
and other companies into giving Albrecht Shipping even more power,
convincing people that changes from the status quo are a massive risk.
You’re most likely to meet Sascha as an ally, someone who might even seem
like a friend. They’ll guide you into doing things that are convenient for them,
but the moment you go against their interests, you’ll face the full force of their
anger.

Shining Glade Insects

Insectile warriors wielding sewing needle spears and pin-prick swords - their goal is to protect
their home at all costs.
Gimmick: Protect the things that demoralise my opponents.
Lash Out Against Losing: Become relentless and reveal that I never cared, Put my own life at
risk (making it so if the opponent wins, I might be hurt).
Example Card Names: Shining Glade Ant Army, Shining Glade Ladybug Lancers, Blessings of
the Shining Glade

Establish a Plan to Win

The Shining Glade The Blessed Forest
Item | {Strong} Item | {Strong}
Your opponent is always This Item is always treated as
treated as if they have no “The Shining Glade”.
Combat Tension. When a warrior an opponent
Use two Simple Card Moves. controls attacks, flip a coin
- on heads, the attack is
countered.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Power Card Moves

Shining Glade Paladin Moth Shining Glade Spider Knight Shining Glade Beetle
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal} Blockade
Invocation
The Shining Glade gains At the start of each turn,
{Inconspicuous} while this is select one of the opponent’s Create 4 {Weak} warriors with
on the field. warriors: that warrior loses {Blocker}.
Use a Simple Card Move. all text until the start of your
next turn.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Gain 1 Life.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

183
Conrad Martin (He/Him)
The Cocky Founder of Dimensional Mechanics Only Rival
Dimensional Mechanics’ is the big name in card games, but they have one
competitor - Mainphase Technologies. Started by Conrad as a small tech
company, it quickly grew to second place in the international card games scene.
With innovative digital battle disks utilising proprietary e-decks, Mainphase
quickly became well known for their quality compared to their competitors.
Conrad himself is cocky above all else, insistent that he’s the best card gamer in
the entire city. Despite this, he’s almost completely unaware of the city’s secrets
“- even wielding a Sealed Titan himself while unaware to its power and history.

Speakers of the Chained Titan

Prometheus gave fire to humanity, and as punishment was chained to a rock and gored by
eagles. These are those who speak for him.
Gimmick: Relies on the power of my strongest warriors to win.
Lash Out Against Losing: Put my own life at risk if I lose, Buy out something important to the
players.
Example Card Names: Acolyte of Prometheus, Final Word Speaker, Ship of Theseus.

Establish a Plan to Win

Chained Titan - Prometheus Unchained Prometheus
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Strong}
{Overwhelm} {Overwhelm}
Opponent’s Staples gain Opponents play with the top
{Overwork}. card of their deck revealed.
Use a Simple Card Move. They can play the top card of
their deck.
Opponents can’t play cards
from their hand.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Truename Speaker Curse Speaker Silent Speaker
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
When this is played, if you When this is played, if you At the start of your turn, if you
control Prometheus, gain 3 life. control Prometheus, destroy control Prometheus, deal 1
target warrior or item. damage to your opponent.
Use a Simple Card Move.
Use two Simple Card Moves. Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Normal} warrior.
 Give a warrior or item your opponent controls {Underwhelm}.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.

184
Agathe Stematis (She/Her or They/Them)
Card Game Influencer With a Dedicated Fanbase
As a popular card gaming influencer under the name “AggieWins”, Agathe
found success reviewing cards, explaining the metagame, and partaking in silly
card gaming challenges. Her fans appreciate her happy-go-lucky personality
and friendliness, something that contrasts with the “spooky” aesthetics for her
streams.
In her offline life, Agathe studies at Shuffle City University to learn video editing.
Her hopes are that one day her streams will get big enough that her missing
sister will see, so that the two might finally be able to reconnect.

Spirit Samurai
Warriors from beyond the grave reawaken to do battle once again, challenging all in sight to a
clash of blades.
Gimmick: Advantages from winning clashes.
Lash Out Against Losing: Become depressed at my lack of ability, My fans cheer me up and
reignite my passion.
Example Card Names: Armour of the Spirit Samurai, Spirit Samurai Hanztu, Cursed Blade
Muramasa.

Establish a Plan to Win

Spirit Samurai Masamare Moonlight Haunting
Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
Masamare may always roll {Inconspicuous}
to Decide the Outcome of a Whenever a Spirit Samurai
Clash, even against cards it you control wins a clash,
couldn’t otherwise. {Strengthen} it and give it
Whenever a Spirit Samurai {Piercer} 1.
wins a clash, use a Simple Use a Simple Card Move.
Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Spirit Samurai Mubanshee Spirit Samurai Hideyokai Crossroads Killing
Warrior | {Strong} Warrior | {Normal} Invocation.
{Piercer} 2 At the start of your turn, {Strengthen} target warrior
Spirit Samurai Mubanshee create a {Normal} warrior you control. It battles with
can’t attack the opponent with either {Blocker} or target warrior your opponent
directly. {Overwhelm}. Your opponent controls.
creates a {Weak} warrior. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Normal} warrior.
 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

185
Moira Clotho (She/Her)
Weaver of Fate Searching for Mortal Joy
Having spent eternity weaving the fate of that which was, is, and could be,
Clotho - the youngest of her siblings - found herself desiring a change. She
wanted to experience the mortal world herself - and after some convincing,
her sisters permitted her to walk amongst humanity in mortal form.
An outsider by nature, Moira has joined Shuffle City in search of what makes
mortal lives special. She offers divination services to pay the bills, but her joys
are in exploring the city and indulging in the delights of human experience.
Most likely, you’ll find her in the city’s clubs, museums, or classrooms, exploring
all there is to being human.

Strings of Fate
The threads of fate bind together those with a shared destiny, leaving them inexorably
connected - whether by love, hate, coincidence, or any other number of weaves.
Gimmick: Tie two warriors together, changing their relationship with each other.
Lash Out Against Losing: Reveal a dark secret about the players’ futures, Prophesise a
strange and calamitous fate.
Example Card Names: Augury Master, Delphic Visionary, Sundered Destiny.

Establish a Plan to Win

Maiden of Fate Shattered Weave
Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
{Overwhelm} {Inconspicuous}
Maiden of Fate can attack Warriors you control are
directly. {Strengthened} for each
Once on your turn, Maiden String they have with other
of Fate gains a “String” with warriors.
a warrior your opponent Warriors your opponents
controls. Warriors that Maiden control gain {Underwhelm}
of Fate has Strings on cannot if they have any Strings with
attack it. other warriors.
Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Prophecy Breaker Destiny’s Cudgel Dawdle
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
When you play this, Prophecy Once on your turn, Destiny’s Use 4 Simple Card Moves.
Breaker gains a “String” with Cudgel gains a “String” with
a warrior your opponent a warrior your opponent
controls. When Prophecy controls. When Destiny’s
Breaker dies, destroy all Cudgel destroys a warrior
warriors it has Strings with. it has a String with, deal 1
Use a Simple Card Move. damage to that warrior’s
controller.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Target warrior you control gains a String with a warrior your opponent controls.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

186
Percival Blanchett (He/Him)
Corrupt Cop with Dreams of Being a Hero
As a child, Percival envied the police detectives he saw in movies and TV. He
dreamed of protecting his home from the forces of evil, and when he was able
to sign up for police training, he jumped at the opportunity.
Today, Percival is little more than Dimensional Mechanic’s attack dog. Blinded
by the hatred and dogma of his peers, he assumes the worst in people until
proven otherwise. All too quick to pull a battle disk on those he believes to be
guilty, his simplistic worldview and fear of backing down has led him directly
into DM’s pockets. In his mind, a company ‘altruistic’ enough to hold so much
sway over Shuffle City must be in the right despite all the terrible things they
ask him to do.

The Caped Detective

A hero of the people, The Caped Detective takes to the streets of Crime City to enforce the
law and put those that deserve it in their place.
Gimmick: Summon “villains” to my opponent’s side of the field.
Lash Out Against Losing: Wrongfully accuse my opponent of committing a crime, Unholster
my baton.
Example Card Names: Backstreet Crimeboss, The Boy Sleuth, Secret Identity

Establish a Plan to Win

The Caped Detective Into My Own Hands
Warrior | {Strong} Item | {Strong}
{Piercer} 1 You are a {Normal} Warrior.
Once per turn when a villain You are {Strengthened} while
is destroyed, The Caped attacking villains.
Detective can attack an All opponents are villains.
additional time this turn. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

The Lynchpin Clean Up The Streets Lay Down The Law
Warrior | {Normal} Invocation Item | {Normal}
This card enters play under Target opponent creates {Inconspicuous}
your opponent’s control. This three {weak} warriors with At the end of each
card is a villain. “This is a villain. When this is competitor’s turn, they lose 1
When this card is destroyed, destroyed, the player who life for each villain they control.
its controller must sacrifice destroys it {Strengthens} a
warrior they control.” Use 2 Simple Card Moves.
another non-villain warrior
they control. Use 2 Simple Card Moves.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Simple Card Moves

 Each opponent creates a {Weak} warrior with “This card is a villain”.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.

187
Agnes Minos (It/Its or She/Her)
Girl Turned Modern-Day Minotaur
One of many cast-off experiments of Dimensional Mechanics and their
New World Portal, Agnes left their secret labs in disarray; with her body now
possessing bestial and bovine features and a memory wiped of almost all
of her past. Her one saving grace, ironically enough, was a side effect of the
experimentation - an otherwise perfect memory.
Faced with the heartless exploitation of Dimensional Mechanics on one side
and public harassment over her new form on the other, Agnes has become
a recluse interacting primarily through the Internet - now making a living as
an elusive and prodigious technician. She never forgets a loose spring, an
unbracketed line of code, or a grudge unpaid.

The Enclosing Labyrinth

The memories of the labyrinthine world Agnes found itself in imprinted onto a deck - it fights
by sealing her and her opponents away from any closure or escape.
Gimmick: Trapping opponents in a maze of walls, then picking them off
Lash Out Against Losing: Hide yourself from reach of the players, Break something in a
tearful rage.
Example Card Names: Decaying Passageway, To Daedalus’s Specifications,
Minos the Maze-Tyrant.

Establish a Plan to Win

Asterion, the Entombed Collapse of the Labyrinth
Warrior | {Strong} Invocation
{Piercer} 1 Create a {Normal} item with
Asterion cannot attack by {Blocker} and {Overwhelm}
normal means. called “Labyrinth Grand
Gate”.
Immediately after any item
clashes with an opponent’s For the rest of the game, at
warrior, Asterion may the start of each opponents’
immediately clash with that turn, if they control less Items
warrior. than you, they take 1 damage.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Corridor of Confusion Theseus, Mazewalker Phalanx of Granite Pikes
Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak} Item | {Normal}
{Blocker} This warrior is {Strengthened} {Blocker}
When an effect is activated for each Item you control. When a competitor attacks
that targets or affects another (This changes whenever you Phalanx of Granite Pikes, that
card on the field, you may gain or lose items.) competitor loses 1 life.
make it affect Corridor of Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.
Confusion instead.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Normal} item with {Blocker}.
 {Weaken} an opponent’s warrior or item until the end of their next turn.
 Sacrifice an item you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or equal
strength.

188
Melania Phobose (She/Her)
Immortal Leader of the Neo Athenian Church
Thousands of years ago, Melania came across the Locked Titan Cronus. In
return for granting her immortality, Melania promised to help Cronus free
himself. Wise and patient in a manner that belies her age despite her youthful
appearance, Melania started the modern-day Neo Athenian Church as a way
to achieve her goals - having gained hundreds of followers since.
Years of being manipulated by Cronus has led to Melania becoming something
of a bigot. She only believes in the value of those who possess supernatural
abilities - she might use normal people for the sake of gaining more power, but
they’re little more than pawns to her. She believes that only those with powers
will survive when the titans are free, and that allowing this to happen will “set
the world right.”
The Inevitable Cronus
Even sealed away, the power of Cronus upon the world is inexorable. Cloaked in death itself,
the strongest of the titans ensures victory through merely the passage of time.
Gimmick: Huge effects happening after several turns.
Lash Out Against Losing: Cast dark magic over the game, Use the opponent’s inadequacies
against them.
Example Card Names: Encounter the Inevitable, Move Forward Despite It All, Rot and
Succumb to Time.

Establish a Plan to Win

Locked Titan - Cronus Time Simply Passes
Warrior | {Strong} Item | {Strong}
{Overwhelm} {Inconspicuous}
If Cronus deals damage to an This card can’t be destroyed
opponent, you win the game. by any means.
This card is treated as an item At the start of your
until X turns have passed. opponent’s turn, they take 1
(X is equal to your opponents starting damage.
life total -1)
Use a Simple Card Move.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Power Card Moves

All Things Die Every Moment at Once Dawdle
Invocation Warrior | {Weak}
Destroy up to three target At the end of your turn, Use 4 Simple Card Moves.
warriors. decide whether this warrior is:
Use 0-2 Simple Card Moves - {Weak} and has {Sniper} 2
inversely proportional to the - {Normal} and has {Piercer} 1
number of warriors destroyed. - {Strong} and can’t attack.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.
 Gain 1 Life.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

189
Orvis Goddard (They/Them)
Knucklehead Wielding Cataclysmic Power
Hot-headed and belligerent to a fault, Orvis is deeply invested in getting
done what they believe to be right! They’re the kind of person who is good at
becoming a hero, going out of their way to help those in need. It’s a shame,
then, that they’ve been convinced that arranging the exceedingly dangerous
Sealed Titans into a battle with one another will help the people of the city. (It
won’t. Quite the opposite actually.)
Wielding the “Burdened Titan - Atlas” as a family heirloom, they’ve made it their
mission to fulfil the family dream of releasing the titans. Completely unaware of
the apocalyptic calamity this could be, they go about their day on the hunt for
others who know about the titans, helping people along the way.

Titan Weapons
Huge-sized weapons that are wielded by the Burdened Titan - Atlas while he holds up the
earth. Each is the size of whole islands.
Gimmick: Equip Atlas with items that make him even stronger.
Lash Out Against Losing: Reveal a sad history about why I’m doing this, Do something risky
that puts myself in harm’s way.
Example Card Names: Cave Slider, Sky Carver, With the Weight of the World.

Establish a Plan to Win

Burdened Titan - Atlas World Let Loose
Warrior | {Strong} Invocation
{Piercer} 2, {Overwhelm} Destroy all cards your
Warriors clashing with this lose opponent controls. They
{Overwhelm}. discard their hand.
Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Mountain Buster Ocean Parter Acolyte of Atlas
Item | {Normal} Item | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
Equip this card to one target Equip this card to one target Return any items put into the
warrior. That warrior gains warrior. That warrior gains graveyard onto the field, and
{Blocker} and can attack {Inconspicuous} and can equip them to this card if
an item once each turn, in attack directly. possible.
addition to its other attacks. Use a Simple Card Move. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use two Simple Card Moves.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.
 Create a {Weak} Item with “Equip this card to one target warrior - that warrior gains
{Sniper} 1”.

190
Jezebel Mercury (She/Her)
Troubled Girl With Anger Issues and Incredible Destructive Power
The child of NETDECK’s head director has had a life wracked with misfortune;
angry at her father neglecting family for duty, she ran and was quickly
captured by Dimensional Mechanics. Having been made a test subject to
their experiments on psychic powers, she returned two years later with no
recollection of the time spent there, and with the power to create hard light
constructs and lasers.
With her anger issues and antisocial behaviour having only gotten worse, she
was easily able to be manipulated by the Neo Athenian Church. She now acts
as Melania Phobose’s secret ultimate weapon, a tool to weaponize against
anyone who would dare go against the Church’s doctrine.

Ultraviolence Light
Jezebel’s powers let her turn light into weaponized constructs and lasers, serving as a lethal
equivalent to a regular card game deck.
Gimmick: Actions that cause collateral damage to me and my opponent.
Lash Out Against Losing: Threaten my opponent’s life, Destroy everything around me.
Example Card Names: Revival of Ultraviolence, Origin of Ultraviolence, Construct of
Ultraviolence.

Establish a Plan to Win

Regalia of Ultraviolence Apocalypse of Ultraviolence
Item | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
You are a {Strong} warrior Choose a number. X is equal
with {Overwhelm}. to the number you chose.
(You can attack. You clash with enemies In X-1 turns, deal X damage to
that attack you as if you were a warrior
before you take damage. You take 1 each player.
damage if you would be destroyed
in a clash or by an effect. If an effect Use a Simple Card Move.
targeting you doesnt make sense, it
targets the item instead.)
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Burning of Ultraviolence Emanation of Ultraviolence Radiance of Ultraviolence
Invocation Invocation Invocation.
Take 1 damage. At the start Target warrior you control Destroy all warriors and items
of your next turn, target and target warrior your on all competitors’ fields. Gain
opponent takes 3 damage. opponent controls are both 1 Life.
Use a Simple Card Move. {Strengthened}, gain {Piercer}
1, {Sniper} 1, and can attack
an additional time until the
start of your next turn.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Gain 1 Life.
 Create a {Normal} Warrior.
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.

191
Phoebe Kaeru (She/Her)
Soldier’s Daughter Trying to Earn Respect From Adults
While almost every teen in Shuffle City plays card games, few are as
passionate to play with in the big leagues as Phoebe. While only having moved
in a couple months ago, adults from every LGS in town already know her well
as the kid who keeps challenging them to prove she can win against any
opponent.
As the only daughter of one of the country’s most accomplished soldiers,
Phoebe spent most of her life moving from military base to military base. With
only adults by her side, she quickly learnt that to make friends she needed to
prove she was skilled enough to match them in one way or another. Having
finally settled down in one place, she wants to use these same skills to make
friends across Shuffle City.

Frog Army
Emblazoned with the signifiers of military rank, these frogs wield impressive weaponry to
overcome even the strongest foes.
Gimmick: Strengthen my warriors to match my opponents.
Lash Out Against Losing: Declare what you’re trying to prove with this card game, Reveal
your insecurities.
Example Card Names: Froggy Recruiting Station, Tadpole Teamwork, Ribbit Squad.

Establish a Plan to Win

Commander Keropi Captain Frogger
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal}
{Inconspicuous} Warriors you control have
At the start of your turn, {Teamwork} and “At the end
{Strengthen} any warriors you of the turn, if this card was
control that are weaker than part of a teamwork pool,
the strongest warrior your {Strengthen} it”
opponent controls. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Ensign Froginton Frog Army Conscription Froggy Armory
Warrior | {Normal} Invocation Item | {Normal}
Whenever your opponent Destroy target warrior an Once per turn, {Strengthen}
plays a warrior, create a opponent controls and create target {Weak} warrior you
{Weak} warrior. a {Weak} warrior. control and give it {Piercer} 1.
Use two Simple Card Moves. You may repeat this effect or Use a Simple Card Move.
use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} a Warrior you control until the end of turn.
 Create 2 {Weak} warriors.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.

By Blaze_409
192
Syr Lovisa (They/Them)
Royal Knight on a Pilgrimage to Shuffle City
Heralding from a country adjacent to Shuffle City’s own, Syr Lovisa comes from
a long lineage of knights sworn to protect both the royalty and their kingdom.
While a skilled sword fighter in their own right, Syr Lovisa is famed in particular
for their skill at the more modern dueling form of card gaming.
Chivalrous and fair-minded, almost to a fault, you’d likely be able to tell they
were a knight even if they didn’t wear the plate armor iconic of their position.
Today, with the situation calm in their country, Syr Lovisa has come to Shuffle
City in the hopes to train against the very best card gamers in the world.

Chivalric Legends
The knights of old made names for themselves besting the strongest while upholding sound
and ready morals.
Gimmick: Create fair one-on-one fights.
Lash Out Against Losing: Swear fealty to my opponent so they might teach me their skills,
Proudly boast of my knightly prowess.
Example Card Names: Syr Robert the Brute, Syr Galahad du Lac, Syr Sigurd the
Dragonslayer

Establish a Plan to Win

The Flower of Battle The Art of Combat
Item | {Strong} Invocation
Players can only attack with Destroy all warriors and
one warrior they control each items.
turn. All players are {Strong}
All warriors have {Blocker} warriors with {Sniper} 1.
and {Piercer} 1.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Syr William Wallace Syr Joan of Arc Syr Richard the Lionheart
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Strong}
Syr William Wallace may When this warrior loses a Warriors my opponent control
always roll to Decide the clash, target warrior you are {Strengthened}
Outcome of a Clash, even control is {Strengthened} and When this warrior wins a clash,
against cards it couldn’t gains {Piercer} 1. destroy target warrior an
otherwise. Use a Simple Card Move. opponent controls.
Each opponent has -1 Tension. Use a Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} target warrior you control until the end of the turn.
 Each player creates a {Strong} warrior.
 Each player gains 2 life.

By Jane Kira Gylling

193
Jessica Johnson (He/Him)
Eccentric Cat-Eared Boy With a Love of Puns
One of Dimensional Mechanics many orphan experiments, Jessica was
spliced together with a cat - their body gained feline features including a
very prominent tail and ears. Despite how many others would react however,
Jessica wanted to show everyone just how unique this made them!
Seen as an outcast by many, Jessica does his best to try and look past the
negatives and smile! Most recently, they’ve joined Shuffle City University and
begun work at a local Cat Cafe to make money while they work to leverage
their online popularity. Ofcourse, popularity online doesn’t always translate to
the real world - other students tend to avoid Jessica due to his cat-like nature,
flip-flopping emotions, and tendency to scratch at people when he really
shouldn’t.

Kaibyo: Strange Cats

Legends span both myth and folklore of cats with supernatural and strange abilities. That cat
on the sidewalk couldn’t be… right?
Gimmick: Apply Bleed Counters to my enemies’ warriors.
Lash Out Against Losing: Sob pathetically until my opponent lets me win, Reveal a terrible
truth (somehow, with a cat pun).
Cat Puns: You’re a fur-midable opponent, What a purr-fectly amazing turn, You’ve got to be
kitten me!, Meow you’ve done it, How do you like me meow?, Meow-velous.

Establish a Plan to Win

Bakeneko Backstreets Maneki-Neko Shrine
Item | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
Warriors with Bleed Counters Warriors with Bleed Counters
have their strength tier must attack each turn if able.
reduced by on. Use a Power Card Move.
(From {Strong} to {Normal}, or from
{Normal} to {Weak})
Use a Power Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Mysterious Cat Stray Cat Council The Cat’s Meow
Warrior | {Normal} Invocation Invocation.
When this warrior would Create two {Weak} warriors Each warrior your opponent
Decide the Outcome of with {Blocker} and “When this controls gains a Bleed
a Clash, neither warrior is warrior is destroyed in a clash, Counter.
destroyed. give the warrior that clashed (When a warrior with a bleed counter
When this warrior clashes with with this a Bleed Counter”. attacks, their owner must lose 1 life or
sacrifice that warrior.)
an opponent’s warrior, that (When a warrior with a bleed counter
attacks, their owner must lose 1 life or Use two simple card moves.
warrior gains a Bleed Counter. sacrifice that warrior.)
(When a warrior with a bleed counter
attacks, their owner must lose 1 life or Use a Simple Card Move.
sacrifice that warrior.)
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 Target warrior gains a Bleed Counter.
 Create a {Normal} warrior.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}.

By Dylan Garbutt 194

Onorio Walsh (She/Her)
Office Worker With a Fever-Pitch Heart
A workaholic administrative assistant at Dimensional Mechanics, Rio is
constantly taking on more than she should reasonably be able to chew in
hopes of making positive change in the world. She unknowingly accepted
a deck of magical girl-themed cards siphoned from alternate worlds as a
promotion reward. Now, DM’s riddled her with NDAs that make her hesitant to
quit despite her newfound suspicions of ill intent.
Doing her best to protect others and prevent harm from the inside, she
reluctantly furthers the company’s interests while looking for an out. Rio is
stubbornly maintaining a hopeful attitude, which isn’t easy when the higher-ups
are keeping her perpetually busy.

Wagework Witches
The knights of old made names for themselves besting the strongest while upholding sound
and ready morals.
Gimmick: Risk leaving yourself open to gain powerful warriors.
Lash Out Against Losing: Cheer myself up with thoughts of my work friends, Anxiously turn a
blind eye to the truth of Dimensional Mechanics.
Example Card Names: Graveyard Shift, Inkpen Power Trinket, Company Interns

Establish a Plan to Win

Dimming Office Overtime Witchworker
Item | {Strong} Onorio
Item | {Strong}
At the end of each of your
turns, all warriors you control You are a {Weak} warrior with
“clock out”. {Overwhelm} and {Piercer 1}.
(When a card is clocked out, it
temporarily leaves the field until the When you take damage, you
start of its user’s next turn.) clock out afterwards.
Cards you control are (You cannot attack, be attacked, or be
affected by cards until you return at the
{Strengthened} by the start of your next turn.)
number of times they’ve Use a Simple Card Move.
Clocked Out.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Power Card Moves

Company Secretary Cherri Company Analyst Bast Company Copywriter
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak} Amber
Warrior | {Weak}
When this clocks out, create When this clocks out, you gain
two {Normal} warriors. 1 life and target opponent When this card clocks out,
{Fumbles}. all opposing warriors gain
{Underwhelm}, and you may
Use a Simple Card Move. make a target card gain
{Inconspicuous}.

Simple Card Moves

 Create a {Weak} “Sealed Office” item with {Blocker}.
 Target opponent {Fumbles}.
 One card you control returns immediately the next time it is {Clocked Out}.

By Corky
195
Leonard Darwinson (He/They)
Evo-ludologist Evolving Into the Ultimate Gamer!
A Professor at Shuffle City University’s School of Life Science, Leonard
Darwinson rocketed to prominence in the wake of the university’s dramatic shift
in focus towards card games a decade ago. His long time obsession with both
card games and evolutionary biology made him a popular choice for grant
funding, coming from the university’s card game focused sponsors.

Darwinson is a pioneering figure in the emerging field they call “applied bio-
evolutionary ludology,” the science of applying biological evolutionary principles
to the playing of games, and has published several high profile papers on
the subject. Outside of their academic work, Leonard could be considered
something of a fanatic, a true believer in nature and the processes of life. From
the smallest microbe to the mightiest beast, the swarming insect to the vibrant
forest flowers, Leonard seeks to understand every niche, every adaptation, and
promulgate their wonders to the gaming masses.

Leonard’s personality is a fascinating fusion of the academic professional,

and the zealous apostle of his ideological fusion between card games and
nature. He can rapidly switch between precisely and expertly explaining the
relationships between different organisms, or the interactions of complex
card combinations, and fervently extolling the virtues of natural selection. By
following the lessons of evolution, both the ultimate life form, and the ultimate
card game player, might be discovered, or so they say.

His strength of character and academic brilliance has seen Darwinson

gain a small but dedicated group of followers, mostly younger pupils and
PhD students at the university who’ve committed themselves to the same
undertaking as their leader—pursuing their own evolution, following the pattern
of nature, to become the ultimate gamers. The self-titled “Evo-ludologists”
eagerly seek battle opponents, seeing every challenge, win-or-lose, as an
opportunity to reach the next stage of their evolution.

Leonard Darwinson Plots

 Darwinson announces a special tournament, the ‘Darwin Cup,’ in which competitors must
adapt to survive. It features card battles hosted at the university, in a variety of artificial and
unconventional environments, such as underwater, suspended in the air, or in a pit of venomous
snakes!
 A group of Darwinson’s Evo-ludologists are causing commotion at Shuffle Crossing by
pretending to be various animals and plants, which they claim is a valuable research exercise.
Some crawl on the floor like bugs, others flap their arms like birds, stand perfectly still like trees,
or run in packs and howl like wolves. They refuse to disperse unless defeated in card battle.
 Leonard is giving a talk on the university campus on his research and ideology. They will
challenge strong-looking opponents in the crowd, and if they consider someone a worthy
opponent, they’ll show up repeatedly in the future to request a rematch, each time having
slightly adapted his strategy or deck, growing closer to his ultimate evolution!

196
 Life Finds a Way
Simple organisms rapidly evolve into birds, beasts, plants, and insects, continually adapting
with new abilities, climbing the evolutionary ladder towards supremacy.
Gimmick: Summoning weak warriors, then buffing them through evolution.
Lash Out Against Losing: Fix the opponent with keen, analysing eyes. Laugh through the loss
and delcare that every loss is an opportunity for evolution.
Example Card Names: Progenitor Organism, Natural Selection, Genetic Bottleneck, Basic
(Dinosaur, Beast, Insect, Plant, Bird etc.)

Establish a Plan to Win

Tree of Life Mass Extinction
Item | {Strong} Invocation
{Inconspicuous} Choose one warrior you
Once per turn when one of control and one warrior your
your warriors is destroyed, opponent controls. Destroy all
target warrior gains your other warriors.
choice of keywords: For each warrior destroyed
 {Strengthened} by this effect, gain a keyword.
(from the list in Tree of Life)
 {Piercer} 1
 {Sniper} 1 Use a Simple Card Move.
 {Teamwork}
 {Blocker}
Use 2 Simple Card Moves

Power Card Moves

Keystone Species Cambrian Explosion Prokaryotes
Warrior | {Strong} Invocation Warrior | {Weak}
Once per turn, if a warrior is Choose one of these options When this gains a keyword,
destroyed, give this warrior a up to three times: gain another keyword.
keyword. (you may choose the same option (from the list on Tree of Life)
(from the list on Tree of Life) multiple times) Use 1 Simple Card Move.
Use a Simple Card Move.  Create a Weak Warrior
 Target warrior gains a
keyword.
(from the list on Tree of Life)

Simple Card Moves

 Create two {Weak} warriors.
 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your opponent controls with less or
equal strength.
 Gain 1 Life.

By Zak Barouh

197
Mitsuru Hoshinomiya (He/Him)
Supposedly-Extraterrestrial Transfer Student
There are three things about Mitsuru that are immediately clear: he is wealthy,
he is polite, and he is blue. To hear him tell it, Mitsuru is an Andromedan envoy.
The Federation of Andromedan Knowledge and Enterprise has taken an
interest in Earth - even in space, card game-based societies aren’t something
you see every day! They’ve enrolled Mitsuru in Shuffle University so he can learn
Earth’s customs at the heart of the card-playing world.

Mitsuru’s personality can be summed up in a single word: “noble”. He’s princely,

considerate and polite to a fault. This extraterrestrial decorum has earned
him an ardent fan club, though they usually support him from a distance so as
not to overwhelm him. Some fans find his alien curiosity towards Earth society
endearing. Others just think he’s cute. Mitsuru has a more gallant, confident
persona that he shifts into during card games and tense moments - expect his
fans to go wild when he does.

Mitsuru doesn’t have a UFO or a ray gun, but he does have a whole lot of
money. He doesn’t spend excessively, but he always strives to (and can) buy the
best possible version of what he needs. He also doesn’t have any concept of
what things cost and will happily overpay to absurd extents if given the chance.
The chaos this can cause is limited by the “economic prime directive” he follows
- so no, he can’t buy you that cool new deck.

Of course, aliens aren’t real. (Even in a world with Greek titans and alternate
dimensions, you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere!) Despite his airtight story,
a bit of digging will show that he’s only human. According to the paper trail,
Mitsuru is a scion of a major ruling family from a country far from Shuffle City.
As for why he’s blue… well, nobody’s really sure, but the words “colloidal silver”
get used a lot. Mitsuru himself seems to believe he’s an alien; even a psychic
would find that his conviction extends to his very core. It’s almost enough to
make you think that - just maybe - he’s telling the truth...

Mitsura Hoshinomiya Plots

 A player character does an innocuous favor for Mitsuru (such as lending him a pencil or
getting an angry cat away from him) and he rewards them for it. The reward is insanely,
disproportionately big - something worth multiple millions of dollars is on the low end - and the
party has to deal with this life-changing (or life-ruining) windfall.
 Mysterious suit-and-sunglasses-wearing figures appear to be tailing Mitsuru. He believes
them to be anti-extraterrestrial government agents, leaving him blind to their true motives.
 It turns out that Mitsuru’s alien brethren aren’t fake at all. Depending on how Mitsuru’s been
treated, the Federation may be interested in inducting Earth into its ranks… or it might want to
annihilate the planet. Regardless, it’s a matter to be settled over cards.

198
 Henshin ASTRA
A sentai hero with star-marked armor, Henshin ASTRA’s power is fueled by the people that
believe in them.
Gimmick: Making my warrior unbeatable with the help of their friends.
Lash Out Against Losing: Express disappointment in humanity’s flaws (as represented by his
opponent). Unintentionally set his loyal fans against his foe(s).
Example Card Names: ASTRA Rocket Belt, Yuuki, Helpful Nerd, Burning Re-Entry Kick

Establish a Plan to Win

Henshin ASTRA
Warrior | {Normal}
{Overwhelm} If Mitsuru ever doesn’t control
Henshin Astra, he uses that
Other warriors you control Establish a Plan to Win again.
have {Inconspicuous}.
Use a Power Card move.

Power Card Moves

Kaguya, Student Council Goro, Passionate Athlete Kagami & Tsukasa, Lovely
Princess Warrior | {Weak} Supporters
Warrior | {Weak} Warrior | {Weak}
Henshin ASTRA is
Henshin ASTRA gains {Sniper} {Strengthened} and gains When this is played, create a
1 and can attack twice each {Piercer} 1 while you control copy of it.
turn while you control Kaguya, Goro, Passionate Athlete. When Henshin ASTRA would
Student Council Princess. Use a Simple Card Move. be destroyed, you can instead
Use a Simple Card Move. destroy this.
Use a Simple Card Move.

Simple Card Moves

 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of the turn
 Target warrior your opponent controls loses all text until the start of your next turn.
 Give a warrior or item your opponent controls {Underwhelm}.

By Derek Ehlmann

199
Chapter Six
Judge’s Handbook
The person that runs the game is referred to as “the Judge”. This person
is in charge of running the game, controlling the world and characters
that players interact with. This section contains a list of tips for the Judge,
as well as further rules, clarifications, and advanced modifications to the
game.

Your First Session

As with many games that work off of the Powered by the Apocalypse
framework, the first session of play in Perfect Draw! should
generally be focused on shared character creation and
planning the upcoming adventure. This session is a
chance to set expectations, establish the main
cast, and teach the rules of the game.

Before You Play

Before the first session, you
should prepare some materials.
(This guide assumes you’re
playing in person, but each
of these tools have digital
substitutes for playing online.)
Firstly, if you and your players
are unfamiliar with the game, you
should have a crib sheet of both
the General Moves and Card
Combat General moves ready.
These are available in the appendix at
the end of this book and downloadable
as print-ready files on [Link]. Additionally,
you’ll need at least a set of two six-sided
dice. (Having a separate set of
dice for each player can save
time handing them around,
but isn’t necessary.) You’ll
also need writing implements;
bringing both a pen and a pencil
for the table is a good idea, as
certain details will need to be
marked and then erased.

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You should print out a copy of each Playbook that will be used in your
game. For the sake of saving on paper, it’s best to encourage players to
choose a playbook before you start, and print out only the playbooks they
select. You can scan and print the playbook pages of this book if you need;
alternatively, print-ready versions of the playbooks are available on [Link]
along with the General Moves and Card Combat Moves files.

Finally, you will need to cut up a series of “cards”. Perfect Draw! is

somewhat unique among tabletop games in that it requires you to create
cards as part of standard play. Ideally you’ll want to cut these cards into
equally sized shapes so they aren’t too easy to distinguish while they’re
face down - with that said, it’s alright if they’re not perfectly identical, so
long as players are willing to play fair and have fun. A card template is
available on [Link] with the other print files. Please note that you’ll want
to have a pen on hand to draw and write on these cards - one for each
player would be ideal. For character creation, each player will need 4
cards to make their starting deck, and you’ll likely want to keep at least
another 5 on hand to create cards for NPCs and let players create new
cards during play.

Defining Boundaries
Once you and the players are all at the table, it’s best to discuss
boundaries before beginning proper play. While the nature of card game
stories may result in serious topics being made more “cartoonish” and
“safe”, certain storylines and Playbooks may have more of an impact
on players than you expect. For example, The Idealist has potential to
bring up themes of ideological conflict that ring true to real life, and The
Turncoat has the potential to commit villainous acts that might prove more
personal than expected.

Before beginning the session, ask each player if there are any topics they
would like to not be shown explicitly or avoided altogether in your game.
Note these, and don’t ask questions about why. If a player has asked
for something to not be in the game at all, respect their wishes; it can’t
happen in the game. If something has been asked to not be shown in
detail, if it ever comes up, immediately shift away from it and cut the story
until after it concludes. You should repeat this process again once you
have defined the story with the players, but this should help you ensure the
overall plot isn’t related to any topics that might hurt someone.

Define with the players a hand gesture or word they can use if they
ever feel uncomfortable about something in the game. Try and make
it something obvious and that can only be used with intention, such as
putting two fingers together to make a ‘T’ shape, or saying the words
“Stop Now”. If this comes up, immediately stop the story and clarify what
the problem was. Skip over this topic and add it to the list of things not to
show or detail in play.

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Creating the Setting
If you already have an idea for the setting and story of this game,
present it to the players; you can also tell them before the session to
pitch the game, get the players excited, and give them time in advance
to brainstorm. Otherwise, ask each player what they’d like to see in this
game and setting. Work with the players to try and establish a plan that
satisfies everyone where possible; for example, one player might want to
play as a dragon assuming a human form, while the other wants to play a
spaghetti-western genre story. You could combine these aspects to create
a western-style town where dragons secretly manipulate society and
mine gold to add to their hoard.

Create Player Characters

Each player should select a Playbook. If they’ve already chosen one before
the session, give them their printout. Otherwise, show the players each of
the Playbooks to help them decide.

Once they have decided, the players should take turns defining aspects
of their Playbook, following the steps listed in the Making Your Character
section in Chapter 4.

Don’t rush the players. It’s okay for one player to take longer to make
choices than another. Nonetheless, be sure to check on each player to
see if they’ve made progress. Try to spend equal time with each of them
and get them involved with each others’ narratives if possible - if someone
is struggling to conceive an idea for a character or uncertain of how to
design their deck, collaborating with them and lending a hand can help
significantly.

Play the Game

Depending on how much time you have left dedicated to the session,
you may now want to spend some time playing the game. If so, this is a
fantastic opportunity to introduce the players to each other in the narrative.

In this game, it’s a good idea to start in medias res; the player characters
already know each other, although it’s possible they aren’t yet friends. An
ideal scenario for the first session is one where the players can show off
their characters, and fit at least one card battle in; for instance, in the midst
of a tournament, or before fighting a powerful opponent. Making at least
the first duel be a team fight involving at least two players is ideal: this
allows multiple players the opportunity to get used to the card game rules,
display their deck without putting the focus on a single character, and
show how their characters might interact in the middle of combat.

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Resolving Problem Cards
Because the effect creation system in Perfect Draw! is very open-ended,
it’s very possible that certain cards will be created that prove too
powerful or game-warping for your campaign. However, because this is
a collaborative experience and not a printed card game, the cards you
create don’t always have to be the final versions, and can always be
rebalanced.

First, it’s important to note that just a card

feeling powerful does not necessarily make
it a problem. Players have a lot of room
for effects, and the potential to make
powerful cards is intended. To
combat this, the Judge has the
ability to create reactive abilities and
challenging problems that can each be
created on the fly. Cards can sometimes
look overpowered from the outside, but
they might have costs that are hard to
see without the player’s perspective.
Generally a card has truly become
meta-warping when the player using
it starts to feel like it’s dominating
their options.

If there is a problem, the first step

is for players and the Judge to
discuss what the problem is. If the
players don’t mind that specific
card being somewhat centralising,
then it isn’t a problem. Of course,
the Judge is also playing the game, so
if it’s making it difficult for the Judge
to create interesting card battles, it
may be worth bringing that up to the
players and resolving it together.

If after talking it out, you all agree

that it really is a problem, try to
work out what you feel the problem
with the card is, and use that as
a basis for rebalancing. Once a
problem has been agreed on, there
are two ways you can help resolve it:

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  Rebalance the card: It’s possible that, in retrospect, a card turned
out to be somewhat more powerful or more versatile than it seemed
during its initial creation. It’s also possible that something intended to
be a weakness ended up as a strength. In these cases, it may be worth
going back to the drawing board with the card, and rebalancing it as if
you had done things slightly differently. If the effect truly does seem to
be costed correctly, then you can still choose to impose a “Good in the
Metagame” penalty to the effect, making it cost extra EP.
 Replace the card: If rebalancing the card is impossible for
fundamental reasons, it may be easier to simply replace the card.
In this case, the player removes the card
from their deck, and then may create
a new card to fill its space. It’s
perfectly okay to give this
new card the same name
and theme
as the card
that was just
removed, but you
should at least
modify the effect so
that it’s no longer a
problem.
Please note that it’s also
possible, if less common, for
cards to become problems
due to being weak; for
instance, a player may feel
bad if they’ve created a card
that feels useless in their deck
or the meta. This can be resolved
by removing it from the deck via the
Take a Prolonged Rest move, but for
more relevant cards (such as cards
important to the plot or character),
it may feel wrong to simply replace
them. If this is the case, it may be
best to rebalance or change the
card as above.

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Involving Players
Outside the Card Game
While one player is involved in a card game, uninvolved players can be left
to watch. For some players, this is perfectly fine and even ideal; if a player
wants to sit back and watch while others take the spotlight, that’s great!
However, other players can get antsy when nothing is happening to their
own characters for protracted periods or when it’s more difficult for them
to affect the overall situation. That’s also okay! While the nature of card
game stories can often ask for very personal 1v1 battles, you should still
aim to give your players equal chances to be active and relevant to the
narrative.

Besides simply having characters interact with and commentate on others’

card games from the sideline, here are some ways to give characters the
spotlight while someone else is in a card game.
 Multiplayer Battles: Just because most card game stories focus
primarily on 1v1 battles doesn’t mean yours have to. If your players
prefer, it may be better to focus on multiplayer battle styles in the
Team Battle and/or Free for All formats. This way, multiple players will
reliably get the chance to fight alongside one another and share the
spotlight.
 Simultaneous Battles: Just because one player has gotten into a
game, doesn’t mean other players have to sit and watch. Players could
enter into several battles. When this happens, after one game has
completed a round or reached a cliffhanger, you can take the chance
to cut to the other game. This is a great way to still have personal 1v1
battles, while also giving everyone a chance to be important.
 Giving Players Other Goals: Card game battles and watching
them aren’t the only available options to those on the sidelines; while
card games are ongoing, other threats may still exist. For instance, a
battle could be taking place between two competitors as they race
down the highway. One player may need to focus on driving to avoid
an upcoming cliff while another player deals with the engine having
troubles. Similarly, an NPC the players like could have been captured,
giving everyone not in the ongoing battle a chance to go on a
sidequest concurrently with the ongoing game.
When you do this, it can be smart to make the card game and the
plot outside of it tie into one another. For instance, maybe the bomb
that the players are trying to disarm is tied to life in the card game.
Maybe when a player takes a particularly hard blow in the card game,
the shock of the blast almost hits an uninvolved player. Or maybe
when the opponent uses a threat move, they intentionally attempt to
interfere with the aims of those outside the game.

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Running Short Campaigns
Several rules in Perfect Draw! assume that your campaign is going to run
for at least a few sessions. With that said, it’s common and reasonable
to plan games where you only meet up to play once or twice before it’s
complete. We’ve attached some tips for shorter campaigns here to make
sure the game is memorable.

Firstly, one of the biggest risks to shorter play-times in Perfect Draw! is that
you can only fit so many card games in such a small space. Since these
stories generally focus on personal 1-on-1 fights, it can leave some players
without a chance at the spotlight. For this reason we recommend that
you play so that every player gets a chance to enter card game combat.
Particularly short campaigns should almost always use multiplayer battles,
and any finale level fights should include all the players as combatants.

Secondly, you should start each player with at least one additional listed
piece of baggage. The amount of baggage players start with generally
assumes that they’ll have a chance to gain more baggage before they
get in a fight. That said, this isn’t always possible in shorter campaigns. To
create new baggage, you can ask your players what they feel would be
appropriate, or ask them a question based on your campaign or their
character. Alternatively, we’ve listed some example questions based on
each playbook here:
 The Resolved: What kind of person do you want to become, and
how are you working to get there?
 The Prodigy: What unique skill or expertise do you have that makes
you stand out among everyone else?
 The Glowing: What do you see in other people that you don’t see in
yourself; why do you need to rely on others?
 The Rogue: What mission do you have that most would call
impossible? How are you going to achieve it?
 The Ally: What responsibility is more important to you than anything
else? Why do you care so much?
 The Spirit: What is something humans do or believe that you can’t or
don’t yet understand?
 The Medium: What misconception do you hold about yourself? Why
does it make you feel broken?
 The Destined: What sacrifices have you had to make to fight against
the oncoming destruction?
 The Idealist: What do you see as the ideal world? How do you
intend to change the world to fit those ideals?
 The Turncoat: What temptation for the darkness do you still hold?
Why won’t you give into it?

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Finally, be very lenient with opportunities for players to resolve their
baggage. In Perfect Draw! resolving baggage serves as the main way for
players to gain experience and push their characters’ personal narrative
forward. For this reason you should give players ample chances to resolve
baggage, and play fast and loose on the requirements needed to let
players overcome them.

Group Size
Ideally, Perfect Draw! should be played with around 3-4 people, where one
acts as The Judge. As this game has moves and abilities that rely on other
players, it can be difficult to play with only one Judge and one Player. More
players are possible, but playing with a group of five or more can prove
challenging as it becomes difficult to give everyone the spotlight.

If you’d like to play in a group of a larger size, it’s recommended that you
focus on multiplayer battles, as described in the Multiplayer Battles section.
If you’re playing a game with only one player and one Judge, it can be
largely the same as playing with the usual amount of players; however,
there are a few small changes you should make.

 After the player has completed the Detail Your Character section
of character creation, they should work with the Judge to create two
NPCs to act as friends and partners in the adventure. Establishing
these characters is important for certain player moves.
 When the player is asked to answer the Your Friends section
of their Playbook, where they would detail a connection to another
player, instead choose one of the NPCs created above in their place.
(Work with the Judge as you would with another player). The player’s
character gains baggage as normal.

Special Keywords
Keywords in Perfect Draw! primarily act as a shorthands for otherwise
complex card effects. The options listed in the Keywords section of
Chapter 2 help to represent some of the most common effects you may
use in a simple and streamlined way. However, some more complicated
effects can also be iconic to card games as a whole, and it would be a
shame to not give guidance on representing them in game.

For this reason, we’ve created a list of more complicated Special Keywords
that as a Judge you can choose to introduce to your players. Some of
these keywords introduce fairly complicated Custom Card Creation rules
or require greater knowledge of the Perfect Draw! system, so it’s advised
not to introduce these to inexperienced players.

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Activate
This keyword acts as a way to represent card abilities that would cost
resources in other card games. This is a powerful way to give players
access to toolbox effects that they only want to use on certain occasions.
Because Perfect Draw!’s card game combat doesn’t have any dedicated,
in-fiction resource system, you instead give up the ability to use your staple
this turn to use an {Activate} ability.

In this way, {Activate} effects essentially act as alternate staples that the
player can use while the card with {Activate} is on the field.

{Activate}
You can use an {Activate} ability by forgoing use of the “Play a Staple or
Invocation” player action this turn. {Activate} abilities are treated as staples
and can’t be used if it was the last Staple that you’ve used.

Costing This Effect: Compared to giving your card a once per turn effect, {Activate} has
the downside of taking up one of your basic turn actions. For this reason, we both don’t
cost the {Activate} effect as if they can be used over multiple turns, and we treat the
{Activate} effect itself as if it was a weakness.

Modifying This Keyword: It’s possible to modify this keyword so that it instead uses
another player action. Not all player actions are valued the same, so note that if the
keyword forgoes the ability to use “Play a Card from your Hand” that the card should be
treated as if it has a Significant Weakness instead of just being treated as a Weakness. In
comparison, if the card forgoes your Attack with Warriors action it should be treated as
Consistent 1 in addition to its other costs since this action is less significant. Forgoing your
“Draw a Card” action can be costed the same as normal.
If the player’s deck also adds a {Resource} (as described later in this chapter), you could
make {Activate} cost an amount of that resource instead of taking away an action. When
costing {Activate} like this, it should take an amount of {Resource} as it took Powerful 1 to
gain - and for each additional Powerful 1 of {Resource}, you could reduce the EP cost of
the effect by 1.

Premade Cards
Cleric Graverobber Spellbook
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Strong}
{Activate}: Gain 2 Life. {Activate}: Draw a number {Activate}: Destroy target
of cards equal to the cards {Weak} Warrior.
in your hand +1, then discard {Activate}: Your opponent’s
that many cards. strongest warrior can’t
attack next turn.

Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Strong Item (1EP)

Activate (Weakness) Activate (Weakness) Activate (Weakness)
Gain 2 Life (Powerful 2, Consistent) Draw hand +1 then discard Choice effect (Versatile 1)
(Powerful 2, Consistent) Most Costly Effect (Powerful 1)

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Fuse
Taking two cards and making them into one much more powerful card
is a staple of trading card games. Because Perfect Draw! doesn’t feature
any sort of outside space for these combined cards, this keyword acts as
shorthand for a method of creating fused cards.

{Fuse}
When a card tells you to {Fuse} cards, the card’s effect should specify
which cards are being fused. When cards are fused together, they become
one card with the following features:
 The card is a {Warrior} so long as a warrior was involved in the fusion.
Otherwise, they are an {Item}.
 The card has strength equal to the amount of strength the fused
cards would have if they attacked together in a {Teamwork} pool.
 The card has the effects of all fused cards (including weaknesses). If
this doesn’t make sense, work with the Judge to decide what makes
sense in this case.
 The card has a new name (you should name it now), but it can also
be treated as one of its composite fused cards when needed for other
effects.

Costing This Effect: Fusing cards isn’t technically a very powerful ability because the
new card can now be destroyed by a single removal spell, but it generally represents a lot
of versatility and gives the chance to create normally-inaccessible effect combinations.
For this reason {Fuse} should generally be costed as Powerful 1, and also be costed as
Versatile 1 if the player is likely to have multiple different options for the cards they {Fuse}
together when they use the card. If the effect lets you fuse from anywhere other than the
field, it should be costed as if it summoned a warrior from that area.

Modifying This Keyword: The most common way to modify {Fuse} is to make it so that
Fusing the card also gives the new card an additional effect. If you do this, the additional
effect is as if you made an invocation that gives an effect to a card permanently.

Premade Cards
Fusion Flesh Horror Pactbound Blade
Invocation Warrior | {Normal} Item | {Normal}
{Fuse} up to two warriors When this destroys a {Overwhelm}, {Piercer} 1
or items from your hand warrior in a clash, {Fuse} the When this item enters the
or field. destroyed warrior with this battlefield, {Fuse} it with
card. target warrior
Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Normal Item (3EP)
Fuse two cards from hand or field Fuse on clash win (Powerful 2) Overwhelm (Powerful)
(Powerful 2, Versatile 1) Piercer (Powerful)
Fuse with warrior (Powerful)

209
 Fusion Potential
If you’re making a Fusion focused deck, it may be
worth introducing this keyword as well. In short, Premade Card
{Fusion Potential} is a keyword that allows for effects
that only appear on fused cards. In this way, you can Homunculus
create cards that unlock significant potential once Warrior | {Weak}
they’ve fused.
{Fusion Potential} {Fusion Potential} Choose
This ability is only treated as being a part of this card one:
if it is on a fused card. If the {Fusion Potential} ability - {Overwhelm}
has a choice effect, choose only one ability to be - {Piercer} 2
treated as part of this fused card. - {Sniper} 2
Costing This Effect: {Fusion Potential} can generally
be treated as a Weakness for the effect that has it. Weak Warrior (3EP)
Note that you should never be able to use {Fusion Choice Effect (Versatile 2)
Potential} to make an effect cost 0 EP, {Fusion
Potential} is only treated as a Weakness so long as Most Powerful Effect
the effect costs at least 2 EP. Otherwise you should (Powerful 2)
just treat {Fusion Potential} as a way to make an
effect not Consistent when it would be otherwise. Fusion Potential (Weakness)

Respond
For the most part, Perfect Draw! uses response moves and Counter the
Opponent’s Play actions to represent ways competitors can interact
beyond their respective turns. However, it’s common for players to want
more complicated ways to interact with the opponent. In this case, the
{Respond} keyword can be added to cards, allowing them to be activated
when the opponent uses a certain action.

{Respond}
You can play this card for free on the opponent’s turn as long as they
perform the action specified on the card.

Costing This Effect: The easiest way to cost {Respond} is to assume it lets you play an
additional card, making it very similar to the {Followup} keyword from chapter 2. The
effect is always going to be powerful, but whether it’s Consistent depends on how likely
its specified conditions are to be met. If an opponent will almost always fulfil the condition
on their turn, then the effect is Consistent.

Modifying This Keyword: An easy way to modify this keyword is to mix it with the
{Activate} keyword from earlier in this section, creating activated effects only usable on
the opponent’s turn when triggered by their conditions. When you do this, you should
generally treat {Respond} as a weakness or significant weakness to the {Activate} ability,
depending on how unlikely the action is to occur. When you do this, you expend the use of
your “Play a Staple or Invocation” action for your next turn.

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 Premade Cards
Counter Spell Invisible Wall Secret Courage
Invocation Warrior | {Normal} Invocation
{Respond}: The opponent {Respond}: Your opponent’s {Respond}: Your opponent
plays an invocation. warrior attacks. attacks with a {Strong}
(Work with the Judge to decide {Overwhelm} warrior.
which effects from NPCs are
invocations.) This warrior cannot attack. Target warrior you control
Use Counter Your that’s being attacked
When played, this card has becomes a {Strong} warrior
Opponent’s Play against {Blocker} until the start of
the card this responded and gains {Piercer} 1 until the
your next turn. end of the turn.
to. (This does not cost
Advantage.)
Invocation (3EP) Normal Warrior (2EP) Invocation (3EP)
Respond (Powerful 1) This warrior can’t attack (Significant Respond (Powerful 1)
Counter Opponent’s Play (Powerful 1, Weakness) Grow warrior (Powerful 2)
Versatile 1) Respond (Powerful 1, Consistent)
Overwhelm (Powerful 1)

Resource
Many card games have in-built resource systems, and even those that
don’t will usually have archetypes and decks that create and spend some
kind of token or counter. Doing this in Perfect Draw! isn’t particularly difficult,
but gets a lot easier with some guidance for how to cost effects when a
resource is involved.

{Resource}
When you gain {Resource}, you now have the amount of {Resource} it told
you to gain. When an effect asks you to spend {Resource} you lose that
amount, and if you didn’t have the required amount then you can’t use the
effect that asked you to spend {Resource}.

Costing This Effect: The cost of gaining {Resource} is dependent on the things that you
can spend it on. Technically speaking, gaining 5 {Resource} and gaining 1 {Resource} are
exactly the same as long as other effects have been scaled to match. With that said, we
generally recommend costing gaining 2 {Resource} as Powerful 1. This allows for effects
that gain 1 {Resource} over multiple turns to be similarly costed as effects that gain 2
{Resource} immediately. Additionally, you should cost gaining {resource} as versatile so
long as your deck has multiple ways to spend the {resource} you gained.
When an effect costs {Resource} you can generally cost the effect as if it had +1 EP for
each 2 {Resource} it costs to use, and generally you shouldn’t consider them Consistent
so long as the {Resource} cost itself is meaningful. Note that in the same way as Choice
Effects for each way to spend {Resource} after the first, you’ll need to cost it as +1
Versatile. Effects that cost less than 2 {Resource} can instead be an excuse to have
effects no longer be Consistent.

Modifying This Keyword: You should feel absolutely free to rename the keyword to
match the theme of your deck. Examples like “Mana” or “Scrap” can do a lot to make
the effect more thematic for your deck! Note that you can use {Resource} as a way to
mechanically abstract other effects as well - for example, once per game effects can
be represented by giving the same amount of {Resource} the card needs to activate the
effect. So long as you have no other ways to spend {Resource} then you should just cost it
based on how it will play out in game! Note that there’s nothing stopping you from having
multiple cards that gain different {Resource} like effects with different names.

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 Premade Cards
Weapon Master Leyline Mage Adventurer’s Guild
Warrior | {Normal} Warrior | {Weak} Item | {Normal}
When you play this, gain 4 At the start of each turn, At the start of each turn,
{Resource}. gain 1 {Resource}. gain 1 {Resource}.
When you play a warrior, Spend 4 {Resource}: Deal 3 At the end of each turn,
you can spend 2 {Resource} damage to target player. you can spend 1, 2, or
to give that warrior 4 {Resource} to create
{Strengthened}. a {Weak}, {Normal} or
{Strong} warrior.
Normal Warrior (3EP) Weak Warrior (3EP) Normal Item (3EP)
Gain 4 Resource (Powerful 2) Gain 1 Resource each turn (Powerful 1, Gain 1 resource each turn (Powerful 1,
Consistent) Consistent)
Give Strengthened (Powerful 1, -1 For
{Resource} cost) Deal 3 damage to target player Choice effect (Versatile 2)
(Powerful 3, -2 for {Resource} cost) Create Warriors {Powerful 1 or 2, -1 or 2
{Resource} cost)

*Note that these cards all assume you have no other cards that spend {Resource} in the deck. If your using these in decks
that have multiple ways to spend {Resource} then they will cost 1EP more due to the “Gain {Resource}” effects gaining
Versatile 1 .

Replicating Other TCG Effects

Some popular effects from TCGs don’t work one-to-one when transferred
to Perfect Draw! In this section, we’ve included some tips for how to
replicate effects that aren’t necessarily intuitive to produce in the Perfect
Draw! system, but don’t require their own keyword to achieve.
Recycling Cards Outside Decks
Many TCGs will introduce a way to discard A few card games feature additional decks
niche cards for a cost to draw a new card. that you can pull cards from under certain
This can be represented by either taking the conditions. To represent effects like this, we
Reconsider staple, or by taking the Quick recommend you represent these via card
Thinking staple and discarding a card to use a effects in your main deck. For example, if you
staple as part of your “Play a Card From Your would need to sacrifice warriors to play a
Hand” action. card, you could represent it through the {Fuse}
keyword (detailed earlier in this segment), or
Emptying My Opponents’ Deck have a warrior create a powerful token by
Most card games will award victory to a sacrificing itself and another warrior.
player once the other no longer has any
cards in their deck. Because NPCs don’t Deck Leaders
have decks in Perfect Draw!, the best way to A number of card games have a system
replicate this is to give the opponent some where each player has a “main” card that
kind of “counter” whenever they play a card, is always accessible or in play. For this, you
are forced to {Fumble}, or start their turn. can use the effect of the Scout card from
When a competitor has a number of these the premade card list. If you want it to
counters equal to double their starting life+1, always start on field as well, you can give
they lose. If an NPC would have a gimmick it a {Respond} ability that reacts to the first
involving emptying a player’s deck, you can turn starting. Alternatively, there are various
utilize the automatic life loss when a player abilities and tools, such as The Prodigy’s
reshuffles their empty deck. playbook staple, that allow you to have your
{Ace} easily on hand.
Toolbox Choices
Some card games, especially digital card Discarding My Opponent’s Hand/Deck
games, will give the player ways to access a The {Fumble} keyword is designed to
toolbox of effects that otherwise don’t exist in replicate hand/deck destruction effects via
their deck. These cards usually have relatively limiting the opponents’ options - this can
minor effects. To represent these effects, you easily be themed as forcing them to discard
can easily retheme staples in the generic or removing key tools in their deck.
staple list to reflect this.

212
Starting With
Experienced Players
While the initial 4-card deck size allows for players
new to Perfect Draw! to make decks more easily,
for players experienced with the system or those
that find the starting deck size limiting, it can be
worth allowing for larger initial deck size. At the
same time, this does come with some risks - if
you do this, we recommend the following:
 Get the agreement of everyone at
the table: No player should feel left
out by one player’s choice to let
their starting deck be a different
size; work with all of them to
find a method that everyone is
comfortable with.
 Try not to make your starting deck
size more than 7 cards, if possible: A
smaller deck size allows for more recurring
appearances of ‘iconic’ cards, such as your
players’ {Ace} cards.
Additionally, for particularly experienced players, it
can be fun to start campaigns with players having
already taken advancements. This can be a great way to create
characters with abilities from other playbooks. Generally, we recommend
only giving one or two advancements at most during character creation,
so that Major Advancements still take work to unlock.

If you choose to start with extra advancements, your characters should

also start with additional baggage to help represent the past that let
them grow to this level. Either use the rules discussed in the “Running Short
Campaigns” section, or ask them a question based on how they obtained
this advancement and what it means for them.

Making NPC Encounters Scarier

NPC Encounters in Perfect Draw! have been balanced assuming the
players haven’t optimised their decks and will sometimes be making sub
optimal decisions for the sake of the narrative. We’ve built our card game
combat system so that even when players act like we expect, they’ll still
win most encounters. With that said, when especially skilled players make
victory too easily assured, a lot of drama is sucked away from card game
combat. Here are a couple of tips and recommendations for keeping
games tense when playing the Judge with skilled players:

213
Play Unfair With NPC Gimmicks: Because players have so many ways
to push the odds of card game combat in their favour, there are very few
things as a Judge that you can do that will make the game completely
unwinnable. This means you can feel absolutely free to introduce
gimmicks that seem completely unfair when first introduced. Giving an
NPC a gimmick such as “I will win the game if I ever attack directly” or “My
opponent can only ever have one card in hand” can make it even more
exciting when the player pulls through and wins anyway!
Use Response Moves More Often: Because NPC moves are usually
represented by cards on the field, there are a number of ways that even
the most devastating gimmicks can be disabled by a simple “destroy
target warrior” style effect. The main way NPCs are meant to stop this is by
strategically using their Response Moves to keep their most key cards on
the field. This effectively turns the NPC’s number of response moves into a
secret second type of Life that once they’ve run out of, the player is almost
assured to win the game. Against especially skilled players, it may be
worth increasing the amount of response moves that the enemy gets to
use to match with their skill level. Try by just adding +1 additional response
move, and if that isn’t enough, try adding +2 instead.

Optional Playbook Staples

The staples included in each of the playbooks are designed to encourage
play that fits with the themes of the playbook they are included in.
With that said, for experienced players looking to experiment with the
boundaries of the playbooks, the existing playbook staples can feel
somewhat stifling. For this reason, we’ve included a list of custom playbook
staple effects that you can let players choose from here:
 {Fuse} two warriors on the battlefield that you control.
 Create a {Normal} warrior with {Blocker} and {Overwhelm}. It can’t attack.
 Search your deck for a card and add it to your hand. Discard a card from your hand at
random.
 Create a {Weak} warrior with “This is {Strengthened} for each warrior you control with
the same text as this card.”
 Flip a coin. On heads, gain 2 life. On tails, take 1 damage.
 Return target warrior from your graveyard to the battlefield. Lose 1 life.
 Target item you control becomes {Strong} and gains {Inconspicuous} until the start of
your next turn.
 Target warrior you control gains {Pressure} 1 until the end of the current battle. This
staple can only be used once per battle.
 Gain 1 Advantage. This staple can only be used once per battle.
 {Overwork}. Create a Strong Warrior with {Overwhelm}. This staple can only be used
once per battle.

214
If a player chooses to
Creating Custom Staples
use a custom playbook The development of custom playbook staples is
staple, erase or cross out generally much more loose than Custom Card
Creation. Staples fill a very different role in decks
the previous staple and and balance compared to cards found in players’
put this in its place instead. decks.
Playbook staples are more That said, if you are creating a custom playbook
powerful than generic staple, a safe guideline is to balance it as an
effect with Powerful 1 with a small benefit, or as
staples, so you shouldn’t Powerful 2 and a weakness. If you give the staple
replace a generic staple {Overwork}, you can create the staple as if it were
an invocation without {Overwork}. Staples should
with these effects. not be measured by how Versatile or Consistent
they are because their nature makes them always
Note that while these accessible when you’d want them. Effects that
would be particularly strong to be able to use
staples are only as repeatedly should be given “This staple can only be
powerful as other staples, used once per game” as an additional Significant
Weakness.
the versatility granted from Note that using EP as a way to create Custom
letting players choose Playbook Staples is not necessarily one-to-one
their playbook staple does with regular card creation - if the staple seems too
strong or too weak, feel free to modify it between
represent a power boost. sessions until it feels right.
It’s worth being aware Generally speaking, you want to avoid making
of this when you plan custom Generic Staples for Perfect Draw! - the
limitations in the available Generic Staples are
encounters. intentional, and ideally shouldn’t be broken without
forethought. If you are going to create a custom

Modifying
staple, then we recommend that you replace
another option from the generic staples list that
fills a similar role. Additionally, generic staples are

Card Game weaker than Playbook Staples, and should be cost

as Powerful 1 with no benefit, or as Powerful 2 with

Combat
{Overwork}.

The card game rules

described in Chapter 2 are
designed to replicate a fairly
generic trading card game.
Some rules have been made to
speed up play, allow for more strategies,
or make things easier for the Judge.
However, choices like warrior-focused combat
and the presence of life totals are chosen because a
majority of trading card games today work similarly.

With that said, for every rule there is an exception - and with so
many trading card games in the world, there are plenty that have
specific game-wide rules Perfect Draw! doesn’t replicate. For instance,
some card games have a limited number of slots for cards on the
battlefield, introduce concepts such as range or movement, have
players working towards a score in order to win, and so forth.

215
As a Judge, you may have an idea for how you want card games in Perfect
Draw! to work that runs contrary to the basic rules. We recommend
against this. The card game in Perfect Draw! is designed as an abstract
representation of the “true” card game being played in the fiction.
Modifying the rules of card games itself can be extremely risky because
it throws off the balance of everything from card creation to staples to
enemy moves.

Many of the differences between how the game works mechanically in

and out of the fiction can and should be rethemed and described, instead
of outright changed. Working towards a score instead of dealing damage
is ultimately a matter of framing, so long as the actual gameplay still works
in the same way. Alternatively, you could work with the players to introduce
deck building restrictions or game-wide weaknesses. If each players’ {Ace}
has a shared restriction that requires a condition to be fulfilled before
being played, that unifying gimmick gives the card game being played a
clear identity to work around.

With that said, some things can be difficult to simply describe or deckbuild
away while playing an entirely different game. If you’re absolutely certain
of what you’re doing, there’s ultimately nothing stopping you from
modifying the rules altogether. Just be aware that if you do this, almost
all of the pre-existing resources from Chapter 2 and 3 will need to be
reconsidered and likely modified, depending on the severity of the change
made to the rules.

Generally, Premade Card Creation will need to be thrown out as an

option entirely, and you’ll have to keep a close eye out on if any Staples
(either General Staples or Playbook Staples) prove underpowered or
overpowered with your new rules. Additionally, you’ll have to be more
aware during Custom Card Creation of how your changed rules may
affect what effects are considered Powerful. For example, if you’ve
modified the game so that players can only have one active warrior on
the battlefield, {Strong} warriors are heavily increased in value, while token
creation effects and {Weak} warriors become almost useless.

If you’re confident in your skills as a game designer, you can choose to

modify core parts of cards themselves. Just be aware that this will lead
to even further strain on the system and will likely require a lot of work to
balance.

216
Credits
Double Summon Games
Designer: Nora Jean Haynes
Editor: Iris Cassandra Saintclaire

Art Contributions
Character Art: Thunderderder ([Link]
Logo Design & Layout: Nora Jean Haynes

Special Thanks
Cassandra Rose, Richard Thames Rowan, Jane Kira Gylling,
Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker, Meguey Baker
Everway Silver Anniversary Edition by Jonathan Tweet, Richard Thames
Rowan, and Jesse McGatha, published by The Everway Company, LLC
([Link]
Procedural City Generator by ProbableTrain ([Link]
city-generator)
Past Age (Icon Series I) by Manifestation CCS
Guests: Derek Ehlmann, Riley Hopkins, Zak Barouh.
Champion Tier Backers: Blaze_409, Jane Kira Gylling, Dylan Garbutt,
Corky.
Playtesters: Abby Schwarz, Acorn, Wolf Ride, Emma Cassandra, Claire
Wright, MrLeedles, Cassandra Rose, Jane Kira, Maja, Abby Schwarz,
KameBruh, Kavoir, Oriansenshi, Xgamer4, Rose Fallon, ArkInBlack,
Bananatron.

217
Backers
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218
Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example
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219
General Moves Crib Sheet
Enter a Dangerous Situation Brandish Your Skills
When you do something reckless or are When you use your expertise in difficult
forced into a dangerous situation, state circumstances, describe how you make use
your objective, and roll+Passion. Apply any of your expertise, and roll+Skill. Apply any
baggage-related penalties. baggage-related penalties.
On a 10+, you succeed without creating any On a 10+, your skills pull through; you
issues for yourself, protecting yourself and succeed proficiently and without issue.
attaining your goal in the process.
On a 7-9, problems arise; select one
On a 7-9, you succeed, but at a cost. Select complication from the list below:
one complication from the list below:
 Things don’t work out the way that
 You’re hurt or forced to sacrifice you intended; describe how
something along the way. Describe
how this happens and why it matters in  You only delay the problem, letting it
become worse in the future
the here and now
 You create a new immediate
 You only delay the problem, letting it problem in the process
become worse in the future
On a 6 or less, you fumble your attempt and
 You create a new immediate make things harder in the process; gain
problem in the process baggage.
On a 6 or less, you fail and suffer for it; gain
baggage.
Investigate Your Surroundings
When you investigate an area or an ongoing
Reveal a New Possibility situation, describe what you do to uncover
When you help someone overcome an issue this information and roll+Skill. Apply any
they couldn’t complete themselves, describe baggage-related penalties.
how you help them, and roll+Passion. Apply On a 10+, ask two questions from the list
any baggage-related penalties. below. The Judge answers truthfully.
On a 10+, you reveal a new opportunity to On a 7-9, only ask one question.
them. Describe this possibility you create,  What don’t I understand about ?
and how it aids them.  What happened at ?
On a 7-9, you still reveal a new opportunity  What could we do to stop ?
to them, however, the Judge describes what
this possibility is instead.  Why is happening?
On a 6 or less, your plan fumbles and gets in On a 6 or less, you make a mistake in your
the way; gain baggage. investigation; gain baggage.

Take a Moment to Recuperate

When you take a prolonged rest away from any danger or strife, each player may choose one
option from the following list to describe how they spend their time.
 Define a new baggage. Describe what has changed to make this relevant.
 Create a new card and add it to your deck. If you make a new {Ace}, remove a card with
{Ace} from your deck.
 Remove a card from your deck. This can not be your {Ace}.
 Replace a staple in your staples list with another from the generic staples list.
Additionally, each player should take a chance to check their baggage and see if any are no
longer relevant. If they have been resolved, remove it and gain experience. (This is not possible for
serious baggage.)
Then, the Judge may describe in what way an enemy’s plans or another potentially troublesome
part of the world has progressed in the meantime, without the players’ intervention.

220
Appendix A: General Moves Crib Sheet
Convey Your Ideals Overcome Your Weakness
When you attempt to convince someone to When you attempt to overcome your
act against their own ideals or desires, state weakness so you can push past your own
your convictions, then roll+Friendship. Apply limitations, choose an appropriate baggage
any baggage-related penalties. from your sheet. Check whether the baggage
On a 10+, you’ve successfully made them has fulfilled any of the following conditions:
listen to your words. Select only one I am facing the source of my baggage
complication from the list below. head-on.
On a 7-9, you can still convince them, but Overcoming this baggage is necessary to
select two complications instead. help someone or something dear to me.
 You must first show them the value Someone close to me has put effort into
of your convictions in a card game believing in me and helping me overcome
 You need to help them with this baggage.
something before they can do what
you ask So long as you have fulfilled one condition for
normal baggage, or all three conditions for
 While they may be willing to do as serious baggage, describe what you do to
you ask, they interpret it in their own overcome it; additionally, for serious baggage,
manner; the Judge will describe how
describe how this marks a permanent change
 They ask you to make a compromise for your character.
for them to agree with you
Then, choose one of the following benefits. If
 They need time; they won’t help you you resolve serious baggage, gain the serious
just yet, but will in the future benefit instead.
On a 6 or less, they don’t care or don’t trust
you; gain baggage.  Use your newfound strength to
overcome the immediate threat: Gain +1 to
the next roll you make.
Understand Someone’s True Serious: Instead, define a threat. Gain +1 to
Feelings all your rolls until the threat is resolved. This
When you empathise with someone to lasts as long as you are actively confronting
understand their situation and feelings, the threat.
describe what you do to uncover this  Confront someone or something
information and roll+Friendship. Apply any otherwise difficult or nigh-impossible
baggage-related penalties. to face: The Judge defines how this
On a 10+, ask two questions from the list becomes possible, and the conditions of the
below. The Judge answers truthfully. confrontation.
Serious: You may instead create the perfect
On a 7-9, only ask only one question. conditions to confront your target. Describe
 What do you desire most at this what these conditions are and the benefits of
moment? succeeding in your confrontation.
 What is similar about you and me?  Get what you want out of the situation:
 What can we do to help you? Declare something that your character
wants to avert or avoid coming to pass. Note
 What reason do you have to do that doing so needs to be possible within the
what you’re doing? bounds of the fiction, without clashing with
character’s traits or motivations. The chosen
On a 6 or less, you misunderstand in some situation can no longer happen; the Judge
way; gain baggage. describes how.
Serious: Instead, declare something your
Resolve Baggage character wants to happen that is possible in
When baggage is no longer relevant the situation. It happens; the Judge describes
because it has been resolved and is no longer how.
an issue, remove it from your character sheet. In addition to the benefit you chose, remove
Mark experience. This is not possible for the baggage from your character sheet
serious baggage. and mark experience. If you resolve serious
baggage, instead you advance (do not
Become Vulnerable remove any experience marks. If you don’t
If you and the Judge agree that your want to take any advancement options
character has done or experienced immediately you can choose to advance at a
something that would give them baggage, later time instead).
gain baggage as appropriate.

221
Card Combat Moves Crib Sheet
Begin Card Game Combat Risk Everything to Win
When you initiate card game combat with When it looks like you may lose and you put
one or more opponents, first define the stakes everything on the line to win the battle, do
of the battle for each player; then, check each one of the following and roll+your Tension.
player’s list of baggage. For each relevant  Reveal a truth about yourself or the
baggage for this battle, that player gains 1 world certain to make your life harder
Advantage. in the future.
Finally, decide on whether the fight is a  Destroy or lose something precious
Filler, Significant, or Finale fight, and decide to you that will be difficult, or potentially
the order of competitors’ turns. The first even impossible, to retrieve or mend.
competitor then begins their turn.  Create an obstacle by your own
hands that will make it difficult to
If a player prepared for the fight, they can complete your character’s goals.
Create a Card, and shuffle it into their deck
before the fight starts.  Put yourself in real danger; defining
real and permanent changes to your
Remember that warriors cannot attack if it body, freedom, or personhood.
is the first turn of the game, and that players On a 10+, gain baggage and gain 2
do not draw a card if it is the first turn of the Advantage.
game. On a 7-9, gain baggage and gain 1
Advantage instead.
Life Cards Resp. Lash. Backup.
On a 6 or less, just gain baggage.
Filler 2 1 1 1 0

Signific. 3 2 2 1 1
Play Your {Ace} Card
When you’re behind in a game and play a
Finale 4 3 3 2 1 card with the {Ace} keyword, describe how
this card makes you feel reassured in yourself.
Gain 1 Advantage. You can only gain this
Decide the Outcome of a Clash benefit once per card game.
When two cards of equal strength battle
each other, take a moment to describe what
their clash looks like. Roll+your Tension. Take Control of the Game
At any point during card combat, you can
On a 10+, your card wins the clash. spend 1 Advantage to do one of the following
On a 7-9, both cards are of equal strength actions:
and neither wins over the other. Decide  Draw 1 additional card at the beginning of
whether they both win the clash, or if neither your turn.
do.
 Place a card of your choice from your deck
On a 6 or less, your opponent’s card wins at the top of your deck.
the clash.
 Stay at 1 life when you would have lost your
When a warrior wins the clash, the opposing last life (you may Risk Everything to Win in
card is destroyed. When an item wins the clash, response to losing your last life).
it can’t be destroyed in this clash.
Players can spend 1 Advantage to raise the Draw The Perfect Card
result of this roll from 6 or less to 7-9, or from When you would draw a card, you can choose
7-9 to 10+. to spend 1 Advantage instead. If you do,
Create a Card and add it to your hand instead
Reflect After Card Game of drawing. This card is added to your deck
Combat after the battle, and remains part of it unless
When you finish card game combat, each removed by other means (such as by the Take
player involved in the battle marks experience. a Moment to Recuperate move).
Then, each player (whether involved or not)
should check their baggage list. So long as you have a card with {Ace} in
your deck or graveyard, you can spend 2
If any baggage has been resolved or is Advantage to create a new {Ace} instead.
otherwise no longer relevant, remove it from When you do this, remove a card with {Ace}
the list and mark experience. (This is not from your deck or graveyard and create
possible for serious baggage.) a new {Ace}, adding it to your hand. Then,
create a new non-{Ace} card and shuffle it
into your deck.

222
Appendix B: Card Combat General Moves
Counter Your Opponent’s Play Protect Against a Response
When an opponent’s card uses a game When your opponent uses a response move,
action or activates an effect, spend 1 roll+your Tension.
Advantage and describe how you attempt to On a 10+, you counter the response, allowing
counter the effect. Roll+your Tension. you to continue as you planned.
On a 7+, you counter the effect or game On a 7-9, you can choose to spend 1
action. Advantage to counter the response.
On a 6 or less, you fail to counter the effect. On a 6 or less, their response goes through
You cannot attempt to counter the same successfully.
effect a second time.

Turn Actions Keywords

{Overwork}
These are the actions you can perform If a staple has overwork you can’t “Play a
during your turn during a card game: Staple or Invocation” next turn. If a card has
overwork you can’t “Play a Card from your
Draw a Card Hand” next turn.
Take the top card of your deck and add
it to your hand. If there are no cards in {Strengthen}
your deck, you can pay 1 life to shuffle your When a card is strengthened, {Weak} cards
graveyard into your deck. become {Normal}. {Normal} cards become
{Strong}. {Strong} cards gain {Overwhelm}.
Play a Card From Your Hand {Overwhelm}
You can play a single card from your
hand onto the field. You can do this once This card always wins clashes.
per turn. Alternatively you can choose to {Underwhelm}
discard a card to play an additional staple
this turn. This card always loses clashes.
{Piercer}
Play a Staple or Invocation When this card defeats another card in battle,
You can use a single staple from your it deals damage to that cards controller equal
staple list. You can not use the same staple to the piercer value.
you used last time you used a staple. If you
have an invocation in your hand, you can {Sniper}
play that from your hand instead. When this card deals direct damage to the
opponent, it deals damage to that player
Attack With Warriors equal to the sniper value.
Each warrior you control can attack. If the {Teamwork}
opponent has no warriors, then you can
attack directly; otherwise you must attack Cards with teamwork can pair up with
a warrior or item the opponent controls. eachother and up to one card without
If the card you attacked has less strength teamwork to combine their strength totals.
then the card you attacked with, it is {Blocker}
destroyed. If it has more, your card Cards with blocker can intercept attacks
is destroyed. Otherwise, Decide the directed at other cards.
Outcome of a Clash.
If you’ve attacked directly, deal damage to {Followup}
the opponent depending on the warrior’s You can play an additional card after this one.
strength.
{Inconspicuous}
 {Normal} warriors deal 1 life worth of Cards with inconspicuous can’t be targeted for
damage.
attacks unless it is the only possible target.
 {Strong} warriors deal 2 life worth of
damage. {Fumble}
Describe an action you don’t want the
 {Weak} warriors do not damage opponent to take. You can counter that action
players’ life.
for free until the start of your next turn.
Some cards may give you additional actions {Pressure}
that you can perform during your turn. For each instance of pressure, roll as if you had
+1 to Tension while this is on the field.

223
Opponent Moves Crib Sheet
Establish a Plan to Win Power Card Moves
Create a Payoff: Play a {Normal} Protect Your Game Plan: Play a
warrior or a {Strong} item that {Normal} warrior, {Normal} item, or
1 pays off a central play pattern or Invocation that protects the deck’s
strategy of the deck. 1 gameplan, such as by making it
Use a Simple Card Move. harder to remove a key game piece,
or harder for the player to perform a
disruptive action.
Create an Impenetrable Threat:
Play a {Strong} warrior with up Use a Simple Card Move.
2 to three protection or power
increasing effects. Create a New Threat: Play a
2 {Normal} warrior with 1-2 features
Use a Simple Card Move. that makes it a threat to the player.
Severely Disadvantage the Use One or Two Simple Card Moves.
Player: Play an invocation, a
{Normal} warrior, or {Strong} item Create an Advantage: Play a
3 that makes it difficult for the player {Normal} warrior, or a {Strong} item
to play in a standard manner. with some form of protection that
3 creates an advantage for you in some
Use a Simple Card Move. minor but useful way.
Use a Simple Card Move.
Put a Timer on the Game: Play
a {Strong} item that will win you Remove the Immediate Problems:
the game once X more turns have Play an invocation that deals with
passed (X is equal to the player’s one or more problems the player has
4 starting life total), or that will let 4
created.
you Combo Off in Y more turns (Y
is equal to the player’s starting life Use Zero, One, or Two Simple Card
total -1). Moves (depending on circumstance).
Use two Simple Card Moves. Disrupt the Players’ Plans: Play a
{Normal} warrior or {Normal} item
5 that disrupts the players’ plans and/or
Simple Card Moves gives them a disadvantage of some
kind.
1 Create a {Weak} warrior with Use a Simple Card Move.
{Blocker}.
6 Dawdle: Use a Simple Card Move up
2 {Strengthen} a warrior you control to 4 times.
until the end of turn.
Use a Response Move
3 Create a {Normal} warrior. When the player does something in a card
game and you choose to use a response
Sacrifice a warrior you control to move, counter the effect of a player’s card, and
4 destroy a warrior your opponent describe how this happens. The player rolls
controls with less or equal strength. Protect Against a Response.

Target warrior your opponent Lash Out Against Losing

5 controls loses all text until the start When it looks like you might lose, lash
of your next turn. out against that possibility. Define new
consequences for the game.
6 Give a warrior or item your If you lashed out in a way related to a
opponent controls {Underwhelm}. participating player’s baggage, you can use
an additional response move this game.
7 Gain 1 Life.
Reveal Your Backup Plan
Play an invocation that produces When your first plan has been dealt with,
8 a minor benefit based on your reveal your new plan or the way in which you’ve
gimmick/plan to win. been tricking the player this whole time. You
may Establish a Plan to Win again next turn.

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Appendix C: Enemy Moves Crib Sheet
 There’s calamity ready around every corner —
and card games are the one thing that can put a
stop to it.
Perfect Draw! is a tabletop role-playing game built on Powered By
The Apocalypse framework that combines Trading Card Games with
collaborative storytelling. Our goal is to tell stories emulating card game
toy anime, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters, or CardFight! Vanguard.

In these stories, card games are an extension of people’s

conflicts and their decks are extensions of their
ideals. This is something that actual TCGs
cannot easily accomplish. Perfect Draw! is
designed to help tell these kinds of stories.

With an open-ended card creation

system, you have the power to create
any card you can imagine for your
character’s deck. Then, once
you’ve made your deck,
you can use it in tense
card game combat that
leverages your character’s
passion, skill, and friendship
to get the upper hand
on foes.

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