200 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 then 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?
201 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.
202 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. Treated as an Invocation (3EP) Create a {Normal) Warrior (Powerful 1) Gain 2 Life (Powerful 2) Treated as an Invocation (3EP) Create a {Normal) Warrior (Powerful 1, Consistent) Draw then discard (Powerful 1) Treated as an Invocation (3EP) Create a {Strong) Item (Powerful 1) Choice effect (Versatile 1) Most Costly Effect (Powerful 1) Costing This Effect: Instead of costing this ability as a warrior or item with this effect, you should instead cost it as an Invocation that creates a warrior or item of that strength alongside its other effects. While you do gain the ability to effectively “reuse” a part of this invocation, the requirement to use your “Play a Card from Your Hand” player action makes up for this fact. {Activate} effects that would be considered Consistent ignore the first instance of Consistent they would have. 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 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 Warrior | {Normal} {Activate}: Gain 2 Life. Graverobber Warrior | {Normal} {Activate}: Draw a number of cards equal to the cards in your hand, then discard that many cards. Spellbook Item | {Strong} {Activate}: Destroy target {Weak} Warrior. {Activate}: Your opponent’s strongest warrior can’t attack next turn.
203 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. Invocation (3EP) Fuse two cards from hand or field (Powerful 2, Versatile 1) Normal Warrior (2EP) Fuse on clash win (Powerful 2) 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} togeather 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 Invocation {Fuse} up to two warriors or items from your hand or field. Flesh Horror Warrior | {Normal} When this destroys a warrior in a clash, {Fuse} the destroyed warrior with this card.
204 Fusion Potential If you’re making a Fusion focused deck, it may be worth introducing this keyword as well. In short, {Fusion Potential} is a keyword that allows for effects that only appear on fused cards. In this way, you can create cards that unlock significant potential once they’ve fused. {Fusion Potential} This ability is only treated as being a part of this card if it is on a fused card. If the {Fusion Potential} ability has a choice effect, choose only one ability to be treated as part of this fused card. Costing This Effect: {Fusion Potential} can generally be treated as a Weakness for the effect that has it. Note that you should never be able to use {Fusion Potential} to make an effect cost 0 EP, {Fusion Potential} is only treated as a Weakness so long as the effect costs at least 2 EP. Otherwise you should just treat {Fusion Potential} as a way to make an effect not Consistent when it would be otherwise. 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. Weak Warrior (3EP) Choice Effect (Versatile 2) Most Powerful Effect (Powerful 2) Fusion Potential (Weakness) 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. Premade Card Homunculus Warrior | {Weak} {Fusion Potential} Choose one: - {Overwhelm} - {Piercer} 2 - {Sniper} 2
205 Invocation (3EP) Respond (Powerful 1) Counter Opponent’s Play (Powerful 1, Versatile 1) Normal Warrior (2EP) This warrior can’t attack (Significant Weakness) Respond (Powerful 1, Consistent) Invocation (3EP) Respond (Powerful 1) Grow warrior (Powerful 2) Premade Cards Counter Spell Invocation {Respond}: The opponent plays an invocation. (Work with the Judge to decide which effects from NPCs are invocations.) Use Counter Your Opponent’s Play against the card this responded to. (This does not cost Advantage.) Invisible Wall Warrior | {Normal} {Respond}: Your opponent’s warrior attacks. {Overwhelm} This warrior cannot attack. When played, this card has {Blocker} until the start of your next turn. Secret Courage Invocation {Respond}: Your opponent attacks with a {Strong} Warrior. Target warrior you control that’s being attacked becomes a {Strong} Warrior and gains {Piercer} 1 until the end of the turn. 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 they don’t generate the necessary {Resource} themselves. Note that in the same way as Choice Effects (pg.XX) 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.
206 Recycling Cards Many TCGs will introduce a way to discard niche cards for a cost to draw a new card. This can be represented by either taking the Reconsider staple, or by taking the Quick Thinking staple and discarding a card to use a staple as part of your “Play a Card From Your Hand” action. Emptying my Opponents’ Deck Most card games will award victory to a player once the other no longer has any cards in their deck. Because NPCs don’t have decks in Perfect Draw!, the best way to replicate this is to give the opponent some kind of “counter” whenever they play a card, are forced to {Fumble}, or start their turn. When a competitor has a number of these counters equal to double their starting life+1, they lose. If an NPC would have a gimmick involving emptying a player’s deck, you can utilize the automatic life loss when a player reshuffles their empty deck. Toolbox Choices Some card games, especially digital card games, will give the player ways to access a toolbox of effects that otherwise don’t exist in their deck. These cards usually have relatively minor effects. To represent these effects, you can easily retheme staples in the generic staple list to reflect this. Outside Decks A few card games feature additional decks that you can pull cards from under certain conditions. To represent effects like this, we recommend you represent these via card effects in your main deck. For example, if you would need to sacrifice warriors to play a card, you could represent it through the {Fuse} keyword (detailed earlier in this segment), or have a warrior create a powerful token by sacrificing itself and another warrior. Deck Leaders A number of card games have a system where each player has a “main” card that is always accessible or in play. For this, you can use the effect of the Scout card from the premade card list. If you want it to always start on field as well, you can give it a {Respond} ability that reacts to the first turn starting. Alternatively, there are various abilities and tools, such as The Prodigy’s playbook staple, that allow you to have your {Ace} easily on hand. Discarding My Opponent’s Hand/Deck The {Fumble} keyword is designed to replicate hand/deck destruction effects via limiting the opponents’ options - this can easily be themed as forcing them to discard or removing key tools in their deck. Normal Warrior (2EP) Gain 4 Resource (Powerful 2) Give Strengthened (Powerful 1, -1 For {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. Weak Warrior (3EP) Gain 1 resource each turn (Powerful 1) Deal 3 damage to target player (Powerful 3, -2 for {Resource} cost) Normal Item (3EP) Gain 1 resource each turn (Powerful 1) Choice effect (Versatile 2) Create Warriors {Powerful 1 or 2, -1 or 2 {Resource} cost) Premade Cards Weapon Master Warrior | {Normal} When you play this, gain 4 {Resource}. When you play a warrior, you can spend 2 {Resource} to give that warrior {Strengthened}. Leyline Mage Warrior | {Normal} At the start of each turn, gain 1 {Resource}. Spend 4 {Resource}: Deal 3 damage to target player. Adventurer’s Guild Item | {Normal} At the start of each turn, gain 1 {Resource}. At the end of each turn, you can spend 1, 2, or 4 {Resource} to create a {Weak}, {Normal} or {Strong} warrior. 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.
207 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:
208 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 NPC’s 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 NPCs 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.
209 Modifying Card Game Combat 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. If a player chooses to use a custom playbook staple, erase or cross out the previous staple and put this in its place instead. Playbook staples are more powerful than generic staples, so you shouldn’t replace a generic staple with these effects. Note that while these staples are only as powerful as other staples, the versatility granted from letting players choose their playbook staple does represent a power boost. It’s worth being aware of this when you plan encounters. Creating Custom Staples The development of custom playbook staples is generally much more loose then Custom Card Creation. Staples fill a very different role in decks and balance compared to cards found in players’ decks. That said, if you are creating a custom playbook staple, a safe guideline is to balance it as an effect with Powerful 1 with a small benefit, or as Powerful 2 and a weakness. If you give the staple {Overwork}, you can create the staple as if it were an invocation without {Overwork}. Staples should not be measured by how Versatile or Consistent they are, because there nature makes them always accessible when you’d want them. Effects that would be particularly strong to be able to use repeatedly should be given “This staple can only be used once per game” as an additional Significant Weakness. Note that using EP as a way to create Custom Playbook Staples is not necessarily one-to-one with regular card creation - if the staple seems too strong or too weak, feel free to modify it between sessions until it feels right. Generally speaking, you want to avoid making custom Generic Staples for Perfect Draw! - the limitations in the available generic staples are intentional, and ideally shouldn’t be broken without forethought. If you are going to create a custom staple, then we recommend that you replace another option from the generic staples list that fills a similar role. Additionally, generic staples are weaker than Playbook Staples, and should be cost as Powerful 1 with no benefit, or as Powerful 2 with {Overwork}.
210 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 chance 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.
211 Credits Double Summon Games Designer: Nora Jean Haynes Editor: Iris Cassandra Saintclaire Art Contributions Character Art: Thunderderder (http://www.fiverr.com/thunderderder) Logo Design & Layout: Nora Jean Haynes Special Thanks Cassandra Rose, Richard Thames Rowan, Jane Kira, 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 (http://everway.com) Procedural City Generator by ProbableTrain (https://probabletrain.itch.io/ city-generator) Past Age (Icon Series I) by Manifestation CCS Guests: Derek Ehlmann, Riley Hopkins, Zak Barouh. Champion Tier Backers: Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, 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.
212 Backers Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example
213 Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example Name, Example
214 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. 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. 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, 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. 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. 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. General Moves Crib Sheet Appendix A: General Moves Crib Sheet
215 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. 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 immediatly you can choose to advance at a later time instead). 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. 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. 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.
216 Appendix B: Card Combat General Moves 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. 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. Life Cards Resp. Lash. Backup. Filler 2 1 1 1 0 Signific. 3 2 2 1 1 Finale 4 3 3 2 1 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.) 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+. 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. 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). 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. 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. Card Combat Moves Crib Sheet
217 Counter your Opponent’s Play When an opponent’s card uses a game action or 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. {Overwork} - If a staple has overwork you can’t use a staple next turn. If a card has overwork you can’t play a card next turn. {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 the piercer value. {Sniper} - When this card deals direct damage to the opponent, it deals damage to that player equal to the the sniper value. {Teamwork} - Cards with Teamwork can pair up with eachother and up to one card without Teamwork to combine their strengh totals. (for example: two {weak} warriors can act as a {normal} warrior and two {normal} warriors can act as a {strong} warrior) {Blocker} - Cards with blocker can intercept attacks directed at other cards. {Inconspicuous} - Cards with inconspicuous can’t be targeted for attcks unless it is the only possible target. {Followup} - You can play an additional card after this one. {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. {Pressure} - For each instance of Pressure, roll as if you had +1 to Tension while this is on the field. 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. These are the actions you can perform during your turn during a card game: Draw a card Take the top card of your deck and add it to your hand. If there are no cards in your deck, you can pay 1 life to shuffle your graveyard into your deck. Play a Card from your Hand You can play a single card from your hand onto the field. You can do this once per turn. Alternatively you can choose to discard a card to play an additional staple this turn. 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 your hand, you can play that from your hand instead. Attack with Warriors Each warrior you control can attack. If the opponent has no warriors, then you can attack directly, otherwise you must attack a warrior or item the opponent controls. If the card you attacked has less strengh then the card you attacked with, it is destroyed. If it has more, your card is destroyed. Otherwise, Decide the Outcome of a Clash. If you’ve attached directly, deal damage to the opponent depending on the warriors strengh. {Normal} warriors deal 1 life worth of damage. {Strong} warriors deal 2 life worth of damage. {Weak} warriors do not damage players’ life. Some cards may give you additional actions that you can perform during your turn. Turn Actions Keywords
218 1 Create a Payoff: Play a {Normal} warrior or a {Strong} item that pays off a central play pattern or strategy of the deck. Use a Simple Card Move. 2 Create an Impenetrable Threat: Play a {Strong} warrior with up to three protection or power increasing effects. Use a Simple Card Move. 3 Severely Disadvantage the Player: Play an invocation, a {Normal} warrior or {Strong} item that makes it difficult for the player to play in a standard manner. Use a Simple Card Move. 4 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). Use two Simple Card Moves. 1 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. Use a Simple Card Move. 2 Create a New Threat: Play a {Normal} warrior with 1-2 features that makes it a threat to the player. Use One or Two Simple Card Moves. 3 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. Use a Simple Card Move. 4 Remove the Immediate Problems: Play an invocation that deals with one or more problems the player has created. Use Zero, One, or Two Simple Card Moves (depending on circumstance). 5 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. Use a Simple Card Move. 6 Dawdle: Use a Simple Card Move up to 4 times. 1 Create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}. 2 {Strengthen} a warrior you control until the end of turn. 3 Create a {Normal} warrior. 4 Sacrifice a warrior you control to destroy a warrior your 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. Establish a Plan to Win Power Card Moves Simple Card Moves 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. Lash Out Against Losing When it looks like you might lose, lash out against that possibility. Define new consequences for the game. 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 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. Opponent Moves Crib Sheet Appendix C: Enemy Moves Crib Sheet
219 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.