50 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: 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. Examples: Giving 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. 2 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 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. 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, such as: Giving a warrior 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 4 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. 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.
51 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. 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. 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, such as: Giving a warrior {Underwhelm} each turn, weakening the player’s main gameplan, or anything else that makes the players life somewhat more difficult. 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.
52 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.
53 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
54 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.
55 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 characters 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.
56 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 NPCs deck Then, plan some moves for the Card Game battle Finally, plan potential threat moves for the NPC Defining an NPCs 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.
57 Here are some examples of gimmicks you can use for NPCs: 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. 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. Warriors that gain power when more of them are around. Summoning large threats that easily overpower the opponent. Gain life for both me and the opponent, getting more value from it. Have effects trigger whenever I take damage, dragging my opponent down with me. Steal my opponent’s warriors by giving them useless cards in return. Burning my opponent’s life points without attacking. Summoning an army of small warriors and then buffing them. Flipping coins, giving me big benefits if heads, and small detriments on tails. Attack my opponent directly and destroy their stuff when I do. Make my opponent warriors fall in love with my warriors, unable to attack. Give myself equipment, letting me, the player, attack. Slowly draw a combo of cards that will instantly win me the game. Recur the same threat whenever I perform a normal game action. Introduce a resource to the game that only I am properly prepared for. NPC Drawing & Discarding Because NPC’s don’t have 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.
58 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.
59 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 dont 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.
60 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 Item | {Strong} The first time you summon a Bear each turn, target opponent takes 1 damage. (All of your creatures count as bears, including from Simple Card Moves) Use a Simple Card Move. Morgan le Ursidae Warrior | {Strong} {Piercer} 2 Use a Simple Card Move. Power Card Moves Polar Elementalist Warrior | {Weak} Each turn, target item or warrior an opponent controls loses all text and gains “When this dies, lose 1 Life”. Use a Simple Card Move. Wrath of Artaois Invocation Destroy up to three target warriors/items. Use (3 - the number of cards you removed) Simple Card Moves. Panda Swordmage Warrior | {Normal} {Piercer} 1 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 {Normal} warrior.
61 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 dont 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 clashing: 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.
62 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.
63 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. 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 counterclockwise, 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.
64 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. Chapter Three Your Deck & Card Creation 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.
65 Destroy {Overwork} Destroy target warrior or item. Reconsider Draw two cards, then put two cards from your hand on the bottom of your deck. Silence Target warrior or item an opponent controls loses its effects until the end of the turn. 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. {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}. Summon Knight Create a {Normal} warrior. Summon Army Create two {Weak} warriors. Salve Gain 1 life. Magic Weapon {Strengthen} target warrior. Double Strike Target warrior can attack twice. Augury {Overwork} Search for a card in your deck, add it to your hand. Shuffle the deck. Fireball Deal 1 damage to target competitor. Quick Thinking Draw one card. Summon Dragon {Overwork} Create a {Strong} warrior.
66 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 dont 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.
67 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.
68 Normal Warrior (2EP) Return from grave (Powerful, Versatile) Weak Warrior (3EP) Destroy warrior (Powerful, Consistent, Versatile) Strong Item (1EP) Create weak warriors (Powerful) Invocation (3EP) Choice (Versatile) Both Choices (Powerful, Consistent) Weak Warrior (3EP) Additional attack (Powerful 2, Consistent) Invocation (3EP) Give Strengthen, Piercer (Powerful 2, Versatile) Normal Warrior (2EP) Give Underwhelm (Powerful, Versatile) Strong Warrior (2EP) Overwhelm (Powerful, Consistent) Strengthen opponents (Significant Weakness) Normal Item (3EP) Inconspicuous (Powerful) Counter effect (Powerful, Versatile) Weak Warrior (3EP) Overwhelm (Powerful) Become Stronger each turn (Powerful, Consistent) Invocation (3EP) Draw 2 cards (Powerful 2, Consistent) Invocation (3EP) Destroy all warriors and items your opponent controls (Powerful 3, Versatile 2) Destroy all warriors and items you control (Significant Weakness) 68 Premade Cards Angel Warrior | {Normal} When this is played, return one warrior from your graveyard to your hand. Assassin Warrior | {Weak} When this is played, destroy a warrior. Barracks Item | {Strong} At the start of each of your turns, create a {Weak} warrior. Barrage of Arrows Invocation Choose one: -Target competitor takes 1 damage. -Destroy target {Weak} or {Normal} warrior. Battle Dancer Warrior | {Weak} When this is played, warriors you control can attack an additional time this turn. Berserker’s Might Invocation Target warrior is {Strengthened} and gains {Piercer} 1 until the end of the turn. Court Jester Warrior | {Normal} When this card is played, target warrior gains {Underwhelm}. Demon Lord Warrior | {Strong} {Overwhelm} All warriors all opponents control are {Strengthened}. Dispelling Trap Item | {Normal} {Inconspicuous} When an opponent plays an invocation or item, sacrifice thiscounter the play of that card. Dragon Egg Warrior | {Weak} {Overwhelm} At the start of your turn, Dragon Egg is {Strengthened}. Draw on Knowledge Invocation Draw 2 cards. Explosion! Invocation Destroy all warriors, items, or warriors and Items on all competitors’ fields. {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. {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.
69 69 Normal Item (3EP) Inconspicuous (Powerful) Destroy attacking warriors (Powerful 2) Invocation (3EP) Destroy Warrior or item (Powerful, Versatile 2, Consistent) Opponent makes warrior (Weakness) Normal Warrior (2EP) Give Inconspicuous (Powerful, Versatile) Weak Warrior (3EP) Play extra staple/ invocation (Powerful, Versatile, Consistent) Premade Cards Explosive Trap Item | {Normal} {Inconspicuous} At the end of the turn, if the opponent attacked, sacrifice this, destroy all warriors that attacked this turn. Ghostly Possession Invocation Destroy target warrior or item an opponent controls. That warrior’s controller creates a {Normal} warrior. Guardian Paladin Warrior | {Normal} Target warrior or item gains {Inconspicuous} while this is on the field. Hedge Mage Warrior | {Weak} You may play an additional staple or cast an additional invocation the turn you play this. Hero of Myth Warrior | {Strong} {Overwhelm} You can’t play Hero of Myth until your third turn. Invoke Duel Invocation Target warrior battles another target warrior. (If they would roll to clash, they are both destroyed instead. You may choose two opposing warriors with this effect.) King of the Dragons Warrior | {Strong} When this enters the battlefield and at the start of each turn, sacrifice all other warriors you control. {Pressure 1} Knight & Squire Warrior | {Normal} When this enters the battlefield, create a {Weak} warrior with {Blocker}. Legendary Sword Item | {Normal} Once per turn, {Strengthen} target warrior until the beginning of your next turn. Leviathan Warrior | {Strong} Library Tower Item | {Normal} Once per turn, draw a card. Lich Queen Warrior | {Strong} At the start of your turn, lose 1 life. You may play this card from your graveyard. {Blocker} Cards with blocker can intercept attacks on other cards. {Inconspicuous} Cards with inconspicuous can’t be targeted for attacks unless it is the only possible target. {Pressure} For each instance of pressure, roll as if you had +1 to combat tension. Strong Warrior (0EP) Overwhelm (Powerful, Consistent) Cant play before turn 3 (Significant Weakness) Invocation (3EP) Warriors clash (Powerful, Versatile 2) Strong Warrior (0EP) Destroy all warriors (Significant Weakness) Pressure 1 (Powerful, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Create weak warrior with blocker (Powerful, Consistent) Normal Item (3EP) Empower Warrior (Powerful 2, Versatile) Normal Item (3EP) Draw card each turn (Powerful 2, Consistent) Strong Warrior (0EP) Strong Warrior (0EP) Lose life each turn (Significant Weakness) Play from graveyard (Powerful, Consistent)
7070 Invocation (3EP) Fumble (Powerful, Versatile) Lose 1 life (Weakness) Followup (Powerful, Versatile) Normal Warrior (2EP) Pressure 1 (Powerful, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Overwhelm (Powerful) Piercer (Powerful) Must attack (Weakness Invocation (3EP) Gain 2 Life (Powerful 2, Consistent) Premade Cards Magical Researcher Warrior | {Weak} When this is played, draw 2 cards. Mind Control Invocation Gain control of target warrior. So long as you control that warrior, at the start of your turn, lose 1 life. Necromancy Invocation Return target warrior from your graveyard to the field. Pitfall Trap Item | {Normal} {Inconspicuous} When an opponent summons a warrior, you can sacrifice this to destroy that warrior. Weak Warrior (3EP) Draw 2 cards (Powerful 2, Consistent) Invocation (3EP) Take control of warrior (Powerful 3, Consistent, Versatile) Lose life each turn (Significant Weakness) Invocation (3EP) Return warrior from graveyard (Powerful 2, Versatile) Normal Item (3EP) Inconspicuous (Powerful) Destroy summoned warrior (Powerful, Versatile) {Followup} You can play an additional card after this one. {Underwhelm} This card always loses clashes. {Inconspicuous} Cards with inconspicuous can’t be targeted for attcks unless it is the only possible target. Perilous Beast Warrior | {Normal} {Overwhelm} {Piercer} 1 {Sniper} 1 Must attack each turn. Poisoned Meal Invocation Target opponent {Fumbles}. Lose 1 life. {Followup} Prince Warrior | {Normal} {Pressure} 1 Rest at Camp Invocation Gain 2 Life. Royal Regalia Item | {Normal} You are a {Normal} warrior. (You can attack. You clash with enemies that attack you as if you were a warrior before you take damage. You only take damage if you lose the clash.) Royal Thief Warrior | {Normal} Royal Thief can attack opponents directly. Scheming Diplomat Warrior | Weak {Sniper} 3 Scout Warrior | {Normal} Scout always starts as the top card of your deck. Normal Item (3EP) Become a warrior (Powerful 2, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Attack Directly (Powerful, Consistent) Weak Warrior (3EP) Sniper (Powerful 3) Normal Warrior (2EP) Start on top of deck (Powerful, Consistent)
71 71 Premade Cards Shield Master Warrior | {Normal} {Blocker}, {Overwhelm} This warrior can’t attack. Standard Bearer Warrior | {Normal} {Followup} Tactician Warrior | {Normal} All other warriors you control are {Strengthened}. Trebuchet Item | {Normal} At the start of your turn, deal 1 damage to the opponent. {Overwhelm} This card always wins clashes. {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. {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 combat tension while this is on the field. {Followup} You can play an additional card after this one. {Strengthen} When a card is strengthened, {Weak} cards become {Normal}. {Normal} cards become {Strong}. Twinblade Ranger Warrior | {Normal} This warrior can attack twice each turn. Vanguard Warrior | {Normal} When a warrior you control would be destroyed, you can choose for this to be destroyed instead. Vampyre Warrior | {Normal} When Vampyre deals damage or clashes, gain 1 life. Warband Leader Warrior | {Normal} When this warrior attacks, create a {Weak} warrior with {Teamwork}. Warlock Warrior | {Normal} When this is played, you may lose 1 life. If you do, search for a card in your deck and add it to your hand. Well-Trained Squad Invocation Create three {Weak} warriors with {Teamwork}. Winds of Change Invocation Discard your hand. Draw that many cards. {Followup} Zombie Warrior | {Normal} You may play this card from your graveyard. Normal Warrior (2EP) Overwhelm (Powerful) Blocker (Powerful, Consistent) Can’t attack (Weakness) Normal Warrior (2EP) Attack twice (Powerful, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Search for card to add to hand (Powerful 2, Versatile, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Followup (Powerful, Versatile) Normal Warrior (2EP) Destruction replacement (Powerful, Versatile) Invocation (3EP) Create warriors (Powerful 2, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Give all warriors strengthened (Powerful 2) Normal Warrior (2EP) Lifesteal (Powerful 2) Invocation (3EP) Discard, redraw (Powerful) Normal Item (3EP) Damage each turn (Powerful 2, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Make guys on attack (Powerful, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Play from graveyard (Powerful, Consistent)
72 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 Singer 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.
73 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 decks 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: 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. Warrior Item Invocation {Weak} 3EP 4EP 3EP (invocations do not have strengh) {Normal} 2EP 3EP {Strong} 0EP 1EP
74 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.
75 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 innevitable, 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. Dont 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.
76 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).
77 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 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.
78 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. 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 nonConsistent. 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”. 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. However, if adding the weakness means the effect now leans into your gimmick, then the effect can cost -1EP less as normal. If this has been fulfilled, you gain an additional 1EP above the usual amount. 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.
79 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!
80 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 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.
81 Volatile Card Creation Volatile Card Creation is intentionally an extremely fast and loose process. When you’ve used the 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.
82 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 during the game. After each playbook is a section including advice for playing and running the playbook, aswell 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. Chapter Four Character Creation
83 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 describe 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.
84 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.
85 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).
86 Passion Skill Friendship 2 -1 1 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. Select one stat and increase its value by one. Name: Pronouns: 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. Look 86 Advancement: When you advance, take one of these options: Take an ability from your Playbook Take an ability from another Playbook Add a new staple to your Staple List Increase one of your stats by one Tick the box of the option you picked. You cannot take an option with all boxes ticked. Major Advancement: Once you have selected three advancements, you may also select these options upon advancing instead: Take an ability from your Playbook Take an ability from another Playbook Add a new staple to your Staple List Create a new {Ace} card (You may now gain the benefits of the Play your {Ace} Card move twice per game) Complete your character’s final goal. Retire your character.
87 Your Struggles: Who is someone you used to idolise, and how did they betray your expectations of them? Who introduced you to the game, and why does it matter that they’re better than you at it? Who is trying to teach you to be better at the game, and what do they expect in return? Gain baggage. Your Friends: Another player is your best friend; how did they help you most? Ask them the same about you. You’ve sworn to protect another player; why did you do this? Ask them how they rely on you. You want to prove to another player that you’re capable; why? Ask them why they won’t admit it. You and that player each gain baggage. 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: Fill in if the baggage is serious. Create Your Deck Answer One Question for Each Section Baggage 87 o o o o o o o o o o o
88 The Determination to Win When you first meet someone or someone hurts you physically or emotionally, you can choose to make that character your adversary. You can only have one adversary at a time. Write their name below: You gain +1 on rolls made to confront or in battle against your adversary. When you beat them, erase their name above; they are no longer your adversary. Heart of the Resolved You can Reveal a New Possibility even when you’re alone. When you do this, reveal a new possibility for yourself. Unbreakable Will You can always ignore up to one non-serious baggage when applying baggage-related penalties to rolls you make. 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. Your Mentor You have a mentor, or group of mentors; someone who wants to help you overcome problems and improve yourself. Choose one resource your mentor can give you: Information, Backup, Technical skill, Tech, Magic, When you ask them for this resource, they’ll grant it to you. However, to gain access again after that, you’ll need to first complete a mission for them. Your Judge will tell you the mission. Pet Cards 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: it gains {Ace}. You may use that staple two turns in a row. You can benefit from the Play Your {Ace} Card move an extra time each game. Abilities Select three abilities from the list here: 88
89 89 Combat Tension Questions Staples Have you lost at least half your life in this card game? Has something or someone you care about more than yourself been put at risk? Has your opponent used your baggage to gain an advantage over you? 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.
90 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 Warrior | {Normal} {Ace} {Teamwork} {Piercer} 1 {Followup} B.B.B Toybox Item | {Normal} When this is played, and at the start of each of your turns, create a {Weak} warrior. All your warriors have {Teamwork}. B.B.B Support Copter Warrior | {Normal} {Teamwork} All other warriors you control are {Strengthened}. B.B.B Build Instructions Invocation Draw 3 cards. You can only use this card if it’s the last card in your hand. Normal Warrior with Ace (3EP) Teamwork (Powerful, Leans into gimmick) Piercer (Powerful) Followup (Powerful, Versatile) Normal Item (3EP) Create warriors (Powerful, Consistent) Give teamwork (Powerful 2, Leans into gimmick) Normal Warrior (2EP) Teamwork (Powerful, Leans into gimmick) Give Strengthen (Powerful 2) Invocation (3EP) Draw 3 cards (Powerful 3, Consistent)
91 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.
92 Passion Skill Friendship 1 2 -1 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 Select one stat and increase its value by one. Name: Pronouns: 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. Look 92 Advancement: When you advance, take one of these options: Take an ability from your Playbook Take an ability from another Playbook Add a new staple to your Staple List Increase one of your stats by one Tick the box of the option you picked. You cannot take an option with all boxes ticked. Major Advancement: Once you have selected three advancements, you may also select these options upon advancing instead: Take an ability from your Playbook Take an ability from another Playbook Add a new staple to your Staple List Create a new {Ace} card (You may now gain the benefits of the Play your {Ace} Card move twice per game) Complete your character’s final goal. Retire your character.
93 Your Struggles: Describe an enterprise that you own and control. What does a competitor do better than you? What family member matters to you most? What did they instil in you at a young age? What supernatural entity or force have you discovered? What do you want from them? Gain baggage. Your Friends: Another player is your rival: when did they beat you spectacularly? Ask them how they did so. Another player is an old friend: how did you meet? Ask them what the two of you disagree on. Another player was struggling: what did you do to help them? Ask them what they owe you. You and that player each gain baggage. 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: Fill in if the baggage is serious. Create Your Deck Answer One Question for Each Section Baggage o o o o o o o o o o o 93
94 My Pride, My Soul, My... You get +1 to all rolls directly involving your {Ace} card, both inside and outside of a card game. When using your {Ace} card outside of a card game, justify how it was useful to the move before gaining the bonus. Screw the Rules, I Have Money You have a source of extreme wealth. If you want something done that can be bought and you have the time, roll+Skill. Apply any baggage related penalties: On a 7+, you get what you wanted. On a 6 or less, something has happened with your wealth. Your Judge will tell you what. Gain baggage; you can’t use this move again until that baggage is resolved. Sore Winner When you beat someone in card game combat, you can force them to grant you one of the following additional benefits, alongside the existing conditions for winning: Answer a single question to the best of their knowledge Publicly acknowledge your superiority 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. Subordinates You have a group of followers. These followers may be fans of yours, employees, bodyguards, or something else appropriate. Your followers are always close at hand when needed. Select one option to describe them: They are numerous. They have the talent and knowledge to aid you, so long as you meet their demands They are dedicated. They won’t ask anything of you in return for their work, so long as they aren’t put in danger They are physically strong. They will help in dangerous situations and protect you, if you meet their demands Elegant Egotist You can always ignore baggage when making rolls to prove you’re better than someone who has defeated, overcome, or embarrassed you in the past. My Second Ace Once per card game, when you have a card with {Ace} on the field or you played a card with {Ace} this turn, you may discard a card from your hand to play an additional copy of that {Ace} as your card per turn. Abilities Select three abilities from the list here: 94
95 95 Combat Tension Questions Staples Have you lost at least half your life in this card game? Has something or someone you care about more than yourself been put at risk? Has your opponent used your baggage to gain an advantage over you? 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.
96 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 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 - Prometheus Warrior | {Strong} {Ace}, {Overwhelm} At the beginning of your turn, lose 1 life. When Prometheus is destroyed, return it to your hand. Truename Speaker Warrior | {Normal} When this is played, if you control Prometheus, gain 3 life. Curse Speaker Warrior | {Normal} When this is played, if you control Prometheus, destroy target warrior or item. Unchaining Key Item | {Normal} As long as you control Prometheus, once per turn, draw a card. Also, Prometheus can attack twice each turn. Strong Warrior with Ace (1EP) Overwhelm (Powerful, Consistent, Leans into Gimmick) Lose life each turn (Significant Weakness) Return to hand (Powerful, Consistent) Normal Warrior (2EP) Gain life (Powerful 3, Leans into gimmick) Normal Warrior (2EP) Destroy warrior or item (Powerful, Versatile 2, Leans into gimmick) Normal Item (3EP) Draw card and Prometheus extra attack (Powerful 4, leans into gimmick)
97 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.
98 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 Select one stat and increase its value by one. Name: Pronouns: Hair: Eccentric, Accessorised, Subcultural, Clothes: Transgressive, Branded, Over complex, Game Tools: Expressive, Odd, Highly customised, Other: Experience: Once each box has been ticked, advance. Look Passion Skill Friendship -1 1 2 98 Advancement: When you advance, take one of these options: Take an ability from your Playbook Take an ability from another Playbook Add a new staple to your Staple List Increase one of your stats by one Tick the box of the option you picked. You cannot take an option with all boxes ticked. Major Advancement: Once you have selected three advancements, you may also select these options upon advancing instead: Take an ability from your Playbook Take an ability from another Playbook Add a new staple to your Staple List Create a new {Ace} card (You may now gain the benefits of the Play your {Ace} Card move twice per game) Complete your character’s final goal. Retire your character.
99 Your Struggles: Someone is following you. Who are they, and why haven’t they revealed themself to you? Someone close to you joined the wrong crowd: what crowd, and why are they important to you? A group of people disrespect and bully you. When were they your friends, and what made that change? Gain baggage. Your Friends: Another player helped you at your lowest: what was this moment? Ask them how they helped. You and another player met through someone. Who? Ask them why that someone is now gone. Another player is a fan of yours: what did you do to get famous? Ask them why they like you. You and that player each gain baggage. 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: Fill in if the baggage is serious. Create Your Deck Answer One Question for Each Section Baggage o o o o o o o o o o o 99