Ship of Fools

In Ship of Fools, three players play a court of jesters with a Common Goal: to solve the King’s Tasks, under threat of execution.

To solve a task, the players contribute with different Things, Locations, and Events, talk about how to combine them into a solution, and Vote to decide if they are successful or not. They may fail a task once, but if they fail twice, the jesters are executed and lose the game. If they are successful, they may distribute the used cards to their Pockets, and try to reach their own Secret Goals.

Each jester brings a King’s Rule – a constraint that all players must follow. If a King’s Rule is broken, the other players may decide a fitting punishment. The jesters also have their own Hidden Talents that they may use to gain advantages and break the rules during play.

Before you play the first time, you need to modify a standard 52 card deck of playing cards. You do this by writing down the contents of the Database that you find below the rules. Feel free to change any data. 

And now, if you are ready, let’s set it all up, and try to solve all the King’s Tasks, to win the game...

§1 – LUCK

This is the phase where you set up the game. Begin by separating the Numbered Cards and Face Cards. Then, draw one Face Card each. On each Face Card you can see four pieces of information: a Jester Name (the top black text), a King’s Rule (the bottom black text), a Secret Goal (the left side red text), and a Hidden Talent (the right side red text).

Place the card on the Table in front of you, and read the Jester Name and King’s Rule aloud. This rule is now in effect and applies to all players.

If at any point a player breaks a King’s Rule, the other players decide a punishment for them.

Draw two additional Face Cards each. These are your possible Secret Goals and Hidden Talents. Choose which should be which, and place face down on either side of your face up card. Each Secret Goal and Hidden Talent should be kept secret until they are scored or used.

While playing, try to work towards your Secret Goal. In the end, you will count the cards in your Pocket, or measure the state of the game, and compare them to your goals.

A Hidden Talent may be used once per game, by turning it face up and declaring that you use it. After use, it is left face up, to show that it is spent.

Place the unused Face Cards in The Dump. This is the place where all cards are discarded in this game.

Place the Numbered Cards in a pile in the middle of the Table. This pile is called The World, and it is from here you draw cards during the game.

Now you are done setting up the game, and may continue to the first DAY (§2).

§2 – DAY

This is the phase in which you get King’s Tasks and propose solutions. Each Day begins with each player drawing cards from The World, so that their Hand contains three cards.

On each Numbered Card you can see four pieces of information: a King’s Task (the top black text), a

Thing (the bottom red text), a Location (the left side red text), and an Event (the right side red text).

To get a King’s Task, one player draws a card from The World and silently reads the top text. They decide if it is a Common Task, that task will be solved by all players, or if it is a Targeted Task, that will be solved by one player. Declare if it is Common, or which player is the Target, read the King’s Task aloud, and put the card in the middle of the Table.

• If it is a Common Task, each player selects one part of a solution from their Hand — a Thing, Location, or Event. Place the cards on the Table next to the Task, and discuss how the cards are used to solve the Task. When the solution is ready, or if you are stuck, proceed to the AFTERNOON (§3).

• If it is a Targeted Task, the last player chooses a Thing, Location, or Event and place it on the Table next to the Task. The targeted player then proposes how to use that to solve the Task. Then, proceed to the AFTERNOON (§3).

§3 – AFTERNOON

This is the phase in which you Vote on the success of the proposal. To do that, each player secretly chooses one card from their Hand. A Red Card is a vote for success, a Black Card is a vote for failure. The majority decides.

• If a Common Task succeeds, the group decides how to distribute the cards on the Table into players’ Pockets. If a Targeted Task succeeds, the targeted player decides the distribution.

•  If a Task fails, discard all cards on the Table to The Dump. If this is your first Failure, you may proceed, but if it is the second Failure, all players are executed and lose the game.

After voting, if any cards remain in The World, proceed to the NIGHT (§4). Otherwise, you have successfully solved all the Tasks, and won. You may then proceed to FATE (§5) to see who managed to reach their Secret Goals.

§4 – NIGHT

This is the phase in which you may modify the rules of the game. Here, any player may propose a new rule or a change to an existing one. All players then vote by show of hand to accept or reject the proposal. If accepted, the new rule takes effect immediately. Then continue to another DAY (§2).

§5 – FATE

This is the phase in which you find out the ranking of the players. Reveal your Secret Goals and compare them to the state of the game and the content of your Pockets. If you meet your condition, you are on top, and if you don't, you are on the bottom. Use that information as grounds to vote on the rankings of the players. 

The game is over, it’s time for celebration!