When to draw

In Pocket party, summoning the cards always means that the scene is going to go through a major change. Each Action draw needs to resolve a meaningful tension. Here are three rules to help decide when to use cards:

Uncertainty

Action draws only happen when the outcome of an Adventurer’s action is not obvious based on the situation. This could be for a wide range of reasons: skill, time pressure, or stress. If success is not guaranteed, it is usually a good place to start thinking about drawing the cards.

Stakes

Think about it this way: would success or failure meaningfully change the scene?? If not, we would advise that you simply let the scene move forward. An Action draw needs to produce an interesting outcome whether Adventurers win it or not!

Smart doesn’t draw

When you come together to create an awesome plan, it is sometimes more rewarding to just consider the action a success, even when the two conditions above are true. If you and your friends really love an idea and find it particularly ingenious, drawing cards might kill your creative momentum!

Stack & Draw

The first step in any Action draw is to determine which Adventurer is leading the action. We call them the Dealer (you get it, because they deal with stuff).

Based on the description, who performs the decisive move? If all players perform an action in unison, which character would most likely lead the effort based on their personality and attributes?

The next step is to assemble a pile of cards that we can draw from. We call it the Stack:

  • The Dealer can add to the Stack any number of Hero cards from their collection that would aid them in overcoming the challenge:
    • Any Character card.
    • If an item would help you, add the Backpack card.
    • If a Spark card matches the challenge, add it to the stack.
    • If your Avatar power or aspect would help, add the Avatar card.
  • If the Dealer is using an opportunity, add the Opportunity card to the stack.
  • Other Adventurers can help the Dealer by adding a single card from their collection to the Stack. The way they help needs to be specific to the challenge at hand (the classic “You got this” is, alas, not enough).
  • The Guide then decides which of the base Fear cards are added to the Stack.
  • If the Dealer has any Fate card on the dark side matching Fear cards in the stack, they add them to the Stack.
  • If Adventurers are facing a manifestation of the Big bad evil, add the Shadow card to the Stack.
  • Add to the Stack any existing Tension card or Crisis card.

The Dealer then proceeds to shuffle the Stack. Any method is accepted there and no one is allowed to judge your shuffling!

Once cards have been mixed properly, draw 2 of them. Again, your draw, your style: from the top, the middle, one by one or fortune-telling style. Up to you!

Reading the cards

If you’ve done everything properly so far, you should have 2 cards in front of you.

When resolving an Action draw, you need to use the cards in front of you to narrate the outcome. Success might look different depending on if you drew a card about your upbringing versus an item an your backpack.

Rising fear

The first thing to resolve immediately after drawing is increasing Fear counters. For each card showing a fear icon (skull, puzzle, heart), each Adventurer who contributed at least 1 card in the Stack increases their corresponding counter by 1.

Additionally, some cards increase counters in special ways:

  • The Tension card lets the Adventurer choose which counter to increase.
  • The Crisis card always increases your weakest counter.
  • The Shadow card increases all your counters.
  • Grim Fate cards do not increase any counter.

2 Trouble cards is a Fiasco

Ouch…Things are not going great for you. When you draw 2 bad cards, the Guide needs to:

  • Choose one of the Trouble cards and use it to describe how you fail to achieve your goal.
  • Use the meaning of the remaining Trouble card to create an Escalation.

2 Hero cards is a Triumph

Nice! You got that one in the bag! When you draw 2 good cards, you need to:

  • Choose one of the Hero cards and use it to describe how you achieved your goal.
  • Use the meaning of the remaining Hero card to create an Opportunity.

If one of the cards you drew comes from an ally’s collection, it triggers a friendship moment: you and your friend describe how you triumph together. Then, look at your allies strongest Fate card (the one with the D8) and decrease your corresponding Fear counter by 1.

Mixed result are a Showdown

One of each! We gotta break the tie! You and the Guide describe how the situation intensifies.

Then, if you increased at least one Fear counter, choose between two options:

Face your fear

You push against your fear and manage to overcome it.

Describe how you succeed using the Hero card and the Guide creates an Escalation using the Trouble card.

You have to roll for fate.

OR

Back down

You accept your defeat and get ready to tackle another challenge.

The Guide describes how you fail using the Trouble card and you create an Opportunity using the Hero card.

You do not roll for fate.

If you did not increase any Fear counter as a result of the draw, your forced into backing down.

If the Hero card of the showdown belongs to an ally and you choose to face your fear, describe how their influence helps you overcome the challenge and create a gain Spark.

Playing successes and failures

When Adventurers succeed, they get what they wanted, draw closer to reaching their goal. Scenes can involve one or multiple Action draw, representing Adventurers scrambling toward the Scene’s ultimate goal!

When Adventurers fail, it means that the immediate goal they where chasing is no longer an option. They will have to find another way to reach the Scene’s goal.

Aftermath

Roll for fate

A Fate roll happens when your kid pushes beyond their limits in a Showdown. They reach for their brightest strength, and risk touching their deepest fear.

Sometimes they stay on the bright side of fate. Sometimes victory leaves a mark, and the grim side emerges.

When your roll for fate, grab the dice corresponding to the Fear counter increased during this Action draw, and roll against it. If multiple Fear counters have been increased, you will have to do multiple Fate rolls:

Roll ≥ fear counter

You stand strong in the face of fear, describe how badass your kids look manifesting the bright aspect of the Fate card (focus, courage, empathy).

Roll < fear counter

You get overwhelmed by your fear. Flip your Fate card and describe how the episode profoundly changes your kid’s behaviour.

When a Fate card is flipped, lose the counter. It becomes a Trouble card and needs to be added to the stack when you are the Dealer.

When you flip your last Fate card, your kid is defeated. The Guide describes how your fear pushes out of the adventure and you are sent back to the real world.

While being defeated, you can still see what your friends are up to and talk to them telepathically, but you cannot contribute to Action draws moving forward.

Create an escalation

Sometimes, scenes can escalate out of control, and Adventurers suddenly have to deal with multiple problems at once. When an Action draw creates an Escalation, the Guide has to follow the ladder in order. There are 3 escalation steps:

Step 1 – The looming threat

On the first escalation, put the Tension card into play.

There is a subtle change in the air. You know, when you can feel that something is not quite right but can’t really pinpoint what. A looming threat appears in the scene and can potentially lead to something more dire.

Step 2 – The crisis

On the second escalation, replace the Tension card with the Crisis card.

The threat is now revealed, and it is usually a big one. The crisis needs to press the Adventurers to achieve their goals faster. Give them a sense of urgency as the scene is drawing near to a close, whether they like it or not!

Step 3 – The answer

On the third and last escalation, discard the Crisis card and close the scene.

The bad guys win. The Guide describes how the Scene comes to a close and Adventurers cannot achieve the goal they set out at the beginning. The Big bad evil probably gains a decisive advantage from the Adventurer’s failures moving forward!

Create an opportunity

Even in failure, good things can emerge from an Action draw.

Play the Opportunity card in front of you (where every Adventurer can grab it) and describe what it is. The card needs to represent a fresh way to tackle the challenge, or open the narrative to something completely new.

Any ally can use the Opportunity card to act in the scene. If using the card triggers and Action draw, the Opportunity card is added to the stack.

When an Opportunity card has been used by an Adventurer, draw or no draw, discard it. If an Opportunity card already exists when creating a new one, Adventurers can decide to replace it.

Gain spark

When you use an ally’s card to win a Showdown, describe what you admire in them and how you draw in their strength to overcome adversity.

Then you get to write all that down on your Spark card. You can only have one Spark card at all time, so if you gain spark again, you can decide to replace your active Spark card with the new one.

Your newly filled Spark card is now a Hero card that can be added to any Action draw when you are the Dealer.

Empty your Spark card at the end of each Episode.