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Standard 52-card playing deck Paper and writing implements 4-6 six-sided dice (d6)

The active player draws one card from the deck and places it face-up. This is the Prompt Card. If the deck runs out: Reshuffle all non-milestone cards (2-10) and continue. Queens and Kings stay in the discard—they've already triggered their phase transitions.

The table discusses what the prompt means for your settlement right now, given your current situation, challenges, and recent events. The card provides the raw prompt through its suit and rank. The table brings it to life by grounding it in your settlement's s...

After interpreting the prompt, the table discusses which of the four actions fits best. Sometimes it's obvious; sometimes there's debate. That discussion is valuable—it reveals what the community prioritizes. The Four Actions: CRADLE — Nurture resources, knowl...

Resolution uses a simple dice pool system: Base Pool: Roll 1d6 Add dice for advantages (max 4d6 total): Relevant character: +1d6 if a character with applicable tags is involved Relevant resource: +1d6 if you have a resource that directly helps Favorable condi...

Record the outcome: Modify your tracking (map, timeline, character web) Add/remove resources as appropriate Update Open Questions Note character development Adjust Tension (see Tension section) This step is crucial. The game creates a living history through ...

The next player becomes active and draws a new card. Play continues clockwise (or any agreed order for async/solo play).

Cradle actions invest in the settlement's future: growing food, repairing infrastructure, teaching skills, preserving culture, building relationships. These are proactive, generative actions that create capacity and sustainability. Duskara-Specific Cradle Exam...

Ward actions respond to immediate threats: storms, equipment failures, conflicts, external dangers. These are reactive, protective actions ensuring the settlement survives to continue building. Duskara-Specific Ward Examples: Environmental Hazards: Prepare fo...

Projects are substantial undertakings requiring multiple cycles and coordination. They represent the settlement's ambitious plans for growth, exploration, or transformation. Starting a Project: When the table agrees to begin a Project, define: Goal: What are ...

Deliberate actions focus on collective decision-making, resolving internal tensions, and defining community values. These are purely social and philosophical—you're not building or defending, you're deciding who you are as a people. When to Deliberate: Open Q...

Duration: Until the first Queen of any suit is drawn Tone: Hopeful, ambitious, foundational Focus: The settlement is finding its footing. Players define community identity, establish resources, set up infrastructure, and articulate initial aspirations. Challen...

Duration: From first Queen until first King Tone: Expansive, confident, ambitious Focus: The settlement thrives. Projects advance, population grows, relationships with neighbors develop. There's momentum and optimism, but also growing complexity. Success bring...

Duration: From first King until Resolution deck exhausts (or alternate end conditions) Tone: Tested, strained, consequential Focus: The settlement faces existential challenges. Growth has created vulnerabilities; success has attracted attention or exhausted re...

Duration: Final few cards of the deck (typically last 3-5 turns) Tone: Reflective, conclusive, weighted with accumulated history Focus: The settlement's fate crystallizes. Earlier choices bear fruit or haunt decisions. Questions receive answers, though not alw...

Hearts represent the human element: relationships, traditions, celebrations, conflicts, memory. This is the internal social life of the settlement—how people connect, clash, remember, and create meaning together. Typical prompts involve: Interpersonal relatio...

Diamonds represent the material and technical aspects of survival: water, power, food, infrastructure, maintained technology. This is the practical side of life on Duskara—the systems that keep people alive and thriving. Typical prompts involve: Water systems...

Spades represent Duskara itself: the wind, storms, temperature extremes, native life, and the psychic abilities humans developed to survive here. This is the interface between humanity and the planet—both the challenges and the gifts of adaptation. Typical pro...

Clubs represent the unknown, transformation, and deep questions: ancient structures, lost knowledge, philosophical dilemmas, internal evolution. This is about the settlement grappling with what it doesn't understand and who it's becoming. Typical prompts invol...

This table provides specific prompts for each card. These are starting points—interpret them through your settlement's current situation, history, and needs. As you become familiar with the game and setting, you're encouraged to create your own prompts based o...