Hypocrisy Abstract

This is a card game built around a standard deck of playing cards, jokers included. The game design came from a question of if there could be a novel concept to a standard deck of cards. The game theme and graphic design was inspired by 80s horror films, hymnals, and older books on exorcism rites. Players begin the game as Priests who have taken a vow of silence as penitence for the demons they’ve been unable to release. Skilled as they are in the exorcism of others, they are blind to effectively address the shadows that darken their mind. Together, they must work to exorcize all their demons and discover a path to purity. If they lapse in focus or briefly question their faith, and they may be lost to the Legion within them…

The game is played by dealing the deck of cards to each player. Players then hold their cards facing the other players so they are unable to see the cards in their own hands. Players must rely on others to help them deal with the cards in their hand, hoping that there does not come a time where they must blindly try to play a card from their own hand.

The idea for a trifold was born from design trends that are happening in the indie TTRPG space. I wanted to provide a unique way to have a substantial amount of information concisely organized, and designed compactly to fit inside a standard deck of cards; the instructions have the dimensions of a standard poker card when folded.

All design and layout work was done in Figma.

Designed and playtested in 2023.

Published in 2024.