TRAGEDY LOOPER

PLAYER’S
HANDBOOK
This booklet contains all necessary information for both
Protagonist and Mastermind players, in order to play
the game, Tragedy Looper.
TRAGEDY LOOPER

TO BEGIN WITH
Welcome to Tragedy Looper, a time-loop deduction board game. A
Mastermind will unfold a mystery while the Protagonists try to figure
out what is going on. This game is for 2-4 players, but the rules are
written for 4 players: 3 Protagonists cooperating against 1 Mastermind.
Rules for 2 and 3 players can be found on page 41.

Goal for the Protagonists

Your goal is to break out of the time loop maze and create a happy
future. But you don’t know who is who, you don’t know what is what,
and you don’t even know how to win! However, you have the ability
to travel back in time so you can replay the same script multiple times!
The script remains the same; the only thing that changes is how much
you’ve learned. And you only have to be victorious once!

Goal for the Mastermind

Your goal is to trigger tragedies and feast your eyes upon misery. You
have all the information, but you have to win every single loop. And that
means you have to adapt to the knowledge gained by the Protagonists.
Being the Mastermind is more complicated than being a Protagonist:
you must have all the plots, all the hidden roles in your mind, in order
to play out your plan smoothly. And when the Protagonists lose every
loop, the taste of victory is so much sweeter!

For newcomers
Tragedy Looper is a very deep game that you can enjoy on many
levels. However, due to the many choices you have, it’s a bit hard to
know how to play the first couple of times. What follows here is a
guide for those who have never played this game before. Specifically,
if all four players are new to the game, we strongly advise you to
proceed with the following steps.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
CHOOSE THE MASTERMIND
I First, choose who will be the Mastermind. You should
choose the one who has experience in game mastering
role playing games or something similar. The Mastermind
should read through this document and the Mastermind’s
Handbook document. The Protagonists should also read
through this document to grasp the ideas of the game.

TEACHING THE GAME

II It’s best if the Mastermind tries to explain the game.
The game rules are in this document, but in the
Mastermind’s Handbook, there is also a “game teaching
guide” that one can follow, that will help a Mastermind
teach the game to others.

START WITH THE “FIRST STEPS” TRAGEDY SET

III A “Tragedy Set” is a number of plots, hidden roles and
Incidents. The “First Steps” Set contents are listed later
in this document, and in the Mastermind’s Handbook
there are 2 pre-written scripts using this set; the first one,
called The First Script, even comes with suggestions for the
Mastermind on how to play out the script. Use this as your
first game.

CONTINUE WITH THE STANDARD

IV “BASIC TRAGEDY” SET.
Once you’ve played a couple of games with the First Steps
set, you’re ready to take on the standard game, using the
Basic Tragedy Set which has a bigger setup of plots, roles
and Incidents. The Basic Tragedy Set contents are also
listed in this document, and in the Mastermind’s Handbook
you’ve got 8 scripts using the Basic Tragedy Set.

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COMPONENTS AND
GAME OVERVIEW
First, we’ll show you where all this is taking place. In this section, we’ll
describe the layout of the game, while introducing you to the boards,
cards and tokens.

GAME BOARDS (5 PCS)

This game is centered around the Hospital, the Shrine, the City and the
School. Each location is represented by a board.
These locations are where everything happens. The Protagonists are
walking around in these locations, but do note that the Protagonists
are not represented by any cards, pawns or markers.
The fifth board is just a data board. It keeps track of what day it is,
when Incidents happen, and how many times you’ve looped.
In Tragedy Looper, the tragedy isn’t limited to just the Protagonists.
There are a lot of other important characters in these stories. Students,
a Journalist, a Shrine Maiden, a Pop Idol, an Office Worker; there are a
grand total of 18 different individuals that can take part in the scripts.

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Each script defines what characters will be in the game and the
characters are represented by cards.
These are all Non-Player Characters (NPCs). They have special
abilities they’ll use to help you (the Protagonists) if you form Goodwill
bonds with them. For example, the Informer will reveal secret
information to you.
However, that’s not all they are. It’s perfectly possible they have a
secret role, and are involved in the script. They might be the key person
who triggers the tragedy. Or, they might be the brain behind the trag-
edy itself. They might be a serial killer, unable to restrain themselves if
they are in a situation where murder is possible. But at the start of each
script, you, the Protagonists, have no idea which of the characters car-
ries what secret. You have to experience the story, loop after loop, and
come to conclusions based on the knowledge gained.

1. Card name
2 3
2. Paranoia limit
If the character has at least this
4 many Paranoia counters, he/she is
in a state of panic and will be able
to trigger Incidents.
1 Note: A character can have more
Paranoia tokens on it than the
number printed on the card.

3. Locations
This signifies the starting location for
5 the character (in white). It may also
show which locations are forbidden
to this character (crossed out).
4. Traits
This character’s traits. Some rules and card effects refer to characters
with certain traits.

5. Goodwill ability / Passive ability

These are the character’s abilities, that (usually) help the
Protagonists. If the character has at least as many Goodwill
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TRAGEDY LOOPER
counters as the ability shows, the Protagonist may use that ability.
Using an ability does not cause Goodwill to be removed. Abilities that
are limited to once per loop can, obviously enough, only be used once
per loop.
In the special case that the Mastermind player can use a Goodwill
ability, he does so with the same limitations as the Protagonists.
Passive abilities are always in effect and do not need to be activated.
These are not “used” by the Protagonists; instead they are resolved by
the Mastermind.

A little delve into the details

about characters and corpses
Whether a character is alive or dead is shown by how the card is laid
on the board. A living character is placed vertically and a dead
character is placed sideways. A dead character is a “corpse”and can
not use any abilities, nor has any traits, nor is it even considered a
character, but any Goodwill counters they have stay where they are.
There is one character in the game who can resurrect corpses.

alive dead

So, we’ve taken a look at the boards and the characters. Now, we’re
getting into what you, the players, are to do in the game. We’ll explain
the action cards that players use to affect the characters in the game.

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ACTION CARDS Protagonist cards Mastermind
(34 PCS) cards
What the players,
both Protagonists and
Mastermind, will actually
do in the game is play
action cards on the
characters or the locations.
All players play their cards
All cards have different backs so you can
face down, and when
see who played what card.
everyone has played a card, See to it that each player has the same
they are all revealed and back on all his/her cards.
resolved at the same time.

Goodwill cards
Movement cards These are used to increase the
These will move a character in the characters’ Goodwill, so they
specified direction. can use their Goodwill abilities.
Protagonists have these; the
Mastermind has a forbiddance
card.

Intrigue cards
These symbolize secrecy surround-
ing characters and locations. Their Paranoia cards
meaning varies with each plot. These are used to increase the
Only the Mastermind has these; character’s Paranoia level, so
the Protagonists have forbiddance they will start triggering
cards. Incidents.
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CARD LIST
This is a list of the action cards that the Protagonists and the
Mastermind use, together with some details on exactly how the cards
work. Use this if some effects conflict and/or you don’t know in what
order to resolve things. “Together” here means “played on the same
location or character”.

PROTAGONIST CARDS
Paranoia +1
Place 1 Paranoia counter on this character.
If together with a Forbid Paranoia, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
If together with a Paranoia –1, the +1 goes first.
Placed on a location, nothing happens.

Paranoia –1
<only once per loop>
Remove 1 Paranoia counter from this character.
If together with a Forbid Paranoia, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
If together with a Paranoia +1, the +1 goes first.
Placed on a location, nothing happens.

Goodwill +1
Place 1 Goodwill counter on this character.
If together with a Forbid Goodwill, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
Placed on a location, nothing happens.

Goodwill +2
<only once per loop>
Place 2 Goodwill counters on this character.
If together with a Forbid Goodwill, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
Placed on a location, nothing happens.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
Forbid Intrigue
If on the same spot as an Intrigue +1 or +2 , this takes
precedence and nothing happens. However, if 2 or more
players have played Forbid Intrigue on the same day
(no matter where on the playing field), they nullify each
other.

Movement - vertical
This character moves either up or down.
If together with another vertical movement, it’s still a
vertical movement (they do not nullify each other).
If together with a horizontal movement, they combine to
form a diagonal movement.
If together with a diagonal movement, they combine to
form a horizontal movement.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Movement - horizontal
This character moves either left or right.
If together with another horizontal movement, it’s still a
horizontal movement (they do not nullify each other).
If together with a vertical movement, they combine to
form a diagonal movement.
If together with a diagonal movement, they combine to
form a vertical movement.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Forbid movement
<only once per loop>
If together with a Movement card, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.

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MASTERMIND CARDS
Paranoia +1
Place 1 Paranoia counter on this character.
If together with a Paranoia –1, the +1 goes first.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.
The Mastermind has 2 of these.

Paranoia –1
Remove 1 Paranoia counter from this character.
If together with a Paranoia +1, the +1 goes first.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Forbid Paranoia
If together with a Paranoia +1 or Paranoia –1, the Forbid
takes precedence and nothing happens.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Forbid Goodwill
If together with a Goodwill +1 or Goodwill +2, the Forbid
takes precedence and nothing happens.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Intrigue +1
Place 1 Intrigue counter on this character or location.
If together with a Forbid Intrigue card, and only one
Forbid Intrigue card is played this day, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
Intrigue +2
<only once per loop>
Place 2 Intrigue counters on this character or location.
If together with a Forbid Intrigue card, and only one
Forbid Intrigue card is played this day, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.

Movement - vertical
This character moves either up or down.
If together with Forbid Movement, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
If together with another vertical movement, it’s still a
vertical movement (they do not nullify each other).
If together with a horizontal movement, they combine to
form a diagonal movement.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Movement - horizontal
This character moves either left or right.
If together with Forbid Movement, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
If together with another horizontal movement, it’s still a
horizontal movement (they do not nullify each other).
If together with a vertical movement, they combine to
form a diagonal movement.
If placed on a location, nothing happens.

Movement - diagonal
<only once per loop>
This character moves diagonally.
If together with Forbid Movement, the Forbid takes
precedence and nothing happens.
If together with a horizontal movement, they combine to
form a vertical movement.
If together with a vertical movement, they combine to
form a horizontal movement.
If placed on a location, nothing happens

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
By playing these action cards, you will change the situation on the
boards. Characters will move around and their Goodwill, Paranoia
and Intrigue will change. Let’s take a brief look at the counters used to
signify this.

COUNTERS (118 PCS)

The characters can be in different moods. They might be friendly
towards the players (Goodwill), or be paranoid enough to panic. In
this game, there are three counters used to represent how a character
feels mentally. And, there are a few counters used to make the game
play a bit smoother.
Goodwill counters
These represent how friendly the character is towards
the Protagonists. Mainly only the Protagonists can place
these onto characters, and if a character has enough,
his/her Goodwill ability can be used.

Paranoia counters
These represent how afraid the character is. Both
Mastermind and Protagonists can place these on
characters, and if they reach a certain level, the character
is in panic mode and can start triggering Incidents.

Intrigue counters
These represent secrecy and conspiracies, on either
locations or characters. Only the Mastermind can place
these on characters or locations. Exactly what they do
depends on the plot, but they lead towards failure for the
Protagonists.

Loop marker
This is used to mark what loop the game is currently on.
It’s placed on the data board.

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Day marker
This is used to mark which day it is. It’s placed on the data
board.

Incident markers
These are used to mark on which days something will
happen. They’re placed on the data board.

Extra markers
These are counters to use for whatever strange extra rules
some script writers may come up with.

Boss Turf marker

This counter is used to mark the Boss’s turf, as per his
ability.

And lastly, we have some final cards to mention

Leader card (1 pc)

This is used to mark which Protagonist is the current
group Leader. It sits in front of the current Leader, and
each turn, it goes to the player on the left.

Extra cards (4 pcs)

These are here to be used for whatever strange extra rules
some script writers may come up with.

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TRAGEDY LOOPER

GAME RULES
This section goes through the rules you need to know to play the
game. If this is the first time playing, we have recommendations
throughout this section .
Once you’re feeling a bit comfortable with the rules, you can
change scripts, and plots accordingly. Tragedy Looper is in principle a
very simple game, but there are a lot of plots, characters and roles to
learn, especially at first, so don’t introduce too many new aspects at
the same time.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
I The victory conditions are different for each player:

Victory for the Protagonists

If the Protagonists manage to both:
• Not fulfill the loss conditions of the current plot(s)
• Not die
during even one single loop, they win.
They also win if they succeed in the Final Guess (p.27).

Victory for the Mastermind

If the Mastermind makes the Protagonists lose (either by fulfilling any
one loss condition or by killing them) in every single loop, he wins,
unless the players succeed in the Final Guess.
The “loss conditions” vary depending on what plots are active.

A little delve into the details

about Protagonists kills
There are roles in the game, for example, the Killer, that can actually
kill off the Protagonists. If the Protagonists die, the Mastermind just
tells them that they’re dead (don’t tell them who killed them) and the
loop ends immediately.

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PREPARATIONS
II Here’s how you set up before each game.

2-1 Decide script

We strongly recommend that you go by what we lined up under
“To Begin With”; that you start with the script entitled “The First
Script”. It uses the simple plot set First Steps which isn’t as massive
as the basic one, so there’s less to keep track of. Only the Mastermind
can look up the script in the Mastermind’s Handbook; it’s the very first
script listed, complete with hints on how to play it out.
Please note that the Protagonists should NOT read the script as it
will ruin their enjoyment of figuring out what is going on.

2-2 Reveal the script information

Each script has 2 cards; They have the same number in the top left
corner. The Protagonists should be given the “Open” card, marked,
“Protagonists card” on the left side. The “Secret” one is just for the
Mastermind’s eyes, and lists what roles the characters have, who the
culprits of Incidents are, and what plots are active.

2-3 Build the stage

First, set up the locations. They should be lined up as in the picture on
page 4, with Hospital in the top left, Shrine in the top right, City in the
bottom left and School in the bottom right. Put the data board beside
the locations, and put the Loop Counter on the number specified
by the script, the Incident Counters on the days stuff happens; also
specified by the script, and the Day Counter on Day 1.
Then decide who’ll be first Leader, in any suitable fashion. The
player who has played the most Tragedy Looper will do nicely. That
player gets the Leader card.

2-4 Set Table Talk

This indicates whether the players may assist each other during the
game or not. If set to “off”, the players will be limited in what they can
say during the game, except in between loops (the “time spiral”).
Exactly to what extent they’re limited is up to the players (all play-
ers) to agree on, but a typical limitation is to not allow players to
tell (or show) the others what cards they are going to play.
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TRAGEDY LOOPER
How to look at the script card

1 1. Script title
1 SCENARIO NAME

Main plot : X
Sub plot : X 2 2. Main plot and Subplot(s)
Mastermind card

Cast Role
Each script contains one main plot and
3
doctor serila killer

one subplot.
X X
X X
X X
X
X
X
X
When you start using the Basic Tragedy
X
X
X
X Set, you’ll have 2 subplots.
X X
X X
X X
X X 3. Characters and roles
Day Incident Culprit
x x
4 x A list of what characters are in this script,
x x x
x
x
x
x
x
x
and what roles they have. A number in
x x x
parentheses marks their loop number
appearance in the script.
Secret card - this card
is for Masterminds
4. Incident schedule and culprit
only
A list of what Incidents may happen on
1 Tragedy set : X what day, and who the culprit behind it
Number of loops : X
Days per loop : X 5-7 is. No character can be the culprit for two
Table talk : X
Protagonists card

Day Incident
Incidents.
1 x
2 x
3 x 5. Tragedy Set
4 x
5 x What plot set this script uses, meaning:
6 x
7 x What possible plots could be running.
8 x
9 x
10 x
6. Number of loops
Special rule
None
8 The maximum number of times the
Protagonists may loop (replay). It’s usually
3 or 4.
Open card - this card
is given to the 7. Days in one loop
Protagonists How many days (turns) one loop consists
of. It’s usually 6–8.

8. Special rules
If the scenario contains special rules, it will be
listed here.
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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
A little delve into the details
what does a script consist of?
A script consists of a couple of pre-written plots, a set of characters and some
scripted Incidents. A plot determines what roles will be in the game, and the loss
conditions for the Protagonists. What plots (and Incidents) are available to choose
from depends on what “Tragedy Set” you use. There are two Tragedy Sets in this
base box: “First Steps” which has a limited number of possible plots and roles, and
“Basic Tragedy” which has a bigger number. The Protagonists will always know
what Tragedy Set is used, so they have full knowledge of what plots and roles
might be in the current script.

Main plot: MURDER PLAN Subplot: A LOVE AFFAIR

The central plot of the script, mostly Subplot: AN UNSETTLING RUMOR
defining the loss conditions for the Less important plots that mostly set the
Protagonists background for the script

The selected characters get roles according to the plots.

Loved One Brain Lover
Rich Man’s
Boy Student Daughter Police Officer Informer Patient

Girl Student Shrine Maiden Office Worker

orker Doctor
Killer Key Person Conspiracy Theorist

Determine Incidents and culprits

Lover
Culprit Day 2 Loved One Brain Culprit Day 7 Culprit Day 4

Killer Culprit Day 5 Conspiracy Theorist

Key Person

How to create a script

The script writer chooses two “plots” from the list of available ones; it must be one
main plot and one subplot. If you use a script that is based on the “Basic Tragedy”
Set, you’ll actually have TWO subplots. For example, the script writer may select
“Murder Plan” as the main plot and “Love Affair” and “Unsettling Rumor” as the
subplots.
These plots determine what secret roles will exist in the game. In our example, the
main plot, “Murder Plan” states that you need to have a Key Person, a Brain and a
Killer among the characters. The subplots “Love Affair” and “An Unsettling Rumor”
state that you need the roles, Lover, Loved One and Conspiracy Theorist.
Then the script writer decides what characters will be in the script, and which
one will have what role. In the graphic above you can see who was chosen to be
what role. Please note that no character may have two roles. The characters that
have no roles are simply referred to as “persons”.
Lastly, to spice up the script a bit, the script writer adds scheduled Incidents
ncidents to
the script, from the list of possible Incidents
ncidents determined by the Tragedy Set, and
decides day and culprit. Any character (both “persons” and plot roles) can be
a culprit behind an Incident,
ncident, but note that no character can be the culprit of
two Incidents.

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
PREPARING THE LOOP
III This is what you do before each loop begins. Each script
has a set number of loops, which translates to play-
throughs of the script. If the set limit of loops is 3, then the
Protagonists can only play the script 3 times – which technically means
they can rewind it twice. (Some might argue that there is a semantic
illogicality in calling the first play-through a “loop”. But we can
console even them: As the Protagonists actually already know what
Incidents will happen, that means they have already looped once. )
If the Protagonists win in any loop, i.e. manage to finish the loop
without losing, the remaining loops are not played out; instead the
Protagonists win the game.

Before each new loop, you should do the following:

1. Time Spiral
2. Remove and replace counters
3. Return characters
4. Take cards

3-1 Time spiral

The “Time Spiral” is when the Protagonist agree on a plan of action.
If you have decided to set table talk to “off”, this is the only point in
the game where the Protagonist can talk freely. The more complicated
the script, the more time is needed here, but do take care to not over-
analyze and cover everything; set a limited time of 5 minutes or 10
minutes.
Here, the players may also agree to skip the remaining loops and go
directly to the Final Guess to win the game. However, once they have
gone to the Final Guess, they can’t loop anymore, so only do this if
you’re absolutely sure of all facts and just want to win.

3-2 Remove and replace counters

Remove all counters from the locations and cards. Then, if there are
any counters to place at the start of the loop, do so. Move the Day
Counter back to Day 1. Move the Loop counter down one step.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
3-3 Return characters
Place all participating characters on their respective starting locations.
Each character has a defined starting position as shown on their cards.

3-4 Take cards

Each player returns all their Action cards back to their hand.

FLOW OF ONE LOOP

IV This section describes how a loops goes.

The script determines how many days there are in each loop. A “day”
in this game is translated to one round, where every player gets one
turn each. When one day (round) has ended, the next day begins and
so on.
Simplified, each day is as follows: All players play cards face down
on the characters or locations. Then all cards are resolved at the same
time. After that, special abilities are activated and then Incidents hap-
pen. Then the next day begins.
But the timing is important enough that we get a little 9-step list
instead. As the Mastermind is… well, the Mastermind, he controls all
the neutral aspects of the game. Like this:

1. Day start – morning [Mastermind]

2. Mastermind plays 3 action cards face down [Mastermind]
3. Protagonists play one card each face down [Protagonists]
4. Cards are resolved [Mastermind]
5. Mastermind abilities [Mastermind]
6. Leader uses Goodwill abilities [Protagonist Leader and Mastermind]
7. Incidents happen [Mastermind]
8. Switch Leader [Protagonists]
9. Day end – night [Mastermind]

It looks like a lot, but it’s not; it’s only the timing that’s important.
For the Protagonists it’s exceedingly simple: First play a card face
down, and then the Leader chooses whether to use a Goodwill
ability or not. But let’s go into the details of each of these steps.
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TRAGEDY LOOPER
4-1 Day start – morning
[Mastermind handles this]
Some scripts or role abilities (that the Mastermind uses) will happen at
“day start.” So they happen at this step.

4-2 Mastermind plays 3 action cards face down

[Mastermind handles this]
The Mastermind chooses 3 cards from his hand and plays them face
down on any location(s) or character(s) he chooses. He cannot play
more than one card on each location or character.

1 Intrigue

Mastermind
action
Rich Man’s Daughter: 2 Paranoia
Patient Boy Student: 2 Goodwill

1 Intrigue
Mastermind
action

Mastermind
action

Informer: 3 Paranoia Shrine Maiden: 4 Goodwill

Girl Student Police Officer: Mastermind Action
Office Worker: DEAD Doctor

An example of a game in progress. It is the 7th day of Loop 2.

Mastermind places cards on the Shrine, the School, and the Police Officer.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
A little delve into the details
setting action cards on the boards
Action cards cannot only be placed on characters, but also on the four
locations. Since locations can only receive Intrigue counters, the only
cards that have an effect on locations are “Intrigue +1” and
“Intrigue +2” for the Mastermind player, and “Forbid Intrigue”
for the Protagonists. However, you can still place other cards on
locations; they just won’t have any effect other than acting as bluffs,
which of course might be effective enough.

4-3 Protagonists play one action card each face down

[Protagonists handle this]
Starting with the Leader and proceeding clockwise, each Protagonist
chooses one of their cards and plays it face down, like the Mastermind,
onto any location or character. Each Protagonist will play one card
each. You’re allowed to play a card on a location or character that the
Mastermind played on, but you’re not allowed to play a card where
another Protagonist has played.

1 Intrigue
Protagonist
action

Rich Man’s Daughter: 2 Paranoia

Patient Boy Student: 2 Goodwill

1 Intrigue
Protagonist

Protagonist
action

action

Informer: 3 Paranoia Shrine Maiden: 4 Goodwill

Protagonist Action
Girl Student
Office Worker: DEAD Police Officer: Mastermind Action
Doctor

Continuing the action from the example above, The Protagonists

play cards on the Shrine Maiden, The Shrine and the School.
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TRAGEDY LOOPER
4-4 Cards are resolved
[Mastermind handles this]
At this point there are 6 face down cards on the playing field.
The Mastermind reveals them and then resolves them all at the same
time, though movement and forbiddance effects happen first (with
Forbid Movement being first of all).
When cards have been resolved, they all return to their respective
hands, except the cards that state “once per loop”. They are put face
up in front of their owners so that all can see the card cannot be used
again this loop.

Mastermind Action: Paranoia +1

Protagonist Action: Forbid Intrigue

Protagonist Action: Protagonist Action: Goodwill +1

Mastermind Action: Vertical Movement
Paranoia –1
Mastermind Action: Paranoia +1

The cards are revealed.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
1 Intrigue

Rich Man’s Daughter: 2 Paranoia

Patient Boy Student: 2 Goodwill

1 Intrigue

Informer: 2 Paranoia
Girl Student Shrine Maiden: 5 Goodwill
Office Worker: DEAD Doctor

State of playing field after cards are resolved. Note the Paranoia +1 on the
School was a bluff move.

4-5 Mastermind abilities

[Mastermind handles this]
Here, the Mastermind can use role abilities that have [Mastermind
ability] timing. If several can be used, he can use them all. If a character
has more than one ability, he can still use them all. However, what’s
important here is that he only announces the result – not what
character(s) triggered it or what actually happened.
Also note that some abilities or effects that the Mastermind uses do
not have this timing, but instead the [Day end] or [Loop end] timing.
4-6 Leader uses Goodwill abilities
[Protagonist Leader and Mastermind handle this]
At this point, the Protagonist Leader can use character Goodwill abilities
or any abilities the plot states that he can use here. In order to use a
Goodwill ability, that character has to have enough Goodwill counters.
The Protagonist Leader announces aloud what ability he uses and
also the target (most Goodwill abilities have some sort of target).
23
TRAGEDY LOOPER
However, it’s the Mastermind who resolves the effect, because
some hidden roles can either freely or forcibly refuse the activation
of Goodwill abilities. So if the character the Protagonist Leader chose
was of such a role, the Mastermind may (or must) say that “nothing
happens”. This still counts as if the ability was used, though. Do note
that if a Goodwill ability was refused that refusal gives a clue toward
identifying the role of the character.
If the Leader wants to use several abilities, he may do so, in any
order he wishes to. If a character has several powers, he may use all of
them. However, each ability can only be used once per day, and for
each use, the Mastermind says if it happens or not. Also, some abilities
can only be used once per loop. Finally, remember that Goodwill
counters are not removed when a Goodwill ability is used (and/or
refused).
A little delve into the details
what the Mastermind
should or should not say
When the Mastermind uses abilities or resolves effects, he should not
say why these effects happen, what character or what role triggered
the result, or if it’s a plot rule or a character effect or whatever.
However, if the Protagonists lose because they are killed, they are
informed that they are killed, not just that they lost. If they lose
because of a plot rule or ability, they are just told that they have lost.

Some examples:
[WRONG]: I use the Doctor’s role ability of the Brain to place an
Intrigue counter on the Shrine Maiden.
[RIGHT]: Something weird happens to the Shrine Maiden, and she
gets an Intrigue Counter.

[WRONG]: Too bad, guys, the Rich Man’s Daughter was the Loved One
so you all die!
[RIGHT]: I’m sorry to announce that you are all dead.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
4-7 Incidents happen
[Mastermind handles this]
At this point, the script’s scheduled Incidents might happen. If no
Incident is scheduled for this day, then just skip this step.
If an Incident is scheduled to happen, the Mastermind checks if the
below conditions are met:
1) The Incident’s culprit is still alive AND
2) The culprit has reached his/her Paranoia limit (=panic)
If either condition is unfulfilled, the Mastermind just states that
“No Incident happens”.
If both conditions are met, the Incident happens: the Mastermind
declares that the Incident happens, and resolves it, again without
revealing who did it (though it might be obvious). In case there is some
sort of choice on who or what the Incident affects, it’s the Mastermind
who decides. Please note that if there are some extra conditions that
need to be met in order for an Incident to happen (like the Hospital
Horror that requires that the Hospital has Intrigue counters), and they
are not fulfilled, the Mastermind must still declare that the Incident
occurs, but nothing happens. For example, the Mastermind can say,
“A murder almost took place, but something prevented it.” Note: the
Police Officer’s first Goodwill ability would work in this case.

In the case below the Mastermind can say,

“A murder happens and the Girl Student is killed.”

Informer: 3 Paranoia
Girl Student: DEAD
Office Worker: DEAD

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
4-8 Switch Leader
At this point, the Leader card is handed to the next Protagonist in turn.

4-9 Day end – night

[Mastermind handles this]
Same as Day start; some script rules or role abilities activate at
“Day end”.
Unless this was the last day of the loop, move the Day counter one
step down and begin a new day from “Day start”. If this was the last
day of the loop, obviously the loop ends and what happens then is
described next in…

END OF THE LOOP

V Some things happen each time a loop ends. Most
importantly, many loss conditions are checked at loop end.
There are three ways for the loop to end:

1) You’ve reached and played through the final day of the loop.
2) The Protagonists have died.
3) Some other plot rule or effect causes the loop to end prematurely.

Once the loop ends, what’s done first is check the loss conditions;
this is done by the Mastermind. If no loss conditions are met, the
Protagonists win; you have managed to maintain your happiness.
Congratulations.
If even one loss condition is met, the players have lost. Unless this
was the final loop, the Protagonists now travel back in time to day
one once again: Move the Loop Counter one step down and reset
everything.
If this was the final loop, then the Protagonists have lost and the
Mastermind has won… but there is one final chance, the Final Guess,
described below.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
FINAL GUESS
VI Even if the Protagonists have lost in every loop, this is their
final chance to win the game. They use what knowledge
they have gained from each loop to figure out the roles of
each character.

The Final Guess is done in this way:

1) Reset the gaming field

Reset the gaming field to return it to the “Loop starts” state. The
reason this is done is to see that any possible role changes that might
have occurred during the final loop are reverted back to their starting
state.

* Take away all counters from the gaming field.

* Return all characters to their starting positions, alive.
* If the Extra gauge has been used, return it to 0.

2) Guess every single character’s role

The Protagonists can now confer with each other, picking
one character at a time and guessing that character’s
role. For each character, the Mastermind replies right or
wrong. If they guess right, they get to guess the next
character. But if they guess wrong, the Protagonists
have finally and totally lost. If the Protagonists
successfully point out the roles of all participating
characters, they have outsmarted the Mastermind
and win the game!

27
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TRAGEDY LOOPER

WHAT’S A TRA
AGEDY SET?
A “Tragedy Set” contains a set of plots, roles and Incidents that are
used to create a script. Put the other way around: What plots, roles and
Incidents that the script writer can pick from is limited by the Tragedy
3
Set being used. The Protagonists need to know what Tragedy Set is
used in order to try to figure out what plots are active and what roles
belong to which characters. 4
This base box contains two Tragedy Sets: “First Steps” and “Basic
Tragedy”. First Steps contains 3 main plots, 3 subplots, 8 roles and
7 Incidents. The Basic Tragedy Set contains 5 main plots, 7 subplots,
12 roles and 9 Incidents.

5
HOW TO READ THE PLOT LIST

1
M LI
LIGHT 2 1. Plot type
OF THE AVENGER Denotes if it is a Main plot (M) or
Roles to add: Subplot (S)
3 Brain
2. Plot name
Plot rule: The name of the plot
At loop end, if there are at least 3. Roles to add:
4 2 Intrigue counters on the
This is a list of what roles should
Brain’s starting location, the
Protagonists lose. be in the game if you use this plot.
4. Plot rule
List of rules that are added to the
game if you use this plot.

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HOW TO READ THE ROLE LIST

KILLER
1 1. Role name
Max limit: none 2 The name of the role
2. Max Limit
3 Optional Goodwill Refusal
The maximum allowed number of
Abilities: characters that can have this role.
[Optional] [Day end] If the Key 3. Goodwill reaction
4 Person has at least 2 Intrigue and is in
this character’s location, you may kill
Whether the role can or must
the Key Person.
nullify this character’s Goodwill
[Optional] [Day end] If this charac- abilities.
ter has at least 4 Intrigue, you may kill 4. Abilities
the Protagonists. Extra abilities that are given to the
character that has this role.
5 Appears in plot:
Murder Plan (main plot) 5. Appears in plots:
For reference, which plots this role
appears in.

HOW TO READ THE INCIDENT LIST

MURDER
MU 1 1. Incident name
Name of the Incident
Effect:
2. Incident effect
2 One character in the same loca
tion as the culprit dies.
loca-
What happens when this Incident
is triggered.

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TRAGEDY LOOPER

FIRST STEPS
First Steps is basically a stripped down Basic Tragedy Set, designed
to work as an introductory set for new players. In the Mastermind’s
Handbook there are two scripts using this set, and then you can
experiment yourself with creating own scripts. It’s designed to work
with about 6–7 characters, each loop being about 4–6 days; to reduce
the amount of possible combinations in order to facilitate deduction,
but also to cut down on game time and run the game smoothly.

Major rule changes

1: No Final Guess
There is no Final Guess in the First Steps Set. If the Protagonists fail in
every loop, they’ve lost.

2: Just one subplot

The basic idea is to have two subplots, but in the First Steps Set you
just have one.

MAIN PLOTS
Main plots are the core of the script, normally containing the loss
conditions.

M MURDER PLAN
MU M LI
LIGHT
Roles to add: OF THE AVENGER
Key Person, Brain, Killer Roles to add:
Brain
Plot rule: none
Plot rule:
At loop end, if there are at least
2 Intrigue counters on the
Brain’s starting location, the
Protagonists lose.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
M AP
PLACE TO PROTECT
Roles to add:
Key Person, Cultist

Plot rule:
At loop end, if there are 2 or
more Intrigue counters on the
School, the Protagonists lose.

SUBPLOTS
Plots that work in the script’s background. They might add other loss
conditions or rules.

S S
SHADOW S A UNSETTLING
AN
OF THE RIPPER RUMOR
RU
Roles to add: Roles to add:
Conspiracy Theorist, Serial Killer Conspiracy Theorist

Plot rule: Plot rule:

none [Optional] <once per loop>
The Mastermind may add an
Intrigue counter to a location of
his choice.
S A HI
HIDEOUS SCRIPT
Roles to add:
Conspiracy Theorist, Friend,
0–2 Curmudgeons

Plot rule:
none

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
ROLES
What the characters are hiding

KEY PERSON KILLER

Max limit: none Max limit: none

Ability: Optional Goodwill Refusal

[Mandatory] [Always]
When this character dies, the Abilities:
Protagonists immediately lose and [Optional] [Day end] If the Key
the loop ends. Person has at least 2 Intrigue and is in
this character’s location, you may kill
Appears in plots: the Key Person.
Murder Plan (main plot), [Optional] [Day end] If this
Sign with Me! (main plot) character has at least 4 Intrigue, you
may kill the Protagonists.

Appears in plot:
Murder Plan (main plot)

BRAIN CULTIST
Max limit: none Max limit: none

Optional Goodwill Refusal Mandatory Goodwill Refusal

Ability: Ability:
[Optional] [Mastermind ability] [Optional] [Card resolve] You may
You may place 1 Intrigue counter on ignore all “Forbid Intrigue” effects on
this location or on any character in this location and on all characters in
this location. this location.

Appears in plots: Appears in plots:

Murder Plan (main plot), A Place to Protect (main plot),
The Sealed Item (main plot) Changing the Future (main plot)

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER

FRIEND CONSPIRACY
Max limit: 2 THEORIST
Max limit: 1
Abilities: Ability:
[Mandatory] [Loop end] [Optional] [Mastermind ability]
If this character is dead, reveal its role, You may place 1 Paranoia counter on
and the Protagonists have lost. a character in this location.
[Mandatory] [Loop start]
If this character’s role has been Appears in plots:
revealed, it gets one Goodwill Circle of Friends (subplot),
counter. An Unsettling Rumor (subplot),
Paranoia Virus (subplot)
Appears in plots:
Circle of Friends (2 friends),
The Hidden Freak (subplot)

SERIAL KILLER CURMUDGEON

Max limit: none Max limit: none

Ability: Optional Goodwill Refusal

[Mandatory] [Day end]
If there is exactly 1 other character in Ability:
this location, that character dies. If a None
Serial Killer is in a location with one
character and one or more corpses, Appears in plot:
the Serial Killer will still be able to kill A Hideous Script (subplot)
the character.

Appears in plot:
Shadow of the Ripper (subplot)

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
INCIDENTS
Accidents and horrors during the script. Are they intentional or fated
to be?

MURDER
MU INCREASING
INCREAS UNEASE
Effect: Effect:
One character in the same Place 2 Paranoia on any
location as the culprit dies. character, then 1 Intrigue on
any other character.

SUICIDE
SUI H
HOSPITAL INCIDENT
Effect: Effect:
The culprit dies. If the Hospital has at least
1 Intrigue, everyone in the
Hospital dies. Also, if the
Hospital has at least 2 Intrigue,
the Protagonists die.
FARAWAY
FARA
F MURDER
Effect:
One character with at least 2 MI
MISSING PERSON
Intrigue dies. Effect:
Move the culprit to any location.
Then place 1 Intrigue on that
location.
S
SPREADING
Effect:
Remove 2 Goodwill from any
character, then place 2 Goodwill
on any other character.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER

BASIC TRAGEDY
Basic Tragedy is the base set for this game. It’s rich in content but be
sure that you have fully memorized all roles, Incidents and plots from
the First Steps Set before you go here.

MAIN PLOTS
Main plots are the core of the script, normally containing the loss
conditions.

M THE SEALED ITEM

T M SI
SIGN WITH ME!
Roles to add: Roles to add:
Brain, Cultist Key Person (must be a Girl)

Plot rule: Plot rule:

At loop end, if there are at least At loop end, if there are 2 or more
2 Intrigue counters on the Intrigue counters on the Key
Shrine, the Protagonists lose. Person, the Protagonists lose.

M CHANGE OF FUTURE M GI
GIANT TIME BOMB
Roles to add: Roles to add:
Cultist, Time Traveler Witch

Plot rule: Plot rule:

At loop end, if the Butterfly At loop end, if there are at least
Effect Incident has happened 2 Intrigue counters on the
this loop, the Protagonists lose. Witch’s starting location, the
Protagonists lose.

M MURDER PLAN
MU
Roles to add:
Key Person, Brain, Killer

Plot rule: none

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
SUBPLOTS
Plots that work in the script’s background. They might add other loss
conditions or rules. The subplots are comparatively easy to find out.
The Mastermind should try to bluff his way through in order to gain a
loop count.

S CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
CI S A UNSETTLING
AN
Roles to add: RUMOR
RU
2 Friends, Conspiracy Theorist Roles to add:
Conspiracy Theorist
Plot rule:
none Plot rule:
[Optional] <once per loop>
The Mastermind may add an
Intrigue counter to a location of
S LOVE AFFAIR
AL his choice.
Roles to add:
Lover, Loved One

Plot rule:
S PARANOIA VIRUS
P
none Roles to add:
Conspiracy Theorist

Plot rule:
S THE HIDDEN FREAK
T All Persons with more than
3 Paranoia on them turn into
Roles to add:
Serial Killers.
Friend, Serial Killer

Plot rule:
none
S THREAD OF FATE
T
Roles to add:

S UNKNO
UNKNOWN FACTOR X
none

Roles to add: Plot rule:

Factor At loop start, all characters who
had Goodwill counter(s) get 2
Plot rule: Paranoia counters.
none

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
ROLES
What the characters are hiding

KEY PERSON KILLER

Max limit: none Max limit: none

Ability: Optional Goodwill Refusal

[Mandatory] [Always]
When this character dies, the Abilities:
Protagonists immediately lose and [Optional] [Day end] If the Key
the loop ends. Person has at least 2 Intrigue and is in
this character’s location, you may kill
Appears in plots: the Key Person.
Murder Plan (main plot), [Optional] [Day end] If this
Sign with Me! (main plot) character has at least 4 Intrigue, you
may kill the Protagonists.

Appears in plot:
Murder Plan (main plot)

BRAIN CULTIST
Max limit: none Max limit: none

Optional Goodwill Refusal Mandatory Goodwill Refusal

Ability: Ability:
[Optional] [Mastermind ability] [Optional] [Card resolve] You may
You may place 1 Intrigue counter on ignore all “Forbid Intrigue” effects on
this location or on any character in this location and on all characters in
this location. this location.

Appears in plots: Appears in plots:

Murder Plan (main plot), A Place to Protect (main plot),
The Sealed Item (main plot) Changing the Future (main plot)

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TRAGEDY LOOPER
TIME TRAVELER FACTOR
Max limit: none Max limit: none

Abilities: Optional Goodwill Refusal

[Mandatory] [Always] This
character cannot die. Ability:
[Mandatory] [Card resolve] [Mandatory] If the School has at
“Forbid Goodwill” on this character is least 2 Intrigue, this character gets the
ignored. abilities of the Conspiracy Theorist.
[Optional] [End of last day] If [Mandatory] If the City has at least
this character has 2 or less Goodwill, 2 Intrigue, this character gets the
you may declare a loss for the abilities of the Key Person.
Protagonists. If you do, the loop ends.
Appears in plot:
Appears in plot: Unknown Factor X
Changing the Future (main plot)

FRIEND CONSPIRACY
Max limit: 2 THEORIST
Max limit: 1
Abilities: Ability:
[Mandatory] [Loop end] [Optional] [Mastermind ability]
If this character is dead, reveal its role, You may place 1 Paranoia counter on
and the Protagonists have lost. a character in this location.
[Mandatory] [Loop start]
If this character’s role has been Appears in plots:
revealed, it gets one Goodwill Circle of Friends (subplot),
counter. An Unsettling Rumor (subplot),
Paranoia Virus (subplot)
Appears in plots:
Circle of Friends (2 friends),
The Hidden Freak (subplot)

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
SERIAL KILLER LOVED ONE
Max limit: none Max limit: none

Ability: Abilities:
[Mandatory] [Day end] [Mandatory] [Always] If the Lover
If there is exactly 1 other character in dies, this character gets 6 Paranoia.
this location, that character dies. If a [Optional] [Day end] If this
Serial Killer is in a location with one character has at least 3 Paranoia
character and one or more corpses, and 1 Intrigue, you may kill the
the Serial Killer will still be able to kill Protagonists.
the character.
Appears in plot:
Appears in plots: A Love Affair (subplot)
The Hidden Freak (subplot), Paranoia
Virus (subplot; unknown number)

WITCH LOVER
Max limit: none Max limit: none

Mandatory Goodwill Refusal Ability:

[Mandatory] [Always] If the Loved
Ability: One dies, this character gets
none 6 Paranoia.

Appears in plot: Appears in plot:

Giant Time Bomb (main plot) A Love Affair (subplot)

General info about the roles

Some comments on what both Protagonists and Mastermind should
pay attention to:
(1) How many characters are there that affect something when they
die (Key Person, Friend, Factor, Lover, Loved One)
(2) From where will you get Paranoia counters
(Conspiracy Theorist, Factor)
(3) Did they die or not when alone with another character
(Serial Killer, Time Traveler)
(4) Could they use the Goodwill ability or not
(Cultist, Witch)
(5) What roles can you keep secret for the Final Guess
(Killer, Brain, Conspiracy Theorist).
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TRAGEDY LOOPER
INCIDENTS
Accidents and horrors during the script. Are they intentional or fated
to be?

MURDER
MU HOSPITAL INCIDENT
H
Effect: Effect:
One character in the same If the Hospital has at least
location as the culprit dies. 1 Intrigue, everyone in the
Hospital dies. Also, if the
Hospital has at least 2 Intrigue,
the Protagonists die.
INCREASING
INCREAS UNEASE
Effect:
Place 2 Paranoia on any charac
charac- MISSING PERSON
MI
ter, then 1 Intrigue on any other
Effect:
character.
Move the culprit to any location.
Then place 1 Intrigue on that
location.
EVIL
EV
E
CONTAMINATION
C
Effect: S
SPREADING
Place 2 Intrigue on the Shrine. Effect:
Remove 2 Goodwill from any
character, then place 2 Goodwill
SUICIDE
SUI on any other character.
Effect:
The culprit dies.
BUTTERFLY EFFECT
BU
Effect:
Place a counter of your choice
(Goodwill, Paranoia, Intrigue)
FARAWAY
FARA
F MURDER on any character in the culprit’s
Effect: location.
One character with at least 2
Intrigue dies.

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 TRAGEDY LOOPER
RULES FOR 2 PLAYERS
One player plays the Mastermind and the other, the Protagonist.
The Protagonist will have all three decks of cards, and he will play one
card from each deck. Note that this version gives the Protagonist a
slight advantage over the Mastermind. For example, the Protagonist
will not end up playing two Forbid Intrigue cards on the same day,
which would nullify each other.

RULES FOR 3 PLAYERS

In this version, there will be one Mastermind and two Protagonists.
However, the Protagonist Leader of each day will play one card each
from two Protagonist decks. And when the Leader card is passed, he
will also pass one deck of Protagonist cards over to the next person.

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TRAGEDY LOOPER

CREDITS

Game design: BakaFire

Graphic design
(of the Japanese manual): BakaFire
Character design: Rei Konno
Illustrations: Rei Konno
Rulebook text: BakaFire
Test players: Izayoi, Irie, Iwasawa, Gajini, Kanepi, Kabo, Gayusu,
gleipnil, Satoru Sawamura, BakaFire, Suiyou, Radio head, Ripper, re_ne,
retlet, Rerashiu, Rokirusu
Special thanks: Makoto Akiyama, option, Masahiro Sakudo, sugech,
Makoto Tanaka, Jun Tsuchiya, Yusue Suwashida, hibo(RooP), Madame
Zaza, Hiroaki Watanabe (General Bubble).
Graphic design (English version): Z-Man Games

© 2014 Z-Man Games Inc.

31 rue de la Coopérative
Rigaud QC J0P 1P0
Canada

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TRAGEDY LOOPER

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TURN SUMMARY
Day start – morning
Day start effects happen here

Mastermind action
Plays 3 cards face down on characters/locations
(not more than one on same spot)

Protagonists action
Play one card each face down on characters/locations
(not more than one on same spot as another Protagonist card)

Cards are resolved

Reveal all cards and resolve them. After that, return all cards to their respective
owners, except once per loop cards that are put to the side for this loop

Mastermind abilities
Uses whatever abilities are applicable

Leader uses Goodwill abilities

Leader declares which abilities he uses, and any targets.
Mastermind resolves the effects. May refuse to resolve the effects if the
character using the ability has Goodwill Refusal

Incidents happen
If there is an Incident for this day, announce if it happens or not
(culprit is alive and has enough Paranoia), and then resolve if possible

Switch Leader
Leader gives Leader card to next player in turn

Day end – night

Day end effects happen here
If this was not the last day: Go back to Day start of next day
If this was the last day: Go to Loop end resolve.

44