A COMPETITIVE ROLEPLAYING

GAME ABOUT BETRAYAL

Humanity reaches ever toward the

stars, though there are some who
demand we keep our feet solidly on
Earth’s crust. In this future we
reach into Heaven and kill our
gods. In their place we build
Mecha, unbelievably large mobile
suits, capable of inflicting
grievous harm. These monsters of
war require pilots, but not
everyone can handle the strenuous
neural load required to move
these divine robots. Mecha pilots
must be intense, dramatic, and
most importantly, secret.

BREAK
UP ON
RE-ENTRY
The first generation of Mecha pilots were all killed in their sleep, slaughtered by
both opposing factions in a wash of interstellar blood. You are one of the Second
Generation, Mecha pilots who keep your roles hidden from the world and from
those you love. This is a roleplaying game for two Mecha pilots who do not
know yet that their mortal enemy sleeps by their side every night. You will need
a deck of Poker cards and two index cards to play this game.

This game deals with war, betrayal, and the end of a relationship, maybe even
the end of your characters’ lives. Be honest with one another about how you are
feeling while playing this game and check in with one another and with yourself
throughout play. It is okay to step away or stop playing if you need to.

Create your Mecha pilots using the following steps. Write on your index card:
Your pilot’s name and callsign ­ Whether you fight for Earth or the Colonies ­
A striking feature and color scheme ­ Why you can't stop fighting ­ Your
favorite memory of your lover that you hold on to when all hope turns to ash.

Separate your cards into suits. Set the King of Hearts aside. For short games,
remove 8 cards from each suit at random. For medium games, remove 4. For
long games, keep all cards. Shuffle the cards left and slip the King of Hearts
randomly near the bottom. Set the shuffled deck in easy reach of both players.
Draw 7 cards from the top of the shuffled deck into your hand.

Sit across from your enemy and get them in your sights. This is the final
confrontation between you as your armies battle in the skies above. Your Mecha
enter the atmosphere of this moon, sparking fire as they blaze through the air,
drawn to the surface by planetary gravity and drawn to each other by fate.

You are playing Mecha pilots unaware that their lover is their chief rival in the
conflict that rages above them. As players, you know that the person across
from you holds both identities, but the character you are playing does not. To
your character there are two individuals. One holds a place in your heart, and
spends their days working a confidential job (most careers are highly secretive
to prevent corporate leaks). The other fights for everything you hate; although
you may not hold the pilot inside with contempt, their Mecha is emblazoned
with the symbols of your enemy. Your character knows one by their name and
the other by the callsign painted on their Mecha. You will not know the true
identity of your enemy until you play the King of Hearts.

Play happens in Clashes, themed around the suit of the first card played in a
clash. The goal of each Clash is to have the upper hand on your opponent, which
you can gain by ending the Clash with the highest card in the pile. Every card in
a Clash must be the same suit to stay on Theme. The only exception to this rule
is that Hearts can be played regardless of Theme.
For example, if Pilot A starts a Clash by playing a 3 of Clubs, then the Theme
of this Clash is Clubs and all other cards played must be Clubs. Pilot B counters
with a 7 of Clubs, gaining the upper hand until Pilot A plays their Queen of
Clubs. Pilot B can’t win because they do not have any Clubs in their hand that
are higher than a Queen. Pilot A has won this Clash and takes all the cards in
the middle and sets them on their side of the play area to count for later.

Each card has a question you will need to answer. As you lay down a card,
consult the Oracle at the end of this document to determine the question.
Depending on the suit of card, you will be answering different types of
questions. Questions may ask you to flashback to fill in events of the war
(Clubs), to explore your civilian life (Diamonds), or your relationship with your
lover (Hearts). They may also ask you to suffer harm (Spades). Answer the
question posed to you and invite the person across from you to act out a brief
moment in your lives if you wish. After every card, ask your opponent if they
want to keep fighting.

Whenever a Clash ends with a victor, they strike a powerful blow to their
opponent. When you win a Clash, describe your hit and your opponent will
describe the damage they experience (if any, Mecha are incredibly durable).
When a Clash is over, each Pilot draws from top of the deck until they have 7
cards in their hand and a new Clash begins with the loser of the last Clash
playing the first card of the new Clash.

You stare through viewscreens at each other’s Mecha, unable to see the pilot
inside. Poised to end the conflict with one final confrontation, whoever powers
their suit’s weapon systems goes first.

Play until you run out of cards in your hand. The fight is almost over. Count the
cards on your side of the field that you gained from winning Clashes. Whoever
has the most cards has a choice to make. Knowing that the war will not end
unless your enemy is stopped, what do you do? Stopping your enemy does not
necessitate killing them.

You can also stop fighting at any time, only you can decide what happens then.

If both Pilots have the same amount of cards at the end of the game, they
remain evenly matched. Their battle is noticed by the command ships from both
factions who decide that sacrificing their own pilot to destroy the enemy is
acceptable and the moon is destroyed from orbit, taking both pilots with it in
the explosion.
Diamonds ­ Civilian Life
Ace ­ Where do you live? Why is that an unsafe place?
Two ­ What is your favorite luxury food and why is it hard to obtain?
Three ­ What do the trees look like where you live?
Four ­ What animal do you keep as a pet? Why are they so important to you?
Five ­ Why is it so hard to get a decent cup of coffee?
Six ­ You and your sister don’t talk much anymore, why not?
Seven ­ You owe someone a great deal of money back home. Who is it and
what will they do if the debts are unpaid?
Eight ­ A few years ago, both your parents passed away. How?
Nine ­ Before becoming a Pilot, why were you fired from your old job?
Ten ­ When you were a kid, your parents drove you very far to see something
very important. Where did you go, and what did you see?
Jack ­ You sold something important in order to move to the city, what was it?
Queen ­ You have a special place in your home, just for you. Why is it
important that it stays a secret?
King ­ When you stand on the shores of a beach and let the water wash over
your toes, what memory do you try to conjure from the edge of your mind?

Clubs ­ Events of the War

Ace ­ Your faction did not start the disagreement that fuels the war but they did
cast the first stone. What did they do to cause the fighting?
Two ­ What vital public service was cancelled a year into the fighting?
Three ­ How old were you when the fighting began?
Four ­ What building once stood in the crater across the street from your
home?
Five ­ What small luxury do you sneak to enjoy when it all feels too much?
Six ­ What are you worried will happen if your identity as a Pilot leaks?
Seven ­ You’ve befriended the mechanic who works on your Mecha tirelessly.
What is their name and how do you two pass the time between missions?
Eight ­ Why are you willing to fight for your faction, no matter what?
Nine ­ When the skies became unsafe, you moved to ground travel. With this
slower method of transportation, what part of your life did you have to cut out?
Ten ­ What do you carry with you at night to feel safe on the streets?
Jack ­ What makes you the best pilot in the fleet?
Queen ­ Whose face haunts you at night when you close your eyes?
King ­ What would you give in order to retire and never have to fight again?

Thank you to the people backing the Riverhouse Games Patreon, such as:
Nyssa Mackinnon, Rohit Sodhia & Gamersplane.com, Alice Tobin, Corv Leary,
Elizabeth Belisario, Kirsten Engeseth, Kyle Krueger, Nicole Trainor, Paul Bennett,
Rob Abrazado, Katy Morgan, Landan Smith, & Tobie Abad: THANK YOU! If you want
to see your name in upcoming Riverhouse games or podcasts, you can set a small
monthly subscription at Patreon.com/RiverhouseGames
Spades ­ The Fight At Hand
Ace ­ Your opponent swings, how do you avoid their blows this time?
Two ­ What weapons does your opponent wield and how are you prepared?
Three ­ Your opponent barely connects, what minor system is damaged?
Four ­ When your opponent takes to the skies, do you follow?
Five ­ What move does your opponent execute that tells you they’ve been
practicing since your last fight?
Six ­ Your opponent lands a solid blow, what pain do you feel?
Seven ­ What weapon does your opponent wield that you are unprepared for?
Eight ­ What underhanded trick does your opponent pull?
Nine ­ What surprises you about your opponent’s advance?
Ten ­ Your opponent lands a serious blow. What major system is damaged?
Jack ­ While your screens flicker, what escape route does your opponent cut?
Queen ­ When do you realize your opponent is likely going to win this fight?
King ­ Your opponent lands a crushing blow. What vital system is destroyed?

Hearts ­ Your Lover

Ace ­ Love at first sight, how did you meet your lover?
Two ­ How do you keep your Pilot activities secret from your lover?
Three ­ Your lover has a subconscious quirk or habit that they don’t notice.
What is it and why do you love them for it?
Four ­ You and your lover confessed your feelings to one another under a sky
filled with millions of stars. What did you promise them that night?
Five ­ You know your lover disagrees with you on whether or not you should
leave Earth. Why do you think you may still be able to change their mind?
Six ­ When your lover introduced you to their parents, how did you embarrass
yourself and how did they reassure you?
Seven ­ What is your lover’s favorite food? Is it difficult to cook it for them?
Eight ­ What is your lover allergic to, and how did you have to adjust?
Nine ­ What argument did you and your lover have last week, and what did you
do to comfort them after you made up?
Ten ­ What did your lover get you for your birthday this year?
Jack ­ On a snow­covered mountain, you almost proposed. What stopped you?
If there were no war, would you try again?
Queen ­ When your lover smiles, what emotion do you feel?
King ­ A pulse blast shatters the mirrored protection of your opponent,
revealing their identity as your lover. How do you hesitate? Do you reveal your
own identity in return? (All cards in this Clash are set aside and do not count
for either Pilot.)

Thank you to the Unsplash.com community for their open source photography. Photos
used for this game come from users Caleb S, Pat Krupa, and Denny Ryanto