The Haunt

How it plays

1. Two rounds of tricks. Each round is a fresh deck: 9 cards each, 7 tricks. Play any card; the highest of the led suit wins (ace high, no trumps). Every card a seeker plays crosses off a circle of fear tolerance in its suit, and the winner crosses off one more. Then everyone takes one card from the trick, winner first, clockwise.
2. Make 10s. Seekers combine the cards they took, plus the ones left in their hand, with + and − (an ace is 1 or 11). Each 10 marks the lowest power in a suit; a 10 all in that suit also erases a circle. Face cards mark the J, Q and K squares instead, which later burn a fear card. Up to 2 leftovers carry into round 2.
3. The Scare Master builds the haunt from every card they took: number cards become rooms, hallways, features and props; face cards become actors.
4. Into the dark. The seekers move as a group; whoever has the most fear picks the next room. Each room deals fear — and going back into a room deals one fewer card each time. Convert some to thrill, burn some with your squares — the rest goes on your sheet. Go past your tolerance in any suit and you run out screaming. Escape through an exit and your fear scores double.

Still being designed

This is a playtest table for a game in progress. Where the rules aren't settled, the table makes a guess Jonathan can overrule:

• Fear deck: a separate fresh deck.
• Fear per room (ruled): the room gives a card, plus a bonus card if it matches the room's suit; the actor gives a card to the seeker the Scare Master picks; your phobia in the room gives one more. Each return visit to a room deals one fewer, down to none. (Guess: a feature adds its suit to the room for the bonus.)
• Converting: once per room, one card of the room's suit.
• Escapees score thrill + 2× fear; anyone who runs out screaming keeps only their thrill. (Ruled:) the Scare Master scores all the fear it deals but loses each screamer's dropped fear, on its own scoreboard apart from the seekers'.