You are initiates of the Church of Ludos, God of Play. The goal? Throw yourself wholeheartedly into a ritual of spontaneity, creativity and absolute submission in worship of Ludos. How? Through drawing cards that set you instructions and grant you special powers.
There are four card types:
INITIATE cards — Prompts drawn by initiates.
POWER cards — Special rule-changing powers.
SHAMAN cards — Prompts drawn by the Shaman only.
ASCENT cards — Used for the final ‘Ascent’ phase of the ritual.
Before You Start: Roles & Setup
1 – Prepare the Deck
Select 10 Warmup cards and 15 Power cards at random and put them aside.
Shuffle the rest of the Initiate cards together, including the remaining warmup cards.
Draw 50 cards from this shuffled pile.
Add the 15 power cards to this deck randomly.
Place the 10 put-aside warmup cards on top of the deck, so these will be drawn first.
Separate the Ascent Form and Ascent Function cards into two separate decks and put them aside — these will be used later.
The app has already done all this for you. Tap through the phases below.
2 – Anoint the Shaman
One person volunteers to be the Shaman. The Shaman runs the ceremony, settles any disputes, and has final say on everything. Their authority is absolute.
Everyone else is an initiate.
Note: The Shaman participates in Initiate card activities but does not draw Initiate cards themselves, only Shaman cards .
Overview of Ritual
Opening Ceremony
Warmup Phase
Praise Phase
Ascent Phase
Closing Ceremony
1 — Opening Ceremony
In this first phase, the Shaman leads the initiates through the Opening Ceremony. The Opening Ceremony consists of 6 steps, which are listed for the Shaman at the end of the instructions.
2 — Warmup Phase (10 cards)
The Shaman chooses who will draw the first card from the deck.
When an Initiate card is drawn, the initiate who drew it reads the card’s title aloud, then flips it over and reads its instruction aloud too.
The initiate then obeys the instructions they have read.
Continue until 10 warmup cards have been played.
3 — Praise Phrase (30 cards)
This is the main ritual. Every initiate takes a turn drawing a card from the Initiate deck. This works as it does in the Warmup Phase.
However, now Shaman and Power cards are involved too:
Shaman cards — Whenever it is the Shaman’s turn, they draw not from the Initiate deck but from the Shaman deck. Unlike Initiate cards, the Shaman reads their card’s text silently then acts on its instructions without revealing to the initiates what these instructions were.
Power cards — If you draw a Power card instead of an Initiate card, you have been blessed by Ludos with a special ability. You keep this power throughout the game, use it as much as you want and turn it on and off at will by simply announcing you are using it. Next, draw an additional Initiate card and take your normal turn.
Step 4: Ascent Phase
In this final phase, initiates are ready to divine their own instructions from Ludos. For each initiate’s turn, the Shaman draws x2 cards from the Ascent deck – x1 from the Ascent Form deck and x1 from the Ascent Function deck . The initiate must, quickly, concoct their own prompt from Ludos based on these two words.
Step 5: Closing Ceremony
The Shaman decides what the Closing Ceremony looks like — it can be anything. Closing Ceremony is performed. Afterwards: all initiates restore the ritual space to normal. The altar is disassembled. Everyone shares a group hug to signify the return to cold, secular reality.
Opening Ceremony: The Six Steps
The Introduction. All participants sit in a circle. Each initiate introduces themselves using a category chosen by the Shaman.
The Calibration. All initiates and the Shaman stand up. Each person adjusts something in the room. All sit down again.
The Discalibration. The Shaman picks a word and points to initiates one at a time. Each must say the word in a way no initiate has before them. If you repeat or respond too slowly, you’re out. Last initiate standing wins.
The Offering. All initiates construct a shrine to Ludos in the centre of the circle. The Shaman remains seated and observes. If any aspect displeases the Shaman, they demand its correction.
The Vow. Initiates return to seated position and repeat after the Shaman:
I vow to commit fully to the ritual. Half-play is not worship.
I vow to honor the Shaman. Their word is final.
I vow to embrace what emerges. The ritual will reveal what I am.
The Pledge. Each initiate makes a personal pledge of allegiance to Ludos in whatever form the Shaman decides.
FAQs
Where should we worship?
Indoors or outdoors — just enough room for physical movement.
What if no clear Shaman emerges?
If several do, let them plead their case. If none do, choose collectively.
How can we trust the Shaman’s silent cards?
Even asking this question is heresy. Extra exertion in your worship is encouraged.
The decks run out but we yearn to keep worshiping. What do we do?!
Declare, hands outstretched, “SPIRIT OF LUDOS COME DOWN TO US!” If the spirit enters enough other participants, the Shaman may extend a phase.
I’m the Shaman — how am I supposed to behave?
You are Ludos’s voice in this circle. Steward the ritual with confidence. You have final say in moments of ambiguity. All styles are acceptable.
I’ve drawn more than one Power card in a row.
Yes you are worthy! Keep drawing until your next Initiate card, but don’t forget to test all your new powers out before proceeding.