Category: Rules

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Slop or Not

Game Synopsis (Slop or Not)

“Slop or Not” is a social deduction card game that challenges players to distinguish between human-created and AI-generated content in an era where the line between the two is increasingly blurred. Each round, players are presented with a piece of “slop” (a visual, text-based, or hybrid creation) and must decide whether it was made by a human or a machine.

Players vote simultaneously, revealing their choices and earning points for correct guesses. As the game progresses, patterns begin to break down, confidence is shaken, and players are forced to confront how unreliable their instincts actually are.

As a game for change, “Slop or Not” explores themes of authorship, authenticity, and digital literacy. It encourages players to critically evaluate the media they consume and question assumptions about creativity, originality, and trust in the age of AI-generated content. The goal is not just to win, but to realize how difficult (and sometimes impossible) it is to tell the difference.

Core Gameplay Loop

  1. Flip a card → reveal a piece of content (“slop”)
  2. Players decide: Human or AI?
  3. Everyone votes simultaneously
  4. Reveal answer
  5. Score points → next round

Simple. Fast. Brutal to your ego.

Rulebook: Lite 

Players:

2–6 players

Objective:

Earn the most points by correctly identifying whether content was created by a human or AI.

Setup:

  • Shuffle the deck of Slop Cards
  • Each card has:
    • Front: Content (image/text/design/etc.)
    • Back: Answer (Human or AI) + optional context
  • Place deck face down in the center

Gameplay:

1. Reveal Phase

  • Flip the top card and display it to all players

2. Decision Phase

  • Players secretly choose: Human or AI
     (via voting cards, hand signals, or tokens)

3. Reveal Phase

  • All players reveal their choice at the same time

4. Scoring Phase

  • Correct guess → keep the card (1 point)
  • Incorrect guess → card goes to discard pile

Optional Twist (recommended):

  • If ALL players guess wrong → card is worth 2 points next round
    reinforces “collective overconfidence” failure

End Game:

  • Game ends when all cards are used
  • Player with the most cards (points) wins

Mechanics Breakdown

Core Mechanics:

  • Simultaneous Decision Making → keeps pace fast, prevents copying
  • Deduction / Pattern Recognition → players try to “learn” tells
  • Psychological Play → players second-guess themselves and others
  • Push Your Confidence (soft mechanic) → the more confident you feel, the more likely you are to be wrong

Hidden System:

The game should intentionally:

  • Mix obvious vs deceptively ambiguous cards
  • Include:
    • Bad AI (easy wins early)
    • Good AI (mid-game doubt)
    • Weird human content (breaks assumptions)

This creates a confidence curve:

  • Early: “This is easy”
  • Mid: “Wait… what?”
  • Late: “I have no idea anymore”

That arc is where the game actually works.

Game for Change / Serious Game Angle

What it’s actually doing:

  • Exposes how unreliable people are at detecting AI
  • Challenges the assumption that “you can just tell”
  • Builds skepticism and critical thinking toward digital media
  • Sparks discussion around:
    • authenticity
    • authorship
    • trust online
    • creative ownership

(If anyone has any feedback or ideas for how it should be revealed whether the creation is AI or Human made without being too obvious to read, I would appreciate it!)

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Spoon Buffet (Revised Rules)

Players: 2–4
Time: 15–20 minutes

Goal

Manage your daily energy (“spoons”) and finish the game with the most remaining—without burning out or going into debt.

What Are “Spoons”?

Spoons represent your mental, emotional, and physical energy.
Each day you have a limited amount, spend it wisely, recover when you can, and avoid burnout.

Card Types

  • Task Cards (Work, School, Chores)
    → Cost spoons, earn points
  • Self-Care Cards (Sleep, Exercise, Mindfulness)
    → Restore spoons
  • Support Cards (Friends, Therapy, Family)
    → Protect or assist against stress
  • Stress Cards (Anxiety, Overcommitment, Events)
    → Drain spoons or create negative effects

Setup

  • Shuffle all cards into one deck
  • Each player starts with:
    • 10 spoons (this is your max)
    • 0 Spoon Debt tokens
  • Deal 7 cards to each player
  • Keep spoon counts visible

Round Structure 

Each round follows these clear steps:

1. Choose Cards 

  • Each player selects 1 card from their hand
  • Place them face down

Important:

  • You may play up to 1 card per turn
  • If you play 1 card, you must be able to afford all the spoon costs

2. Reveal Cards

  • All players reveal their chosen cards at the same time

3. Resolve Cards 

Resolve cards in this order for clarity:

  1. Support Cards (protection is set up first)
  2. Stress Cards (apply or attempt to counter)
  3. Task Cards (pay costs, gain points)
  4. Self-Care Cards (restore spoons last)

4. Update Spoons

  • Apply all spoon gains and losses
  • If you drop below 0 → trigger Spoon Debt (see below)

5. Pass Hands

  • Pass remaining cards:
    • Left on odd rounds
    • Right on even rounds

6. Repeat

  • Continue until all cards are played

Card Rules 

Task Cards

  • Cost 1–3 spoons
  • Worth +1 point each (tracked immediately or at end)
  • If you cannot afford the cost, you must:
    • Still resolve the card
    • Take Spoon Debt

Self-Care Cards

  • Restore 1–3 spoons
  • Cannot exceed 10 spoons (your max)
  • If you play multiple, effects stack

Support Cards

  • Played before Stress resolves
  • Can:
    • Reduce spoon loss
    • Cancel Stress effects
    • Help another player (if specified)

Clarification:
You may only use Support cards the turn they are played, unless stated otherwise.

Stress Cards

  • Cause spoon loss or negative effects
  • Some require interaction:
    • Example: another player may help you
  • If no one helps → penalty increases

Spoon Debt (Burnout Mechanic)

If your spoons drop below 0:

  • Take 1 Spoon Debt token
  • Reset your spoons to 0 immediately

Penalty

  • Each token = –2 points

👉 This reinforces the theme: pushing too hard has consequences.

End of Game & Scoring

After all rounds:

  • +1 point per remaining spoon
  • +1 point per completed Task card
  • –2 points per Spoon Debt token

Highest score wins

Quick Turn Example

  1. You play:
    • 1 Task (cost 2)
  2. Resolve:
    • Pay 2 spoons
  3. Net change = -2 spoons to your number of spoons hand in hand
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Spoon Buffet

Players: 2–5
Time: 15–20 minutes
Goal: Manage your daily energy (“spoons”) wisely and finish the game with the most spoons preserved, without burning out.

Theme: What Are “Spoons”?

Spoons represent mental, emotional, and physical energy.
You start each day with a limited number. Some things cost spoons, others restore them—and ignoring your limits has consequences.

Card Types

  • Task Cards
    Work, School, Chores
     → Cost spoons to complete
  • Self-Care Cards
    Sleep, Exercise, Mindfulness
     → Restore spoons
  • Support Cards
    Friends, Therapy, Family
     → Protect spoons or help counter Stress
  • Stress Cards
    Anxiety, Overcommitment, Unexpected Events
     → Drain spoons unless managed

Setup

  1. Shuffle the full deck.
  2. Each player starts with:
    • 10 spoons (use tokens, paper, or a tracker).
  3. Deal:
    • 2–3 players: 7 cards each
    • 4–5 players: 8 cards each
  4. Keep spoons visible to everyone.

Gameplay (Drafting Rounds)

Each round represents one day.

  1. Choose One Card
    • Look at your hand.
    • Secretly choose one card to play face-down.
  2. Reveal & Resolve
    • All players reveal cards simultaneously.
    • Apply effects immediately:
      • Pay spoon costs
      • Gain spoons
      • Trigger stress effects
  3. Pass the Hand
    • Pass remaining cards:
      • Left on odd-numbered rounds
      • Right on even-numbered rounds
  4. Repeat until all cards in hand are played.

Card Effects

Task Cards

  • Cost 1–3 spoons
  • Worth points only if you can afford them
  • If you cannot pay → take Spoon Debt (see below)

Self-Care Cards

  • Restore 1–3 spoons
  • Cannot raise you above your starting max (10 spoons)
  • Multiple self-care cards stack

Support Cards

  • Protect against Stress cards
  • May:
    • Reduce spoon loss
    • Cancel a Stress card
    • Be shared with another player (card text specifies)

Stress Cards

  • Force spoon loss unless countered
  • Some require another player’s involvement:
    • Example: Overcommitment → another player must give you a Support card or you lose extra spoons
  • If no help is given, consequences increase

Spoon Debt (Burnout Mechanic)

If you ever drop below 0 spoons:

  • Take 1 Spoon Debt token
  • Immediately reset to 0 spoons
  • Each Spoon Debt = –2 points at the end of the game

Message: You can push through… but it costs you later.

End of Game & Scoring

When all drafting rounds are complete:

  1. +1 point for each spoon you have left
  2. –2 points for each Spoon Debt token
  3. Bonus points (optional):
    • +2 points for balanced play (at least one Task, Self-Care, and Support card played)

Highest score wins.

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Revised Rules:

Life Advice: Game Rules & Directions

Type: Party card game
Players: 4-8
Time: 15-20 minutes per session
Goal: Win rounds by submitting the worst possible advice for real mental health struggles

Components

  • Prompt Cards: Describe real mental health situations (e.x, anxiety, burnout, imposter syndrome, loneliness)
  • Advice Cards: Wildly unhelpful, tone-deaf, or cliché advice
  • Reality Check Cards: Highlight what actual helpful support looks like

Setup

  1. Shuffle Prompt Cards and place in a face-down pile.
  2. Shuffle the Advice Cards and deal 3 cards to each player.
  3. Shuffle Reality Check Cards and deal 3 cards to each player.
  4. Decide who will be the first Judge (can be the youngest player, or randomly).

Gameplay

Step 1: Draw a Prompt and Advice

  • The Judge draws the top Prompt Card and reads it aloud to all players.

Step 2: Play Advice

  • Each player (except the Judge) selects one  Advice Card from their hand that they think is the best.
  • Cards are submitted face down to the Judge.

Step 3: Judge Chooses

  • The Judge shuffles the submitted Advice Cards and reads them aloud.
  • The Judge selects the most realistic Advice, awarding the Advice Card to the player who submitted it at the end of the 2nd Judge’s pick. Those will be kept in their own separate “won” pile to be used at the end of the game.

Step 4: Play Reality Check

  • Each player (except the Judge) selects one Reality Check Card from their hand that they think is the most helpful within the chosen situation (Prompt Card + Advice Card).
  • Cards are submitted face down to the Judge.

Step 5: Judge Chooses

  • The Judge shuffles the submitted Reality Check Cards and reads them aloud.
  • The Judge selects the most useful, awarding the Reality Check Card to the player who submitted it. Those will be kept in their own separate “won” pile to be used at the end of the game.

Step 6: Refill Hands

  • All players draw back up to 3 Advice Cards.
  • All players draw back up to 3 Reality Check Cards.

Step 7: Rotate Judge

  • The role of Judge passes clockwise for the next round.

Winning

  • Play 5–10 rounds (or as long as desired).
  • Players add up their points
    • Winning advice cards are worth +3 points each 
    • Winning Reality Check Cards are worth +5 points each
  • Player with the most points at the end wins.
  • Optional: Debrief together to discuss insights about listening, empathy, and mental health at the end of each round
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Prototype/Ruleset Game #1 – iteration 1

Limitation

Objective:
To make it back across the starting line together

Materials:
4-6 players
6 age cards (with rules for movement and limitations)
6 dice of different
Your body, mind, and creativity

Setup:
Each player randomly chooses an age card and a dice
Players choose a space to line up (like at a race starting line)

Gameplay:
Each movement is determined by individual dice rolls (in front of each person on the floor or any flat space near you)
Follow the instructions on you age card to see how many steps you can take. Players all roll dice at the same time but don’t roll again until everyone has moved at least one step.

Continue rolling dice and making movements until you have made it to a determined end point and then turn around and make it back to your starting position. The starting position becomes the finish line.

This is essentially a relay race but with limitations

The catch is you must all cross the finish line together to win

Work together to help slower players and give up your movements so you can all successfully make it across the finishing line

Winning/Losing:

When all the players complete the “relay” together they win

If more than one players cross the finish line before the others, you all lose and the players who went alone can be shamed and booed for leaving their fellows behind

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Week 3 Homework

Homework ideas/rules 

“Generate a list of five game ideas that revolve around the theme of empathy. Wrinkle: Take one of the five ideas and make it an alternate reality game.”

  1. Alone
    1. A game where you slime life as someone with depression. It would be a choose-your-own adventure, and you could recover or fall further. The goal of the game would be to show people how serious the experience can be
  2. Adoption
    1. Play as a pet in an adoption center. Learn to appeal to humans and try to get adopted. Allows people to feel sympathy for animals and focus on adopting and not “shopping” for pets
  3. Gaia
    1. Play as Mother Earth, who is dealing with the effects of humanity and how we are polluting the planet
  4. K-12
    1. You simulate a kid growing up in school from K-12, learning who they are as a person, and every choice you make affects how they graduate, or if they do
  5. Exploration
    1. You travel the land and choose what to destroy and preserve based on ancient civilizations.

Rules for a game from week 1:

Star Sailor!

The purpose of the game is to gather materials to keep exploring space. But will you destroy these newfound planets to keep exploring? Or will you fall into the void of space to keep the planets you stumble upon safe?

The goal of the game is to explore planets to gather resources, which can be used to explore further and collect pets and upgrades. Players can end the game whenever they choose, but the only limit is how many cards there are. (Basically infinite)

Basic Mechanics:

  • You fly in a ship, and each turn you pull a card to select what planet you land on
  • It costs resources to fly; either you can claim resources that are left on the planet, leave the planet alone, or destroy the planet for extra resources.
  • Players will have a mat in front of them that has resource sliders, a character icon/token, and spots to put planets they destroyed (so they can’t be visited again)
  • Players can use extra resources to get upgrades to travel to the most planets, or adopt pets!  
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THE KAELEGO FREQUENCY RULES

An Alternate Reality Game
“Online Friendship / Upside Down”

Game Overview

You are an Archivist, tasked with protecting memories, places, and people from being lost. You do this by exploring hidden clues, recording real moments of friendship, and using old-school media like cassette tapes, letters, and folders.

The game happens in the real world and online:

  • Old or “dead” websites
  • Physical mail
  • Audio recordings
  • Real-world locations
  • Interactions with other players

There is no single main character. You are both watcher and watched, and your success depends on your connection with another player, your Online Friend.

How to Start

  1. Find the “dead” 1990s tech company website.
  2. Inspect the site’s source code.
  3. Locate a hidden PO Box address.
  4. Mail a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Rule: If you don’t send something physical, you are not in the game.

Player Roles

  • Every player is an Archivist.
  • Each Archivist is secretly paired with an Online Friend.
  • You do not know your Online Friend’s real identity.

Core Rules

1. Artifacts Are Never Perfect

  • You will receive a cassette tape or USB with scrambled audio.
  • The audio is intentionally distorted.
  • You may edit it but never make it perfect.

2. Record “Sounds of Friendship”

  • Examples: laughter, shared meals, natural conversations, cooperative work.
  • Not allowed: solo narration, acting, or music created for the game.
  • Upload your recording to the URL included in your artifact.

Rule: The sound must be a real connection with real people.

3. Listen to the Return Signal

  • The website will send back a warped melody.
  • It may contain hidden clues, reversed audio, or GPS coordinates.
  • You must listen to it, no skipping.

4. Visit the Physical Locations

  • Go to the GPS location provided (examples: old libraries, closed malls, abandoned tech spaces).
  • You may find: folders, notes, cassette fragments, or instructions from other Archivists.

Rule: Take one item and leave something behind.

5. Archivist Etiquette

  • Never remove everything from a location.
  • Never vandalize or damage the place.
  • Never tell strangers the ARG exists.

6. Your Online Friend

  • They monitor your uploads and send you fragments to interpret.
  • At some point, you will realize the “entity” observing you is another player.

Rule: Trust is optional; collaboration is inevitable.

7. Mutual Restoration

  • You cannot win alone.
  • You must complete tasks on behalf of your Online Friend (recording, traveling, or preserving).
  • You are restoring memories you never lived.

8. Use Analog Media

  • Allowed: cassette tapes, printed photos, handwritten notes, burned CDs, folders.
  • Discouraged: perfect digital files, AI-generated voices, clean edits.

Rule: Imperfection proves authenticity.

9. The Threat

  • There is no monster.
  • Danger comes from forgotten memories, missing items, and corrupted audio.
  • If something is forgotten, it becomes unsafe.

10. The End

  • The game has no official ending.
  • It concludes when:
    1. Two players acknowledge each other
    2. A final artifact is exchanged
    3. Both choose to stop or continue preserving

Rule: The friendship is the archive.