The Swindler

The day wears on…

As we pick our way around a lake black and slick as oil, we come across an old boat, washed up on the silty shore. The boat’s exterior is dark and lifeless, chewed over by years of decay. And yet, from the cabin, we see the unmistakable glow of a lamp.

Climbing aboard and ducking inside, we discover a freshly-swept interior, bright with new paint. At the captain’s table sits a well-dressed woman, shuffling a deck of cards. She greets us with a mischievous grin.

"Ah,” she smiles. “I know your type. Gamblers, the lot of you. The question is, what are you willing to wager? "


The Challenge

Cheat at cards against the Swindler! Aim to get rid of all your cards.

  • Take the deck. Deal the cards equally among the travellers.

  • Set a timer for five minutes.

  • Clockwise starting with the Reader, players take turns to discard a card facedown in the centre. At the same time, they say aloud a single number — supposedly, the number on that card(s). Players may lay down more than one card if they have the same number.

  • The next player clockwise then lays down a card (or more) and says a number. This number must be one value above or below the previous traveller’s number. For example, if the first player discards ‘threes’, then the second player must discard ‘twos’ or ‘fours’.

  • While players must discard at least one card every time it comes to their turn, they do not have to tell the truth about what they are discarding. So a player can place down a seven and a nine, but then lie that they are laying down threes.

  • If a traveller suspects that another traveller is lying, they may challenge them by calling "Scoundrel!" The card(s) that was just laid down is revealed. If the accused traveller was telling the truth about the value, then the accusing traveller must take the whole pile of discarded cards in the middle. If the accused traveller was lying, then they must take the whole pile of discarded cards instead.

  • The game ends when the first traveller gets rid of all their cards, thus winning the game.

HELP FROM AN ITEM

If any traveller carries DICE, they start with three fewer cards than the others. The three cards are dealt between the other travellers.

Success. If the game is won within five minutes, the Challenge is passed.

Failure. If the game runs over five minutes, or any traveller reveals a card from their hand to another traveller without being challenged, the Challenge is failed. 

————
⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖
————

If the Challenge is passed, the winning traveller receives the Blessing of the Swindler.

If the Challenge is failed, the party suffers the Curse of the Swindler. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.

  • When a spirit is displeased by the party, it will lay its Curse upon them. Curses have dire consequences. The more Curses a party gathers, the more lives will be claimed in the Heart of the Wood. Furthermore, if a party incurs three Curses, the Wood's spirits will reject them and they will be forced to flee for their lives, ending the game.

    When you incur a Curse, place it in a designated area of the table so that all travellers are aware of it.

————
⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖
————

With a sly smile, the woman waves her hands. “A fine game… But you missed the real trick, didn’t you?”

You realise that the cards in your hands are leaves, the table beneath you mere stones on the lake’s shore. The boat around you is gone — and so is the phantom that conjured it.

  • Re-form the deck before continuing.

————
⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖ ⧖
————