Goal
The Deep One
And as you discover what deeper means, perhaps you notice that everyone else has become part of the journey downward.
Goal
State: Your Depth is 6.
Do: You have played a Suggestion onto every other player.
And as you discover what deeper means, perhaps you notice that everyone else has become part of the journey downward.
State: Your Depth is 6.
Do: You have played a Suggestion onto every other player.
You may find yourself noticing things that others overlook, and noticing them becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.
State: You have caught 3 violations during this Round.
Do: Each violation was successfully challenged.
Some things can be seen without being spoken, and sometimes silence is the most interesting response.
State: You have noticed 3 violations during this Round that nobody challenged.
Do: You did not challenge any of them.
Sometimes the easiest thing is simply to allow the next thing to happen without having to remember why.
State: Your Depth is 4 or greater.
Do: You have successfully obeyed 3 Suggestions without another player reminding you.
You may notice that there are many ways to indicate something without pointing at it.
You cannot point at anything while this Suggestion affects you.
If another player catches you pointing, stop immediately and resolve the caught violation.
Whenever another player speaks directly to you, your head may already know what to do.
Whenever another player speaks directly to you, nod.
Other players may catch you failing to do so.
There may be laughter nearby, and yet your own laughter can simply remain somewhere else.
You cannot laugh while this Suggestion affects you.
If another player catches you laughing, stop immediately and resolve the caught violation.
As words become words become words, repetition can become increasingly natural, increasingly natural.
At Depth 1+, repeat words longer than 3 letters twice.
At Depth 2+, repeat words longer than 2 letters twice.
At Depth 4+, repeat every word twice.
At Depth 6, repeat every word three times.
Before each action, you may naturally become aware of whose idea it was to do it.
Before drawing a card, say: “Simon said I should take a card.”
Before playing a card, say: “Simon said I should play this card.”
If caught failing to do so, the action has no effect.
You can be completely, perfectly awake, regardless of what anyone else seems to believe.
Regardless of your actual Depth, insist that you are Wide Awake.
If asked about your Depth, say: “I don't have any Depth tokens. What are you talking about?”
Whenever someone becomes certain that something happened, another possibility may quietly present itself.
Whenever another player challenges someone for violating a Suggestion, challenge the challenger.
You do not need to believe your own challenge.
Laughter can travel. One laugh can invite another, and another can discover that it was already laughing.
Whenever another player laughs, you must laugh too.
If caught failing to laugh, resolve the caught violation.
Yes and no can sometimes find themselves standing on opposite sides of the question.
Whenever another player asks you a Yes/No question, answer with the opposite answer.
If the question requires a physical Yes/No response, give the opposite physical response too.
Gratitude can sometimes become wonderfully recursive, especially when one thanks you for thanking them.
Whenever another player thanks you, thank them for thanking you.
Continue until the interaction naturally ends.
When another player takes something into their own little world, you may discover an irresistible desire to give something back.
Whenever another player plays a card onto their own tableau, draw 1 card and play it on that player.
Every card that arrives in your hand may already know exactly where it belongs.
Whenever you draw a card, you must immediately play that card onto your own tableau.
This replaces the normal draw-then-play choice for that card.
And when you return to ordinary waking consciousness, perhaps you discover that ordinary waking consciousness has become unusually energetic.
Active only at Depth 0.
At the start of your Turn, draw and play 2 cards instead of 1.
Once awake, the future may become slightly easier to notice, especially when it is sitting right on top of the deck.
Active only at Depth 0.
At the start of your Turn, look at the top card of the deck.
You may play it immediately instead of drawing normally.
And there is always another level, another step downward, another perfectly reasonable place to go.
Increase your Depth by one step:
0 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 6
If already at Depth 6, nothing happens.
And whenever you are ready, you can return completely to the wide-awake world, bringing with you whatever has learned to wait there.
Set your Depth to 0.
Remove all ordinary Suggestions affecting you.
Your Post-Hypnotic Suggestions remain in your tableau.
Sometimes the deepest place is exactly where you can reach the things that have been waiting underneath.
Requires Depth 4+.
Remove all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions from your tableau.
And suddenly, without warning, everything you were doing simply stops... leaving a curious space in which something entirely different can happen.
Set your Depth to 6.
Discard all ordinary Suggestion cards from your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
You were going to continue exactly as before, except now you can't remember what exactly as before was.
Set your Depth to 6.
Discard all ordinary Suggestion cards from your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
And as you become aware of where you are now, you may discover that there is naturally another level beyond it.
Increase your Depth to the next level.
0 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 6
If already at Depth 6, nothing happens.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Perhaps you don't need to know how much deeper you are going, only that the next level is already waiting for you.
Increase your Depth to the next level.
0 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 6
If already at Depth 6, nothing happens.
Discard this card after resolving it.
You may notice that the number changes, while some other things become easier to simply allow.
Increase your Depth to the next level.
0 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 6
If already at Depth 6, nothing happens.
Discard this card after resolving it.
And without needing to force anything at all, you can simply find yourself at the next level.
Increase your Depth to the next level.
0 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 6
If already at Depth 6, nothing happens.
Discard this card after resolving it.
And in a moment, perhaps you can return all the way to ordinary waking awareness, leaving behind whatever no longer needs to come with you.
Set your Depth to 0.
Discard all ordinary Suggestion cards from your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
You can come all the way back now, bringing with you only those things that know how to wait.
Set your Depth to 0.
Discard all ordinary Suggestion cards from your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Fully awake now. Completely alert. Nothing from before could possibly still affect you. Probably.
Set your Depth to 0.
Discard all ordinary Suggestion cards from your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
You awaken completely, absolutely, undeniably awake, and naturally rather offended that anyone would suggest otherwise.
Set your Depth to 0.
Keep all ordinary Suggestion cards in your tableau.
While Wide Awake, deny that any of those Suggestions can affect you.
They become active again if you go deeper.
Discard this card after resolving it.
And now you are wide awake, which is why it is so ridiculous that anyone could possibly think any of this will matter later.
Set your Depth to 0.
Keep all ordinary Suggestion cards in your tableau.
While Wide Awake, deny that any of those Suggestions can affect you.
They become active again if you go deeper.
Discard this card after resolving it.
And perhaps there is another level, just beneath the one you are currently experiencing, waiting for you to notice it.
Increase your Depth by 1, to a maximum of 6.
Discard this card after resolving it.
You do not have to know how deep you will go. You only have to notice that you are already going.
Increase your Depth by 1, to a maximum of 6.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Every number has another number beyond it, and every state can discover what comes next.
Increase your Depth by 1, to a maximum of 6.
Discard this card after resolving it.
And you can return completely to ordinary waking awareness, bringing with you whatever has learned to wait for you there.
Set your Depth to 0.
Discard all ordinary Suggestions in your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Awake now. Clear-headed. Entirely yourself. Unless, of course, something has decided to wait until now.
Set your Depth to 0.
Discard all ordinary Suggestions in your tableau.
Keep all Post-Hypnotic Suggestions.
Discard this card after resolving it.
You are completely awake. Obviously. Perfectly awake. Anyone suggesting otherwise is being ridiculous. And none of those old Suggestions could possibly affect you now.
Set your Depth to 0.
Keep all ordinary Suggestions in your tableau.
While at Depth 0, deny that any of them could affect you because you are Wide Awake.
They become active again if your Depth increases.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Stop.
And in the sudden space where everything familiar has gone, perhaps there is room to go somewhere entirely different.
Set your Depth to 6.
Discard all ordinary Suggestions in your tableau.
Post-Hypnotic Suggestions remain.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Sometimes going deeper is not a matter of taking one step, but of discovering that you have already passed the next one.
Increase your Depth by 2, to a maximum of 6.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Something draws you upward. Not all the way. Just enough to notice that there is still an up.
Decrease your Depth by 2, to a minimum of 0.
Ordinary Suggestions remain in your tableau unless another card removes them.
Discard this card after resolving it.
Turn: Draw 1 → Play 1 → resolve consequences.
Round: One Turn for each player.
Hand limit: 7 cards. At the end of your Turn, discard down to 7.
Playing cards: Unless a card says otherwise, you may play a card onto any player, including yourself.
Caught: If you are caught violating a Suggestion, draw 1 card and immediately play it onto yourself.
Depth: 0 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 6. Only cards modify Depth.
Wide Awake: Depth 0.
Suggestions: Ordinary Suggestions operate according to their card while affecting a player.
Post-Hypnotic Suggestions: Active only at Depth 0. They remain when ordinary Suggestions are removed.
Goals: Each player has one public Goal. A Goal is satisfied when both its State and Do conditions are true. Check Goals whenever the relevant game state changes. A satisfied Goal wins immediately.
Default principle: Avoid effects that cause additional card plays. Being caught is the current deliberate exception.