Dealing with Deities

A no-prep GMless card based game about Dysfunctional Demigods.

In this game, the gods are dead, and their children feel they don’t get the respect they deserve. Despite their infinite lives, demigods tend to be self-absorbed, petty, dramatic, and impulsive. This is ultimately a game about dramatic and selfish people who happen to have powers. These people both love and hate each other, and generally live to manipulate one another and the mortals they run into.

How to Play

When you want to do something with uncertainty, or when you want to use your powers draw cards. You draw two by default and can expend your power tokens to draw more. Compare the highest and lowest card you draw against two (or more) cards drawn in opposition, creating a yes/and, no/but system. If cards are the same face, they are ordered by suit. Hearts are the lowest, followed by diamonds, clubs, and spades being the highest.

If your highest card is higher than the oppositions you get what you want, if it’s lower you do not. If your lowest card is higher than the oppositions you get something good that wasn’t what you wanted. If your lowest card is lower something goes wrong.

Expend your power to increase the number of cards drawn. Mortals or other minor obstacles always draw 2 cards. When opposing another demigod, you can both expend power to draw more cards.

Create your setting

Before play, it should be decided when and where your game will take place. Have the most beautiful player flip 2 cards, have the smartest assign one to the Time Period and one to the Location.

Time Period:

• ♡: Ancient Times
• ♢: Industrial Times
• ♧: Modern Times
• ♤: The Future

Location:

• A: A small fishing town
• 2: A sprawling metropolis
• 3: A modest trading hub on a river
• 4: A small community deep in the forest
• 5: A village in a swamp
• 6: A castle on a cliff
• 7: An academy of scholars and inventors
• 8: A mining town in the mountains
• 9: A small farming community
• 10: A center for the arts
• J: A large sporting event
• Q: A shady marketplace
• K: A decaying place of worship

Create your demigods

To create your demigods, each player draws 5 cards from the deck. Each player assigns 1 card to each aspect for your character and your situation prompt, you should have one card leftover.

What is your domain?

• A: Love
  • Gain power for each mortal that engages in activites meant to lead to romance or sex
  • You can use your power to temporarily create feelings of attraction or compassion
• 2: Music
  • Gain power whenever a mortal listens to music, plays music, sings, or dances
  • You can use your power to inspire, and to make music where this is none
• 3: Feast
  • Gain power when mortals consume more of anything than they need
  • You can use your power to create food and drinks, or to make people hungry
• 4: Death
  • Gain power for each mortal that grives or fears death. Gain 3 power if a mortal dies
  • You can use your power to summon ghosts and create feelings of fear
• 5: Commerce
  • Gain power when mortals engage in transactions. Gain 2 if a selfless act was turned into a transaction
  • Use your power to create money, or to manipulate others into thinking in trade
• 6: Travel
  • Gain power whenever a mortal arrives in or leaves the settlement
  • Use your power to create feelings of wanderlust, summon unexpected visitors, or to send people where they wish to go
• 7: A body of water
  • Gain power for each mortal that engages in an activity on or near your body of water. Gain 2 if they help clean it
  • Use your power to manipulate water, heal others, or summon memories related to the body of water
• 8: Local Flora
  • Gain power for each mortal that spends time admiring the local trees, flowers, or other flora
  • Use your power to help plants grow, to make flowers bloom, or create herbal tonics
• 9: Local Fauna
  • Gain power for each mortal that honors or appreciates the local wildlife
  • Use your power to communicate with and command animals
• 10: A Hill, Mountain, or Rock formation
  • Gain power for each mortal that visits your location
  • Use your power to manipulate the earth, grant visions of wisdom, or blessings of protection
• J: Jealousy
  • Gain power for each act committed out of jealousy
  • You can use your power to make people feel inadequate or suspicious of others
• Q: Fame
  • Gain power whenever a mortal is fawned over by others, or when a mortal acts entirely by ego
  • You can use your power to bestow talent or adoration
• K: War
  • Gain power for each mortal that acts in anger or becomes violent
  • You can use your power to create weapons, engage in violence, or feed the rage of those around you

You feel that mortals are

• ♡: useful
• ♢: annoying
• ♧: necessary
• ♤: disgusting

The Mortals

• ♡: adore you
• ♢: fear you
• ♧: despise you
• ♤: neglect you

Your situation prompt

• A: There is a festival coming up for one of the gods or demigods. Who is it and what does the festival entail?
• 2: One of the demigods is tired of how they are being treated. Who is it, how are they being treated, and what are you doing about it?
• 3: A demigod has an idea on how to gain more followers. What is that idea and what do you think of it?
• 4: A demigod needs help from another demigod for an issue they are facing. What issue are they facing and what do they need help with?
• 5: A demigod is trying to rebrand. How were they seen before and how would they like to be seen now?
• 6: A demigod is trying to find a successor. Who is retiring and what is their plan to find a successor?
• 7: A demigod wants to play a prank on another demigod. Who is being pranked, who is doing the pranking, and how do you respond to this information?
• 8: A demigod wants to get revenge on another demigod. Who is getting revenge on who, and what are they getting revenge for?
• 9: A demigod wants to expand their domain. What or where is their current domain, and how are they looking to expand it?
• 10: A demigod is trying to prove a point to another demigod. Who are the demigods involved and what are they arguing about?
• J: A god is rumored to be returning. Which god is returning and how do the demigods relate to them?
• Q: There is a vacant cosmic domain. Which domain is vacant and what is the result of this power vacuum?
• K: A demigod is rumored to be losing their powers. Who is losing their powers and how do they feel about it?

Discard all cards used so far and shuffle them back into the deck before play.

The Scenario

After characters are created, answer the situation questions as a group to create a starting scenario. You may wish to employ a white board, large piece of paper, or digital flowchart to track what is happening and how everyone feels about it. Not all of the situation prompt questions need to be used. If a question feels like it is throwing off what is already established, or if the group decides that they simply don’t think it sounds fun, feel free to throw that prompt out. This decision should be unanimous.

Scenes

A scene is just like a scene in a play or tv show. It occurs in one location and lasts for a short while, taking us through a small part of the overall story. Each scene, with the exception of the final scene, will give one demigod the spotlight. The player with the spotlight is responsible for establishing and leading the scene centered on what their demigod is doing. Optionally, for a longer session or for smaller groups, give each demigod the spotlight twice.

Establish the Scene

The player with the spotlight will determine who is in the scene and where it is taking place. This includes the demigods, any notable mortals, and how large of a crowd of non-notable mortals are around, if any. Describe what the location looks like what what sort of conflict your demigod is having. Any player not playing a demigod in the scene will be in charge of any mortals present. A scene can have up to 5 notable mortals, and a crowd of nameless mortals.

Play through the scene

The spotlight player will begin by describing or acting out what their demigod is doing. The other present demigods and mortals will react to what they are doing, and the spotlight player will react in turn. When any player wishes to change the situation, draw cards to determine how that action resolves. Play goes on until the scene is resolved, or a timer can be set.

End the Scene

When the scene feels as if it is coming to an end, initiate end of scene procedure. Each demigod will gain power tokens based on the behavior of the mortals whether they were present in the scene or not. Notable mortals count as a single mortal and a crowd of nameless mortals count as 2 mortals for this step. Once power is distributed, the spotlight player will select who gets the spotlight next. If all players have gotten the spotlight, then move on to the final scene.

The Final Scene

The Final Scene is one with all demigods present. It functions as a climax, or an epilogue, depending on how the story has gone so far. Work together to describe one final scene where all of the demigods are together, and play through it. This is a great time to use any remaining power tokens, as you have no use for them after this.

Mortals

To create a new Mortal draw 2 cards. Assign the suit of one card to Age and the other to Presentation. Assign the value of one card to demeanor and the other to Desire

Age

• ♡: Child
• ♢: Teen
• ♧: Adult
• ♤: Elder

Demeanor

• A: Distracted
• 2: Driven
• 3: Somber
• 4: Lively
• 5: Intimidating
• 6: Whimsical
• 7: Bored
• 8: Professional
• 9: Rustic
• 10: Confrontational
• J: Meek
• Q: Charming
• K: Unpredictable

Presentation

• ♡: Femme
• ♢: Masc
• ♧: Androgynous
• ♤: Chaotic

Desire

• A: Warmth
• 2: Revenge
• 3: Peace
• 4: Wealth
• 5: Recognition
• 6: Knowledge
• 7: Strength
• 8: Connection
• 9: Justice
• 10: Clarity
• J: Truth
• Q: Memories
• K: Abundance