🌑 Shadow Council

Keepers vs a hidden Cult. Elect a government, pass decrees, unmask the Shadow Lord.

The city council meets after dark. Most of you are Keepers who guard the city. Hidden among you is the Cult, secretly led by the Shadow Lord.

Cultists know each other and know who the Lord is. The Lord usually does not know them — except in a game of 5–6 players.

A round

• The Head of Council (the role passes around the table) nominates a Scribe.

• Everyone still in the game votes Yes or No. More Yes than No — the government is elected. A tie means it fails.

• Three failed elections in a row cause chaos: the top decree of the deck is passed on its own, with no power, and term limits are lifted.

• The Head draws 3 decrees, secretly discards one and hands two to the Scribe, who passes one of them. Cards are never shown — but you may lie about them!

• The last elected Scribe cannot be nominated again; with more than 5 players in the game, neither can the last elected Head.

Powers

• Some Shadow decrees give the Head a power: 🔍 check a player’s loyalty, 🎖️ choose the next Head, 🔮 look at the top 3 decrees, 💀 banish a player. The track shows which one comes when.

• After 5 Shadow decrees the Scribe may propose a veto. If the Head agrees, both decrees are discarded and unrest grows by 1.

• Banished players stay silent and do not vote. Their role stays secret.

Victory

• Keepers: 5 Light decrees, or banish the Shadow Lord.

• Cult: 6 Shadow decrees, or get the Shadow Lord elected Scribe once 3 Shadow decrees are on the board.

The deck holds 6 Light and 11 Shadow decrees — so a dark hand alone proves nothing. Talk, accuse, bluff!