WHAT EVEN IS THIS MESS?
This game tells the story of a tavern in a fantasy world.
It is intended to run without a GM, using trick-taking systems (like hearts or bridge) to establish and resolve situations.
	The values and suits of the playing cards represent archetypal elements.

TO PLAY, YOU WILL NEED
> one pack of regular playing cards
> two to six players maybs
> a stack of notecards

HOW DO WE BEGIN?
	You each describe a location within the tavern: for example, the roaring hearth, stoked with the bones of a dragon; a wide table, hewn from the world-tree. You need to decide what this location’s innate purpose is - whenever patrons plot, they do it beside the fire, & so on. Write these details down on a notecard & place it somewhere all players can see.
	Next, you collaboratively create the barkeep: everyone corrects an assumption about them, each of which are written on a single notecard: for example, people think her face is scarred because she was in a fire - actually she fought off and killed an acid-spewing serpent. As a group, we need to settle on at least one name they go by.
	Finally, we each draw a card from the shuffled pack to create the bar regulars. Consult the SUIT & VALUE tables below - this determines their race & temperament. Write down their name & the basic details of their character. Decide why they keep coming back to the pub. Feel free to suggest other details for others’ characters.

SUITS
> SPADES 		represent humanity & their tools 		- humans are curious
> HEARTS	 	represent elvenkind & their empathy 		- elves are timeless
> CLUBS 		represent demi-humans & their enmity 	- orcs &c. are aggressive
> DIAMONDS		represent dwarves & their wealth 		- dwarves are greedy

VALUES
> one 		- hermit 	- the desire to keep to yourself
> two 		- lover 		- the desire to make someone happy
> three	- fool 		- the desire to amuse the group
> four		- hero 		- the desire to protect the group
> five 		- devil 		- the desire to tempt someone
> six 		- traveller 	- the desire to experience something new
> seven 	- death 	- the desire to end someone
> eight 	- strongman 	- the desire to display dominance
> nine 		- wise man 	- the desire to understand the environment
> ten 		- artist 		- the desire to make a lasting impression
> jack 		- child 		- the desire to play
> queen 	- mother 	- the desire to teach
> king 		- father 	- the desire to feed

HOW THEN DO WE PLAY?
	The tavern has two moods: restful and fraught. The game begins in restful mood - the barkeep is tending to matters in the background and any number of the regulars are present. Everyone shares sentences that narrates the actions in the pub.

You can:
> narrate the action of a character you’ve created, except the barkeep
> narrate the reaction of other characters, including the barkeep
> narrate the physical or emotional atmosphere in the tavern

	After sharing a sentence, take a long breath in. If you’ve got drinks to hand, instead take a draught of that. Anyone else can share the next sentence, though if noone wants to, you can share another.
	If any player wants there to be more excitement, they should pick up the pack of cards. This signals that the mood has shifted to fraught.

OH SHIT SON, IT’S GOT FRAUGHT UP IN HERE
During the fraught mood, no player may take a drink.
	If you’ve picked up the cards, shuffle the pack & deal three cards to each player. Compare these hands of cards as if they were brag hands (see below). The player with the best hand becomes the barkeep for the first trick. The value of the brag hand determines the nature of the danger.
	The player controlling the barkeep narrates how the barkeep reacts to the peril, then plays a card from their hand to the centre of the table.
Each other player narrates how the characters or locations react, then plays a card. Cards are always played after you have narrated a sentence. During fraught moments, all characters may be controlled by all players.
The player who played the highest value card in the suit that was led wins the trick. There are no trumps. You do not have to follow suit if you do not wish to. The winner of the trick becomes the barkeep in the next trick.
The value of the lowest card (regardless of suit) determines the outcome of these events. The player who played this card should consult the VALUES table (above) and narrate a sentence that explains what happens.
	This continues twice more. Once the final trick has been played, the final outcome clears up the danger. Decide if there are any persistent consequences.
	Gather all cards together again. The mood returns to restful.

BRAG HANDS
	Brag is a similar game to poker - in fact one of its precursors. It is played with three card hands. If you’ve seen Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, it’s the game they play in the ring.

The hands are ranked as follows, highest first:
> prial (three of a kind) 	- the pub is out of beer
> running flush (ordered, suited cards) 	- elemental disaster within (fire, flood, &c.)
> run (cards in order) 	- physical disturbance
> flush (all same suit) 		- elemental disaster without (earthquake, storm, &c.)
> pair 				- conversational disturbance
> high card 			- a stranger enters (barkeep draws & defines new character)