A hand, a rule, a tale.
Reach the round’s target before your hands run out. Choose a gentler or harder invitation each round; its target and reward are shown before you commit.
- Prepare before dealing. Change owned rules freely, then lock them to deal. During the hand, the rules stay fixed unless an extra power lets you change them.
- Choose up to five guests. The preview shows exactly what they will score. Tell this hand plays them; Discard draws replacements.
- Clear the round. Take a free rule or coins, then visit the shop. The word grid opens in round three.
Hands, discards and scoring
A new run starts with four hands and three discards per round. Discarding replaces selected cards without using a hand, but never restores rule changes or pushes.
Your strongest qualifying gathering scores. If upgrades let you play more than five cards, all selected cards are spent. Held cards only score when a rule allows it; they never help form the hand.
Open Why this score? to see each effect. The scoring table stays fixed even when rules change your cards.
Rules and the word grid
In rounds one and two, put complete rules in your slots. Change them freely before each hand. Lock rules to deal; new cards arrive afterward.
After round two, those rules become words. In each workshop, arrange them freely: tap a word, then an empty space. Unused words stay in Spare words.
Before each grid hand, arrange words freely. During the hand, the grid gives way to a summary of your powers. The Wrong Key grants extra moves: open the editor, preview a push, then confirm to spend one. Discarding does not reopen preparation.
Words must touch. Read rows left to right, then columns top to bottom; a word may serve both. Incomplete fragments do nothing. Every complete rule is explained beside the grid.
Shops, pockets and curios
Every clear pays for unused hands, unused discards and interest. Before each shop, take one free rule or leave it for 3 coins. Shops follow rounds one through five.
Four random curios appear at the shop. Each copy can be bought once. Refreshing costs 2 coins, then 1 more each time; the price resets next round. Fully collected curios leave the pool.
Every pocket curio is a bargain: one use gives a powerful benefit and charges the cost printed on it. Coins, remaining hands or discards may be spent when you use it. An armed scoring boost waits for your next played hand, then disappears; discarding keeps it ready. Unused copies stay in your pockets between rounds. Slot and other capacity upgrades last for this run. All scoring effects appear in the exact preview.
You begin with two pockets. Capacity upgrades can add slots, grid space, moves, hands or discards. Other upgrades reward resources left over. Current limits appear in your run summary.
After round three, Bag of Words can appear. Buy and open it for 4 coins, then keep two of five words. The bag is consumed; its words stay in your spares for this run.
Guests and your deck
Each starter begins with 52 cards: thirteen beings, ranked A–K, across four realms. Straights use five consecutive ranks: A–2–3–4–5 or 10–J–Q–K–A work; K–A–2 does not wrap. Aces give 11 base chips; J, Q and K give 10; number cards give their rank. Choose Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Irish, East Slavic, American roadside, Malay Peninsula or European folklore. Europe offers regional spirits or a Grimm Brothers B-deck before a run. Gathering names, ranks, realm groupings and scores are invented game rules.
The shop offers three guests. Recruit an exact card for 3 coins; it joins next round and stays for the run. Duplicates are separate cards. Refreshing the shop also refreshes its guests.
To remove a card, select it and confirm the price. Removals start at 3 coins and rise by 1 each time. Keep between 12 and 40 cards. Your deck summary groups cards by being and realm, never draw order.
Bosses and later rounds
Round three gives you time with the word grid. In round four, the Comptroller moves a tile before each hand. Your words remain yours; repair sentences or make new ones.
Round five offers another chance to grow. In round six, the Bellkeeper shifts a whole row before each hand, wrapping its end word to the other side. A free workshop precedes every grid round.
Round seven belongs to The Last Reader. The first played hand of each gathering type gains ×2 mult; repeating it scores normally.
Sound & atmosphere
Sound begins after you interact. All cues are also shown on screen.
Each owned rule explains its effect. Choose guests to see the exact score before you play.
