ðŸ•ĩïļ Community Cult

Players: 1–4 | Playtime: 10–20 mins | Ages: 8+

Overview

We are a group of investigators trying to explain the evil goings-on plaguing our town. Strange dreams, withering crops, and eerie happenings have begun to spread... and we have decided to find out why! We must work together to gather Clues, identify Witnesses, and solve Mysteries before time runs out and Madness overtakes us all.

Components

  • Mystery Deck (20 cards)

  • Clue Deck (34 cards): 14 Evidence, 10 Witnesses, and 10 Horrors

Setup

  1. Shuffle both decks separately and place them face-down within reach

  2. Deal 4 cards from the Clue deck to each player

Clue Pile System

Important: There are four spaces for Clue piles on the table. Empty Clue piles provide +1 Sanity (ðŸ’Ą) each during Sanity checks. When Clues are placed on a pile, it covers this bonus. If all Clues are removed from a pile during the course of play, that pile becomes empty again and provides +1 Sanity (ðŸ’Ą) until new Clues are placed on top of it once more.

Gameplay

Each player's turn follows these steps (then passes clockwise):

1. Reveal New Mystery

  • Reveal the top card of the Mystery deck and use it to start a new Mystery pile

  • There is no limit to the number of Mystery piles, but each pile adds Madness (🧠)

2. Play Cards

  • Play two cards from your hand on top of Clue piles

  • Only the top card of each pile matters for solving Mysteries and calculating Sanity/Madness

  • Cards of the same type (Clue / Mystery) can be stacked on top of each other


Note: Mystery piles are only a single card (see Additional Rules section for more ways to play).

3. Check for Solved Mysteries

  • To solve a Mystery, you need TWO of the visible Clues on top of each pile to match TWO (of the three) Clues shown on a visible Mystery.

    • Whenever you solve a Mystery, remove all matching cards from play (Mystery and Clues) and set them aside with the Mystery on top and Clues underneath.

4. Sanity Check

  • Calculate Madness: Count total visible Madness (🧠) on top of each pile on the table.

  • Calculate Sanity: Count total visible Sanity (ðŸ’Ą) on top of each pile on the table.

  • If there is more Madness than Sanity, then the active player goes MAD:

    • Discard all cards from your hand and from piles in play.

    • Choose two Horror cards from discard and shuffle them back into the deck.

    • Empty Clue piles now provide +1 Sanity each again.

5. Draw Cards

  • Draw back up to four cards in hand from the Clue deck

Victory & Defeat

🏆 Victory

  • You win if you solve at least one Mystery from each of the five locations: the manor (🏚ïļ), tombs (ðŸŠĶ), asylum (💊), farm (🚜), and university (📜).

💀 Defeat

  • You lose if either deck is empty at the end of your turn.