an endless card duel against the Hooded Stranger — tip the Scale five teeth
THE OATH
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THE CARD WALL
· Best descent 0 ·
Tap cards to add or remove them from your run deck. Ten cards minimum — the Stranger refuses to duel a thinner deck.
Run deck0Owned0
THE ENDLESS TAVERN
Tallow purse 0Ash purse 0Deck 0
The Tavern has no last door. Choose your next room — the Stranger is already dealing.
The Hooded Stranger
The Karma Scale — first to five teeth
← youthe Stranger →
Tallow0
Ash0
Tab debt0
Round1
His side
His traps
Your side
Your traps
Your hand
The Hooded Stranger teaches
Tap anywhere to return to the table
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Rules of Karma's Gambit
An original roguelike card battler. You and the Hooded Stranger each field creatures across five lanes. When the bell rings, every creature strikes down its lane: it wounds the creature across from it, and any excess damage — or an empty lane — tips the Karma Scale one tooth toward the striker. First to five teeth wins the bout.
Draw: draw 1 card at the start of each of your turns.
Tallow pays for cards. Sacrifice one of your creatures to render Tallow equal to its cost (no Ash for a willing offering). Oathbound creatures cannot be sacrificed.
Ash is gained by both duelists whenever any creature dies. Some cards also cost Ash.
Bartab: play the creature now, owe its cost in Tab Debt — settled automatically from your Tallow at the start of your next turn.
Tavern Tricks (spells) are one-shot plays. Traps are set face-down and spring on their trigger — and the Stranger sets his own. Some of his are bluffs.
Sigils: lastcall (effect when sent to the discard pile), haunt (leaves a 1/1 Patron Spirit), drowned (+1 Ash on death), lastdrop (effect on death), grind (+1 ATK per counter each turn), nightcap (+1/+1 each turn after round 5), omen (peek at his deck's top card), bouncer (no excess spills to your Scale from its lane), shieldwall (adjacent allies take 1 less damage), topshelf (only blocked by topshelf), watereddown (loses 1 ATK each of your turns), tabkeeper (settling Tab costs 1 less), toast (drink buffs doubled), oathbound (cannot be sacrificed), bartab (play now, pay later), regular (no tricks — just a regular).
The endless Tavern: after each room, choose 1 of 3 doors — Bouts, Elite Bouts, Drafts, Tribute Shrines, Rests, Tavern Events, and the Dealer's Game. There is no final door.
Death: lose a bout and the Stranger mocks you — but the first loss each descent, he drags you back for one more game. The second loss ends the run.
Sigils — know them by sight
All cards, names, and art are original to The Broken Tavern.