Mechanics

Single Loser Game • Trick-Taking • Turn Order: Claim Action

Game Overview

You are a potential Chosen One, foretold to save the world. But fulfilling the prophecy means becoming a living statue… forever. And who wants that?… So… try not to win.
In Destined To Fail, players compete to not fulfill their destiny. The first to reach 20 Glory loses. Everyone else? Glorious failures. Survivors. Winners.

Objective

• Play tricks over multiple rounds.
• Gain or lose Glory depending on prophecy outcomes and trick effects.
• The first player to reach 20 Glory is declared the Chosen One and loses.
• All other players win.

Components

• Main Deck (56 cards):
  • Cards numbered 1–7 (7 copies each)
  • 7 Orb cards
  • Suits: 1 Sun, 1 Moon, 1 Star, 2 Hands, 2 Eyes
• Trump Deck (16 cards):
  • 4 cards each of Sun, Moon, Star, Orb
  • Each with a unique round effect
• Prophecy Tokens (21 total):
  • 7 tokens each of value 0, 1, and 2
• Prophecy Token Bag
• Fate Die:
  • Special die: 2 blank sides, 2 sides with 1, 2 sides with 2
• Score Trackers

Setup

1. Main Deck Preparation:

• • Keep all cards numbered 1 through X, where X = number of players (ex: a 4-player game would have all cards numbered 1 through 4)
  • Include 1 Orb card per player
  • Shuffle to form the Main Deck
  • Place all unused cards in the box. They will not be used in the game.

1. Prophecy Tokens:

• • Use 1 of each token value (0, 1, 2) per player
  • Place them in the Prophecy Bag
  • Place all unused tokens in the box. They will not be used in the game.

1. Trump Deck:

• • Shuffle and set nearby

1. Other Setup:

• • Place the Score Trackers and Fate Die within reach
  • Designate a random player to go first

Gameplay Flow

Beginning of the Round

• Deal 7 cards to each player
• Reveal the remaining cards face-up in the Forsaken Row (these cards will not be used this round)
• Each player draws 1 Prophecy Token secretly
• Reveal the top Trump card and apply its effect
  • The suit shown becomes Trump (except when the Orb suit is drawn: see below)

Trick Phase

Play 5 tricks per round. After that, players will have 2 cards remaining.

• The player who won the last trick leads the next
• For the first round, the starting player is chosen randomly
• For the beginning of the new round, the player who won the last trick the last round leads

Standard Trick Rules:

• Players must follow suit if able
• If unable to follow suit, any card may be played
• Trump cards beat all non-Trump cards
• Orb cards beat everything, including Trump
• Ties are broken by the last player to play the tie card winning the trick

If an Orb Card Leads a Trick:

• The trick becomes suitless
• All players may play any card
• The Orb lead automatically wins the trick unless another Orb is played (see tie breaking above)

Suit Powers:

• If the winning card is a:
  • Hands of Fate: The player that won the trick with the Hands of Fate gains +2 Glory
  • Eyes of Destiny: The player that won the trick with the Eyes of Destiny gives the trick to another player. That player is considered the winner of the trick.
• These effects only apply if the winning card itself is a Hands of Fate or Eyes of Destiny. Just playing the card will not trigger the effect.
  • Ex: Player plays a Hand of Fate, the next player plays a Trump card and wins the trick. The Hands of Fate effect IS NOT triggered.

End of the Round

Prophecy Scoring:

Compare your actual number of tricks won to your Prophecy Token value:

• Exact match = +2 Glory
• Missed by 1 = +1 Glory
• Missed by 2 = 0 Glory
• Missed by 3 = +3 Glory

Some Trump effects modify this. See the Trump Card Reference below.

Leftover Cards:

• Players reveal the remaining 2 cards
• Add their values together
• The player(s) with the highest total must roll the Fate Die (if a tie all players tied roll the Fate Die)
  • Orb cards are worth 0 in leftover scoring
    For example: Orb + 6 = 6 total

Cleanup:

• Discard the revealed Trump card
• Return all Prophecy Tokens to the bag
• Collect and shuffle the Main Deck (including Forsaken Row)
• Player who won the last trick shuffles and deals the next round

Ending the Game

• When any player gains 20 or more Glory, the game ends immediately – even mid-round
• That player becomes the Chosen One and loses
• All other players win

Orb Card Rules

• Orb cards may be played at any time, even if the player could follow suit
• They are considered suitless if played by lead player
• Orb cards beat all other cards, including Trump
• If multiple Orbs are played in a trick, the last Orb played wins
• Orb cards are worth 0 in leftover card scoring
• Players may hold multiple Orb cards unless restricted by a Trump effect

Trump Card Reference

When a Trump card is revealed, its suit becomes the Trump for the round, and its effect applies immediately.

MOON Effects

• Prophecy Curse – Scoring is reversed: Exact Match = 0, Missed by 1 = +1 Glory, Missed by 2, 4, or 5 = +2 Glory, Missed by 3: -3 Glory
• Reveal – All Prophecy Tokens are revealed face-up this round
• Lunacy – Follow-suit rule is removed. Highest card wins trick.
• Moonlight Exchange – After winning a trick, you must exchange one card with the Forsaken Row

SUN Effects

• The Chosen Revealed – Player(s) with the most Glory play with their hand face-up
• Solar Flare – Eyes of Destiny cards lose their ability. Ignore the printed text
• Sunstrike – Hands of Fate give +3 Glory instead of +2
• Purifying Light – All players discard 1 card to the Forsaken Row before the round starts

STAR Effects

• Double Prophecy – Draw 2 Prophecy Tokens, keep 1, return 1 back to the bag
• Echoes of the Future – Lead player must declare if they will win or lose the trick before playing a card
  • Correct = +1 Glory, Incorrect = roll Fate Die
• Starlight Wonder – If a player wins the trick with a Stars card roll the Fate Die
• Constellation Collapse – Shuffle leftover cards and redistribute. Continue the Leftover Card phase

ORB Effects

Note: When an Orb Trump is drawn, there is no Trump suit this round.

• Restricted Power – Replace all Orb cards in hand with cards from the Forsaken Row
• Fractured Reality – Lowest card wins each trick
• Unstable Power – After each trick, all players pass 1 card to the left
• Absolute Chaos – All players (except lead) play face-down, then reveal