Wreck This Deck
A downloadable game
My name is Jackie Farley, my True Name is Jax and I’m a Deck Runner.
If you are reading this then I guess you want to run a Deck too. I can tell you what I know, give you a head start and maybe keep your soul intact. I don’t know everything. But better you learn it from me and not some corporate-branded social account, that’ll just get you killed.
Wreck This Deck is a dark urban fantasy game of solo journaling, demon summoning and deck crafting. Summon and bind demons into your Demon Deck, defacing the cards as you go. Demon summoning is dangerous and you're bound to get into some sticky situations as you play but it's nothing you can't handle - right?
In Wreck This Deck you will:
- Delve into dark knowledge and live life on the edge as a demon-summoning deck runner.
- Bind demons into your haunted deck, wielding their strength for yourself.
- Modify playing cards, creating a personalized deck spattered with paint, blood and sigils.
- Unleash the power of your demon deck to fight corporations, right injustice and protect your community.
There's a community of Deck Runners out there using the hashtag #WreckThisDeckRPG if you need help. Or just want to drool over some beautiful wrecked cards.
This is the digital (PDF) version of the game.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $12.50 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
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How would this work with a set of tarot cards?
there's some really neat dark themed tarot decks but i don't know if the cards are too "busy" for it to look good
I've done it with both normal and tarot cards. Tarot cards can look more busy and take more work to wreck but it is doable. When I did it I used more paint on the cards and played around with altering the images more.
If you just write on them with a sharpie like you can on the playing cards it can get a bit lost.
Will there be community copies?
I have many questions:
I feel like I've gone in with completely the wrong expectations.
Hiya! Most of this is "it's up to you" but here are some answers anyway!
1. Usually people play this as close to our world, except with playing card-based demon summoning in it.
2. Usually it's an invented character, though you could always play someone who shares your name and background, if you wish. The downside there is that you may find yourself doing stuff like putting hexes on real people, which we wouldn't really advise doing.
3. Hmmm. That's kind of an in character decision I guess? I'm not sure what Jax would say about that. What I will point out is that if you keep the extra Jokers, you'll have a greater chance of being magically attacked and/or contacted by another deck runner, because that's what those cards do.
4. It's entirely open-ended. Wreck This Deck is the kind of game you can play as a short, as a lengthy campaign or dip into when you feel like it. There's nothing in the game that gets in the way of any of these approaches.
5. You decide what each card draw and prompt means. You could end up deciding that something has gone so badly wrong that your character quits as a deck runner, or dies. Similarly you might decide that you "lost" an individual challenge in your deck runner's life. But that is up to you, to interpret what the cards are telling you about your story.
6. The only thing you have to perform is the annotating of the cards and writing your journal, since the game won't really work without this. Some people like to perform in character rituals or other physical actions associated with annotating the cards. (For instance, we have a Wreck This Deck card in our freezer at the moment.) You can go beyond that, but there aren't any rules in the game for doing so and all the usual warnings about emotional bleed and so forth in relation to live action roleplaying apply. In short: if you have never Larped before, it might be an idea to read around it a bit before diving in, as this could be quite an intense experience!
What do y'all use to write and draw on the cards? I'm using a standard Bicycle deck and I tried using ultra fine point sharpies but they just stopped working before I even finished the sigils on the jokers.
Hiya - I've used sharpie myself, but you might want to check into the various communities online where you can get loads of tips:
Oh awesome! Thank you so much
There are a lot of ideas and resources for this on both the facebook group and the discord.
Personally I like to prep my cards with gesso first. But I also find that the thicker sharpies tend to work just fine
no answer means no. it's an odd thing to ask when the creator has chosen not to offer community copies in the first place.
Sooo, in other words...you stole it because the creator wouldn't give it to you for free? And then posted about stealing it on the creator's own page for the game?
Wreck This Deck has consumed my brain, I love it so much! It's just so fun to take a deck of cards and make them your own, and the creativity it inspires is something else! It's a solo game, but also the community around it is so fun and amazing!
Play this game! Wreck a deck! Summon a demon, it will work out just fine I promise!
Great game! I love altering the cards in the name of telling a good story. It is detailed without being stifling or locking you in on the details. I highly recommend it!!
2020 changed everything. The bad stuff was already there... but before, people were used to it. And I can't believe I'm saying this, given who I am and who I've been in my life, but I'm ready to believe in something.
My name is Mary Carpenter. I go by May. My true name is Red. And I'm a Deck Runner.
Wreck This Deck was so legitimately inspiring to me that I went and hand-bound the pre-print version my friend showed me. This game is rough, it's ready, and it's here to remind you what play - real play - feels like.
It feels like making something new.
If you'd like to hear an example of play, I recorded a play session based on my first reading. If you're into magic, witchcraft, fortunetelling, creative play, or character roleplaying at all, it's worth your time to check this game out. Find a deck (storebought is fine) and start creating.
Blessed are the Deck Runners.
See you on the other side.
I played this game on several episodes of my podcast, Alone at the Table, while the crowdfunding campaign was ongoing!
I really cannot speak highly enough of it. Defacing a deck of cards is both catharsis and art; it is game and ritual. There's a hugely supportive community on discord and I love intertwining my character's story with others'! Becky's made something really special here and I don't think I've encountered anything like it in all the solo games I've played.