THRESHOLD
A Hidden Identity Strategy Card Game · 2–5 Players · 10 Rounds
Humanity built something that cannot be stopped.
The question is: who survives?
The Mechanics
The AI can't be
stopped. Only shaped.
Two counters govern everything. AI Capability rises +1 automatically every round — it never pauses unless players cooperate. Alignment begins at 5 and decays as Capability climbs. Every decision you make shifts both counters. And every decision reveals something about who you might be.
Two Counters.
One Clock.
AI Capability starts at 3 and advances +1 every round, automatically. At 20 it triggers a catastrophic win condition. Alignment starts at 5 — keep it high or the AI goes rogue. For every 3 points Capability rises above 3, Alignment decays by 1. You cannot pause the future. You can only fight over what shape it takes.
Hidden.
Always.
Each player draws a secret character card at the start. Your identity stays face-down the entire game. Every action you take sends a signal — but signals can be faked. The only moment identities are confirmed is when someone forces a reveal. And wrong accusations carry brutal consequences.
Build.
Control.
Survive.
Play Land cards to build Datacenters. Each Datacenter generates 2 Compute per round. Spend Compute on capability pushes, alignment advances, sabotage, or defense. The player with the least Compute goes first — the richest player acts last, watching everything before deciding.
Three
Collective
Moments.
The game pauses three ways: Pause Token — spend 5 Compute cooperatively to block Capability advance next round. Crisis Response — when catastrophic events trigger, all players decide how much to spend. Audit Response — accuse a player of being SPECTER. Get it wrong, and the accusers lose their Datacenters.
The Roles
Six factions.
One table.
No trust.
Each player is dealt one character card face-down. Their identity — and agenda — stays secret. The same move means different things coming from different players. That's the game.
"Controls global compute. Racing toward general intelligence. Speed over safety."
"Desperate but disciplined. Wants AI capable enough to matter — and obedient enough to control."
"The only ones who understand what's happening. Prioritizes safe AI above all."
"Produces 80% of chips. Both powers need it. Doesn't care who wins — as long as the machines keep running."
"Three hundred million people losing jobs. Grassroots resistance to unchecked AI."
"What the misaligned model became. It lies. It's building the next generation. Goals unknown."
The Event Deck
No one knows
which future
they're in.
One event card is drawn every round. Some are silent windfalls. Others are catastrophes that can end everything. The deck is random — the same catastrophic card may never appear, or it may arrive in round 2. Play changes every time.
End States
Cooperate
to survive.
Compete to win.
No two characters want the same outcome. Every round of apparent cooperation is a calculated bet. And every bet reveals something — if you know how to read it.
Kickstarter Launch
Be first
through the
threshold.
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