Playing a Round

Like most games, it is a lot easier to understand a game after seeing it played than it is to read the rules.

This video shows how a round of Principle Dilemma might go down with several of the most famous philosophers and probably the most well known dilemma.

The Trolley Problem

Now that you’ve watched the video, here’s how to play.

For clarifications on these rules, and for a list of FAQ’s, click here.

How to Play

1. The player to the right of the Hero begins by drawing a Dilemma card from the top of the deck and reading it aloud.

2. After hearing the options, the Hero has approximately one minute to contemplate their choice and may read the Dilemma to themselves again if needed.

3. After their minute is up, the Hero must pick either option A or B on the Dilemma card.

4. The Hero must then give a brief description of why they chose this option.

5. Each Trickster must then examine their Deceit cards and choose the one they think will best alter the Dilemma, causing the Hero to change their mind.

6. The Trickster must then place the card they choose face down directly in front of their current position.

7. Once all Tricksters have laid down their cards, the Trickster to the left of the Hero will flip their Deceit card over and will have approximately one minute to explain exactly how their card affects the Dilemma.

8. The Trickster gets one chance to justify their reasoning. There should be no other input from any other players.

9. The Hero must now reconsider the Dilemma, given the alteration the Deceit card has prompted to the story without asking for additional clarification from the Trickster who presented the change.

10. The Hero must once again make a choice (either option A or B) for this new altered Dilemma, which will replace the original one. Once again, the Hero should give a brief description of why they chose that option.

11. If the Hero chooses the same option that they selected in response to the original Dilemma, the Trickster does not get a point, and discards their Deceit card. However, if the Hero chooses the other option, the Trickster receives a point and keeps their Deceit card in a separate pile as an indicator of said point.

12. Repeat this process (steps 7-11) with all subsequent Tricksters until all Tricksters have played their Deceit cards. (More than one Trickster can receive a point in a round. Rounds may also occur in which no Tricksters receive a point.)

13. While each subsequent Trickster plays their Deceit card, they are making alterations to the original Dilemma as if the previous Trickster(s) never played at all.

14. The Dilemma card will then be discarded, and all Tricksters will draw a new Deceit card from the top of the deck to replace the one they used.

All subsequent rounds:

All roles shift one position clockwise and the previous Hero reads the next Dilemma card.

To see the same example of the trolley problem from the video played out, check out this illustrated example.

Now that we know how to play a round, let’s look at the other rules of Principle Dilemma.

Additional Rules

What if I don’t like my hand? - If a Trickster is displeased with their hand, they may discard one of their points along with their hand of Deceit cards and draw five new Deceit cards from the top of the deck. They may do this at any time during the game.

Player disagreements regarding Deceit cards - If players disagree on the creative freedoms a Trickster is taking with a Deceit card, it is up to the collective group to decide how the card may be played. Tricksters may use their Deceit cards to create facts that alter the Dilemma, thereby causing implications, but may not extrapolate other facts from these implications.

Group discussion - A Hero’s moral decision should be their own, and so should the explanation from the Trickster. All players are encouraged to discuss the Dilemma and/or the Deceit cards in any way, as long as it does not hinder anyone's moral freedom in the decision-making process.

(Please wait until the round has ended to discuss/share the input of others regarding the Dilemma/Deceit cards as a group.)

Point via elimination - Circumstances may arise in which a Trickster is able to creatively play a Deceit card that changes the Dilemma in such a way that one of the choices is no longer viable, thereby effectively forcing the Hero to choose the other option. If this is the case, the Trickster is automatically awarded the point, given that the option the Hero is forced to choose is not the choice they originally selected.

Point by forced hand - As stated, the Hero must justify the reason they choose a given option. If the Trickster can alter the Dilemma in such a way that indisputably undermines the Hero’s original argument for their choice, the Trickster is automatically awarded a point.

Obsolete options - It is the goal of the Trickster to prompt the Hero to choose the option they didn’t originally choose. If the Deceit card played by the Trickster changes the options in the Dilemma in a way that renders both options obsolete, the Trickster does not receive a point.

Fringe cases - Not all Deceit cards will pair well with every Dilemma card. It is likely you will come across strange twists that do not seem to make sense and dramatically change the story and the options in the Dilemma. In these cases, it is up to the Hero to decide what the next most likely course of action is and how it would translate to option A and B, as well as the choice they would make now as opposed to their original choice.

House rules - Rules are meant to be broken. Feel free to add or neglect rules or game modes as you please. However, if you do so, make sure everyone is aware of and agrees upon the rule changes before the start of the game.