The Game

Gods Forsaken casts the players as Old Gods, deities brought to America by the people who settled the land and continued to believe. By telling stories and listening to them, Old Gods will gain belief and establish a shared history together. The three gods with the most belief at the end of the game survive into the modern era, but as time passes, belief shifts. As America comes into a new age, New Gods arise, competing with the players for belief and a chance at victory.

The Mechanics

Old Gods and Worship: Players choose an Old God to play as at the start of the game. Each Old God has three worship categories that they gain belief from. Each player draws a card for each of their worship categories from the corresponding deck, gaining a unique worship trigger that they keep hidden from the other gods.

Telling Stories: The players go through three centuries of America, each represented by a deck of story cards. Players take turns drawing story cards, recieving narrative prompts that they must make up a story based on, answering questions and developing the ongoing story of America. Other players must listen closely, for if their worship trigger is mentioned as part of the story, they can gain belief when the story ends.

Stories, Fonts, and New Gods: Not all story cards are the same, and not all cards are stories. Minor stories grant one belief per worship trigger, while Major stories grant three. In addition to stories, players can draw Fonts, a source of power from somewhere in America that must be auctioned off to the Old Gods, and New Gods, deities that have arisen a new American age and act as players in their own right. Fonts grant new powers and abilities to the Old Gods, and New Gods gain belief and compete with the players to win the game.