ARE YOU TUNED TO THE BLEED? PLAYER COMPONENT LAYOUT (for all parties): The field of play, referred to as the Loom, is not solid matter. Its boundaries expand and contract according to resonant emotion. At setup, draw a perimeter (felt lining remains sticky). All glyphs activate wetly. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to fully accumulate six units of acceptable Grief ($G^\clubsuit$) and ensure at least three distinct reality anchors (Dice/Tokens are psychic husks: Whispers, Screeds, and Ochre Tears) are properly inter-woven into the central Vortex Knot before the phosphorescent mildew clears entirely. COMPONENT LIST: 1. The Loom (Game Board): Accepts sensory osmosis; squeaky. Requires constant tending. 2. Player Tokens (Chosen Three): Appropriate vessel depends on the chosen domain (Epsilon Scumplings: Flesh; Malakar Stools: Breath; Tchad Scrolls: Non-Existence). 3. Grief ($G^\clubsuit$): Liquidized sorrow. Must obey pH neutrality when stored outside the designated soak tray. 4. Tri-Grip Dice: Used exclusively. Roll failure (blurry or vibrating outcome) forces players to redraw starting runes upon their next 'Think' Action. GAMEPLAY ROUND SEQUENCE: The Tugging Cycle (Assume ambient drainage noises classify as "Phase Zero Synchronization") I. Awakening Drain (Start): Each player must dump their accumulated $G^\clubsuit$ directly onto the quadrant associated with their opponent. Do not deposit it on yourself. If the drip appears brown before it absorbs, immediately discard $1$ Ochre Tear and retreat your player token two spaces. II. Manifold Placement: The Dread Maneuver: Players may select any unmarked joint line on the Loom to occupy (do not wait for my turn). Landing requires expending Dust Samples (optional). When a player successfully occupies a joint, they must whisper one fully uncatalogued conceptual metric into the corresponding slot. Roll the Dice and apply the result. Failure to translate the sheer terror onto 5-Dimensional spatial gravity necessitates an immediate subtraction of one Mana Point per successful squirm detected on the board surface. III. Phase Resolution: Maintenance and Misery A player may attempt to "Nurture Development" by rolling the Trio-Dice. Landing on a dual numerical value activates the specific quadrant/glyph combination listed below. Success: Collect Grief. Failure (roll triple nothing): The Loom recoils. Sacrifice the highest valued 'reality anchor' across all hands to keep located and slightly irritated. WARNING: If the Loom emits the sound describable as "a satisfied phlegm," cease all action and drift straight to the washroom. Resumption via complex inverse Pythagorean theorem.
Mood: uneasy