1. The Setup

The Supplies

Per ritual circle: Build one card pool for that circle only. Use 1 standard deck (52 cards) for every 2 players in the circle, plus Jokers as below—the same math scales to any group size. We recommend up to 8 players per circle; with 9 or more at the table, split into separate circles (each with its own pool and Dark—see Large groups & Final Ritual). You can run one larger circle if you prefer; the rules still work, but rounds get long. A Final Ritual uses a fresh pool sized for the Last Lit who advance, not the combined piles from every circle.

• Jokers in the pool (players in this circle):
  • 1–2 players: 2 Jokers
  • 3–4 players: 4 Jokers
  • 5–6 players: 6 Jokers
  • 7–8 players: 8 Jokers
• Decks (players in this circle):
  • 2 players: 1 deck
  • 3–4 players: 2 decks
  • 5–6 players: 3 decks
  • 7–8 players: 4 decks
• The Shuffle: Shuffle that circle’s decks and Jokers together into one pool. Deal from it as in The Circle & The Start below.
• Large gatherings: Repeat the same supplies math for each circle (e.g. 9 players → recommended split 5 + 4: the circle of 5 uses 3 decks and 6 Jokers; the circle of 4 uses 2 decks and 4 Jokers). You may also run all 9 at one table (5 decks, 10 Jokers)—see circle size below—but splitting from 9+ is usually better.
• Optional — haunter markers: A pile of small matching pieces per player (same colour beads, same coin type, etc.—one style per person, many pieces each). Needed only when The Voodoo Doll, The Clown, The Sealbinder, or The Plague is in the circle—or whenever you want left/right Shadow to stay clear after Mirror/Possess. See Tracking who Haunted whom.

Card backs

The game uses three card-back designs so you can tell decks apart:

The Circle & The Start

1. Sit in a circle.
2. Deal exactly 27 cards (half a deck) to each player. This is your Candle.
3. Place any remaining undealt cards Face Up into THE DARK (Discard Pile) to start the game.
4. Each player draws 3 cards from their Candle into their hand; this is their starting hand.
5. Turn order: Decide who goes first (class selection follows this order; see Class selection below).
   • Physical (choose one tiebreaker): Last person to light a candle; or last to tell a ghost story; or last to watch a horror movie; or The Chilling Touch (coldest hands). The player who wins that tiebreaker then chooses whether to go first (pick first in class selection and act first each round) or go last (pick last in class selection and act last each round). Both have advantages and disadvantages.
   • Digital / online: Agree who won the tiebreaker at the table, then select that player and whether they go first or last; or use Random.
6. RITUAL CIRCLE SIZE (recommended max 8):
   • Each ritual circle plays best with up to 8 players, with one person acting at a time (clockwise).
   • With 9 or more at the table, we recommend splitting into separate circles (each with its own Dark and turn order). See Large groups & Final Ritual.
   • You can run a single circle with more than 8 if you prefer—nothing breaks—but rounds grow long and the table feels slower; splitting is usually better.

Consumed by the Darkness (Empty Candle)

You are Consumed by the Darkness only when your Candle is empty at one of these two checks:

• The Draw: At the start of your turn, after the Haunting, you must Draw 1 from your Candle. If it is empty, you are Consumed.
• Am I Alive? At the end of your turn, after The Burden, if your Candle is empty, you are Consumed.

Running out of cards during the Haunting, mid-action, or on another player’s turn does not eliminate you on the spot—you are checked at Draw or at the end of your turn only.

Possession

Possession works differently from an empty Candle. You are not eliminated the moment a ghost is added outside your turn. Possession is checked only at the end of your turn (after your one action and The Burden).

• At the end of your turn, if you have 3 or more ghosts of the same suit in your Shadow (Walls do not count), you are Possessed and lose. The Sufferer needs 4 of the same suit.
• Ghosts added outside your turn (Haunt, BOO!, Possess, Plague, ghosts from a dead player, etc.) do not eliminate you on the spot. If you ended your previous turn below the threshold and opponents push you to (or past) the threshold before your next turn, you still get that turn to Banish, Cleanse, or otherwise answer the threat.

Class Selection

The Calling

Once turn order is set, each player chooses a class. Class selection follows turn order: the player who goes first picks first, then the next in order, and so on. Each is offered 3 random classes and chooses one (the last to pick sees all previous choices—a minor advantage). The tiebreaker winner may choose to go first or last when setting turn order.

2-player games: These classes are excluded from the 2-player pool because they play poorly or feel unsatisfying with only 2 players: The Mime, The Watcher, The Plague, The Vulture, plus The Lich and The Gravedigger (death/neighbour effects need a larger circle). The digital game and the Random Selector below remove them automatically when you choose 2 players.

4+ players: The Occultist (Possess any player, not just neighbours), The Witness (win-condition pressure needs a larger circle), and The Funeral Bell (death ripple needs enough players at the table) require at least 4 players. They are excluded from 2- and 3-player pools.

Classes available by group size

• Choose player count for the pool: Use the table above. For 2 players use the restricted pool (29 classes). For 3 players, 35 classes. For 4 or more, all 38.
• Digital: The game uses the correct pool automatically (2 = restricted; 3 = 35; 4+ = all 38). Turn order is decided first, then class selection follows that order.

Class selection tool

First choose how many players (this sets the class pool):

2 players (29 classes) 3 players (35 classes) 4+ players (38 classes)

Choose a pool above, then draw or track.

Reset Ritual

Random selector Track manually

Draw 3 Classes

Each draw shows three classes with card art and rules text. Click a card image to zoom; use Choose this class when you are ready.

Class A

...

Choose this class

Class B

...

Choose this class

Class C

...

Choose this class

2. The Ritual Circle

Who plays when: One player takes a full turn at a time (Haunting, Draw, one Ritual action, Discard), then play passes clockwise to the next player still Lit. Up to 8 players per circle is recommended; you can play with more at one table if you wish. From 9+, splitting into separate circles is usually better (see Large groups & Final Ritual). The diagrams below show seating; ❄️ marks a typical starter.

Shadow layout (3+ players): In games with three or more players, each player’s Shadow is shown split: ghosts on the left are from your left neighbour (who Haunted you from that side), and ghosts on the right are from your right neighbour. This lets you see at a glance who Haunted which ghost; especially useful for classes like The Sealbinder (whose Haunted ghosts cannot be moved with Possess or Mirror, or Recalled) or The Clown (whose Haunted ghosts can only be Banished by Face or Cleanse). In a 2‑player game there is only one opponent, so the Shadow is a single zone.

3. The Passage of Time

Neighbours

The two players immediately to your left and right in the circle. Most effects target one neighbour unless a card says otherwise (e.g. Drain (4) hits all neighbours).

Shadow

The player area in front of you where ghost cards reside. Place ghosts vertically (portrait) in the Shadow and Walls horizontally (landscape) so ghosts and Walls are easy to tell apart. For each ghost there, you Burn one card from your Candle at the start of your turn. At a physical table, consider a pile of markers per player (one on each Haunted ghost) when The Voodoo Doll, The Clown, The Sealbinder, or The Plague are in play.

Burn

Take the top card of your Candle and put it face up on top of The Dark.

Suit tier

For tie-breaking: ♠ > ♥ > ♣ > ♦ (Spades, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds).

The Haunting

Look at your Shadow. The Haunting phase can be skipped if you invoke the Ace (Reprieve) at the start of your turn: play the Ace to skip Burning this turn, then Draw and perform the Ritual as normal.

If you have any ghosts in your Shadow, choose once before you Burn:

• Endure — Burn one card from your Candle for each ghost (face up on top of The Dark), then continue your turn.
• Panic — Choose one ghost in your Shadow and reveal the top card of your Candle (you do not look first). Compare: number cards use rank (Ace = 1); J, Q, K count as 10; face-rank ghosts count as 10. Higher or equal = success (ghost and revealed card to The Dark). Lower = failure (ghost stays; revealed card becomes a new ghost). Then Burn for any ghosts still in your Shadow. You may Panic at most once per turn.

Joker (Panic): Instant success; you siphon the ghost (unless it is a Spade). Walls: You cannot Panic against a Wall (The Cryptkeeper).

If you have no ghosts, there is no Burning—proceed to The Draw.

The Draw

Draw 1 card from the top of your Candle into your hand.

The Ritual

Perform exactly one of the following actions, or Abstain:

The Burden

Discard down to your hand limit (usually 5 cards).

Am I Alive?

Candle check: If your Candle is empty at the end of your turn, you are Consumed by the Darkness and are eliminated (see Consumed by the Darkness).

Possession check: See Possession.

When you die: When you are eliminated (Consumed or Possessed), any ghosts in your Shadow are split evenly between your two neighbours. If the number is odd, you decide who gets the extra ghost. See FAQ: When a player is eliminated for details.

Note: An empty Candle eliminates you only at The Draw or Am I Alive? (see Consumed by the Darkness).

4. The Grimoire

Card art shown is ♠ Spades only. Effects are the same for all suits.

Card	Rank	Name	Effect
	A or 1	REPRIEVE	At the start of your turn you may play the Ace to skip the Haunting phase (you do not Burn this turn); you then Draw and perform the Ritual as normal.
	2	GREED	Choose any player (including yourself). They draw 2 cards from their Candle to their hand. You then perform an additional Ritual action this turn.
	3	SCARE	Choose a neighbour. They shuffle their hand and blindly discard 2 cards to The Dark.
	4	DRAIN	Take the top two cards from each neighbour's Candle and place them on your Candle.
	5	SALT	Reaction: Cancel any player’s Action (except the Ace); your Salt and their card go to The Dark (see Salt section below).
	6	SIGHT	Choose a neighbour; view their hand and take two cards of your choice to your hand.
	7	CLEANSE	Banish 1 ghost from your Shadow (to the top of The Dark, or to the bottom of your Candle if Siphon: your 7’s suit matches the ghost’s suit; ♠ cannot be Siphoned).
	8	RECALL	Take a ghost from any Shadow and add it to your hand.
	9	POSSESS	Move a ghost from your Shadow to a neighbour's Shadow.
	10	REKINDLE	Take the top 3 cards from The Dark, add them to your Candle, then shuffle your Candle.
	J	MIRROR	Choose a neighbour and swap your Shadow with their Shadow.
	Q	MEDIUM	Choose: search The Dark and take 1 card of your choice to your hand (number cards or face cards J, Q, K; not a Joker), OR take the bottom 2 cards from The Dark without searching, add them to your Candle, then shuffle your Candle.
	K	PURGE	Banish all ghosts in your Shadow (to the top of The Dark; Siphon if suit matches the King’s suit and not Spades; Siphoned ghost to bottom of your Candle).
	JOKER	BOO!	Each other player Burns from the top of their Candle until they reveal a number card (burned cards go to the top of The Dark; the number card becomes a ghost in their Shadow). Each targeted player may use their own Salt to avoid the Burn for themselves only.

Quick reference (card effects)

Compact list for quick lookup.

5. The Classes

Classes are grouped by which pool they belong to. Use the filters to show only classes legal for your player count.

6. FAQ & Edge Cases

When in doubt: If a rule could be read more than one way, choose the reading that denies an advantage: rule against whoever would benefit from the ambiguity, or in favour of whoever is defending or being targeted.

Haunting and class exceptions

• Can any class Haunt with a face card or Joker? By default, no; only number cards (A–10) are valid for Haunt. Face cards mean J, Q, and K only. Jokers are separate (Summoned for BOO!, not treated as face cards). The Warlock may Haunt with a face card or Joker instead of Summoning it; each counts as strength 10.
• Face cards vs Jokers (quick reference): J, Q, and K are face cards (Banish as 10, or Summon for Mirror/Medium/Purge). Jokers are not face cards; they are Summoned for BOO! only, unless you are The Warlock.

The Haunting (Walls)

• Walls and Burn: During The Haunting, you Burn one card from your Candle for each ghost in your Shadow. Walls (The Cryptkeeper) are not ghosts for this purpose; they do not add an extra Burn. Walls also do not count toward Possession. See Edge cases: Walls (The Cryptkeeper). Convention: ghosts vertical, Walls horizontal in the Shadow (see Shadow in The Passage of Time).

Banish (how you remove Ghosts)

• Banish = play one card from your hand onto one Ghost in your Shadow.
• Your card must have equal or higher value than the Ghost; on a tie, suit tier breaks it: Spades ♠ > Hearts ♥ > Clubs ♣ > Diamonds ♦.
• You may Banish with a face card (J, Q, K): they count as value 10; suit tier breaks ties. The same cards can be Summoned instead for Mirror, Medium, or Purge; see Edge cases: Banish vs The Clown for number-Banish restrictions on certain ghosts.
• The Ghost is banished. If rank matched (or, for Cleanse 7, suit matched) and the Ghost wasn’t a Spade, you Siphon it (Ghost goes to the bottom of your Candle; see Siphon below).

Siphon

Siphon is one of the rules: when you remove a Ghost from your Shadow in the right way, you can Heal: put that Ghost on the bottom of your Candle instead of sending it to The Dark. You get a card back; your Candle lasts longer.

• When do I Siphon? When you Banish a Ghost: play a card from your hand that meets or beats the Ghost (value, and suit tier on a tie). If your card’s rank matches the Ghost’s rank (e.g. your 7♥ on a 7♣ Ghost), you Siphon: the Ghost goes to the bottom of your Candle. If the ranks don’t match, you still banish the Ghost but it goes to the top of The Dark (no heal).
• Siphon when suits match (Cleanse 7): When you Banish a Ghost with a 7 (Cleanse), you can also Siphon if your card’s suit matches the Ghost’s suit (e.g. 7♥ on a 3♥ Ghost), the Ghost goes to the bottom of your Candle. Spades ♠ still cannot be Siphoned; only Hearts ♥, Clubs ♣, and Diamonds ♦.
• Same rank and same suit (e.g. 7♥ on 7♥): In games with 3 or more players, you use multiple decks, so two identical cards can exist. You can Banish a 7♥ Ghost with your 7♥ (equal value). Since rank matches and suits match, you Siphon; the Ghost goes to the bottom of your Candle. Not if the Ghost is a Spade ♠.
• Face-rank ghost (J, Q, K) in your Shadow: If a Haunt (or another effect) put a face card in your Shadow as a ghost, treat its rank as J, Q, or K. You can Banish it with a 10 or with any face card (J, Q, K count as 10). If your card’s suit matches the ghost’s suit, you Siphon: the ghost goes to the bottom of your Candle. Spades ♠ cannot be Siphoned. (See Haunting and class exceptions for how such ghosts get there.)
• Spades ♠ can never be Siphoned because they are cursed by the darkness. You can Banish a Spade ghost, but it always goes to the top of The Dark. Only Hearts ♥, Clubs ♣, and Diamonds ♦ can be Siphoned (whether by rank match or, with Cleanse, suit match).
• Do I still use my card when I Siphon? Yes. You discard the card you played; only the Ghost is healed to the bottom of your Candle.
• Panic and Joker: If you Panic and flip a Joker, you Siphon the targeted Ghost (unless it’s a Spade); the Joker goes to The Dark.
• Panic failure: If the revealed card is lower than the targeted ghost (after treating J/Q/K as 10 on both sides), the ghost stays and the revealed card becomes a new ghost in your Shadow.

Salt (reaction)

• Salt (5) is a reaction: keep it in hand and, when any player performs an Action, you may reveal Salt to cancel that Action (your Salt and their card go to The Dark; their turn ends). The only Action that cannot be Salted is the Ace (Reprieve); it is played at the start of your turn and is not an Action in the same sense. You can also play the 5 as a normal number card to Haunt (strength 5) instead of saving it for Salt.
• Optional rule: Salt only when targeted: You may agree before play to limit Salt to actions that target you (Haunt, Scare, Drain, Sight, BOO!, etc.).

• What can be Salted? Anyone’s Ritual action can be cancelled by Salt, including King (Purge), Joker (BOO!), Haunt, Scare (3), Drain (4), Sight (6), Rekindle, Flicker, and other card plays that use your action. Exceptions (cannot be Salted): the Ace (Reprieve); The Silence’s actions; The Mimic’s Candle swap (Ability); a completed Hex reflect; and a revealed Grimoire of Rejection cancel. Class Abilities that do not use your Ritual action (e.g. Doomreader, placing Grimoire pages, Mimic) are not Ritual actions and are not Salt targets in the same way.
• When the defender uses Salt: The defender's Salt and the attacker's card both go to the top of The Dark. The attacker's turn ends immediately. The defender does not lose their turn; the interrupt happens during the attacker's turn.
• Counter-Salt: The attacker may respond with their own Salt to "counter" the interrupt. If they do, their Salt and the defender's Salt both go to the top of The Dark, and the defender may interrupt again with another Salt (if they have one). This can repeat as long as both players have Salt in hand. The last player to play Salt decides the outcome: if the defender played last, the action is cancelled (attacker's card and defender's Salt to the top of The Dark, attacker's turn ends). If the attacker played last (or the defender allows), the original action (e.g. Haunt) goes through.

When a player is eliminated (death)

When a player is eliminated (Consumed by the Darkness or Possessed), the ghosts in their Shadow do not vanish; they pass to their neighbours. Distribution is even between their two neighbours:

• Split ghosts evenly between left neighbour and right neighbour (e.g. 4 ghosts → 2 each).
• If the number is odd, the eliminated player decides who gets the extra ghost (e.g. 5 ghosts → 2 to one, 3 to the other; the dead player chooses which neighbour gets 3).
• If they have no ghosts, nothing is passed. If they have only one neighbour (e.g. 2-player game and one just died), all ghosts go to that remaining neighbour.

When a player is eliminated, ghosts from their Shadow pass to neighbours as above. Receiving those ghosts does not cause instant Possession; you are checked at the end of your turn only (see Possession).

Consumed by the Darkness

When does an empty Candle eliminate you? Only at The Draw (cannot draw after the Haunting) or Am I Alive? (end of your turn). See Consumed by the Darkness.

Summary:

• The Draw: After the Haunting, if your Candle is empty when you must Draw 1, you are Consumed.
• Am I Alive?: At the end of your turn, if your Candle is empty, you are Consumed.
• Not immediate: Burning with an empty Candle, losing cards on another player’s turn (BOO!, Drain, etc.), or spending your last cards mid-action does not eliminate you until one of the two checks above.

Possession

See Possession in setup for the full rule. In short: checked at end of your turn only; ghosts added on other players’ turns give you until your turn ends to answer.

Cast vs Summon

• You Cast number cards (A or 1 through 10): discard the card to The Dark to use its effect (see the Grimoire).
• You Summon face cards (J, Q, K) and Jokers: discard to The Dark to use the effect. These cards are not used to Haunt; they have unique effects (Mirror, Medium, Purge, BOO!).

Other common questions

• What does “once per turn” mean? For your own abilities (e.g. The Pyromaniac’s burn, The Doomreader’s banish), it means once per your turn; it resets at the start of your next turn. Reactions to someone else’s Haunt (e.g. The Unseen or The Hex) happen when that Haunt is played—you do not need a separate “once per turn” rule for those.
• What if I can’t play a valid action? You may Abstain from your Ritual action. This is especially common when your hand is all face cards and Jokers and your class does not allow Haunting with them (see Haunting and class exceptions).
• The Silence and Salt: The Silence's actions cannot be interrupted by Salt (5), including when they Summon BOO! (Joker). If The Silence plays a Joker, defenders cannot Salt it.
• Salt vs BOO! (Joker): When someone plays BOO! (Joker), each other player is targeted separately. Each of those players must Burn until they reveal a number (that number becomes a Ghost in their Shadow), unless they use their own Salt. Each person who wants to avoid the Burn must Salt the BOO! themselves: your Salt only protects you, not the other players. If you use Salt when BOO! targets you, your Salt goes to The Dark and the BOO! has no effect on you (you do not Burn). The only exception is The Silence; if they played the Joker, no one can Salt it.
• The Mime and Salt: When The Mime redirects a Haunt to you (you are their other neighbour), that redirect is an action targeting you. You may use Salt (5) to cancel it: your Salt and the Mime’s discarded card go to The Dark, and the ghost does not enter your Shadow (it stays in The Mime’s Shadow).
• The Grimoire of Rejection: Use your Ability to place one card from your hand face-down in your Grimoire (max 3 pages; 1 page per turn; does not use your Ritual action). Reserved pages are kept beside your class card and do not count toward hand size. When a neighbour plays a card as their Ritual action, you may reveal a page whose rank matches (e.g. your tucked 5♣ rejects their 5♥). Cancel that play: both cards go to The Dark. That page is removed; other pages stay. The cancel cannot be interrupted by Salt. You may still perform a Ritual action on the same turn you add a page.
• The Voodoo Doll: When you burn during the Haunting, the reflection strikes: for each ghost in your Shadow that is Spades ♠, Clubs ♣, or Diamonds ♦ (put there by a Haunt), the player who Haunted that ghost must also Burn 1. Hearts ♥ have no effect. This repeats each turn while that ghost remains. Mirror (J) and Possess (9) move ghosts without changing who Haunted them—if a reflecting ghost leaves your Shadow and returns (swapped back, possessed back, or mirrored again), the same haunter still Burns.
• Voodoo Doll — Haunt, Mirror, and Possess: Only ghosts Haunted onto you can reflect (tracked haunter). BOO! and other effects that do not Haunt do not reflect. Hearts ♥ do not reflect; you may still Siphon ♥ ghosts with normal Banish/Cleanse rules.
• When a Joker (BOO!) is played, how does the Burn work? Each other player is affected separately: each must Burn from the top of their Candle one card at a time until they reveal a number card (A–10); that number becomes a Ghost in their Shadow. (Face cards and Jokers go to The Dark and they Burn again.) If their Candle runs out before a number, they are not eliminated immediately—they are checked at The Draw or Am I Alive? Each player who wants to avoid the Burn must use their own Salt; one Salt only protects the person who played it, not everyone. (Exception: if The Silence played the Joker, no one can Salt it.)
• If two effects happen at once (e.g. death and “when a neighbour dies”), who resolves first? The active player’s triggers resolve first, then clockwise. If still unclear, rule in favour of the defending player.
• Large groups: do circles ever merge mid-game? No. Each circle keeps its own Dark and turn order. When circles finish, the Last Lit from each (see Large groups & Final Ritual) begin a separate Final Ritual—same classes, fresh Candles, empty Dark—not a merged pile from every table.

Edge cases

• Voodoo Doll + Mirror / Possess / Joker. See FAQ above: when you burn at the Haunting, ♠/♣/♦ Haunted ghosts strike back; ♥ do not. Mirror and Possess keep the original haunter when ghosts move; swapping or possessing back does not clear reflection. BOO! does not Haunt and does not reflect.
• Mirror (J) or Possess (9) vs The Gatekeeper. Blocked; card not spent.
• Recall (8), Possess (9), or Mirror (J) vs The Sealbinder. Ghosts that The Sealbinder Haunted cannot be moved (Possess or Mirror) or returned (Recall). If either Shadow in a Mirror swap contains such a Ghost, the play is blocked; card not spent.
• Banish vs The Clown. Ghosts that The Clown Haunted reject Banish with a number card other than Cast Cleanse (7); the play is blocked. You can still use a Jack, Queen, or King either as Banish (one ghost, value 10) or as Summon (Mirror, Medium, Purge, etc.).
• Walls (The Cryptkeeper). Walls are face-down cards in The Cryptkeeper’s Shadow; lay them horizontally (ghosts in the Shadow stay vertical). They cannot be Banished, Recalled, Cleanse, or Possessed; they can only be discarded by The Cryptkeeper to cancel a Haunt onto them (ghost and Wall both go to The Dark). Walls do not cause Burn; only ghosts do. You cannot Panic against a Wall.
• Mirror (J) vs The Cryptkeeper. The Jack (Mirror) can target The Cryptkeeper. You swap your entire Shadow with theirs, so you can trade your ghosts for their Walls (they get your ghosts; you get their Walls). Walls still cannot be Banished, Recalled, or Cleanse.
• The Exorcist. When you Cast Cleanse (7), choose two ghosts in your Shadow (not one). Both are banished; you always Siphon both to your Candle (♠ still cannot be Siphoned and goes to The Dark).
• The Mimic. Once per game, use your Ability (does not use your Ritual action): choose a neighbour and swap Candles. The swap cannot be prevented by Salt. You may still perform a Ritual action on the same turn.
• The Doomreader. Once per turn, use your Ability (this does not use your Ritual action): discard 1 card to The Dark to banish one ghost from your Shadow to The Dark. No Banish check is required and you cannot Siphon; the ghost is simply banished. You may still perform a Ritual action afterward.
• The Occultist. Your Possess (9) may target any player, not just neighbours. When you Possess to a non-neighbour, add 2 cards from the top of The Dark to the bottom of your Candle (once per turn; if The Dark has only 1 card, you take 1).
• The Priest. When you Banish, take the top card of The Dark into your hand first, including on Siphon. If The Dark is empty, nothing happens.
• The Watcher. When you cast a 6 (Sight), you see both neighbours’ hands and may take up to 2 cards from each (4 total). You may stop early by closing the hand view once you have taken all you want.
• The Usurer. As your action, choose a neighbour; take 2 cards from their hand to yours, then they Draw 1 from their Candle (if any). You do not discard a card and do not give them a card in return.
• The Sadist. When you Cast Scare (3), your chosen neighbour shuffles and blindly discards 3 cards to The Dark (instead of 2). No one chooses which cards—same as a normal Scare, just one more discard.
• The Sufferer. You need 4 ghosts of the same suit in your Shadow to be Possessed (everyone else needs 3).
• Drain (4) vs The Skeptic. The Skeptic is immune to Drain. No cards are taken from that neighbour; the 4 is still discarded to The Dark. Other neighbours are still Drained normally.
• The Plague. When a ghost that The Plague Haunted is Banished (and not Siphoned), it spreads to a neighbour of the Banisher instead of The Dark. Each time it is Banished again, it passes to one of that player’s neighbours. A plagued ghost cannot visit the same player twice; when it cannot spread, it goes to The Dark. The Plague cannot receive their own plagued ghosts.
• The Vulture. When a neighbour dies, add the top 5 cards from The Dark to the bottom of your Candle (if The Dark has fewer than 5, take all that remain).
• The Witness. The Witness cannot win. If only two players remain and one is The Witness, both lose (no winner). In a 2‑player game with The Witness, there is no winner.
• Haunt vs The Unseen. When a neighbour would Haunt The Unseen, they may discard 1 card to The Dark to cancel the Haunt (both cards go to The Dark).
• Haunt vs The Hex. When a neighbour plays a number card (A–10) to Haunt The Hex, they may reveal a matching suit from hand. The Hex's card goes to The Dark; the Haunting card becomes a ghost in the attacker's Shadow instead of The Hex's. A completed reflect cannot be Salted. See below for details.
• Haunt vs The Hex — resolution order. When a Haunt targets The Hex: (1) The Hex may reflect if they hold a matching suit. (2) If they Allow Haunt or have no match, Salt and other blocks (Cryptkeeper Wall, etc.) apply as normal. A successful reflect resolves the Haunt immediately—the ghost never enters The Hex's Shadow.
• Haunt vs The Hex — Warlock face Haunts. The Warlock may Haunt with a face card or Joker (strength 10). That is not a number-card Haunt, so The Hex cannot reflect it. Treat it as a normal Haunt (Salt, Wall, etc.).
• Haunt vs The Hex — Salt. Salt (5) can cancel a Haunt on The Hex before it lands if The Hex does not reflect (or chooses Allow Haunt). Salt and the attacker's Haunt card go to The Dark; the attacker's turn ends. Counter-Salt works as usual. A completed Hex reflect is not an Action and cannot be Salted—the Haunt has already been turned back onto the attacker.
• Haunt vs The Hex — multiple circles. If several ritual circles are playing at once, each Haunt is resolved in its own circle only. Hex, Salt, and other reactions never cross between circles until a Final Ritual begins.
• Haunt vs The Hex — The Mime. If The Mime redirects a Haunt onto The Hex, The Hex reacts as normal. A reflect sends the Haunting card to the original attacker's Shadow (the neighbour who played the Haunt card), not The Mime's—unless The Mime was the one Haunting.
• Haunt vs The Hex — Cryptkeeper Wall. If The Hex Allow Haunt, a Cryptkeeper with a Wall may still block as usual (ghost and Wall to The Dark). A reflect never puts a ghost on The Hex, so Walls are not used for the reflect itself—the ghost goes to the attacker's Shadow.
• Haunt vs The Hex — matching suit. Suit must match exactly (♠ with ♠, ♥ with ♥, etc.). Rank does not matter for the reflect. You need a card of that suit in hand when the Haunt is played; you cannot reflect after the ghost has already landed.
• Haunt vs The Hex — no match in hand. If The Hex has no card of that suit, the ability does not trigger. The Haunt proceeds (Salt, Wall, etc.). Holding only a different suit does not help.
• Haunt vs The Hex — reflected ghost. The ghost in the attacker's Shadow counts for their Haunting (Burn) and Possession like any other ghost. It is treated as a ghost they Haunted onto themselves for tracking (e.g. Voodoo Doll, Plague, Sealbinder rules apply to that ghost on the attacker as usual).
• Hand limit (e.g. The Hoarder 8): Discard down at end of your turn. Effects that add cards can push you over until end of that turn.
• “Top of Candle” effects with no cards: Effect fizzles (e.g. Drain does nothing).

Large groups & Final Ritual

When 9 or more people want to play, we recommend splitting into separate ritual circles. Each circle is its own game: own seating, neighbours, turn order, and The Dark. Only one player acts at a time within each circle.

You can keep everyone in one circle above 8 if you really want—the rules still work—but rounds get long and attention drifts. Splitting into smaller circles (aim for 8 or fewer each) usually feels better.

How to split

Split as evenly as you can. Examples when you divide the group:

For even larger events, use three or more circles the same way (e.g. 20 → 7 + 7 + 6), aiming for 8 or fewer per circle when you can.

The Final Ritual

When each circle ends, do not merge card piles or ghost states mid-game. Instead, gather the Last Lit from each circle into a new Final Ritual:

• Who advances: From each circle, take either the sole player still Lit when that circle ends, or the last two players still Lit (house choice—two per circle makes a fuller Final Ritual).
• Same classes: Each player keeps the class they chose in their circle.
• Fresh flame: Deal new Candles and starting hands as normal for the Final Ritual player count. The Dark starts empty (or as you would for a brand-new game of that size).
• New turn order: Decide order again (tiebreaker, random, or agree at the table).
• Play to one winner: The last player still Lit in the Final Ritual wins the gathering.

This avoids bloated Dark piles from shoving several tables into one economy, and keeps reactions (Salt, Hex, Unseen, etc.) clear because only one person acts at a time.

Digital: The app supports one ritual circle of up to 8 players (our recommended max). For 9+ at a physical table, run separate circles—or one larger circle if your group prefers—then start a new digital game for the Final Ritual with the Last Lit and the same classes.

Full deck: all ranks and suits

Every playing card in the deck, by rank and suit. Click a card to preview it.

Rank	♠ Spades	♥ Hearts	♣ Clubs	♦ Diamonds
A
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
J
Q
K
★ Joker