Heart of the Character Cards • 2018 rpg

Players are researchers for different Mega-Corporations exploring Phobos, a mysterious moon around Mars, a deck of playing cards. Whenever a player performs an action, they draw a card to determine their character's motivation for the upcoming action based on the suit and value, from 2 low to Ace high. The value determines how well the action was executed, not the outcome.

Heart is acting from the heart.
Diamond is acting logically.
Spade is acting for personal gain.
Club is acting for the group.

For example, I notice a mysterious silhouette and draw a Diamond 10. I could take my time (10) to analyze and identify (Diamond) the object. If I drew a Club 2, I clumsily (2) report to the group (Club) about the mysterious object.

The game is over when the cards run out. The player who drew the most cards chooses another player to tell the ending.

Alternatively, this system can be used as a supplement to more traditional RPGs as well. Players draft 13 cards to draw from and reshuffles after every draw. When players have great RP, the GM can give card upgrades (Spade 2 to 3) or a new card associated with the RP.