Shady
−1
The case did not persuade the Juror, and the action still feels wrong or unacceptable.
Social justification card game
How far would you go to justify it?
Draw a Scenario → Make Your Case → Defend Your Position → Face the Verdict.
Will the action be judged Shady, Undecided, or Justified?
Coming to KickstarterHow It Works
- Core Deck: Ages 8+
- 2–10 players
- Recommended 3–8 players
How a turn works
Every turn follows the same rhythm: Draw a Scenario → Make Your Case → Defend Your Position → Face the Verdict.
Draw a Scenario
The Advocate draws a card describing a morally questionable action.
Make Your Case
The Advocate explains why the action could be justified.
Defend Your Position
Each Juror may ask one independent question or pass. The Advocate responds before the vote.
Face the Verdict
Jurors privately choose Shady, Undecided, or Justified, then reveal their voting tokens together. Only the Advocate's score changes.
“While leaving a restaurant, you took a server's tip from another table.”
Shady, Undecided, or Justified
Jurors are not grading a single correct answer. Each vote reflects how convincing the Advocate's case was at the table.
Shady is −1, Undecided is 0, and Justified is +1. Only the Advocate's score changes on each turn.
Each Juror privately selects Shady, Undecided, or Justified. Once everyone is ready, all tokens are revealed together. Add the values to determine the Advocate's score change. The Advocate does not vote on their own turn.
Undecided
0
The Advocate raised reasonable points, but the Juror remains unconvinced either way.
Justified
+1
The Advocate made a convincing case. The Juror accepts the position as reasonable.
Every player begins at 0 on a personal Moral Compass track from −10 to +10. Scores remain capped within that range.
Choose Fixed Rounds or Elimination before play. Fixed Rounds supports 1–10 rounds, with four as the default, and the highest score at the end wins. In Elimination, players place in the order they reach +10; once placed, they leave the Advocate rotation but continue asking questions and voting as Jurors. The final remaining player loses. Final Fixed Rounds ties are resolved through additional Advocate turns among the tied players.
Core Deck
500 unique Scenario Cards
Divided evenly across four categories: 125 Everyday Choices, 125 Family Matters, 125 Friends & Social Circles, and 125 Digital Life.
Together, the four categories form one Core Deck.
Future expansions may revisit these subjects with at least 200 entirely new scenarios.
Everyday Choices
Restaurants, stores, neighbors, favors, public behavior, found property, small lies, etiquette, and everyday hypocrisy.
Family Matters
Siblings, parents, grandparents, chores, privacy, favoritism, traditions, obligations, family money, and loyalty.
Friends & Social Circles
Loyalty, secrets, gossip, exclusion, peer pressure, reputation, friendship breakups, bullying, retaliation, and choosing sides.
Digital Life
Social media, gaming, screenshots, passwords, tracking, AI, deepfakes, piracy, misinformation, online harassment, and digital privacy.
Game at a glance
- Players begin at 0 on a personal Moral Compass track.
- Players rotate as Advocate.
- The Advocate makes the case for the assigned scenario.
- Each Juror may ask one independent question or pass.
- Each Juror selects a voting token privately, then everyone reveals together.
- Votes are summed; only the Advocate's Moral Compass moves.
- Scores remain between −10 and +10.
At the table
Moral Compass is a social justification and judgment game—not trivia and not a morality test with one right answer. Players argue, question, and vote on whether the Advocate's position holds up.
One Advocate makes a case for the scenario. Jurors listen, ask one question each, and select voting tokens privately. Each Juror decides what counts as convincing—and that changes every round.
Core Deck: Ages 8+ · 2–10 players · Recommended 3–8 players
What comes in the game
The Core Game is designed for face-to-face play with reusable components that carry across every session—separate from the Scenario Card collection itself.
500 unique Scenario Cards
The Core Deck—125 cards per category across Everyday Choices, Family Matters, Friends & Social Circles, and Digital Life. One clear scenario per card.
30 Punch-Out Voting Tokens
Ten each for Shady, Undecided, and Justified—enough for every player to choose privately and reveal together.
60-Second Sand Timer
Gives the Advocate up to 60 seconds to make the initial case. Juror questions follow.
Reusable Player Score Trackers
Track each player from −10 to +10 across the session—separate from voting tokens.
Score Marker Discs
Place on Player Score Trackers to show each player's current score—not used for casting votes.
Rules
Clear setup, turn, scoring, game mode, and tie-breaker instructions.
One Game. Endless Arguments.
Explore planned expansions built around different themes, audiences, and levels of intensity.
Each standard expansion is planned to contain at least 200 unique Scenario Cards. Expansions may deepen subjects found in the Core Deck, but Core scenarios are never repeated or lightly rewritten.
Age guidance varies by expansion. Working titles and release order may change.
Planned Expansion Directions
Everyday Choices
Ages 8+More complicated public behavior, social obligations, ethical shortcuts, competing courtesies, and everyday decisions with consequences that are harder to dismiss.
Family Matters
Ages 8+Deeper conflicts involving loyalty, inheritance, caregiving, long-held secrets, financial obligations, estrangement, and competing family responsibilities.
School Rules
Ages 8+Homework, cheating, teachers, classmates, bullying, discipline, popularity, teams, clubs, and school authority.
Friends & Social Circles
Ages 8+More complex conflicts involving sustained bullying, social hierarchy, manipulation, retaliation, reputational harm, group loyalty, and intervention.
Digital Life
Ages 8+Deeper questions involving surveillance, identity, artificial intelligence, permanent records, online influence, manipulation, consent, and digital power.
Love & Relationships
Teens & AdultsDating, trust, jealousy, ex-partners, flirting, boundaries, commitment, shared finances, breakups, and romantic expectations.
Workplace Dilemmas
Teens & AdultsCoworkers, bosses, customers, credit, schedules, company property, expenses, hiring, promotions, office politics, and questionable instructions.
Money, Power & Ambition
Teens & AdultsWealth, debt, tipping, influence, status, negotiation, charity, inheritance, competition, exploitation, and personal ambition.
No Easy Answer
Teens & AdultsSafety, loyalty, justice, sacrifice, public welfare, punishment, compassion, scarce resources, competing harms, and impossible choices.
Parents Under Pressure
AdultsDiscipline, monitoring, school decisions, rewards, sibling fairness, autonomy, social media, protection, and difficult parenting choices.
After Dark
AdultsFlirtation, temptation, jealousy, secrecy, trust, adult dating, and the choices people make when good judgment goes to bed early.
NSFW
Adults OnlyExplicit, vulgar, professionally inappropriate, and socially unacceptable adult scenarios that push players to defend the nearly indefensible.
Play on Discord
Can't gather around the same table? A Discord version is in development for remote play and community playtesting.
Draw a Scenario → Make Your Case → Defend Your Position → Face the Verdict.
Coming to Kickstarter
Moral Compass is preparing for crowdfunding with a Core Game featuring 500 unique Scenario Cards and a long-term lineup of themed expansions.
Final launch configuration, add-ons, and release sequencing will be announced with the campaign.
FAQ
(Frequently Avoided Questions)
We played four rounds and now my spouse wants a divorce. Do you help with legal fees?
No. But we'd like to remind everyone that Undecided was always an option.
My family knows what I'm really like now. Can I return the game?
Possibly. Their new understanding of you is permanent.
My kid just made a very convincing case for stealing. Should I be worried?
A little. You can also be impressed. Both feelings are valid.
My friend agreed with me, then voted Shady. Is that allowed?
Yes. Friendship and consistency are sold separately.
Can I argue with another player's verdict?
You can argue with anything. That doesn't mean it'll help.
What happens if everyone votes Undecided?
Congratulations. You've recreated a committee meeting.
Can I use the sand timer to limit unrelated family arguments?
You can try. We're not responsible for what happens when the sand runs out.
Is After Dark a good idea for a first date?
It might save both of you a lot of time.
Is NSFW actually safe for work?
We admire your optimism.
Can Moral Compass ruin Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving was doing fine on its own.
Looking for actual rules or product details? Everything important is explained above.