A Strategic Tabletop Game of Ideas, Influence, and Intellectual Warfare

Overview

In Moral Kombat, players embody great philosophers or philosophical schools, vying to accumulate the most Followers by spreading their Ideas, debating rivals, and tactically asserting their doctrines. Through persuasion, wit, and cunning, players engage in an ideological war to achieve epistemic domination.

Game Components

• 8–12 Philosopher Boards (e.g., Plato, Nietzsche, Confucius, Kant, Hume, etc.)

• 100+ Idea Cards divided by philosophical themes (Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Politics, Aesthetics, etc.)

• 60 Follower Tokens

• 1 Main Debate Board

• 1 Epoch Dial (tracks rounds/phases)

• 40 Argument Tokens (used to fuel debates)

• 30 Contradiction Cards

• 6 School Bonus Tiles (e.g., Rationalism, Empiricism, Existentialism)

• 1 six-sided Dialectic Die

• Rulebook

Objective

To be the first player to gain 12 Follower tokens, representing epistemic dominance over the realm of human thought.

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Setup

1. Each player chooses or is randomly assigned a Philosopher Board and takes the matching starting resources:

• 2 Argument Tokens

• 1 Idea Card from each of two domains related to their philosopher

• 1 School Bonus Tile (if a specific school, e.g., Stoicism, is in play)

2. Shuffle the Idea Decks by category and place them near the board.

3. Place the Epoch Dial on Phase 1.

4. Place the Follower Tokens in a common pool.

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Turn Structure

Each round consists of four phases, tracked by the Epoch Dial:

1. Reflection Phase

• Draw 2 Idea Cards (or 3 and discard 1 if you control more than 5 Followers).

• Gain 1 Argument Token.

2. Assertion Phase

• Play Idea Cards into your “Canon” (your tableau of established ideas).

• Max 1 Idea per category per turn.

• Each card costs Argument Tokens (1–3 based on power level).

3. Debate Phase

Players may challenge another philosopher to a Debate.

Debate Mechanics

• Challenger declares a domain (e.g., Ethics).

• Each player selects 1 Idea from that domain in their Canon.

• Roll the Dialectic Die and add:

• +1 for relevant School Bonus

• +1 per supporting Idea in the same domain

• +1 if you play a Contradiction Card that targets opponent’s Idea

• Winner steals 1 Follower OR forces the opponent to discard an Idea from their Canon.

Note: Each player may only engage in one debate per turn.

4. Influence Phase

• If a player controls:

• 3 Ideas in one domain → Gain 1 Follower

• Ideas from 5 different domains → Gain 2 Followers

• Win 3 debates total → Gain 1 Follower

Reset any used abilities or temporary effects.

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Philosopher Powers

Each philosopher has a unique passive ability (always-on) and a powerful once-per-game “Thought Bomb.”

Examples:

• Nietzsche: Passive — Gains +1 to all debates in the Ethics domain.

Thought Bomb — “God is Dead”: Erase one entire opponent’s Canon for one round.

• Kant: Passive — Can play two Epistemology Ideas per turn.

Thought Bomb — “Categorical Imperative”: Force all opponents to discard any Idea that fails a universal test.

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Contradiction Cards

Can be played during debates or the Assertion Phase to:

• Cancel an opponent’s Idea

• Reverse a debate result

• Force discard or restrict domains for a turn

Limit: 2 held in hand. Draw one when you lose a debate.

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Victory Conditions

A player immediately wins if they:

• Control 12 Followers at the end of any Influence Phase.

• OR are the last player with a functioning Canon (others eliminated or wiped by contradictions).

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Optional Modes

Team Play

Players form alliances as philosophical “schools.” Combine Canons and debate together. First team to 20 total Followers wins.

Timed Epochs

Set a timer per phase or for the entire game (e.g., 60 min max). Whoever has the most Followers at time’s end wins.

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Tone and Style

Though strategic, Moral Kombat is intended to be humorous and thought-provoking. Use real philosophical quotes on cards, encourage playful banter in debates, and reward clever uses of logic or rhetoric.

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Example Cards

Ethics – Utilitarian Calculus

Cost: 2

Effect: +1 to debates if you control more than 3 Followers.

Metaphysics – The Allegory of the Cave

Cost: 3

Effect: Once per game, prevent an opponent from playing Ideas in the next round.

Contradiction – Ad Hominem

Play during a debate. Opponent loses all bonuses from their School Bonus this round.

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