before · during · after
Disasters:Through the Looking Glass
A 3D board game about how disasters reveal and deepen social inequality. Six chess pieces. Five card decks. Eighty-eight cards. One story you carry to the end.
- 88Cards
- 5Decks
- 11Envelopes
- 8×8Board
- 2–6Players
enter the game
Pick a piece.
Roll the dice.
No account · anonymous · 5-minute setup
chapter i · the cast
Five pieces.
Five powers.
Your envelope reveals a piece. Each piece moves differently, and once per game, draws a power to bend the social order around the table.
Queen
Force Swap
Force any two players to swap their entire hands.
King
Gift & Draw
Give a card to any player, then draw a bonus card.
Rook
Steal
Take one card of your choice from any other player.
Knight
Team Up
Team up with a Pawn — share hands the rest of the game.
Pawn
Pool
Pool cards with up to two other Pawns — all hold the same set.
chapter ii · the deck
Eighty-eight cards,
five voices.
Three decks shape who you are before the storm. One delivers the disaster. One decides how the world responds.
Policy
Insurance · zoning · aid
Structural
Roof · drainage · grid
Socio-Cultural
Language · age · income
Hazard
Hurricane · heat · flood
DRM
Early warning · relief
The first three decks (Policy · Structural · Socio-Cultural) are dealt the moment you open your envelope. Hazard cards appear when you cross Rows 2–4. DRM cards land in Rows 5–8, and good ones grant a one-shot trade power.
chapter iii · the arc
Seven phases.
One unfolding story.
The game runs as a state machine. Each phase changes what you can do, and what becomes visible at the table.
- 01Lobby
Open a room. Invite friends or fill empty seats with AI.
- 02Roll for Rank
Everyone rolls 2d6. Highest total picks an envelope first.
- 03Envelope Pick
Eleven sealed envelopes hide your piece — and your starting hand.
- 04Placement
Place your piece anywhere on Row 1. The character zone.
- 05Playing
Move forward through Hazard (Rows 2–4) and DRM (Rows 5–8).
- 06Storytelling
Lay your hand on the table. Tell the story your cards reveal.
- 07End
Reflection. The point isn't who won — it's what was made visible.
chapter iv · the board
Eight rows.
Three zones.
The 8 × 8 board is seeded by the room code; every player sees the identical layout. Forward is row 1 → row 8. Reach the eighth row and your story is sealed.
Place your piece. No card draws.
14 hazard cells. Draw a disaster.
16 DRM cells. Good ones unlock your trade.
when you're ready
The board is set.
Open an envelope.
Two to six players. No accounts. Five minutes from here to the first roll. The story your hand tells at the end is yours to keep.