Reflections on Where Cards Fall

12 years ago I cut out pieces of paper in my freshman dorm room, decorated them with stick figures, and taped them together to form little houses of cards. I printed out a ruleset and showed it to a few friends. They thought my game was inscrutable and overcomplicated, but admired the spirit.

Sometimes ideas stick with you. My professors encouraged us to design a hundred bad games to learn how to make a good one. I just kept redesigning the game about houses of cards.

Where Cards Fall lived in dorm rooms, lecture halls, coffee shops, a half dozen apartments, coworking spaces, and tiny offices all across Los Angeles. Looking back at the game feels like playing it. A flood of memories, places, and people spanning a decade of my life.

The story begins with someone deep in reflection, examining their roots to figure out what’s next. I found myself at that crossroads many times over the past few years, weighing what to do when things fall apart. The game helped me remember how I arrived at each junction. It showed me how I’ve changed, and how I’ve always been.

After the launch euphoria wore off, all that was left was the game itself. The praise, the criticism, and the highs and lows of development eventually faded. But when I revisit Where Cards Fall today, it reassures me that I have laid an immovable foundation. I hope it does the same for you.

– Sam