Trial of Lotus · A social deduction game inspired by Chinese mythology
Who played the Tainted Heart?
Your friend asked to take your place in the Trial. You let her. Now there’s a Tainted Heart in the box, and she wants to know why you were so eager to sit out.
Each of you plays a forest spirit with a secret role. Help Jade Lotus become the forest’s next guardian, or side with the Black Fox and give the table someone else to blame.
6–12 players · Best with 8–10 · 30–60 minutes · Ages 14+
A seat at the table
Trade places?
Draw Sun or Moon to form the groups for the next two Trials. If you both agree, you can trade places for free. You start with one Ruyi token. Spend it to force a swap or draw a Ruyi card, or save it for the next Trial.
Open the voting box
Everyone in the Trial slips a Heart into the box in secret. When the lid comes off, you all see the same Hearts. Remember who went in together. If a Tainted Heart turns up again after the groups change, who was there both times?
Choose a sacrifice
If the game is still going after the fourth Trial, the table chooses one spirit to sacrifice in the Cleanse Ritual. Catch the Black Fox and the good spirits win immediately. That gives his allies a reason to look guilty on purpose.
Whose hand would you trust?
If you’re Jade Lotus and the table sacrifices you, everyone closes their eyes. You can slip the Seed of Ascension into another spirit’s open hand. If an evil spirit receives it, their side wins immediately. Choose an ally, and the Fox may still have one last chance to guess who holds the Seed.
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Four Trials in a row are Pure.
Black Fox is sacrificed at the Cleanse Ritual.
Jade Lotus or the Seed Bearer survives the Fox’s Last Strike.
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Any four Trials are Tainted.
An evil spirit receives the Seed of Ascension.
The Fox’s Last Strike kills Jade Lotus or the Seed Bearer.
Illustrated by Yangtian Li
The spirits of the forest
I painted these spirits for the game’s gold-foil character cards. In Scroll of Spirits, their ink drawings sit beside the finished paintings.
Unfold the book for Jade Lotus and her allies. Turn it over for the Black Fox and his.
From the studio
Meet Yangtian Li
Come into my studio for a look inside the first Moonlit Deluxe box, then join us at the table for a game.
The first edition came to life with 466 Kickstarter backers. The original campaign ↗