THE LOADOUT - WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING?
72-CARD DIGITAL EDITION - BALANCE REVISION v1.1
P.K Saint-Skelly / Xencei Publishing
www.xencei.com

OBJECTIVE
After 6 rounds, build the strongest overall position across LOAD, CONNECTION and MOMENTUM.
Final Balance Score = (10 - Load) + Connection + Momentum.
Highest score wins. Tie-breaker: lower Load, then higher Connection. If still tied, the tied players share the win.

SETUP
1. Separate the five decks: Load, Life Happens, Action, Brotherhood and Turning Point.
2. Each player starts at Load 2, Connection 3 and Momentum 1.
3. Draw one Load card face up and add +1 Load. It is fictional - not a personal confession.
4. Deal 3 Action cards and 1 Brotherhood card. With 6 players, deal 2 Action cards each.
5. Shuffle Life Happens and Turning Point. Choose a starting player.
6. Decide whether Real Talk Mode is on. It is always optional.

A NORMAL TURN
1. LIFE HAPPENS - Draw one event and add its Pressure to Load. A Shield absorbs pressure first; unused Shield remains until used.
2. RESPOND - Play one Action and apply its printed track changes.
3. MATCH BONUS - If the Action tag matches either Helpful Approach on the event, reduce Load by 1 extra.
4. RESOLVE YOUR LOAD - If the Action tag matches either Relief Approach on your Load card, discard it, reduce Load by 2 and gain +1 Momentum.
5. BROTHERHOOD - One other player may use one Brotherhood card on you. Maximum one Brotherhood card per turn.
6. REAL TALK - If enabled, answer, pass, or open the reflection to the table.
7. REFILL - Discard the Action used and draw back to your starting hand size.

OVERLOADED - RECOVERY TURN
If you begin at Load 10, skip Life Happens. Play one Action normally and reduce Load by 1 extra. You may still resolve your Load card and receive Brotherhood support.

END OF ROUND
After every player takes one turn, reveal one Turning Point, apply it, replace used Brotherhood cards, rotate the starting player, and continue. If a deck runs out, shuffle its discard pile.

TABLE CODE
No forced disclosure. No diagnosing, fixing, mocking, recording or retelling somebody else's story. Fictional play is enough. Real Talk is optional.